2021-08-12 46 1 7 House of Reps 0 1

Thursday, 12 August 2021

The SPEAKER ( Hon. Tony Smith ) took the chair at 09:30, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.

BILLS 1 BILLS Defence Legislation Amendment (Discipline Reform) Bill 2021 1

Defence Legislation Amendment (Discipline Reform) Bill 2021

First Reading 1 Second Reading 1 09:32 Mr GEE 261393 Calare I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I'm pleased to introduce the Defence Legislation Amendment (Discipline Reform) Bill 2021. This bill will reform the system of military discipline for those who serve in our Defence Force by improving the way discipline officers and summary authorities operate under the Defence Force Discipline Act 1982. To defend Australia and our national interests, we must maintain an operationally capable Defence Force which demonstrates high levels of discipline, professionalism, competence and commitment. The women and men who join the Australian Defence Force are subject to military law, in addition to civilian law, which has its own discipline system and capacity to impose punishments and orders under the Defence Force Discipline Act. The Defence Force Discipline Act provides a comprehensive system of military discipline that must be trusted by the Australian people, and most importantly by those who serve in our Defence Force, to be applied fairly and effectively, in all circumstances. The system of discipline administered by the Australian Defence Force must encourage the men and women of our Defence Force to be accountable for their actions, and importantly, to learn and grow from their mistakes. Because the people in our Defence Force work and live with one another and within teams, they have a perfectly reasonable expectation that any wrongdoing or breach of discipline will be dealt with quickly and fairly. Failure to do so may put the lives of others at risk, erodes morale and adversely affects unit cohesion and fighting capability. Military service and the need to maintain discipline places constraints and responsibilities on the people of our Defence Force. These challenges are unique and experienced by few of their fellow Australians. A separate system of military discipline is essential to enable the Defence Force to deal with matters that relate directly to its discipline, morale and operational capability. It is in this context of a disciplined fighting force that, in some cases, breaches of military discipline by the people in our Defence Force are dealt with more severely than would be the case if a civilian engaged in similar conduct. The military discipline system operates in Australia and overseas, in times of peace, conflict and war. Enforcing military discipline is essential at all times—both in training for operations and during conflict, in often difficult and dangerous circumstances. Those in the Australian Defence Force are legally bound to follow all lawful commands, including orders that involve considerable risk to their own life and others, or may require them to use lethal force against an enemy. The military discipline system administered under the Defence Force Discipline Act has three tiers: At the lowest level is the disciplinary infringement scheme. This enables minor breaches of discipline to be dealt with by the issue of an infringement notice. A person can choose to admit the breach of discipline and be dealt with by a discipline officer who may impose a low-level punishment such as a fine or reprimand. This has some similarity to being issued with a speeding ticket by the police; you can accept the ticket and pay the fine, or you may choose to contest the matter in court. The second tier is the summary system. This comprises of subordinate summary authorities, commanding officers and superior summary authorities. These proceedings are adversarial in nature with criminal law-like procedures within the disciplinary infringement scheme and are not administered by legally trained personnel. At the highest level are superior tribunals. These comprise of Defence Force magistrates, restricted and general courts martial, which deal with more serious matters and apply criminal law procedures. As early as 1989, The Defence Force Discipline Legislation Board of Review, chaired by the Hon. Xavier Connor AO, QC, reviewed the operation of the newly enacted Defence Force Discipline Act on behalf of parliament. He observed: 'For the most part … service discipline, particularly as administered by summary authorities, has to do with matters which do not contain any element of criminality and which would not constitute an 'offence' under civil law ... Many of them … are of quite a minor nature and probably in more than 90 per cent of these the facts are not in dispute.' These matters referred to by the review board range from actions such as those relating to operations against an enemy force, not attending duty on time, the unauthorised discharge of a weapon and having dirty boots on parade. Discipline lies at the heart of service in any defence force. In 2005 the Senate committee commenting on change within the Australian Defence Force military discipline system noted: '… military command is in many ways defined by obedience and conformity. Discipline is, along with leadership, a crucial underpinning of command.' At the same time, Australian Defence Force commanders have a duty of care to all the people under their command all of the time, 24/7, whether at home in Australia or deployed overseas. The priority is not just about maintaining discipline—equally important is the welfare of our sailors, soldiers and aviators who serve in the Australian Defence Force. By simplifying the disciplinary processes, the time required to resolve commonly occurring minor breaches of military discipline will be significantly reduced. This will ease the stress on those involved with the disciplinary action process. A 2017 review directed by the Chief of the Defence Force found that aspects of the discipline system were overly complex and difficult to use. The review found in particular that summary discipline matters were taking too long to resolve and adversely impacting the people accused of wrongdoing. Delays in resolving breaches of military discipline also adversely affects the morale, and potentially safety, of other people. This is particularly so in circumstances where the people in our Defence Force live, work and operate closely together. The current adversarial court-like summary discipline system has not been serving our defence personnel as best it might. Many senior non-commissioned officers and junior officers are reluctant to use it. There has been a lack of confidence in applying and understanding the complex court-like requirements of the adversarial summary proceedings. As a consequence, use of the summary discipline system has been in constant and consistent decline. The operation of the summary discipline system has proven problematic in recent conflicts; the nature of modern warfare has changed significantly since the Defence Force Discipline Actcommenced in 1985. Our Defence Force personnel have been deployed in smaller Australian formations, often either as independent units or embedded with our allies frequently far from administrative support. The complexities of the summary discipline system, particularly given the frequency, nature and length of overseas operations, has often resulted in unacceptable delays in resolving or finalising breaches of military discipline. The reforms in this bill will build on, and are consistent with the defence values of service, courage, respect, integrity and excellence. The reforms will provide Australian Defence Force commanders, and the men and women who serve under their command, with a system of discipline that allows for minor breaches of discipline to be dealt with quickly and fairly. More serious offending will continue to be dealt with by a superior military tribunal or referred to civilian authorities as appropriate. The bill will reform the discipline system in three ways: Schedule 1 will expand the operation of the highly regarded and effective disciplinary infringement scheme. The changes will allow a greater range of minor breaches of military discipline to be dealt with more quickly and fairly, and with less formality within the disciplinary infringement scheme, rather than by the more complex and adversarial service tribunal processes. This bill introduces a new senior discipline officer position creating a two-tier disciplinary infringement scheme. Additional safeguards are included in the bill to ensure the scheme continues to be operated fairly. In particular, this reform to military discipline preserves the right of anyone facing a disciplinary infringement to make an informed decision whether to choose to have their matter dealt with under the disciplinary infringement scheme and appear before a discipline officer, or a senior discipline officer in a non-adversarial process. Schedule 2 modernises the discipline system structure and reduces its complexity by removing the subordinate summary authority. It re-aligns the rank and punishment jurisdiction of summary authorities, ensuring a logical progression in terms of the rank of the accused person, the seriousness of the breach of military discipline, the level of the punishment that may be imposed and the seniority of the summary authority. Schedule 3 will further reform the military discipline system by introducing several new service offences. These relate to cyberbullying; receipt of a benefit or allowance; and failure to perform a duty or activity. Cyberbullying conduct is corrosive to discipline and can have an extremely adverse effect on the mental wellbeing of its victims. The new cyberbullying service offence will send a very strong message to those in our Defence Force that the use of social media to cyberbully another person is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the Australian Defence Force. The intention of this new service offence is to enable Defence to protect victims of cyberbullying through early intervention and putting a stop to the cyberbullying behaviour before it gets out of hand. It will protect the people who choose to serve in our Defence Force. Current safeguards for persons accused of breaching military discipline will remain. Crucially, under the disciplinary infringement scheme a person must choose to be dealt with by a discipline officer or senior discipline officer under the disciplinary infringement scheme. Additional safeguards included in the bill are: The requirement for any reasonable excuse to be considered before issuing a disciplinary infringement notice The ability of a discipline officer or senior discipline officer to dismiss an infringement if the officer considers the person has a reasonable excuse for committing the infringement Punishments imposed by a senior discipline officer must be reviewed by a commanding officer. On review, a commanding officer will have the power to: confirm a punishment decision substitute a punishment decision with a reduced punishment decide that no punishment be imposed; or that the discipline infringement be dismissed with no punishment imposed. The reforms in this bill will have a substantial and positive effect on improving the administration of discipline for all those who serve in our Defence Force. I would like to acknowledge Rear Admiral Nigel Perry CSC, RAN and Wing Commander Shane Carlson and their team for their commitment in progressing this legislation. I would also like to acknowledge the member for Fisher and his coalition backbench policy committee on defence and veterans' affairs, including Senator Andrew McLachlan CSC, for their input and assistance on this bill. It has been most valuable. I commend the bill to the House. Debate adjourned. Electoral Legislation Amendment (Counting, Scrutiny and Operational Efficiencies) Bill 2021 4

Electoral Legislation Amendment (Counting, Scrutiny and Operational Efficiencies) Bill 2021

First Reading 4 Second Reading 4 09:44 Mr MORTON 265931 Tangney I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I am pleased to introduce the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Counting, Scrutiny and Operational Efficiencies) Bill 2021. This bill amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to respond to the evolving electoral environment, with note to technological progress and changes in the scale and complexity of federal elections. These measures build on the government's investment in assisting the AEC to stay at the forefront of electoral technology, while also helping to make the voting process more efficient for Australians. The measures in this bill respond to recommendations of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM), as well as submissions by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), to support the continued modernisation of the AEC's operational processes. The bill enables postal voters outside Australia to complete certain procedural steps electronically if they are unable to comply with authorised witness requirements—for example, where lockdown conditions are in place. This amendment does not allow a voter to submit their postal vote electronically. The bill also introduces a vote-saving provision for postal votes that are received outside a sealed postal vote certificate. This amendment prevents a postal vote from being excluded from the count solely because it was received alongside, rather than inside, the voter's postal vote certificate. The bill introduces a fixed pre-poll voting period of up to 12 days prior to election day. The time frame balances voters' opportunity to participate in elections with the benefits that a more clearly defined pre-poll period provides to the AEC and participants in the electoral process. The bill increases the number of scrutineers permitted to observe the computerised scrutiny of Senate elections. The amendment will allow candidates to be represented by one scrutineer for every second-tier data-entry operator conducting exception checks, in addition to the existing entitlement to be represented by one scrutineer for every AEC officer present. This promotes transparency and confidence in the integrity of electoral counting processes, while balancing this with the physical capacity limitations of counting centres. This bill will give the AEC the option to open and sort, but not count, ordinary pre-poll ballot papers for the House of Representatives from 4 pm on election day. Given the significant increase in the number of pre-poll votes in elections, this will support the AEC in ascertaining a timely result on election day. Scrutineers will observe the initial sorting process, and their release of any information about opening and sorting prior to 6 pm will be prevented by law. Counting and formality checks of ballot papers with the oversight of scrutineers will then occur from 6 pm, as is currently the case. The bill allows the AEC the option to extract declaration votes from their envelopes in the five days prior to polling day and place them in a ballot-box by themselves for further scrutiny. Scrutineers will have the right to witness all aspects of the extraction process. This amendment will assist the AEC in its processes to complete the initial count and deliver a timely result on election day. The bill also makes a number of changes to electoral processes that are necessary to keep pace with modern technology, and will contribute to the AEC's operational efficiency. The bill amends how records of paper-based postal-vote applications are managed. This recognises that the majority of the applications are now submitted online and, therefore, do not require forwarding to the divisional returning officer for the division in which the applicant is enrolled. The bill removes the requirements for pre-poll declaration envelopes to carry a distinguishing number, and for the name and address of printers who printed the electoral matter to be included in electoral authorisations. And, finally, the bill aligns the handling of envelopes containing spoilt or discarded ballot papers with broader ballot paper handling requirements. These amendments will assist the AEC in the responsibility of delivering efficient and timely elections, promoting continued public confidence in a key democratic institution. Debate adjourned. Electoral Legislation Amendment (Party Registration Integrity) Bill 2021 5

Electoral Legislation Amendment (Party Registration Integrity) Bill 2021

First Reading 5 Second Reading 5 09:49 Mr MORTON 265931 Tangney I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Today I introduce the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Party Registration Integrity) Bill 2021. This bill amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to strengthen the integrity of party registration by ensuring there exists a genuine base of community support for political parties and reduce the risk of voter confusion. This bill responds to reports of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, known as JSCEM. P olitical party membership requirements The bill amends the Electoral Act to ensure that registered political parties are built on a genuine foundation of community support. It does this by increasing the minimum membership requirements for non-parliamentary parties from 500 members to 1,500 members. This provision will apply from the date of the royal assent for new political parties applying for registration. Non-parliamentary parties that are already registered will be provided three months from the date of the royal assent to demonstrate they have at least 1,500 members nationally. This bill also clarifies the existing requirement that an individual who is a member of more than one party can only be counted once for purposes of demonstrating a party's minimum membership requirements. This in no way precludes candidates contesting elections as independents. Political parties with same words in names or logos This bill amends the Electoral Act to minimise the risk that a voter may be confused, or potentially mislead, in the exercise of their choice at an election due to political parties being registered with very similar names. The amendment guards against this risk by requiring the Electoral Commissioner to refuse an application to register a political party if a party name replicates a word in the name of an existing registered party. This will include commonly accepted variants of a word, and will also apply to the proposed abbreviation of the applicant party's name. Commonsense exceptions will apply: The provision will not apply to words that are collective nouns for people, like 'alliance' or 'party'. It will not apply to country or place names, or their variations, like 'Australia' or 'Australian'. It will also not apply to function words like 'the', 'for' and 'of'. Further, where an applicant provides written consent from an existing registered party with a similar name, the Electoral Commission will be able to accept the applicant party's name even if it contains the same words as the existing registered party. The Electoral Commission may also refuse to register the logo of a political party on the grounds that it contains a word or abbreviation of an existing political party. Amendments are made to section 134A of the act to ensure consistent application to all existing registered parties. The Electoral Commission decisions in these matters will be reviewable by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Together, these provisions will enhance the integrity of the electoral process by reducing the likelihood of voters inadvertently associating or confusing political parties with similar-sounding names. This amendment responds to a recommendation of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters in its Report on the conduct of the 2019 federal election and matters related thereto. Debate adjourned. Electoral Legislation Amendment (Political Campaigners) Bill 2021 6

Electoral Legislation Amendment (Political Campaigners) Bill 2021

First Reading 6 Second Reading 6 09:53 Mr MORTON 265931 Tangney I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Today I introduce the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Political Campaigners) Bill 2021, which responds to recommendation 18 of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM) from its Report on the conduct of the 2019 federal election and matters related thereto. This bill amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to enhance public confidence in Australia's political processes by aligning transparency of political actors who seek to influence the outcome of an election to more closely resemble the disclosures of political parties, candidates, or members of the Australian parliament. The amendment reduces the amount of 'electoral expenditure' an individual or organisation can spend before they are required to register as a political campaigner. This amount will decrease from the current $500,000 to $100,000 during the financial year, or for any of the previous three financial years. A person or entity will also be required to register as a political campaigner where the amount of the 'electoral expenditure' they have spent during the financial year is at least equal to the disclosure threshold, currently $14,500, and at least one-third of their revenue for the previous financial year. The amendments do not represent a significant change for people or entities who meet the updated thresholds. Every organisation affected by this amendment either is already required to submit a return as a third party campaigner, or would be required to do so if they incurred such expenditure at a future electoral event. These amendments simply change the type of return they lodge with the Australian Electoral Commission. This bill will assist electors to make an informed choice during the electoral process, by making equal the requirements on political actors seeking to influence election outcomes. Debate adjourned. Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Offences and Preventing Multiple Voting) Bill 2021 6

Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Offences and Preventing Multiple Voting) Bill 2021

First Reading 6 Second Reading 6 Mr MORTON 265931 Tangney I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I am pleased to introduce the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Offences and Preventing Multiple Voting) Bill 2021. This bill amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to strengthen the integrity of our electoral system. These amendments will help guard against instances of multiple voting and clarify circumstances that may constitute an offence of interference with political liberty under the Electoral Act. The amendment also increases the penalty associated with this offence. Designated electors While Australia is fortunate as a democratic nation to experience very few instances of voter fraud, this amendment will help strengthen our electoral system's defences against instances of multiple voting. Schedule 1 to this bill amends the Electoral Act to introduce the category of 'designated elector'. The amendment empowers the Electoral Commissioner to declare an elector a designated elector if the commissioner reasonably suspects that the elector has voted more than once in the same election. This conclusion could be drawn from data and investigations from previous electoral events. If the Electoral Commissioner declares a person to be a designated elector, the commissioner must give the elector written notice of the decision and set out the elector's rights of review. These rights include having the decision reviewed by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. A designated elector will be protected in their entitlement to vote, only they will be required to cast a declaration vote. This means the elector will have to cast their vote through postal voting, pre-poll declaration voting, absent voting, or provisional voting. The amendments prohibit the disclosure of a person's status as a designated elector. This is to maintain the privacy of a person's status as a designated elector. A designated elector's declaration vote will not be withdrawn from its envelope until after the close of the poll. This provides a safeguard to ensure that, if the designated elector casts multiple votes in the election, only their declaration vote received first can be accepted into the count. This ensures that no voter is disenfranchised, but that nobody can vote more than once. This amendment strengthens the integrity of our electoral system and maintains voter confidence in elections. It also aligns with other state jurisdictions that have taken similar steps to overcome instances of multiple voting. Interference with political liberty Schedule 2 to the bill amends the Electoral Act to clarify what may constitute interference with political liberty, which is an offence under the Electoral Act. This clarification notes that violence, obscene or discriminatory abuse, property damage, and harassment or stalking with relevance to an election are examples of what can be considered interference with political liberty. Further, the penalty for 'interference with political liberty' will be brought in line with the penalty in the Criminal Code for 'interference with political rights and duties'. The penalty will be increased from 'Imprisonment for six months, or 10 penalty units, or both' to 'Imprisonment for three years, or 100 penalty units, or both'. Conclusion These amendments will promote continued public confidence in the electoral process and ensure voters can participate in the electoral process free from harassment and intimidation. Debate adjourned. Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021 7

Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021

Second Reading 7 10:00 Mr BANDT M3C Melbourne Getting dental into Medicare for kids is one of the great Greens balance of power achievements. Because we had the Greens in the balance of power in the shared parliament back in 2010, we said that one of the reforms that we need in this country was to get dental into Medicare. It is crazy that dental is not in Medicare. Why is it that if you break your jaw you can get treated on Medicare but if there's a problem with your teeth you can't? We know that so many people around this country have avoided going to the dentist because it is too expensive. Other medical treatments that you can get when you use your Medicare card are in the excellent great Australian Medicare system, but not dental. So, when we were in shared power, when people put the Greens into the balance of power in both houses, we said, 'Let's get dental for kids into Medicare,' and in that parliament we got it. As a result, since this scheme commenced, over three million children in this country have been able to go to the dentist and their parents have been able to pop on the Medicare card at the time of checkout and get dental funded by Medicare. This isn't just a great health reform; it's actually a social justice issue as well because, if people don't have great teeth, it affects the rest of their life. Think about it. If you have two candidates going for a job sitting in front of you and one of them is without great teeth because they haven't been able to afford to go to the dentist, it affects their job prospects. It doesn't just affect the health of your teeth and your mouth; it affects the rest of your body as well. So many diseases come because people haven't had their teeth looked after. They get problems. They get an infection in the bloodstream and that goes through and affects the rest of their body as well and they end up in hospital. Crazily, if you end up in hospital as a result of a complication that comes from your mouth because you didn't go to the dentist, you can do that hospital visit on the public health system. So wouldn't it make sense to have dental in Medicare from the start to prevent people getting sick as a result of preventable diseases? For health reasons and for social justice reasons—and for fairness reasons, because it is just too expensive for so many people to go to the dentist and, especially, to take their kids to the dentist—the Greens got dental into Medicare by working with the Independents and Labor in that shared power of parliament, getting a reform that benefited the whole country. But we can't stop there. We've got to get dental into Medicare for everyone. I am very pleased that in this bill what we're doing is extending this scheme that the Greens secured so that young children between the ages of zero and two are now also going to be covered by the Greens scheme. That is terrific. That is really good because, if you start this early, not only are you going to end up with children and adults who have better teeth but, actually, if the economy's your bottom line and the dollar's your bottom line, you are going to relieve a burden on our health system, because there are going to be fewer people with diseases down the line. It is terrific that the Greens scheme that we secured is now being expanded upon. But what we need to do today, tomorrow and at the next election is get dental into Medicare for everyone so that, just as you use your Medicare card when you go to the doctor, you can use your Medicare card when you go to the dentist. It is affordable to do this not only because we're going to save a lot of money in the long run, because there will be fewer people ending up in hospital, but because it's what happens when you have a country where you make billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share of tax. If we put a tax on billionaires' obscene wealth, we can get dental into Medicare for everyone. We need to do that because the billionaires and big corporations in this country are making out like bandits. Did you know that during the pandemic, while the rest of us were all locked down and over a million people lost their incomes and many other people had to rely on forms of social security, Australian billionaires increased their wealth by a third, mining billionaires more than doubled their wealth and Australia's billionaires grew their wealth during the pandemic faster than billionaires in any other country? They've been making out like bandits, often thanks to this government giving them millions of dollars in JobKeeper payments that they didn't need. One billionaire, with his corporation, took JobKeeper payments from the government and then went and bought a private jet with the millions that he got thanks to this government's largesse. No, we need to make the billionaires pay tax. The Greens will put a six per cent tax on billionaires' obscene wealth and make the big corporations that are making superprofits pay a superprofits tax as well. Then we can help fund getting dental into Medicare for the rest of the population. Ask most people: do you think it costs too much to go to the dentist? Yes. Do you think it's great that you can use your Medicare card for kids to go to the dentist? Yes, and thanks to the Greens for securing that. Should we get dental into Medicare for everyone else? Yes, we should. Can we afford it? You bet we can, when we make the billionaires and the big corporations pay their fair share of tax. As I said, this isn't just a social justice issue. We know that it's people on lower incomes who are the ones who aren't going to the dentist as often as they need to, because they simply can't afford it, but it's not just people on low incomes. It's First Nations people. It's people in regional and rural Australia. It's people who live further from the services that they need and can't afford to pay for the increasing cost of going to the dentist. We know it's a social justice issue to get dental into Medicare for everyone else, but as I said, it's also a health issue. It's going to make our country better off when fewer people end up in hospital from preventable diseases. The good news is that getting dental into Medicare is actually really close. If there were an election held today then, looking at the current polls, we would be on the verge of turfing out this terrible government. This terrible government of climate deniers and turbocharged inequality would be gone. Why would they be gone? Why would we be on the verge of getting dental into Medicare for everyone? It's because they won the last election by only two seats—828 votes. That's all that the Prime Minister is hanging on to majority government by. We can kick them out with a very small shift in the public vote—the polls suggest that's what's going to happen—and put the Greens back into balance of power in both houses of parliament again. We'll finish the job and get dental into Medicare for everyone else, make the billionaires pay their fair share of tax and make Australia a more equal place where everyone can go to the dentist, slap their Medicare card on the reception desk at the end and pay for it as part of our public health system. 10:09 Mr YOUNG 201906 Longman I rise to speak on the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021. When you have young children, there always seem to be 101 things you need to do throughout the day. There are play dates to arrange, books to read, items around the house to put out of reach, meals to prepare, mess to clean and sometimes even keys to fish out of the toilet. There are decisions on which day care, kindergarten, preschool or school they'll attend. It's all part of being a parent. But we do all this for our kids and make the tough decisions because we love them and want what is best for them. As a father of four children and grandfather of five, I can tell you I have been there. Another important thing to pay attention to early on is your child's dental hygiene—getting them used to brushing their teeth and flossing regularly and booking them in for appointments with the family dentist. When it comes to expenses, I know only too well how steep dentist bills can be, especially if you have more than one child. However, if parents promote and practise good oral hygiene with their children from a young age, this can help prevent more serious dental decay and other health issues as they grow up. Good habits can last a lifetime. Babies can start teething from as young as three months old, with the first tooth generally appearing around six to nine months. By the age of one, a baby will usually have around eight teeth, but this varies, of course, because babies develop at different rates. A lot of parents like to take them for their first dentist check-up before they turn one or when their teeth start coming through. This is long before a child turns two. This is why I am standing in support of the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021, to remove the lower age eligibility restriction of two years so that all eligible children under 18 can access the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, CDBS. This will mean even parents of teething babies can claim the subsidy. Amongst the sleepless nights and babies struggling with teething, do we really want Australian parents to be worried about a dentist bill on top of that? By passing these amendments, we will lighten the financial burden for parents of young children and allow them to take even teething babies to the dentist for a check-up, advice or some reassurance at little to no cost. One of my staff members has a one-year-old daughter who she took to the dentist when he first started teething at around six months. She had heard about the Child Dental Benefits Schedule and thought it was strange it didn't apply to kids under the age of two, especially because their teeth start coming through much earlier. The dentist took a look at her daughter's teeth, said they were coming through fine, gave her the usual warning on sugary snacks and soft drinks and sent her away with a substantial bill. These costs will largely be a thing of the past with the passage of this bill. The removal of this age restriction is based on recommendations from the report of the fourth review of the Dental Benefits Act. The review was undertaken through consultation with a range of stakeholders, including the Australian Dental Association, state and territory dental health services, Services Australia, the federal government's Indigenous health division and academic dental professionals. The review committee included the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer and representatives from the Australian Dental Association, Consumers Health Forum of Australia and others. Review stakeholders recommend that it is important to establish a positive dental experience at the earliest age. It also found that teaching positive oral hygiene practices at an early age would help curb the negative stigma around dental practitioners and oral hygiene. This perception can be reinforced if a person's initial dental experience requires serious treatment. Researchers found that if parents promote and practise good oral health hygiene with their children from a young age it will help prevent more serious dental decay and other health issues as they grow up. Tooth decay in children is on the rise in Australia. Children aged five to 10 have an average of 1½ decayed, missing or filled baby teeth. So it's more important than ever to teach a child good oral health habits early on that will stay with them for life. The government's health advice for parents is that they should look after the child's teeth from the moment they start teething. Keeping a child's teeth and gums clean will protect against infection, cavities and pain. In fact, we recommend that parents take their baby to a dentist as soon as their teeth begin to appear. The dentist can then check that their teeth are developing as they should. Decayed baby teeth can damage the permanent teeth underneath and end up costing thousands of dollars to repair when the child gets older. If a child loses a tooth because of decay, it can cause crowding problems when their adult teeth come through later. We encourage parents to take their children for regular dental check-ups within six months of the first tooth appearing. We ask that parents make a visit to their child's dentist a positive experience and not a punishment for something. It also might be beneficial to shop around before your first visit to the dentist, as costs can vary widely between different dentists. It's also important for parents to keep in mind that not all dentists perform services under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, so check before booking in for treatment. Getting into good dental hygiene habits early on in life can last a lifetime. This is why it makes sense that the age for children eligible under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule be lowered. The change proposed under this amendment will increase access to prevention and treatment services for younger children. It will expand the number of children eligible for the subsidy by around 300,000 each year. The Child Dental Benefits Schedule has been in place since 2014. Since that time it has provided more than $2.3 billion in benefits and delivered more than 38 million services to more than three million Australian children. The budgeted cost for the amendment is $5.4 million over four years. Currently services that are covered by the Child Dental Benefits Schedule include examinations, X-rays, cleaning, fissure sealing, fillings, root canals, extractions and partial dentures. Many of these services come with claiming restrictions and can be provided in a public or private setting. What the program doesn't cover is: orthodontic services such as straightening of crooked teeth; cosmetic dental procedures like the restoration or replacement of damaged or missing teeth; or any work that might need to be done in a hospital. At present only eligible children aged between two and 17 years are entitled to access the subsidy for basic dental services, which can be up to $1,013. The benefit is capped over two consecutive calendar years. It also has a means test which requires receipt of family tax benefit part A or other relevant Australian government payment. The payment of benefits under the schedule is administered by Services Australia. This bill will remove the minimum age of eligibility so that children under two years will be covered under the scheme. This government will continue to reduce the financial burden on Australian families. In the 2020-21 budget we extended tax cuts for low- and middle-income earners for another year. We also expanded the 32½ per cent tax bracket to include incomes up to $120,000, up from $90,000. We are ensuring more of people's hard-earned money is going into their pockets. By lowering the minimum age of eligibility under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule so children under two years of age will be covered, we are further reducing the financial burden on Australian families. It is another example of the government working with private and public providers to improve the delivery of dental services to Australia's children. I commend the bill to the House. 10:17 Dr FREELANDER 265979 Macarthur I rise today to speak on the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021. Before I deliver my speech, I should admit my biases: I am the son of a dentist and the brother of a dentist. Some of the earliest memories I have of my father are sitting at the foot of the dental chair in his surgery while he operated on his patients, drilling teeth and pulling teeth. I look back now—I was very young—and I wonder how some of those patients would have felt having a little two- or three-year-old boy sitting at their feet while their tooth was being pulled out. I have always had a very strong interest in dental care, and I was always interested in what my father was doing. I also am the proud co-chair of Parliamentary Friends of the Dental Industry, together with the member for Lyne, David Gillespie. I work inside and outside the parliament with this group to make sure that the needs and wants of the dental industry are provided to the wider parliament. My brother Andrew Freelander is an extremely good dentist who specialises in some of the newer dental treatments such as titanium implants, removing the need for dentures in many people. I continue to, through him, have a strong interest in all things dental. I also remember the arguments that were had—and people don't really remember this—when Gough Whitlam introduced Medibank and then when Bob Hawke introduced Medicare. There was a strong push to have dental treatment included in the Medibank system and later in the Medicare system. In many ways it's very sad that we didn't do that, because there is increasing evidence that good dental care is a very strong promoter of good health care, and the association between poor dental care and chronic illness is well recognised. It's always been my belief that health matters are above politics, and I found my membership of the Parliamentary Friends of the Dental Industry, along with David Gillespie, a very good way to promote the importance of dental and oral health and its association with good wider health care. I've worked as a paediatrician, as you know, for many years and during that time I've come to recognise the importance of good paediatric dental care. One of the great tragedies of Australian health care is that I can actually tell a parent's income by looking in their children's mouth and seeing their dental care. That just should not happen in a developed country like Australia. The Child Dental Benefits Schedule was introduced in 2008 to provide children between the ages of two and 17 access to financial benefits for dental care. Labor introduced this reform, and it's provided over $2.3 billion in benefits to Australian children. That $2.3 billion would have been multiplied many times in overall health care over the time of that scheme. We know that children who develop good oral hygiene and good dental care in the preschool age group have better overall health. There is some evidence that they also have better overall development than their peers who don't get good dental and oral care. Over three million children have avoided the pain and the physical and mental health impacts from poor dental health care over the time of the scheme. They've also benefited by there being less of a financial burden on their families, so it's been a very, very good scheme. The amendment bill we're debating today lowers the age of eligibility from two years to zero years. People may well wonder how important that is, because many people believe that children's teeth don't develop until they're six to 12 months old and that their primary teeth aren't all that important because they're replaced by their secondary teeth. But that's not true. Some children are born with teeth. About one in 2,000 children have what are called natal teeth; they're born with a tooth, or sometimes more than one. That can be part of their primary dentition, or it can be a third set of teeth. Being born with natal teeth can often cause problems—for example, with breastfeeding—and very often these teeth need to be removed in infancy. There are also a number of conditions in which teeth development is impacted during the development of the fetus. There's a relatively common condition, called ectodermal dysplasia, where children don't ever develop teeth, and that can cause problems with their jaw development, with their oral health and with their feeding and swallowing. There are conditions that do require dental involvement very early on, even just after birth. Some children have cleft palates or similar abnormalities and have dental abnormalities associated with those, and so they need treatment long before they reach two years of age. So it's actually a very good thing that we're extending the age to from birth onwards. This will be a great relief to parents who have children with some of these conditions, which are often associated with other forms of disability. It will relieve some of the burden on them that they would otherwise bear. Of course, one of the problems that we have in Australia, particularly in outer metropolitan electorates like mine, is a lack of dentists. We suffer from quite a significant shortage of dentists in Australia, and, in the public dental system, such as at the dental hospital at Westmead or the Sydney Dental Hospital, waiting lists for treatment are measured not in weeks or months but in years. I am a believer in establishing another dental school in New South Wales. There's only one at Sydney university, which actually has the same number of people enrolled to study dentistry as in the 1940s, so there is a very low number of dentists being trained in Australia. We need to really increase the number of dentists to improve the access to dental care, particularly for disadvantaged people and disadvantaged families. I think an unfair disadvantage is often put on children whose parents can't afford access to dental care, and this scheme is very important in promoting that. Another thing that we should be looking at as a country is training more dentists so people get better access to dental care. This is very similar, in my electorate, to the shortage of general practitioners. Many people are using our public hospital system because they can't get access to a general practitioner. I've petitioned the health minister on many, many occasions about the changes the government's made to the area-of-need classification for general practitioners which is inhibiting recruitment of general practitioners to work in outer metropolitan areas, like Campbelltown or Macarthur and others around the country. I know Emma McBride, the member for Dobell, has been facing the same problem on the Central Coast—and this is true for many disadvantaged electorates around the country. I've petitioned the health minister about this on numerous occasions. The response has been deafening in its silence, and it's another area where the government appears not to want to provide adequate health care for disadvantaged people. The lack of dentists is a similar thing. However, this scheme will at least help relieve some of the burden on people who have children with oral and dental problems in the first couple of years of life. We know that, with proper dental care, the lives of these children can be made so much better and so much healthier. Believe it or not, there's a very strong association with good dental care and good cardiac health. Looking after someone's dental health as an infant can have huge impacts on the health system over 50, 60, 70, 80 years, so this is actually a very good thing that we're doing. It also raises the importance, in the public and political eye, of dental care and its importance over a lifetime, not just early on. Bad dental hygiene leads to dental caries or decay in primary teeth, which then causes ongoing problems with jaw development, with eating, with swallowing, with nutrition and with development of the secondary teeth. It can cause a whole range of abnormalities later on in life. It's also very good to get children used to seeing dentists at a very early age and encouraging good dental care and promoting the importance of good dental care. As a paediatrician I see children who don't own a toothbrush. Anything we can do to improve awareness of and engagement with dental care is very important in those kids, and for their kids on an ongoing basis. This amendment will help Australian families and their children but it will also help, as I've said, education and it will help in getting rid of the stigma carried by people who have poor dental care and poor dental hygiene. I've had people, for example, who've had difficulty getting work because, when they go for a job interview, they have very poor dental care and they feel that inhibits their ability to obtain work. Anything we can do to help that is important. I've been trying to promote, in this parliament and other places, a program called the first thousand days, which looks at child health from preconception, right through the first two years of life. If we look at the first thousand days, it's a way of providing health care that provides a benefit to that child throughout their lives. The most important time in providing health care and the most important time in promoting health in a child for the rest of their lives is that first thousand days. Part of that is attendance to dental hygiene, and that includes being careful about nutrition and health during pregnancy. We know that there are lots of impacts of poor nutrition on the growth of a baby, and one of those impacts can include poor teeth development, because your teeth develop long before you're born. If we can improve awareness of dental hygiene and dental care in young children, that also includes improving knowledge of the importance of good pregnancy care, for good child health care. Getting health professionals used to being aware of dental hygiene and dental care is also very important. Many, many people here in Australia aren't aware of the importance of child dental care—this includes many doctors, because they aren't able to refer many children for dental care because of the costs involved. That is another benefit of this policy. It's not infrequent as a paediatrician to have to treat children with dental abscesses and poor oral hygiene because of their lack of access to dentists. That's certainly true in some communities that I've had to deal with over many years. I think we need to be looking at this as a holistic health policy. I think to have other members in the House talking about this has been very important. I'm glad it has bipartisan support. I do think it's imperative that the government looks further in terms of providing dental care. As I've said, I've always been a supporter of the involvement of dental care in the Medicare system; that's something I would actively support. I realise there are significant costs involved, but dental care is just so important for overall health care that it's something, as a parliament, we should be embracing. I support this bill. I think it's a really good start to improving child health care and I commend the bill and the amendment to the House. 10:32 Mr KEOGH 249147 Burt [by video link] I start with a confession: I hated brushing my teeth as a child. But my parents made me do it, and I am very thankful to them for that. In fact, they generously spent quite a bit of money on orthodontics for me and my siblings. We also had the benefit of the school based dentist program—not at my school but one of the other local schools—that we were able to access. This was a good thing, and not just for my dental hygiene, because both of my in-laws are in dentistry. My father-in-law is an orthodontist and my mother-in-law is a dental hygienist; and now my wife's uncle is also my dentist, and his wife is a dental hygienist. I think my wife's uncle takes a sinister delight in my visits to see him as my dentist! I'm quite clear that, if my dental hygiene had not been so good, I'm sure I would have been struck off as soon as I started dating Annabelle. The importance of good oral hygiene and dental health is much more than that. In fact, it is very much overlooked by so many in our community, and often even health experts. The reality is that dental ill health can lead to so many other health conditions that getting this right is of vital importance, and getting it right in the early years makes a critical difference to so many people's overall health outcomes. We have moved ahead in leaps and bounds in this area over the last few decades. I only need to think back to my grandparents, who didn't have their own teeth for most of the time that I knew them. It was quite a scary thing to find teeth in a glass next to their bed or to see them able to take them out; we shouldn't forget that as a demonstration of how much we have moved but, still, how far we have to go. It would be a brave member of this parliament who would ever disagree with something that the member for Macarthur said when it comes to health policy, and certainly, from my point of view, I echo his calls that it would be to the benefit of this entire nation if at some point we can find a way to see dental care covered as part of the Medicare program. Looking at child dental health, I will admit as a parent that getting my son, now five, to brush his teeth on a regular basis, twice a day, is an uphill battle, but it's one that my wife and I take on because we know the importance of not only ensuring that he has good dental health but also instilling that habit to make sure that he will look after his own dental hygiene as he grows up. To be fair, I've never met anyone who says to me that they love going to the dentist, and that's not saying anything bad about dentists. But people do tend to be scared of it, and sometimes that fear comes at an early age, or even, more often, they're not really sure because they don't have a regular experience of going to the dentist. They think about how it's a bit scary, it's invasive, it can be noisy, and there are strange things going into your mouth. You're not really sure what's going on, because you can't see what the dentist is doing. And sometimes that dentist likes to ask you a lot of questions when you're in no position to answer them! But going to the dentist is vital, and practising good dental hygiene is a vital life skill, and teaching children is a vital parenting skill. Parents need to be teaching their children from the get-go, before a baby's teeth have even started coming through. It's never too early to be teaching good oral hygiene to our children, and these are behaviours that, once learnt, will stick with them throughout their lives and lead to them having not just better dental and oral hygiene outcomes but better overall health outcomes. The simple fact is that some parents don't actually know how to look after their kids' teeth, especially when kids are at a young age, and the cost, or at least the perceived cost, of going to a dentist does come across as being quite prohibitive. The bill before us today expands eligibility for Labor's child dental benefits scheme by removing the lower age limit and opening up the Child Dental Benefits Schedule from two to 17 years of age to all children under 18, which means that kids, from infancy, will be getting access to the best possible oral health care. The thought behind making the scheme available to children from infancy is also to encourage positive dental experiences for both kids and parents—for kids to learn how to look after their teeth properly and for parents to learn how to help. If parents promote proactive and positive oral hygiene habits with their children from a young age, they will help prevent more serious dental decay in the children's baby and adult teeth as they develop. It's vital to instil these good dental hygiene practices in children at an early age to curb the stigma around dental practitioners and oral hygienists. This is only reinforced if a child requires serious treatment or intervention at a young age. Yes, this bill will cost the taxpayer dollars, but oral health is one of the early indicators of other medical issues. Through early intervention, our national health system will ultimately be making savings by ensuring it can address these dental health issues as early as possible. Nationally, children's oral health really isn't that great. Here in WA, kids under the age of 10 have an average of 1.4 teeth missing, filled or affected by decay. We're talking about baby teeth. Kids between the ages of six and 14, with their permanent teeth, have an average of half a tooth missing, filled or affected by decay. These are teeth that are supposed to last for life. It's simply not good enough. So the changes in this bill will enable parents to get their kids to the dentist as early as needed and encourage a life of good dental health, which also means better overall health for the rest of their lives. We need to be doing everything that we can to encourage good oral health in Aussie kids from the very beginning, for all those reasons, as well as the very core reason for me—having married into a family of dentists and having an even deeper understanding of the vital importance of good oral and dental hygiene and the overall health outcomes that come from having good oral and dental health and learning and instilling those good habits early. I commend this bill to the House. 10:39 Mr BUTLER HWK Hindmarsh [by video link] I am very pleased to speak on this bill. I thank the member for Ballarat for having moved an amendment to the second reading on my behalf. We are, as other speakers from the opposition have indicated, supporting this Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021. It's an important extension to a great Labor legacy—a legacy which, over the course of the eight long years of this government, has been threatened repeatedly by a Liberal Party that has never supported this reform fully. And that's of a type with this government, that for years and years and years fought the Labor Party in its introduction of Medibank and then Medicare. This reform, under the Gillard government and led by the member for Sydney, who was then the health minister, was a great reform, and it's delivering great health outcomes to millions of children and teenagers across Australia. It was a reform that was introduced after solid, evidence based consideration by the Dental Advisory Group that was chaired by the formidable former public servant Mary Murnane. And that came on the back of some very disturbing evidence from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare—that great institution, the AIHW—which showed that as many as 42 per cent of five-year-olds had decay in their baby teeth, as many as 61 per cent of nine-year-olds had decay in their baby teeth and, in a permanent feature of poor oral health, as many as 58 per cent of 14 year-olds had decay in their adult teeth, something that would continue to dog them for the remainder of their lives. We know that systemic support for dental care has been patchy across Australia. Medicare does not cover dental services, as is well understood by all members of this House. So really, in order to have a guarantee of access to dental care that you don't pay for out of your pocket, you need private health insurance, which is expensive and which is not financially available to many low-income families in Australia. Public dental schemes, including school dental schemes, have been patchy over the last couple of decades and so a number of recommendations were made to the Gillard government—particularly to the member for Sydney, who was the Minister for Health and Ageing at the time—to establish one of a range of options to ensure that children and teenagers would be set up for good oral health over the course of their lives. That gave rise to the birth of the Child Dental Benefits Scheme. In August 2012 the Gillard government introduced that reform package to the Australian people. A key part of that package was this benefits scheme, which ensures that children of families who receive one of a range of benefits—particularly FTB, or family tax benefit part A, but also the parenting payment, the double orphan pension, the carer payment or other benefits—do have access to what was a thousand dollars of government funded dental services over a two-year period. That has been indexed recently by the government to $1,013 over the course of two years. That covers a little bit more than one half of all children and teenagers in Australia. One half of children are from families who receive one of those eligible payments and more than 70 per cent of Indigenous children and teenagers in Australia have access to this great scheme. It's a scheme that has shown its worth; it has delivered almost 40 million services over its short life of less than a decade to over three million Australian children and teenagers. That's something of which the Labor Party is enduringly proud, and the member for Sydney should be proud in particular. It's important to note, though, that although we welcome this bill, the fact that the Child Dental Benefits Scheme remains in place is a great tribute to the efforts of the member for Ballarat and others in the Labor Party who have fought repeated attempts by this government over their eight long years to abolish or to cut the scheme. We know that under Prime Minister Turnbull, when the current Prime Minister was the Treasurer, they intended to cut the scheme entirely. That was fought by the Labor opposition, led by the member for Ballarat, who was the shadow minister for health and ageing at the time. Great credit to her and the Labor team; they fought off that original intention by Prime Minister Turnbull and the current Prime Minister, who was Treasurer at the time, to abolish the scheme. But they weren't to be deterred entirely, because then they brought before the parliament a proposal to cut by 30 per cent the payments which would be received by children and teenagers under the scheme. So, instead of $1,000 of services available to children and teenagers over the course of the two-year period, it was proposed by the current Prime Minister, who was then Treasurer at the time in 2016, that they would only receive $700. It was a cut that would impact about 20 per cent of the children and teenagers who were receiving such extraordinarily important dental services under this scheme. Again, can I pay tribute to the member for Ballarat for having fought that cut and having defeated it. Finally, the current Prime Minister, who was then the Treasurer, withdrew that cruel, insidious cut—on the eve of it being defeated, frankly—in the Senate, through a motion of disallowance that would have put the thing to bed anyway. We're glad they've finally seen the light and haven't, for three years at least, tried to abolish or cut this scheme. That is important and, again, just shows how important it is for the Labor Party to keep pushing these schemes, because the Liberal Party have never been comfortable with Medicare, and they've never been comfortable with this scheme, which is providing such great dental health benefits to our children and our teenagers. To the credit of the current Minister for Health and Aged Care, though, he has undertaken a review of the scheme, and that review has come up with, I think, a very constructive suggestion, which is to lower the eligibility age threshold from two years down to one year of age, recognising that good dental health can start earlier than a second birthday. Those statistics I talked about earlier from the AIHW about the levels of childhood baby tooth decay at five years of age demonstrate that you can never start too early on ensuring that our children have good oral health. The review recommended, as I understand it, that the eligibility age be reduced from two years to one year. The government, after discussing this review recommendation with stakeholders, has taken their view onboard that it would simply be better to remove the lower age threshold altogether, so that babies, provided they meet the eligibility threshold by way of government benefit, would have access to this scheme from birth. We see this as a welcome extension of a great scheme, and we are very happy to support this bill. 10:48 Ms RISHWORTH HWA Kingston [by video link] I am very pleased to speak on the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021, because this measure and this scheme are very, very important in our healthcare system. I welcome the government's changes to expand the eligibility of Labor's child dental benefits scheme by removing the lower age eligibility limits and opening it up to children between zero and two years of age. I'm proud that 10 years ago I stood in this parliament and spoke on the bill as Labor's first step in our dental reform package. Since Labor introduced this incredibly important reform, it has provided over $2.3 billion in benefits and delivered more than 38 million services to over three million Australian children. Three million Australian children have potentially avoided the physical and mental health impacts of untreated dental conditions, thanks to this program, with massive flow-on benefits for their families, their communities and the broader Australian society. This is a great Labor legacy. I would like to congratulate the member for Sydney, who was instrumental in ensuring that this be dealt with. It is so critically important. It has made many families' lives easier. I'm pleased to see that the government, despite it's previous attempts to attack this program or water it down, has now, with this modest change, built on Labor's legacy. I've always been an incredibly vocal champion for having more public funding and more public access to dental care for those who need it. Having good quality care and dental hygiene has a significant impact on the quality of life for so many people. First and foremost, there is the positive impact that good dental hygiene has on people's health and wellbeing. We must ensure that dental care is looked at through a preventive lens—as we should do with health in general. Otherwise, it will put a strain on our dental system. Living with poor dental health can be extremely painful. It can affect speech and sleep, as well as the ability to eat. Having poor dental care and poor teeth and oral health can also have adverse social impacts on a person's mental health, on their confidence and, indirectly, on their social life. I have heard many stories from people in my electorate who suffer embarrassment around their appearance if they are missing teeth or have decaying teeth. It leads them to avoid eating in public or enjoying meals with family and friends, and to be afraid to smile and to show their teeth in photos. This is really sad. I've also had constituent saying they believe they have missed out on job opportunities due to their appearance, with missing and decaying teeth. This is of great concern. It's important to note that, if people are not able to start good dental treatment in childhood, poor dental health will follow them into adulthood. That's why, for a long time, I've been an advocate for supporting preventive care. We need to ensure that small problems in childhood, when it comes to dental care and oral hygiene, are addressed and do not become bigger problems in adult life. I've heard many difficult stories from locals in my community in the southern suburbs of Adelaide about the impact that poor dental health can have on their lives or on the lives of their children. I've also heard about the lack of access to broader services relating to teeth and other aspects of the mouth. I was contacted by a mother whose son was dealing with a speech impediment, and his speech pathologist advised that braces would assist in correcting some of these issues. After seeing a dentist to have her son's teeth assessed, she was advised that the wait for braces would be up to two years and come with a gap fee of about $1,000. This mother was shocked at the long wait time they could face to get what could be life-changing dental treatment for her son. She was also shocked by the cost. Most families don't have a spare $1,000 sitting in the bank for situations like this. To have braces put on through the private system could leave parents with out-of-pocket costs of over $5,000—and in some instances double that. This highlights that access to dental care is really important. When it comes to things like speech and speech development, it has a critical impact on a child's long-term development. It also shows that early access is super important in mitigating what might otherwise be lifelong consequences. I'm pleased to say that my office was able to assist this mother in securing dental treatment for her son sooner than the two year wait time she had been given. But you shouldn't have to come to your member of parliament's office to facilitate this. It should be available and accessible to everyone. I'm also frequently contacted by constituents who are in desperate need of access to emergency dental care. A number of them are adults, not children, who would have benefited from preventive access to dental care as children. One of my constituents in his 30s contacted me to say he was told it would be a 16-day wait to see a dentist for a very painful toothache. Understandably, he was quite upset about the waiting time for what should have been a simple check, as it was causing him deep pain which was really very debilitating. Another elderly gentleman contacted my office seeking help after partially breaking one of his front teeth. He contacted the SA Dental Service and was told it would be a two-week wait to see a dentist. This man was in a lot of pain and said the rough edge of his broken tooth would rub against his lip, causing it to bleed. Patients should not have to wait for this type of emergency dental service just because they can't afford the large out-of-pocket costs that some dentists charge in the private system. Another constituent contacted me to seek assistance with the cost of dental care after being charged $60 in out-of-pocket costs to have a dental infection looked at. The man was receiving a disability support pension, and the out-of-pocket cost of $60 was a huge impost on his finances. What we need to see is action taken. We shouldn't rest on our laurels when it comes to improving dental health in this country. All Australians deserve access to universal, prompt and world-class medical care, and that does need to be dental care as well. I think it is critical, unlike this government that has regularly sought to undermine the principle of universal access to Medicare. This was the government that proposed a $7 co-payment—$7 tax!—to go and see your GP and that is making huge amounts of cuts to the Medicare rebates as we speak in the middle of a pandemic, not giving doctors any notice. They have a bad track record of not only trying to discredit the program that we are debating here today but also constantly attacking our universal healthcare system. Our universal healthcare system and the children's dental program that we're debating today have been incredibly important Labor achievements, but they have not only been important for those who have benefited but been important for society as a whole. So, while I'm pleased the government is making this improvement to this bill, I'm hoping that we will see an end to this ideological attack on the public healthcare system, on the dental care that is provided to children as well as the national partnerships, which at some point this government also decided to try and cut when it came to dental care. We need to be investing more, not less, ensuring that our Australian citizens are in the best health possible, that we're preventing the worst and they can live happy and healthy lives. 10:58 Mr ZAPPIA HWB Makin This legislation, the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021, builds on a Labor initiative, the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, which since its introduction in 2012 has provided $2.3 billion in benefits and has delivered 38 million services to over three million Australian children—services and treatment that benefit children, their families and the public health system more broadly, because early intervention in dental treatment will very likely prevent other future health issues, as other speakers have said time and again in this debate. It's $2.3 billion that has been spent, which, in my view, if we could calculate would also have resulted in much more than that in public health savings as a result of that expenditure being made for dental treatment at an early age. Early dental intervention will also increase the likelihood that good dental care practices are ingrained from childhood and carry through right into teenage years and adulthood. The legislation, in my view, corrects an anomaly in the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, which provides eligible children aged between two and 17 years access worth up to $1,013 for basic dental services, with benefits capped over two consecutive years. Under the proposed changes, the eligibility commences at birth rather than at two years. That means that around an additional 300,000 children will now be eligible for child dental treatment. On those figures, it is estimated that some 15 per cent, or 45,000 children, will access the scheme. It seems to me to be a commonsense correction. Indeed, I don't quite understand why it didn't start when the scheme was introduced. But nevertheless the correction is being made, and I am sure that it will not only make a difference but will assist so many children and families. Failure to address dental issues at an early age can lead to more serious dental issues and health complications in adult life. The latest Australian adult Oral Health Tracker, of 2020, indicates that dental care amongst Australians is deteriorating. One in three Australians has untreated tooth decay, an increase from one in four in 2018. In just over two years, the figures have deteriorated that much. Adults reporting toothache rose from 16.2 per cent in 2018 to 20.4 per cent in 2020, again a considerable increase over a two-year period. Fifty-two per cent of people without private insurance and 26 per cent of people with private insurance avoided dentists because of the cost. In actual numbers, that translates to about two million Australians every year avoiding a dentist because of the cost. Apart from the discomfort to those people who needed the dental treatment, the reality is that avoiding the dental treatment will mean other complications down the track and perhaps much more costly complications. For example, poor oral health is directly associated with chronic diseases including stroke and cardiovascular disease. As others have also said, it can also affect a person's confidence, appearance and general wellbeing. It's a pity we haven't had any costings done of what the cost to society is as a result of people not having dental treatment when it is needed. Dental care was not included in Australia's universal health scheme, Medicare, at its inception, and, four decades later, dental care is still not covered by Medicare in full. This is a partial covering of it, but it's a very limited covering. As other speakers have pointed out in this debate, it would be in the national interest to have dental care included in Medicare. Just why it was not included from day one is still somewhat of a puzzle to me. I understand that, at the time, there was some objection to it from dental groups throughout the country, but nevertheless it seems to me that, had it been included at the time, we might not be having this debate right now, because it would have been part and parcel of everyday health care. Indeed, I suspect that it might be the case that, had it been included, we would have seen a net saving in public health costs throughout the country. Dental care is health care, which is why several other countries, including Finland, the UK, Sweden, Italy and Greece, all have a form of universal dental care. Those countries clearly recognise the benefits and importance of it, yet Australia still continues with very limited public dental support. It is often shared, in a complicated way, between the state and federal governments; indeed, it varies from one state to another. The sad reality is that, even for those who are eligible for public dental treatment in this country, sometimes the waiting lists are such that people are waiting months or perhaps even years for that treatment. I can't imagine someone who is in urgent need of dental treatment having to wait months or years for it. It would have to be incredibly uncomfortable. I can recall speaking to people several years ago about that very issue and the impact it was having on their lives as a result of not being able to get the treatment that they needed, because they couldn't afford it and so had to wait and rely on the public services for it. While it's not surprising that people on low incomes are more likely to skip dental treatments, somewhat surprisingly it is often people in the 20- to 40-year age group. I say 'somewhat surprisingly' because I would have thought that those would have been the people who might have been in the workforce. But, again, they are also people with lots of financial burdens hanging over them during that stage of their life. That's perhaps why they are the ones who frequently skip dental treatments. Even when those people do visit a dentist, the statistics would show that the type of care they choose is often determined by the cost of the treatment, rather than the treatment that they would otherwise want to get or the treatment that the dentist suggests they get. Again, even when treatment is available, sometimes it is not the treatment that they should be getting and, because of costs, they choose the cheaper option. Again, it is always people on lower incomes who are missing out. It's unsatisfactory that most people are ineligible for state or federal funding of dental treatment. We have conditions under which people can access that federal funding or that state funding, but if you don't fit in or you're ineligible then you simply can't get it. Australia lags well behind comparable countries, such as the UK and Canada, with respect to the population overall getting good dental treatment and getting the treatment and care that they need. My understanding, from one report, is that in 2017-18 about 72,000 hospitalisations for dental conditions may have been prevented had earlier treatment been provided. Again, that just highlights the point that if people are going to hospital because they avoided getting dental treatment that they should have got, what is the cost to society for that hospital treatment—and the hospital stay in some cases? I simply don't know, but I can imagine it would have been much greater than the initial cost of the treatment had they been able to afford it or, indeed, had the public paid for it. It actually makes economic sense to look at a more broadly based public dental service that could be made available here in Australia. Dental services in Australia cost around $10.5 billion in total in 2017-18. Given those figures are now two years old, my understanding is that today's figure would be around $12 billion. Of that, half is paid by individuals and the rest is paid by governments and health funds. It seems to me, in proportion to the health cost throughout the country, that something future governments should consider is having 'Denticare' or something similar to that included in our Medicare system. The other point I want to make about all this is the point that others have made and which I alluded to earlier on in my comments—that is, people on lower incomes are more likely to be the ones that miss out on dental treatment, because they simply can't afford it. The statistics and facts will confirm that. One of the groups that clearly misses out a lot is Indigenous Australians, who are twice as likely as non-Indigenous Australians to not be able to afford dental costs. We were talking about the Closing the Gap statement in the parliament in recent days. This is a terrific example of where a gap needs to be closed, particularly for Indigenous people across the country and those in rural and remote areas, where not only is it a case of cost but quite often also a case of access to dental practitioners. We need to do a lot better and a lot more. The last point I want to make is this: as part of dental treatment, we know full well that nutrition and, in particular, the consumption of high-sugar foods and drinks has a direct impact on tooth decay and the like. We haven't done enough to address this issue over the years. If we want to minimise and reduce dental costs, and indeed health costs more broadly, throughout the country, we should look at prevention rather than the care afterwards as our priority, yet we don't do enough of that in this country. There is no question whatsoever—and the research will show this and the statistics will bear it out—that the consumption of the wrong types of foods, in particular of high-sugar foods, in this country is contributing greatly towards the dental costs and the health costs of the nation. We should be doing a lot more to either educate or in some way modify behaviour in this country so that people's health is improved through preventative action rather than through having to treat conditions once they arise. With those comments—and others have made this point—we support this legislation. It is good legislation. A lot of people are going to benefit from it. I commend the legislation to the House. 11:12 Ms SHARKIE 265980 Mayo I rise to speak on the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021. This is an important change to the dental scheme vouchers to include children who are under two years of age on the vouchers. We know that previously this scheme was available for children aged two to 17 years. This is an incredibly important scheme. This scheme ensures that children from low-income families are able to access dental care. I think, importantly, it encourages children to develop a lifelong relationship with a dentist through those treatment visits. It's estimated that each year from 1 January next year an additional 300,000 children aged between zero and two will become eligible for the program. The scheme ensures children can access just over $1,000 in benefits for basic dental services, with benefits capped over two consecutive calendar years. If you want to determine a person's poverty, you just have to look at their mouth. I think teeth give that indication of a person's financial means and social means more than anything else. I believe we have another cohort of Australians, a very large cohort of Australians, deserving of a similar scheme—that is, aged pensioners. I've been a long supporter of National Seniors Australia's Fix Pension Poverty campaign to provide a universal dental healthcare scheme for older Australians. I've been such a supporter of this proposal that I requested that the Parliamentary Budget Office arrange costings for such a scheme back in February 2019. Back then, that cost was approximately $700 million per year, and those costings were determined on a person being 75 years of age or over and on the full pension. Teeth in poor condition is not just a cosmetic issue; it affects your ability to communicate, it causes shyness and embarrassment—when teeth are missing from the front, in particular—and it causes difficulty speaking. People don't smile—if you're talking to somebody and they're missing front teeth, in particular—and they often hold their hand over their mouth to speak. They're embarrassed by their teeth. Broken dentures and rotten teeth affect your ability to eat; ulcers and abscesses lead to infection. There is a huge correlation between dental and mouth infections and heart infections. Addressing dental health is recommendation No. 60 of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, under the heading 'Establish a Senior Dental Benefits Scheme': The Australian Government should establish a new Senior Dental Benefits Scheme, commencing no later than 1 January 2023, which will: a. fund dental services to people who: i. live in residential aged care, or ii. live in the community and receive the age pension or qualify for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card b. include benefits set at a level that minimises gap payments, and includes additional subsidies for outreach services provided to people who are unable to travel, with weightings for travel in remote areas c. provide benefits for services limited to treatment required to maintain a functional dentition (as defined by the World Health Organization) with a minimum of 20 teeth, and to maintain and replace dentures. That's one of the findings of the royal commission, and we should be implementing that now—we really should. There would be a cost benefit to us to do this because mouth and teeth issues are the third most common reason for acute preventable hospital admissions in Australia, so if we had a dental scheme for older Australians we would actually greatly reduce the cost of hospital admissions in Australia. My contribution to debate with respect to this bill won't take long. This is a very good bill and I commend this bill. But I would urge the government to look at the needs of older Australians while we are also ensuring we meet the need of younger Australians to have a dental voucher. To me these are two cohorts of Australians that are equally vulnerable and that could greatly benefit from such a dental voucher scheme. Thank you. 11:17 Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Gilmore [by video link] In debate on the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021, I'm pleased to stand in support of the recommended expansion of Labor's Child Dental Benefits Schedule with the removal of the lower age eligibility limit, thus opening the Child Dental Benefits Scheme to infants aged zero to two years. It was the Gillard Labor government's Dental Health Reform Package, nine years ago this month, that ensured basic dental services be made available through the Commonwealth to every qualifying child aged between two and 17 and, additionally, the child's parent, carer or guardian. The Child Dental Benefits Scheme has provided over $2.3 billion in benefits through more than 38 million services to over three million Australian children. Now, if that doesn't put some bright into white, I'm not sure what will. However, there is more potential here for every Australian child, indeed, from the day they are born. With a review of the Dental Benefits Act in 2019, a recommendation was put forward to lower the current eligibility from age two to one. Wonderfully, however, within that time, with stakeholder feedback, the review advised a strong preference for removing the lower age eligibility restriction altogether. By removing the lower age eligibility, it is estimated an additional 300,000 children will become eligible for the program. Having dental care for infants and toddlers is crucial. Babies are born with 20 primary, deciduous or baby teeth that usually start to come through their gums by the age of six months. All teeth have usually appeared by the age of two or three years, emphasising that care for children's teeth commences well before their teeth arrive. With the appearance of teeth, instantly decay becomes a possibility. I'm reliably informed that one of the most serious forms of tooth decay occurs in babies when feeding from bottles containing sugary drinks, such as fresh fruit juice, for when left in contact with teeth, sugary drinks of any sort will cause decay because the sugar is converted to acid that dissolves the tooth enamel. Prevention is always better than cure, and this bill will help to deliver a positive initial dental experience for more Australian kids and help to curb the unfortunate negative stigma around dental practitioners and oral hygiene. Speaking of cures, I would like to share with the House some success stories through my electorate office with constituents who were in dire need of overdue dental care. But I do want to start by acknowledging the work of all our dentists and oral healthcare workers. They do highly important work in these very difficult times and the government needs to support them better. My office has seen case after case of people applying through the adult public dental scheme—applying and reapplying—all because of government's cuts to adult public dental funding. The consequence is less availability of adult public dental services on the New South Wales South Coast. Waiting periods of four months are common, and not for a routine appointment, no, this is for urgent dental work. In the case of Mr Leonard Matthews, a resident of Sanctuary Point, he had been waiting three years for denture moulds—three years! It is difficult to imagine the distress that caused, because dentures are a very big necessity. Mr Matthews' son, David, said: A massive shout out to member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips. My 88 year old father hasn't had his teeth fixed in 3 years. Finally after months of pain rang the members office and within a few hours found out why (paperwork lost) this happened and then sent a voucher to see a dentist ASAP. I’m so thankful and impressed with her and staff for being so caring and quick to sort this problem. Some politicians do have a go and care for their community. Glen Harlum from Sussex Inlet, when seeking his appointment, said 'anywhere would do' between Nowra and Ulladulla. NSW Health contacted him saying he remains on a wait list for access to services and was informed if he experiences any pain that there is a way to get access to urgent dental services. But as he is not in pain at the time, he will have to wait. The list is long. Constituent Mr David Lawton of Bomaderry, age 79, received advice through the Illawarra Shoalhaven local health district that an appointment would be made. This application then expired after four months, with no appointment having been generated. Then, if you could believe it, Mr Lawton was advised he would need to reapply and would have to wait another four months. The federal government's cuts to adult public dental care are nothing short of appalling, for which the government should be totally ashamed. But it doesn't stop with just dental. The shortage of GPs in my electorate of Gilmore is critical and that is why I fully support this amendment to the motion for second reading moved by the member for Ballarat: 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 the bill expands access to public dental services; and (2) urges the Government to do more to address: (a) access to dental and other health services, including General Practice, in outer-metropolitan, rural and regional Australia; and (b) out of pocket costs for all Australians accessing these services"— The GP shortage in my electorate of Gilmore is at crisis point. I want to point out that our local GPs and health workers provide the most amazing and vital support in our communities. They are the champions there every day at the forefront of primary health care, going above and beyond for people in their care. They deserve to be supported more. But in the bay and basin area on the New South Wales South Coast, we have seen doctors retire with the one remaining doctor at the Sanctuary Point Medical Centre retiring soon and no replacement in sight. The minister says again our area is not a distribution priority area. Apparently, according to the statistics, we have too many GPs. In fact, some of our GP practices have been calling to be made a distribution priority area for workforce shortage for some time. Take, for example, the Worrigee Medical Practice, which had 13 full-time equivalent doctors but now has five. Some practices in the bay and basin area of the Shoalhaven have gone from bulk billing to private billing and have closed practices in order to consolidate. This has resulted in the net loss of GP appointments available to communities and poorer patient outcomes, and it has placed enormous strain on remaining practices. The system is broken. We now have a two-tier medical system, where those who have lost their GP due to a practice closure, retirement or relocation of GPs cannot afford to pay private-billing fees and have little or no access to a general practitioner. Constituents in the Sanctuary Point area contacted me recently with their very real personal stories about accessing a GP, and these are their words. Nancy said: 'When my GP retired, I was at a loss. Being 94 years old, I need someone local. Not so—it's the same old, same old story. Practices had too many patients on the waiting list. Some practices had their GPs retiring, other practices were changing to women's health or COVID-19 vaccine and testing. I feel very frustrated.' Lorelle said, 'My mother had to wait 10 weeks in hospital to be admitted to a nursing home because her doctor had moved and we couldn't find another doctor willing to visit her in the nursing home.' Leanne said: 'It makes no sense that, at the very least, the number of doctors who have recently retired have not been replaced. It already took weeks to get an appointment before they retired and now the wait time is longer. This is putting more strain on an already-busy Shoalhaven Hospital emergency department. The area is increasing in population, not declining. The number of GPs allocated does not [inaudible]. Wait for a sudden announcement of an increase in GPs just when they call the election so that they can take the credit and say, "We were listening." We need more GPs now.' Graham said, 'The need for more doctors is an essential requirement for the bay and basin area of the South Coast as the population is growing fast and is also an ageing population.' Estelle said: 'I hope we can get more doctors here, as it used to be. At the moment, it's like living in a third-world country.' Kristy said: 'Where have all the doctors gone? There is a gap, and the minister seems to be in denial. More and more subdivisions are going ahead, with no infrastructure happening or even planned. I'm sure the numbers don't lie, so where is the minister's head on this?' Alan said: 'When our GP retired it took us two months to find another, and not local to me. Every practice was overloaded with new patients. In most cases I was told that one of the GPs at these practices was retiring soon anyway, or one practice was changing its focus.' Christine said, 'It takes too long to get an appointment because there are not enough doctors.' Thomas said, 'There are not enough permanent GPs.' Leigh said, 'We desperately need more GPs.' Tanya said: 'My doctor I had for years retired and then I found out Sanctuary Point Medical Centre was shutting down, so I decided to try and find a new good doctor. When I finally seem to find a good doctor, the next time I go they're gone. My whole family has been in the situation where we need to see a doctor. Every time I have tried to get in to any doctor, there's a wait—normally a week—so we try and diagnose ourselves. Most of the time we get better and forget about it. My worry is, if one of my family members falls ill with something serious, we will not have one doctor that can see us straight away or that can get to know our family, like our old family doctor. We need permanent doctors out here, and more of them, as I am hearing from so many locals having the same issue. They're really concerned about the current situation.' Frederick said: 'I'm in my 70s and have reached that time when I'm likely to need more regular visits to the GP. I was disappointed to hear that the Sanctuary Point Medical Centre had not been successful in replacing those two GPs who had resigned. I have a medical condition which requires ongoing observation, and do not feel that seeing a new doctor every visit is providing the level of service that I would expect. Sanctuary Point is a marvellous place to live and I don't see why it's so hard to attract young GPs to the area. As a younger man I would have been very happy to work here and bring up a young family.' There are many cases, but one thing that strikes me most is when a local GP comes to me for support after having previously had their application rejected to employ a GP to work solely in nursing homes as part of their aged-care program, supporting our most vulnerable. This program literally supports older, vulnerable residents, ensuring they get the care when it's needed. This means less ambulance attendances, less emergency department attendances, lower demand on nursing home care workers, and better coordination with discharge planning and outpatient services, especially palliative care. We've had the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Isn't this the type of program and employment of GPs that the government should be supporting? Instead, it knocks back supporting it by rejecting the application to employ a GP. But it doesn't stop there. I'm at a loss as to why a local GP even needed to come to me about support for an application for a GP to work in a COVID clinic. It is beyond belief that that could actually occur. There is so much that needs to be done to improve regional access to GPs. I'm pleased that Labor is listening and that it supported the new Senate inquiry into addressing regional and rural GP shortages. More than ever, the government needs to start listening, to support our GPs, our health workers and our regional communities. 11:31 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland I am pleased to make a contribution on the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021. This bill implements a budget measure from last year, the 'guaranteeing Medicare' changes to the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. This bill amends the Dental Benefits Act 2008 to remove the lower eligibility restrictions of two years to allow eligible children from zero years of age to access the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. This is a sensible reform and Labor supports it. I note that it's estimated that each year an extra 300,000 children aged between zero and two will become eligible for the program from 1 January 2022, and that 15 per cent of children in this newly eligible age group with teeth issues will access the scheme. Obviously any dental issues in a child need to be addressed, and the sooner they are dealt with the better. In speaking on this bill, I want to draw to the attention of the House the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, introduced by the Gillard Labor government in August 2012, which was part of Labor's dental health reform package. The package comprised the $1.3 billion national partnership agreement for public dental services, a $225 million flexible grants program, and $2.7 billion for the CDBS—which replaced the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme and the Medicare Teen Dental Plan. Although these reforms may not have been headline-grabbing at the time, they did constitute a serious and progressive public health policy reform, which has always been the hallmark of Labor governments. Since the Gillard government implemented this reform, it's provided over $2.3 billion in benefits and delivered more that 38 million services to over three million Australians. Almost invariably when I meet with constituents, health is the issue that is always raised as being of fundamental importance to people. In our great Australian social democracy, access to health care based on need, and not ability to pay for the treatment, is something we are rightly proud of and cherish. I do regularly receive feedback from constituents about dental health and the difficulty in getting treatment for particular conditions, so this bill is a welcome addition to the care provided under CDBS. Labor is supporting the government's bill because it does build on a great Labor health reform and is an extension of Labor's legacy in health policy. In speaking on the bill on health policy, I want to draw to the attention of the House the overwhelming response I've received to my Medicare petition regarding the government's recent attacks. Government members should be very concerned about the feedback I have received. These are some of the things my constituents have told me. I can't repeat some comments about the Prime Minister, as it certainly would be ruled as unparliamentary, but in their comments my constituents clearly identify how much they care about Medicare: 'Stripping essential medical services to ordinary Australians should not be allowed; otherwise, we will end up like America, where people can't afford medical treatment. Medicare is vitally important to all Australians. It gives a sense of safety to those who cannot afford private health insurance.' I have another one: 'Australia's universal healthcare system is revered by many people around the world who cannot afford life-saving and life-altering health care. The Liberals' attempt to transform this system into a money-making machine is deplorable.' I have another one: 'This government doesn't care about any of us, especially those who are struggling and can't afford doctors' fees.' There is another one: 'Our health is our wealth.' Here is another one: 'Medicare is sacrosanct. Hands off.' Finally, Simone from Redhead makes a point that I've often made in this place: 'If people can't afford to go to their doctor, their health will get worse and it will end up putting a strain on our already overworked hospital system.' They are just some of the comments from my constituents about their passionate support for Medicare and their commitment to a fair and equitable health policy in this country, which this bill builds on. This bill is an important addition to the dental health reforms that Labor put in place, because they're important health reforms. It is health policy that benefits all Australians. I want to emphasise that this bill, the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021, is welcome reform and is supported by Labor, but the Liberals' and Nationals' ongoing attacks on Medicare are not. And let's not forget that we're in the middle of a global health pandemic and that the government is rushing through changes to Medicare that the AMA has warned will drive up the cost of some surgeries. Many of our colleagues cannot be here because they are in lockdown at home and, since I came to Canberra last week, the whole of Shortland is now in lockdown. In fact, I heard just 35 minutes ago that the New South Wales Premier has extended the Hunter lockdown by another week. Quite frankly, while I'm no medical expert, I would be very surprised if we exit lockdown anytime soon, given the number of cases. But let there be no mistake where the fault for this lockdown lies. It lies with the Prime Minister and his government. Australia is an international joke because of our vaccine rollout. But it's no joke for the teacher or the cleaner or the truck driver or the aged-care nurse, all of whom are on the front line, all of whom are essential workers who constantly contact my office because they cannot get an appointment to be vaccinated. In fact, the biggest number of COVID cases in my community is an outbreak of COVID at an aged-care home, the Hawkins Masonic Village at Edgeworth. I heard just today that it has been established that those cases—I think there are 12 residents and at least three staff—were caused because an unvaccinated aged-care worker was there and infected the other people. Every single aged-care worker was supposed to have been vaccinated by Easter. They were at priority 1a in the rollout by this government. Mr Morrison has failed my residents with the rollout. The fact that at least half of all aged-care workers are not vaccinated, are still having to go to work and, if they catch COVID, are then very likely to pass it to our vulnerable residents of aged-care homes lies at the feet of this government and of Mr Morrison in particular. That's the context of this bill, which is all about health. What rubs salt into the wound of the current lockdown is the fact that my constituents see the Prime Minister and Premier of New South Wales on their televisions every night repeating ad nauseam that the way out of lockdown is through vaccination. My constituents have had their appointments cancelled because the New South Wales government stole our Pfizer vaccines and redirected them to Sydney. My constituents and I are absolutely furious about this. Why were they redirected? It is because the Prime Minister failed to get enough Pfizer into Sydney, and he still continues to fail to get Pfizer into Sydney. The New South Wales government's actions are a disgrace. They should be condemned. They should not be stealing Pfizer vaccine from the Hunter and the Central Coast while we have outbreaks, but they were forced to do this because the Prime Minister failed to provide sufficient vaccine to Sydney. The Prime Minister said in the House last week that those doses would be sent back, but I'm still receiving multiple reports of people who, having had their appointments cancelled, have not had them rescheduled. One constituent emailed me about his daughter's experiences. He wrote: 'My daughter was booked in at Belmont for the vaccination and was advised that her vaccination had been cancelled and given to high school students in Sydney at a private school. She was told she would receive another appointment. Her original appointment was the day after the vaccine was sent to Sydney. She made contact with the booking service and was told bad luck. The government's decision to give the vaccine to the wealthier Liberal Party seats is a disgrace and un-Australian, and something that should be exposed and not forgotten.' This is just a taste of what I'm seeing in my community in relation to health policy and, in particular, Liberal governments' stealing of vaccines from my region, a region that now has a very significant COVID outbreak. This region had known cases of COVID in the community in the northern Central Coast. It was serviced by a Belmont vaccine hub when the Liberal governments stole our vaccine. That is important context for this bill. In speaking on the dental benefits bill, it's relevant to provide feedback from an actual dentist. Gwen, from Belmont, has a dental practice and contacted my office yesterday. Her business is suffering incredibly because of the lockdown, as she can only perform emergency procedures and she is not eligible for any state government business assistance. Gwen is also absolutely clear about who is responsible for the lockdown that is so damaging her livelihood—the Prime Minister and the Premier of New South Wales. This is the feedback I am receiving from my constituents daily about lockdown, and that's the context for the debate we're having right now. One aspect of health policy that is relevant to this bill is the attack on bulk-billing in my community. This bill goes to the affordability of dental care, and obviously that's very important, but the affordability of general health care is also very relevant to this debate. Families in my electorate have been slugged by the increased cost of going to a GP because this government has, ridiculously, reclassified my region as a major metropolitan region akin to Double Bay in Sydney. That means that it has cut the payments that doctors on the Central Coast and in the Hunter receive for bulk-billing, and that has had a direct impact on many surgeries. One surgery told me that they've gone from bulk-billing 80 per cent of their patients to bulk-billing 20 per cent. That is having an enormous impact, and I have families who are literally choosing between putting dinner on the table and going to the doctor. That is unacceptable in Australia. It is unacceptable in Australia in the year 2021 that people are being forced to make that choice. That is just one of the many examples of this government's attack on health policy and health care in this country. Another is the separate, but related, reclassification of the Hunter and the Central Coast in relation to doctor shortages. We are now treated in the same way as the eastern suburbs of Sydney, that, somehow, we've got a surplus of doctors. That means that GP surgeries in my electorate and nearby don't get incentives—doctors don't get the points they get from serving in places like Dubbo or Tamworth—which means my GP surgeries are finding it incredibly hard to attract GPs. They are literally struggling to staff their GP surgeries. I had the head of the Lake Munmorah surgery contact me about this recently. He is having enormous difficulty finding doctors. So if you get to a doctor under this government, you are paying more than you've ever had to before, and that's if you can find a doctor, because under this government it's incredibly hard to get on the list for an appointment to see a new GP. This dental health benefits bill really should be seen in the broader context, which is the multiple attacks by this government on health care: the GP shortage, through their reclassification; bulk-billing, through their reduction in the bulk-billing incentive; and the attack on the Medicare Benefits Schedule that the AMA and the Grattan Institute have said will increase out-of-pocket costs for people having surgery. These are all attacks on the health of my constituents, which is made worse by the current COVID crisis. In the COVID crisis, the government has failed Australians and failed my community. I am so furious with the incompetence of the Morrison government. This government has failed with the national quarantine system, which allowed 27 outbreaks, including the one that started the eastern suburbs cluster. The New South Wales Premier, pandering to the wealthy eastern suburbs, was too weak to lock it down when she had the opportunity. She was egged on by the Prime Minister, who, nine days into the Bondi cluster, congratulated her on not locking down. That COVID outbreak then spread to Western Sydney, the Central Coast and the upper Hunter because there wasn't sufficient vaccine available throughout New South Wales and Australia. Then the New South Wales Premier stole the Central Coast's and the Hunter's Pfizer vaccines because she couldn't get sufficient COVID doses to Western Sydney. So this attack on the health of all my constituents in lockdown is just the latest example of this government's contempt for health policy in this country. Before I commend this bill to the House, I just want to say that this will likely be my last opportunity to speak in the chamber for some time, as my home region will probably still be in lockdown in the next sitting fortnight. I will be travelling home tomorrow to start the joys of homeschooling and to be part of the lockdown with my community. We will continue to do our welfare calls for my constituents. We've managed to contact over 1,500 households in the last two weeks to check on them. I want to say to my constituents: thank you for following rules; thank you for doing the right thing; thank you for bearing with the incompetence of the Morrison government that's caused you to be in lockdown right now. If my office can assist in any way, whether it's income assistance payments, which this government has resisted, or access to food banks and charities or referrals to mental health services, please contact my office. We are still operating remotely during this difficult period. I just want to let my constituents to know that I stand with you. This is a really troubling and hard period, but we will get through it. But we are in this present situation because of the appalling incompetence and arrogance of the Prime Minister and the Liberal and National parties. They have failed the people of Australia, who are now suffering the health and economic consequences because of the ineptitude and mendacious behaviour of this government. 11:46 Ms KEARNEY LTU Cooper [by video link] I'm speaking from the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, and I pay my respects. I'm very pleased to speak on the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021 and the amendment moved by my colleague the member for Ballarat. Dental care is an incredibly important part of our healthcare system. We support this amendment and this bill, which will eliminate the lower age limit on the eligibility to the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, extending access to the scheme to children from birth to 17 years of age. This is a very welcome reform and one which builds on the legacy of the Gillard Labor government, which first introduced the dental health reform package back in August 2012. The scheme provides means tested financial support for dental services for children. Families with children aged between two and 17 years old who receive benefits such as the family tax benefit part A, the parenting payment, carer payment and other benefits are eligible for over $1,000 worth of dental care over a two-year period, and that will now be extended to children from birth. Since Labor introduced this reform, it has provided over $2.3 billion in benefits for more than three million children. This support is life-changing for so many people. We know that promoting and practising good oral hygiene with children from a young age is a strong determinant of dental health into adulthood and later life. As a parent, and now a grandparent, I know a little help convincing kids to keep up good dental health care can go a long way. Some kids rail against tooth-brushing time, for example. We use incentives like superhero toothpaste or a musical toothbrush, and we know that they can go some of the way. I know that Frozen Elsa and Ana toothbrushes are a staple in my granddaughter's household and so many households. A non-traumatising trip to the dentist as a child is something that really does stick with them and starts a lifetime of good habits around dental hygiene. My son Ryan, after a positive trip to the dentist, was fixated on brushing his teeth for a minute—no more and no less—and he had a clock situated in the bathroom, on the sink, timing that tooth-brushing regime. It was hilarious, but it was effective—something he learned from a great trip to a school dentist. In fact, I heard the member for Macarthur earlier today mention that some children are born with teeth. Well, that same son of mine actually was one of those children. He was born with a tooth. It had to be monitored from birth, because, as we heard from the member for Macarthur, it can cause problems. Indeed, he required dental treatment from birth to when his braces were removed around the time he was 17. Thank goodness that was when my role as being responsible for his dental care was almost done. In fact, that whole period of care was what this bill now includes: birth to 17. So I can tell you that the lessons of the dentist stick with people. We also know that dental health has flow-on effects for many other aspects of both physical and mental health. Poor dental health has been linked to diabetes, heart and lung disease as well as issues with nutrition and the stress and anxiety associated with the loss of teeth or the pain of dental issues. Those three million kids who have accessed dentistry as a result of Labor's reforms not only had the immediate benefits of dental care but will continue to benefit from having avoided these issues, which we don't often think of when we're headed to the dentist but are so closely linked to our oral health. It's important to note that what this scheme really speaks to is equitable access to health care. As I said, this is a scheme targeted to families who are receiving benefits. The kids who have access to this scheme are the kids with the highest likelihood of having dental health issues but the lowest likelihood of being able to afford dental care. As the member for Macarthur said, extraordinarily, he can tell the income of a child's family by examining their teeth. For families this scheme is the difference between choosing to send their kids to a dentist for a check-up and being able to pay the bills. It's a choice no family should have to make, and with this assistance it's one they don't have to make. It is a remarkable scheme. As we know, even the government continues to benefit by having avoided increased downstream medical costs from these health issues mentioned earlier, so I do commend the government on this bill, which will extend children's eligibility. It is predicted that 45,000 kids a year will have access to dental care each year as a result of this amendment; that's something to be commended. It's terrific that the government have followed Labor's lead and will extend access to dental care to more children. But Australians know that Labor is the party of health care. We're the party of Medicare. Central to our approach to health care is the understanding that all Australians deserve equal access to a high standard of medical care, regardless of income, location or anything else. Throughout the pandemic, that understanding has driven our approach when it comes to the government moving legislation and taking health measures to the Australian people. We've supported these measure that give high standards of care to Australians. But where measures draw up short, whether in the standard of care or how they can be accessed, we highlight where the government policies need to be improved. I've had the privilege of serving as shadow assistant minister for health and ageing for the last 6½ months. It's been a hectic time to be in this portfolio. What I've found in speaking to practitioners, experts and patient alike is that the focus is on the pandemic. It's vital, of course, to focus on the pandemic, but we've seen other health priorities drop off. It's an interesting time to be working in the health space because, while it feels like health care and health research in particular have never had so much focus and so much airtime, some of the key pieces of the healthcare puzzle are being left out of the conversation. Those of us in Labor believe a vital part of our role through all of this is to make sure those issues stay on the agenda, so I'm pleased to speak on this amendment which draws the House's attention to the issues of access to health care for our regional, rural and remote communities. What we're hearing time and time again from doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and specialists in regional Australia is a passion for providing the highest standard of care for their patients. They believe wholeheartedly that their communities deserve this standard of care and proper, equitable access to it. Unfortunately, this government is allowing them to fall through the cracks. Over the eight years of this coalition government, there's been inadequate funding for regional and rural health, and we've seen a complete absence of any cohesive strategy to increase access to health practitioners and care. This is no small issue. In far too many cases this has been a matter of life or death. There are people in this country who are driving for hours to see a GP or specialist. A study from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found 20 per cent of rural Australians—20 per cent—were unable to access a GP. We know that 60 per cent of rural Australians can't access a specialist. There are aged-care facilities in this country that have been unable to find a doctor to attend when a resident is sick because there aren't any in the area. We also know that nursing and midwifery positions aren't getting the funding they need from this government, so we're seeing babies being born on the sides of roads. In 2021 this is still happening, and it's happening under a government whose members come into this House every day and declare that they are the party for regional Australia, that they're governing in the interests of regional Australia. Yet we know that regional Australia is constantly left out and left behind when it comes to health care, all on the Morrison government's watch. It's a disgrace. Having easy access to a GP doesn't just mean you're able to seek help when you're sick; it means having access to the expertise of all kinds of health experts. We know that regular trips to the GP enable the timely diagnosis of more serious illnesses, often when the patients are presenting for a completely different reason. This timely diagnosis allows for better and more effective treatment, and this, in turn, leads to better health outcomes for the individual and decreased health expenditure in the long run. Ease of access to health care can mean the difference between a chronic disease being detected and treated, or being left undetected and worsening. It very often makes all the difference for a person's quality of life. So Australians living in rural and regional Australia must be given access. It's absolutely a priority and a must for this government. That means training more GPs and providing the right incentives for them to live in regional Australia. It means properly funding and training more nurses, midwives, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals, and encouraging them to work in every corner of the country. It means having a cohesive health strategy, one that understands the local nurse and GP act as a gateway to accessing more tailored health services—and it's vital that these services are easily accessed by patients. We've seen rates of testing for various diseases, like cancer and diabetes, drop through the pandemic. I will take this opportunity to encourage anyone listening to keep up their regular testing for these diseases. With these rates dropping, it's vitally important, more than ever, that we increase access across the country to health practitioners and get our ongoing [inaudible] back on track. You can't do it without having a GP and other health professionals to go to, and you certainly can't do that if you can't afford the treatment. I spoke earlier of the importance of the dental benefit schedule in ensuring more equitable access to health care and how core that is to Labor's approach to policy in this area. Unfortunately, we've seen during the Liberals' time in government that the equitable access to health care that Australians pride themselves on is slowly slipping out of grasp. Out-of-pocket expenses are rising, it's more expensive to go to the GP and it's more expensive to access a specialist. And, with the news in the last little while of the results of the MBS review, we know it's now going to be more expensive to have surgery. The results of the fee hikes under this government are very simple. They mean it's less and less likely that people will go to the doctor to have an illness treated or to get better. A person's income shouldn't determine whether they're able to access treatment. It's a fundamental right that we as Australians sometimes take for granted, but when it's under threat I know we're incredibly protective of it. I've seen that in my life as a nurse and as a trade unionist. Those of us on this side will fight the government every step of the way when it comes to their undermining and underfunding of our healthcare system. So I urge those opposite to utilise the increased focus we've seen on health care through the pandemic to continue that focus and to sort out these issues. We need to act now to make sure that everyone has access to a local GP and other healthcare professionals—access to specialist services. We need to ensure that no-one is turned away from proper care because they can't afford it. The amendment and this bill are welcome, and we support these changes today, but it would be wonderful to see this goodwill extended further and to see the Morrison government really act to better our healthcare system as a whole. I'll just take my last couple of minutes to give a big call-out to everybody in the ACT today, who we know are going into lockdown as of 5pm this afternoon. I wish everyone well and to take care—especially my colleagues in the House. I know everybody will do the right thing, I know that people will go and get vaccinated and I know that people will be worried, but I ask them to take care. 11:59 Mr NEUMANN HVO Blair I'm pleased to support this legislation and the amendment in relation to it. It's a surprise that the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021 comes from the coalition government. It builds on what Labor has done when we were last in government and I will refer to that and to the history of this particular legislation as well. Effectively, the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021 removes the lower eligibility age restriction of two years to allow eligible children from zero years of age to access the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. That will benefit 2,000 or more children in my electorate of Blair in South-East Queensland. That's very important. About 300,000 children across the country will benefit each year. This scheme operates to provide eligible children currently between two and 17 years of age access to over $1,000 in benefits for basic dental services, with benefits capped over two consecutive calendar years. This is a good amendment, and it is a surprise that it comes from a coalition government. I'm happy to talk about the background to this particular piece of legislation and the amendment that relates to it. When Labor was last in government, back in 2008, we brought in a new teen dental plan which meant that eligible families—usually people on family tax benefit A and those in receipt of Abstudy or youth allowance—could receive an annual preventive dental check for each child between the ages of 12 and 17. That was to help families fix their kids' teeth and to honour an election commitment we made. It comprised oral examinations, cleans, scales and x-rays, which cost about $290 at the time. The statistics showed that at that time that one in three Australians avoided attending a dentist because of its cost. That has continued in large part. The funding that we announced was to provide welcome relief for families who were struggling to meet the cost of a dentist. This particular plan was very well received at the time and supported by families. When we were last in government, we brought in a new scheme on top of that, which was benefiting about 25,000 children in my electorate around Ipswich and the Somerset region, making it easier to go to a dentist or see a doctor. The program was called Grow Up Smiling, which benefited about 3.4 million Australian children. It provided subsidised child care and additional services for adults on low incomes, including pensioners and concession card holders with special needs who needed better access to the public dental care schemes run by the states, and additional funding of $225 million for dental capital and workforce, to provide expanded services for people living in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas. I will get to that aspect as well. This scheme was very well received. I remember the then CEO of the previous West Moreton-Oxley Medicare Local in my region, Vicki Poxon, saying, 'An announcement like this will go directly towards improving the all-round health and wellbeing of our residents, in particular, children and pensioners, who need it the most.' About 20 per cent of the whole West Moreton region into rural parts of Ipswich and beyond were children under 14 years of age at the time. That particular announcement was very well received. It's really important that we address the issue of dental decay in children. That is not just because of the chronic long-term impact and not just in terms of their employability, their lifestyle and their future health; it is also a real benefit to our expenditure when it comes to Medicare and public hospital funding in the future. If you can provide preventive health care at the beginning of life and continue that with regular check-ups, it has better outcomes for the health of the country and better economic outcomes. Poor dental health has a wide-ranging impact on speech, sleep, eating and employability. It's important to relieve the pressures on public hospitals and the broader health system. Labor have a proud record in this space and we are very pleased to see the government has picked up on this after a review in relation to it. It has not always been the case. Like many on our side of politics, I would be very happy to see Medicare extended to cover dental services as well. When in office many, many years ago, the current government—the Liberal and National parties—were not supportive of better health outcomes for Australians. They opposed Medibank when Gough Whitlam and Bill Hayden brought it in in the 1970s and when Malcolm Fraser came into power in 1975 as a result of the coup that took place on that occasion. They then dismantled Medibank—we know it as Medicare today—and it took until the election of the Hawke Labor government to bring back Medicare in the form that Australians anticipated and that Labor wanted to bring it in back in 1972-75. It took until the eve of the 1996 federal election before the then Liberal opposition leader, John Howard, said that he would support Medicare. As the shadow minister said, the coalition in opposition and also in government have never been comfortable with Medicare. When it comes to dental care, their form remains the same. For instance, when Labor was in government in 1972-75, the Whitlam government brought in the Australian School Dental Scheme, which had a really big impact. In 1997 the Australian Institute of Family Studies, having examined the scheme all the way through the Fraser years and looked at what happened under Hawke and Keating, said that that particular scheme had reduced dental waiting times for most disadvantaged people. Before that program 47.5 per cent of people with health dental cards waited up to a month for dental treatment, and 21.1 per cent waited for more than 12 months. So, while that program was operating, 61.5 per cent of people waited for less than a month for dental treatment and only 11.3 per cent waited for more than a year. So it was a rip-roaring success. Malcolm Fraser and his government tried to dismantle it in large part, but it took until the Howard government to completely dismantle the scheme and replace it with nothing. It got to a point in this country where the Sydney Morning Herald had a headline on 26 January 2007 saying, 'Country aching over dental crisis'—a pretty clever headline, if you ask me!—and a headline on 19 March 2007 saying, 'Dental care is failing the needy'. On the eve of the election, or not that long before, the Howard government decided they'd bring in a new scheme. They didn't means-test it at all and they said it would cost about $90 million. This was a chronic disease dental scheme, and it was not means-tested. Twenty per cent of the funding for that was high-cost restorative care. What happened was there were rorts galore of the system—a program that was going to cost $90 million per year cost $80 million a month, and it meant people in wealthy parts of the country could get access to the scheme in large part to the disadvantage of people in poorer, regional and remote areas and outer metropolitan areas. When Labor came in, we abolished that scheme and we set about doing the kinds of programs I have outlined. But when the Abbott government came in, what did they do? Pretty well straight away, the Abbott government did weird stuff—things like cutting $15 million from the Charles Sturt University dental health program, funding which was needed to help the much-needed dentists of the future. It did really strange stuff, like cutting $390 million out of funding to reduce waiting lists. It was constantly being attacked by people like Griffith University professor of dental research Newell Johnson, who described funding cuts as 'a disaster' for dental health. The Australian Dental Association president, Dr Karin Alexander, warned delays would cause waiting lists to double or treble. This government, when they came to power, set about, under the National Commission of Audit, cutting and slashing and burning. This is the party of the co-contribution on Medicare. They made it harder for people to get access to the kind of support they needed and regularly took steps to try and cut funding, whether it was attempts to cut funding for waiting times at public hospitals—they were constantly at war with the states and territories when it came to health and hospital funding. Even when Prime Minister Turnbull was in, we had to block the kinds of cuts they wanted to do—30 per cent of cuts to health funding as well. They just never cease to try and cut funding. This particular piece of legislation is very, very welcome, but it's only a little bit of what they need to do. The office of the Queensland health minister, Yvette D'Ath, has provided me with some information in relation to the role the Commonwealth government plays across this space. The most recent national partnership agreement represented, by this government, a reduction in Commonwealth dental funding of approximately $8.7 million, or 30 per cent less compared to the previous NPA. The Queensland government has accepted an offer from the Commonwealth government of a 12-month extension of the NPA, until 30 June 2022. However, there is no long-term certainty in relation to funding. So the Queensland government has repeatedly expressed its concern about the reduction in Commonwealth funding and the increased pressure it places on the state public dental system. The impact of this funding reduction on public dental services in Queensland has made it more difficult for Queenslanders to get access to general dental care at public dental clinics. So it's crucial that this government do things like not just this legislation that's before the chamber but other stuff such as maintaining a long-term funding commitment to make sure that people can get access to timely general dental care at public dental clinics and that we have a sustainable system of dental care in this country. In the three minutes that I have left, I'm going to talk briefly about the fact that my electorate has been grossly disadvantaged by the change in classifications of the distribution priority areas. I wrote to the previous minister, the member for Parkes, and I want to thank him for coming to my electorate and meeting with a local doctor at Walloon. I found him useful and helpful to deal with, and his office was very good to deal with when he was the minister. Unfortunately he couldn't fix the problem. I've written to the new Minister for Regional Health, Dr Gillespie, about the issue, saying that we've got a really big problem in my area and we've got to fix it. We've got changes of classification which mean that doctors can't get access to other doctors for their medical practices, and the healthcare system will be worse. Minister Coulton said to me in correspondence that the Commonwealth government couldn't change the distribution priority area classifications but they'd have a look at it at some stage in the future if the health outcomes were worse. Why do that? Fix it now. All I'm asking is to make sure that Ipswich, the lower Somerset region, around Karana Downs and Mount Crosby can get access to doctors. I've spoken to multiple medical practices in my area, and they all tell me about the challenges of recruiting doctors with these restrictions in place. Whether it's doctors at Riverlink, in the same shopping centre where my Blair electorate office is located, or doctors at Karana Downs or Walloon or elsewhere—it doesn't matter where I go—when I speak to local doctors, they all say the same thing. This DPA classification system is claimed to be impartial, but it's arbitrary and it's inflicting worse health outcomes in my area. I'm calling on the new minister to do the right thing, to change the classifications. The DPA classification system is having an adverse impact in rural, regional and outer metropolitan areas. Dr Magdy El Ashrey, a specialist GP and the owner of the Walloon Medical Centre in my electorate, at Queen Street, Walloon, is having trouble getting doctors to come and work in his regional medical practice. He's been there for 20 years. He's served with distinction the residents of rural parts of Ipswich—indeed, into lower Somerset and urban Ipswich as well. He needs help. His is just one of many medical practices in my area which need help. The government should look at this again. I'm urging the new minister to correct this problem, to fix it and make sure this DPA system operates for the benefit of all people in my area. 12:14 Mr GEORGANAS DZY Adelaide [by video link] I would like to acknowledge the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains and pay my respects to them. It is from the Adelaide Plains in the electorate of Adelaide that I speak today. I wish everyone well and I hope that everyone is safe in the ACT, Victoria, New South Wales and wherever else there are lockdowns. It gives me pleasure to speak on this particular bill, the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021. As my colleagues, the member for Blair and the member for Cooper, and others from outside of politics have previously said, we support this bill. It is a good measure because it expands the eligibility of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, known as the CDBS, which Labor brought in a number of years ago, and that is a good thing. It will remove that lower age eligibility of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule and open it up to children aged between birth and two years of age—to monitor, to check et cetera to see if there are any issues—which will then build a good foundation for the rest of their lives when it comes to oral hygiene and dental care. This scheme was an important initiative introduced by the Gillard government in 2012. It provided eligible children aged between two and 17 years access to up to $1,013 in benefits for basic dental services, including examinations, routine cleaning, fillings, monitoring and root canals. The scheme covers children who live in lower- and middle-income households, those who receive family tax benefit part A and other payments from the Commonwealth, and the benefits are capped over two consecutive calendar years. Since its introduction, it has provided over $2.3 billion in benefits—that is, $2.3 billion for children who, in other circumstances, perhaps, would not have had their teeth checked, perhaps would not have had work done on their teeth, which then brings in poor oral hygiene for the rest of their lives. We know how important dental care is. All of us in our electorates speak to constituents who, on a regular basis, speak to us about not being able to afford to get the dental care that they require. I have been a big advocate in my electorate, from day one, when I was first elected in 2004, calling on the Commonwealth for a national dental health scheme. We heard the member for Blair touch on it earlier. We see constituents on a regular basis, pensioners and people who are on very low incomes, who cannot afford to have their teeth fixed. For the life of me, I can never understand why, if you break an arm, Medicare will cover it, because it is a bone and you need to operate your arm. But if you break a tooth, which is, again, a bone, it is not covered. Yet that broken tooth will lead to poor dental hygiene, will lead to poor diets because you can't eat the correct foods and will then spiral into other negative health outcomes, which will then cost the government even more. I have always been a big advocate. I have pursued it and I have raised with governments over the years that we should have a national dental scheme, especially for lower-income people who perhaps cannot afford to have their teeth fixed. The changes we are debating today are very welcome and have been praised by many stakeholders. There is clear evidence that supporting and establishing a positive dental experience at a very early age, between one and two, makes sense. If parents are practising oral hygiene with their children at this early stage, it will not only aid in the prevention of more serious dental problems in old age and as children are growing up but it will also give them a sense of how important dental hygiene is and how important it is to have regular check-ups and how important it is to see a dentist on a regular basis. It will also, importantly, help curb the negative stigma around dental practitioners and oral hygiene from an early age. If a child's initial experience with dental care is one which is not positive or one requiring perhaps serious treatment, they could be traumatised for a long time if it is not a positive experience. This is really important: if a child is introduced to dental care from a very early age, not only can they avoid serious and painful treatment but the chances of that child going through life having positive experiences with oral hygiene grow considerably the earlier we start. It's estimated that, thanks to this particular scheme, some three million Australian children have avoided worsening physical and mental health impacts from untreated dental conditions. This has enormous flow-on benefits at both a personal and a social level. It's estimated that, each year from January 2022, 15 per cent of children in this newly eligible age group will access the dental benefits schedule. That's roughly 45,000 children per year—45,000 kids with better oral health, better physical health and better mental health. That's up to 45,000 families with fewer worries about being able to pay for the dental care their kids need. And that's 45,000 kids with a better relationship, better experience and better view of dentists because they've been exposed to a dentist early in life and have the benefits of that flowing into the rest of their lives. That's why, on this side of the House, Labor supports this bill and commends it to the House. These changes will also help address the fact fewer children appear to be accessing the scheme compared to initial expectations. According to reports, the Commonwealth initially expected about 80 per cent of eligible children would use the scheme. However, as we heard earlier, according to the Grattan Institute less than half of the children eligible for this scheme appear to be involved, so this figure hasn't changed much in the eight years of this government. It is unclear why the figure is so low. It could be that not many parents are aware that the child dental scheme exists and that their children are eligible for care under the scheme. Whatever the reason, one thing is clear: we must do more in this area. We should work more closely with the states to promote the scheme and to boost that uptake. It may be that people are unaware of it or have no idea they're eligible, so we need better promotion of this scheme. There is no doubt we need to make a greater effort in this important policy area and in the process. We need to get more kids to the dentist to have those dental check-ups and to have the dental work that's required. Australia performs well, and even better than many countries, on a range of healthcare indicators. However, there are some areas where we do need improvement, and they're clearly needed. Comparing Australia with other OECD countries, especially those with universal or near-universal dental care schemes, shows that Australia lags way behind comparable countries when it comes to dental care. I spoke earlier about a national universal dental care scheme. It's quite clear in the Constitution—under section 54—that dental care is the Commonwealth's responsibility. If you look it up, it's in there. It says 'medical and dental care'. For the life of me, I cannot see why we discriminate between those two areas. If you break an arm, you go to a doctor. They fix it for you and Medicare will pay for it. If you break a tooth, it impacts on what you can eat, on the intake of vitamins et cetera that are required for a healthy body. It has detrimental effects, if you can't chew and swallow, and ends up costing the government more in health care, but we don't cover it. I really think we should look at a scheme that covers people's health care, because it is an important part of health. Most doctors and health experts would agree with me: it's an absolutely important part of health, especially as we get older. Bad dental health relates to heart conditions, diabetes and a range of other things. We heard the member for Blair speak earlier about the scheme Labor brought in for low-income earners, especially pensioners. I can't remember the exact amount, but they were given just over $1,000 per annum to have dental care done at a private dentist instead of waiting on those very long lists, where you can wait for up to six to 12 months to get a pair of dentures or to have your teeth looked at or even a filling. You can imagine a pensioner, someone over the age of 65, 70, 80, 85 or 90, waiting 12 months for a pair of dentures. Our scheme that we had back then provided just over $1,000 per annum for a person to go, with a referral from their doctor if the need were pressing—and it would have been pressing—to a private dentist. We helped and supported many people in our electorate. We got them to go to their GP. They received a letter of referral saying that it was an emergency that they receive their dentures, and they had dentures done within a period of months. It was a great scheme which helped those people then have good oral hygiene and not cause further problems for their health. We've seen newspaper reports of people who cannot afford to have dental treatment. Recently I had some dental treatment and it cost thousands of dollars. Now, I was in a position where I could pay for it, but the majority of people cannot pay for such treatment. The majority of people go on those public waiting lists. Their dental problems deteriorate, which then has an ongoing effect on their health. It's wrong. I feel it's very wrong, and at some point we should think long and hard about a means-tested national dental scheme that will cover people so they can get the dental care that they are required to have. We've seen newspaper reports of people who have done self-dentistry with alcohol and a pair of pliers. That has been reported in the papers. It is so sad to see people who have worked all their lives, have paid their taxes and, because they're on a Commonwealth pension, cannot afford to go and see a dentist and have to go on these long, long dental waiting lists that can take up to 12 months. What do we do for those people? We can't just shrug our shoulders and say, 'Dental is not our responsibility.' It is our responsibility, because it affects health. So I'd urge all of us in this place to think long and hard about a scheme that perhaps the Commonwealth could come up with to ensure that we have a dental scheme similar to that of other OECD countries that have national dental schemes that are working well. As I said, I cannot see why we separate dental from our national health scheme. This is a bill that will go some way towards helping people to have good dental hygiene. We know that if those foundations are put in place very early there is the likelihood that they will help and assist people to maintain that good hygiene so they will have good dental care over the years. I know that we need to go even further and look at people who are entering old age, where teeth deteriorate in a rapid manner. We need to be able to show some care to those people and help them as well. I know that, when we talk about health in this place, we have a government which historically has opposed Medicare. After Gough Whitlam had brought in Medicare, the next Liberal coalition government that came in under Fraser abolished it. It took another Labor government to come in and bring in a national health scheme so that we could all have cover from Medicare. I'm know that what I'm saying today may fall on deaf ears, but I'm hoping that under a future Labor government we will look at some sort of scheme that will cover health in a way that also includes dental care. As I explained, we went some way towards doing this when we were last in government, with the scheme that assisted teenagers and their dental hygiene, the Medicare Teen Dental Plan. We also had a plan for pensioners that covered them for around $1,000 a year for emergency dental treatment. When you need dentures and you have no teeth, dentures are an emergency. I'd like to see some of those things come back. We're supporting this bill. I think it's a good, positive step going forward to ensure younger people build those foundations that are required for better dental hygiene and for better experiences at the dentist, ensuring that it puts in place good oral hygiene for their lives. I commend the bill to the House. 12:29 Ms McBRIDE 248353 Dobell [by video link] I join my colleagues in speaking in support of the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021 and the amendment moved by the member for Ballarat. Labor is proud of its record in health care. It was Labor that introduced Medicare, as my colleague the member for Adelaide just mentioned, and it was Labor that introduced the Dental Health Reform package in August 2012. A key part was the child dental benefits scheme, delivering financial support for children between two and 17 so they could access dental care, many for the first time. Families receiving benefits such as family tax benefit part A, parenting payment and carer payment are eligible for the child dental benefit, which provides over $1,000 to families over a two-year period so they can cover routine check-ups, dental cleaning, dental fillings and root canals. Thanks to this program, we know that over three million children across Australia have avoided the painful side effects of untreated dental conditions, impacts that are both physical and mental. This has had significant flow-on benefits to household budgets and to the government's bottom line because it helps people to avoid downstream medical costs. This is a Labor legacy, and it's a demonstration of what government can achieve when it's focused on the day-to-day lives of all Australians, especially young people. This bill now extends the coverage of the dental benefits schedule for children from birth to the age of 17, removing the lower age limit on eligibility. As a result of this change, it's estimated a further 300,000 children from nought to two will become eligible for the dental benefits schedule every year. It's well known that good dental care from a young age will mean avoiding serious problems in the future. From 1 January 2022, it's estimated that 15 per cent of children in this age group will become eligible for the program. That's 45,000 Aussie kids with better oral care, better physical health and better mental health. It means up to 45,000 families won't need to worry about being able to pay for the dental care their kids need. Labor supports this bill, which builds on Labor's legacy in health care. I'd like to turn now to the proposed amendment to this bill and the issue of GP shortages and sustainability in rural and regional areas across Australia, including in my community on the Central Coast of New South Wales, where I join you from today. The lack of doctors in rural and regional Australia is not a new issue. It's a longstanding problem. But it is one that has gone on for far too long. People often say that Australia has universal health care, but we don't. We're increasingly seeing a two-tiered healthcare system in Australia, where access to care is increasingly determined by where you live and how much you earn, and communities outside big cities are finding it harder and harder to see a GP, to get the primary health care that they need close to home. We know from Institute of Health and Welfare reports and others that people living outside big cities often have poorer health, which is made worse by longer waiting times, higher out-of-pocket costs and a shortage of healthcare workers. As a pharmacist and local MP I know that, if people delay care, their condition will only get worse, and these people will end up in emergency departments, clogging up what is already an overwhelmed hospital system, when a trip to the GP could have helped them sooner and avoided these problems. People in my community on the Central Coast have been battling an acute shortage of GPs for a long time now. Practices are being forced to close their books as GPs move away or retire. They're being overwhelmed by lengthy cancellation lists and they can't get access to more GPs to help ease the pressure. That means some locals have to wait up to three weeks for routine appointments; for some, the wait is even longer. This is in large part because the government refuses to recognise the northern end of the Central Coast as a priority. It's not a distribution priority area, according to this government. I've been calling on the government to make the coast a DPA for a long time now. Changing our classification would allow local practices to recruit and retain more GPs from a wider pool of doctors, and help people in my community get access to health care more quickly—quality care close to home, which is what every Australian deserves, especially in a global pandemic. Fortunately, Wyoming-Ourimbah, which is part of my community, now has DPA status, as of 1 July. This means practices in this area should be able to access more GPs. The northern end of the Central Coast was completely ignored, and much of it remains non-DPA, despite ongoing calls from patients, from GPs, from our community. I keep hearing stories from locals about how they're struggling to see a GP, and that's in the middle of a pandemic, when it's more important than ever to talk to your GP, to get trusted advice, to have the reassurance you need, especially when it comes to getting the vaccine. People in my community are desperate to get vaccinated. They want to book an appointment with a GP so they can seek medical advice and they can get the jab. But they can't. In the middle of this global pandemic, in the middle of COVID-19, people shouldn't have to worry about getting access to primary health care. They should be able to book in to see a GP straightaway when they need that care and advice. There are people like David. David lives in Wyong on the Central Coast, in my home town, but he used to live in the Hawkesbury. He told me that he needs to make an appointment at least a week in advance if he wants to see a doctor on the coast, but that not the case further south. He said: 'I'm better off making the trip down to the Hawkesbury. I can get in within an hour down there.' David and others shouldn't have to drive down to the Hawkesbury, or wherever else they've lived before, to see their former GP to get a doctor's appointment, especially in the middle of lockdown. Locals should have timely access to health care close to home in their own community. Leonie from Toukley told me a similar story. Her husband tried to get in to see a GP in their local area when he became unwell. Every single practice told him they couldn't take on new patients, and they were forced to send him away. He then had to make a half-hour trip to San Remo, where he could get in to see his old GP, only to be told that he was in the middle of a cardiac event. To make matters worse, he had to take his children with him because his wife, Leonie, an aged-care worker, was working at the time. This just shouldn't have happened. If Leonie's husband had been able to get in to see a GP close to home he would have known what was happening sooner and he could have been taken to hospital for the treatment that he needed urgently. Incidents like this are completely avoidable. They're preventable, but they're still happening and that's all because there aren't enough GPs in our community to keep up with the demand. Then there's Kristy from Wyee Point, just outside my electorate. Kristy is a young mum who became very concerned when her young son fell ill. She tried to take him to a GP, but she was forced to wait days before she could get an appointment. During this time, her son's condition, sadly, got worse. He had a high temperature, he started vomiting and he was having convulsions. He ended up in ICU in Westmead children's hospital in Sydney with a collapsed lung, a chest strain and 40 millilitres of fluid on his lungs. He was 16 months of age at the time. Thankfully, he's now fully recovered, but this should never have happened. This toddler should have been able to see a GP and get care close to home sooner. As a young mum, Kristy said it was a frightening experience for her. She said, 'Kids should never end up in ICU for something that should and could have been treated earlier.' She said that she developed such bad anxiety from that experience that every time her kids get sick now she gets anxious. But that's not all. Kristy's two-year-old daughter had an incident of her own. Recently, she started having an asthma attack and went into respiratory distress. Kristy took her to the hospital, where she had to wait four hours to be seen by triage. She said: 'Is she meant to be unconscious before someone can give her medical attention? I had to drive back home and call an ambulance.' This not only is just not good enough; it's risky. It's unsafe for local people in our community, and it's not just good enough. People in my community are suffering because they can't get timely access to medical care close to home. As I mentioned, local practices are being completely overwhelmed and are being forced to close their books because they don't have enough GPs to take on new patients. I was speaking to a senior GP yesterday who was just exasperated. Two GPs from his practice are moving interstate, and he can't replace them. The several thousand patients that they see currently now no longer have a GP. They can't absorb them within that practice and they have had to let them know that they can't provide them with ongoing care. This is a long-running issue on the coast, which all local MPs are aware of. That's why I was frustrated to see claims recently that 33 new GP registrars were set to start work in our region this month. It's just simply not true that 33 new GP registrars will start work this month. I've spoken to local health professionals in my area, as a pharmacist myself. These registrars already exist and work on a rotational basis. They're not new GPs for our community. We have a major shortage of GPs on our hands and we need to do something to fix this. Unfortunately, a shortage of GPs isn't the only problem. Affordability is also a major concern. The cost of seeing a GP is at an all-time high, and practices that until recently bulk-billed have now stopped doing so during the pandemic. Across Australia, the average out-of-pocket cost to see a doctor has increased by 37 per cent over the last eight years. On the north end of the Central Coast, in the community I represent, the average out-of-pocket fee is $33, and that's before you go to the pharmacy and fill the prescription that you need for the medicine for your treatment. That amounts to a 31 per cent increase since this government was elected, and it's a direct result of the government's Medicare freeze. But that's not all. The cost of seeing a specialist is even higher, and waiting times are growing. The average out-of-pocket cost is over $85, up over 50 per cent. This increase is felt by many people in regional communities, especially those who can least afford it. It's well past time that something was done to fix this critical issue in my community and in other regional communities across Australia. That's why my Labor colleagues and I decided to take action. We pushed for a Senate inquiry to investigate the lack of doctors in regional areas right across Australia, including the Central Coast. That inquiry has now been established, and it will be able to investigate the provision of GPs in outer metropolitan, rural and regional areas; reforms to the DPA classification system; GP training; the Medicare rebate freeze; and the impact of COVID-19 on GP shortages. It will also be able to consider the role of allied health professionals, such as pharmacists, dietitians and physiotherapists, in providing quality health care in outer metropolitan, regional and rural communities so patients can get access to coordinated multidisciplinary care leading to better health outcomes, especially for those living in rural and remote Australia. This inquiry is also taking submissions from locals who have been affected by GP shortages in their communities. This is an opportunity for them to have their voices heard, because clearly the government hasn't been listening so far. I am optimistic about this inquiry. We need practical solutions to help areas like the Central Coast of New South Wales that I represent so that we can get more GPs in our community. People in my community, as I've said, deserve timely access to quality health care close to home that they can afford, and this is no more important than in the middle of a global pandemic. This has been going on for far too long not just in my community on the Central Coast of New South Wales but in outer suburbs and regions across Australia. We are at a crisis point. Local GPs have told me that their practices may no longer be viable. A practice recently closed because it wasn't able to recruit or retain a GP. This is something that is happening increasingly in the outer suburbs and regions across all of Australia. We're in the middle of a global pandemic, so access to GPs and health care is more important than ever, especially for the most vulnerable in our communities. For too long we've seen cuts to health care under this government. For too long we've seen rural and regional Australians overlooked. It needs to stop. We need to make access to GPs a priority. Every Australian counts. 12:42 Ms CLAYDON 248181 Newcastle It's an honour to be able to follow in this debate my friend and colleague the member for Dobell. She has vast experience in this area as a clinician and a pharmacist and in public health. She has enormous knowledge and insights that are of great use to this parliament in our decision-making. So thank you to the member for Dobell. I've listened carefully to a number of the contributions this morning. Whilst many of my colleagues before me began speeches with some of the trauma experienced as a child in those trips to the dentist, that's never, fortunately, been an experience for me. Indeed, I think the only thing that really gives me great fear is always trying to remain one step ahead of the consecutive coalition governments that have sought to unpick universal health care in Australia. It is baffling to many of my constituents that oral health was somehow seen to be completely detached from the entire body health and therefore was never part of the original attempts in Australia, in those early days of getting universal health together, to include it in Medibank, which then transformed into Medicare. Notwithstanding the fact that this bill is a step in the right direction—that's why Labor are going to be supporting the bill, although I will be standing to speak in favour of the amendment—we can never ever take for granted in this country that universal health care is not going to be steadily eroded. Indeed, every coalition government to date has sought to unpick the universality of Medicare. I was elected to this parliament in 2013, and I remember very well the then Prime Minister Tony Abbott's efforts. He implemented the Medicare freeze. He extended that Medicare freeze, and it has been ongoing over the last eight years, making it extremely tough for GPs to make ends meet in terms of the cost of managing practices these days. He also introduced a proposal for the co-payment. At one point it was going to be $7 and then it was going to be $5. We were successful in stopping that from happening. Labor joined with the community at large in their outrage that such a proposal would be brought to the Australian parliament. The reality is that people are actually making much larger co-payments today, even though that legislation was defeated. By stealth, the government is chipping away and extending those Medicare freezes. People are paying enormous amounts of money to access quality health care in Australia—and that is not okay. The member for Dobell spoke about the lack of access to GPs in her region. This was made much worse by this government today. I'm not talking about the historical matters in terms of ongoing attacks to Medicare; this is happening right now. My electorate of Newcastle was one of 14 areas nationally that were targeted by the Morrison government to remove bulk-billing incentive payments. It was astonishing, in my view, that the Prime Minister started last year, 2020, the year of the massive global pandemic, with a fresh round of cuts to Medicare bulk-billing. The loss of that incentive payment is estimated to have cost Newcastle and the Hunter region some $7 million. Doctors were talking to me about having to make really significant decisions as to whether they could keep their doors open. We lost GPs as a result of that, and GPs' surgeries closed their doors. This was at the same time as our community was trying to deal with a pandemic, which, as you can appreciate, caused enormous pressures for GPs. Those comments about the ongoing attacks on universal health care by coalition governments go to the amendment moved to this bill. The government has to do much more to address not just dental services but access to other health services. That includes access to general practice, as I have just discussed, in outer metro, regional and rural areas. It is terrific that Labor has been successful in getting a Senate inquiry into those matters. As the member for Dobell and other members have said, out-of-pocket expenses are unaffordable for some Australian families. Very few GPs in the city of Newcastle bulk-bill anymore. It is extremely rare to find a bulk-billing doctor. If you do, I suggest that you hang on to them for dear life because they are few and far between. Those out-of-pocket expenses are now forcing families to make really significant decisions. I've had mothers talk to me about the fact that they're making choices when they have to take several children, perhaps, to the doctor. Mothers are having to do without things in order to ensure that the children are able to have good health care and their medications are paid for. Some are having to make decisions about whether school excursions take place or prescriptions get filled. That is a terrible state of affairs. The history of Medicare is that it was born out of the fact that so many Australians were forced into bankruptcy in order to pay their medical bills, particularly hospital or surgical costs. That's why Labor worked so hard over so many decades to ensure that we would have a top-quality universal healthcare system and it's why Labor will fight tooth and nail every day to protect Medicare. We created Medicare and we will always fight to defend and protect Medicare. This expansion of Labor's Child Dental Benefits Schedule is a great initiative. It has been long in the making, I would suggest. Opening up the scheme to make children from birth through to two years of age eligible is a good thing. We know that. The outcome of the fourth review of the Dental Benefits Act was tabled here in parliament on 23 July 2019—two years ago. It recommended lowering the eligibility age to one. I am pleased that the government, in this bill, has gone beyond what the review recommended because feedback from all of the stakeholder groups made very clear that we might as well bring the eligibility age to zero, to birth. Stakeholder groups said that that would make better sense and would be a better outcome in terms of equity. I welcome the government's acceptance of that stakeholder feedback in the review by removing the lower eligibility age restriction altogether. There's no need for that restriction anymore. Its removal will enable all children under the age of 18 to access the scheme if they meet the Child Dental Benefits Scheme means test requirements. I know that all of us on this side of the House think that is a very welcome move. By lowering that eligibility age restriction, it's estimated that an additional 300,000 children aged between zero and two will become eligible for this program each year. This will kick in on 1 January next year, and it is estimated that 15 per cent of children in this newly eligible age group will access the scheme every year. That is a good thing because we know how important oral health is for the health and wellbeing of us all. If children have an introduction to dentists that is not traumatic, that is a good thing. Children having more opportunities to engage with oral hygienists and dentists, whether in their school communities or in private practices, should be applauded. It is socialising children to dentistry and helping them to overcome their fear and trauma. The pain and distress that comes with any kind of dental issue is so horrible. You only have to cast your mind to the last time you had any kind of dental incident. You would almost do anything to have that tooth pain, abscess or gum disorder—whatever it might be—dealt with as a matter of great urgency. I'm very fortunate that I haven't been in excruciating pain when it comes to my dental work. I have a fabulous dentist who has been religious in seeing to my dental health every six months for many more years than I care to remember. He has instilled in me a very strong sense of the need to have regular oral health checks. I've got to say that the whole new profession of oral hygiene, which I don't recall as a child, where you now get to see a hygienist before you get anywhere near the dentist, is also a great addition. But these are expensive services to access if you don't have a reasonable income or don't have private health care. I'd have to say that in my part of the world many people are choosing not to take private health care right now. They are not seeing value for their dollars. But they do want strong universal health care in Australia. I will certainly back them on that on every occasion. I realise that this might be the last time I get to speak in parliament for a period of time—I'm not sure. The city of Newcastle is in lockdown and the ACT is going into lockdown at 5 pm this evening. It's an uncertain time. I want to give a big shout-out to my community in Newcastle. I know that there's a lot of anxiety in the community. There's a lot of really deep frustration and anger that the lockdown hasn't been as effective as we might like it to be. I have pharmacists at Doc's MegaSave Chemist trying desperately, having been approved but still not being able to get across the final hurdle, to be able to give out AstraZeneca vaccines. I've taken this issue up with Minister Hunt to try to get this expedited. Having had all the Pfizer vaccines from our community stolen to send to Sydney last week, which we're now desperately trying to bring back, it seems crazy that we're struggling to even get AstraZeneca out there. It's not good enough and I ask the minister to help. 12:57 Ms SWANSON 264170 Paterson I'm absolutely delighted to speak on the Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021 and the amendment brought forward by the member for Ballarat, Catherine King: 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 … (2) urges the Government to do more to address: (a) access to dental … including General Practice, in outer-metropolitan, rural and regional Australia; and (b) out of pocket costs for all Australians accessing these services". I'm going to come to general practice in rural and regional Australia in just a moment, but, before I do that, I want to talk about dental benefits. Many people appreciate the importance of dental care from birth. In fact, it is becoming increasingly known, as this bill legitimately points out, that from the very day you are born oral health is a keystone to longevity and health through life. We know now that heart disease and many chronic illnesses are linked to oral health. The sooner we start little children and babies on the journey to having great oral health and receiving exceptional dentistry, the sooner we will have a healthier population. What does that mean for Australia broadly? It means that people will be well; they won't receive and need as much care, particularly in their latter years; and it will be less of an impost on the taxpayers of the future. That's a really important point to make. We want people to be well, and we want our health dollars to go as far as they possibly can. This bill is an extension of the reforms that were brought around by the Gillard government in 2012: the dental health reform package for all Australian people, which saw thousands upon thousands of people be able to receive dentistry, particularly children, through the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, which looked after children between the ages of two and 17. This bill expands it to include children from birth to 17. But, as my colleague the member for Blair pointed out earlier in the chamber, this was happening before the Gillard government as well. The Hawke government brought in really critical reforms, and I remember this quite clearly, because, at my school, Kurri Kurri Public School, we had a dental health clinic. I can remember going to the dentist at school; in fact, I had two very big molar teeth pulled out in that dentist chair at school. It wasn't too traumatic, but, I can tell you now, I still remember it. How is it that, in what was probably 1980, when I had my teeth pulled out at school, we had exceptional services and dentistry for children in at least some schools across Australia, thanks to the Hawke government? In some ways, I feel as though, in the intervening period between the Hawke and Gillard governments, we went backwards with dentistry, particularly for children and the government's support of that. This bill is well and truly long overdue. I now want to talk about that critical shortage of health care in regional and rural areas and just take a moment to recognise Dr Chris Boyle from the Raymond Terrace Family Practice. He practises with Dr Sarah Bayley and Dr Damian Welbourne. Between them, they do an amazing job of keeping our community healthy. In recent times, they've been running a COVID respiratory clinic and also now a vaccination hub. They have gone above and beyond the call of their Hippocratic oath to deliver wellness to our community, and we will be, I suspect, for many generations, truly indebted to them for their service. They see patients all day, and then they stand up and vaccinate well into the night. They are really burning the candle at both ends for us. I give a deep and heartfelt thanks to them. Chris said to me, when he vaccinated me for the first time: 'Meryl, there is a critical problem in Australia. We are not training enough GPs. There is not enough incentive to become a GP, and we have a critical shortage of them. The areas of need have contracted, in terms of the government's modelling of this, and we need to do something about it.' Dr Boyle, I hear you, and I want our government to hear you as well. My electorate is experiencing a critical shortage of doctors and is in desperate need for support recruiting doctors to the area. In October last year, I met with Michelle Hudson and Donna White, who are the hard working practice management team at Shoal Bay and Anna Bay Providence Medical practices. While I'm giving a shout-out to people, I just want to give a shout-out to the practice managers and the receptionists at every doctor's surgery across my electorate and indeed across Australia at the moment. You are truly the front line. You are on the phones receiving thousands of calls from frustrated, frightened people, who desperately want to be vaccinated and who are being told day in and day out, 'Talk to your doctor.' Let me tell you, in areas like mine—Kurri Kurri, Maitland, Raymond Terrace—it's incredibly hard to see a doctor. You don't just waltz in, make an appointment and see your doctor. These appointments are so hard to come by—to just chat to your doctor, let alone to get vaccinated. This is a clarion call to all those who are whimsically saying, 'Talk to your doctor.' It would be great to talk to your doctor, if you could get an appointment, so keep that in mind for all of us in rural and regional Australia. We don't just jump on the blower, make an appointment with the doctor and cruise on in. You can be told, 'I'm sorry, we've got nothing for three weeks.' That is if you can get in at all, if the books haven't closed. After speaking to Donna and Michelle, I was really, really disturbed. They're facing an enormous problem, like many members of our community, and they're frankly at the end of their tether. Issues affecting every medical practice across the Tomaree Peninsula were at the top of their list of issues that needed to be addressed by this health minister. The single biggest issue they raised was the lack of GPs in areas like ours, like Nelson Bay, which is an incredible place to visit but, very sadly, can't get GPs. We're faced with a crisis in my community, with this government failing to take action to support overworked GPs who can't attract additional staff to the local area because of the flaws in the government's current model. Where in Australia is it more pertinent to have GPs than in a tourism area with a large retirement population? Every year the bay is inundated with tourists. We love that; it makes our businesses thrive. I know it's not happening during COVID, but in normal situations and normal times we love people coming and enjoying our beautiful waterways, our magnificent beaches, climbing the Tomaree headland, having a great time in nature and in our wonderful community. But, if they can't access medical assistance when they need it, they have a real problem—and that is just one of the issues. Sometimes we have a fivefold increase in our population in Port Stephens and Nelson Bay—'the bay' as we affectionately call it—with people streaming in from all over Australia but particularly from Sydney. But, if someone has a kidney stone or someone has a heart attack or someone lacerates themselves on an oyster shell or someone has some sort of medical episode, it is just incredibly difficult. Staff do an amazing job at the small hospital we have, but it's completely underresourced for what we actually need in these times. Port Stephens, Maitland and Kurri Kurri continue to experience critical shortages of doctors and are in desperate need of support in recruiting doctors to the area. I held a round table and Mark Coulton, the member for Parkes, who was the then minister for regional health, was great. He turned up, he listened, he was very concerned. He knew what it was like for areas like mine, but he couldn't solve the problem. The government just isn't solving the problem—and it is a massive problem. I just want to point out that we have this shortage of GPs, and we're being told in areas like Kurri Kurri that it's the same as metropolitan Sydney. It isn't. We cannot attract the doctors. There is a huge backlog of people with everything from chronic to acute medical conditions who need to be seen. And that's not touching on specialists; it's even worse if you've been referred to a specialist. You just can't get an appointment. The Morrison government created this mess and they really need to fix the Modified Monash Model. It is not working in communities like mine. It truly is a mess, and they need to fix it. Some practices are turning away more than 100 patients a day. It's outrageous and it demonstrates the failings of the Modified Monash Model and the Distribution Priority Area model as well. At the moment, in this COVID crisis, there are terrible situations emerging all over my seat of Paterson. We need to step up and help our communities. People are waiting up to seven days to get a COVID pathology test back. They can't go to work. I've got big employers like Tomago Aluminium who are absolutely struggling, and I'm going to talk more about that later today. We've got a critical issue here. There are two things happening. Firstly, someone who was found to be a close contact went to a pub on 1 August. They weren't contacted until the 10th, so there's clearly a delay in people being told that they are close contacts. Secondly, people go for their test, they do the right thing, and they're being told, 'You won't have your results for five to seven days.' This is grinding the essential services to a halt. People are trying to do the right thing, but the government have to step up and assist. They must assist our local businesses that are just—some of them aren't even hanging on by their fingernails. They're not. They've slipped. They know there is no coming back from this. We are not being dramatic. The Hunter is the engine room of the New South Wales economy, much like Western Sydney, and it needs help now. The people in the Hunter, they're resilient, they're hard-working, they do the right thing; but, at the moment, they are frustrated, they are frightened for their lives and their livelihoods. We must step into the breach at this moment. I implore this government. We've got to have doctors. We need to have people tested more quickly and get their COVID test results back faster. We have got to get on top of this situation. It would be a heck of a lot easier if we had enough vaccines to do that. The government really needs to step up at this time. 13:10 Mr THISTLETHWAITE 182468 Kingsford Smith [by video link] Like many of my generation, I have memories growing up of my grandparents, who used to keep their false teeth at night in a jar of water beside the bed. People of that generation often had false teeth because dental care wasn't accessible to working class people. It was seen as a luxury, as quite an expensive health resource that many couldn't access and, as a result, many in that generation went through their lives requiring dentures and other dental assistance just to get by. Thankfully, given what we now know about the importance of dental and gum health and oral health for comorbidities, we've started to improve access to dental health services. The Dental Benefits Amendment Bill 2021 is an important part of making dental health services available to children from the earliest opportunity so that they have the best chance in life. The bill implements the guaranteed Medicare changes to the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. It was meant to start on 1 July 2021 but it will be pushed back to 1 January 2022. It will remove the lower eligibility age restrictions to allow eligible children from zero years of age access to the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. At the moment, the scheme provides eligible children aged between two and 17 years to up to $1,000 worth of benefits for basic dental services, capped over two consecutive calendar years. The Child Dental Benefits Schedule has provided over $2.3 billion in benefits and delivered more than 38 million services to over three million Australian children since it commenced in January 2014. It was part of a Labor government initiative introduced by the Gillard government in 2012 as part of the dental health reform package. By removing the current age eligibility restriction altogether, it's estimated that each year an additional 300,000 children will become eligible for the program. That will not only be a cost saving for those individuals in the long run but will also be a cost saving for our nation, because we now know the importance the first thousand days in the development of a child's health and wellbeing as the foundation that will set them up for a better future. The first thousand days are vitally important to a child's brain development, their bodily development and their immune system. Access to quality health care in those first three years will provide a stronger foundation to ensure that those features of the body develop better and will ensure a better quality of life for children. Access to dental care at an early age not only establishes good oral hygiene and good health practices but also, down the track, is instrumental in avoiding other health ailments related to dental and gum disease, such as respiratory problems, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and infections. The earlier that children get access to dental care, the better their quality of life will be, avoiding the situation of my grandparents—having to put their teeth in a glass every evening when they go to bed. It's a shame that the start date for this particular reform has been delayed by six months. We understand, because of COVID, there are delays occurring in a number of government initiatives at the moment. COVID is causing anxiety for younger Australians at the moment. On Tuesday, I was fortunate to host a Zoom forum with year 12 students from our community to hear how they're feeling about the current COVID lockdown and whether or not they're getting access to the necessary resources and communication they need to complete their final year of schooling. To those students from local high schools who participated in the forum: I want to thank you for the valuable insights you gave me into the challenges that you're facing in your final months of schooling. I'm grateful, and also extremely impressed by the feedback and resilience and intelligence of senior students in our schools at this difficult time. Quite simply, HSC students deserve better from the New South Wales government at this point in time. Year 12 is a stressful year, made all the more stressful by the lack of certainty and the lack of information that they're getting from the New South Wales government about the final months of their schooling. They deserve that certainty, rather than policy on the run from the Berejiklian government. There are questions: How do students complete major works that are at school? If they can't return to school until they're vaccinated, when will that take place? Kids who aren't in year 12 but are doing accelerated courses—what do they do in terms of vaccination and sitting the HSC? And, if case numbers continue to rise, will the HSC be delayed or put online? There are so many practical, valid questions that these HSC students deserve answers to but are not getting because the New South Wales government does not have a plan for year 12 students, and that's simply not good enough. I've written to the New South Wales education minister on behalf of HSC students in my community, requesting answers to these important questions. The New South Wales Premier must develop a plan for HSC students for their final studies for the rest of this year. It's a stressful time, and I want to make sure that all HSC students and, indeed, all school students in our area are looking after their mental health. It's okay if you're feeling stressed, it's okay if you're struggling and it's okay to reach out to your peers, to your parents, to your friendship network and to the many support services that we have in our community that can assist you. And I'd welcome you ringing my office and having a chat to me; we're here to help you as well if you need that help. Debate adjourned. Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Child Care Subsidy) Bill 2021 36

Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Child Care Subsidy) Bill 2021

Consideration of Senate Message 36 13:18 Mr TUDGE M2Y Aston I move: That the requested amendment be made. The Family Assistance Amendment (Child Care Subsidy) Amendment Bill was passed by the House on 5 August this year and by the Senate this morning, and that is very good news for the 250,000 families who will be beneficiaries of this bill. However, during the debate in the Senate, the government introduced amendments to the bill, and those amendments corrected a technical drafting error in the formula that calculates the higher rate of subsidy for the second child and any younger children aged five and under. This was a technical error that was picked up during the debating process. The government has quickly put through an amendment to fix it, hence our coming back to the House in order to pass that particular amendment. The amendment ensures that the bill gives effect to the full policy intent of the measure, just as the system build is already doing. I want to thank the opposition, particularly the shadow spokesperson, for supporting this bill and supporting this amendment, and seeing that it be done expeditiously as well. I remind the House that the passage of this bill will allow us to implement a policy so that 250,000 Australian families using child care who have the greatest workforce disincentives will benefit from reduced out-of-pocket expenses. It further supports the one million Australian families using child care so that parents, especially women, can return to work or work more hours if they choose. By increasing the subsidy for families with a second or third child, 250,000 families will be better off by an average of $2,260 per year. Families will be better off by up to $185 a week for second or subsequent children in care. For a family on $110,000—which is the median income for families who use the childcare system—if they have two children in full-time child care, once this system comes into place they will be $120 per week better off. So that's money in the pockets of those families. It also means it creates an incentive for those parents, particularly women, to do those extra days of work if they want to or to indeed go back to work if they want to. By implementing these measures, we get rid of some of those disincentives. That's the power of this bill. It is targeted at those families with two or more children in the childcare system. It is measured and built on the existing childcare scheme, which, as you know, is designed to most support those families with the least amount of means and taper off for those families who have the most means at their disposal. The Treasury estimates this will also have a significant economic impact. The Treasury estimates the impact will be a $1.5 billion boost to the economy. That will come about because an estimated 40,000 people will be doing more hours of work as a result of removing these disincentives. This is why the Business Council of Australia CEO, Jennifer Westacott, says in relation to this bill, 'It's good for mums and dads, it's good for businesses and it's good for the economy.' I couldn't have said that better myself. This bill is good for mums and dads, good for businesses and good for the economy. It's going to make a real difference to those cost-of-living pressures. It will remove some of those workforce disincentives. It's going to add to economic growth, and, in doing so, create further jobs. I commend this bill and this amendment to the House. I once again thank the opposition for their cooperation in being able to deal with this amendment today, and I look forward to the passage of this bill and the implementation of this scheme so that 250,000 families can be better off. 13:23 Ms RISHWORTH HWA Kingston [by video link] I didn't expect to be debating the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Child Care Subsidy) Bill 2021 again in the parliament, and I don't think the government did either. This is what happens when you rush announcements, when you focus-group announcements and rush them through the parliament: you make legislation that doesn't get the detail right. The minister missed someone he should give a shout-out to: Dave from Twitter—thank you. It was Dave from Twitter who pointed out that the formula that the government put in the legislation did not accurately reflect its announcement. One might ask why the government has had to rush this legislation, because this legislation doesn't start until 1 July 2022. So one would wonder why the government would rush through this legislation, knowing that there are still nine months until it starts. Well, of course the answer to that is all about politics with this government. The Minister for Finance, after this child care policy was announced, said: 'What will Labor do? Will Labor support it?' He put a challenge to us, trying to use wedge politics on child care. Of course, while the Minister for Finance, the former minister for education, was trying to do wedge politics on this issue, the government failed to do their day job right. They rushed it through to try and somehow wedge the Labor Party, and instead they got the legislation wrong. It's not surprising. This government is all about the politics, all about the spin and about trying to deflect attention where there are mistakes. This has been a pretty regular example from this government. But they made a fundamental error. If Dave from Twitter had not picked this up, then we would have seen families not receiving extra support on 1 July 2022. So this is a real embarrassment for the government and it is disappointing that, once again, the politics got in the way. One might ask: why did they think Labor might not support this legislation? Why did they try and goad us around this? That's because Labor has a better child care policy. We have a better child care policy that will help more families for longer, and that is the truth of it. In desperation, with the government not being able to compare the two policies, the government made a policy that tinkered around the edges and helped fewer families for less time. They tried to make it as complex as possible to make it hard for families to compare Labor's offering and the Liberal Party's offering at the next election. It's so complex, for example, that they actually couldn't get the legislation right. They couldn't draft the correct legislation. This is, as I said, a huge embarrassment, but I think there is a lesson in here for the minister and I hope the minister heeds that lesson. That lesson is: please spend less time lecturing the curriculum authority about what you think should be in the national curriculum and what shouldn't be. Please spend less time picking culture wars with the universities and more time focusing on drafting legislation that will actually be good for families. Stop making mistakes when it comes to this legislation. Of course, this legislation has had some difficulties in the Senate, but not from Labor. We're happy to support this legislation. We are also very clear that we will continue to push for our child care policy. If we're elected, 97 per cent of families using the system will get a better deal than under the current system. It wasn't Labor that put up obstacles in the Senate about this; indeed, two government members voted against this legislation. Not only is the legislation technically wrong but they've got two ministers voting against it. We know that there was pushback in the party room. (Extension of time granted) Government members disagreed with the government. There was upheaval in the party room, and Senator Rennick and Senator Canavan voted against this government legislation. So they're terribly divided, and as a result we're getting legislation that's wrong. Question agreed to. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 37 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS Morrison Government 37 13:29 Ms COKER 263547 Corangamite [by video link] I want to start with a shout-out, a shout-out on climate change and the IPCC special report. Our world's climate scientists are spot on; we are at a pivotal moment to save our planet, and this call to arms is being echoed by young people across my electorate. One young woman, Dominique O'Halloran, has seized this moment. Dominique is getting her friends to pressure us politicians to do something about the IPCC issuing a code red for humanity. On social media, she speaks about the failure of the Morrison government to take meaningful action on climate change. All I can say is: 'Go, Dominique! I love your passion. Please ask all your friends to enrol to vote. Make yourself heard at the ballot box, not just on social media.' We've got to get to net zero emissions ASAP and move rapidly towards renewable energy. We know the Prime Minister is sceptical of climate science. He's also been sceptical of COVID science. How long did it take the Prime Minister to get serious about COVID? He said it wasn't a race. The vaccine rollout across Australia and in my region is plagued by problems. My survey of GPs, health centres and pharmacies highlights this—too little access to Pfizer, clinics thrown in the deep end, mixed messaging about vaccines. The Morrison government has failed Australia on climate change and they've failed Australia on COVID. COVID-19: Chisholm Electorate 38 13:31 Ms LIU 282918 Chisholm Yesterday Melburnians heard the unwelcome news that the latest lockdown would be extended beyond this week. Unfortunately the fact that the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is so infectious means that this seems to be the most sensible course of action, but that doesn't mean that it is any easier for businesses and households. Throughout this week, I have been speaking with as many Chisholm locals as I can, by phone and over Zoom. It's certainly tough out there, but there are positive stories too. For example, Greg, from Bodgo's Cafe in Blackburn, told me his weekday trade has been significantly affected by restrictions, but automatic support payments through our latest $400 million Business Support Package are helping him through. Meanwhile, Waverley Cinema has bagged a $60,000 grant through the Morrison government's SCREEN Fund. When I spoke with owner Brian, he told me this would support his business to at least Christmas. To Chisholm locals, I say this: I know this lockdown is absolutely gut wrenching, but we'll support you every step of the way. Cooper Electorate: JobKeeper Payment 38 13:32 Ms KEARNEY LTU Cooper [by video link] Today, just as lockdown spread to the ACT because of the Morrison government's failures, my office received a call from our local Centrelink. They called to let us know that notices are going out to alert people who struggled through the lockdowns, who relied on government support to survive, that they will have to pay back overpayments they might have received while on JobKeeper. Let's be clear: these are not billionaires. They're not people who get massive bonuses because their business profits actually went up during the pandemic. No. These are everyday people in my community being told to pay back money they most likely don't have. So my office is preparing for the calls, calls from people who will most likely still be in financial dire straits, and we'll do our best to help them. Could we highlight the absolute hypocrisy of this Morrison government any better than this? How low can they go? Clawing back money from people on the breadline while we know billionaires and wealthy businesses have pocketed billions and billions of dollars from the JobKeeper scheme which they didn't deserve and shouldn't have received and which they can keep—they can keep! There are no letters from the Treasurer going out to them—couldn't find them as they sail around escaping lockdown on their yachts, I suppose! This is outrageous. If you live in Cooper, don't hesitate to reach out to us if you need help. I give a shout-out to the member for Fenner, who's fought tirelessly to highlight this hypocrisy. Health Care 38 13:34 Dr ALLEN 282986 Higgins I'm proud to rise in this House to promote a special facility coming to my electorate of Higgins: a residential eating disorder treatment centre in Armidale. This government committed $13 million towards building this facility at the last election, and we're getting on with delivering it for the people of Higgins and, indeed, Victoria. One million Australians are thought to suffer from some form of eating disorder. Whether there's excessive restriction of food, binging or purging, these behaviours can be deadly if not treated appropriately. My local health providers tell me that referrals for eating disorders have doubled in the last 12 months because of the rolling lockdowns in Victoria and the global pandemic. Our government has committed to establishing facilities such as this to provide specialised acute care not only in Higgins but Australia-wide. As someone whose family has been touched by mental health struggles, including eating disorders, I know how difficult it can be for sufferers and families to locate the appropriate services to care for and treat their loved ones. Eating disorders do not disappear overnight. Prolonged care is often necessary, and these kinds of centres offer a reprieve for families and a haven for sufferers. I thank the minister for health and this government for supporting this important initiative and I look forward to seeing this opening in our community very soon. COVID-19: Lockdowns 38 13:36 Mr CLARE HWL Blaxland [by video link] I ask the parliament to stop for a minute and think about the parents, the kids and the teachers who are struggling in lockdown. This is an email I received from Amber: 'I sit in front of this screen wondering who else to turn to. I found myself here right now turning to you. I'm just another citizen in your electorate feeling the impact of this lockdown. I'm okay, but many are not. I'm an educator at a local public school. Our community has a lot of people who come from a non-English-speaking background. The parents I speak to every day are mentally drained and are crying because they don't understand a lot of the content. This is not their fault, and they're not failures. This government is a failure and has failed many of us. These parents think they are letting down their children's education, such a burden to have, when in fact just picking up their child's work every week for homeschooling should be celebrated because it shows they care. I'm not writing to you for recognition. I'm not writing to you for answers. I'm writing to tell you that our community is one hell of a community. Despite all the obstacles, they've shown up week after week to make sure their children are not left behind. Please celebrate parents, guardians and, importantly, the men and women who can't work at the moment because every damn day they get up and do it again.' Volunteering 39 13:37 Mr TED O'BRIEN 138932 Fairfax Let's spare a thought for those people who are doing it particularly tough at the moment in the midst of the pandemic—the sick, the frail, the lonely. We in our nation's parliament rightly concern ourselves with public policy, which includes guaranteeing the safety net for all Australians, especially those who're doing it tough. But government is not always the solution. The government is not out there looking after every single vulnerable person and making sure every one of them doesn't fall through the cracks, much as we may wish to. Times like this remind us of the importance of community, the importance of a strong civil society, and I'm delighted to say the Sunshine Coast has just that because of the service oriented leadership of school principals, of church leaders, of business owners and of not-for-profit charities and their volunteers. Indeed, only a couple of weeks ago I visited Suncoast Christian Care's low-cost supermarket in Nambour, which provides low-cost groceries to people who don't have high incomes. What struck me on that visit was the friendliness of the staff and the volunteers and the respect they showed to their clients. This is what it's all about. These people are the unsung heroes of this pandemic. Aged Care, Disability Services 39 13:39 Ms McBAIN 281988 Eden-Monaro Since the Morrison government came to office, there are 3,000 fewer people studying to become aged and disability carers. The knock-on effect is not enough workers on the floor of our aged-care or disability-care centres and fewer people to attend in their homes. I'm going to read to you a letter I received from a woman in my electorate named Josephine. Josephine is 86 years old and a resident at RSL LifeCare in Merimbula. She said: 'The carers here are wonderful people dedicated to their work. However, I am aware the Morrison government hasn't raised the carers' wages since the royal commission into aged care, as promised. I'm writing to protest the status quo. I was a trained nurse at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney and my husband was a heart transplant surgeon. I know how concerned he would be at this present situation. I hope other people are as concerned about this as I am. Carers and nurses are valuable members of our community and the least valued.' Josephine is right. Aged-care workers are invaluable. Aged-care workers have been at the front line of this pandemic, looking after our loved ones, who are some of the most vulnerable. But the Prime Minister doesn't value aged-care workers, because, if he did, they would still be some of the worst paid workers in this country. This should have been a recommendation moved on quickly by this government. I'm not surprised that there are less than half the enrolments in TAFE to study health and welfare and aged and disability caring today than there were in 2013. This is what happens when a government doesn't value their industry. Gidarjil Development Corporation 39 13:41 Mr O'DOWD 139441 Flynn As part of the Morrison government's long-term funding commitment for the Indigenous ranger program, I was pleased to call Dr Kerry Blackman from the Gidarjil rangers to inform him that they had secured $8 million in funding for the next seven years. The Gidarjil rangers focus their work around Granite Creek, in an area north of Bundaberg, as well as undertake work in the sea country region of Port Curtis Coral Coast. They care for sea country in both coastal and marine environments. From the Burrum River north to an area around Agnes Water, the rangers' work includes weed and pest management; marine monitoring and maintenance; habitat restoration; threatened species management, including turtles and dugongs; and preserving cultural assets in connection to country. This funding will allow 12 full-time positions to be created. I congratulate Dr Kerry Blackburn and his rangers on the work they do and will continue to do in the future. Homelessness 39 13:42 Ms SHARKIE 265980 Mayo It's a sad fact that in our nation there's an estimated shortfall of 650,000 affordable homes and there were some 116,000 Australians who didn't have a roof over their head during last week's Homelessness Week. Of these missing homes, 2,100 are in Mayo. In the Willunga area alone, St Vincent de Paul receive 900 requests each year for emergency assistance. Many are from people who are couch surfing and living in their cars. The boom in rental prices and wage stagnation has put more at risk of homelessness, particularly older women. Homelessness can happen to anyone. COVID-19 has shown how rapidly a person's circumstances can change with catastrophic results. The lack of affordable housing is exacerbated by the ageing out of remaining dwellings that were part of the National Rental Affordability Scheme, known as NRAS, which will end in 2026. We need a new NRAS. An Anglicare survey shows that, of 74,000 rental listings advertised nationally, only three were available for jobseekers and not one was available for a person on youth allowance. I join others in urgently calling for all governments, state and federal, to work together to ensure that we have resources for affordable housing to address homelessness, whether through an increase to the rental allowance, a national housing strategy or more federal social housing fund support. I really do urge this government to work on this now. Child Care 40 13:43 Mr PASIN 240756 Barker Australian families deserve access to quality child care regardless of where they live. Access to child care is good for families, it's good for communities and, ultimately, it's good for local economies. For many regional communities, the lack of child care is a frustrating reality. Our government has funded some fantastic services in recent times across my electorate that have allowed the expansion of these services to deal with real shortages. Kingston South East is a town of fewer than 2,000 people. While it may have a small population, there's a big need for increased childcare services not only for families of the town itself but for the farming families from surrounding districts. In a survey conducted by the council in June, 86 per cent of respondents said the lack of child care impacts their ability to work. It's very clear the current service is not meeting the needs of the local community, with 49 families currently on the waiting list. I'm working with the Kingston District Council to investigate funding opportunities to ensure the community has a facility that can offer residents peace of mind and allow more people to work or study. I'm fighting for federal funding to deliver a purpose-built Kingston childcare centre to service the needs of the Kingston South East community, making that community is an even better place to live, work and raise a family. COVID-19: Testing and Detection 40 13:45 Ms SWANSON 264170 Paterson The Hunter is in crisis, with the latest COVID outbreak prompting a regionwide lockdown that has now been extended. I want the Prime Minister, the health minister and the New South Wales Premier to feel the urgent pressures our region is under. Across the Hunter, businesses and individuals are buckling with the loss of income and sudden upheaval, not to mention the fear and scramble to try to get vaccinated. I'm being contacted by many residents who are experiencing more than a week's delay in the issuing of testing results. We have too few testing centres and a vastly growing backlog of results. The government must provide urgent support to fast-track testing results. Tomago Aluminium, a major manufacturer in my region and seat, has seen an increased group of its 11,000 staff designated as close or casual contracts, each then requiring testing and isolation until a negative test is confirmed. That can take up to a week. The risk to this business alone is that the smelter is real; they can't work from home. It can't be shut down, nor can people who operate it or maintain it work from home. Why are people waiting three to five hours to be tested then waiting more than a week to get their results back? We need dedicated testing centres for close and casual contacts. We need express results for skilled workers who can't work remotely. COVID-19 40 13:46 Mrs McINTOSH 281513 Lindsay [by video link] COVID-19 is a terrible and devastating virus, as my community knows too well. This week I've been checking in on families of those affected by last year's coronavirus outbreak in Newmarch House, a local aged-care facility in my electorate of Lindsay. The impact on these families is still as profound as it was last year. No-one should have to endure the suffering of losing a loved one to coronavirus, as our community experienced with Newmarch. Many residents in my electorate have loved ones in aged-care facilities and hospitals, and it's so important that we look after our most vulnerable. Unlike last year, we now have vaccines, and we need to protect our community. Both the AstraZeneca and the Pfizer vaccines have proven to be the best protection against serious illness and hospitalisation. Yesterday I spoke with Louise Payne, a resident in my community whose mother, Yvonne, contracted COVID in Newmarch House last year. Sadly, Yvonne recently passed away. It is a devastating and heartbreaking reminder of the seriousness of this virus that we are facing and the importance we all must place on protecting each other. I extend my deepest sympathies and warmest wishes to Louise and her family and all those who are grieving the loss of loved ones due to coronavirus. New South Wales: Education 41 13:48 Mr HAYES ECV Fowler Across New South Wales, our year 12 students are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. They are still gearing up to complete their HSC, but most students have not had any face-to-face teaching for the last six weeks, and this is likely to be extended for the rest of the term. It's time the New South Wales government seriously considered whether the HSC exam is still relevant during a period of lockdown where there is no end in sight. These children have experienced two years of disrupted learning, and the mental health issues amongst these students are certainly becoming evident. They have been isolated from their social circles and friends. They are facing the prospect of no graduation or formal celebration of their schooling achievements. Many high school teachers are less worried about their students' results than they are concerned about their students' emotional wellbeing. Rather than forcing students to go through a stressful exam period, the New South Wales government should be prioritising the health and welfare of students. Now the Department of Education has hired KPMG to design a back-to-school program. Seriously, why aren't they talking to schools, teachers and their representatives? That would be common sense. The state government needs to listen to our students and teachers and they need to seriously reconsider this year's HSC. To our teachers I say: we're indebted to you and your commitment, dedication and professionalism, particularly in this challenging period. McSweyn, Mr Stewart 41 13:49 Mr PEARCE 282306 Braddon Congratulations to Stewart McSweyn, the 'King of King Island' and Tasmanian Olympic hero. McSweyn took on the best of the best in the final of the men's 1,500 metres in Tokyo last week. He finished seventh, in a time that would have won any other 1,500-metre final. Stewart McSweyn's journey is an inspiration to every kid living in a regional or remote community who dares to dream big. King Island is just a small island in the middle of Bass Strait, with a population of around 1,600. It's world renowned for many things: cheese, dairy, beef, seafood and golf courses. But it's isolated, and it has limited opportunities for aspiring world athletes. King Island punches well above its weight in so many ways, and so too does Stewart McSweyn. Like all inspirational athletes, he showed the world that it's not about what you do, it's how you do it. That's a lesson and a shining example to everyone chasing their dreams. Stewart McSweyn is the best middle-distance runner in Australia. His pathway has not been typical; it's a story of sacrifice, of dogged determination and of remaining true to who he is—just a kid from a small island in the middle of Bass Strait. Congratulations to all our Tasmanian Olympic heroes, who represented our state with such distinction, and I look forward to a great outcome from our Paralympic team as they start their quest on 23 August. New South Wales: COVID-19 41 13:51 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland There's COVID on the Central Coast and in the Hunter because this government failed with the national quarantine system for the 27th time. There's COVID in the Hunter and on the Central Coast because this government egged on the New South Wales Premier not to lock down the eastern suburbs of Sydney when she had the chance. There's COVID in the Hunter and on the Central Coast because COVID spread throughout Sydney because there were insufficient vaccines—because of the incompetence of this government. There's COVID in the Hunter and on the Central Coast because this government forced the New South Wales government to steal our Pfizer vaccines—because they couldn't supply Sydney with sufficient COVID vaccines. There are now 12 Lake Macquarie aged-care residents in hospital because this government failed to vaccinate aged-care workers by Easter, which they promised to do. There's COVID on the Central Coast and in the Hunter—24 cases today alone. The lockdown has been extended another week because this government had two jobs to do this year—to deliver the vaccine and have a functioning national quarantine system—and they failed at both, and they aided and abetted an incompetent New South Wales government, which didn't lock down the eastern suburbs when it had the chance. They egged it on and they then assisted and aided in its stealing of Pfizer vaccines from the Hunter and Central Coast. My community is suffering because of the incompetence of this government. They're furious, they're scared and they're worried about their health and their economic future, all because of the incompetence of this government. COVID-19 42 13:52 Mr RAMSEY HWS Grey We've all been dealing with the effects of the COVID outbreak back in our electorates, helping where we can. Some electorates are affected more than others. In South Australia at the moment we're in pretty good shape. But it seems, with the announcement two hours ago by the ACT government, that the delta strain of the virus—we assume—has reached the seat of the national parliament and we're now starting to deal with the same repercussions that many others have been dealing with back in our individual electorates. I'll just make the point that this can be a tough place at the best of times, but everybody will be under personal pressure. While we won't be able to meet on the weekend, go out and maybe go to the theatre together, we can all stay in touch through the wonders of modern technology. Make sure that your mates are feeling all right and make sure that all of our friends are calling home—once a day at least is my rule. Some of us, like me, have a grown-up family who don't live with me anymore, but others have much more pressing needs on a daily basis. While I give my concern to the members in this place, there are their staff too. Not everybody has brought staff this week, but those of us who have jobs to do in the parliament over and above the normal member duties have—I have. They too have families who are going through exactly the same thing, so I'd just ask for a bit of care and understanding—common kindness—between us all at the moment in what is a difficult time. COVID-19: Tourism Industry 42 13:54 Ms COLLINS HWM Franklin Tasmanians really feel for all Australians who are subject to lockdown and stay-at-home orders at the moment to combat COVID-19. They're in our thoughts. We hope to see an improvement in case numbers over coming days, particularly in Victoria, New South Wales and, of course, now here in the ACT. But these lockdowns are also having an impact in my home state of Tasmania. While nowhere near the impact they're clearly having on the people of New South Wales and Victoria, there's no doubt that Tasmania is also being affected. Specifically, the tourism sector, the aviation sector, the hotels, the attractions and some of our arts sector are doing it really tough. Our iconic Salamanca Market was nearly empty last Saturday. Our hotels and restaurants are taking more cancellations than bookings. We've seen the tourism council CEO come out and say: 'Business confidence has been crushed. Our industry is at a crossroads and we need help. Tourism relies on people movement. Many of our businesses are at a standstill.' Steve Old from the Tasmanian Hospitality Association has joined calls for federal government assistance in Tasmania. He said: Operators are just saying 'here we go again' but there's only so many times you can take hit after hit. Venues are going to need assistance, or we really do risk some of them shutting their doors permanently. I thought we're all in this together, Prime Minister. Tasmanians are still waiting for the Morrison government to respond. I've written, together with my federal colleagues, to the Prime Minister to say: 'Come on, PM. Tasmanians are doing it tough because you didn't do your two jobs.' Climate Change 42 13:56 Mr SHARMA 274506 Wentworth [by video link] Earlier this week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, released the first part of its sixth assessment report. The report makes for very stark and sobering reading and should be a wake-up call for all of us. As the report makes clear with a level of certainty and confidence not seen previously, climate change is already underway. The planet has already warmed by about 1.1 degrees Celsius since 1850. Extreme weather events are already becoming more common, as we've seen all around us this past year. The report is unequivocal that human activity and growing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide and methane, are the cause of this. Human influence is now warming the climate at rate that is unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years. As the report makes clear, rapid and large-scale emissions reductions are needed, and needed right now. If the world can substantially reduce emissions in the 2020s and can get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, temperature rises can still be limited. But, as the IPCC report makes clear, the clock is ticking and the urgency here is growing. Climate policy cannot be set and forget. When the facts change, we need to update our approach. As the IPCC report lays out so starkly, the targets the world agreed at Paris are clearly insufficient now for the scale of the challenge we face. Higher ambition is needed from all of us, Australia included. Let us work together towards that. Ibrahim, Mr Hachem, Ibrahim, Mrs Kaoukab 43 13:57 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler Earlier today I spoke to Khalil Ibrahim, a friend of 30 years; someone who, in the Arabic way, calls me 'brother'. He lost his mother, Kaoukab, and father, Hachem—his mother last Tuesday; his father on Friday. They lived in Marrickville around the corner from my home, and they've been known to me for a very long period of time. This wonderful family had eight children and 53 grandchildren. His mother survived a four-year battle with cancer but couldn't beat COVID. He said: 'Mum told us she couldn't breathe. Her bones were aching. She couldn't walk. She was suffering. Same thing with dad.' Unfortunately, only a few of their large family had the opportunity to say goodbye to these wonderful Australians. Khalil said, tragically, they had appointments to get vaccinated this week. Three others in the family have it in the home in Marrickville. Khalil has a message: 'Listen to our doctors. If you love your aunt, your uncle, your mother, your grandfather and your children, wouldn't you want to do anything you can to protect them?' He says to Australians to get the jab if you can. He has a wonderful business, Ibrahim Pastry, so he's well known throughout the community. I pay tribute to him and his family and express my sincere condolences on this tragedy. Defence Industry 43 13:59 Mr STEVENS 176304 Sturt I'd like to commend the Morrison government on our recent announcement regarding the establishment of sovereign missile manufacturing capability in this country, which is vital for the national security of Australia. Of course, we need to have sovereign capability and to rely only on ourselves for not just missile manufacture but all the fundamentals that our ADF require. I commend the government on this decision. It's an exciting opportunity for my home city of Adelaide and for all those defence industry companies across the country that have been prospering so much because of the important national security decisions the Morrison government are making in the best interests of our country. The SPEAKER 10000 In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded. STATEMENT BY THE SPEAKER 43 STATEMENT BY THE SPEAKER COVID-19: Australian Capital Territory 43 14:00 The SPEAKER 00APG As members would be aware, the ACT government has announced a positive COVID case and a seven-day lockdown. I and the President of the Senate have already sent out to the building a list of the exposure sites in the ACT as well as all COVID-19 testing locations. As you know, we have imposed strict restrictions here in Parliament House for this entire sitting period, and the measures, as I said two Mondays ago, have been above and beyond the current ACT COVID rules. We have had much lower occupancy in the building, Parliament House has not been open to the public, all catering has been takeaway only and, of course, mask-wearing has been required. It's also important that I inform members that parliamentarians who remain in the ACT are classified as essential, as well as their staff that are essential and those staff essential for the operation of the building, and journalists are also permitted to attend the building for work. I urge everybody to regularly check the exposure location sites on the ACT Health website and to follow all the ACT Health directives. Again, as I've said before and as you all know, should anyone in the building experience any symptoms, no matter how mild, do not attend Parliament House; get tested and isolate. I just wanted to make that statement for the information of members. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 43 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Prime Minister 43 14:01 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to Niki Savva's column today, titled 'Prime Minister Scott Morrison a cranky man in need of a plan', in which one of his own cabinet ministers says about the Prime Minister: If you see a problem, walk away from it. If you see a problem, duck-shove to somebody else. Doesn't this exactly describe the Prime Minister's approach to leadership, and didn't his own cabinet minister nail it? (Time expired) 14:02 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook No. COVID-19: Vaccination 43 14:02 Mr ZIMMERMAN 203092 North Sydney [by video link] My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister outline to the House how those on the front line delivering COVID-19 vaccines and doing the essential work of transporting, distributing and administering them across the country are helping to arm Australians against the virus so we can chart our way back from the COVID-19 pandemic? 14:03 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook I thank the member for North Sydney for his question. To all those members who have had to remain in their electorates, including the member for North Sydney: thank you for the work that you're doing. I was talking to the member for Bennelong last night, working in his community as well. It's very important that we keep connecting Australians, particularly those who are going through lockdowns, whether now here in the ACT or in New South Wales or in Victoria, to the services and the support that is available to help them. This week one-quarter of all eligible Australians will be fully vaccinated, and next week one in two eligible Australians will have had their first dose. Yesterday was another record day: 262,314 doses were administered in Australia yesterday, with more than 100,000 of those doses in New South Wales and two-thirds of those delivered through the GP network that is doing such an incredible job as the vaccination program continues to go forward and gather pace. Per capita, yesterday's result is equivalent to one of the top 10 days that the UK would have had across their entire vaccination program. This demonstrates that this program has overcome early difficulties to ensure that this program is on track. I want to congratulate Lieutenant General Frewen. I want to congratulate all of those at the health department: Professor Murphy, the Minister for Health and all of those who've worked together to turn this around, to overcome the early setbacks, which we've been very clear about, and to get this program back on track. As I said this week, it's not how you start the race, it's how you finish the race that counts. That is how we are approaching this task. There are many others we must congratulate. Anthony Vass, a pharmacist out there running three Sydney pharmacy practices, is running night vaccination sessions at each one, and they're staying open until midnight to do that every night. Thank you to Anthony Vass. At Wentworth Healthcare in the Blue Mountains, in the Nepean region, they put a call out to local registered nurses and, in just three days, over 150 nurses answered that call. Down in Higgins, at the Star Health practices, they have delivered 35,000 vaccine doses; and, at the city medical practice of Dr Sabrina Saldanha, they're doing 700 doses a week. Jodie Lyons is an electorate officer in the member for Wentworth's electorate, a nurse by training, who stepped up by qualifying to deliver COVID vaccines and is now doing two days a week at St Vincent's Hospital vaccine hub. Australians working together to get the country vaccinated, saving lives and saving livelihoods: thank you. Member for Dawson 44 14:06 Ms WELLS 264121 Lilley My question is to the Prime Minister. Today the Deputy Prime Minister said, about the Prime Minister's refusal to act against the member for Dawson: If you start prodding the bear, you're gonna make the situation worse. For us as a government. Not better … I can assure you that when you've got a thin margin, don't start giving reasons for a by-election. What sort of Prime Minister puts his majority over public health in the middle of a pandemic? The SPEAKER 00APG I'm not sure that question is in order. I'm happy to hear the Manager of Opposition Business. Mr Burke DYW To the point of order: the question goes directly to the responsibilities of the Prime Minister. The quote is from the Deputy Prime Minister. So, in terms of the argument as to whether the Prime Minister needs to be across what everybody said, we're talking about the Deputy Prime Minister who's made these comments— The SPEAKER 00APG That wasn't my point, but go on. Mr Burke DYW and goes directly to the statement from the Deputy Prime Minister, saying that the reason for not speaking out against the member for Dawson is the slim majority on the floor of this House. The SPEAKER 00APG I'll make this point. I will call it in order when it goes to the point that to form a government you need a majority on the floor of the House. But I do point out that it's a fairly broad question. Certainly, there's the opportunity for a broad answer, I have to say. The Leader of the House. Mr Porter 208884 I think that the Prime Minister's position, with respect to the member in question, was made quite clear in the response to the motion that was moved yesterday. Mr Perrett interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG The member for Moreton will leave under 94(a). The member for Mor e ton then left the chamber. Mr Porter 208884 With respect to the question itself, the Manager of Opposition Business, in speaking to the point that the question is directly relevant, is being very generous in his understanding of the word 'direct', because the question is more of a musing than a question. It simply puts an opinion and then seeks an opinion on an opinion. I don't see how—leaving aside relevance—it was actually a question. The SPEAKER 00APG The Manager of Opposition Business. Mr Burke DYW First of all, I thought that a ruling had been given. But, if we're still on the previous point, the standing order rule about relevance goes to answers, not to questions. This question goes to responsibilities. There is, during a pandemic, a clear responsibility to speak out in favour of public health. The comments from the Deputy Prime Minister today say that that has effectively been compromised in order to preserve a majority on the floor. The fact that the Prime Minister made some comments— The SPEAKER 00APG I might just ask the Manager of Opposition Business to resume his seat. Certainly the question contained—I shouldn't say 'the question'; the statement was longer than the question, which was right at the end. I am going to rule it in order, but I am going to make the point—and I will reflect on this with other questions—that, when a question is asked in that manner, which really is a sort of political attack accusation, and that's what it is, and the bit at the end is relevant, I'm going to allow it. But I will not be taking points of order on the Prime Minister not being relevant, because the way the question's been asked it's almost impossible for him to be not relevant. The Prime Minister has the call. 14:10 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook Two days ago in this parliament, there was unanimous support for a motion that dealt with the issue of misinformation by members in this place. It was unanimous. Leave was granted by the government for that motion to be put forward, and that motion was supported by this entire parliament. And I voted yes to that motion. That's what I did in this place. I voted yes to that motion, as did the members of the government, joining with the members of the opposition, to send what I thought was a very clear signal on behalf of the whole parliament. So I find it somewhat disappointing that that mood of bipartisanship in addressing this issue is now being sought to be undermined by the Labor Party, only two days later. So what was that actually about? What was it about two days ago? Were we actually coming together to decry misinformation? Or was this just another political game from the Labor Party? What was it? I thought, as the Prime Minister, when asked whether leave would be given to bring such a motion, that this was an invitation for the parliament to come together and decry misinformation. That's what I understood. I engaged with the Leader of the House and I said, 'Yes, we should give leave to that.' And I spoke in favour of that motion. In this place, we, as a group of elected officials, I thought, sent a very clear message against misinformation in this parliament. That's what I thought. But what we see today, not even 48 hours later, is that the Labor Party comes in here and even seeks to undermine the bipartisanship it sought to promote two days ago. The SPEAKER 00APG Leader of the Opposition, before I call you on a point of order, which I presume it is, I made it very clear in allowing this question, which was very broad, that the answer may well be very broad. And I'm just now trying to save time: if it's on relevance, I'm ruling the point of order out of order. Mr Albanese R36 A point of order. The SPEAKER 00APG The Leader of the Opposition. Mr Albanese R36 It is on relevance— The SPEAKER 00APG There's no point of order. The Prime Minister has the call. Mr MORRISON E3L But I have become quite accustomed to that behaviour from the opposition over the course of this pandemic. As Labor, even most recently, have been seeking to tear down JobKeeper, one of the most important programs that has brought this country through, and Labor has said it's been a waste of money, that it's been a waste. On every occasion, what we have seen from the Labor Party through this pandemic is not a spirit of bipartisanship, but they have been a constant headwind to the efforts of this government to bring Australia through this. What Labor have been doing is seeking to undermine, to put hurdles and obstacles in the way. We would invite them to take a different approach, but I am not optimistic about that, because I have seen their form over the past 18 months. I welcomed the bipartisan— The SPEAKER 00APG The Prime Minister's time has concluded. COVID-19: Business 45 14:14 Dr ALLEN 282986 Higgins My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer update the House on how the Morrison government is working with the business community to support our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic? 14:14 Mr FRYDENBERG FKL Kooyong I thank the member for Higgins for her question and note her experience as a professor, as a paediatrician. She's published more scientific papers than I've published op-eds. Mr Morrison E3L Gosh, not that many! Mr FRYDENBERG FKL I knew the Prime Minister wouldn't believe that. But, on a serious note, yesterday the people of Victoria got some very tough news, with the extension of lockdown No. 6 for an extra week. The people of the ACT today got some tough news, with a lockdown for a week. We are working with the business community, with the state and territory governments, with respect to economic support. Today we have announced, in partnership with the Victorian government, a new support package of $367 million for small and medium-sized businesses. Hairdressers, gyms, cafes and restaurants will all be eligible to receive payments that will range from $2,800 up to $20,000 for large hospitality venues. This brings to more than $1.1 billion the amount that we have committed, with the Victorian government, in just the last two weeks to support small and medium-sized businesses. I acknowledge the comments today from Victoria's Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, who said: 'We are very grateful for the ongoing spirit of cooperation in which the Commonwealth is approaching the matter of business and income support, and it allows us to provide the package we are announcing today.' With respect to the ACT, both the Prime Minister and I have spoken to the Chief Minister today, and we are looking to provide support to businesses here in the ACT as well. With respect to the partnership with the business community, we know that the banks have provided loan deferrals and, since the recent lockdowns began, an extra 15,000 home mortgages have had deferrals. More than a thousand business loans have also been deferred. With respect to the vaccine rollout, General Frewen and I and the Chief Medical Officer met with senior business leaders to enlist them in our vaccination tasks. We now have two of our major banks with pilot vaccination hubs in Sydney LGAs. We also have Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and Metcash providing vaccinations in partnership with the governments through those distribution centres. We know that businesses have also been enlisted to encourage their staff and, indeed, their customers to get the vaccination. I was speaking to the CEO of Coles today, who has written to more than 110,000 of their staff encouraging them to get the vaccination. This is another Team Australia moment. Just as it was last year, it is again today—the Morrison government and state and territory governments working together with the business community. (Time expired) COVID-19: Vaccination 46 14:17 Ms CLAYDON 248181 Newcastle My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister confirm that 11 residents and three staff at an aged-care facility in Newcastle have been infected with COVID? The facility's chief executive says only one-third of staff have received even one dose of the vaccine. These workers were meant to be fully vaccinated by Easter. Who is the Prime Minister going to blame for this one? 14:18 Mr HUNT 00AMV Flinders I want to thank the member. I can confirm that the Royal Freemasons Benevolent Institution Hawkins Masonic Village, in Edgeworth, has had a series of COVID-positive cases. Eleven COVID-positive residents have been transferred to John Hunter Hospital. Of these, 10 are fully vaccinated. All residents have been offered vaccination. One is, sadly, not vaccinated. I would continue to urge, around the country, the family and friends of those who are in residential aged-care facilities to provide the consent and to take up the opportunity, because it can literally save the lives of your friends and family members. In terms of the facility, 76 residents are fully vaccinated of a total of 84 residents. All, though, have been offered vaccination on a number of occasions. In terms of the staff, the figures I have are that there are 28 staff that have been fully vaccinated and a further 17 staff with one dose. In terms of the actions to support the situation at this stage, residents have been transferred to hospital, and PPE stocks have been reviewed and are considered to be adequate. There is an order for 5,000, however, that has been placed with the National Medical Stockpile. In addition to that, an infection control lead has been put in place. A deputised nurse practitioner has assumed that role, and they're getting assistance from the Commonwealth government. In addition to that, workforce support has been activated through the Commonwealth's surge workforce, and a request was placed on 10 August for two additional RNs and four additional other nurses to assist with workforce on site. These are the actions that have been taken. These are the actions that, importantly, have seen 76 of 84 residents fully vaccinated. We would continue to urge and encourage all those family members who are speaking for residents to help get those last residents vaccinated. It's available and it can help save their lives and protect their lives. Forest Industry 46 14:20 Ms SHARKIE 265980 Mayo My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia. Minister, in 2018, the government released its billion trees for jobs and growth plan. Will the minister please advise the House how many trees have been planted to date? 14:20 Mr LITTLEPROUD 265585 Maranoa I thank the member for her question and for her interest. I understand the proud history of the timber industry, particularly on King Island, which she represents, and the challenges it has also faced. We did announce our ambition to go towards a billion trees. One of the biggest challenges that we have found subsequent to that has been the Black Summer events that have in fact displaced much of the industry. We are now making sure that we plan strategically to support with practical measures those areas that were significantly impacted. That's why our forestry hubs are being created. We are listening to industry about how we achieve that. We are also working with farmers. I'm proud to say that the NFF has also stood up and said they wish to be part of this and part of the solution of how we continue to expand the timber industry. We're now working as quickly as we can with local communities and with the National Recovery and Resilience Agency, which used to be the bushfire agency— The SPEAKER 00APG I will interrupt. The minister doesn't need to resume his seat. The question was short and specific, and the minister needs to come to the specific part of the question. Mr LITTLEPROUD 265585 I am, because the reality was that that whole program was displaced because of the Black Summer events. It's as simple as that. COVID-19: Vaccination 47 14:22 Mr YOUNG 201906 Longman My question is to Minister for Health and Aged Care. Can the minister update the House on the real heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic, who are testing and vaccinating a record number of Australians every day on the front line? 14:22 Mr HUNT 00AMV Flinders I want to thank the member for Longman and especially thank all of the nurses and doctors, the pathologists, around Australia who have been taking action, whether it's through testing or whether it's through vaccination, to save and protect the lives of Australians over the course of the pandemic. A little while before question time I spoke with Dr Evan Jones from the member for Longman's electorate. He is running the Morayfield Commonwealth vaccination clinic and, to this point in time, they have delivered over 37,000 vaccinations. Two hundred staff are employed there; 140 of those have been employed to assist during the course of the Commonwealth vaccination clinic. That includes 80 nurses and 60 other staff who have been employed. Every one of those vaccinations is helping to protect a life and to protect others. Around Australia though, this story is being told across the nation. As the Prime Minister mentioned, there were a record 262,000 vaccinations in the last 24 hours. In the last two days there have been over half a million vaccinations, or the population of Newcastle. In the last three days there have been over 730,000 vaccinations, or the population of the Gold Coast. And in the last 10 days— Ms Swanson interjecting— Ms Collins interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG The members for Paterson and Franklin will cease interjecting. I say to the member for Franklin: the front bench is already thin enough, okay? An honourable member interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG I will pass that on to those who have left. The minister has the call. Mr HUNT 00AMV over 2,080,000, or approximately the population of Perth. These are the people who've been vaccinated. Those that are doing it—our nurses, our doctors, those that are testing, our pathologists and their assistants—are real heroes. In particular, I also spoke with Loretta Facey, from the Hastings medical centre in my own electorate. Loretta and her fellow nurses and the doctors—she does say that the nurses have done the bulk of the work—there and at their counterpart facility, the Chelsea Heights Medical Centre, between them have done 15,000 vaccinations. Loretta Facey, from the Hastings medical centre, alone has done over 3,500 vaccinations. She's an Australian vaccination hero, but she is one of thousands and thousands of nurses and doctors at over 5,160 GP practices, along with our pharmacists, who have done an extraordinary job. These people are saving lives and protecting lives in record numbers. Environment 47 14:25 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's statement in question time on Tuesday: Australia is the only country, to the best of our knowledge, that reports quarterly on its emissions reductions … Is the Prime Minister seriously telling the House he has no idea that the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden and the Netherlands have published quarterly greenhouse gas emissions statistics for years? Why does the Prime Minister keep making stuff up? 14:26 Mr TAYLOR 231027 Hume The point the Prime Minister was making is that Australia has a track record of transparency that is unrivalled. Not only do we report our emissions each quarter, we report them across every gas and every sector—every quarter, every gas, every sector. I tell you what those reports are saying: those reports are saying that our emissions are down by over 20 per cent since 2005. Over 20 per cent is ahead of the United States, ahead of Japan. The SPEAKER 00APG The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order? Mr Burke DYW Yes, on direct relevance: the question does not go to the details of anything being relevant because it found its way into these reports. It goes to the fact that the Prime Minister claimed that Australia was the only country, to his knowledge, that was doing this quarterly, and whether that information was accurate or not. The SPEAKER 00APG Can I just say there's another problem with that, with respect to the Manager of Opposition Business. He talks about what the question goes to. There was a question at the end that was really an accusation. I'm not going to repeat it but it was a very— Mr Conroy interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG Member for Shortland, most people asking questions want to stay to hear the answer. That's the purpose. It had a long preamble with a question at the end that could have related to anything, frankly. That's why I've been listening to the minister— Mr Burke interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG The Manager of Opposition Business will not abuse points of order like that. In doing that, he has confirmed my ruling: the minister is in order. Mr TAYLOR 231027 As I was saying Australia's emissions are down 20 per cent, as you'll see in our transparent reporting—every quarter, every gas, every sector. You'll see in those reports that in the last year alone our National Electricity Market emissions are down over five per cent. That's in a single year, and the reason for that is very clear: we have the highest level of installed solar capacity in the world. We have seven gigawatts that was installed in the last year alone. That's more than in the entire time—the entire six years—that Labor was in government. If you look at our transparent reports, the year before—again, in a single year—there was more solar installation than in the entire time when Labor was in government. That's because we are focused on technology as a means of driving down emissions. Indeed, when those opposite left government their forecasts were for emissions that were expected to be over 100 million tonnes higher than we actually had last year. We will continue to drive the transparency and outcomes I've just described, because that is the Australian way, but we will do it without taxes. We will do it without wiping out industries. We will do it without wiping out regions. We will do it the Australian way, through innovation, through ingenuity, through $20 billion of investment in clean technology that will continue to drive down emissions. Our transparency will ensure the world can see what an extraordinary job we continue to do, as we have been doing for many, many years. Regional Australia: Infrastructure 48 14:30 Dr WEBSTER 281688 Mallee [by video link] My question is for the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia. Will the minister please outline to the House how the Morrison-Joyce government's significant investment in infrastructure not only supports our Ag2030 plan, but has helped regional Australia as we recover from COVID-19? 14:31 Mr LITTLEPROUD 265585 Maranoa I thank the member for Mallee for her question, and I acknowledge that she represents one of the richest agricultural regions—and one of the proudest regions—in the country. Despite droughts as well as COVID, our regions are having a renaissance, not just because of rain, but because of the infrastructure and the environment that we, as a federal government, are backing them with. That includes over $110 billion worth of infrastructure projects, over 20,000 projects right across Australia. Many of these are in regional Australia, empowering them to continue to be the powerhouse of our national economy. It is part of our Ag2030 plan. It is one of the key pillars of our Ag2030 plan. Part of that is not only about building roads and rail and airports; it's also water infrastructure—$1.6 billion has been committed to this plan. Spending has started for over $3 billion worth of projects, in building dams and plumbing this country. We are not only building capacity in the agricultural sector, but supplying critical water supplies to many of our regional communities. This is about infrastructure, like the Emu Swamp Dam in Stanthorpe, which will not only grow the horticulture industry in Stanthorpe but also supply it with critical water they've been missing for so long. There's the Rookwood Weir, which the member for Capricornia has fought so hard to secure. It will bring new agricultural jobs and supply water for those townships across Central Queensland. It's also about diversifying the economic base: $1.2 billion into our Building Better Regions Fund; $607 million under our Stronger Communities Program, which is about letting these economies diversify so that they're not just relying on agriculture and resources, but looking into new ones—into tourism, for example—and going further through supply chains to create more jobs and give greater strength in times of hardship, whether it's drought, fire or flood, so their economies are more resilient. We're also making sure we're connecting our people with the rest of the world, and connecting our product with the world, with our road infrastructure. The $3.5 billion Roads of Strategic Importance program is making sure we're connecting the paddock to the ports, getting our product out and supporting the free trade agreements this government continues to negotiate. It's also about the roads we're building across this country, opening it up and connecting places. There's the Outback Way, from Winton in Queensland across to Laverton in Western Australia. It will open up mining, agriculture and tourism as Australians awaken to the real travel opportunities here in Australia. This is the environment and infrastructure that our government is investing in regional Australia, not just to help them through tough times of drought, fire, flood and COVID-19, but to take them to the next level while continuing to be the economic powerhouse of this nation. COVID-19 49 14:34 Mr BURKE DYW Watson My question is for the Prime Minister. Effective public health communication in a pandemic is essential. Can the Prime Minister confirm that translations of vital Commonwealth government COVID information in languages other than English are almost two months out of date? Eighteen months into the pandemic, who is the Prime Minister going to blame for this? 14:34 Mr HUNT 00AMV Flinders One of the things that the government has done throughout the course of the pandemic is to engage early and on a continual basis with people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. We have a CALD communication working group, which has been operating for much of the pandemic. It has been engaged in ensuring that materials are provided to CALD communities. That includes constant work to update materials as they're available. It also includes radio and television advertisement materials that are made available. These are updated on a continual basis. In particular, we work with communities to ensure that the language used is accurate. We're working with social media and television, we're working with advertising and we're working on multiple different fronts to ensure that messages are provided to culturally and linguistically diverse communities around Australia. Those are updated as quickly as they can be. But, most importantly, one thing is very significant: the engagement that we have had across those communities with numerous activities in terms of community fora, meetings and engagement with leaders—working directly through those leadership groups. As the member knows from his own electorate, we have been working with religious leaders, social leaders and community leaders from all of the different culturally and linguistically diverse groups. We have also been providing direct references to state facilities and state information sites, which are updated on a constant basis as well with relevant local materials. These are the things that we've done. We are so thankful to our culturally and linguistically diverse communities for the work that they have done. Right now in south-west Sydney, we are continuing to work with them to ensure that their role in leadership and in encouraging vaccination is seeing people staying at home, being tested and stepping forward for vaccination. We are beginning to see real and powerful results on that front. COVID-19: Operation COVID-19 Assist 49 14:37 Mr ANDREWS HK5 Menzies I ask the Minister for Defence Industry if she would update the House on how the men and women of the Australian Defence Force continue to offer vital support to the Morrison government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially through Operation COVID-19 Assist? 14:37 Ms PRICE 249308 Durack I thank the member for Menzies for his question and acknowledge the incredible support that he has given to the men and women of the ADF, especially during his very long tenure in this place. Right across the nation, through Operation COVID-19 Assist, defence personnel are playing an essential role to support our response to COVID-19. Since March last year, some 20,000 ADF personnel have been deployed right across our nation, with more than 1,750 currently deployed across Australia. In New South Wales we see the ADF supporting a variety of activities, including home-engagement activities and contact tracing. We know from people on the ground that the ADF's involvement has been extremely welcome in local communities. There's no doubt that seeing our men and women in uniform on the ground in communities gives us all an enormous lift. In Victoria ADF support continues, with over 400 ADF personnel helping out the Victorian authorities with such activities as hotel quarantine and also home-engagement activities. And of course the ADF stands ready to support the ACT, should that help be required. With respect to the vaccination rollout, up until May this year the ADF had administered some 6,800 COVID vaccines in aged-care and disability care facilities, playing an important role to make sure that our most vulnerable Australians received their much-needed vaccines. From a defence industry perspective, this afternoon I spoke with the deputy secretary of my department who is in charge of the COVID-19 Defence Industry Support Cell, Mr Tony Fraser, to ensure that the defence support cell is now gearing up to expand its support to the defence industry here in the ACT, just like we have provided it to defence industry in Victoria and New South Wales more recently. This support cell has been in operation since March 2020. It's played an incredibly important role during COVID to make sure that Australian businesses can continue to provide not only very essential services but also equipment that the ADF needs. This cell stands ready to assist and support with border crossings for essential personnel and the delivery of equipment and supply and with access to workplaces for essential workers right across the country. So I'd like to encourage defence industry here in ACT. If you need assistance, please make sure that you reach out to the Defence Industry Support Cell. I know I can speak on behalf of every member of this House to say how proud we are of the men and women in uniform who are doing an outstanding job helping our nation through these difficult times, but I'd also like to acknowledge those people in the Department of Defence who are playing a critical role as well. 14:40 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler on indulgence—I join with the government in thanking the men and women in uniform who are assisting on the ground, and I thank the defence minister as well, for going out of his way, for example, to provide a Defence Force person to be part of Zoom calls taking place with leaders in the community so as to assure them of the role of the Defence Force and make things certainly much better on the ground. COVID-19: Morrison Government 50 14:41 Ms STANLEY 265990 Werriwa My question is to the Prime Minister. People in my electorate of Werriwa are in their seventh week of home schooling their children while trying to do their own full-time jobs, and they have no idea when it will end. Isn't it true this wouldn't be happening if the Prime Minister had done his two jobs, on vaccines and quarantine? Australians are paying the price for the Prime Minister's neglect. Who is he going to blame this time? 14:41 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook As I said last week, anyone who thinks a prime minister has only two jobs doesn't understand what the job of a prime minister is. The job of the Prime Minister of course addresses the urgent crises we're dealing with over the course of the pandemic, but it also deals with the national security issues the country is facing on a daily basis. Were it not also for the economy and the importance of getting Australians back to jobs, the delivery of important services and education and health all around the country and, in particular, only last week, the important work we were able to conclude in bringing together the Closing the Gap implementation plan, so much championed by the Minister for Indigenous Australians—this country has many, many challenges, and it's our government's job to address all of those, including the big challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the government's actions, working together with Australians all around this country, we know that Australia has one of the lowest rates of fatality from COVID-19 in the world. In addition to that, we know that after the COVID-19 recession last year more than a million Australians have found their way back to jobs, and that is under threat again because of the delta variant of this virus, which has been an absolute game changer for the COVID response. That has meant in countries that have vaccination rates higher than Australia, whether in Europe, particularly in the Netherlands, or in Singapore or in Japan or in other countries where they have sought to open up, the delta variant has had a very different view. It would be a mistake if anyone in this place or elsewhere was to underestimate the impact of the delta variant in how countries all around the world are dealing with this challenge. That's why I'm encouraged by my fellow Sydneysiders and those across New South Wales, who are dealing with the most difficult current lockdown. Yes, we want to see our kids back in school. I want to see my kids back in school. My kids are home-schooling like those of other parents across New South Wales, in this chamber, in Sydney and also in Victoria—wherever they happen to be. We want to see our kids back in school, but we want to see our communities safe and we want to see the right response in place to ensure that we can suppress the number of COVID cases that are there in New South Wales right now. That's why the lockdown is so necessary and the lockdown has to be effective. Suppress and vaccinate: that is the phase we are in. And the next phase as part of the national plan, which we have brought all of the country alongside with, including all the state and territory premiers and chief ministers—and we are making progress against that plan, as I said—is one-in-four eligible Australians this week will be fully vaccinated. Next week, it will be one-in-two. And we need to continue that pace. Another record day: 260,000 and more vaccines have been delivered, and predominantly by GPs. (Time expired) COVID-19: Education 51 14:44 Mrs WICKS 241590 Robertson My question is for the Minister for Education and Youth. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison government is supporting young Australians through COVID-19, particularly those students who are sitting their final-year exams? 14:45 Mr TUDGE M2Y Aston I thank the member for her question and for the incredible support she provides to young people and indeed all people on the Central Coast in New South Wales. As all members are aware, young Australians have been doing it tough during this pandemic. Today there are close to a million people, a million students, who should be at school who are learning from home. In the last couple of months, six states and territories have had to close down schools for a period of a week or more. With the ACT, it will be seven. In my home city of Melbourne, schoolkids have lost close to half a year of face-to-face schooling now. This has been a very tough time for those students, and I particularly feel for those year 12 students who are facing exams coming up. I want to assure them if they need mental health support, that is there for them. During this pandemic, we have provided an extra $500 million to support those people who have mental health concerns, and much of that money has gone to youth-oriented mental health services, including fantastic organisations like Headspace, which are targeted at 12 to 25-year-olds. I encourage young people to reach out and to know also they will be getting special consideration in their year 12 exams, at least in New South Wales and in Victoria, so they have that hope. My general message to young people is that they should have absolute hope and optimism in the future because, I can tell you what, when they graduate from year 12 this year, the opportunities which they will have will be as great as ever before, because, from a job perspective, our unemployment for young people is now the lowest in 12 years. University places—never have there been more. We are putting billions of dollars into training and apprenticeships, so there are more of those opportunities there. They should be as optimistic and positive about the future as we are in this House. I want to finish by thanking all of the young people for the resilience which they have shown during this pandemic, for seeing this through and for putting their arms around each other, because ultimately that's one of the most important things that they can do. I want them to know we are thinking about them as we go through this pandemic, ensuring that the economy is strong, ensuring that those mental health supports are there, ensuring that those opportunities are there for them to go to university, for training, for jobs. The future is great for those young people. I'm very proud of them as I know everybody is in this chamber. COVID-19 51 14:48 Mr HAYES ECV Fowler My question is for the Prime Minister. People in my electorate of Fowler who have been attending churches, mosques and temples every week for most of their lives have not been able to go for at least seven weeks of this year. Isn't it true this wouldn't have happened if the Prime Minister had done his two jobs—vaccines and quarantine? Australians are paying the price for the Prime Minister's neglect. Who is he going to blame this time? 14:48 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook It is difficult that you can't get to your place of worship to be able to pray, whatever your faith might be. I note and acknowledge the faith of the member, which is well known to me. It is difficult, because those of us of faith draw great comfort from being able to pray with others, from being able to pray for each other and to do that together. Some of us like to come together in a place of worship to sing our songs of worship in one way; others do it in different ways. However you like to worship, good for you because it's good for the soul; it's good for the spirit. I want to thank all the pastors, priests and ministers around the country, the imams and rabbis, the priests of whatever faith, who are out there encouraging those in their congregations, praying for them and giving support. And I thank all of those working in those faith groups who are providing those supports on telephone trees, who are talking to them about vaccination, encouraging them. I particularly want to thank the Pacific islands faith leaders, who have been fantastic in getting messages into their communities about the importance of vaccinations. This is a team Australia moment. This is a time when Australians come together and support each other and get the job done for all Australians. It is not a time for undermining. It is not a time for cheap politics. It is not a time for that type of partisanship. It is a time to focus on the job ahead and for all Australians to get behind that effort. I note that in the United Kingdom, with a vaccination rate which is now over 70 per cent, the death rate right now is 104 every day. One hundred and four daily. Now, I know where I'd rather be. I know where Australians would rather be. They'd rather be in a country that has been able, over the course of this pandemic, to save more than 30,000 lives and get a million people back into work. That's what we've been seeking to do, working with governments all around the country from whatever political persuasion. But it does disappoint me that the only bipartisanship I can find in this pandemic comes from the state and territory leaders, not from that which sits opposite. COVID-19: National Security 52 14:51 Mr PEARCE 282306 Braddon My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister please update the House on how our law enforcement and Border Force staff are working on our front line to keep our borders secure and Australians safe through the COVID-19 pandemic? 14:51 Mrs ANDREWS 230886 McPherson I thank the member for his question, and I'm delighted to be able to stand here today and congratulate the Australian Border Force, the Australian Federal Police, ASIO and many of the agencies that have been on the front line in this pandemic and have done an outstanding job. At the start of the pandemic, this government took some very decisive action, took some very decisive steps, in relation to our border. Without a doubt, that has gone a long way to keeping us safe and secure here and to reducing the transmission of COVID-19 right across our community. But, of course, we here would all understand that managing our borders in these particularly difficult times is a major logistical effort. The brave men and women of the Australian Border Force and the Australian Federal Police in particular have done a fantastic job of not only managing people who are coming across our borders through our ports and our seaports but also managing the significant increases they've had to deal with in terms of the cargo. They've also done some fantastic things like facilitating the PPE that we needed very early in the COVID-19 pandemic. And they've also done work, particularly recently, making sure the vaccines are facilitated through our airports so they can get to where they need to be. So I thank them for their work. As I said earlier, I congratulate and thank the AFP on their work, and I congratulate our intelligence agencies on the work that they have done. Whilst we are all dealing with the COVID pandemic, they continue to deal with some fairly serious threats, like terrorism, organised crime and extremism, and they have taken on new and different forms during the course of the pandemic. As a government, we are making sure they are being given the resources and the legislative backing they need to be able to do their jobs. As we've seen recently, some ideologically motivated extremist groups are using the pandemic to whip up some community fear and spread a great deal of misinformation. We will, as a government, remain very vigilant to this and to the potential towards incitement to violence in any form of ideology, no matter where it sits on the political spectrum. Where necessary and appropriate, our law enforcement agencies will take appropriate action. And it was only recently that there was an incident where the Federal Police took very swift action in relation to particular individuals impersonating the AFP in an online video. So I thank them for their work; I thank the Australian Border Force, I thank the Australian Federal Police and I thank our intelligence agencies. COVID-19: Prime Minister 52 14:54 Ms TEMPLEMAN 181810 Macquarie My question is to the Prime Minister. Small businesses in my electorate of Macquarie are struggling to keep their doors open, this time without any JobKeeper. They don't know how much longer they can go on. Isn't it true that this wouldn't be happening if the Prime Minister had done his two jobs on vaccines and quarantine? Australians are paying the price for this Prime Minister's neglect. Who is he going to blame this time? 14:55 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook The support that is being provided to New South Wales right now—the member opposite may not be familiar with how JobKeeper worked— Opposition members interjecting— Mr MORRISON E3L I say that because JobKeeper provided payments to businesses to make payments to their employees. Those payments were $750. That's what JobKeeper did. JobKeeper made payments to companies so companies could make payments to their employees. JobKeeper was designed to be an income support mechanism to individuals, paid through companies. I can tell you that in New South Wales so far we have made payments of $1.7 billion in income supports directly to people who have been working in those same businesses and who may have been getting supported by JobKeeper in the first iteration of that. In addition to that, I can tell you that, across that workforce, some 743,624 people in New South Wales have been receiving that direct income support from the federal government through the COVID disaster assistance payment. Of those, 655,000 are in Sydney and greater Sydney, and some 87,390 more are across New South Wales, where they have been receiving that support. Not only have they received it once, they keep receiving it each and every week. I thank the staff at Services Australia, who in the first waves of the pandemic did an extraordinary job in ensuring they were supporting people who needed income support and other benefits to get them through the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. I can tell you that the staff of Services Australia have backed up again with the delivery of the COVID disaster assistance payment to those individuals. Those people include many, many thousands of sole operators that we know have decided to avail themselves of the COVID disaster assistance payment rather than the New South Wales business payment program, which we are supporting on a 50-50 basis with the New South Wales government. The business payment program is being delivered by the New South Wales government to businesses across New South Wales with a turnover between $75,000 a year and $250 million a year with payments of $1,500 a week through to $100,000 a week. So the combination of the cash flow support with the income support coming together is providing the same support that was provided previously, but in a more targeted way to assist those people. An opposition member interjecting— Mr MORRISON E3L The member opposite interjects and says it's not working. I don't know what's not working about payments that are being made within 30 minutes of people making applications. It is further evidence that those opposite could encourage the constituents to avail themselves rather than undermine— (Time expired) COVID-19 53 14:58 Mrs McINTOSH 281513 Lindsay [by video link] My question is to the Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business. Will the minister please update the House on how the Morrison government is supporting Australians through the COVID-19 pandemic by delivering essential government services? 14:58 Mr ROBERT HWT Fadden I thank the member for her question. We know that in the current circumstances of the pandemic it is very difficult for many Australians. I acknowledge the member for the hard work she is doing in her electorate right now, especially with the Nepean Hospital outbreak. Our government, through our service delivery agencies, will continue to support Australians as we make our way through the pandemic. As the House would be aware, the Morrison government introduced the COVID disaster payment, which the Prime Minister was just referring to, and it has been activated across numerous local government areas across Australia. It is a payment of $450 if you've lost between eight and 20 hours of work a week or $750 if you've lost more than 20 hours a week. And of course we're backing in aspirational Australians, those Australians who are on a welfare payment but are still getting part-time work. If they've lost over eight hours a week, there's an extra $200 for them as well. Services Australia, as the House would know, was established by the Prime Minister as one of his first priorities when forming government, to ensure a dedicated agency for service delivery, and that agency has been stumping up. Services Australia has been ensuring that over 320 of its service centres right across the country have been open right through the pandemic, right from the very start, last year, seeing over 30,000 Australians every single day, whilst other workplaces have been closed. Services Australia have mobilised enormous numbers of staff—600 new staff, 250 more APS staff, 4,000 internal staff moving from other roles, joining 13,000 other staff. They've taken over 400,000 calls seeking financial support since 8 June. As at today, a staggering 1,192,000 Australians have received the COVID disaster payment the Prime Minister put in place—743,000 in New South Wales, 243,000 in Victoria, 78,000 in South Australia and 127,000 in Queensland, including over 30,000 in my home town of the Gold Coast. Many Australians are now receiving that recurrent payment. As the Prime Minister said, they don't need to do anything; the payment will keep rolling over. Indeed, 1.8 million of those payments have gone out, a staggering $2.1 billion in direct support to Australians who are in need. They are extraordinary numbers, but, as everyone in the House knows, behind every number is a person. It's a family. It's a story. The Morrison government will continue to stump up and stand beside Australians by providing these supports. For Australians in need, simply go to myGov, and you'll be able to claim online. As the Prime Minister has said, in so many instances you will be paid within minutes, and that payment will be recurring, as the government stands beside you in some very difficult times. Prime Minister 53 15:01 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to reports of the Prime Minister's verbal spat with the New South Wales Treasurer over his inadequate financial support for the people of New South Wales. When is the Prime Minister going to stop swearing at treasurers and blaming others for his failures and do his two jobs, on vaccines and quarantine? The SPEAKER 00APG The very last part of the question is in order. The Prime Minister has the call. 15:02 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook What the Australian government has done, together with the New South Wales government, is delivering support to businesses in New South Wales that is urgently needed as they work through this pandemic. We've been working closely with the New South Wales government to achieve that, and I'm very pleased that we were able to come to those arrangements not just on one occasion but to upgrade those arrangements, with the work that was done between the Treasurer and I and the Premier of New South Wales and the New South Wales Treasurer. What matters is that we get this support to those people who need it. I've just mentioned the significant support that has been provided through the COVID disaster assistance payment in New South Wales that has resulted in $1.7 billion of support going to people who have lost more than eight hours—not just more than 20 hours but more than eight hours—including those who are on benefit payments, which was the last issue of improvement that we made to those COVID disaster payments after we were working together with the New South Wales government. Increasingly, as the New South Wales government ensures that those payments are being made to New South Wales businesses, that's going to help them come through this current lockdown and be able to get to the other side. One thing I know—and I know it because we saw it last year when we came back from the COVID-19 recession, when we got to the point where we were able to graduate the Australian economy off JobKeeper, and I remember those opposite a-hopin' and a-prayin' that 100,000 people would still be out of a job, and they were proved wrong, and those results did not happen as they were trying to doomingly project— The SPEAKER 00APG The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order? Mr Burke DYW On reflections on members: last week no-one from this side raised a point of order about the state of the Deputy Prime Minister when he stood at that dispatch box. The allegations that the Prime Minister wants to make here— The SPEAKER 00APG The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Leader of the House has the call. Mr Porter 208884 That's obviously meant to be some sort of personal reflection, which has to come in another form. That really is beneath the Manager of Opposition Business—it really is. Mr Burke DYW Did you hear the reflection that he made? Somehow that goes— The SPEAKER 00APG The Manager of Opposition Business will cease interjecting. I will just make the point that the reason question time gets to this robust state is that some of the questions carry some pretty heavy character assessments in them as well. In allowing and encouraging free speech, I allow it on the basis that, once that question's been asked, it actually allows the responder to respond to the issue without the accusation simply standing there. I do object to members reflecting on each other in that way. I've always made the point that, if a member has a problem with the conduct of another member, they need to raise it with me or in the House, and no-one has. The Prime Minister has the call. Mr MORRISON E3L While those opposite have sought to undermine the government, to talk down the programs like JobKeeper that we've put in place, to distance themselves and call it a waste, to undermine the government's efforts as we've sought to deal with the significant challenges we've had in the early phases of the vaccination program, which we have now turned around thanks to the magnificent efforts of those working in the Australian Public Service and under General Frewen's leadership, but more important those on the ground working in the vaccination clinics and in the vaccination hubs, today throughout question time our government has been thanking Australians for the work that they have done. We thank them for the work that they have done to get Australia on track because those Australians know that they want Australia to succeed. They want these programs to succeed because they know that that is the path back. We have set out the national plan that sets out that path for Australians to be able to make their way back from and through this COVID pandemic. And we will continue on that path, whether the opposition wants to support us or not. Regional Services: Health Care 54 15:07 Mr DRUM 56430 Nicholls My question is to the Minister for Regional Health. Will the minister please update the House on the action the Morrison-Joyce government is taking to ensure that millions of Australians living in regional, rural and remote Australia have access to the high-quality medical workforce and the health services they require? 15:07 Dr GILLESPIE 72184 Lyne I would like to thank the honourable member for his question and compliment him on his service to the good people of Nicholls. Not only has he delivered roads, bridges, railways and water infrastructure but he is delivering one of the new end-to-end rural medical schools, in Shepparton, and he was there at the forefront of the planning for that some years ago. When I first entered parliament in 2013 there were only 749 doctors around the country who were enrolled in the General Practice Training program. That has basically doubled to 1,427 in the last year. We have had a targeted rural health strategy to expand the number of medical, nursing, dental, pharmacy and allied health professionals working around the country, and we are delivering on that pathway and strategy. In the last two years there have been 700 additional general practitioners and 700 additional registered nurses delivered into regional, rural and remote areas. That was a $550 million plan. There was $123 million in the last budgetary cycle to expand training and workforce incentives. Workforce incentives, in a geographically based fashion, give a bulk-billing incentive; the more regional and remote you go, the greater the incentive. That was another $65 million in the last budget. The Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training Program, which supports schools of rural health and rural medical schools, has now expanded to 21 sites. We have delivered 26 regional training hubs, with subsidies for 1,000 specialist training spots to increase the specialty training pipeline for regional Australia. We've supported the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine with a dedicated national rural generalist pathway. We have incentivised junior doctors to get out of hospitals early and experience general practice in regional Australia. In fact, 50 per cent of the general practice training places are now dedicated to being trained in regional and rural Australia. As well as this, there have been many reforms, like the telehealth initiative, which has been instrumental in keeping general practice, treatment and advice available to doctors to treat their patients by telehealth. We've expanded regional radiotherapy services around the country to break the tyranny of distance and make sure people get access to training. So across the board— (Time expired) Urban Congestion Fund 55 15:10 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin My question is to the Prime Minister. The Auditor-General's office found that a top-20 marginal seat list was used to identify projects to be funded under the commuter car park program and, 'Some of the canvassing was done out of the PMO.' Will the Prime Minister table the list that was used by his office? 15:11 Mr FLETCHER L6B Bradfield I do thank the member for his question, and again I make the point that the decisions made by the minister were within authority. Our government is committed to delivering commuter car parks. Just in the last couple of weeks Ferny Grove has commenced and Revesby in New South Wales has commenced. In fact, under the Urban Congestion Fund, there are 177 packages of work, of which 69 have now been commenced or completed. So we're getting on with delivering the Commuter Car Park Fund and the Urban Congestion Fund. And, of course, I make the point that the Labor Party is not clear as to whether they support commuter car parks or whether they oppose commuter car parks, because they took to the last election a park-and-ride fund which involved support for commuter car parks at Mango Hill, Gosford, Woy Woy, Panania, Hurstville, Mandurah, Riverwood, Frankston— The SPEAKER 00APG The minister will resume his seat. The member for Scullin? An honourable member interjecting— Mr Giles 243609 I am searching for relevance, but I'm not having the same challenge that the minister does! The SPEAKER 00APG The member for Scullin better come to his point of order. Mr Giles 243609 Thank you. A point of order on relevance: the question was a very narrow one. It's very difficult to see how he can answer it, actually. But certainly this is not within the scope of the question. The SPEAKER 00APG I was just about the intervene on the minister. It was a specific question. It went to the audit report and then asked one specific question. So I think the minister needs to just bring himself back to the question or resume his seat. Mr FLETCHER L6B Here's a quote from an Auditor-General's report, which said, 'This worksheet summarised the distribution of funding on a party political basis as well as in geographic terms.' ANAO report No. 3 2010-11 regarding the regional and local— The SPEAKER 00APG The minister will resume his seat. Mr Fletcher interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG I'd say to the minister: you put one over me the other day, but you're not going to keep doing it. COVID-19: Indigenous Australians 56 15:13 Mr VAN MANEN 188315 Forde My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Australians. Will the minister please update the House on how the Morrison government is supporting the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in Indigenous communities and the importance of working in partnership with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people? 15:14 Mr WYATT M3A Hasluck Thank you to the member for Forde for your ongoing interest in this area but also your longstanding friendship. As of this morning, more than 160,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, nearly 30 per cent, have received one dose. Fourteen per cent, or 80,371, have received a second dose. Whilst we need to increase the vaccination rates, they are steadily progressing forward. On the weekend, I watched a particular episode on television to do with Warmun in my own state of WA. Eighty per cent of residents were vaccinated in two days supported by the leadership of Gija woman Dr Catherine Engelke. She said that having transparency of information from a team that they trust certainly made a difference. But they could also see that people haven't had reactions to the vaccination. We're using 15 to 17 languages through Aboriginal media to get stories out there. In the Torres Strait Island region, 67 per cent of the eligible population has received one dose and 41 per cent have had two doses. Palm Island is dealing with tough issues, but has vaccinated 1,172 of the 4,000 residents. Here in Canberra today I know that Julie Tongs at Winnunga will be standing up that Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service to ensure that the vaccination levels she has achieved will continue to be implemented in this region, to ensure that people are protected. What's more important is that we're working with communities at Miwatj in the Northern Territory. The health workers went out around the community, along with the doctor, talking to families to ensure that they felt comfortable and that they could be trusted in delivering the vaccines. It is absolutely critical, and what has been tremendous is the work that's being done across government and across the community to achieve these outcomes. I was talking with Lieutenant General Frewen yesterday morning about some of the strategies that he's doing in order to build that partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across this nation, so that we can increase those vaccination rates. Luckily, we've had no deaths. Even with the numbers that have been affected by COVID, which are around 200, we have not seen them hospitalised. So there's a resilience to some extent. But it's a remarkable achievement when we consider the status of the health conditions of many Indigenous Australians. So we'll continue to work in partnership to implement the program. I also acknowledge my colleague the Minister for Health for the work that he's doing in partnership with me. Mr Morrison E3L Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: ADDITIONAL ANSWERS 56 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: ADDITIONAL ANSWERS COVID-19 56 15:17 Mr HUNT 00AMV Flinders Mr Speaker, I wish to add to an answer from question time today. The SPEAKER 00APG The minister may proceed. Mr HUNT 00AMV I have had advice that the article which was the basis of a question from the member for Watson was incorrect, that in fact health materials were updated as recently as yesterday. This was not reflected in the article. As a consequence of that, I believe there is one language—Polish—for which we are awaiting the most recent update. That's due tomorrow. But these languages are updated on a rolling and consistent basis. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS 56 PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS 15:18 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation. The SPEAKER 00APG Does the Leader of the Opposition claim to have been misrepresented? Mr ALBANESE R36 I do indeed. The SPEAKER 00APG He may proceed. Mr ALBANESE R36 Today in question time the Prime Minister said, 'Mr Speaker, Labor, even most recently, have been seeking to tear down JobKeeper.' That is not true. Labor supported JobKeeper wage subsidies, along with the business community and the trade union movement, when the government was still saying it was a dangerous idea. We called for the return of JobKeeper, along with the New South Wales Treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, something that led to the Prime Minister losing it and, according to Nikki Savva, 'hurling the F-bomb at Perrottet'. The SPEAKER 00APG No, no! The Leader of the Opposition is now going well beyond pointing out where he was misrepresented. BUSINESS 57 BUSINESS Leave of Absence 57 15:18 Mr PORTER 208884 Pearce I move: That leave of absence be given to every Member of the House of Representatives from the determination of this sitting of the House to the date of its next sitting. Question agreed to. MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE 57 MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE COVID-19: Morrison Government 57 15:19 The SPEAKER 00APG I have received a letter from the honourable the Leader of the Opposition proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely: The impact of the Government's failures during this pandemic. I call upon those honourable members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places. More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places— 15:19 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler One of my favourite movies is The Blues Brothers. During the home quarantine that I had to do in Canberra I had the opportunity to look at it again. One of the best scenes, I think, is when Carrie Fisher's character confronts Jake about not turning up for their wedding. Jake comes up with excuses: 'Honest, I ran out of gas. I had a flat tyre. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts. It wasn't my fault, I swear to God.' Remind you of anyone? It reminded me of the bloke who sits over there—the Prime Minister. It reminded me of him and his favourite phrases that he uses time and time again: 'It's not my job;' 'It's not my fault;' 'I don't hold a hose;' 'It's not a race;' 'The dog ate my colour-coded spreadsheet.' There's never any leadership or any honesty from this Prime Minister. We've seen it from bushfires through to robodebt through to the failure on vaccines and quarantine. This is a Prime Minister who won't take responsibility for his own words, a Prime Minister who is truth hesitant. He said we are at the front of the queue for vaccines, but we know we've been running last in the developed world and we are not in the top 80 countries. He said four million Australians would be vaccinated by March, and he missed that target by more than 3½ million. He said that aged-care workers and residents and people in disability care would be vaccinated by Easter—he didn't say which year, to be fair!—but we know that, as of today, if you look at aged-care workers and people in disability care, less than half of that cohort have been vaccinated. He said repeatedly, 'It's not a race', but when called to account for that he had the hide to say, 'That was about TGA approvals', even though the Therapeutic Goods Administration had already approved the only two vaccines that are available in Australia—AstraZeneca and Pfizer—some period before he repeatedly said that. This is a Prime Minister who never takes responsibility. He treats his own words like reptiles treat their young; he pushes them out into the world and then never has anything to do with them ever again. And, if somehow he does run into them down the track, there isn't so much as a flicker of recognition; it's, 'I don't know where that came from.' We saw it again today, repeatedly. This is a Prime Minister who never leads. The most important area has of course been the failure on rolling out the vaccine and the ongoing failure on national quarantine. As we speak today, more than 18 months into this pandemic, there is not so much as a hole being dug for a new purpose-built quarantine centre anywhere in the country—not one. We know that hotel quarantine doesn't work. We know that hotels were built for tourists. And we know the absolute failure when it comes to vaccines. Today in parliament I spoke about my friend Khalil Ibrahim, whose parents died last week, on Tuesday and then on Friday. He has buried both his mum and his dad, who were due to get their vaccines this week. These are elderly Australians who weren't looked after by a government that was complacent and incompetent when it came to the rollout of the vaccine. But we see it in other areas as well. Today we hear of a mass vaccination hub that is being established in Penrith—a good thing—but where is the one in Blacktown, in Mt Druitt and in those communities where the member for Greenway and the member for Chifley have been crying out for a mass vaccination hub? It appears political decisions even go down to that level. This is a government obsessed by colour-coded spreadsheets, a government for whom every action is about the politics. But it is not just when it comes to these issues because there's much more. What we've had after the actions of the member for Dawson, Senator Canavan, the member for Hughes, is the Prime Minister say, 'We voted for the motion.' They did not say once the name 'George Christensen' or 'member for Dawson'. Not once. It was like Voldemort—you couldn't say his name. And the Deputy Prime Minister gave it up this morning when he said 'we don't want to poke the bear' when it comes to the member for Dawson. Just like the member for Dawson attending the rally in Mackay against lockdowns, against vaccinations, he said that was about freedom of speech. That's not leadership. But we saw it as well, of course, earlier this year, with the only world leader who failed to condemn the attack on the Capitol building. The Prime Minister said, 'I think what is important now is not for me to be providing lectures to anybody; that is not my job.' We saw it in response to questions about his friend Brian Houston being invited to the White House. He said that is just 'gossip' and wouldn't answer the questions. We saw it in the circumstances around Brittany Higgins. Here we have circumstances whereby the AFP has concluded its criminal investigations into the events just metres from the Prime Minister's office. Charges have been laid and will undergo due process. The Gaetjens inquiry, established by this Prime Minister to find out what his own office knew about these incidents, has now had five months and 27 days and we still have not had a response. At the March 4 Justice we saw a Prime Minister say protesters should be 'grateful' that they weren't 'shot', like in other parts of the world. We have seen no accountability from this Prime Minister about sports rorts or about 'pork and ride'. In a fit of anger he sacked Christine Holgate right here but pretends that didn't happen. He pretends that he didn't say electric vehicles would 'end the weekend', but we know that that occurred. But significantly as well, he said, 'I commend New South Wales for not having a lockdown.' The consequences are half the country is in lockdown. Expecting him to take responsibility is like expecting a hologram to catch a ball; it is just not going to happen. There is a pattern of behaviour. When there's a problem: (1) deny its existence until it is a crisis; (2) when it does become a crisis, blame someone else; (3) when all else fails, rewrite history and pretend you haven't said what is on the record. There is no shame—all smirk—from this Prime Minister, and no accountability. Even the national cabinet, designed to hide information, has been ruled as not appropriate. We see the ongoing member for Bowman—continuing to chair the committee that the Prime Minister said he'd be removed from—being replaced by a bloke in the fine tradition of the current member for Bowman as the LNP candidate, rather than a woman. In bad times, leaders rise. This one has shrunk into nothingness. The Prime Minister is always there for the photo op, never there for the follow-up. Labor have been constructive. When we announced our $300 incentive last week, what was the Prime Minister's gut instinct? It was not, 'That's an idea; we will consider it'; it was just no—just rejecting it, even though Lieutenant General Frewen has said it is a positive idea that should be considered as well as other measures. This Prime Minister is shameless, he is deceptive, and the more Australians look at him, the more they recognise the fact that this Prime Minister simply isn't up to the high office that he holds. (Time expired) 15:29 Dr GILLESPIE 72184 Lyne Everyone needs to realise that this is a one-in-100-years event. There is no playbook for pandemics unless you happened to be around in 2019, 2020 and 2021. What we've been through has been responded to probably more effectively in this nation than in any other nation on the planet. One only has to look at the projections of what would have happened if we hadn't had a successful pandemic plan that was rolled out around the country. The projections for our population and our age mix were that there would have been at least 30,000 deaths. Fortunately, we have reduced this 30-fold, to less than a thousand. It's tragic when anyone dies, but, compared to how severe it could have been, it's quite a testament to what everyone in this nation has achieved. We've had the state health systems under pressure. We've had general practice under pressure. We've had pharmacies rolling sleeves up. We've had the Army involved. We've had commercial contractors. We've rolled it out around the network of residential aged-care facilities. We're getting it through the disability sector now. We have had 280 million vaccine doses on order. Everyone knows we had a bit of a hold-up at the front because the European Union blocked delivery of 3½ million contracted doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. We've had a home-grown vaccine facility built in Melbourne. We have got Moderna coming through, with another 10 million doses by the end of the year, starting in September. It isn't just the health response that has kept this nation going through this pandemic. We have had huge Commonwealth government support for individuals and for businesses. Everyone knows how successful JobKeeper was and how much JobSeeker also helped. In this second wave of delta, which is a much more easily transmissible variant of the COVID-19 virus, we've supported with the COVID disaster payment in the hotspots as they are declared, lasting for more than a week. We have helped support the state governments for business support which the states are rolling through their support networks—Service NSW in New South Wales, for instance. The economic response has also been supporting other industries. We have the housing industry seeing the greatest expansion of new homeowners in a generation. In the cold, hard light of day, without all the emotion that the other side throws at us all the time, we have delivered a vaccine rollout that will meet its targets by December. The figures just speak for themselves; 268,000 doses in 24 hours is an amazing achievement. In the first month of the rollout there were 34,000 doses. At this rate, we will be at about 1½ million doses each week. That is exceptional. With this second wave, the benefit of the vaccines is starting to show, because even though there is a suppressed second wave the death rate is not as high as in the first wave. Whether you look at the economic response or the health response, the outcomes in Australia are quite exceptional compared to other nations. We've seen GDPs collapse by 11 or 12 per cent in other nations. This second wave is having an outcome that will destroy that bounce back, but the fundamentals of our economy are still here. It could have been destroyed in that first wave but the Commonwealth government stumped up. It wasn't just that; it was the tax reform measures and the initiative to improve cash flow. Whether it was supporting people on income support or age pensioners, or any of the myriad other income support measures, we have supported everyone, and we know that once we get through this second wave we will bounce back. In regional Australia, my particular area, it is quite an amazing rollout. We have the flying doctor going around the country to 95 sites. They're up to almost 11,000 doses so far and they'll keep delivering it around this wide brown land. There will be no place in regional and rural Australia that is not covered. As much as it is covered in the cities, it will be covered in regional Australia. Now, one would think that, having seen all the chaos and mayhem that has happened overseas, one would be saying, 'Australia, you should be proud.' But, no, those on the other side have to make it a political issue. They drag down the response and make out that it's a failure, whereas I just look at the facts. It's all this spin, which I see as a way of attacking our side rather than being constructive. That's the thing that people watching parliament on TV get really fed up with. They see all this nitpicking and these personality attacks, rather than constructive dialogue. People wonder why people have such a low opinion of politicians. It is because they see the behaviour— Mr Gorman 74519 So it's Labor's fault, is it? It's Labor fault— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 The member for Perth! Dr GILLESPIE 72184 This is a really critical period in the history of our nation. We have been delivering. We have been delivering, delivering and delivering time and time again, and the vaccine rollout is reaching its targets. We all acknowledge there were hiccups and things got off the rails. The vaccines that we had signed contracts for were not delivered because of a higher authority rather than because of AstraZeneca. The company was willing to send it, but the EU blocked its export. We couldn't get any Pfizer from America because they weren't exporting any out of America. Their whole supply was predicated upon it being available for the US first. We got Moderna contracts in place. We got a Novovax contract in place. We have 28 million doses on order, and they will eventually be way more than is needed. We've placed forward orders for booster doses out to 2022-23. So there has been a strategy and it has been effective. You can't expect 25 million people to be vaccinated in one go. There is just physically not enough logistics. But, from the way those on the other side carry on, one would think it's just hey presto. It isn't. Every arm of the vaccinations system has been ramped up pro rata to the availability of vaccines. We have 5,000 general practices and 3,600 community pharmacies now registered, and once these extra supplies come in I expect we will see that the figure will be higher than that record figure of 268,000 that I just mentioned. Now that we've got it rolling, I think the targets that have been set for December are accurate. There needs to be community willingness, which there is now, because we have suffered from our own success. We didn't see the high rates of death and the hospitals being flooded. Because we had been so successful, many people thought there wasn't much risk. But now they realise that vaccination is a critical part of the response. We have also purchased drugs to treat people if they are sick. There is remdesivir and sotrovimab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks the delta version and other versions from attaching to the ACE receptor so that they don't get into the cells to make people really sick. On early treatment, many physicians around the country, in Melbourne, Sydney and elsewhere, are using off-label drugs to prevent severe progression of disease. So there are things that we have covered— (Time expired) 15:40 Mr BURKE DYW Watson First of all, before I start, I've been provided with additional information by the member for New England subsequent to a point of order that I made during question time. I want to unconditionally withdraw the allegation I made with respect to the member for New England. I want to put that down at the start. I do not in any way, though, resile from the fury when the Prime Minister is seeking to claim poor motivations on the part of the Labor Party when we are fighting for our communities. When we hear the previous speech claiming that somehow Labor is trying to drag down the government response, or we hear the Prime Minister claim, 'It doesn't matter how you start the race,' can I tell you: it matters, because our communities are living that neglect right now. The Prime Minister started badly, and then, because of the actions of the state premiers overruling him on lockdowns and keeping us safe last year, he went on a victory lap and didn't turn up for the second half. What has that meant in our communities now? The Prime Minister should go and try to tell the people who are homeschooling, where English isn't their first language and they're in homes where there are more people than rooms, that it doesn't matter how they started the race. His neglect is why they're in that situation now. He should go and tell the people in the construction industry, who are wondering what's going to happen to their book of jobs, that it doesn't matter how you start the race. They're in a mess right now financially because of his neglect. He should tell the people at Canterbury Hospital, as we start to watch the wards fill up because of what's happening now, that it really doesn't matter because people are going to be vaccinated in the months to come. Then we hear people blame our communities, saying, 'They're hard to communicate with.' We had somebody sleep overnight in the middle of winter outside Lakemba Mosque to try to make sure he was first in the vaccination queue for the next day. We had people turning up to Bankstown Sports Club being sent away at the end of the day because they weren't able to get vaccinated. Right now, for us here in Canberra, people are talking about getting vaccinated to try to make sure we're guarded against the future. People are desperate in Sydney and in Melbourne, and, we're about to find, in the ACT right now, and all around the country from time to time, where the vaccination issue isn't about the future; it's about right now and the frustration that it wasn't available the month before that, or the month before that or the month before that. Think of the people who work in construction. What's thought in Sydney, where you can't go to work unless you're vaccinated? I've had two people now contact my office whose medical advice because of pre-existing conditions is that there is only one vaccine their GP is recommending for them. They are now being told they can't go to work for six to eight weeks. Why? Because this Prime Minister didn't do his job. That's not a political slogan. That's a lived reality in lockdown areas right now. How do you think it got into the community were it not for failures of quarantine? We still have a situation where, if you're not at Howard Springs, quarantine is happening in the most populated parts of our nation, in facilities that were built for tourism—this is for an airborne virus. Vaccination is the way out of this; we get that. But the government didn't do world's best practice. Please don't tell me that we should be proud of having record days of vaccination when we are starting from a base that has left our biggest cities as disaster zones. We now have the fear in far western New South Wales that something we had kept out of remote First Nations communities for so long could be there. That would not have been the same risk if the Prime Minister had done his job on quarantine and vaccination. Please don't think this is a slogan. It's a lived reality. Please don't think the anger is a game. It is a frustration, because we're here right now not just wanting a better deal for our communities; we want them to be alive. We want the members of our communities to not end up in intensive care; we want them to be able to go to work. And they are questioning whether these things are going to happen for a very simple reason: the Prime Minister didn't do his job. 15:45 Ms LANDRY 249764 Capricornia Over the past 18 months, Australia has been challenged like never before. A once-in-a-century global pandemic has inflicted carnage all across the world, and the impacts have been profound—on families, on children, on the elderly and on business. This virus has meant that consequences have been felt across every corner of our society. There is no doubt that the effect of lockdowns, interstate border closures, and financial and mental health pressures continue to be profound. Unfortunately, COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc in the lives of millions of Australians. However, despite these enormous difficulties, I'm so proud of what we have achieved together so far as a nation. Australians have stood together. We have looked out for each other and we have followed the health advice. As a federal government our focus has always been on suppressing the virus, rolling out the vaccine, securing our economic recovery, protecting jobs and guaranteeing the essential services that Australians rely on. During what is a very difficult time in our nation's history, I'm proud that the Morrison government has stepped up and delivered on each of these fronts. Our delivery of the vaccine rollout is kicking up and hitting its stride. Over 14 million vaccine doses have now been administered, and we now are hitting over 1.3 million doses each week. Just think about that—the population of Adelaide vaccinated in a single week. This is an absolutely wonderful effort. On that note, I want to express my thanks and appreciation to all our health workers across the nation, who are the front line, delivering the doses every single day and putting in enormous hours to keep us safe. In July, a total of 4.5 million vaccinations were given, which is more than double that achieved in May, when 2.1 million doses were done. Sure, we've had our problems. Indeed, no country on earth has gotten their response perfectly right. But what is most important is that we have turned the corner, and I must say that we have also got a lot of things right. Our government's response, our measures and our support packages in this global pandemic have saved more than 30,000 lives. Our government has supported over three million Australians through JobKeeper and has also ensured that one million Australians have gotten back into work. Importantly, one of the earliest and most decisive measures that we took as a government was to close our international border. There is no doubt in my mind that the Prime Minister's strong leadership on this has saved many, many lives. As the federal member for Capricornia, I saw firsthand how Central Queensland was impacted by the virus. I wanted to take this opportunity today to highlight what a tremendous difference our government support measures secured on the ground. One example was JobKeeper. Last year there were 1,828 businesses in the Rockhampton area who relied on this crucial program to pay their staff; and, in Yeppoon, 580. As one local businessman in Rockhampton told me, in just one week in March last year he had more than $1 million in forward bookings cancelled. He was very concerned for his staff, who are loyal, decent, hardworking people. What I'm so pleased about is that the financial support delivered by JobKeeper allowed him to keep his staff actively engaged in the business. As another local example, our $94 million zoos and aquariums program also provided crucially important assistance with animal welfare costs. As members would know, these businesses are heavily reliant on international visitors. Although domestic tourism is recovering, zoos and aquariums continue to experience reduced revenue streams as domestic visitors spend less money and don't visit mid-week and between school and public holidays. The Rockhampton Zoo, Cooberrie Park Wildlife Sanctuary and Koorana Crocodile Farm all received funding, and we're very grateful for the support provided by the federal government. Despite the challenges, the people of Australia can be assured that the Morrison government remains firmly committed to securing our nation's recovery out of this global pandemic. 15:49 Ms CATHERINE KING 00AMR Ballarat You just saw from the member for Watson and from the Leader of the Opposition that there is huge anger on this side, anger that is represented in communities across this country, because in the last 18 months all of the huge work that communities, healthcare workers, cleaners and transport workers across this country did—heroes of the Australian people, keeping us safe—has been squandered by this stupid, stupid, foolish government that could not do its job. If you want to see the impact of this government's, the Morrison-Joyce government's, absolute failures and the absolutely useless way in which it has handled this pandemic, you just have to look at what is happening around this country at the moment. We have Sydney in extended lockdown, with another 345 cases today and, tragically, another two people losing their lives. We have Melbourne in lockdown for at least another week, trying to stamp out the embers of a virus spread as we fight to drive up vaccination rates. We've got regional Victoria only just out of lockdown—but only just, and we're pretty nervous about what the future will bring. Queenslanders are in masks, with cases from their latest outbreak still bubbling away—luckily in quarantine. South Australia is imposing a second round of quarantine on returning athletes, fearful of what an outbreak of the delta variant will mean in that community. And more recently we have seen the ACT go back in lockdown, after a full year without any cases. To quote the ACT Chief Minister: This is by far the most serious public health risk the ACT has faced in the past 12 months … We are now more than 18 months into this pandemic, but things are as bad as they have ever been. Australians went through so much last year to beat back this virus, to achieve some of the best health and economic outcomes in the world—but for what? Australians deserve better than this. The Prime Minister had two jobs—to roll out the vaccine and to properly fix quarantine. It is frustrating, it is infuriating and it is devastating to see where we are today. It's devastating for families, and particularly for our children who are thrown in and out of homeschooling. It's devastating for the businesses who have no certainty on when their doors can open, or how long they will be open for. It's devastating for families separated from loved ones overseas or interstate. It's devastating for young people missing out on their formative years, and for older Australians unable to share some of their last valuable time with the people that they love. It is devastating for the workers excluded from the economic support that they need. And, of course, it is devastating for those who get seriously ill, those who have to rely on ventilators just to breathe and those who lose their lives. We cannot lose sight of the human cost of this pandemic and the human cost of the Morrison-Joyce government's failures. Real leadership and real leaders step up in good times and in bad. Not this Prime Minister. It's not his job. He's not to blame; he doesn't hold a hose; it's the state's job. He didn't order enough vaccines to keep us safe, but he blames other nations for getting in first. He said it's not a race, but then he blames Brendan Murphy for saying that originally, apparently. He failed to vaccinate aged-care workers by Easter, but he says it's their fault because they didn't go to the GP for a jab. He promised four million Australians they'd be vaccinated by March. He managed only 600,000, but that isn't his fault. There have been 27 outbreaks in quarantine—not his responsibility, even though quarantine is explicitly in the Constitution as a Commonwealth responsibility. More than 600 Australians have died from COVID in aged-care facilities, which is a federal responsibility, but the Prime Minister says that was the states' fault. Vaccine hesitation? That's ATAGI's fault. Lockdowns in Victoria? Daniel Andrews is responsible for that, although I know the member for Higgins said it was 'just like the flu' and they should open a little bit earlier. The failure to lockdown Sydney early enough? The Premier is responsible, even though the Prime Minister egged her on to not lock down. Then we have the members for Dawson and Hughes and Senators Canavan and Rennick actively undermining public health, but he says, 'Free speech is perfectly okay.' That's what we have from this Prime Minister. When something goes well, he can't get there quick enough to get his photo-op. But, when something goes wrong, he spins, he deflects and he does not tell the truth. This Prime Minister is clearly not up to the job. It's time he stepped up, but, if he doesn't, he should get out of the way. The Australian people should vote him out at the next election. (Time expired) 15:54 Mr RAMSEY HWS Grey Mr Deputy Speaker Wallace, you'd be well versed in that Australian poem Said Hanrahan. I'm afraidHanrahan has been breathing on the other side of the House. I've never heard such a group contagion of 'glass half-empty-itis'. What we need is a little less of what's going on in the rest of the world. If you read widely enough and watched the SBS television news for a change, you'd have some idea. Just to bring you up to date: there have been 205 million cases in the world and 4.32 million deaths. In the US, we've seen 36 million people infected and 619,000 have died. In India, 32 million have been infected and 430,000 have died. In Brazil, 20 million have been infected and over half a million have died. In Russia, 6.4 million have had this disease and 164,000 have died. In France, 6.37 million have caught it and 112,000 have died. In the UK, which is held up as some kind of shining light, over six million have had the disease and 131,000 have died. Here in Australia, 37,000 have caught COVID—not 370,000, not three million—and we've had 944 deaths; not 944,000 but fewer than 1,000. Of course we could have done better, but it's pretty hard to find a nation in the world that's done any better than Australia. On the economy, it's exactly the same story. We've done better than almost any comparable economy in the world. Our GDP is higher than it was in February 2020, before we entered the pandemic. Employment in Australia is higher than it was in February 2020, when we entered the pandemic. Our unemployment is the lowest it's been in 10 years—in fact, it's the lowest it's been in all but three years out of the last 25. That's a pretty good outcome. Once again, we could do better, but it's pretty hard to find a nation in the world that's done any better than Australia. How have we done that? It's been on the back of an $89 billion injection into JobKeeper, one of the smartest schemes ever devised by government to help out a population in crisis. We know that 3.8 million Australians have accessed JobKeeper, $35 billion was put in to boost the cash flows of businesses and not-for-profits and $20 billion went into the JobSeeker COVID supplement. Personal income tax cuts have come along at the same time, and we've installed the loss carry-back provisions. Then we've had the stimulus programs, like HomeBuilder, which has sent home building through the roof. The pace of construction around Australia is absolutely flat out. In an electorate like Grey we've seen an incredible amount of infrastructure investment, with over $1 billion of federal government programs or money sitting on the table for roadworks in Grey at the moment. We've never had that kind of input before. The aviation and tourism industries have benefited. We've seen $900 million for extra university places, and for JobTrainer another $500 million. The vaccination program has drawn a fair bit of criticism. Yes, it was a slow and disappointing start, but despite what has been said in this place, we backed five different vaccination lines: the Pfizer/BioNTech, which is now coming to Australia in greater numbers; the Oxford-AstraZeneca; the Moderna, which has only just been approved for use in Australia but is on its way now; the Novavax, which is still undergoing approvals; and COVAX, which is a multinational approach. We've backed all of those with over $6 billion. We also backed the University of Queensland to develop our own domestic supply, and unfortunately that very promising vaccine hit a problem with false identification of HIV. I point out, on AstraZeneca, that we backed the company to make a vaccine onshore. The much maligned AstraZeneca vaccine, at this stage, has been the backbone of many nations' vaccination programs. But one way or another those opposite seek to undermine the government's efforts, as we have heard in the discussion on this motion. Some people in Australia have taken pot shots at AstraZeneca with very poor information to back them up. Across the board, I'd say the government has done a pretty good job. Sure, we could have done better, but it's hard to find a place where they have done better. 15:59 Ms McBRIDE 248353 Dobell [by video link] My community don't need to be told how good Australia's response to COVID-19 is when their vaccines are being ripped away. As a pharmacist and a local MP, I'm devastated to see people who've booked a jab not be able to have their jab, to see businesses fold and to see students stuck at home struggling without devices that they need to support them. I've lost count of the number of times this government has failed my community on the Central Coast of New South Wales throughout this pandemic. The botched vaccine rollout, the quarantine breaches and the lack of financial support during lockdown have left people confused, angry and afraid. And what we see time after time is this government failing to take responsibility for their actions. In my community, one in five people are aged over 65, vulnerable or exposed, and when the rollout first began in February we were relieved to hear that all aged-care workers would be vaccinated by Easter. It's now August and just over one-third of aged-care workers have received both doses. There are frontline workers at risk, as are the people who they care for. They should have been at the front of the queue, but instead they're waiting in line with the rest of us. There are countless local people on the Central Coast who are still waiting to get their first dose, and we're in week 7 of lockdown. We're being told repeatedly that the way out of lockdown is through vaccination—and as a pharmacist I know that—but at the same time locals have had their appointments cancelled because their vaccines were being redirected to year 12 students in Sydney. Locals are expected to accept that we're counted as part of Greater Sydney for lockdown but we're part of regional Australia when vaccines are being redirected. Last week I asked the Prime Minister about this in question time. What did he say? What was his answer to my community? He said the federal government did not support the initiative to redirect those doses away from the Central Coast. But what did he do about it? My community is now stuck in the middle of a fight between the Prime Minister and the Premier, and the Prime Minister refuses to accept responsibility. This was avoidable. It was preventable. It wouldn't have happened if the Prime Minister had secured enough vaccines in the first place for all Australians. Now we see vulnerable people at risk and not vaccinated; people like Nadine from Gorokan. Nadine is an unpaid carer who looks after her two elderly parents at home. She was told by her GP she needed Pfizer because she has a stent and other medical issues. Nadine booked her appointment and then found out her dose was being redirected to Sydney. She said, 'It caused my great distress seeing happy, smiling students on TV getting their vaccine while I remain a vulnerable carer locked down.' If the government hadn't botched the vaccine rollout, Nadine and others like her would be vaccinated right now. They'd be safe and protected. Not only has the government failed to secure enough vaccines; they've failed to secure enough places for people to access them, delaying access to thousands of Australians by not including pharmacies in the rollout earlier. The government says to go to your pharmacist and get a jab, but how can people? As a pharmacist and a trained immuniser, I know pharmacists across Australia have been ready to be part of the rollout for months, but they've been sidelined by this government. It's only this past week that pharmacies on the coast have been able to administer vaccines. How can you expect people to get vaccinated when you're redirecting their vaccines from the area and didn't include pharmacies in the rollout from the beginning? We've seen the vaccination rates that countries across the world have been able to reach safely and effectively when pharmacies have been involved from the beginning. If that weren't enough, there's also the issue of financial support for people in lockdown. When stay-at-home orders were first issued seven weeks ago, local workers and business owners on the coast were left with bills to pay, cancellations to process and little certainty about the future. The government brought out JobKeeper and, in another fight between the Prime Minister and the New South Wales government, my community was left behind. Instead, just $500 was offered to individual workers to help them get through. That's less than an apprentice's wage. How are a young family on the coast supposed to support themselves on that? After calls for more support, the government reluctantly agreed to increase payments. Why didn't they offer them in the first place? Now we hear of more support in Melbourne. While it's welcome, of course, people on the coast are still being left behind. These things add up. We're in the middle of a health crisis and Australians need a government they can rely on. But we can't rely on the Morrison Government. Telling us that populations the size of Adelaide, Newcastle or the Gold Coast are vaccinated while we can't get a jab isn't good enough. What we've come to expect from this government is being too slow to act, refusing to take responsibility for their actions and relying on spin to avoid answering the tough questions in the middle of a global pandemic. People in my community on the Central Coast deserve better. They're paying the price for this government's inaction. 16:04 Dr ALLEN 282986 Higgins This government has not only taken the full brunt of this crisis on the chin; it has delivered the outcomes that every Australian needs and requires—and that has been from the very start of this pandemic. What is quite extraordinary about this pandemic is the daily ongoing onslaught of COVID not just here in Australia but right across the world. The fact that we have dealt with this dual health and economic crisis in such a good way is something all Australians should be proud of. We should be proud because we understand that the executive government has taken the right decision each and every step of the way. There has been aggressive suppression of COVID. You don't get aggressive suppression of COVID unless you have masks, PPE and sovereign supply. Done. You need to have enough COVID tests. Done. You need to have mental health support to ensure people can keep going. Done. You need to make sure we have the economic supports in place to ensure unemployment rates that are the lowest in over a decade. Done. You need to provide $84 billion in JobKeeper to help support jobs and to help businesses survive what has effectively been equal to the Great Depression and the Spanish flu coming at this country at speed. Done. You need to have cash flow boosts of $39 billion. Done. There are so many things we have done to make sure the Australian economy has kept going and the Australian healthcare system has kept going and kept doing what it does best, which is supporting Australians each and every day. The way the other side goes on, you wouldn't think we've delivered all these things. What the other side are very good at is talking down Australians, talking down the Australian economy and talking down the Australian response. I'm very proud that, despite the fact the COVID pandemic has blown twists and turns at us every step of the way, this government has stood firm and has made the right decisions—decisions that have been strategic, that have been effective and that have delivered. All Australians should be very confident in the decisions that have been taken. Early on in the pandemic, we closed our borders internationally and took steps that no other country has taken—steps that were brave, strong and certain. The other side is all about talking down this government's response. That is on the edge of dangerous; I believe it is irresponsible. When people hear that there are difficulties with the COVID rollout, some people understand that there has been a supply issue and there have been side effects—issues that are well beyond the control of any government. We've had a diversified portfolio of vaccines. Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna are all coming online. Novavax is coming online next year, because the pharmaceutical company itself has to get through some regulatory hoops that it has to deal with over in the United States. So we know that we've had a diversified portfolio. But, more than that, we knew that we would have to have sovereign supply because we had difficulties with PPE, masks and tests early on. The minister for health should be congratulated for the magnificent work he's been doing on securing supply in a very difficult international scenario. This is not an Australian problem, it is a global problem. But Australia has navigated through the storm of the COVID pandemic with a great sense of determination and the executive has been working in a strong and certain way to make sure Australia comes through this in the best situation possible. When we look at the COVID vaccine rollout, the mocking from the other side is not helpful. We need a moment when we come together and realise that we are now delivering a vaccine rollout at speed. We have had 14 million vaccines delivered. Yesterday was a record day—260,000 vaccines were rolled out yesterday. Australians are putting their arms forward and getting that vaccine jab, because we know that is the best way we can move to the next phase. The Prime Minister has led a country that has had to deal with a lot of different problems, and he has done it by bringing together the national cabinet. Yes, working across different levels of government has been difficult. The national cabinet has helped to make that as smooth as possible. We all know that, when decisions are very difficult, it can be complicated—there can be a lot of noise and friction. But, at the end of the day, Australians want people to come together. Those opposite keep talking down the vaccine rollout. It is not helping vaccine hesitancy. I'm pleased to hear that young people are now putting their arms forward for AstraZeneca. That's a great thing because AstraZeneca, Pfizer and now Moderna are going to help deliver a vaccine rollout for this country. 16:09 Mr HILL 86256 Bruce I feel like I've entered a parallel universe. The topic of this debate is the impact of the government's failures in the pandemic. We've had four government speakers now tell us, one after the other, how well everything is going! That's all the Prime Minister has had to say for the last two weeks—it's going terrifically well! What a great job we've done! There's a national emergency. Sydney, our biggest city, is in a never-ending lockdown, with people dying every day and fighting for their lives. My home town of Melbourne is in its sixth lockdown and people are scared, desperate to get a vaccine. They can't get one. And this foolish motormouth, the member for Higgins—I wrote down her quotes: 'Well, the government is delivering the outcomes every Australian needs and requires.' Then, 'The government is doing a very good job.' She said, 'We've dealt with this crisis in such a good way that all Australians should be proud.' The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 Order! The member for Bruce will withdraw that statement about the member for Higgins. Mr HILL 86256 Sure, I withdraw. And then she said, 'We made the right decisions; it's effective.' The right decision would have been getting the vaccines here and not being the last in the developed world. The right decision would have been taking their responsibility under the Constitution for quarantine and having a safe national quarantine system, not one that has leaked 27 times causing tens of billions of dollars of damage and hundreds of Australians to lose their lives. But we only need to look down the road from this parliament to see the scale of this national disaster. There is chaos right now in the national capital. What's the time, Mr Deputy Speaker Wallace? In 48 minutes our national capital goes into lockdown—the ACT and Canberra. Could there be a more dramatic end to this session of parliament than the national capital succumbing to delta? The Prime Minister told us that he's on a war footing against the virus. Well, for weeks he has been warned that delta is coming and he has done nothing. He has watched it marching across regional New South Wales, taking town by town and coming to Canberra because there was no ring of steel around Sydney, and he failed to act and protect the ACT. If this is the Prime Minister's war, he's losing the national capital. He prides himself on national security but he cannot secure the national capital, and the impact could be enormous. This population here is unvaccinated. It's the centre of government and national administration. It's the seat of the Defence Forces and it's the centre of our democracy. But as others have observed in the media it would quite well suit the Prime Minister if the parliament couldn't sit, so he could hide from scrutiny. Every day he comes in here he has to be accountable for his rorts, his waste and his corruption. A fish rots from the head, as has been said, and this Prime Minister sits right at the centre of the spider web, pulling the threads with little coloured spreadsheets and pushing the money out to the marginal seats. But he has failed on those two most critical of jobs and the tests that he set for himself this year: vaccines and quarantine. When the pressure is on, though, he does one of two things: he runs away and hides or he blames someone else. The question now, for the next couple of weeks is: will Australians even see him? He might be back under the doona! Remember that he went missing over the winter break—he just kept disappearing. We actually had to put up 'missing' posters to see if anyone had seen him! Or will he come out of hiding and find new people to blame. As Niki Savva said today in TheAge, 'a cranky man in need of a plan'. That was her headline. She reported him yelling and swearing and shouting like a petulant child on a phone call with the Treasurer of New South Wales—a Liberal guy trying to negotiate a business package. The Prime Minister got upset about who was going to take the credit for the package. Then, as a cabinet minister is quoted about the leadership of his own Prime Minister: 'If you see a problem, throw money at it. If you see a problem, walk away from it. If you see a problem, duck-shove it to someone else.' That's what his ministers say about him! He yells and swears and screams at his friends in the New South Wales Liberal government. Don't be fooled—Australians should not be fooled by his 'daggy dad' persona and by the little guy with the baseball cap hammering the chook shed. He's a nasty, angry fake and he's not up to his job, as the whole country has seen. But he's not just a shapeshifter, he's a blame shifter. He's not a leader, he's a very cunning politician—he is the master of the blame game. Instead of acknowledging his mistakes he just finds someone else to blame. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 The member for Bruce— Mr HILL 86256 'It's not my job, it's not my fault'— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 The member for Bruce will resume his seat. Mr Hill 86256 'I don't hold the hose'— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 The member for Bruce will resume his seat! Mr Hill interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 The member for Bruce, I was simply going to ask you to refer to the Prime Minister by his appropriate name. Mr Hill 86256 I didn't call him 'Scott Morrison'. I called him 'the Prime Minister'. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 The member for Bruce, when you are asked by the Speaker to resume your seat, you immediately resume your seat. The member for Bruce has the call. Mr HILL 86256 What did I say that was out of order, Mr Deputy Speaker? I called him the Prime Minister, I called him a blame-shifter and I said he's not up to his job. (Time expired) 16:15 Mr PASIN 240756 Barker Mr Deputy Speaker Wallace, following that untidy interaction between you and the member for Bruce, I think it's probably important that I inject some reality into this debate. Let me start by saying that the vaccine rollout in this nation is the single most significant peacetime undertaking our nation has embarked upon, full stop. It's the single most significant peacetime undertaking—roughly 40 million individual consultations; no small feat. Where are we at, if we're talking about a reality check? One in four eligible Australians will be double-dose vaccinated by the end of the week; one in two will have received their first dose by the end of next week. In the last day, 260,000 Australians have received the jab. For those that come from AFL states, that's 2½ times the number of people you see at the MCG on grand final day. That is a Herculean achievement, and it is appropriate at this moment to thank those frontline professionals that are delivering those jabs, not to mention those Australians that have rolled up their sleeves. Now, at 260,000 doses a day—I spoke about that being 2½ times the MCG on grand final day—over a week, that's not the population of Adelaide; that's the population of all of South Australia. That's South Australia done in a week, if you like. But those opposite come into this place and, I think, secretly—I might be being unkind—they're disappointed by the trajectory, the ramp-up, that we're seeing. I might be being unkind, but I got a sense of that in the halls as I arrived. You'll get coalition members cheering on the numbers; we want to see them as high as possible every morning. I think there's a collective sigh amongst those opposite, because they set the standard, and the standard they set is perfection. I'm not doing so well on my footy tips this year, but I reckon, if I could submit my footy tips on Monday, I'd be doing okay! Those opposite, of course, are setting a standard of perfection. They're saying, 'We would have done things differently because of course we would have known about the complications with delta, we would have known about the supply issues with AstraZeneca, we would have known that ATAGI might make that less-than-ideal determination in terms of the rollout.' That's the standard they're setting. If you don't believe me, have a look at the standard they're setting for hotel quarantine. They've come in here full of criticism for that system, a system that is seeing success rates in excess of 99.9 per cent. I can think of some government programs that didn't have a success rate of 99.9 per cent. Do you remember 'cash for clunkers'? Do you remember that little nugget? What about overpriced school halls? That was a classic. But my personal favourite, tragic as it was—my personal favourite because it underscores the inability of those opposite to implement government programs—was of course, famously, pink batts. Earlier this sitting fortnight, we heard from the Leader of the Opposition that he had a plan. That plan was to dole out $6 billion, effectively, to encourage people to get the vaccine. Someone like me, presumably, would get the $300. I've been vaccinated. It's not going to incentivise me anymore. I've been double-dose vaccinated. But all of this, quite frankly, is nonsensical. I'm going to set a challenge for those opposite. It's particularly directed at those who made a contribution to this debate, but the challenge is to all of you. You want to talk down where Australia is right now? Put your hand up and tell me what country you'd rather be in, quite frankly. Put your hand up and tell me what country you'd rather be in. I reckon there will be silence, because, quite frankly, you're looking for perfection. This was always going to be a challenging time. We are talking about the single most-significant peacetime undertaking. But if you're fair dinkum that you don't reckon Australia is a place that is safe relative to the rest of the world, because of the actions of Australians and this government, come to the dispatch box and tell us what country you would rather be in. There will be silence, quite frankly, because you know—well, those opposite know, Mr Speaker, but I'm certain you might know as well!—and I certainly know that this country is the safest in the world. (Time expired) The SPEAKER 00APG The time allotted for this debate has concluded. BILLS 66 BILLS Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Child Care Subsidy) Bill 2021 66

Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Child Care Subsidy) Bill 2021

Consideration of Senate Message 66 16:21 Mr TUDGE M2Y Aston I move: That the amendments be agreed to. Very briefly, the passing of these amendments will represent the passage of the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Child Care Subsidy) Bill 2021 through the parliament to become law. This is a very significant bill that will make a real difference to 250,000 families across this country who have two or more children in childcare. This is a package which is good for families and good for the economy because it creates incentives for women particularly but also for men to do those extra days at work. It addresses some of the workforce disincentives which come about from higher costs to child care. I thank the opposition for its cooperation in dealing with this bill and dealing with these amendments in a timely manner. We finish this session having passed a very significant bill—a bill which is great for those families, great for the economy and good for businesses as well. Question agreed to. Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Sunsetting Review and Other Measures) Bill 2021 67

Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Sunsetting Review and Other Measures) Bill 2021

First Reading 67 Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Amendment Bill 2021, Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Bill 2021, Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Cost Recovery and Other Measures) Bill 2021, Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Amendment Bill 2021 67

Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Amendment Bill 2021

Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Bill 2021

Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Cost Recovery and Other Measures) Bill 2021

Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Amendment Bill 2021

Returned from Senate 67 DOCUMENTS 67 DOCUMENTS Member for Clark 67 Presentation 67 16:23 Mr BURKE DYW Watson by leave—Pursuant to the agreement between myself and the Leader of the House where crossbench members have wanted a pathway to indicate which way they would have voted, I table a statement of voting intention for the week of 9 to 12 August 2021 from the member for Clark. Member for Warringah 67 Presentation 67 16:24 Mr BURKE DYW Watson by leave—I table a statement of voting intention for the week of 9 to 12 August 2021, had she been able to attend, from the member for Warringah. QUESTIONS TO THE SPEAKER 67 QUESTIONS TO THE SPEAKER Parliamentary Arrangements 67 Mr BURKE DYW Watson I respect, Mr Speaker, that this is not the ordinary time that questions to the Speaker are asked. I understand that the Leader of the House is aware that I'm raising this as well. Given the circumstances of the ACT and lockdowns around the country, it is not impossible to imagine a situation where, at some point during this term, the standing order that allows an amendment to the manner and form of parliament may need to include within its principles a change to the required quorum. If that were to happen, depending on your ruling, we'd potentially have a problem. If there were to be an agreement between me and the Leader of the House on a change to quorum, what would matter is: at what point does that agreement take effect? Does it take effect when it's received by you or does it take effect when it's tabled in the House? If it doesn't take effect until it's tabled in the House, we'd need to get the old quorum to be able to then reduce it, which potentially could hit health issues. It was a long explanation, I know, but the question to you, Mr Speaker, is: for agreements between me and the Leader of the House under the standing orders on the manner and form provisions, at what point is your ruling that they would take effect? 16:26 The SPEAKER 00APG I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for his question. It's a timely one. As you said, the Leader of the House is aware of this. It's good to be able to answer that question but also remind members of that resolution passed back on 23 March last year, when the pandemic was in its early days, and both the Manager of Opposition Business and the Leader of the House spoke at that time about just having the necessary preparations and the necessary change to standing orders in place in case we reached an extreme circumstance. As the Manager of Opposition Business rightly points out, we're not at that point, and I don't see that in the immediate future, but of course things do move quickly. Members are more familiar with the other part of the resolution, which allows them to remote in. Obviously that's had a lot more attention. But obviously the government, the Leader of the House, have control over when we sit. If we need to sit with a lower quorum, that requires an agreement, as the Manager of Opposition Business has said, between the Leader of the House and him. At that point, I'm authorised, under the standing orders, to determine a lower quorum. Having thought about this long and hard over many months, the practical thing to say to the House—and it's important that it is reiterated here in the House—is that, once such an agreement has been made, or, in other words, once the Leader of the House has determined a sitting period on behalf of the government if there wasn't one scheduled, if there were required to be a lower quorum, that agreement would be reached, and once it was transmitted to me, prior to a sitting, I would say that that has taken effect, so we would resume with the lower figure, and it would be tabled for completeness. That way, everyone would know what the situation is. That is my approach for it. I don't think we need to do anything right now. Does the Leader of the House wish to add anything? No. That's really where we're at. I'll just say to the Leader of the House and to the Manager of Opposition Business: that resolution back on 23 March last year was an important resolution so that the House could continue its business. There are things parliament has to do. As the Leader of the House and the Manager of Opposition Business know, there was legislation that had to be passed this week, so it's important we've got a mechanism to be able to do that. I think, when that resolution was passed, the prevailing view was that we thought we'd never need it, even for the remote parliament at that point, but it's enabled us to have that flexibility. I hope that clarifies matters, and I think placing it on the Hansard record is important not just for the information of members and senators but for wider issues as well about how we would approach that in the lead-up to such a sitting. ADJOURNMENT 68 ADJOURNMENT Queen's Birthday Honours 68 16:30 Ms PLIBERSEK 83M Sydney [by video link] In June this year we saw another round of exceptional Australians recognised for their outstanding achievement and service to their local community through the Queen's Birthday Honours. However, too often women are overlooked in the granting of these honours. Since the Order of Australia was established, in 1975, women have consistently received fewer than 30 per cent of the Australian honour awards. This has denied women the right to be represented accurately in the public record for their achievements to our nation. Honour a Woman is a wonderful organisation that is dedicated to improving women's representation in our honours system. I had the pleasure of meeting with them recently, and I want to thank Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, Carol Kiernan and Ruth McGowan for all the work they have done on this cause. Over the past 18 months of the pandemic, we have seen the absolute best of Australians. Our communities have come together. People have looked out for one another. I'm sure everyone in this place can think of women in their community who, at every community barbecue, are the first to put their hand up when help is needed. These women have worked silently and diligently for the betterment of society throughout their whole careers. I want to encourage members in this place to make sure that they are considering supporting the nomination of these women so that our community is able to acknowledge that both men and women are making these substantial contributions, not just now, during the time of the pandemic, but throughout our history. I want to congratulate the women in my electorate who received an Order of Australia in the most recent Queen's Birthday honours. I’m pleased that in my area they made up nearly 50 per cent of recipients, but, of course, there's work still to be done. I want to congratulate Professor Ann Curthoys, who taught me at university. She was awarded for her service to tertiary education and research. At the age of 20, Ann took part in the Freedom Rides to shine a light on racism against First Nations Australians. Ten years later, Ann established the Women's Studies Program at the Australian National University. Since then, she has dedicated her career to different aspects of Australian history. I want to congratulate Kate Eastman SC for her significant contribution to the law and human rights. Her extensive career has included representing Yazidi women trafficked into Syria and David Hicks during his time in Guantanamo Bay, women experiencing sexual violence, sexual harassment and discrimination, and war crimes investigations. I want to congratulate Kerry Chikarovski, the former leader of the NSW Liberal Party—the first woman to hold that post—for her significant contribution to the New South Wales parliament, and Professor Beryl Hesketh for her services to STEM education. Professor Hesketh has worked at several universities across the state and has been a member of a wide range of organisations. I want to congratulate Dr Helen Scott-Orr, whose work as a vet and epidemiologist and Inspector-General of Biosecurity has been critical to ensuring the safety of Australia's environment and ecosystems. In the eighties, Helen and her team were central to the eradication of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis. I want to congratulate Susan Lever for her service to literature as a reviewer, editor and writer, and Mary Walker for service to the law. Mary has been at the forefront of alternative dispute resolution in Australia for the last 20 years. Congratulating all these individual women shows the enormous diversity of areas that women have contributed to in Australian society. I want to take this opportunity to urge anybody who's listening in the community and certainly to urge my parliamentary colleagues: please make sure you think about the outstanding women in your community, the outstanding women that you know, and please make an effort to acknowledge them by recommending them for an Australian honour. It's really only when our Australian honours system shows the gender diversity of Australia's great achievers that we will be confident we're catching all of those wonderful achievements. Please remember: honour a woman. COVID-19 69 16:35 Dr ALLEN 282986 Higgins It is not just Australians in Australia struggling with the global pandemic; it is also Australians living overseas, separated from their families and missing the arrival of grandchildren or being at the bed of a passing of a loved one. They too have many personal stories and have had to struggle to navigate what COVID-19 is doing to our lives—doing to all of us, all around the world. Labor's plan to build more quarantining facilities to address the urgent need of returned travellers is small minded, short sighted and flawed. Labor have called for purpose-built quarantine facilities, yet they don't call for decommissioning of the current hotel quarantining. They aren't calling for decommissioning of what is already there. That's because they understand that purpose-built facilities can't provide the volume of quarantine facilities we need in the country right now and going into the future with phase B coming at us at speed. As one of our key defences, Australia's hotel quarantining system has protected Australians and prevented up to one to two million COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. The system has managed to process a massive half a million returned travellers during that time. This dwarfs the number of cases that have seeded outbreaks. The issue is not just that cases have leaked from quarantine but rather that the consequences of those leaks into an unvaccinated population have resulted in devastating lockdowns; it's the consequences of those leaks. It is hardly surprising leaks have happened given the thousands of personnel involved in human orientated service provision for hotel quarantine. In fact, overseas our hotel quarantining is regarded as gold standard, with countries like the UK asking us for our protocols to inform theirs. Like any hospital or care facility, however, it is devilishly difficult, if not near impossible, to achieve perfect infection prevention. Importantly, we know from studies that a small percentage of return travellers test positive to COVID-19 after they leave quarantine. They unknowingly seed infection before contact tracers can get to them, which is why I welcome the recent introduction of post-quarantine COVID-19 testing. It's something I've called for and advocated for. This landscape will now change as we approach our vaccination targets of 70 to 80 per cent by the end of the year. As vaccination rates increase, leaks to the community won't have the same devastating impact they have had when the population was unvaccinated and totally vulnerable. No matter how well our hotel quarantining has coped, its capacity is insufficient for the future we want. When we open our borders, we expect upwards of 500,000 per month to return. In January 2020, there were two million travellers coming into Australia for the month. The few thousand per month that the current capped quarantine system is managing will not be sufficient. We won't be able to build enough quarantine facilities for that process. We want travellers to be able to come and go. We want to get Australia back to a vibrant economy and a vibrant way of life and to reconnect loved ones. So we need a system that is much more scalable, reliably contains infections from seeding by returned travellers and protects the population from outbreaks. As a country we did fantastically well in our initial response to the pandemic but now we need to look to other forms of dealing with returned travellers. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention back home quarantining with frequent home based rapid antigen testing for the non-vaccinated returning traveller. A better option for Australia, where rates of COVID are relatively low internationally, is to see returned travellers triaged to either hotel quarantine if unvaccinated or home quarantine with daily home based rapid antigen tests if vaccinated. A daily rapid antigen test in a home quarantining protocol can be more effective and cheaper than a less regular gold-standard PCR test because it ensures a shorter interval between someone becoming positive with COVID and learning of that fact. This is especially important with the rapidly-infectious delta variant. Home quarantining for the vaccinated returned traveller will allow us to massively increase our ability to open our borders, all the while keeping Australians safe. Australians want to be reunited with their families and to get back to business. Many ask, 'Where can we find hope?' The short-term answer is clear: put your arm forward and get vaccinated, Australia. Gilmore Electorate: Telecommunications 70 16:40 Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Gilmore [by video link] Fixing the mobile phone blackspots on the New South Wales South Coast is a critical issue for people in the Gilmore electorate. I am inundated by people contacting my office about intermittent, poor or downright no mobile phone coverage. Mobile phone blackspots along our highways have been putting lives at risk for just way too long. I spoke previously in this place about the Black Summer bushfires, when literally hundreds and hundreds of cars were stranded within blackspot areas with no means of communication. Imagine the dread: a life-threatening situation, the family needs to know that everything is okay and you grab your phone, only to find zero bars of reception. Even text messages just sit there. Equally, with communications from agencies like the Rural Fire Service, their crucial up-to-the-minute advice is dependent entirely on the quality of your mobile reception. The bushfires showed us that telecommunications are paramount, not only for people's safety but for their peace of mind about loved ones. Now, with the pandemic and so many people working or learning from home, it's more critical than ever that we have mobile phone coverage consistent with the demands of today. That's why I'm conducting a local mobile phone blackspot survey, because there's no specific government report to determine exactly where the multitude of mobile phone blackspots in the Gilmore electorate are. I'll achieve this by identifying individual cases and helping, where possible, by studying the patterns and then working with telecommunications providers on the plan to fix them. Right now, we're in the data-collection phase and my constituents are responding eagerly. Terri, at Kiama, commented within the survey: 'We all pay enough for our telecommunications that they should be perfect, but I can never contact my friend when she is at home in Jamberoo. There's just no reception.' Kate, from Wattamolla, is a wildlife rescuer with WIRES. They utilise a text based messaging system to find available volunteers for rescue jobs. Through the survey, Kate has explained to me that she receives urgent text messages five days after they're sent. And, adding emphasis to how contemporary challenges demand excellence through these changing times, several survey entries reported streaming issues from the Shoalhaven Crematorium chapel. The bereaved, unable to attend because of COVID restrictions, experience frustration personified because they simply cannot participate in the moment. Government money to tackle mobile phone blackspots doesn't always go to the most-deserving places. The reasoning? Determining the location for where a mobile blackspot tower will be positioned is based on the amount of population coverage it will achieve. However, this doesn't factor in the almost countless hamlets, small towns and villages across Gilmore that see population numbers triple and even quadruple during seasonal times: visit Berry on any Sunday, or Shoalhaven Heads or St Georges Basin over a long weekend, or Bawley Point and Kioloa over Christmas time. The welcome influx of visiting families brings more than just congestion on our roads: data congestion is a whole new beast. The fact is that the network is quickly overloaded. Too many people—or, more accurately, too many devices—are accessing what is limited bandwidth. Data transfer becomes very slow and phone calls drop out or do not even connect. Access to 21st-century communications is an essential service for all Australians, no matter where they live and no matter the time of year. If done properly, it should boost competition in mobile communications, leading to the availability of cheaper and higher-quality services—a win-win. This infrastructure spend is an investment, a commitment to helping regional residents and businesses stay connected and boosting local jobs. The Tyranny of Distance, the 1966 history work by Professor Geoffrey Blayney, examines how geographical remoteness has been a constant in shaping Australia's history. Fifty-five years on, the tyranny of distance must never be a justification for regional, rural and remote Australians identifying with being unsure of their economic prosperity simply because, technologically speaking, they cannot connect. A mobile signal is something that should be relied upon and not a menacing, random wall of luck. Exercise Talisman Sabre 70 16:45 Mr TIM WILSON IMW Goldstein Securing a free and open Indo-Pacific of strong independent sovereign states, not a region dominated by hegemonic power with vassals, depends on parliamentarians understanding our alliances, strategic capability and threats. From June to August, the Australian Defence Force and the United States military have been conducting Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest bilateral combined training activity between our two nations. Training operations in Far North Queensland, which range from amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres and urban operations to air combat and maritime operations, will work to enhance the interoperability of the ADF and the US military and will enhance our joint combat readiness. This year's exercise involved around 17,000 military personnel from not only Australia and the United States but also Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the UK. We've got friends. There was also India and Indonesia, as well as other observer nations. This broad level of participation reflects the unanimity and commitment of like-minded liberal democratic nations to a rules based Indo-Pacific free from the coercion of emerging powers. Despite unprecedented change in our region, the ANZUS military alliance is approaching its 70th anniversary this year, demonstrating the depth and durability of our friendship. Our alliance has confronted and overcome many challenges over the last seven decades, and at Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 we are strengthening and adapting to respond to the challenges of a new era. Like many members previously, Senator Ben Small, as well as the member for Fisher and current Deputy Speaker in the chair, the member for Oxley and I, participated in the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program to observe Exercise Talisman Sabre and see firsthand the depth of our defence alliances and our combined military capability. We flew from Rockhampton in an Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter to witness an impressive naval, land and air live firing at Shoalwater Bay. There we saw the utilisation of our remarkable hardware that enables the Navy, Air Force and Army to combine their firepower in defence of our sovereign interests. Later that day we landed in Townsville in a C-17 Globemaster aircraft for four days of site visits across the exercise's strategic operations. We—and I know, Deputy Speaker, that you, in particular—earned our stripes in Army and Air Force operations and learnt about the United States Space Force capacity and its role in the new frontier of warfare. I particularly thank those who support this program at the parliamentary level and, of course, in the ADF to enlarge our understanding of the critical work that you do. Thank you to veteran Jason Harrison for showing us around the Air Force base and the 2RAR historical museum, which reminded us of the sacrifices made together by Australian and US troops on battlefields from Korea to Iraq, defending freedom and democracy for successive generations. Thank you to those who have had success in organising and leading this iteration of Exercise Talisman Sabre: Lieutenant General Brian Ashley Power AO, Brigadier Kahlil Fegan, Major General Jake Ellwood, Lieutenant General Greg Bilton AO, Major Mark Herbert and Private Zabiri Salim. Thank you to Lieutenant Colonel Andy Martin, executive officer of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program, for your championing of our understanding and interaction between the ADF and parliamentarians. It was an invaluable experience. It was invaluable because it gave us an insight into the important work that you do, and, more critically, the sacrifices that so many Australians have made in defence of our nation in the past and at present, and what we can do in this place to make sure that you have the equipment, the skills and the capability not just to defend our nation but to defend yourselves. Of course, whatever is to happen in the future, we on this side of the chamber back the ADF in its critical function, and I'm sure there are many members on the other side of the chamber who do as well. We want a strong and confident Australia to play its role, not just in the Indo-Pacific but across the world, because we can be a beacon light of hope for the rest of the world as part of a concert of nations, particularly liberal democracies, that secure peace, stability and prosperity for the whole of the world. So thank you for the work that you do. We thank and salute all of Australia's servicemen and women for your sacrifice for the security and safety of our nation. We want you to know that there are many members in this chamber, and of course the other one, who have your back, are prepared to support you every step of the way and appreciate every single thing that you do in the interests of our nation. Brand Electorate: Volunteers, COVID-19: Vaccination, Local Government 71 16:50 Ms MADELEINE KING 102376 Brand My speech tonight on the adjournment is all about giving thanks. I would like to offer my thanks, on behalf of the community and on my own behalf, to the individuals and groups that help us out and give of their time to serve the community. All Western Australians would be very well aware of the tremendous storms and heavy rainfall we've experienced across recent months. It is of course winter, but it has felt like a period of particularly nasty weather. With these storms have come damage to homes, businesses and properties all across Kwinana and Rockingham, in my electorate. No matter how well forewarned we may be about an imminent storm, damage is always inevitable. Fortunately, local residents can count on the local Rockingham-Kwinana State Emergency Service volunteers to come to their aid when these wild winds rip off roofs and cause trees to fall on houses. Indeed, in one of the recent severe weather events my own home in Shoalwater flooded, as the rain was so heavy and intense it overwhelmed the gutters that we had clearly failed to clean out as well as we should have. Fortunately, we only needed a lot of towels to soak up the mess, but it is reassuring to know that the wonderful SES volunteers stand by ready to assist in severe weather. Over recent weeks the Rockingham-Kwinana SES has helped many hundreds of local residents deal with the damage to their homes caused by these storms. It is dangerous work, it is uncomfortable work and in this weather it is of course very, very wet work. This work is all carried out by the volunteers in our community. The local SES crew help out wherever they are needed. Right now some members of the unit are in Meekatharra helping to search, in what has now been a five-day search, for a missing 83-year-old gold prospector. These local volunteers from across Kwinana and Rockingham have driven for nine hours to join this search. I thank them for their commitment and wish them the best in their efforts to locate the missing gentleman. The local SES also posts severe weather warnings on their Facebook page, and I urge residents to follow the page to get these timely updates. If you need assistance after a storm, call 132500. I'd like to thank all the health and administration workers at the Kwinana COVID vaccination clinic who are working all day to inoculate the community from this deadly virus that has now shut down most of the country and thrown the national capital into a seven-day lockdown. Earlier this week the queues of people waiting to get vaccinated snaked around the large building, and there was a two-hour wait to get the lifesaving jab. Still people waited patiently, and I thank each and every one of them who was able to stay for doing the right thing by the community and getting the jab. I urge everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as you're able. Get vaccinated for the sake of your family, particularly your older mums, dads, nans and pops. If you don't get vaccinated, you endanger the health of those you love. Think of the ones you love when you make your choice about the COVID vaccination. Personally, I cannot wait to get my second COVID vaccination next week at the Kwinana clinic and I will wait in that line for as long as it takes. And I'd like to thank our local elected representatives who are retiring and not contesting the next local government elections in WA. The work carried out by the local government in the cities of Kwinana and Rockingham is enormous. It is the local government that works most closely with residents across our suburbs, and I thank all local government workers and councillors. In particular, I thank Wendy Cooper, who's retiring as a councillor for the City of Kwinana after 10 years of dedicated and committed service. I also thank Joy Stewart, who will retire from the City of Rockingham after serving as a local councillor for 14 years, and Barry Sammels, who has been mayor of the City of Rockingham for 18 years and has served on the council for 24 years. He is also retiring after this extraordinary time of service. Mayor Sammels has been a great servant of a wonderful city and deserves the thanks of the whole community for all his efforts after so many years. Thanks also to Barry's wife, Karen, who is at nearly every event the mayor attends. It has been a brilliant team effort by Barry and Karen in the service of Rockingham. I hope you enjoy more spare time together. Some will be aware that my mum, Diana Morris, was recently in a car accident in Shoalwater from which she is now recovering. I would like to thank all the healthcare workers who have helped mum and us during this time. I thank the paramedics of St John Ambulance, who attended the scene and who were calm, efficient and altogether wonderful. I thank those at the Fiona Stanley Hospital who cared for mum during her week-long stay, and those at the clinic who check on her each week after the accident. I'd like to particularly thank the angels of the Silver Chain service that visit our house every day—in particular Marjorie, who looks after my mum's wounds and helps her to recover. You truly are wonderful, and I thank you very much. Australian Labor Party 72 16:56 Ms FLINT 245550 Boothby Almost exactly one month ago, I formally wrote to the Leader of the Opposition regarding the dangerous and abusive behaviour of Jordan Shanks, known as Friendlyjordies. In my letter, I drew the Leader of the Opposition's attention to my speech of 23 June to this place that was directly addressed to him on this topic. The silence in response to me has been deafening. I remind the Leader of the Opposition that he said, in response to my speech to this place of 16 March, he would act when matters concerning dangerous or abusive or intimidating behaviour were drawn to his attention. The Leader of the Opposition told the media, 'I call out inappropriate behaviour any time I am asked.' Well, I say to the Leader of the Opposition: I have asked several times, and I am still waiting. I'm still waiting for him to condemn the following comments and to ensure that Labor cuts all ties with Jordan Shanks, otherwise known as Friendlyjordies, who has depicted Leigh Sales as a rat, Lisa Wilkinson as a monkey, Gina Rinehart as a pig, Deb Frecklington as a cockroach and has called Julie Bishop the most evil-looking woman on the planet. He has stated that if Gladys Berejiklian were in the animal kingdom she would be a penis snake, and he called me a whiny little B-I-T-C-H and one of the lowest forms of life there is. Today I'm once again calling on the Leader of the Opposition to do what he said he would do and call this behaviour out. However, I won't hold my breath, and there is good reason why not. The Leader of the Opposition and those opposite claim to be the great champions of women. They're constantly bragging about their affirmative action policies, about their compulsory quotas that require 40 per cent of all winnable Labor seats to be held by women. Yet we have recently seen several extremely well-qualified Labor women overlooked for safe seat pre-selection in favour of men—and this has happened under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition. In the Victorian federal seat of Hawke, not one but two local women were overlooked in favour of a man. Labor women were so outraged by this decision they publicly vented their anger on social media, under the name of 'Hands Off Our AA'—meaning 'Hands Off Our Affirmative Action'—saying: It is disheartening that our party would overwhelmingly rather support the boys club, parachuting a male candidate into a safe seat, than elevating local women who have been an equally fantastic asset to the party for years. In my home state of South Australia we saw another bright young woman, Alice Dawkins, defeated in preselection by another middle-aged man, Matt Burnell, for the very safe seat of Spence. Ms Dawkins has said of the Spence preselection: … the party quite obviously requires a woman preselected in Spence to meet its own national targets for gender parity in public office positions … To call this process a free and fair ballot does a disservice to democracy. … there was voter intimidation, there was febrile misinformation and disinformation which remains uncorrected by its perpetrators and participants [and] there were massive information and access asymmetries between me and my opponent. …   …   … Affirmative action isn't just a metric for powerbrokers to obfuscate and manipulate, it's meant to be a serious commitment to achieving gender parity … there is a deficit to be fixed. I have done my part. I call on the senior women and men in the party now to step up: you have the responsibility, and the power, to ensure change. I commend Ms Dawkins for her fearless courage in what was a brutal run-in with the nastiest elements of the Labor factional machine, and I wonder if the Leader of the Opposition will do the same? Will he and his colleagues step up, as Ms Dawkins has implored? Will he and his colleagues take on the boy's club as 'Hands Off our AA' have asked them to? Will he and his colleagues finally respect my request and cut all ties to the misogynistic internet troll and foul-mouthed bully Jordan Shanks and his crew at the Friendlyjordies? If they do not do this, the next time you hear them making claims against men or women on this side of the chamber, you can say to yourself, 'We cannot trust Labor, we cannot trust the Leader of the Opposition, because they never do what they say they will do.' House adjourned at 17 : 00 NOTICES 73 NOTICES