2015-05-14 44 1 6 House of Reps 0 1

Thursday, 14 May 2015

The SPEAKER ( Hon. Bronwyn Bishop ) took the chair at 09:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.

COMMITTEES 1 COMMITTEES Appropriations and Administration Committee 1 Report 1 09:01 The SPEAKER SE4 I present the following reports of the Standing Committee on Appropriations and Administration: Report No. 8, Annual report 2013-14 and Report No. 9: Budget estimates 2015-16. Reports made parliamentary papers in accordance with standing order 39(e). Publications Committee 1 Report 1 09:01 Mr COULTON HWN Parkes I present the report from the Publications Committee sitting in conference with the Publications Committee of the Senate. Copies of the report have been placed on the table. Report—by leave—agreed to. BILLS 1 BILLS Biosecurity Bill 2014 1

Biosecurity Bill 2014

Consideration of Senate Message 1 09:02 Mr JOYCE E5D New England I move: That the amendments be agreed to. First and foremost I would like to thank the Senate for supporting the government's amendment to the Biosecurity Bill 2014. I would also like to thank senators and key industry stakeholders for their scrutiny of, and contribution to, the development of this legislation, which has been more than six years in the making. I can see it before you, Madam Speaker, and it is approximately 634 pages. It is one of the largest pieces of legislation that this parliament will ever see. I would especially like to mention the work of over 400 stakeholders and industry groups over the course of the development of this bill and in particular the recent work of the National Farmers' Federation and the NSW Farmers biosecurity committee in helping to ensure that the legislation has been given the chance to see the light of day. I would like to acknowledge the previous government for its foresight in commencing the development of this legislation and the current opposition's cooperation in its passage through the Senate. Consequently, we have listened to the opposition, industry and the crossbenchers and have updated the legislation to reflect the need for the Inspector-General of Biosecurity position to be enshrined in statute. I highlight that, despite the great deal of misinformation being peddled during the Senate debate, the position of the inspector-general was never under threat in the government's proposed bill; however, a statutory position was what was asked for and we have delivered. The Inspector-General of Biosecurity is of vital importance to the integrity of the system and to our stakeholders' confidence in the system. It was under the Quarantine Act, is today and will be under the Biosecurity Bill. This amendment enshrines in statute the inspector-general's ability to review the biosecurity system and provides transparency and independence in his or her ability to conduct effective reviews of Australia's biosecurity system. Independent reviews of the biosecurity system have resulted in and will continue to result in improvements to that system and provide assurance for its stakeholders. Today marks an incredibly significant milestone in the biggest overhaul to Australia's biosecurity system in over 100 years. Today also signals the retirement of the Quarantine Act 1908. This new and historic biosecurity bill will enable us to continue to meet the challenges of the future with a modern and simple piece of legislation. Biosecurity risks have changed significantly since the core of the Quarantine Act was drafted over 107 years ago. At that point in time at the beginning of the century our biggest challenges were typhus, cholera and tuberculosis. We now face new and ever-changing risks such as ebola, cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, Panama TR4 and many more. Even today on high colour we are talking about Mr Johnny Depp, who has decided to bring his two dogs in without following the proper protocol. Mr Clare HWL He's a pirate! Mr JOYCE E5D He is a pirate; that's right. The only thing that stands guard over our clean, pest- and disease-free status, the outstanding quality of our soft commodity markets and the value they return to this nation is our biosecurity system. We will not get paid a premium price for our product if we have a product that is like everybody else's. Our biosecurity system underpins our capacity not only to feed ourselves but to provide those high-quality, sustainably produced soft commodities to millions of hungry mouths around the world and, most importantly, to our own nation. This system protects our people, our unique pristine environment and, additionally, our $52 billion worth of agricultural industries and the lifestyle of so many people in so many places. For instance, it will protect them from rabies if they are in parks. That is a disease that we do not have that is merely next door in Bali. The significant contribution to our economy is thanks to the hard work of farmers and primary producers, getting out there and toiling to make sure that they can put a product on a truck or boat that will ultimately cause revenue to flow back to the economy of our nation. These people battle and scratch their livings out in the western districts, on the coast or in dairy farms. They are doing a job that this nation has been noted for for the duration of its closer settlement. As a government we owe it to them to ensure we have the effective biosecurity management in place so that they can continue this noble endeavour of feeding and clothing people. This legislation and the establishment of a statutory inspector-general will put these processes in place. We must not take for granted the enormity of the task that lies ahead of this legislation. It has been drafted such that for the next century or more it will protect the health and livelihoods of the hundreds of millions of Australians who will come after us. It will stand guard over the environment that surrounds us and the land on which we stand, the land from which we derive our wealth, long after we are no longer in this place. This, in reality, is one of the most important pieces of legislation this parliament will ever consider. It has been refreshing to see the bipartisan acknowledgement of how important an inspector-general of biosecurity and this legislation is for the country. I look forward to continued support as we implement this important reform. I would like to assure stakeholders that the government and my department will continue to consult and work with them through the development of regulations and other instruments. These instruments will be available for comment well in advance of commencement. Finally, Otto von Bismarck said, 'Laws are like sausages; it is better not to see them being made.' Therefore, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the work of my Department of Agriculture and all who are in it. They have invested tens of thousands of hours into ensuring this legislation, as amended, has gained the confidence of not only the members and senators of the parliament but also the Australian community as a whole. I commend the bill, as amended, to the House. 09:09 Mr FITZGIBBON 8K6 Hunter With your indulgence, Madam Speaker, I would like to acknowledge and welcome the Rotary students joining us in the gallery today. I hope their visit enriches them and allows them to better understand and learn about Australian democracy. I cannot resist pointing out Anika from Hunter Valley Grammar School who did what Joe Hockey was unable to do on his own and that was to make him look good on budget day. Well done, Anika! Mr Chester interjecting— Mr FITZGIBBON 8K6 I am not going to go through every name in the gallery; I am sorry, colleagues! The SPEAKER SE4 Enough indulgence—on with business! Mr FITZGIBBON 8K6 The minister and I can certainly agree on one thing, and that is that this is a very, very important piece of legislation. The completion of it today in the Senate later on will be the culmination of a lot of work by very many people which was initiated by the former Labor government almost eight years ago now when it commissioned the seminal Beale review of our quarantine system. It is the replacement of an act that dates back to 1908. I think that suggests in itself that this is an area that is well overdue for reform. This bill reflects the work of many towards the modernisation of our quarantine system or, as we know it today, our biosecurity system in this country. Like the minister, I want to thank all those who made a contribution to this, all the way from Beale and his panel to the department, stakeholders and ministers—and I suppose we could include ourselves on the list. In particular I want to thank the Senate crossbenchers who supported me in my push to have the inspector-general reinstated with all the independence and powers he or she must have to undertake that role effectively. Australia's competitive advantage in international markets lies largely in our clean, green and safe image. As an island continent, we are very fortunate to be largely free of pests and diseases that are so common in other nation-states. It is just so important that our biosecurity system is the best system it possibly can be—the best system in the world. My view—and I think there is now a consensus on this in this parliament—is that it can only be the very best system if it includes, as Roger Beale recommended, an independent inspector-general of biosecurity as a last cop on the beat, as I have described him or her, ensuring that the system is working in the way it should while continuing to review the system and audit the system, ensuring proper, full and independent investigation if and when things go wrong. The minister has been out and about today, plastering himself on our television screens talking about his newfound friends Boo Boo and Pistol. Mr Joyce E5D Boo. Mr FITZGIBBON 8K6 I heard a correction of you on television, Minister. I am told that it is 'Boo Boo' rather than 'Boo', so one of us will stand corrected. I think it is very interesting on this day that the minister would choose to run out the doors and divert attention by bashing up on Johnny Depp and his party, who are making such a significant economic contribution to this country, by the way. By doing so, the minister is highlighting the fact that the system broke down here. The minister, by his own admission, said we only found out about Boo Boo and Pistol because they were seen going into a dog-grooming salon or whatever it is called. That is an admission that these dogs were not picked up at our border. I am not blaming anyone for that directly, but this consequence could be a manifestation of this minister's and this government's cutting of quarantine funding in the department. It is all right, Minister, to go out there and grab yourself a headline by bashing up on poor old Boo Boo and Pistol and, indeed, Johnny Depp. That is a bit like attacking Santa Claus, I would suggest, but that is your decision. It is getting you a run, so I suppose you have secured your objective on a day when you should be talking about the very heart of this bill. The very heart of this bill is the inspector-general. I welcome the minister's significant backdown on this issue. When I raised the issue of the effective removal of the inspector-general in this bill in this House during question time, the minister ridiculed me. He started banging on about Michael Bond, who is the interim inspector-general, being not James Bond but Michael Bond. He had a big laugh about it and made out it was an insignificant issue and tried to suggest that I was wrong and that the inspector-general still existed and that he was alive and well et cetera. But now— The SPEAKER SE4 The honourable member's time has expired. Mr Fitzgibbon interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 If the member takes his seat, I might give him the call again. Mr FITZGIBBON 8K6 Thank you, Madam Speaker. I needed the exercise. The SPEAKER SE4 Yes, I think so. I would agree with that. Mr FITZGIBBON 8K6 Here we are today agreeing that the amendments passed in the Senate, which restored the inspector-general and all his statutory independence, powers and tenure, is a good thing. So in the beginning when I raised this important issue, the minister tried to make light of it, said I was wrong, said Michael Bond the interim inspector-general was alive and well. But today he is welcoming the Senate amendments. The main point here is that we would not be considering this amendment now if the crossbenchers and the Greens in the Senate had not agreed with my assessment of the minister's bill. Let's go back in history. Labor's 2012 bill was the manifestation of that Beale review and included an independent Inspector-General of Biosecurity. This minister, for reasons only known to him—and he still has not explained his motivation, only known to him—took those provisions out of the bill. Our bill did not run the course of this parliament because of the intervention of the 2013 election. It took this minister 15 months to bring that bill back to the parliament after the election, 15 months. And when he brought it back, we discovered he had gutted the position of Inspector-General of Biosecurity. He has had to back down because the crossbenchers in the Senate and the Greens sided with me in my attempts to reinstate the inspector-general. The great unknown here is why this minister sought to gut the position of Inspector-General of Biosecurity. What could possibly be the motivation for a minister of the Crown in the agriculture department, overseeing the most important thing in this country in terms of our agricultural sector and indeed our broader economy, leading the agriculture portfolio, seeking to undermine that position? There has to be a story here. There is no obvious explanation. Before we finish this debate today, I think the minister has an obligation to come to that dispatch box and explain why he changed Labor's original bill. He can stand up here and nuance, and try to pretend that his amendments—and they were substantial—did not undermine the statutory independence of the inspector-general. He can try to do that. He will be unsuccessful. In fact, if he does so, he will be embarrassing himself because it is simply wrong. Mr Joyce E5D I am happy to do that. I am happy to go to the dispatch box. Mr FITZGIBBON 8K6 I am happy for him to try. But he can he come to the dispatch box and say why he changed it at all. Can you give us some sort of logical and comprehensible explanation why? Let us go through the process. There is a bill—then presents a report. The former Labor government, with the assistance of course of the experts, including the department, produce a very substantial bill, a very important bill: our new quarantine bill, known as the Biosecurity Act. We were about to put it to parliament and the election came along, and of course the system stopped. Fifteen months later he brought the bill back. Think about that, Madam Speaker: 15 months it took to bring a bill that was ready to go through the parliament and come back again. He stands here and talks about how important it is, but it took 15 months. But when it comes back, it is different. When I got a briefing from his people, I asked them what were the differences if any between the 2012 bill and this bill. Guess what? There was no mention of the changes to the Inspector-General of Biosecurity. Minister, when you come to the dispatch box, yes, argue your case, embarrass yourself and try to argue that your original bill did not undermine that position—I am happy for you to do that—but, just as important, come and give us a logical explanation why you found it necessary to change Labor's original proposal, as recommended by the Beale review. 09:20 Mr JOYCE E5D New England With your indulgence— The SPEAKER SE4 No, not indulgence; you are entitled to speak for five minutes. Mr JOYCE E5D Thank you. This will not take long. What we had—we always had an inspector-general. Then during Senate estimates, Michael Bond, the inspector-general himself, acknowledged that under this bill he would have greater powers than he formerly had. But, to placate the variant spirits of the shadow minister for agriculture and his desire for statutory powers, we gave him the statutory powers. And then the shadow minister came up with an amendment, which he had obviously cut and pasted from 2012 which was completely unable to be dealt with in this bill. It was like saying I am now going to put the renovations with the previous plan of the house for the new bathroom on the side of the house that does not have any pipes. It did not work. It was complete laziness by the shadow minister. So we came up with an amendment that actually worked, that delivered what he wanted. It has been agreed. It passed through. I am afraid the problem is we have to not only do our work; we have to do his. 09:21 Mr FITZGIBBON 8K6 Hunter Predictably, and I am sure our Rotary students are listening very intently, the minister did not do what I asked him to do—did he? I asked him to come to the dispatch box— The SPEAKER SE4 The standing orders are not that broad that you can ask questions of the gallery. Mr FITZGIBBON 8K6 I asked him to come to the dispatch box and do two things: at least attempt to argue that his original bill did not undermine the position of the inspector-general—and he did not. All he did was quote Michael Bond, who told Senate estimates, because he had read it in the paper, I suspect, that he understood the bill as represented gave him more powers than he previously held. He read it in the paper, because I know for a fact the minister never consulted Michael Bond before making these changes. The second thing I asked him to do was give us some logical explanation to help us out—to explain why he found it necessary to amend the 2012 bill. He is talking about plumbing or something. I have no idea what that is about. We have gone from Boo and Pistol to plumbing. What that has to do with why he took the inspector-general out of the original bill I have no idea, and he still has not given an explanation. The other thing he did— Mr Joyce E5D Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The SPEAKER SE4 What is the point of order, Minister for Agriculture? Mr Joyce E5D The shadow minister said— The SPEAKER SE4 The minister will resume his seat. You may not rise on a point of order to raise an argumentative point. This is a free-ranging debate here, where you can have five minutes each. You may not put a point of order in that way. That is totally and utterly wrong. Mr FITZGIBBON 8K6 Then, after failing to answer the questions I called upon him to answer, he tried to confuse those listening either in the galleries or at home by suggesting that his original bill somehow backed the independence and tenure of the inspector-general. What he did not properly explain is that, when he realised that my bill and my amendment made sense and were sound, and had the support of the Senate, he went out to the doors—half backflip, no pike—and said, 'Oh well, you know, we'll do something about this.' I want to pay credit to Senator Colbeck because, when Senator Colbeck made his second reading contribution in the Senate, he very sincerely said mea culpa and gave me certain guarantees because I was still concerned about the unseen regulations which will back this bill and the position of inspector-general. He made a very sincere and, I thought, believable commitment to the Senate that the inspector-general, under the amendments the government has now produced, would have all the independence, tenure and authority we would hope he had. Senator Colbeck introduced the amendments into the Senate just before budget day, of course—because this is a very embarrassed minister now; this is a very big backflip. They brought the bill back to the Senate the day before the budget so that it disappeared under the cover of all the budget news. But he only brought his amendment to the Senate because he knew my amendment was going to succeed—and it was going to succeed because it was true that the position of inspector-general had been undermined, and my amendment properly restored that position and all of its authority. I did the responsible thing, as you would expect her Majesty's opposition to do, and when I was satisfied that the minister's backflip and backdown was complete, I withdrew my amendment and we happily allowed the government amendment to go through. This morning we are here dealing with the Senate message which effectively and completely restores the Inspector-General of Biosecurity, which means we now have the best quarantine and biosecurity system in the world and one that is befitting this country. It will only work if we properly resource our quarantine people and, rather than go out to the doors on Boo and Pistol and blame someone else, the minister should— (Time expired) 09:26 Mr JOYCE E5D New England Your time was up years ago. The benevolence and wisdom of the shadow minister is without compare, and I would like to thank my office for writing the amendment so he could get his issue through. 09:26 Ms CHESTERS 249710 Bendigo I also rise to say that it is great to see that the government has seen the wisdom in Labor's suggestions and recommendations and kept the inspector-general as an independent statutory body, because I share the shadow minister's concerns—particularly because in my own electorate of Bendigo we have a lot of agriculture. We have a lot of jobs related to agriculture. I was alarmed when I read the Senate majority report. The report: … notes the Government's decision to retain the Inspector General of Biosecurity as an administrative, rather than a statutory, position, reflects the Government's policy to commit to avoid unnecessary regulation. Forgive me, but alarm bells rang. I hope the government is not suggesting that robust, tough, independent biosecurity is red tape. Is the government suggesting that having a robust biosecurity inspector-general, who has the independence and the resources, is red tape? My further concern with what was being discussed about making the inspector-general 'administrative' was that: According to the Minister, retaining the Inspector General of Biosecurity as an administrative position is not intended to diminish the Inspector General's capacity 'to provide constructive recommendations for improvements to Australia's biosecurity system'. Constructive recommendations—that is good; but does this then water down and reduce their independence? We have heard, and we continue to hear, from the sector how important it is to keep our clean, green, disease-free image. To be able to do that we need to make sure that we have an independent and robust inspector-general and biosecurity regime. My concern with this process we have been through is that the government attempted to water it down—to make it administrative, not statutory. It is so important within this space that we have independence. My question to the minister is: can he now guarantee, because of this change, that the inspector-general will be independent? Will they have the resources they need to investigate and enforce? I will highlight an example of the ag industry in my electorate: Hy-Line Poultry, a poultry producer. They provide 70 per cent of the hens that lay eggs in this country. They run the facility that produces the eggs for our flu vaccinations every year. They say to me their biggest threat is biosecurity. I want to be able to let them know at the conclusion of this debate that yes, the inspector-general will continue to be independent and will have the resources needed to ensure they can do their job to ensure that Australia keeps its disease-free, clean and green image. The SPEAKER SE4 The question is that the amendments be agreed to. Question agreed to. BILLS 8 BILLS Defence Legislation Amendment (Military Justice Enhancements—Inspector-General ADF) Bill 2014 8

Defence Legislation Amendment (Military Justice Enhancements—Inspector-General ADF) Bill 2014

Second Reading 8 09:30 Mr ANDREWS HK5 Menzies I present the explanatory memorandum to this bill and move: That this bill be now read a second time. The Defence Legislation Amendment (Military Justice Enhancements—Inspector-General ADF) Bill 2014 amends the Defence Act 1903 to provide transparency, predictability and accountability in decision making affecting Australian Defence Force members. It will do this by enhancing the independence of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force and enabling regulatory reform of the Australian Defence Force's redress of grievance, investigation and inquiry practices. Following detailed review of defence's system of inquiry, investigation, review and audit, the Australian Defence Force concluded its current arrangements for these processes are unnecessarily complex, inefficient and legalistic. I am conscious of the need to support commanders to make good decisions, not to impede or discourage them from doing so. The complexity and inflexibility of current arrangements do not provide that support. I am also conscious of the need for robust, professional, credible and independent oversight of the military justice system. Finally, I am conscious of the need to ensure that complex and sensitive matters concerning the Defence Force, such as those events that come to my and the Chief of Defence Force's attention, including the death of ADF members related to, or arising from their service, can be subject to efficient and specialised internal inquiry and review. Such inquiries currently enjoy provisions overriding the privilege against self-incrimination so that underlying causes can be ascertained—such as, for example, in the Sea King Board of Inquiry—and addressed to prevent recurrences. However, the abrogation of this privilege should not be capable of being abused to obtain evidence for the imposition of criminal sanctions against persons. Therefore the bill will prevent witness evidence obtained by the abrogation of the privilege against self-incrimination being used against that witness in service tribunals or civilian courts. The bill: makes it clear that the Inspector-General Australian Defence Force mechanism for internal audit and review of the military justice system is independent of the ordinary chain of command; provides that the minister or the Chief of the Defence Force may utilise the Inspector-General Australian Defence Force as a mechanism to inquire into or investigate any other matters concerning the Australian Defence Force; places beyond doubt that the privilege against self-incrimination for witnesses is abrogated in relation to inquiries conducted by the Inspector-General Australian Defence Force and inquiry officers or assistants appointed by IGADF; places beyond doubt that the witness evidence use immunity in subsection 124(2C) applies in relation to Inspector-General Australian Defence Force inquiries and Inspector-General Australian Defence Force inquiry officer inquiries. Witness evidence use immunity prevents a witness's evidence given to an inquiry from being used against them in a service tribunal or civilian court; requires the Inspector-General Australian Defence Force to prepare an annual report relating to the Inspector-General's functions for tabling in Parliament; and further strengthens the independence of the Inspector-General Australian Defence Force by making it clear that, where the Inspector-General Australian Defence Force is directed to conduct an inquiry or investigation by the Chief of the Defence Force, or where an Inspector General Australian Defence Force is acting on their own motion or at the request of another party, the Inspector-General Australian Defence Force may cease the inquiry or investigation if the Inspector-General Australian Defence Force forms a belief that the continuation of the inquiry or investigation is not otherwise warranted, having regard to all the circumstances. These amendments to the Defence Act 1903 will facilitate regulatory reforms to: Replace the existing multilayered, sometimes opaque, often complex, Australian Defence Force redress of grievance process with a single layer of formal internal review incorporating involvement from the member's chain of command, overseen by the Inspector General Australian Defence Force. A member dissatisfied with the outcome of this internal review would retain their existing rights to seek external review, such as from the Defence Force Ombudsman. Improve the efficiency of investigating Service-related deaths. Under current arrangements, Service-related deaths must be investigated through a Chief of the Defence Force Commission of Inquiry, unless I, or the relevant minister at the time, directs otherwise. While on one hand this approach provides government and the public with the appearance of an independent inquiry into deaths, it is inefficient and is costly. It is my intention that, following the passage of the bill, the Defence (Inquiry) Regulations 1985 will be amended so that there is no automatic requirement for a statutory inquiry for all service-related deaths. Instead, service-related deaths will be referred to the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force for review and/or inquiry. The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force will determine in each case the process for review, or inquiry, into each death and may decide to conduct a public hearing, an inquiry in private, or a desk-top review only. Utilising the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force in this role will provide assurance that the Australian Defence Force is responding appropriately to service-related deaths and should significantly reduce the costs associated with such inquiries, while retaining credible and independent oversight of these sensitive matters. The outcome of these reforms will be: a simple and efficient administrative inquiry process that will be more responsive to command requirements for timely administrative decision making; a fair and prompt Australian Defence Force redress of grievance system that appropriately balances a member's right to complain with the Australian Defence Force interests of timeliness and certainty in command decision making; a more timely and cost effective mechanism to address inquiries concerning Australian Defence Force deaths; and improved oversight and prioritisation of matters with strategic implications for defence. I commend the bill to the House. Leave granted for second reading debate to continue immediately. 09:37 Mr FEENEY I0O Batman I rise today to speak on Labor's support for the Defence Legislation Amendment (Military Justice Enhancements—Inspector-General ADF) Bill 2014. This bill continues the bipartisan approach to reforming the military justice system that has been pursued by successive governments and that has continually marked this debate, to our collective credit. It entrenches the independence of the inspector-general by separating that position from the military chain of command. It thereby enables the inspector-general to investigate a broad range of matters as requested by the minister. This bill intends to amend defence legislation in order to enhance the independence, expand the investigative options and enshrine the safeguards in relation to the role of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force. It amends the Defence Act 1903 and will make clear the emphasis on transparency, predictability and accountability in decision making affecting members of the Australian Defence Force. The explanatory memorandum makes plain six features of this bill, which I would now seek to highlight. Firstly, the bill makes clear that the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force mechanism for internal audit and review of the military justice system is independent of the ordinary chain of command. Secondly, it provides for the Minister for Defence to direct the inspector-general to investigate or inquire into a matter concerning the Defence Force. Thirdly, it makes it plain that the inspector-general may be prescribed investigative functions that relate to a member's service in the Defence Force other than the military justice system. Fourthly, it makes it clear that regulations can be made or prescribed that abrogate the privilege against self-incrimination for witnesses appearing before the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force or, indeed, inquiry officers appointed by the inspector-general, as is the case for boards of inquiry and other types of inquiry. The legislation ensures that testimony given by a witness under any such regulations attracts a statutory bar on it being used against the witness giving it, except in proceedings relating to the giving of false evidence to an inquiry. Fifthly, the bill requires the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force to prepare an annual report relating to the operations of the inspector-general, and for that report to be duly tabled in parliament. Lastly, the bill strengthens the independence of the inspector-general by making it clear that where the inspector-general is directed to conduct an inquiry or investigation by the Chief of the Defence Force, the inspector-general may cease the inquiry or investigation if the inspector-general forms a belief that the continuation of the inquiry or investigation is not otherwise warranted having regard to all the circumstances. By separating the inspector-general from the military chain of command, the bill ensures that the inspector-general cannot be forced or ordered down an avenue that he or she considers inappropriate. This greater independence, and the strengthening of this independence, provides our Australian Defence Force with the ability to investigate failures or flaws in the military justice system and its administrative processes, as well as particular incidents or events, with greater confidence in the integrity, reliability and independence of the ensuing investigations. The transparency and accountability of the inspector-general will also be improved through the requirement for an annual report and for that report to be tabled in this parliament. This bill, more generally, goes to the ever-evolving and more open culture of the Australian Defence Force. It is another step in the process of ongoing reform of our military justice and defence personnel administrative processes. Labor supports this bill and I commend it to the House. 09:41 Ms BRODTMANN 30540 Canberra I rise today to speak on the Defence Legislation Amendment (Military Justice Enhancements—Inspector-General ADF) Bill 2014. As my colleague has said, this is a non-controversial bill, which Labor supports. We support it because it puts further emphasis on transparency, predictability and accountability in decision making affecting Australian Defence Force members. That can only be a good thing. It does this by further strengthening the independence, powers and privileges. The bill separates the inspector-general from the ordinary chain of command, ensuring that the IG cannot be forced or ordered down an avenue that he or she considers inappropriate. It enables the IG to be used to investigate a broad range of matters as requested by the minister or the Chief of the Defence Force. It makes clear that privilege against self-incrimination is abrogated in relation to IG inquiries and that such evidence cannot be used in civil or military proceedings. It requires the IG to prepare an annual report relating to the operations of the IG for tabling in parliament. It gives the IG discretion to cease any inquiry directed by the CDF. It continues the bipartisan approach to reforming the military justice system that has been pursued by successive governments. These are all positive steps for the Australian Defence Force and for our country more broadly. That is why Labor is supporting this bill in the House. The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force was established by the CDF in 2003 to provide a means for review and audit of the military justice system independent of the ordinary chain of command. The IGADF was made a statutory position in 2005. It is also an avenue by which failures of military justice may be exposed and examined so that the cause of any injustice may be remedied. In relation to the military justice system, the IG receives submissions and investigates complaints, conducts performance reviews, provides advice and contributes to awareness and improvement. Submissions may be received by any person on any matter concerning military justice—for example, abuse of authority or process; denial of procedural fairness; avoidance of due process; cover up and failure to act; unlawful punishments; victimisation, harassment, threats, intimidation, bullying and bastardisation; and suggested improvements to military justice. As you can see, the IG plays an incredibly important role within the ADF. According to the Defence Annual Report 2013-14: The operating tempo in the Office of IGADF remained relatively high in 2013–14 and was characterised by increases in the number of submissions received for investigation or inquiry and the number of military justice performance audits completed into the military justice arrangements of ADF units. …   …   … During 2013–14, the IGADF received 60 inquiry submissions, an increase of approximately 10 per cent on the previous year. In recent years, the trend has been that submissions disclose issues of greater complexity than in previous years, and this continued in 2013–14. During the year, the IGADF resolved 42 submissions by way of inquiry, investigation and review. …   …   … The IGADF conducted 49 ADF military justice unit audits, or audits of about 10 per cent of all auditable ADF units. In three of those units, potential material deficiencies were identified. In all, a total of 714 recommendations and suggestions to improve military justice arrangements, practices and procedures were made during 2013–14. The overwhelming majority of the recommendations and suggestions related to minor compliance or procedural issues. I am continuing to quote here, Mr Deputy Speaker: During the conduct of military justice unit audits, 2,552 ADF personnel participated in focus group discussions, raising to 24,641 the total number of focus group participants since the pilot program commenced in 2004. Focus group survey outcomes in 2013–14 indicate a stronger endorsement of, and confidence in, the military justice system and the chain of command to take action to resolve military justice problems. There is also strong evidence to indicate that incremental cultural change under Pathway to Change: Evolving Defence Culture occurred within the ADF during the year. During 2013–14, the Office of IGADF conducted 50 face-to-face courses and seminars at locations around Australia, attended by 1,599 ADF members. Of those, the vast majority attended inquiry officer familiarisation training. A further 1,058 undertook the IGADF online inquiry officer familiarisation course on campus. Other practical training opportunities offered by the IGADF included seminars on administrative sanctions, complaint handling and conducting quick assessments. The principal themes affecting the ADF military justice narrative in 2013–14 included the attention given to cultural issues addressed in Defence’s Pathway to Change policies, the work of the Human Rights Commission’s examination of gender issues throughout the ADF, and the continuing speculation as to the future arrangements for ADF investigation, inquiry, review and redress of grievance processes arising from the finalisation of the Defence Re-thinking Review. More broadly, in the public domain, credit for dealing with the reportedly large numbers of cases of abuse within Defence over time exposed by the DLA Piper Report and the activities of the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce tended to be counterbalanced by continuing adverse media coverage of such cases, resulting in further reputational impact for Defence. As Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, has said: … it's a time for continued reform for the ADF. The role of the IG is absolutely fundamental to this continued reform, and I wholeheartedly support any measure which seeks to strengthen the role of the IG. In closing, this bill provides our Defence Force with the ability to investigate failures or flaws in the military justice system and administrative processes, as well as incidents. It allows it to do that with greater confidence in the integrity, reliability and independence of its investigations. This bill, more generally, goes to the ever-evolving and more open culture of the Australian Defence Force and continues the ongoing process of reform of military justice and Defence personnel administrative processes. Labor is very conscious of the need to ensure proper treatment of ADF members in terms of their pay, their housing, their health needs and other needs. But this bill reminds us that we must also ensure there are other protections of a more intangible nature, and these include ensuring that military justice is provided with safeguards. It is a fact of life that sometimes a system of justice, be it civil or military, will not work as it should—that it needs improvements. And for this reason the possibility of redress must be present. In the ADF, the position of Inspector-General is part of this protection. This bill provides for significant improvements to the position of the Inspector-General, and I commend it to the House. 09:49 Mr PERRETT HVP Moreton I rise to speak on the Defence Legislation Amendment (Military Justice Enhancements—Inspector-General ADF) Bill 2014. As noted by the other speakers, this has bipartisan support in the parliament. I commend the earlier speakers. We have just, in this parliament, been honouring the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing. Parliamentarians have paid their respects to those brave souls who died during that battle, acknowledged those who returned as very different people and also, generally, those who have fought for our country since that battle. Anzac Day is the very appropriate one day of the year when we do that—where we acknowledge our Defence Force personnel. Whilst it is important to acknowledge the past and to commemorate their sacrifice, we should also focus on those who are currently serving or who have recently returned and served their country. But many have returned and are suffering. Obviously, as a nation we need to look after those who serve currently in the Australian Defence Force—those who may not yet have seen conflict. Obviously, we would hope that they do not, but that is the reality of the troubled world we live in. For those who are serving the country, being ready, willing and able to be sent to a conflict if it arises takes a certain sort of courage. We need to make sure that we look after the current serving members of the Army, the Navy and the RAAF. This legislation is part of that. There are many professions which are a particular calling. I think that joining the military is one of those where higher standards are asked of you as an individual. Having their own justice system is a part of that. It is a higher calling to join the military but then, once you are in there, there are much higher standards. They are not just like parliamentarians' standards, where if you get in trouble then you are in trouble in the media, or—heaven forbid!—you could be called in front of the bar of the parliament to answer for what you have said. In the military there are particular standards. There have been 17 reviews into aspects of the culture of the Australian Defence Force since 1994. This is because the military always has to get that balance between appropriate justice and reasonable treatment of its service personnel and discipline. This bill is the result of the recommendations from these many reviews and is a small part of the slow and progressive changes being made to the modern ADF. The purpose of this bill is to expand the role of Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force and enhance the independence of that role. If we look back at some films, we can see different approaches to military justice. If we start back at the Boer War and look at Breaker Morant, we see that whilst the service personnel were granted their own military representative these were not fully briefed and they did not have the resources. There are other examples, such as A Few Good Men,where,while it is a Hollywood version, the focus is on making sure that the service personnel receive proper representation. This might be testing a few people, but they might remember the Blackadder episode where Blackadder was in trouble for shooting a pigeon and the person who was making the decision about the pigeon being shot was actually the commanding officer. This legislation before us is about making sure that there is a different chain of command. Rather than the legal representative answering to the commanding officer, instead there is seen to be an independent representative who can give frank and fearless advice given to their client, to the ADF member. The military justice system is, by necessity, quite separate and distinct from our ordinary justice system. It obviously has the same principles but it serves a very important service and is crucial to the ongoing strength and efficacy of the Defence Force. If the military justice system fails, the consequences can be quite catastrophic. It can result in loss of morale and, critically, may eventually result in damage to operational effectiveness and could even put lives at risk. Morale is a very important component in the military, so it is important to get the balance right, particularly in Australia where our fighting forces have always been recognised around the world as not only independent and able to think on their feet but also a very effective fighting force. The role of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force was established in 2005. The inspector-general can not only inquire into matters directed by the Chief of the Defence Force but also into other ongoing military justice requirements: performance reviews if something has arisen; advising on matters concerning the military justice system, especially in terms of making improvements; and promoting military justice values across the Defence Force, which is all about making sure our soldiers, our sailors and our airmen are a tight unit. Obviously, the office of the inspector-general is independent of the normal chain of command, but it still fits within the broader defence umbrella. I note that there is a particular use of legal officers who are reservists who play an important role in this. It was the Labor government in 2011 that announced a suite of reviews after an incident commonly referred to as the ADFA Skype incident. The defence minister at that time, Stephen Smith, said: It is essential that the ADF and Defence promotes and enforces the highest standards of behaviour and creates an environment where complaints can be aired and appropriately addressed. One of the amendments that the bill before the chamber will make to the Defence Act is in the description of the objects of part VIIIB. The amendment will make clear that the office of inspector-general is to provide the Chief of the Defence Force with a mechanism to audit and review the military justice system that is independent of the ordinary chain of command. It will also provide an avenue by which failures and flaws in the military justice system can be identified, examined and remedied. The bill consolidates the existing functions of the role of inspector-general and provides for some new functions. The amendments also limit the power of the inspector-general to only undertake such functions as are prescribed by the regulations. A function cannot be prescribed by regulation unless it relates to the military justice system or to complaints made by members of the Defence Force where the relevant complaint is about a decision, act or omission in relation to the member's service in the Defence Force, or deaths of members of the Defence Force where the relevant death appears to have arisen out of, or in the course of, the member's service in the Defence Force. One of the crucial processes required to maintain the operation of the Defence Force is the redress of grievance process, or ROG. It is trite to say that a member of the Defence Force is required to obey lawful directions given by a superior officer. That is a strict obligation, and there are obviously consequences if the order is not followed. But when such a strict obligation rests on a person in the course of their duties, there must also be a form of redress for defence personnel where they consider that a decision, act or omission has had a detrimental effect on him or her. This is the redress of grievance process. The bill before the chamber addresses this process. The inspector-general will conduct the redress of grievance process. The bill removes the ability to seek a review of the redress of grievance process by the Chief of the Defence Force but retains the right to have an external review by the Defence Force Ombudsman. The inspector-general is given wide powers of inquiry, including the power to end an inquiry once he or she is satisfied that the continuation of that inquiry is not warranted. The exception to that power is if the minister has asked the inspector-general to conduct the inquiry, in which case there will be no power to conclude the inquiry before it has been completed, getting that balance right between the parliament and the military process. There have been some questions raised in some of the reviews about whether members of the Defence Force would see the inspector-general as a separate role or would see him or her as being too embedded in the ADF as a former senior ADF member. The independence of the position is reflected in the reporting requirements of the inspector-general. This bill ensures that the independence of the inspector-general is beyond question. The inspector-general, after the amendments, will effectively report directly to the parliament. Under the Defence Act the Governor-General has power to make regulations with regard to the procedures and powers of the inspector-general. The bill provides that those powers include the power to make regulations compelling a person to appear as a witness before the inspector-general and to compel that witness to answer a question, even if the answer may incriminate them. As I said, it is a calling to join the military, but there is a higher onus on ADF members. Those amendments are important for the proper investigation of any inquiry by the inspector-general, especially where teamwork and morale might mean that people are not willing to go outside their group. ADF personnel commonly work alongside public servants and civilian contractors, as anyone who has been to a modern military base would recognise. Any inquiry may include evidence from people other than ADF personnel. Without regulations to compel that evidence, the inspector-general would only compel ADF personnel to give evidence in an inquiry. The power to compel a person to appear at an inquiry and to answer questions is arguably a severe infringement on their civil liberty. To balance that power, the bill provides that any evidence given by a witness in those proceedings will not be admissible against the witness in any civil or criminal proceedings in any federal court or court of a state or territory or proceedings before a service tribunal. We can get as much information as possible into an inquiry. This bill provides powers and procedures for the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force that will ensure the independence of that office and the proper and thorough investigation of complaints. It also ensures that our obligation to our Defence Force personnel under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to provide access to a statutorily independent person for investigation or inquiry and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to provide a fair hearing of any criminal charges against them are being met. I would like to acknowledge the many people who make the military justice system work. They are, particularly, the legal officers, especially the reservists—many of whom are at the bar or in private practice and then take on duties representing ADF personnel, usually for much lower rates of pay than they would receive in their daytime job. I want to acknowledge one in particular, David Montgomery, who was until recently the panel chair for South-East Queensland. He has done a great service to this nation and continues to do so in other capacities. This bill is the result of a process initiated by the Labor Party, and I am happy to commend the bill to the House. 10:02 Mr BILLSON 1K6 Dunkley I thank members for their erudite contributions to the debate on this bill to enhance the independence of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force and I commend the bill to the House. Question agreed to. Third Reading 13 10:02 Mr BILLSON 1K6 Dunkley by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time. Personal Property Securities Amendment (Deregulatory Measures) Bill 2014 14

Personal Property Securities Amendment (Deregulatory Measures) Bill 2014

Second Reading 14 10:03 Mr DREYFUS HWG Isaacs I rise to speak to the Personal Property Securities Amendment (Deregulatory Measures) Bill 2014. This bill makes a small amendment to the Personal Property Securities Act, passed by the Labor government in 2009. As the explanatory memorandum to this bill notes, the PPSA was an important and long-awaited microeconomic reform. The Labor government established a single national system for the creation, registration and enforcement of security interests in personal property. Before the enactment of the PPSA, personal property securities in Australia were governed by a complex mess of common-law principles and legislation, including more than 70 different statutes. This was obviously an unacceptable state of affairs. Personal property securities play an important role in the Australian economy. Secured credit is a significant part of the Australian credit market, and it is vital in a range of business applications. The cost, confusion and uncertainty around security interests in personal property before Labor's reforms were a real burden on business—and particularly small and medium enterprises. In government, Labor worked hard to alleviate that burden. The Productivity Commission estimated that our reforms saved some $70 million a year in compliance costs. This bill is a modest addition to that work. It clarifies and simplifies the operation of the PPSA scheme with respect to some types of short-term leases. Labor is happy to support it. A large reform such as the PPSA will always require this sort of finetuning. The PPSA provides for the circumstances in which the lease of goods will constitute a security interest for the purposes of the act. This includes leases for a term of more than 12 months, or indefinite leases. However, the act also presently applies to leases for 90 days or more of 'serial numbered goods', a category which includes motor vehicles. The bill will abolish this stipulation. The hire industry has expressed its concern about the 90-day rule. As the explanatory memorandum notes, the complexity of having two rules covering different goods and different lease terms has proven confusing and costly to deal with. Accordingly, Labor is happy to support this minor but evidently worthy tweak to the PPSA scheme. In fact, we wish there was more of this sort of activity from the government. This bill was introduced on the first of the government's so-called 'repeal days' on 19 March 2014. Amid much fanfare, the government committed itself to an ambitious deregulatory agenda. Announcing the introduction of this and a handful of other bills, the Prime Minister said in the House that his government would be holding 'the biggest bonfire of regulations in our country's history.' As has so often been the case with this government, however, its action has not lived up to its rhetoric. Had they had some policy ambition, had they done the work, had they properly consulted with industry, the government could have brought in any number of bills like this one. They could have brought any number of careful, sensible deregulatory reforms into the parliament. But this is a lazy government. This is an erratic government. This is not the 'careful', 'methodical' and 'grown-up' government we were promised. When they do cut, they cut recklessly. They cut without consulting, indeed apparently even without thinking. This is a government which sought to abolish Australia's national security legislation watchdog at the same time as pressing ahead with successive waves of new national security laws. This is a government committed to repealing the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission even over the objections of those organisations it regulates! This is the government which hopelessly bungled its attempt to repeal Labor's Future of Financial Advice laws. But for the most part, the government is content with mere showmanship. They brag about repealing spent, inoperative regulations. They boast about correcting typos and drafting errors on the statute book, claiming it as a bold deregulatory reform. This is routine work. It is house-keeping—the sort of activity all governments undertake as a matter of course, and certainly not a reform of any kind. Given this sorry performance, it is no surprise that the business community—supposedly the beneficiaries of the government's deregulation agenda—are sorely disappointed. After just the first repeal day, the Business Spectator wrote that the Abbott government's 'bonfire of red tape had fizzled'. Amidst all of the recklessness and sheer nonsense from the government, this lonely bill contains a small, sensible reform of a business regulation. Undoubtedly there are many other opportunities in our regulatory framework for such reforms, if only the government would do the work to identify them, to consult with those affected and to think carefully about the consequences of changes to the law. I commend the bill to the House. 10:09 WYATT ROY M2X Longman It was very interesting listening to the shadow Attorney-General's contribution. He said that we need to consult and that this does not mean anything. I invite the shadow Attorney-General to come up to Caboolture and talk to Ian Rogers from my electorate. The Attorney-General is laughing. I think Ian would like to have a chat because this bill comes from a discussion that the now Assistant Treasurer, the former parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister had with Ian in Caboolture. Ian has a hire firm and the bill that we have here today will save Ian— Mr Dreyfus HWG We support it. WYATT ROY M2X If you want to come and have a chat to Ian, we can explain to him why the thousands of dollars that he is going to save as a result of this business does not mean anything. I think the word that the shadowy Attorney-General used was a 'fizzle'. I think this bill will make a very big difference to businesses in my electorate. Ian has said it means he can hire new staff and create jobs in the electorate and in Caboolture. I am very proud to rise to speak on the Personal Property Securities Amendment (Deregulatory Measures) Bill 2014, a significant piece of reform. This is part of something that exemplifies the government's commitment to slash red tape by a billion dollars a year. There was bipartisan backing when the former government introduced the Personal Property Securities Act in 2009. It fundamentally changed the system for security interests in Australia by establishing a single national law governing the creation, registration, priority and enforcement of those interests in personal property. More than 20 state, territory and Commonwealth property and security registers were replaced as well as more than 70 pieces of supporting legislation. The act has resulted in a single online personal property security register known as the PPSR, with initially migration of 4.7 million registrations. In simple terms, under these changes any holder of a security interest in a personal property must register with the PPSR to ensure that their claim to that property is maintained. One of the primary objectives of the regime was to provide greater confidence to lenders in the security of their interests. But concerns have been raised by Australian businesses, especially the hire and rental industry, over the significant administrative burden that has resulted, including substantial compliance costs and fees. Under the PPSR, personal property generally includes goods or inventory, intellectual property, shares, debts and contractual rights. On our side of this place, we recognise that the great creator of wealth, prosperity and employment in our nation is not the government; it is the private sector. The best thing that we can do as a nation is unshackle this driving force of the economy to scrap unnecessary regulations that businesses in my electorate spend hours, days and weeks attempting to satisfy. Their staff are tied up in red tape rather than responding to the needs of the customers and making sales. If further reform is required so that our businesses can grow and more fully prosper, we will listen and we will act. And so it was with this reform. More than 12 months ago, I organised a function in my electorate, as I was informing the shadow Attorney-General, with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, the member for Kooyong, the honourable Josh Frydenberg, where local traders told how excessive regulations were stifling their success. The now Assistant Treasurer blazed the trail for implementing the government's colossal deregulation agenda. After one of the function attendees, Ian Rogers—who I already mentioned—mentioned these elements of the PPSR, I initiated further discussions with the parliamentary secretary, who then conferred widely with the hire and rental industry. The seeds of this consultation helped sow the legislation before the House today. Our approach is indicative of an inclusive and constructive government, which understands business and is determined to eliminate the fiscal drag of bureaucracy and overregulation. This legislation proposes to unclutter the rules on when a lease is considered a security interest. Under the PPSA, arrangements where property is deemed a security interest include the lease of goods where the lease term is for more than 12 months or an indefinite term and the lease of serial-numbered goods such as motor vehicles, boats and smaller engined equipment for 90 days or more. The two deeming provisions have become a major headache for rental and hire companies. Confusion has reigned over two rules covering different goods and different lease terms, with some businesses forced to make multiple registrations to ensure that they are covered, all at a cost of money and time. This bill will repeal the provision deeming leases of 90 days or more for serial-numbered goods to be security interests. In addition, the government will amend the PPSA regulations to encompass a more reasonable and sensible definition of 'a motor vehicle'. Here is the kicker: under the legislation currently, if a hire company chooses not to register its equipment, it risks losing it if the second party renting the goods becomes insolvent. A liquidator may be able to take title and sell the property to help pay back creditors. Only the successful passage of this bill into law will mean that hire firms leasing serial-numbered goods for between 90 days and 12 months will no longer have to register the equipment in order to protect their ownership rights. Instead, for these leases, a hire business would rely on proof of its ownership of the goods—that is, the lease agreement—to avoid loss in the event of a customer's insolvency or where the customer had sought to sell the goods to a third party. This would align the PPSA with PPS regimes in other common-law countries such as New Zealand and Canada. When he spoke up on the impact of the 90-day rule, R&R Hire's Ian Rodgers told the then parliamentary secretary and me about our local business community and how it was costing him thousands of dollars a month in registration fees and compliance costs, including encumbering his staff with paperwork instead of their doing their job, which they could otherwise be doing, growing that business and potentially employing more people. They're costs I've been absorbing … That is what he said. He did not mince his words. He said: There's no other word for this regulation but ludicrous. Around the country, we've seen multiple cases of hire companies which have lost excavators or other machines to their customer's liquidators. But, with the emergence of this bill, he has since told our local media: … after years of trying to get something done, we've got this relief within six months of raising it with Wyatt and Josh. He said, 'With this change, we've been able to put the cost we've been absorbing into growing our business.' He added: It's been a hell of a result. The amendments in this bill are a huge win for Longman's local hire companies, including Skyreach, which, like R&R, is located in Caboolture. I am very happy to have played my part. As I mentioned, the amendments in this bill sit inside our red-tape repeal program, which was underscored by the government's initial red-tape repeal day, where more than 10,000 acts and regulations were axed, removing more than 50,000 pages from the statute books. It was the first of many dedicated repeal days. Indeed, earlier this year, in the third such day, another $305 million in net red-tape reduction was achieved, further easing the burden on Australian businesses, community organisations, families and individuals. The coalition set itself a target to make decisions reducing the regulatory burden by a billion dollars a year. Not only did we exceed that net target by more than double in our first year, but we are well on our way to meeting a new target of a billion dollars worth of deregulatory decisions for 2015. Associated benefits for small business include the repealing of the carbon tax, which has removed a $9 billion a year hit on the economy and is saving more than $85 million a year in monitoring, record-keeping and reporting costs; establishing a dedicated small business hotline at the Fair Work Ombudsman so small businesses can access fast, binding advice on employment terms and conditions; using standard contract terms for government procurements under $200,000 and using credit cards for payments under $20,000 so small businesses can be paid sooner— Mr Billson 1K6 Hear, hear! Good measures! WYATT ROY M2X a great measure implemented by the minister at the table, the very effective Minister for Small Business. Actually, in the next line of my speech, I mention that we have a small business minister in cabinet, a very effective and talented Minister for Small Business. That is so that the coalition government can bring a focus to reducing the tax and paperwork burden facing small businesses. We want to see small businesses soar, not falter as they did under the former Labor government. Labor's red-tape legacy is well documented: 40 new or increased taxes and more than 21,000 new regulations. We are untangling the mess that has enveloped our businesses, schools, hospitals, community groups, families and individuals, a mess that has choked productivity and an outcome that has led to costs being passed on to everyday Australians. As Sir Robert Menzies once said, we want fewer forms and more reforms—in other words, fewer costs and more jobs. I would like to once again thank the Assistant Treasurer and the now Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, the Hon. Christian Porter, for working so hard to take down red tape and for being prepared to actively listen to the local businesspeople of my community. The coalition government's red-tape reduction program is about seeing Australians get ahead and plan their future with confidence. I proudly commend this bill to the House. 10:21 Ms OWENS E09 Parramatta I am actually quite delighted to see the Personal Property Securities Amendment (Deregulatory Measures) Bill 2014 before the House today, although I preface my speech by saying that, when I did see it on the Notice Paper for today, I was a bit confused and surprised because, quite frankly, I thought I had spoken on it before. I remember going through the detail. I remember refreshing my memory of what we did back in 2009 when we brought together over 70 pieces of legislation to create a single way of dealing with personal property securities. I remember the Labor Party's work on that, and I remember these amendments being put forward by the government. I remember preparing to speak on it. I remember it. I thought I am sure I have spoken on it, so I went back through my old speech notes to see. I had to go back to May last year to find where I had prepared for this speech because this bill was introduced to parliament a year ago. It was scheduled for debate on and off a couple of times and then disappeared into the aether, so I have not spoken on it before. I prepared to speak on it. I prepared to say, 'The Labor Party supports this, this is good and this is good. Small pieces of reform build on a lot of hard work—really good. It will help a number of small businesses. Let's do it. Let's go for it.' I remember preparing that speech and I never got to give it. A year later, I do get to give it and I am in fact making that speech. I would say to you— Mr Sukkar 242515 Well get on with it! Ms OWENS E09 I am going to take that interjection, because I am going to say to the member interjecting when he says 'Get on with it' that we probably should have said that to the government a year ago when it put this bill to the parliament, which everyone supported, that it could have gone through in 10 minutes and then they sat on it for a year. The member for Longman clearly got out his speech from a year ago as well. When he says it only took six months—how pleased Ian from Longman was that it only took six months from the first time he mentioned it to Josh and Wyatt—that was six months before May last year. It has now been 18 months. This is a bill which could have been passed anytime in that 12 months. This is a bill they could have added to their rather fictitious total of red tape reduction last year. This is a bill which could have actually saved the work of small businesses last year because it had the support of both sides of parliament. I suspect that it is in the House today because the government does not actually have much other legislation. If it did, it would probably still be sitting on the table. You look at what we are discussing in the parliament today—and I am pleased that the 100th anniversary ministerial statement is being debated in this House. But traditionally, because of the amount of work this House does, in past parliaments most of the legislation that we are debating today would have been in the Federation Chamber. This one certainly would have been because it has the support of both sides and is non-controversial, so it would have gone through in the second chamber and been handled in a very short period of time. I think the member for Longman also spent most of his speech talking about the work that was done by Labor in 2009. He spent about two or three minutes talking about what this bill is actually about. That is not surprising because that is where the bulk of the work was done. In the normal course of business, by the way, the government of Australia deals with the consequences of our history and having six states and regulatory regimes that build up in each state and do not match. At some point a competent federal government finds a way to work with the states and amalgamate all those different regimes and put them together in one federal act, and that is what we did—incredibly difficult work. Not a song a dance, not a bonfire red tape repeal day when we did it; we just did it back in 2009. That is when the work was done. With any extremely complex piece of regulation and with so many different regimes—in fact, there were 70 pieces of legislation, 23 different state and territory registers prior to 2009—when you deal with red tape regulatory reduction there will be things that you did not think of that come up. It is the normal work of government every day to gradually, bit by bit, work those things through, to consult with industry and bring them to this House, and hopefully put them to the House for debate not just sit on them for 12 months. That is what this bill does. It deals with two particular unintended consequences which have caused a certain amount of pain for small business. It is really good to see them finally—a year and a half, not six months but 18 months after first raised with Wyatt and Josh by Ian in Longman—get to this House where they will no doubt go through quite quickly now that the government has decided to act on it and not just talk about it. There are two aspects to this bill that are the guts of it. One is that at the moment there are two timeframes for registration of interests. One is for motor vehicles and a number of other assets that are leased for 90 days or more or for 12 months or more. This just removes the 90 days. The government did consult well on this. They put out three different options including leave it as it is, making other changes, or this option. This was the one which received the most industry support and appears to be the simplest and we support it. The consultation work in that six-month period was quite good and the outcomes are good. What is not good is that they then sat on those good outcomes for 12 months and left business in the position that they are now railing against—business was in this terrible position. In the last 12 months there was an answer. They could have brought it forward at any moment and they did not. The second one is really quite interesting. I have hired a Wacker Packer myself recently. Apparently it turns out that a Wacker Packer is a motor vehicle— Mr Billson 1K6 I hope it finished well. Ms OWENS E09 It did finish well. I can tell you a Wacker Packer is not a motor vehicle. It is very good at packing down road base and crushed granite—excellent—but it is not a motor vehicle. It is not a car. You cannot actually go far on it. It is covered by the 2009 act in the way that it is because of one word. We are actually here changing one word. A lot of the red tape reduction that we have seen over the last year by the government was changing one word—it was changing e-mail into email, or a few things like that, many thousands of times. This is a change which does make a red tape reduction. The current definition of a motor vehicle includes an item capable of travelling at speeds of at least 10 kilometres an hour, or which has one or more motors with a total power greater than 200 watts. A Wacker Packer does not go 10 kilometres an hour—I can tell you that as well—at least not in a horizontal direction, but up and down it certainly does. It has a motor and it has power greatly exceeding 200 watts, so it gets caught in that definition. The new definition changes one word—it changes 'or' to 'and'—so that a motor vehicle will be something capable of travelling at speeds of at least 10 kilometres per hour 'and' which has one or more motors with a total power greater than 200 watts. It is a very simple amendment which takes out something which was clearly an accidental outcome of the original bill. Again, it could have been done unbelievably quickly with phone call and a quick amendment. That is the work of government. The fact that this government in many ways is holding its work for so long before it brings it to the parliament, even when there is general consensus, is perhaps one of the reasons we do not have much legislation in this House. I am quite astonished when I go to caucus meetings every Tuesday and look at the list of legislation. I look for the legislation that actually matches the rhetoric. I look for legislation that is about growth, opportunity and removing barriers. Here is an actual example of it and it has been sitting in the back cupboard for a year. It is very difficult to explain why that would be the case. That is really all I have to say on this bill. They are important amendments to the act. They will impact on a number of businesses, particularly in the car hire area and a few other areas as well. It will reduce their paperwork. These are actually good amendments. They are the kinds of amendments that governments from both sides of this House make. They are important. They should be mechanical amendments and handled quickly. They are traditionally handled in the other house because we usually debate controversial bills in this House. There usually are some, but there are not any at the moment. There is very little legislation coming before this House. It is good to see it finally here. I hope it goes through speedily. I hope it is also scheduled in the Senate very quickly so it does not have to wait a year to get in there as well because in that case it would be another year for something we all agree on. I repeat what the member for Deakin, who interjected earlier, said: get on with it. 10:31 Mr SUKKAR 242515 Deakin I am rising to speak on the Personal Property Securities Amendment (Deregulatory Measures) Bill 2014. After hearing the member for Parramatta's contribution we now understand fully what the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government was all about. The member for Parramatta said: 'This is just the normal work of government. This is just the ordinary work that we do.' She forgot that the Labor Party increased the number of regulations by 21,000 in six years. When they came to office they suggested they would have a one-in one-out policy for regulations. By the end of their term there were an additional 21,000 regulations. So when the member for Parramatta says, 'This is the ordinary work of government,' quite frankly, I scoff because their record is absolutely outrageous. Whenever we are discussing deregulation the Labor Party speak as though they are the champions of deregulation and this just happens and it should just ordinarily happen. If that is the case, why is their record so dismal in this respect? In the small business sector 519,000 jobs were lost in their six years of government. Forgive me, member for Parramatta, if I do not accept your rhetoric. For the member for Parramatta to spend the vast majority of her contribution criticising this bill and in the end supporting it I think indicates the hollow rhetoric she was engaging in. But, as the name suggests, the purpose of this bill is to continue the process of simplifying the personal property securities legislative regime that operates in Australia with a particular view to limiting and reducing the administrative burden placed on all businesses but particularly small businesses. I know the member for Parramatta thinks these things are not worthy to talk about, but how do we help small businesses get ahead? We get out of the way. The Labor Party always talks as though the marker of success of a government is how much legislation we pass in this House. Well my marker of success is the opposite. The fewer pieces of legislation we pass in this House, the more we get our hands out of small businesses' pockets and the fewer forms we impose on small businesses to fill out are my markers of success. The member for Parramatta talked about wanting to see a full board of legislation. She said she was disappointed that there is not a full board of legislation, but I have the absolute opposite opinion. I am extraordinarily happy when government is getting out of the way and is allowing our citizens and small businesses to do what they do best, and that is create wealth and opportunities for themselves. We have seen that governments do not create those opportunities. I think the member for Parramatta spelt out very nicely, but probably unwittingly, the core values and beliefs of the Labor Party—that the marker of success of a government is to pass more regulation and more legislation. They did that very successfully, and who suffered? Small businesses. There were 519,000 jobs lost. This legislation goes a small but symbolic and important way towards improving that situation. As previous speakers have said, the personal property security regime came into effect with bipartisan support in 2009. It introduced a national register. The creation of that national system streamlined and provided a framework for the creation, registration, priority and enforcement of security interests. It altered the manner in which businesses were able to borrow and it brought about increased levels of confidence for lenders. It was of course of particular importance to small businesses. In that respect the bipartisanship on this issue was important. We all know from our own electorates that often it is difficult for small businesses to access the credit that they need to grow and expand their businesses. This regime was very important and altered the way in which it did so. It also reformed the laws. We did away with 23 state, territory and Commonwealth property security registers and the associated 70 pieces of supporting legislation. Given that those changes were made some six years ago, I think it is now important that we address some of the issues associated with it. So what does this bill seek to achieve? As I said earlier, it seeks to streamline a range of current definitions in the PPSA. Previous speakers have spoken about each of those and I will briefly touch on them. As the member for Longman pointed out, in the higher end rental industry—an industry which employs over 18,000 people and has a turnover, to put it into some context, of over $6.6 billion—the changes included in this bill will drastically reduce the number of registrations that will need to be made. The member for Longman quite thoroughly went through what these changes would be based on experiences with a business in his electorate. We estimate that will save those businesses around $11 million a year. Some might think that is a trifling amount, but all of these small changes and incremental amendments to decrease regulation ultimately have a very significant impact, particularly on small business. We are doing this through simplifying the rules on when a lease will be deemed to be a security interest for the purposes of the PPS Act and, as other members have said, clarifying the definition of a motor vehicle. There is one additional change that I think is quite important and has not been spoken about at length. Whilst it is not contained in this bill, it is complementary. That is the fact that the Attorney-General has separately announced that we will shortly proceed with a statutory review of the PPS Act to consider whether the act creates an effective consolidation of the system governing personal property securities ownership in Australia. That is so important because it is not good enough to introduce wide-ranging and sweeping legislation such as the PPS Act and have a set-and-forget approach. We have to be ruthlessly constantly reviewing these rules and regulations and legislation to ensure that the circumstances described and which this bill is trying to amend do not drag on for too long. The fact that this regime commenced back in 2009 and now some six years later we are making minor amendments to issues that presumably the higher end of the industry have had to deal with this whole time is too long. When members opposite talk about the ordinary course of business of government, I ask, 'Why did you allow that to transpire for some 4½ years? Why wasn't it fixed earlier?' It took a coalition government to consult with and listen to small businesses and make the change. I welcome the review by the Attorney-General because government should impose discipline on itself that when it makes wide-ranging reforms there is a constant eye to unintended consequences or effects from those changes that negatively impact on any stakeholders so that it can swiftly amend them. That is what this government will do. In a commercial world—from my former life practising as a lawyer, I know that the PPS Act contains lots of complexity—definitions and circumstances are changing all the time. So I think it is very timely that the review happens now. The establishment of a single national framework when it came to personal property securities was undoubtedly a good thing. Credit goes to the former government, with our bipartisan support, on that. It means that our small businesses just deal with one legal framework rather than the myriad state and territory based systems that previously existed. This government believe above all else that, regardless of whether a regulatory system is national or not, it must always be updated to ensure that the burden it places on businesses is as minimal as possible. Members opposite can say that that is the ordinary work of government; I would say that is the ordinary work of coalition governments. That is the ordinary work that we do. The fact that we have, through our two red tape repeal days, repealed over $2 billion of regulatory complexity indicates that, yes, it is the ordinary work that coalition governments do, but I would disagree that it is the ordinary work that Labor governments do. I enthusiastically commend this bill to the House. 10:42 Mr PERRETT HVP Moreton I rise to speak on the Personal Property Securities Amendment (Deregulatory Measures) Bill 2014. This is a bill which seeks to enhance the Personal Property Securities Act 2009. This piece of legislation before the chamber is not the most boring piece of legislation ever to pass through this parliament, but I think it is in the same postcode. The 2009 PPSA was proudly introduced by Labor. As earlier speakers have noted, it created a single national online register of securities interests in personal property within Australia. At the time it was introduced, it was described as important microeconomic reform. We did not have a red tape celebration day; it was just the business of good, sensible government. We did not put out a big red tape press release. Instead, we just got on with doing that incredible microeconomic reform which, as the coalition speakers have mentioned, produced incredible savings. This is why the then opposition supported that legislation. The regime created by the PPSA remedied the evil of apparent ownership. Prior to the PPSA, a purchaser of property was at risk of being misled by an apparent owner that clear title was held by them. There was no independent way to determine if anyone else held an interest in the property contrary to the interest being offered. The PPSA regime allows a party to secure its interests in a property and to provide anyone who searches the register with knowledge of that security interest. Any interest in personal property can now be perfected by registering on the PPS register. Having been a lawyer in Queensland, I can say that the simplified version is almost like the Torrens title registry process for real property being rolled out across the nation. The second reading speech described the regime that Labor introduced as replacing: … the existing complex, inconsistent and ad hoc web of common law and legislation, involving over 70 Commonwealth, state and territory acts. It will implement a single national law, creating a uniform and functional approach to personal property securities. I am very proud of that piece of legislation, and I particularly mention Dr Craig Emerson, the former minister who steered a lot of that through because it was not easy. The Senate committee report on the bill in 2008 noted that the Attorney-General's Department described the objectives of the then bill as the 'four c's'. The regime that would be created would deliver more certain, more consistent, less complex and cheaper arrangements in relation to personal property securities. That is what it has provided to the people of Australia—certain, consistent, less complex and cheaper. That is a fair dinkum red tape reduction process, not the red crepe—that red material that they put out whenever there is a party. Every time they get rid of a comma, they have a press release, and get together and have a party, and say, 'We've reduced red tape.' This was real Labor reform that supported small business, although some small business did suffer—I will acknowledge that. And I note that there are people involved with the Attorney-General's office here in the adviser's box. Small legal firms did suffer when we changed those security registers. My job as an article clerk was to head around to those registries and wait there in front of the public servants for the documents to be stamped, wait there for them to be registered, and try to keep our masters in the legal firms happy. The firm I worked at was Quinn & Scattini and my master Michael Quinn probably had not read the modern management handbook. The fear that came with being an article clerk, waiting for a form to be filled in correctly and then stamped, has now been simplified. As any article clerk would tell you, the real power in our society rests with the clerks who have the piece of paper and the stamp they are waiting to put on it. There is no power like that sort of power. Parliament is nothing compared to it. Prior to the 2009 act, consumers and businesses had to negotiate their way through a minefield of unnecessary red tape. Some security interests had to be registered in more than one jurisdiction—we are one nation with states and territories—and then on more than one register to be fully effective. There were both electronic registers and paper based registers, and in some cases no registers at all. This resulted in not only confusion but unnecessary costs for everyone involved. The Labor Party reforms were described as 'the most substantial reform in a decade' and there was an abundance of support from the commercial and consumer sectors. The Consumer Action Law Centre said they supported the idea of 'national personal property security laws and a register that makes that work more efficiently and laws that again create certainty and efficiency in that system'. The Australian Bankers Association said they are 'very supportive of the two-pronged PPS reform proposals—register and substantive law reform'. The reforms, while they made day-to-day transactions simpler and less expensive, required a complete mind shift for lawyers and their officers. The common law and equitable principles previously underpinning the law of personal property securities were all but abandoned for the far less complex PPS regime. The concepts of floating charge and crystallisation of a floating charge are now replaced with the straightforward rules provided by the PPS Act. That was certainly a relief to a lot of young lawyers and their article clerks. It was the newly minted law graduate who often had the task of going from building to building. The object of that monumental reform introduced by the 2009 PPSA under Labor was not to make life easier for lawyers but to make doing business in Australia more streamlined and less expensive. That object is being achieved. In fact, the World Bank gives a rating to countries on the ease of doing business. In 2013, under Labor stewardship, Australia climbed to 10th place from a previous 15th place in those rankings—proving that Labor knows how to look after business in Australia. I will be interested to see, after that incredible assault on commas and full stops by the two red tape repeal days, where we will go. How high will we go? From reading the press releases, I think we will be No. 1, but I am waiting to see what the LNP actually produce rather than say what they will produce because they are kings and queens of artifice when it comes to real change for business. I note the Minister for Small Business is in the chamber and I commend him for his efforts in the budget in terms of helping to remedy the damage done by the last budget. Hopefully, he can have a moment in the sun and help small business because the budget did a few good things for small business. The 19,000 small businesses in my electorate of Moreton hopefully will recover from the throttling they received from the last budget. The introduction of the 2009 PPSA is credited as being instrumental in that change from 15th to 10th. I look forward to the next red crepe day, where they put out the red streamers and say, 'We've done something,' and hopefully they will announce the World Bank ranking that Australia has achieved under them. The World Bank publication that lists the rankings particularly commented on the PPSA reform, saying: 'In Australia the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 and associated regulations came into effect and a single, national online registry began operating. The web based registry allows creditors to conduct searches and register security interests in personal property at any time.' The World Bank, not exactly a left-wing group of commentators, recognise Labor's real reform. In the World Bank's assessment of which country has the most legal rights for borrowers and lenders, Australia had the highest ranking attainable in 2013—something those in the legal profession should all be proud of. The PPSA when it was introduced in 2009 revolutionised the way business was conducted in Australia. Everyone from small businesses, large supply companies, finance companies, banks and ordinary Australians, and hire companies, as mentioned by the earlier speakers, benefit from the protections the regime offers. It offers protections to businesses by giving them rights over a registered security if a customer defaults in their obligations. Individuals purchasing property such as boats, cars or machinery can search the register via the PPSR website to ensure that there is no registered security interest that would prevent them getting clear title. The bill before the chamber, the Personal Property Securities Amendment (Deregulatory Measures) Bill 2014, makes a minor change to the PPS regime in order to simplify the process further still. It is basically changing the definition of when a lease becomes a security interest. There is currently a provision that deems leases for serial-numbered goods—that is, mobile property such as motor vehicles, boats and aircraft—to be PPS leases if they are for a term of 90 days or more. That provision is to be repealed and leases for serial-numbered goods would be treated in the same way as all other personal property leases and deemed to be PPS leases if they are for a term of 12 months or more. This amendment will assist small to medium hire businesses by alleviating the requirement to register leases of less than 12 months. This amendment is a welcome addition to the simplified regime introduced by Labor in 2009—a real reform, a fair dinkum reform, that supports business—and that is why Labor supports this bill. 10:53 Dr GILLESPIE 72184 Lyne The Personal Property Securities Amendment (Deregulatory Measures) Bill is a very straightforward matter for this House to consider. As you know, we in the coalition support simplifying business. We are trying to cut out unnecessary red tape, removing duplication, costs and ambiguities for business. The Personal Property Securities Act of 2009 did bring a lot of different state-based registration systems into one house, and it was passed with bipartisan support. But there was some residual confusion with this act, and this amendment tries to address that problem. The 'leases of 90 days or more and less than 12 months' requirement meant that many leases had to be registered, which added to the costs and the complications for the leasing company and the person taking the lease. These amendments change the deeming provisions so that where the lease is for more than 12 months, or for an indefinite term, it is a registered security; but for leases of less than that it will not be required. Multiple pieces of paperwork will become unnecessary and multiple lease-registration costs will not be incurred. The Personal Property Security Register remains unchanged. As you know we have had three red-tape repeal days. This is one of those red-tape repeals. It is a clarification and a simplification. To put a monetary value on it, there is a value of $11.2 million to the benefit of customers leasing goods on a short-term basis and/or the businesses conducting leasing activities. It also simplifies matters in the case of insolvency and for financial institutions. The principle of keeping it simple is applied here. The red-tape repeal target we set ourselves was to repeal at least $1 billion worth of red-tape costs from the economy, and with three red-tape repeal days we have achieved that and more. Over $2 billion worth of red tape, strangling and stultifying small and big business, has been removed from businesses across Australia. Not only have we done that; we have been doing a lot to help small business. You only have to see what we brought out in our last budget. There were the tax cuts to small business—1½ per cent is a brilliant initiative for small business. The one-off five per cent reduction for unincorporated businesses is another great relief for people running small businesses that are unincorporated, whether they are the local hairdresser, the local florist shop or a tradesman. A one-off five per cent cut in their tax of up to $1,000 is a great initiative and will be really appreciated by small businesses in the Lyne electorate. We are all about keeping costs down for business and for customers. This is common-sense legislation. I commend it to the House. Not only do we have this sort of legislation, but we have small businesses represented in cabinet by a very able Minister for Small Business. We will continue to fight for small businesses around the country—and big business—because it is the economy that drives the wealth of employees and companies, and it is what keeps Australia vibrant and strong. The best help we can give Australian citizens is to have a strong economy so that people can get jobs, get ahead and have a go. This legislation marries nicely into our latest budget, which is great for families and great for small businesses. I commend this bill to the House. 10:57 Mr BILLSON 1K6 Dunkley There have been some interesting contributions and great recognition of the ongoing work of the coalition in the area of deregulation. The Personal Property Securities Amendment (Deregulatory Measures) Bill 2014 will simplify the operation of the Personal Property Securities Act and minimise costs and confusion for business, particularly for small businesses in the equipment-hire industry. These reforms have come about through meaningful and effective consultation with the hire industry and that is why I am so pleased to be supporting these matters with other colleagues in this House. I should add, before commending the bill to the House, that mention was made of the statutory review of the act—a timely review. That timely review has recently been completed, led by Bruce Whittaker. Some good work has been done there, and the government is considering that review because—for small businesses in particular who have been listening to this discussion—the questions that arise around the equipment-hire industry are very important and action is being taken. But there are other examples of the level of awareness and understanding of the way in which the Personal Property Securities Register system acts. What kind of assets need to be registered? What is involved in deregistering them when that is appropriate? And where there is a need to vary those registrations—for instance, if it is scaffolding for a building and you have made registered 150 metres of scaffolding materials only to find you need 160 metres—those variations can be quite complex. Those are some of the reasons why that important statutory review will be something the government considers carefully. In summing up, I commend the bill to the House and thank my colleagues for their contribution to the debate. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 10000 The question is that the bill be read a second time. Question agreed to. Bill read a second time. Third Reading 22 11:00 Mr BILLSON 1K6 Dunkley by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time. MOTIONS 22 MOTIONS Centenary of Anzac 22 11:00 Mrs PRENTICE 217266 Ryan This year is a very special year for all Australians as we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli. Communities all over Australia came together on 25 April this year to pay tribute to and remember those who volunteered and paid the ultimate price in the Great War and all the conflicts in which we have since been involved. It is often said our national identity was formed during the Great War, and in particular in the Gallipoli Campaign. When our soldiers landed on the shores of Gallipoli, Australia was a very new nation—eager to prove itself. We showed courage, sacrifice, mateship and determination—all qualities that Australians aspire to today. While a lot has been said about the ANZACs and many stories have been told, I want to pay tribute today to those who made it all possible—to the historians, the archivists, the storytellers; those who have dedicated their lives to making sure we never forget. There has been some remarkable documentation of our Anzac history I commend the many organisations who helped to remind us all of the past and to understand what life was like a century ago. Clearly, the most prominent reminder is the remarkable work of the Australian War Memorial. The Australian government provided more than $28 million in funding towards the redevelopment of the First World War galleries to ensure all visitors during the Anzac Centenary could truly understand the history and traditions. Founder of the Australian War Memorial, Charles Bean said: Here is their spirit, in the heart of the land they loved; and here we guard the record which they themselves made. I would also like to congratulate Brendan Nelson, Director of the Australian War Memorial, and his team for the amazing job they do week in and week out. As the House of Representatives member on the National Archives Advisory Council I also wish to acknowledge the outstanding work they do. They too put together an extraordinary collection for Anzac Day, called 'Discovering Anzacs', which allows people to search for stories of those who served. It is no easy feat to collect, catalogue, archive and digitise these pieces of history, and the National Archives are to be congratulated for the high quality and quantity of this collection. I also take this opportunity to mention the State Library of Queensland, who had impressive collections to mark this important event. When searching for photographs to profile on my social media pages, I was delighted to find a number of local images of our community at the time of the First World War in their collection I was particularly delighted when I found photographs of soldiers practising military drills at the Gallipoli Barracks, which is based in my electorate. The same expressions were on the faces of the young men in the photographs as those I saw when I attended the farewell for the troops heading to Iraq recently. It makes it all the more possible to imagine how the ANZAC troops were feeling. This brings me to speak about the social media campaign that helps bring to life the people who lived during the First World War—ANZAC Live. It tells the stories of nine real people who were all involved in different aspects of the war. The authors of ANZAC Live used the diaries of these characters to create the social media profiles of a nurse, a factory worker, an explorer, an engineer, a country boy, an artist, a carpenter, a sailor and a groom. These characters are engaging with us on Facebook and Twitter, answering questions of what they are going through and how they are feeling—all in their own words as a result of these diaries. It is a remarkable way to show our nation's history and the creators, Newscorp, are to be commended for finding a way to engage with people, particularly the younger generation, in such a modern way that allows them to understand the thoughts and feelings of our ancestors I particularly thank Senator Ronaldson, the Minister for Veteran's Affairs, and his office team for the time and effort that went into ensuring the commemorations were perfectly planned—supported, of course, by many officers in the department. I would also like to say a special thank you to his advisor, Robert Hardie, who dedicated so much time to the Centenary of Anzac project. On a local level there are hundreds and hundreds of people who have participated in some way to make these centenary commemorations special. Firstly, I would like to thank my local Ryan Centenary of Anzac committee, who assisted with the incredibly difficult job of deciding which few of the many talented groups should receive the Centenary of Anzac grants. This committee comprised Stewart Cameron from the Kenmore-Moggill RSL Sub-Branch; Merv Brown from Gaythorne RSL;    Trevor Dixon from the National Memorial Walk and now President of .Kenmore-Moggill RSL; Ron McElwaine from the Sherwood-Indooroopilly RSL; Jeff Hilder from The Gap Pioneer and History Group;    John Pepper from the Gap RSL Sub-Branch; and Chris Austin and Kevin Alcock from the 9th Battalions Association. The Centenary of Anzac Local Grants projects have been incredibly significant for our community in our local commemorations. These projects included a book to document and honour the 97 former Brisbane Boy's College students who lost their lives during the 1st and 2nd World Wars and Afghanistan; an upgrade to Kenmore South State School's Anzac Memorial; a Walk of Remembrance at Ferny Grove State High School; a memorial Garden at Ferny Grove State School; a memorial seat and garden at Toowong State School; an upgrade to the Contemplation Building and the installation of an eternal flame at the Gallipoli Barracks Memorial Walk; the Mates for Mates WW1 Queenslander Challenge Walk; and a book examining the lives of 86 local soldiers who were killed in World War One, produced by the Sherwood-Indooroopilly RSL Sub-Branch. While I have just quickly listed these projects—and I am sure many other members have similar ones in their own electorates—each one of these is so special and so detailed. I look at the one for Toowong State School, which was a memorial seat designed by a local artist. In the metal of the seat are all the floral emblems from Australia and, on top of that, there are little holes where people can put poppies, which not only spell out the date of the Centenary of Anzac but also have space for a little poppy for each of the people from the Toowong district who gave their lives during the war. So much thought has gone into that. They have planted poppies that are going to flower in time for Remembrance Day and, of course, rosemary in the garden. Each of these individual projects is just so detailed and thoughtful. Like so many families, I also have connections with the Gallipoli campaign and the Anzac commemoration. My father's cousin, after whom he was named, fought at Gallipoli and survived, only to lose his life later at the Battle of Romani. My great-grandfather, Sir George Pearce, the then Minister for Defence, actually decreed Anzac Day when he was Acting Prime Minister, although, if you read a recent book about him titled ANZAC and Empire, initially he was not very enthusiastic. I quote: The following year, as the first anniversary of the landing approached, Pearce, now acting Prime Minister, did not regard the events of 25 April as worthy of memorialisation. For Pearce, Gallipoli was a military defeat, and he anticipated … that, as the war progressed, it would be replaced by an AIF victory, which would eventually provide Australia with a suitable national day. On 15 April 1916 he told Fisher that while 'informal celebrations are going to mark the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli, and the day has been named "Anzac Day"', the Federal Government was not going to hold any ceremonies, in the belief that 'after the war is over it will then be more opportune than now to consider which event of the Australian Army is the more worthy of remembering'. But as 25 April approached, Pearce realised that 'Anzac Day' would be a significant day of communal mourning and remembrance of the war dead, although not a national day of the type he wished to establish, and into which Anzac Day subsequently has evolved. He recognised that the government would need to follow the public mood. It was too late to organise a Federal Government ceremony, but on 25 April Pearce took part in a tree-planting ceremony on the King's Domain in Melbourne. He released a statement that the Australian army would always have 'that inspiring example of Anzac'. On 16 May Pearce's Cabinet approved regulations to prevent use of the word 'Anzac' for commercial purposes. That last point is very interesting. It is probably the reason that adjacent to the Indooroopilly Uniting Church in my electorate of Ryan is what I understand is the only Anzac memorial church in Australia. At a recent seminar conducted by local historian Jim Gibson, he noted that immediately after this Anzac memorial church was erected, legislation followed, meaning no other buildings could be named 'Anzac'. At the time, locals were concerned the building would be classified as illegal but the Governor-General allowed it to stay. I am sure there are many other interesting stories just like this all over Australia which have been brought to our attention through the Centenary of Anzac commemorations. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the dedicated volunteers throughout the community who have been involved in these commemorations, from the teachers, parents and children who prepared school services in their spare time to the RSLs who spent countless hours to make sure the community services went off without a hitch. On all levels, national, state and local, we as Australians have come together to make the centenary special. All of these individuals and groups have done a brilliant job, bringing to life the stories and the people who were everyday Australians 100 years ago. We are who we are because of our Anzacs and, after 100 years, it is just as important as ever to make sure we are preserving these memories. Thank you to those who make sure their stories are never forgotten. We must always remember that Anzac commemorations are not about celebrating and glorifying war but rather highlight the tragic consequences of conflict. Lest we forget. 11:11 Mr GRIFFIN VU5 Bruce I join with others to talk a little about the 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli, the establishment of the Anzac tradition and the nature of how we as a nation have been seeking to commemorate those events of a century ago. As a former Minister for Veterans Affairs, I had the privilege to represent the Australian parliament and also the Australian government on two occasions at the dawn service at Gallipoli on Anzac Day. For those who have had that opportunity it is a rare opportunity, an opportunity of a lifetime. For anyone who is considering at some stage making the pilgrimage to Gallipoli, I would certainly encourage you to do so. It is a confronting place which highlights very much the trials and tribulations of all those who fought there 100 years ago. It is a daunting place in terms of the courage, sacrifice and carnage that took place there 100 years ago. It is also a strangely eerie place because as you look around those hills and valleys you know that the land is sown with the blood and the bodies of many, many thousands of young men, predominantly, who fought and died in that place. They were men from nations all over the world because this was part of a world war—many, many Turks, who died defending their homeland, Australians, New Zealanders, Sri Lankans, French, English, Newfoundland, you name it. I would like to emphasise that, although this was a location where Australia was seen to come of age as a nation and the Anzac tradition was born, it is a place of significance for many countries, where soldiers of many nations fought and died. I remember being there in 2010 when we made an announcement as a government with respect to setting up the processes for the commemoration of the Centenary of Anzac. I had discussions with, for example, former Prime Minister the Rt Hon. Malcolm Fraser, who recently departed, about what we should be trying to ensure we do. Of course the important thing was to ensure that we increased public awareness. He also took the view, and I agreed with him, that it was very much about education and understanding, that it ought not be about glorifying war but it ought be about understanding the courage and sacrifice of what took place there and why we should always see war as at times a necessary action but also as a last resort. It was very interesting talking to him about that, in terms of what we should seek to achieve through this process. I think it is also about diversity. As other speakers mentioned—and I know the member for Hasluck spoke yesterday about this—Indigenous Australians were part of those forces in World War I and, frankly, in every conflict that Australia has fought. It is something which Indigenous Australians should be very proud of, what their people were able to do as part of a nation that, frankly—let's be honest—has not often been particularly embracing of their issues or of their needs. In fact, for many of them often it was actually a fight to be able to get to the fight in the first place. But then it was a fight well fought. Migrants: this country has been based on migration, really, since European settlement. The circumstances are that when you go back to those first Anzacs, you can pick a nation and you will find people who either arrived directly from there or who were directly descended from people who were from there. People from all over the world were part of the Australian Imperial Force at that time and right the way through World War I. When we look back at that Anzac tradition, I suppose some of us think of the 'bronzed Aussie'. Well, I do not think it is a bronzed Aussie; I think it is a whole range of different colours and circumstances. When we look at the qualities that come through from them, they are qualities that we all would like to identify with. We would like to identify—and we want to identify—with that sense of courage in the face of adversity. We want to, and can, see ourselves as a nation being proud and willing to fight for what is right. We see it as being a tradition which encompasses mateship and care and compassion for others in times of adversity. I think those are all qualities that are important. They are important in terms of how we see ourselves but also how we wish others to see us. It is important that we remember that those are the qualities that are that Anzac tradition. And as we look through World War I, let's not forget the Western Front. Let's not forget the many thousands who died in the fields of Flanders and in northern France, because so many more died there than actually died at Gallipoli. Let's not forget that from a military perspective that tradition was the earliest stage of establishing what has been a proud tradition ever since—through World War II, through Korea and through Vietnam. The problem you always get into, Mr Deputy Speaker, is that once you start naming conflicts in the environment of veterans' affair—as I have learned!—is that if you miss any out at all you will in fact at least receive emails, and quite often suffer considerable conversations about why you have missed any particular conflict. So I have named many, but not named all. I will not name all; I do that intentionally. I do it intentionally to say this: everyone who puts on a uniform and who has served their country, regardless of the circumstances and the location, has done so in that tradition—that Anzac tradition—of which they are all rightly proud. It is important that we remember the courage, the sacrifice and the suffering. It is important that we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. It is also very important that we remember those who came back grievously wounded, whether that be of the soul or of the body. It is also very important that we remember the suffering that occurs through war, whether it be the grief of loss or injury, then visits upon the families and friends of those who come back. Whether they be the war widows or the children of veterans, the fact is that those who have been through conflicts and suffered from conflicts are often not actually at the conflict. They suffer in the years that go on from there, and we should always remember that. As others have said, we should not glorify war, but we should understand that there are times when it is necessary. We should understand that when it is necessary we should, as the Anzacs did, go forth and do what must be done. But we also need to understand that there are implications as you go on in the subsequent years. And so the support that we provide to veterans and to veterans' families is central to honouring that Anzac tradition. I think that everyone who has been involved, whether they be the Department of Veterans' Affairs, various governments, ministers et cetera—the various committees that have been set up across electorates around the country—have done a very good job in that commemorative role. But I think that the most important part of the commemorative role is about educating the young about the sacrifice of those who came before them; about what those ideals mean in concrete forms with respect to the way that we should live our lives and the way in which we should conduct ourselves as a country; and that we should ensure that we honour those who gave so much in the years ahead by how we actually live to those ideals. We must remember that when the marching stops and the band ceases to play, the battle still goes on for those who have returned. It can often be difficult to deal with them—and I know that as a former Minister for Veterans' Affairs—but we should always try our best to understand them, try our best to ensure they get the assistance that they genuinely need and, through that process, honour that tradition—the tradition that dates back to that time when those young men came ashore 100 years ago. 11:21 Mr CRAIG KELLY 99931 Hughes It gives me a great privilege and honour to stand here in this chamber to speak on this motion on the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli. In my electorate we had five separate locations where we commemorated Anzac Day. There was Panania, organised by Gary Murray of the Panania Diggers; Woronora, organised by Barry Grant of the Woronora RSL; at Liverpool in Bigge Park, organised by David Sutherland and Kevin Wass of the Liverpool RSL; for the first time we also had a service at Menai, organised by Andrew Manson of the Menai Chamber of Commerce; and at Engadine, which was organised by the Engadine RSL, coordinated by Jack Abernethy. I congratulate them all on their fine efforts on commemorating that day. I attended the service at Engadine in my electorate. About two years ago, behind the memorial in Engadine, a Moran health facility was constructed. It is approximately an eight-storey building. I congratulate the Moran Group because on the outside of the building they had placed a large bronze silhouette of a digger so that as the morning light came up and the first rays of sun came through you could see that silhouette standing seven storeys high. At Engadine I think we had some of the largest crowds that the township of Engadine had ever seen. The town square was absolutely chock-a-block with people shoulder to shoulder. The crowds filled back past the road and across the other side to the shops. It is hard to put an exact number on it, but it would have to have been close to 10,000 people—more than double the number of people in past years. On that Anzac morning in Engadine, we commemorated and we remembered the 750 Australians who lost their lives on that very first day of the landings at Gallipoli. We remembered the eight long months that they continued to fight and we remembered the words of Private Victor Nicholson, who, after witnessing his mate killed at Gallipoli, wrote: 'I didn't cry unless Gallipoli was one long cry. If you cried once you never stopped. There were friends going every day and sometimes every hour of the day—wonderful friends. You cried inwardly. That is all you could do.' And we remembered that by the evacuation in December more than 8,700 Australians had lost their lives. We remembered that those who survived Gallipoli went on to the horrors of the mud, the blood and the gas of the Western Front, where another 46,000 Australians remain buried today. We remembered that by the time the guns of the Great War fell silent more than 61,000 Australians lay dead in foreign fields. We also remembered those 155,000 soldiers who returned home carrying injuries of war and that in the decade after the war, of those who were injured, another 60,000 returned soldiers died after returning from World War 1. Of course we remember the widows and the families who were left to grieve. We also remembered those immortal words, 'Lest we forget', first penned by Rudyard Kipling in the poem Recessional. Those words are a plea. They are a plea that we should never ever forget their sacrifice, their extraordinary courage and their perseverance against all odds. And, we should never forget that the very freedom we enjoy today has not come for free; it has been paid for through their blood and through their sacrifice. So it is a plea that we must be ever vigilant to protect those freedoms that were so hard won. Millions of Australians turned out on Anzac Day morning. We said we had not forgotten, we said we will not forget and we said that for as long as our flag flies over our great southern land we never will. But in remembering them I think it is fair to ask the question, 'What if there were no Anzacs?' A former Prime Minister suggested that World War I was completely devoid of virtue. I beg to differ. One of the stories goes that we were tricked at Gallipoli by the nefarious British, who sat drinking tea on the beach while the Australians were slaughtered and sacrificed. But the facts remain that Gallipoli is not just an Australian story—there were more French killed in Gallipoli. Remember this is a time when German troops were fighting on French soil and the French were fighting for their homeland, yet France lost more people fighting at Gallipoli than Australia did. As for the nefarious British, they lost over 20,000 troops at Gallipoli compared to Australia's 8,700. One of the other great myths is that our troops were dragooned into war by politicians or members of parliament. But that overlooks that there were something like 16 serving members of parliament at that time who left the safety of parliament and fought and served in wars. The New South Wales parliament has a plaque that commemorates the deaths of two members of that parliament who left the parliament to fight and who were killed in wars. Because our Anzac Day is not something where we celebrate war and Gallipoli was actually a defeat and a flawed campaign incompetently executed which ultimately, by itself, achieved nothing, perhaps we do not give true respect to what the Anzacs achieved. Considering what the Anzacs achieved, I think it is important to remember why we became involved. We became involved because a militaristic Germany invaded a neutral Belgium. It is well documented in a couple of history books: The Rape of Belgium: the Untold Story of World War 1 by Larry Zuckerman; Rehearsals: The German Army in Belgium, August 1914 by Geoff Jeff Lipkes; and German Atrocities 1914: A History of Denial by John Horne and Alan Kramer. Those books document how German forces looted and destroyed much of the countryside of Belgium, killing innocent civilians including women and children. We know from the atrocities that there were close to 6,000 innocent Belgian civilians who were killed by German troops. So the question we had back then was: should we allow the Kaiser and his armies to conquer France and Britain? Or should we stand with Britain and its dominions and take a stand against German militarism? I believe our history shows that we had no alternative but to stand and fight. What would have happened if there had been no Anzacs? Close to home, in the Pacific theatre, if there had been no Anzacs the German colonies at the time, including German New Guinea, would have been occupied by Japan. Because of the Anzacs, Japan only occupied the colonies up to the equator. It was Australia that occupied German New Guinea and the surrounding islands. If there had been no Anzacs, as we went into 1930 with a militarist Japan, we would have had German colonies on our doorstep. How would the Battle of the Coral Sea and the battle of Kokoda have been different if Japan had been in possession of German New Guinea after the First World Year? We can never forget the efforts of the Australian troops on the Western Front and the difference they made. Historians tell us that the Germans came very close to winning World War I, and so we should be remembering the military genius of General John Monash. The efforts of General Monash and the troops on the Western Front made a crucial difference; although they comprised just 9.5 per cent of British forces in France, they captured 18.5 per cent of the German prisoners, 21.5 per cent of all the territory gained, and 14 per cent of the guns. It was Monash's military genius that thwarted the German attacks. After the war, German commander Erich Ludendorff remembered the allies' attack in his memoirs. He said: Our fighting machine was no longer of real value. Our capacity for year had suffered harm even if the far greater majority of our divisions fought bravely. August 8 marked the decline of our military power and took from me the hope that...we could restore the situation in our favour … The war had to be ended. In 1921, Marshal Foch, the French general during the war, said: … the passionate valour of the Australians served as an example to the whole world. You saved Amiens, you saved France. Our gratitude will remain ever and always to Australia. It was British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery who said of Monash: I would name Sir John Monash as the best general on the western front in Europe. Our troops in World War I on the Western Front made a difference, and they could have made the difference between winning and losing. In considering the question, 'what if there were no Anzacs?' the history of the world would be quite different. At the end of World War I we could have seen the European continent dominated by a militaristic Germany, ruled by the Kaiser. We would have seen a France depleted and perhaps a France that would have followed Russia down a communist path. We would have seen Germany controlling Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland and the Channel Ports. It would have been a completely different world, with the Japanese on our doorstep. What difference could this have made to our world? One thing that history has taught us is that freedom counts. Freedom counts in many respects, because freedom allows the individual to own property, the rule of law allows entrepreneurial activity, and that is what creates the wealth. I will give a few examples of things that have happened to improve our world since World War I which may not have happened if we had not had those freedoms. If we look at infant morality, back at the time when World War I started, 70 children out of every 1,000 died within their first year of life. Today that number is down to four per 1,000. Since the start of the 21st century, four million children have been born in Australia. Over the past century, through innovation, wealth creation, better standards of health and better standards of living and prosperity, the improvement in child mortality means that there are 280,000 children alive today who would not be alive if we had the rates of infant mortality that existed at the time of World War I. If we look at maternal mortality, we have lifted that through improved living standards, improved health standards and greater wealth creation. For the four million children born in this century there would be 24,000 mothers would have died in child birth if we had not lifted those maternal rates of death. Simply: freedom counts. Our world would be a completely different place today if not for the Anzacs. We owe them a great legacy and that is something we should never, ever forget. 11:36 Mr PERRETT HVP Moreton It is with great pride and sadness that I rise to speak on the 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli. As so many Australians have done already this year and last year, we are commemorating those brave Australians who went off to represent this young nation in World War I. I would like to start by particularly acknowledging the RSLs in Moreton, who did such a fantastic job on Anzac Day in making sure that the events were well organised and also that the individuals from each area were appropriately recognised for their service. Anzac Day is always a busy day for politicians. I was not able to get to every single RSL event in Moreton but I wanted to note the RSL services in my electorate. I am only going to mention the President for each branch—obviously there was a cast of thousands staging these events. I note: Mr Des Broome, the President of the Sunnybank RSL Sub-Branch; Mr John Stachan, the President of the Stephens RSL Sub-Branch; Mr Kevin Fitzgerald, the President of the Yeronga Dutton Park RSL Sub-Branch; Mr Kevin Alcock, the President of the Sherwood Indooroopilly RSL Sub-Branch; and also Mr Tony Stevenson, the President of the Salisbury RSL Sub-Branch. As I said, I was not able to attend all the services and I even ran out of office representatives because there were so many commemorations in my electorate. From my observations in Moreton and having been to these events for the last decade or so, there seemed to be at least double the normal crowds and sometimes nearly triple the normal crowds. People certainly turned out for the start of the centenary of commemoration. At all of the events I attended, it was great to see schools in attendance and it was great to see families and young people turning up to recognise what would be great grandfathers or great great grandparents or grandmothers who were involved in the great War, the War to end all Wars as it was called—until we had a war barely 18 or 19 years later that killed nearly triple the number. The centenary of the Gallipoli landings has been addressed in great detail by many of the speakers before me. I have revisited the history, the competing history and the contested histories in other speeches and in other ways. I particularly note that the Sunnybank RSL in my electorate a few years ago erected a memorial to the Australian-Chinese service personnel, not just in World War I but in other events. Chinese Australians were not classed as citizens, were not able to vote but went off and gave their life for this nation. We are also seeing the stories of Indigenous Australia who also had horrors visited upon them when they returned because they were not treated as Australian citizens and were not treated the same way when it came to handing out soldier settlements. Some of the stories are starting to emerge. I am looking forward to exploring with the Indian community in my electorate some of the stories that did not necessarily make the official histories but are stories that do exist, that are part of family histories and will be told in the years to come. I know that there were Muslim Australia that landed at Gallipoli and their stories will be told as well. Obviously it is important that we do not to say that there was one Gallipoli story; there were many Gallipoli stories. Especially as we now look into the Turkish archives, we are getting a more complete picture of what happened. There is no doubt the courage that was on display at Gallipoli on that first day, but, obviously, there are serious questions about the planning and the decisions that were made from that day. Obviously with history we can get things perfect when we look back as to what should have happened. Before becoming a politician, I was a lawyer but before that I was a school teacher. When I started teaching, the first play that I had to teach was The One Day of the Year by Alan Seymour, a play written in 1958. It will be familiar to many Australians. When that play was written, it was almost like the Anzac veterans got one day of the year where their courage was recognised. Here we are, 100 years on and you could not say that. In fact, the parliament dedicated money to setting up committees to make sure that their service is recognised—a great initiative and some great work done by the RSL and members of that committee in my electorate. So we cannot say these Anzacs, these diggers are only recognised one day of the year. Now their story is well and truly a part of the bigger Australian story. I think it is important to still learn the lessons from that play, The One Day of the Year—that is, to recognise the current ADF personnel or those that have only recently taken off the uniform. Because, as I am sure the member for Bass would attest, many of his colleagues do not necessarily end up in a comfortable position. We have seen stories in the paper of the significant numbers of homeless veterans, not just in the US but here in Australia, on the streets of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. While it is important to recognise what went on 100 years ago, I would suggest it is even more crucial that we lend a helping hand to those returned service personnel who have only recently taken off the uniform. I know the RSLs in my electorate recognise that many of these veterans are falling through the gap. The average age of RSL members is getting older and older because they are not getting the recent veterans, the veterans from East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq. We do need to do more as a nation to reach out a helping hand to those people. At Annerley when I made a speech on Anzac Day, a veteran—I will not name him—came up and said, 'Thank you for mentioning that in your speech.' He did two tours of duty to Afghanistan and he said, 'I have been written to three times by the government ever since I came back, and one of those times they misspelt my name.' I think the mood that he was voicing was that there was not a helping hand and support. I want to touch on one other personal element in concluding this speech, and that is from my family. When I am in Canberra, I stay with my Auntie Pat, and we were talking about this the other night. She was talking about her Uncle Jim. Her Uncle Jim died in World War I, so she never met him. That was her dad's brother, so my great-uncle, who died in World War I on 20 September 1917 in Belgium: James Alphonsus Morrissy. She was still using that term this week, talking about her Uncle Jim, the man that she had never met, but her dad always spoke about the Jim that he knew. Obviously, when people die in a family, that absence is always present. I had a sibling who died before I was born as well, and they are always present, even though they are absent. To hear my aunt this week talk about her Uncle Jim reminded me of how horrible it was for so many Australians. I have here the particulars for my great-uncle Jim Morrissy, James Alphonsus Morrissy, written in my mother's mother's handwriting. This is written by Ellen Morrissy, and that is my mum's name as well. Just looking through the writing, you can see the heartache that would have been in so many families because 52,000 did not come back, in a small nation—not to mention those who came back wounded; that is another story for another day. The absence of the 52,000 who did not come back changed the shape of Australia, I think. Every street had some heartache. Not every family but most families had someone who was affected. In fact, my great-grandmother says so here. The official form asks: Was he— Jim Morrissy— connected with any other Member of the A.I.F. who died or distinguished himself. (Please state Relationship) In her writing, she says: Uncle returned wounded and first cusin returned limless She misspells 'limbless'. My mum's last name is Morrissy, and that was a misspelling of Morrissey, because they were poor Irish. They knew their name but did not know how to spell it, so I joke that I am from a family of dyslexics. Here in her writing, with the same name as my mum, she talks about the aching heartache of missing her son. People have talked about the historical significance, but I think that individual families being affected did also shape the character of this nation, particularly in a volunteer army. Admittedly, there were two referendums that were close—about politicians deciding whether or not we should be able to have conscription—but that changed the shape of Australia. I particularly mention that note from my great-grandmother Ellen Morrissy. As I said, she had the same name as my mum, who passed away four years ago today. I commend all the previous speakers and all those that will come after in acknowledging the anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli. I thank the parliament for giving us time to so do. 11:48 Ms PLIBERSEK 83M Sydney Last month, as we do every year, we commemorated the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli. This year, the 100th anniversary, concentrated our minds most acutely on that war, on that campaign, on that bloody day. But we remembered also, as we always do, those who served and those who fell in other wars, and those who have returned, some much changed. Anzac Day has become, for Australia, the day each year when we mourn the lost and we honour those who have served, and all of those who still today serve, our nation in our armed forces. In the past few months, as we have marked the centenaries of so many milestones of that long-ago war—a war so savage and so all-consuming that it earned, for a while, the name 'the Great War'—we have all been reminded that for those who served, and for those who serve, war is not one day a year. One hundred years ago this week, burial parties were working on the Gallipoli peninsula to inter those men who died in the Krithia valley in the battle which raged from 6 to 8 May 1915. Their graves are unknown. They are among so many of the dead of that war whose final resting place is still not known to us. Their stories, so many stories, are not complete. It has been a hundred years, but there is still more for us to learn about those men, about those battles and about that war. And, for those who are buried somewhere in that Krithia area, our responsibility to them is not yet complete. We should aim to find those final resting places and to mark them appropriately. There is still more we owe to the men who lost their lives and to the families who lived with their loss, including laying our lost to rest with honour. One hundred years ago today, the brutal struggle on the Gallipoli peninsula was ongoing, and it would rage for many months more. The landing at Anzac Cove was Australia's first major involvement in a war which, in the following years, became known for that horrific waste of human life, for the suffering and slaughter on an industrial scale. But it was far from our last. The Gallipoli campaign was the bloodiest the world had then yet seen. The names, in English and in Turkish, of the landmarks of those battles tell the story: Hell Spit, the Ridge of Blood. In the years that followed, other names would become known for the horror and waste of war too: Verdun, Passchendaele, the Somme. But they and Gallipoli would be known too for the indomitable human spirit which can find a joke, a moment of beauty or a gesture of kindness even in such places and such times; for the poetry; for Simpson and his donkey; for the Christmas truce; and for the brief armistices on bloody battlefields to allow each side to bury and mourn their dead. The men who served in the Dardanelles and in the campaigns that followed have become legends in the century since, striding across our national imagination, bolder and braver than soldiers of other nations, laconic larrikins. But they were not legends then; they were something far greater than legends. They were ordinary men. They came from all around Australia. Some were born here, some born in other corners of the globe. Among them were the descendants of convicts and of currency lasses. Among them were immigrants and the children of immigrants from Scotland and Sweden, from Canada and China. And, despite the army rules designed to prevent indigenous Australians from enlisting, some among them were from our country's ancient and traditional custodians. Those Indigenous Australian Anzacs fought for a country that had little room for them and gave them little honour on their return. They fought also for the men, the mates, who were shoulder-to-shoulder with them among the shot and the shell. If their bravery and gallantry did not change the policies of government, it did change the minds of many men in the trenches with them, who saw them fighting and dying, as one white returned soldier would later write, 'like the grandest of white men'. The Anzacs were mostly not professional soldiers. They came from city streets, from stockyards and from suburbs, and it was to them that those who survived returned, many of them with wounds visible and invisible. Every city, every suburb, every country town has its cenotaph and its list of local sons who never came home. If Gallipoli united us as a nation, it united us in grief as well as pride. If Gallipoli is a defining moment in our nation's life, it is not because the men who fought and fell were larger-than-life, mythic heroes. Their courage to charge and to stand fast was the courage of men, not of myths, and all the greater for it. Their refusal to take anything too seriously—not themselves, not their suffering and certainly not authority—was quintessentially Australian. Their tender kindnesses to each other, their loyalty and their sacrifice gave us our finest model of an ideal of mateship—those mates on the beaches, in the trenches, from all walks of life, from all around Australia and from all around the world. Let us be inspired to not only admire them but to emulate them, to be as they were: their best selves even in the worst of times. 11:54 Mrs McNAMARA 241589 Dobell I rise to support the motion moved by the Prime Minister, the Hon. Tony Abbott, acknowledging the hundredth anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli. I stand in this parliament representing the electorate of Dobell, which only a couple of weeks ago turned out en masse to pay respects and honour our Anzacs. Local ceremonies witnessed record crowds as tens of thousands of locals attended dawn, morning and afternoon Anzac ceremonies. This attendance demonstrates the significance of the legend and spirit of the Anzacs. A century ago, young Australians forged a legacy that has stood the test of time. On 25 April 1915, during the predawn hours, members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Gaba Tepe, now known as Anzac Cove. This landing was part of a larger strategy to provide support to Russia against a German attack. The landing at Gallipoli was designed to block any Turkish retreat from the south, as well as reinforcements that were advancing from the north. History will remember that it was a doomed strategy. The landing quickly deteriorated into a long and terrible day. This day quickly became a week, then a month, and did not cease until the evacuation of our troops was completed on 20 December 1915. 8,141 Australians paid the ultimate sacrifice. The Anzacs we lost joined more than 40,000 British Empire and French troops and 85,000 Turks who all paid the ultimate sacrifice. This was a horrific loss of human life, a toll that our young nation had never experienced before. In total, 417,000 men volunteered and enlisted to fight in the first Australian Imperial Force. In 1914, Australia's population was 4.9 million. Australia's casualty rate was almost 65 per cent, with more than 61,000 killed in action and a further 155,000 wounded in action. On the Gallipoli battlefield the Anzac legend was born—a legend of courage, mateship and sacrifice. As Australians, we each remember and reflect upon the spirit of Anzac and on those who served Australia throughout the Great War. My family remembers private Ernest Marshall Baskerville, my husband John's late great-uncle. Ernest was a farmer from Quirindi in New South Wales. On 11 December 1915, he departed Australia from Sydney on board RMS Mooltan as a member of the 1st Infantry Battalion, 9th to 12th Reinforcements. In September 1917, Ernst was injured at the Battle of Polygon Wood in France. A month later, in October, Ernest Marshall Baskerville died of his wounds at Le Treport in the north-west of France. Ernest Marshall Baskerville's story is just one of 5,770 Australians who were killed at the Battle of Polygon Wood, and it is just one of the 61,000 stories of Australians who paid the ultimate sacrifice during World War I. I recall visiting Ernest's grave some years ago, and as I paid my respects in the small cemetery I was touched by the ages of those whose final resting place is half a world away from home, and as a mother I grieved for the mothers who never saw their sons' final resting place. The thought of your child heading off to war and leaving behind their family, never to return, is a hard one to fathom. The war and its consequences penetrated all corners of Australia. Private Hector Philip Crane was born and lived in Wyong. Hector was a 23-year-old labourer who took the oath to join the army on 11 May 1915. He was appointed private of the Liverpool Depot 9th Reinforcements, 13th Battalion. On 15 March 1917, Hector was wounded in action when serving his nation in France. He died of his wounds a few days later and was buried at Dernancourt Communal Cemetery in France. Hector Philip Crane was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal and qualified for the Memorial Plaque and Memorial War Roll. On Anzac Day 100 years on from the landing at Gallipoli, the Central Coast community joined together to remember the sacrifice of those Australians before them. Services at The Entrance, Toukley, Ourimbah and Wyong saw record attendance and demonstrated the resilience of our community, who had endured a testing week, impacted by storms and floods. An estimated 10,000 people flocked to Memorial Park in The Entrance and, as the dawn broke, we remembered the sacrifice that today allows us the opportunity to live in such a welcoming community. As I attended various services I heard inspirational stories of courage and sacrifice. The tales were shared by young and old—from school students whose great-grandfathers had landed on the shores of Gallipoli to returned servicemen who had left mates behind on the battlefields of Vietnam. The importance of the legacy of the Anzacs was appreciated by all who took the time to reflect on the good fortune of modern Australia. Services throughout Dobell saw students from many of our local schools pay their respects, thanking the Anzacs for the world they are growing up in today. I was particularly proud of the number of young students who attended local services, eager to learn more of the Anzac legend and to pay their respects. In the week following Anzac Day I was contacted by Kerry Wellham, Principal of Brooke Avenue Public School, with a special tale of two young Australians. The story came from Len Blundell, Vice-President of the Tuggerah Lakes National Servicemen's Association. Each year Len and his wife, Gwen, hand out rosemary sprigs to those in attendance at The Entrance morning ceremony. This year Gwen was approached by two young boys—TJ McMahon and Nathan Hughes—who offered to help hand out the rosemary to those arriving at the service. The boys said that they had also been at the dawn service and had waited at The Entrance all morning in order to attend a second service. Their willingness to attend both services illustrates their respect and interest in the history of Anzac and the significance of the commemoration. Both boys were extremely polite and are a credit to their parents and our community through their good manners and willingness to help. This story confirmed to me that the Anzac spirit is still alive and the sacrifice of the Anzacs will be remembered long past this year's centenary commemorations. I would also like to share the story of the Redfern Aboriginal Anzac Day commemoration held each year by the Aboriginal community to honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women and those who served in non-military support roles. This year the march was led by members of the Glen Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre in Dobell. The march not only recognises the original Anzacs who served at Gallipoli and on the Western Front but also commemorates more than a century of service by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women. Respect is also paid to the women and other family who kept Indigenous families and communities together while loved ones were far away and after they returned. Across our community, regardless of race, religion or background, we joined together to commemorate Anzac. For many the terror of war is incomprehensible; however, this does not prevent us as Australians from honouring those who gave their tomorrow for our today. I would like to particularly thank my local RSL sub-branches along with the Dobell Centenary of Anzac Committee, whose efforts over the past year enabled our community to unite and pay homage to the Anzacs. Since my election I have had the great pleasure of working with local RSL sub-branches, historical societies, surf clubs and Wyong Shire Council to ensure the Dobell community is well represented and benefits through the array of commemorative activities. The Dobell Centenary of Anzac Committee considered many exceptional proposals that captured both the significance of the centenary and the importance of community involvement in the commemoration. In the lead-up to Anzac Day I had the opportunity to see these projects come to fruition, including Toukley RSL Sub-branch's commemorative plaques at local schools, commemorative medallions for local school students provided by The Entrance Long Jetty RSL Sub-branch and the Wyong Family History Group's historical banners that depict the history of locals who fought for Australia in World War I. I congratulate members of the Soldiers Beach surf-lifesaving community who marked Anzac Day by participating in a commemorative row through the Dardanelles, around the Gallipoli Peninsula and finishing south of Anzac Cove. The boat they used was donated to the Turkish surf-lifesaving movement as a gift from the Soldiers Beach surf-lifesaving community. Then there are the Wyong Shire Council's Centenary of Anzac flags, which are proudly flying above roads of The Entrance, Long Jetty, Toukley and Wyong and above Tuggerah Straight, and the Tuggerah Lakes marching band commemorative shirts for their performance at The Entrance morning service. As I meet with local community groups, school students and other members of our community I am reminded of our community's determination to honour the Anzac spirit and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to provide our freedom. Our local RSL sub-branches and I were united in our determination to make the Centenary of Anzac a commemoration for all ages. We are so fortunate here in Australia to live free of the horrors of war. We must never forget the sacrifice and loss experienced to obtain such freedom. As it is our duty and responsibility to honour and remember the Anzac spirit, it will be our children's responsibility to inspire future generations of Australians to keep the eternal flame alight and the spirit forever in our thoughts. I am extremely proud to be working with a community passionate and dedicated to ensuring the Centenary of Anzac is commemorated by all. I would like to personally thank the members of the Dobell Anzac centenary committee for their time and assistance in ensuring our local community benefited from the best possible projects to mark the Centenary of Anzac. I would also like to thank the many members of the local organisations who volunteered their time to develop these projects on behalf of the broader community. The characteristics and qualities of the Anzacs live on in today's Defence Force men and women who proudly serve our nation. Since my election I have had the absolute pleasure of participating in the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program. The program provided me with a unique opportunity to obtain a practical understanding of the workings of the Australian Defence Force. This year I travelled to the Middle East to visit troops in the UAE and Afghanistan. My visit reinforced my belief that we are truly blessed to call Australia home. I am in awe of the professionalism, commitment and dedication of the men and women of our Defence Force. On behalf of the Dobell community and all Australians I acknowledge their commitment to ensuring we maintain our freedoms. I also acknowledge their sacrifice through being deployed and away from their families and friends and applaud them for their courage, dedication and service to Australia. During one of our local Anzac services this year Eric Bogle's And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda was recited. One of the most moving lines from it reads: But as year follows year, more old men disappear. Some day no one will march there at all. It is our duty as Australians to ensure that the sacrifice of our Anzacs and those who followed in their footsteps are remembered. We owe the success of our great nation to the Anzac spirit. We owe our freedom to the Anzac spirit. A minute silence will never be enough to pay our ultimate respect and gratitude to those who gave their tomorrow for our today. For their sacrifice we are eternally grateful. We will remember them. Lest we forget. 12:07 Ms MacTIERNAN L6P Perth This Anzac Centenary has been quite an extraordinary experience for this country. There is no doubt that every community needs stories. We need stories, we need legends and we need those things that bind us and create a sense of shared endeavour and a notion of us being together as we go forward. This is particularly important in an immigrant society. We are a community that has a lot of diverse history. We come together from all different parts of the world. We as Australians need to have a very strong collective identity in order for us to develop that real sense of common purpose that is going to be absolutely essential for us to make a society that is strong, good and create opportunity for all. There is no doubt that the Anzac story and, indeed, the story of the First World War has been an important part in developing a shared story and a collective identity. I want us to think very carefully about the nature of this story. What are the true lessons and messages that we should be taking from the story? What are the messages are lessons that we can take from that that will ensure that the Anzac legend, the Anzac story and the story of the endeavour of the First World War remain truly relevant and accessible to all of the community and do not become something that has the potential to become exclusive, that this story is not told in such a way that will alienate some of the community and create a sense of division and separateness? There have been some incredibly positive ways in which this story has been told, and I think there have been ways in which this whole endeavour has been commemorated that, in my view, have been less helpful in doing the job that needs to be done. I started my Anzac exploration, I suppose like all Australians of my vintage, growing up with a lot of stories of Simpson and his donkey, with the Anzac endeavour being very much woven into our primary school history. But it was not until I was around 13 and I discovered CEW Bean's history of the Great War at the library that I really came to have an understanding of what this war was all about. When I read Robert Graves's Good-bye to all that at the age of 15, I began to see that perhaps some of the stories that we had heard about this war may have been somewhat simplistic. I think it is important to remember that when the horror of this war was still raw in the hearts of Australians—CEW Bean acknowledged this when speaking to veterans in 1931—most of the community wanted 'to obliterate all memory of the Great War, cut it out of their consciousness, if that were possible'. For many, many decades this was not a war to be celebrated; this was a war that had entrenched within it a great tragedy. It was a demonstration that there was perhaps somewhat of a reckless disregard for the lives of ordinary soldiers and ordinary people, a preparedness to keep a war going for a very long time without there being a true understanding of the absolute horror that was being perpetrated on those men who were fighting in the trenches, on those nurses who were there supporting them in a field hospitals and on families across Australia. I am sure I am not the only person who is always profoundly moved when I go to a tiny town that has a war memorial. On those war memorials are so many names. These war memorials often seem to me to be, as they glitter with quartz, to be the crystallised tears of so many families, wives, girlfriends, fathers and mothers who lost their loved ones. The cataclysmic nature of a population of something less than five million losing 61,000 men, and with somewhere in excess of 110,000 men returning to their land in a damaged and injured form, is beyond our comprehension today. I do not think in all of this commemoration that we should be forgetting that. I do not think we should be forgetting the need to critique how this war was allowed to begin but, more importantly, how this war was allowed to extend for the amount of time that it did. We should reflect on whether or not enough critique was being given at that time to the fairness and justice of perpetrating this level of chaos within these communities. I really do think it is absolutely important that we are prepared to critique this war, that this does not become a holy war. It is essential, however, that in doing that we learn the extraordinary lessons that came from that war: the celebration of the character of those Australians who fought in the Great War and those characteristics that they showed there, setting a standard for courage, endurance, humanity and good humour. Despite all of the horrors that they were confronted with on a daily basis, their ability to nevertheless see humour was quite extraordinary. I think these are great role models for Australians today. We do not have to praise this war and we do not have to believe that this was a war that was fundamentally fought for freedom to admire, respect and draw inspiration from the way in which those Australians conducted themselves during that war. I know this at a very personal level, and this may sound a bit naff. During the very difficult times—my first four years of building the Perth to Mandurah rail line when it was under a lot of criticism—sometimes I used to think I cannot keep going, but I would think about those men on the Somme who stayed in those horrific circumstances year after year. My thought was that if they can do that, I can do this thing which was infinitely less hard than what they did. I say to our school students, think about this. Do not talk about this war in terms of this protecting our freedom; talk about this war in the way in which these men and women conducted themselves. Draw inspiration from that, and you can use that in your everyday life. This is not something that needs to be confined to the battlefield. I want to also acknowledge the people involved in our community in commemorating these great events, and my Anzac committee that was made up of Peter Farrell, the president of the Highgate RSL, historian Lenore Layman and Councillor Reece Harley from the City of Perth. I think we have put together a good program; hopefully there is more to come. We have had a rebuild of the Bassendean War Memorial. We have had a fantastic play written, The Dreaming Hill, which has been performed both in Perth and in Albany. Again, I think this has been a very important occasion. Let us hope that we do not hear talk of Christian martyrs, as unfortunately was a reference at one of our events, but rather that we see this as a story that celebrates the great Australian character, that character, as Sir John Monash, our great and distinguished general, said, that emerged from the democratic traditions that we enjoy, that emerged from the education system that encourages independence and freedom of thought. It is a really important celebration. I want to thank all of those in our community who were involved in this commemoration. Let us hope that we can make sure this is a story that will drive us forward for the next 100 years. Thank you. 12:18 Ms MARINO HWP Forrest I am very moved to speak on the centenary of Anzac. Late last year, I had the honour of laying a wreath for Australia at Tyne Cot cemetery in Belgium, the largest Commonwealth war memorial in the world, where there are 1,360 Australian graves, 791 of those are unidentified—those as on the inscription, 'Known only unto God.' This has the most Australian burials in the world with graves representing all but two of the 60 infantry battalions of the Australian 5th Division. Tyne Cot lies on ground captured by the Australian 3rd Division in 1917 during the Battle of Broodseinde. These are the Flanders fields, where between August and November 1917 five Australian divisions suffered 38,000 casualties—the most ever in any war. As I walked down the row upon row of crosses, I was struck by how young so many of these men were. I was given little wooden crosses to place near these gravestones which had handwritten messages on them from Australian children. What a wonderful tribute from today to those men of the past, from young children so far away in Australia showing their respect. Beside the remnant of a German pillbox lies the grave of Captain Clarence Smith Jefferies, who received a posthumous VC for his bravery at Passchendaele. His epitaph is very eloquent. It reads: 'On fame's eternal camping ground, their silent tents are spread.' Standing amongst the headstones, it makes you feel as though this applies to every grave—their silent tents. I also visited the Polygon Wood cemetery, the site of the Australian 5th Division memorial. This came at great cost—there are over 2,000 headstones in this cemetery. I was particularly struck by the headstone of Lieutenant Harold Roland Hill of the 25th AIF battalion, killed on 4 October 1970 at just 22. This wonderful Australian character, the strength that we acknowledge and celebrate as part of our Anzacs, had on his headstone the words of his last letter that he was due to send home to his mother. It reads: 'I'm all right, Mother, cheerio.' That is what he sent to her from that horrendous battlefield. I also had the privilege of meeting the Menin Gate buglers, the group of volunteers who play the last post every evening at 8 pm in Ypres. They have done this since 1928—silent only during World War II. It has been played over 30,000 times. One of the buglers was a very senior gentleman, as you would expect. I said to him, 'What a huge commitment you and your wonderful group of volunteers have made, playing the last post every day.' He looked at me very seriously—I will never forget it—and said: 'The Germans were determined to destroy our nation and our people.' I will never forget this; he said: 'All we are and all we have is because of Australians' blood on our soil.' I will never forget this comment, and I would ask every Australian not to forget this comment, because each one of those young men lying in those graves had a family and friends who loved them—families who, to this day, have made a huge sacrifice, as well. My mother was a World War II widow. Her husband was killed in New Guinea. So I understand exactly, as do my two beautiful older sisters, what that sacrifice is and why the respect shown by the Menin Gate buglers is so important to the families of those who lie in those graves. They, like my mother, probably waved their husbands and sons off on a train. For Mum, it was the girl who worked in the local post office who rode her pushbike out to the farm to tell my mother her husband had been killed. This is why Anzac Day is so important. As my sister said, they did not need Anzac Day to remember. For them, it was real every day that they did not have a father. This is why the record number of Australians at Anzac services is so important. That is what we saw this year—like the number who attended the dawn service at Kingston Primary School. Each child in the school had made a ceramic poppy, and we had this beautiful glow from these poppies in a leaf pattern on the ground. Every child made a poppy; what respect that is. Record numbers of people attended the dawn service in Harvey. There was a beautiful, respectful silence—that is all I can call it—at the new Harvey War Memorial. Record numbers of people attended the Brunswick service. There was standing room only, with 450 people in a tiny little community hall. The same happened in Bunbury at their service. Well done to all of our RSLs and to the Australian people who came out in numbers to show their respect. I want to acknowledge that my own grandfather fought in World War I. He came home deafened by gunfire. There was probably family after family all around Australia who had someone with this experience—people who were wounded in battle and who came home with a range of conditions they never went away with. There are those who lie in graves at Tyne Cot and Polygon Wood and in so many theatres all around the world where Australians have seen service. This year was particularly special and I wish that my mother had been alive to see it. She had, for 60 years, been the only person in Brunswick who laid a floral tribute even when there was no service. I would drive past and see that little bunch of flowers from her garden every year. It was an extraordinary commitment and, as a result, my family gets to lay the very first wreath at Brunswick every year. I want to finish with the Ode of Remembrance. It is so special to all of us. The poem was written by Laurence Binyon. It was first published in The Times in London in 1914. It has been recited at ceremonies since 1919. I think we all know that, but there are parts of it we may not know. They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. Lest we forget. 12:26 Ms KING 00AMR Ballarat I too want to join with the many voices in this parliament to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings—the Centenary of Anzac. It is incumbent on all of us in this place that we do so on behalf on the hundreds of men and women from our constituencies who left for those fateful shores, many of whom were never to return home. On behalf of the people of Ballarat and their descendants I make this speech. Anzac Day this year marked the centenary, but centenary commemorations have occurred a lot earlier than this, with 2014 commemorating the first disembarkation and the first people enlisting. It is really important to remember that these commemorations will go on for several years to come because the war went on for several years; it was not just one day. Many who went did think it was going to be over by Christmas, but it was not. It was a war that changed the course of this world's history and the course of the personal lives of many of the people we represent. In reflecting on the centenary commemorations I want to congratulate the many communities, large and small, across the electorate of Ballarat for the respect and the beauty with which they have commemorated this. There were schoolchildren putting poppies over the entire avenue. There is a fantastic new memorial at Navigators, and Bungaree has done the same; as has Yandoit, a very small community with very small numbers of volunteers. They have pulled together new memorials that did not exist before. They have come and restored old memorials, many of which were forgotten. They drilled for hundreds and hundreds of hours to find the stories of local men and women and to record them—not only to record them but to make sure they stay part of the commemorations for all of those communities for years to come. Ballan had a fantastic exhibition in the RSL Hall where schoolchildren were asked to reflect on what it might have been like to leave and to farewell parents, and to write letters to those parents. It is not often when you are funding a road project that you get to commemorate such a historic event. Unfortunately, in the 1980s, when we were busily building new highways, we cut the Ballarat Avenue of Honour and left a part of the avenue forgotten for over 20 or 30 years. The funding for the Western Highway duplication, the extra $1 million—and I want to acknowledge that the member for Grayndler was very good as minister in putting this forward—has allowed us to re-open a railway crossing to reconnect the lost part of the avenue. The Avenue of Honour and the Arch of Victory that commences the Avenue of Honour in Ballarat, were paid for through fundraising by the local community, by the 'Lucas Girls'—lovely women who decided after the war that we had to have our own avenue. That that avenue stands to this day as one of the longest and most beautiful avenues of honour in the country. I am so proud of the many events that occurred across my electorate. There was the fantastic book by Gary Snowden, a local amateur historian who literally walked for hours and hours the entire Ballarat old and new cemeteries finding graves and headstones that had any mark or connection with World War I and then researched meticulously the history of all of those men and some women. They Answered Their Country's Call is a terrific book for anyone who has ancestors in Ballarat from World War I or to start a research into whether you have an ancestor in one of the cemeteries who had a connection with Anzac. Whether it be the commemorations in Trentham and Buninyong, from Miner's Rest to Bacchus Marsh, they absolutely have done us proud, and I want to thank my community for that. But the thing that is so important about these commemorations are the connections. It is about the connections with people, and I think the commemorations have richly delved into those histories and what it has meant for individuals. I want to share a little story about our family's connection. Our family does not know whether we have anybody in our family tree who served in World War I. That is a history of our family that we will try to rectify. But I went to a Victorian talk by former Premier Ted Baillieu, who was at that stage leading the Victorian commemorations for Anzac, and one of the projects that former Premier Baillieu talked about was a project that the ADFA school has done, which is called the AIF Project. It is a very simple project. If you Google the AIF Project and you know that you live in a house that is over 100 years old—as I do—you can enter the details of your address and see whether someone who lived in your house enlisted in World War I. I went to this talk and I thought, 'I must do that'. I got home at about midnight and my husband and I were sitting up in bed and I got the IPad out and thought I would just Google it. It was an extraordinary feeling to suddenly see pop up our address in Ballarat with the name John Lawrence Simpson—who, to the day that I was looking at it, had enlisted in the AIF and was part of the first disembarkation from Australia. I would like to talk very briefly about John. John lived at the house that I now call home. But, like so many of his generation, he answered the call to arms and joined the tens of thousands of Australians who now lie forever in a foreign field. He was just 22 years of age when he enlisted in the AIF on 18 August 1914, and he was among the first to enlist in Ballarat in the original 8th Battalion. Just one month later, on 19 October 1914, he sailed with the first contingent embarking from Melbourne on board Transport A24 Benalla. Like many of those who rushed to enlist, he first saw action at Gallipoli, fighting through the entire campaign from landing to evacuation as a private, corporal and finally a sergeant. He also fought at the Ferry Post and Tel El Kebin. After surviving Gallipoli, Simpson gained a commission as an officer and went to France with the 60th Battalion. It was there that he was wounded and invalided home. The battle is known as Fromelles. In a 24-hour period across 19 and 20 July, Australian troops suffered around 5½ thousand casualties in that disastrous attempt to break the German lines—and John was there. By any measure, John Simpson had done his bit. He had, against the odds, survived both Gallipoli and the Western Front, been wounded and then repatriated. Amazingly, he decided to re-enlist, and in July 1917 he sailed once more form Port Melbourne—this time for the last time. On 26 April 1918 he was killed at Villers-Bretonneux in France—a very important battle in the war. John was only 25 years old when he died. He was a young man who shared the corridors and the rooms of the house that my family now live in and he went to the same primary school that my son now attends. There were six young men from the street that I live in in Ballarat who enlisted—some of them on the same day as John. John served under Pompey Elliott, who was a fine Ballarat man. It was said of John: During the preliminary advance at Villers-Bretonneux, East of Amiens, on the night of 24th/25th April 1918, this Officer rendered valuable assistance in the consolidation of the line. He then went out on patrol and rushed an enemy machine gun post containing several of the enemy. The patrol, which was under machine gun fire from two other enemy posts had two wounded and one killed This officer, and 4 men approached the position where he lay. He shot the officer and two men. At nightfall he rejoined his own lines, bringing his wounded in with him. He was 14 hours in this post under continuous machine gun fire. At a later stage in the operations this gallant officer was killed by enemy shell. Looking at John's records, you see the incredible impact that this had on his family. Since we learned about John, we have been trying to trace some of his family to invite them to our home, but it looks as though he does not have any surviving ancestors. The family lived in the house until the 1970s. On looking at John's war record, right up until his brother was in his late sixties he was still sending letters to the Department of Defence to find out more about John. His two sisters never married and they continued to live in our house until the 1970s. You can see the extraordinary impact that this would have had on the family. So I want to encourage everybody who lives in a house or on land that is over 100 years old to look up the AIF Project, because it is those connections to the real men and women who left from our neighbourhoods and suburbs, who walked the hallways and lived in the homes that we live in, that will mean that we will forever remember the sacrifice that they made. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 207800 I thank the member for her interesting contribution and give the call to the member for Murray. 12:36 Dr STONE EM6 Murray It is a privilege and an honour to be able to speak in this great parliament of Australia on the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli. We would not have the democracy that we have today if it had not been for the extraordinary valour and sacrifice of our serving men and women through the wars that we have engaged in since the turn of the 20th century. I have to say that in my electorate I am extraordinarily proud of this year's work—and it will go on for several years to come—in remembering those who enlisted in the First World War. We are a rural, regional community, so we had a bigger proportion of men, and some women as nurses, volunteering compared to urban areas. There were, in fact, seven Victoria Cross awardees from my electorate of Murray. One was awarded his Victoria Cross in the Boer War, but that particular recipient, our magnificent Maygar, was also an enlistment in the First World War. Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Maygar from Euroa served bravely. He was wounded in the Battle of Beersheba after being on Gallipoli peninsula, and that is where he is buried, in a cemetery in Israel. He was the last of the officers to evacuate the Australian troops off Gallipoli and he made the comment that he did that without losing an Australian, but it was a shame that there had not been that level of efficiency and effectiveness during the campaign. I want to describe our seven Victoria Cross awardees. Sadly, only three survived the war. There was Captain Frederick Tubb from Longwood. He survived the Lone Pine battle at Gallipoli, where he won the Victoria Cross, only to be killed in Belgium. He is buried in Belgium. His dear mate, also from Euroa, Corporal Alexander Stewart Burton, who has no known grave at Lone Pine, was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. Those two men showed extraordinary valour. One of the tragedies of the First World War was that when men—often brothers or cousins, even fathers and sons—enlisted, they were very often given consecutive numbers and sent to the same brigade and the same unit; so if they were sent on a suicidal mission, such as at the Nek at Gallipoli or at Lone Pine, they all died together. The tragedy of my electorate of Murray is that there are tiny, beautifully kept surviving cairns—or sometimes bigger cairns in places that are now just districts where there is no town left at all—and memorials listing the two and three brothers who died at the same shocking episode or within days of one other. I cannot imagine the horror of the families receiving the first information, then the second, then the third that three of their sons had been killed. That is not an uncommon experience of the First World War in the small district communities. Another First World War Victoria Cross awardee from Murray was Lieutenant Frank McNamara from Rushworth. He was in the infant Air Force. He had an extraordinary show of courage when he landed his plane—he had been wounded himself—and rescued a fellow airman in his own small plane that had been downed behind enemy lines. He could not get the other person's plane working again. He rushed back to his own plane and, despite his injuries, managed to get this airman into his plane and rescue him, all behind enemy lines and under fire. Lieutenant Frank McNamara survived the war, extraordinarily, and went on to have a brilliant career in the Air Force and in the Second World War. He became an Air Vice Marshal in World War II and finally died in Britain in 1961. Then there is my great uncle, Albert Chalmers-Borella, Victoria Cross awardee, who grew up around Boort. He also miraculously survived the war. He was a mate of Albert Jacka, our seventh Victoria Cross winner, who was also from the same area. I will come back to Lance Corporal Albert Jacka, because he was the icon or pin-up boy for recruitment in the First World War. He was an extraordinary man. The general opinion of the day was that he should have been awarded two Victoria Crosses. He was an extraordinary man who sadly died of his injuries at the age of 39. He died trying to improve the lot of the veterans, the returned First World War soldiers. Finally, let me mention, amongst our Murray electorate Victoria Cross recipients, Private Robert Mactier, who is buried in France. He received his Victoria Cross posthumously. He was from Tatura, a small town not far from Shepparton. He carried out an extraordinary deed of courage in the face of enemy fire, taking out machine-gun posts, going from post to post before he was finally killed at the third machine-gun post under enemy fire. We are so proud of our seven Victoria Cross winners in Murray. I have produced a booklet which gives their citations in full and describes their lives. But of course, we must remember all of our first World War I veterans, the survivors of the war and the volunteers who never came back. We must remember that the losses decimated some districts to the point where they never recovered as district entities. I mention places like Maloga and Prairie—tiny little places that lost a generation. And then we must remember that their sisters never married—there were not the numbers of men returning for them. Their fiances had been killed, or they never had the chance to marry. They were often called maiden aunts or spinsters—that was the terminology of the era. 'Spinster' is an unkind term, I think, but there were so many maiden aunts of that generation. I need to refer to the fact that it was not just a case of the half million volunteers who went off to the First World War from our tiny nation of just four million people. We acknowledge them, of course. There were an extraordinary number who never came back. But the toll on the returning men's mental and physical health continued unabated, with many experiencing trauma well after the war. I want to refer to the words of Albert Jacka, that great Victoria Cross winner. In 1929, he said: Whenever you see four returned soldiers, you should think of one more soldier who did not return. Out of those four who returned, three were wounded at least twice. I do not think that the public takes into account the tremendous effect that the war had upon men who returned. More than 22,000 soldiers have died since their return, and this is some indication of the terrible effects. Thus, when you see a returned soldier in court, or 'down and out', do not judge him too harshly, but remember the terrible experiences through which he has passed. Let me remind us: in 1930 30,000 Australian returned servicemen had died since the Armistice—30,000! That is approximately seven returned service soldiers dying every day. And when you think about those seven dying every day into the twenties and the thirties in Australia, you have to think of their wives, their mothers and fathers and their sisters and brothers who nursed and cared for those returned men—mostly men. Families looked after their appalling physical injuries and the stress and trauma that they were trying to survive emotionally. There were so many suicides. Amongst the Victoria Cross awardees—I will not mention his name—was a Western Australian awardee. He was in desperate financial straits and went to pawn his Victoria Cross in a pawn shop. He was offered 10 shillings, so he shot himself—tragic! The good thing is that the Western Australian media said at the time that this was a courageous soldier who died for his country. They did not reflect on the sad loss that he had taken his own life in such desperate circumstances. Remember the stretcher-bearer, born in Ireland—a Victoria Cross recipient who died in a straitjacket 15 years after the war, never having recovered from the fact that for four days he was out bringing wounded back from no man's land on the Western Front. It was four days without rest and it broke him physically and emotionally. He ended his days in a very unhelpful mental institution in Victoria, a great Victoria Cross awardee. And the great Pompey Elliott, who took his own life at the age of 65. It is those sorts of impacts. I do not think that I need to remind people about the horrors of war, but we need to remember the sacrifice those extraordinary men and the 2,000 nurses contributed as volunteers to make our country great. Their character is what we now embrace as the ideal for all good Australians. I will never forget my grandfather, Alfred Hayward Thomas Bawden MM of the great 4th Light Horse of northern Victoria, who died too young in his early sixties. Lest we ever forget. 12:46 Mr MARLES HWQ Corio With your indulgence, Mr Deputy Speaker, before I just acknowledge Matthew Kinnia, who is a student at Western Heights College in my electorate. He is in parliament this week as part of the Rotary Adventures in Citizenship program. Matthew, it is fantastic to see you here and it is a great pleasure for me to have you in the advisers box. Anzac Day this year was a genuinely remarkable day. As I attended the predawn service at the Geelong Peace Memorial in Johnstone Park at quarter past four there were literally thousands of Geelong citizens who had been there for some time, waiting to be a part of this first service of this remarkable day. From there many were going to the dawn services that happened in Portarlington, in Lara and in Norlane. And many in my electorate would have gone to the incredible dawn services in the neighbouring electorate of Corangamite—in Torquay and in places like Queenscliff. There were literally thousands—tens of thousands—of people in Geelong who were commemorating this day on a grand scale, and it was wonderful to see. It raises the question about the meaning of Anzac Day, which I believe has become something much greater now than it was even 20 years ago. We have seen the phenomenon of an increasing number of people participating in Anzac Day events. I think it does behove us to think about what this phenomenon is and the significance of Anzac Day. It is, of course, the way in which Australia commemorates its 'veterans' day', if you like. It commemorates the service and the sacrifice of those who have served our nation in armed conflict. We have heard so many wonderful speeches in this place and, indeed, around the country about that service. I think that as a way in which we commemorate the service of veterans, that we do this in as dignified and respectful a manner as any nation in the world. I think it also tells the particular story of the place that World War I has within our nation's history. It was a conflict which, as many have remarked, occurred very early on in our nation's life. From a population of just under five million people it saw 417,000 people enlist for service—156,000 of whom were injured, including my grandfather, and 60,000 of whom lost their lives. For a young nation to experience that kind of sacrifice so early on in its existence placed upon us a firing of the soul that has left an indelible mark which is with us to this day. We can see the traces of that mark when we go to any town or village in this country which has more than 50 or 60 people in it: there is there a monument particularly to those who served and lost their lives in the First World War. Our consciousness and our identity were formed very much within the experiences of that conflict. This leads then to the other aspect of Anzac Day which very much is about our nation's identity. Former General David Hurley, a former chief of our Defence Force, remarked in Martin Place in Sydney on Anzac Day that those Anzacs who participated in the First World War—their deeds during that time—did much more to forge our national identity than did the acts around the time of federation. I think that is a very acute observation and that it is absolutely true. The way in which Australians behaved and performed in those adverse circumstances was the first time that we had presented ourselves to the world as Australians and we did so in a way which demonstrated such great honour. It demonstrated resilience and it demonstrated a camaraderie which was remarked upon by all those who looked upon the way in which Australians engaged in their work—camaraderie by officers and privates. There was an egalitarianism in the way in which we did what we did. We were tough; those Anzacs were remarkably tough. This element comes through in so many of the histories around the First World War—a sense of humour in the face of adversity. I think all of those characteristics are what we all think it is to be an Australian—that is what it means to be one of us, and it is why this day is so important for us. In many respects, for me, I think it is now our national day. It really is the day on which we celebrate what it is to be an Australian, as bearing those characteristics which were first put on display to the world by those remarkable Anzacs. Identity matters and, in understanding our identity, knowing our history matters. I particularly want to tell the story of one of the Centenary of Anzac grants which I was able to participate in, which was in respect of the township of Lara in the north of my electorate. In Lara there were just over 100 people who enlisted in the First World War; 24 of them died. It was a very high casualty rate compared to the overall casualty rate. Very soon after that, in 1918, one of the very first avenues of honour to be planted anywhere in Australia. It was a circle of sugar gums around the main oval at the Lara football ground. Research was done by the Lara RSL—Bruce Challoner did fantastic work to discover this history—and a monument was paid for out of the Centenary of Anzac grants, and it now tells the story of five of the remaining sugar gums. They were part of the first avenue of honour within our region and one of the first within our country. In doing that, a piece of local history has been reclaimed. We can remember the fact that those trees were planted by people who did not know those 24 soldiers simply as names on a roll but knew them as their brothers, sons and husbands. The people who planted those trees knew them personally and they cared, and those trees a hundred years from now will be remembered for the reason they were planted. I think that is a wonderful thing. In telling that story, I really want to commend the Centenary of Anzac grants because it allowed us to do similar monuments within my electorate, as all members will have in theirs. For me, it was with the Geelong football club in St Leonards. For our children looking forward it was at schools like St John's Lutheran School and North Shore Primary School. Both have put memorials in their schools so that kids coming through will know, through their history, their identity so that they know the community to which they have been born and they understand that they are a part of something which is bigger than themselves. Finally, for me, my personal identity and my story is imbedded in the context of Gallipoli and Lieutenant Leo Pearce. He was my great uncle who landed on Gallipoli at 8 am on 25 April 1915, within four hours of the very first landings. He was a stretcher bearer who went on to win a distinguished conduct medal on the Western Front, and his brother, my grandfather, served on the Western Front as well and was awarded a military cross. The two of them at a point in time met on the Western Front. Leo was in Gallipoli on the original Anzac day. On the same day, the grandfather of my dearest friend John Hamdi Eren, the current Victorian Minister for Sport and the member for Lara—which is a seat that sits at a state level within my seat of Corio—was there but in the forces of Mustafa Kemal, fighting to defend his homeland. If they could have spoken to each other on that day—they were within the vicinity of each other—and could have known that two generations down the track their descendants would be the best of friends and colleagues representing the Labor Party in different parliaments in this country, what an extraordinary conversation that would have been. It says so much about the special relationship which exists between Australian and Turkey, born out of conflict and, in that sense, a relationship which I think is unlike any other between two countries in the world. It says a lot to me about the significance of this particular conflict, the significance of that relationship and the significance of Gallipoli and the First World War to our nation's history and about who we are. In that, I absolutely want to add my words to say lest we forget. 12:57 Mr PITT 148150 Hinkler It is with a great sense of pride that I rise to speak about the Centenary of Anzac and the contribution of the people of Hinkler to the Great War and other conflicts. I grew up in the Hinkler region hearing stories about the courage, relentlessness and sheer bloody-mindedness of our old people. It was not until I got older myself that I understood the enormity of the loss and the injuries both physical and psychological they received and lived with. Their generation understood sacrifice in a way that I hope my children never have to. The Centenary of Anzac is an opportunity to reflect on the significant contribution the people of Hinkler made to the Great War and how that fateful day in 1915 shaped our region. Before WWI, Bundaberg Base Hospital had 16 beds to service a community of just 9,000 people. Hervey Bay was little more than a collection of small seaside villages. Men had an average life expectancy of just 55 years and women 58 years. Sugar mills were relatively new and the region also had several juice mills. Locals often talk about how during the Great War the Wide Bay Burnett region was thought to have lost more of its young men per head of population than any other region in the nation. Records show Childers had a population of about 1,200 in the early 1900s. Some 360 local men enlisted; 85 did not return. You only have to look at our local commitment to building and preserving memorials to understand how devastating the Great War must have been to our tight-knit community. The Isis region, for example, has five monuments commemorating the contribution of residents from Cordalba, Apple Tree Creek, Doolbi, Childers and Woodgate. These monuments give us a physical place to reflect on the fortitude shown by our forebears. They came from all walks of life to take on what was billed as an adventure. The battlefields of WWI were anything but a dream; they were, quite simply, a walking nightmare. I would like to share some of the untold local stories about conflicts Australia has been involved in and to express what Anzac means to Hinkler residents. These contributions are from residents in my electorate in their own words, which were included in my local Centenary of Anzac brochure. Firstly, Alan Larsen, a Vietnam veteran from Toogoom said: Growing up in the Dawson Valley, I had no idea that I would one day follow in the footsteps of my two great uncles who served in the Light Horse Regiments in WWI. Just three months before my 19th birthday I crashed my Triumph motorcycle at reckless speed, giving me the kick I needed to hastily enlist in the military. I commenced recruit training in 1962 before being posted to the 1st Battalion the Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR). It was a life changing experience for a Dululu farm boy, but one I excelled at and revelled in. We were sent to Papua New Guinea in July 1964, and in May 1965 we landed in Vietnam where we were attached to the American 173d Airborne Brigade (Sep) as the third rifle battalion. Our service in Vietnam was to start a new chapter of the ANZAC tradition. The war had intensified and shortly after our arrival, 1RAR set up Fire Support Base Coral, an operation that lasted for 28 days. I distinctly remember someone singing 'Waltzing Matilda' at the height of battle during the second attack. A month later I was medevaced home with a recurring fever and discharged. The unique combination of strength, bravery and larrikinism that epitomises the ANZAC spirit lives on in a new wave of military men and women, who are willing to fight to keep this country what it is: a land of true choice and freedom! Here are the words of Alf Dennis, of Dundowran Beach, who went to Gallipoli for the centenary after the ballot: On the 25th of April 1915, my father— a stretcher bearer in the 5th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF)—landed on the beach at Gallipoli in Turkey. The slaughter that followed touched every household in Australia. The loss of so many young men is something most would choose not to remember. However, we choose to commemorate that fateful day for several reasons; including the fact it's a means to pay our respects. The Great War changed Australia from being a far flung colony of the mighty British Empire to a proud land of respected people. Before WWI, Australia was generally considered to be a poor land with a convict background. What followed was a succession of good leaders and the evolution of a unique attitude in its citizens. Today, our way of life is the envy of the world. Australia cares for its veterans better than any other country in the world. Anzac Day is also a time for diggers like me to be grateful to the citizens who elect governments (of both colours) that honour and support our veterans. In this changing world, I respectfully ask our new citizens to help maintain what they came here for, and not try to turn it into what they left. To our current and future generations; I thank you for your willingness to continue our Anzac traditions. Jenny Waldron, of the Bundaberg and District Ex-Service Women's Association said: I spent three years in Reserves firing weapons and driving trucks, and couldn't believe when I joined the regular Army in 1980 that women there were still expected to wear white summer gloves and could only drive cars or Landrovers. I was one of five girls selected to undertake the same driver training as the men at the Army School of Transport, where debate raged about our postings. A compromise was reached: only one of us would join a field force transport unit and, if successful, the others would follow. That test case was me! I became the first female Royal Australian Corps of Transport (RACT) driver to be posted to a field force unit in the post-WWII era. In addition to being a driver, during my 20 years of service I planned and coordinated vehicles and cargo for all sorts of exercises, operational tasks, humanitarian aid missions and overseas deployments, including those in Somalia, Bougainville and East Timor. The performance of women of my generation helped pave the way for future generations of service women. Every generation stands on the shoulders of those women that came before, and chips away at it a little bit more. Today, women perform a huge variety of jobs, including commanding ships and operational units. The 1st Joint Movement Group, which I was a part of when it was first established, was this year awarded a Meritorious Unit Citation on Australia Day for 13 years of sustained and outstanding warlike operational service in the Middle East. Revitalizing and enhancing the War Nurses Memorial in Bundaberg, as part of honouring the Centenary of the First World War, has been my way of paying my respects to our war nurses and to all service women. I'll leave you with three of the ten commandments issued to the Australian Contingent (IV-UNSOM) in Somalia: be honest in all your dealings; always strive to do your job to the best of your ability and never forget you are representing Australia! Matthew Louden, of Burnett Heads, said: I spent 39 years in the Australian Army, serving in tactical, operational and strategic units and organisations. It was a career that required my family to pack up and move across the country on 14 separate occasions. On the upshot, each member of my family is resilient, able to meet new challenges and adapt to change! My time in the Army was a memorable and enjoyable journey; a worthy life choice. The highlight of my career was being appointed to manage the Australian Defence Force (ADF) ceremonial support activities. I am immensely proud of my son, Jarad, who is currently serving in the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) in Townsville. Jarad joined the Army in 2005, and has been deployed on operations to East Timor and Afghanistan. His grandfather, Jim, served in the Royal Australian Air Force for 22 years. Australians searching for the Anzac Spirit need only look in their own backyards. Our family histories speak for themselves. The final contribution is from Amara Burns, a primary school student at St Joseph's School in Childers. I quote: I think of Anzac day as a day to stop and remember the people who risked their lives to protect our country and help it become what it is now. Sadly, a lot of people died while protecting our country and that's why on Anzac Day we pay our respects for those who have fought, including those who have died and returned. Anzac Day is a special day to pay our respects and say thank you. I am proud that so many of my relatives served in WWI and WWII. I am lucky to have photos of these family members and am lucky to own some of their service medals to remember them. As dawn broke on 25 April 2015, the Centenary of Anzac, we paused to remember. On Anzac Day and all the year through, we remember the Anzacs. We remember the contribution of our brothers and sisters from New Zealand. We remember the courage, the service and the sacrifices made by Australians in all theatres of war and peacekeeping operations. And we remember Gallipoli, a disastrous campaign but one that displayed our nation's courage for the world to see. The attendance for the Centenary of Anzac was quite simply incredible, a demonstration of what we hold dear in Australia. When I consider that so many of our veterans, when they went to war, were not much older than some of the children who attended Anzac services, I struggle to adequately express my gratitude to those who have served our country. And, as a father, I am in awe of the parents who waved their sons and daughters goodbye. Our service men and women paid in full for the freedoms we enjoy and the pride we have in our nation. The Centenary of Anzac is a milestone that will only ever happen once. I take this opportunity to pay my respects on behalf of the people of Hinkler. It is the least that we can do. Words quite simply will never be enough. We have not forgotten. Lest we forget. 13:06 Mr CLARE HWL Blaxland A couple of years ago I was at a meeting of the Bankstown Historical Society. I was talking about the upcoming Centenary of Anzac and seeking their advice, and the president, Ken Willis, told me about the old Bankstown War Memorial that used to be at Bankstown Memorial Oval and was now in storage, in a council depot. That set me on an expedition. I went down to the depot and I found it. What stood out were the 31 names on two stone tablets with the heading: Bankstown Heroes 1914-1918. I thought, 'Who were these men? Where did they grow up? Where did they live? What did they do before the war? Why did they enlist? And what happened to them?' As part of this year's Centenary of Anzac, I have tried to answer these questions. To do that my Anzac Centenary Committee commissioned this book, The Thirty One: the Bankstown Anzacs who never came home. One hundred years ago Bankstown was a small semi-rural town. The railway line had just come through and the first gas street lamps were being installed. The population was about 4,000. And about 350 went off to war. The book reveals that 54, not 31, never came home but the book focuses on the 31 names on those two stone tablets. They were ordinary blokes—carpenters, wood turners, labourers, storemen, stone masons, picture framers, artists and milkmen. The youngest was only 17 when he enlisted; the oldest was 46. And they fought and they died in some of the greatest battles of the war, from Lone Pine to Villers-Bretonneux. One of the greatest feats of bravery at Villers-Bretoneux was from a Bankstown Boy, Private Fredrick Porter, a 22-year-old milkman from Gow Street. The book tells how he single-handedly attacked a group of 10 German soldiers, killed five and forced the rest to flee. In the fight, he was wounded in the arm and broke his wrist. When the Germans realised he was wounded, they attacked again. That was a bad mistake because despite his injuries, the milkman from Gow Street killed another two of them. For his bravery, Private Porter won a Distinguished Conduct Medal. He survived the Western Front but he died of influenza on the ship back to Australia. He never made it back to Bankstown. He was buried at sea on 10 November 1918—the day before the war ended. The book is full of stories like this, of courage and sacrifice and of human frailty—sad stories, desperately sad stories. They are stories about widows and mothers who, years after the war was over, were still searching for information on what happened to their husband or their boy. This book is a very precious thing. It tells us what happened to these men, and will help ensure my local community never forgets who they were or what they did. To help ensure that, I am distributing the book to all my local schools and giving a copy to the Australian War Memorial, and, with the permission of the House, I seek leave to table it today. Leave granted Mr CLARE HWL I want to sincerely thank: Tim Carroll from Bankstown Youth Development Service, who led this important project; Ellen Hottleman and Jennifer Madden from the Bankstown Library, who did most of the research; and Adam Courtenay, the progeny of author and writer Bryce Courtenay, who bought this story so beautifully together. It was not the only thing we did though. After World War 1, Bankstown Council bought a piece of land called Fripps Paddock on the south side of the railway track and renamed it Memorial Oval. It is a memorial to the 31 Bankstown boys who never came home and is where that old memorial with their names on it used to stand. It is now back there, where it belongs. As part of the centenary commemorations, we organised for the memorial to be taken out of storage and installed back at Memorial Oval. And that was where a very special service on Anzac Day took place. More than 1,500 local residents turned up; 33 schools laid wreaths at the base of that old memorial, and so did 30 local community groups. My old friend Jack Bedford, one of the last Rats of Tobruk read the Ode, 100 students from Bankstown Public School sang the National Anthem, and then the big electronic scoreboard was turned into a giant TV and we sat and watched the sunrise over Gallipoli. It was a special moment for Australia and a special moment for my community. There are a lot of people I need to thank for making this happen: my Centenary of Anzac committee, Dick Payten, Jim Wrigley, Kevin Mahony and Alan Rawlinson; All of my local RSLs, Bankstown, Bass Hill, Chester Hill and Padstow; the team at Bankstown City Council who made this happen, Kerry Sebio, Julie Hayes, Jose Papadimitriou and Matthew Jessop; and Matthew Massetto, Vice-Captain of De La Salle College, our MC on the day—an outstanding young man, the same age as some of the youngest names on that old memorial. That is not all we did either. We funded artist Jane Cavanough to develop a series of bronze sculptures for Bankstown City Gardens, and we funded a commemorative garden at Bass High School, proposed by Principal David Horton and Ingrid Winter from the P&C. In January, I went to Gallipoli for the first time. It was part of the Mateship Trek. Every two years my colleague from across the aisle Scott Morrison and I bring together young Australians from very different backgrounds to walk in the footsteps of Australian soldiers. We have walked Kokoda track, the Sandakan Death March and the Black Cat Track. This year it was the battlefields of Gallipoli. What made it a little different this year was that we took young Australians from Turkish and Anglo-Celtic backgrounds—Ersoy, Alara, Erol, Simal, Yasmine, Georga, Hayden, Joel and Jackson. One hundred years ago some of their great grandfathers fought against each other. In January they walked together in their footsteps. I also got the chance to walk in the footsteps of my great grandfather. His name was Jack Price. He was not an Anzac; he was a Royal Welch Fusilier. He was one of the lucky ones—he survived. And decades later, his great grandson got to know him, to love him and to call him 'Pop'. We walked 60 kilometres from Helles to Anzac to Sulva Bay. And we did it with the help of a lot of good and generous people, from our patron, the Governor of New South Wales David Hurley, to our incredible guide, Anzac Memorial historian and director, Brad Manera. We were also privileged to walk with two distinguished Australian soldiers Major General Jim Molan, and ex-Commando Nick Hill and they walked together with two Turkish soldiers. One hundred years ago they were enemies, today good friends. We also managed to raise more than $30,000 for Soldier On, the organisation that supports Australian service men and women who have been wounded, physically or psychologically in contemporary conflicts. On the second last day that we were at Gallipoli, we visited Shell Green Cemetery. In that cemetery lies the body of another of the 31 Bankstown boys who never came home. His name was Reginald Foote. He was an artist from Old Kent Road. He died on 17 December 1915, the day before the Anzacs evacuated. He was 20 years old. War is nothing to be celebrated, but the people who fought and died deserve to be remembered. That is why we do these treks. That is why we have commissioned this book. On Anzac Day, I told the 1,500 people gathered at Bankstown Memorial Oval to think about their mum or to think about their dad, to think about their brother or their sister, to think about their husband or their wife, and then think about never seeing them again. That is what happened to Frederick Porter, the milkman from Gow Street. He never saw his mother, Sarah, or his dad, George, again. And that is what happened to Reginald Foote, the artist from Old Kent Road. He never saw his mum, Ethel, again. It is what happened to all of those 31 men on the memorial and to all of those who fell in World War I and to all those who have fallen since. This is not about war; it is about them—the extraordinary sacrifice they made so long ago. And that is why we do this and why we say we will remember them: lest we ever forget. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 207800 Lest we forget. 13:16 Mr WOOD E0F La Trobe It is with great pleasure that I also get the opportunity to talk on the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli. I congratulate the other members for their fine contributions. I had the great pleasure of being involved with a panel which selected so many great projects in the electorate of La Trobe. I thank all those panel members for what they achieved. I had the great pleasure of being involved with the Emerald RSL president, Peter Maloney. Peter was very instrumental in deciding, with his team at the Emerald RSL, that they wanted to remember the Anzac spirit with something very special. They engaged a local artist. Her name is Ronnie Sexton. Ronnie produced a beautiful statue of the Unknown Soldier, carved in perfect detail in wood. This is something which the Emerald community will remember and see for many, many years to come. We also had Senator Michael Ronaldson, the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, come out that day for the official unveiling in Emerald. The Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, also attended. This will be one of those events which, for many, many years to come, will be recalled and admired by our local community of Emerald. I also had the great opportunity to work with Bob Richards and company from the Dandenong Ranges RSL to reopen the Ferny Creek memorial. What was so special about this? I grew up in Ferny Creek. At the time of World War I, Puffing Billy had only been in operation, I believe, for 15 years or so. The main trade up in the hills was tourism, and it was also logging. There was a place nearby called One Tree Hill, and we could actually see this on the day of the memorial launch. But now, obviously, it is a different time, where the forests have grown back. In Sherbrooke Forest, where the memorial is located, sadly, over so many years local residents did not even know that it was actually an Anzac memorial. So I congratulate the Dandenong Ranges RSL for the amazing work they did in the restoration to get it back to its former glory. They worked with Parks Victoria to remove the foliage which had been hiding this beautiful stone memorial. It was great to see a relative of the initial stonemason who built this beautiful memorial. We also had an amazing event. It was called the Bells of Peace. The Bells of Peace was an event put on by the Dandenong Ranges Music Council. The Dandenong Ranges Music Council wanted to remember all those Anzacs who served and the history of our local area. They put this amazing performance on, and I congratulate Bev McAlister and her team at the Dandenong Ranges Music Council. I congratulate her for everything she did for that event, and I have to congratulate the entire team. It showed an amazing musical tribute to and history of the Anzacs. It showed how most of the young soldiers believed it was an incredible journey that they were going to be involved with. Secondly, it showed how they realised that they had to fight for their country. That was something that they were very proud to do. They talked in this musical about the local football players. In particular, what was most moving was that they spoke about the Lilydale Football Club and how 25 young men went over to fight in the war. They had photos of those football players. I should point out that the Lilydale Football Club actually falls within the electorate of Casey, with their fine member of parliament being Tony Smith. What was most telling about this was that, out of those 25 football players, only five returned. It was incredibly sad. It was a different time without so many people there. When I was at the Emerald RSL, I learned that 32 young men there did not return—again, very, very tragic. But also during the Bells of Peace they had a performance highlighting that, at that time, Dame Nellie Melba, who had a beautiful place down in Coldstream, was one of the key fundraisers and supporters of armed services fighting overseas. She used to put these performances on in town, raising money in support of our soldiers. One thing which came out of that, which I was not aware of, was she got very annoyed because during all these performances she could constantly hear the tapping of knitting needles. All the women there were knitting socks for soldiers, supporting our soldiers overseas. It is amazing to think of this time, when all of this was actually occurring. I had another event at the Gembrook Primary School, and I congratulate all the RSL members in Gembrook. What was amazing about this was that the young children at the Gembrook Primary School wanted to present a letter to the local RSL. Amazingly, the letter was written in 1916, had disappeared for 40 years but was found in a pair of socks. Lo and behold, it was actually from the Gembrook Primary School students, writing to an unknown soldier fighting in World War I. Basically it said, 'Dear Unknown Soldier, we have knitted these socks for you, socks for soldiers, wanting to recognise our great support for your contribution to our nation.' It really shows and highlights how important and how big this was to Australians at the time. Right from the start at all the events that I went to, I mentioned the figures of the 60,000 Australians who did not return. We had another event in Officer. The memorial gates were reopened in a dedication to 10 soldiers who paid the ultimate price. This was a really nice event. The old memorial had to be moved to help some roadworks to be built, and the great thing was that the Officer community, rather than looking at this as a negative, turned it into something amazing. They moved the memorial gates, built beautiful surrounds with gardens and did an incredible job. I must congratulate Rob and Carol Porter for all their hard work in getting involved in this event, and all the Officer community for their dedication. Finally, like we have heard so many people say in this chamber, Anzac Day was something very special. I started at the Emerald dawn service, dropped into the Gembrook RSL and the Cockatoo RSL, went to the fantastic 11 am service at Berwick and made my way over to the Upwey RSL. I congratulate the members of Upwey RSL for all the fantastic work they have done. Then I went up to the Dandenong Ranges RSL. It was a fantastic day. It is a day of respect and a day of remembering all those who have served this country and in particular the 60,000 soldiers who lost their lives and are buried overseas. We always pay respects to their descendants, who were there out in force on Anzac Day. 13:26 Ms BRODTMANN 30540 Canberra It is a great honour to be able to speak today on this commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of the Gallipoli landing. I say that because the response by the Canberra community to Anzac Day and its centenary has been quite extraordinary. This year's dawn service drew 120,000 people to the War Memorial and Anzac Parade. I was there at the dawn service and it was quite extraordinary. Canberra has a population of 380,000, and the capital region has between 500,000 and 600,000. A large proportion of those who gathered at the dawn service on Anzac Day were Canberrans. I thank and commend Canberrans for remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who were wounded and those who were broken-hearted by the loss of loved ones during the war, and for continuing to remember the sacrifice made by our ADF, who currently serve our nation so well. We remember their continued service and acknowledge that many of those who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are injured in physical ways and in their mental health. We need to be there to support them. It was an extraordinary turnout by Canberrans on that very cool morning. It was just wonderful to see, as the sun came up, people of all ages and backgrounds. There were children and babies, and parents wanting to bring their little babies along to commemorate the day and to also acknowledge their relatives. There were little children from schools across Canberra, throughout the region and throughout the country. Quite often there were people on their own, as I was—my husband was down the road in different spot—who were there wanting to pay quiet tribute and to acknowledge those who had served who made the ultimate sacrifice and to remember all those involved in the First World War. The dawn service was followed by a range of services throughout the nation. We had the national ceremony here in Canberra, and once again the turnout for that was quite extraordinary. It was not just among the people who came to watch where there were record numbers. We also had a record turnout in terms of participants. There were people from the local RSLs here in Canberra—the Woden RSL and RSLs right across the city. We had the cadets out from HMAS Harman—Navy, Army and Air Force cadets—who were there marching proudly. We had a range of groups, from peacekeepers to police force members to civilians, who have been involved in Afghanistan. We had Vietnam veterans. We had representation from humanitarian as well as the conflict— (Time expired) The DEPUTY SPEAKER YT4 Order! The debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 43. The debate may be resumed at a later hour and the honourable member will have leave to continue her remarks at that time. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 44 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS Budget 44 13:30 Dr CHALMERS 37998 Rankin The government likes to pretend that this budget is somehow different from last year's disaster, but the fact is it is all still there: $100,000 degrees, cuts to families, $80 billion in cuts to schools and hospitals. It is all still, in the Treasurer's words, 'on the table'. Even after backflipping last year, the government's GP tax is hidden in the budget as well. After trying to slug patients with a $7 fee, then $5 fee, then a $20 fee, it is now going to charge $8.43 through the back door. The government will rip $1.3 billion out of general practice, with big consequences for our health system. This is despite experts agreeing that discouraging GP visits will raise overall health costs. Every year 85 per cent of us visit a GP but only 15 per cent of us are admitted to hospital. The average cost of a GP visit is $47 to the government, while a trip to an emergency department for the same condition costs between $396 and $599. As I told the patients and doctors who attended the opening of the new Doctors on Fifth clinic at Marsden in my community, our community relies on bulk-billing more than any other electorate in Queensland—93.6 per cent of GP visits, or 1.1 million of them. This government's tax through the back door is not only unfair, not just a broken promise, not just a backflip but a terrible idea with damaging consequences for my community. Corangamite Electorate: Industry Growth Centres Initiative 45 13:31 Ms HENDERSON ZN4 Corangamite As part of my fight for jobs in Corangamite, I am advocating very hard for Geelong to become the home of an industry growth centre in advanced manufacturing. We are a great city of innovation and we have so much potential to grow from strength to strength. I am delighted to share the news that our government will hold a roundtable with local manufacturers and key stakeholders in Geelong as part of our rollout of industry growth centres. The chair of the IGC in advanced manufacturing, Andrew Stevens, will be at Deakin next week, next Wednesday, attending the roundtable at the Centre for Advanced Design in Engineering Training. So that is great news and a great opportunity for Geelong, in Corangamite, to push its credentials and to advocate very hard for this IGC. IGCs are so important in fostering relationships between business and research, making Australia even more competitive in global markets. Funding of $60 million, comprising grants of up to $1 million, will be available to convert great ideas into profitable commercial projects. There will also be another $63 million for large-scale collaborative projects to build the capability and competitiveness of the sectors. Each and every day I am fighting for jobs, having a go. With 500 employing some 12,000 people in our region, we have a very strong future in advanced manufacturing. That is why we need an industry growth centre in advanced manufacturing in Geelong. Budget 45 13:33 Ms RYAN 249224 Lalor I am here representing the community of Lalor and I am here having a go for health. This budget demonstrates most sadly, most disappointingly, that this government is absolutely determined, by fair means or foul, by the hand of Minister Dutton or Minister Ley, to destroy Medicare. This week's budget confirms what we on this side predicted would be the case—that the $1 billion plus being cut from Medicare rebates will mean the destruction of bulk-billing. It is not just the Labor Party saying this. Professor Owler was quoted in the press yesterday and today. He says: They are going to mean a lot more out-of-pocket expenses and it's going to put a lot of pressure on people's private health insurance premiums … And the Public Health Association of Australia's CEO, Michael Moore, has called the budget 'a bloodbath for health'. The government wants us to be talking about their big spending budget, but their ideological attacks on public health continue. Their GP tax is alive and well. They have changed the minister but they have not changed their mind. In fact, they have gone further, with more cuts in this budget, after backing in last year's cruel cuts to health in the 2014 budget. Illicit Drugs 45 13:34 Mrs McNAMARA 241589 Dobell The ice epidemic on the Central Coast is having a huge impact on our community. Methamphetamine and ice usage on the Central Coast has increased by 112 per cent over the last two years. What is most frightening is that we know that ice usage has increased dramatically since these figures were released. This drug is hurting families and placing enormous pressure on community and health services. Government and community need to work together to stop this terrible affliction on our society. To assist the National Ice Taskforce, I have facilitated the Central Coast Ice Summit, to be held on 22 May. Our community is at crisis point with this drug. It is disheartening that during my consultation with constituents I heard time after time the effects caused by this despicable drug. Its usage is wreaking havoc on our community. Families are being torn apart, health professionals are facing threats to their personal safety and lives are being lost. The support for this event from law enforcement agencies, health professionals, community organisations as well as print and radio media outlets and venue sponsors demonstrates how important this issue is for our region. I would like to thank Mingara, the Central Coast Express Advocate and radio stations Sea FM and 2GO for their support. By working together on a local level, we can develop a coordinated, strategic approach to tackling the devastating consequences of ice usage. Budget 46 13:36 Mr STEPHEN JONES A9B Throsby Over the last 18 months the people of Australia have grown used to the tactic of this government where they rob Peter to pay Paul. But in this budget we have seen the government robbing both Peter and Paul and probably Mary as well. We have seen the attacks on paid maternity leave. We have seen— Mr Tudge interjecting— Mr STEPHEN JONES A9B Why is it whenever I talk about Peter, Paul and Mary we see Puff the Magic Dragon stand up and want to interject? We have seen cuts to paid maternity leave. We have seen cuts to family payments and over $2 billion worth of cuts to our health budget. I just heard the member for Dobell talk about the problems of the ice epidemic in her electorate. Well, $20 million on an advertising campaign is fantastic, but I have got to say that, when you are cutting out $500 million from the flexible funds which are paying to put services on the ground to deal with the epidemic, the government has got its priorities wrong. But, if ever there were a problem with these sneaky backdoor bandits, it is with the $8 GP tax by stealth. This is the situation where, between now and 2018, we are going to see an increase in co-payments. We are going to see, as the Australian Medical Association has told us, a drop off in bulk-billing payments. We are going to see co-payments introduced by stealth. This is the GP tax that the government knows and loves. The Public Health Association has called it a 'bloodbath', and we agree. Budget 46 13:37 Mr NIKOLIC 137174 Bass As a watcher of romantic comedies, I can inform the House that the American movie Jerry Maguire will soon celebrate its 20th birthday. Who can forget Jerry Maguire, played by Tom Cruise, being fired by a junior subordinate? Who can forget that famous scene where one of Jerry's clients screams, 'Show me the money'? Well, 20 years on and you would think the Jerry Maguire storyline is repeating itself in this parliament. Tonight the Leader of the Opposition gets to show us the money. Will he support growth, create more local jobs and get the budget back into surplus, or will he revert to the Rudd-Gillard-Milne model of tax and spend? And Australians want to know, if he does not like our savings, what are his savings? How will he compensate for the $17 billion of government revenue measures he is blocking in the Senate? What about the $6.5 billion in savings that Labor themselves initiated but now block? Where will he find the tens of billions to pay for new spending promises like the $18 billion in aid that the member for Sydney has promised? How will he justify his desire to raid the hard-earned superannuation accounts of everyday Australians? When you tally it all up, Labor's spending is an ever-growing black hole of more than $52 billion. So, when the opposition leader stands up tonight to deliver his budget reply, the two key questions on every Australian's lips will be: 'What's your plan, Bill?' and 'Show me the money!' Broadband 46 13:39 Ms McGOWAN 123674 Indi Many Indi residents live in areas where internet is consistently unreliable. This is a particular problem for young students. Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to read you a letter from 12-year-old Edward Dwyer, who lives only 10 minutes from his school in central Wangaratta: Dear Cathy, I live in Wangandary. Our internet is very slow; we have wireless internet. I need better internet for homework and research. I also need it for entertainment like YouTube. I would also use it around the house on the TV and hand-held devices like iPods. Mum might let me get a console like a PlayStation because it uses internet. All my friends in town have good internet so they can play games together. Could you please tell me when the NBN will be coming to Wangandary. Thank you for all the work you do for our area. Twelve-year-old Edward is not an isolated example of young people without internet connection in my electorate. Ten-year-old Anika and eight-year-old Mia live just 10 minutes from Wodonga and they consistently tell me that they have to stay in at lunchtime when they go to school in Albury because they have to finish their homework, because their Mathletics internet homework cannot be done at home. The parents of these children are desperately keen to give their kids a good education. I want to say thank you to Edward's parents, Chris Dwyer and Jane Kealey, for choosing to raise your children in regional Australia. Thank you to Edward for writing to ask when the NBN will be coming to non-urban areas. Like you and many rural families, I know it is not good enough. It needs to be better. (Time expired) Centenary of Anzac 46 13:41 Mr O'DOWD 139441 Flynn Today I want to commend the efforts of everyone who helped make the re-enactment of the 1915 troop train possible.    It was a significant project for my electorate and took 18 months to complete and organise. It allowed people to experience the steps taken by young Australians who travelled across western Queensland to enlist in World War I. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Michael Ronaldson, called the troop train re-enactment the pre-eminent event occurring on Australian soil to honour the 100 years of the Anzac spirit, 1915 to 2015. Indeed it was a brilliant and ambitious undertaking. The Anzacs deserve nothing less. We transported 250 passengers, plus many schoolchildren, from Winton to Brisbane, more than 1,500 kilometres. The feedback was very positive. The troop train also had economic benefits for each electorate it passed through, not just Flynn but also Maranoa, Capricornia and Wide Bay. We estimate that we helped provide an economic boost of around $65,000 for each town we stopped in. The journey was both spiritual and enlightening for all, and because of this I have already been approached by people who want to see another journey in four years time for the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice, and again for the 125th anniversary of Anzac. This was a historic event and I was very pleased to be associated with such an event. Health Care 47 13:42 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin This is a mean and tricky government, built on a litany of broken promises, none more egregious than the promise to have no cuts to health. It is a mean and tricky government and a disingenuous one, but it has shown remarkable consistency in one respect: its ideological determination to dismantle universal health care, to destroy Medicare. Through two ministers and five iterations of a GP tax, it still has not walked away. Ms Ryan 249224 Or listened. Mr GILES 243609 Or listened, indeed, and it should be listening, particularly to the constituents in Scullin. There is no issue more important to the people I represent in this place than universal health care. Nearly 10,000 people have signed a petition to save Medicare, a petition that should be listened to by the parliamentary secretary and his colleagues, not scoffed at. Ninety-three per cent of visits to the GP in the Scullin electorate are bulk-billed, the highest rate in Victoria. I think this is a good thing. It is about quality health care and it is about maintaining living standards. We understand, on this side of the House, that Medicare is the cornerstone of the social wage in Australia. This GP tax by stealth underpins the notion that this is a government that is not only committed to undermining trust in politics and undermining the health standards of Australians today and tomorrow; it is attacking the living standards of the people I represent. They know, however, that I am committed to standing up for Medicare against this government. Budget 47 13:44 Mr PITT 148150 Hinkler I would like to highlight a few measures contained in the budget that are of enormous benefit to the people of my electorate. There are some 8,600 small businesses in my electorate. Small companies that have an annual turnover of less than $2 million will have their tax rate cut from 30 per cent to 28.5 per cent. It is very important we help businesses expand, because ultimately they are the employers, not government. Businesses create jobs, not us. We will spend an additional $3½ billion over five years on childcare assistance. Families earning around $65,000 or less will receive a subsidy of 85 per cent of their childcare fees. Contrary to what some on the other side—certainly the new state Labor government—would have you believe, Hinkler residents will benefit from the Commonwealth's increase in annual funding for Queensland hospitals by 27 per cent over the next four years. That is on top of the growth of nine per cent in 2014-15. It is the federal government that provides health funding directly to the states. It is up to the state government to decide how and where that money is spent. We are spending $1.6 billion to list new medicines and vaccines on the PBS. That includes the shingles vaccine for Australians aged between 70 and 79. That is very important for Hinkler seniors, although I would like to see it start sooner than November 2016. It is very, very important for an aged electorate like mine, where we had a bad shingles outbreak last year, so I am very pleased it is on the PBS. Budget 47 13:45 Ms HALL 83N Shortland The one word we did not hear pass the lips of the Treasurer on budget night was Medicare, but that does not mean it is not under attack. We in this place have all learnt that it is not what the Treasurer says but what the Treasurer does that is important. The one thing that he did not do was left the freeze on the Medicare rebate. The freeze is still there. What does that mean to Australians when they go to the doctor? It means that the GP tax are still there. It is alive and well and will cost Australians in the vicinity of $8 when they go to the GP. Mr Hockey was being mean and tricky, as we know Mr Hockey can be mean and tricky. He is getting the doctors to collect the tax for the government. I have to share with the House that, under this government, bulk-billing will fall. When the Prime Minister was health minister bulk-billing in Shortland electorate was less than 60 per cent. When Labor was in power it was up over 80 per cent. We all know that despite the words of the Prime Minister, he is not the best friend that Medicare ever had. (Time expired) Community Services, National Volunteer Week 48 13:47 Mrs PRENTICE 217266 Ryan National Volunteer Week is a great time to acknowledge all the amazing volunteers we have in our community. This year's theme, Give Happy, Live Happy, is celebrating the fact that those who volunteer are generally happier and healthier than those who do not. I encourage everyone to look into how they can volunteer in our local community, if they are not already doing so. There are so many opportunities, so no matter what your interest is there will be a volunteer group for you. Take for example, the local Meals on Wheels, which makes life easier for those who are housebound and gives them social interaction every day, and the Pyjama Foundation, which helps children learn to read and gives them more opportunities. I am fortunate that I have so many wonderful environment groups in my electorate, which maintain the ecology of our creeks and waterways. Volunteers contribute $200 billion every year to the Australian economy, and only 10 per cent of not-for profit organisations in Australia have paid staff, which means most are operated by volunteers. Our country could not run without the contribution of volunteers. Volunteers are the glue which binds our local community together. That is why not just this week but every week I want to say, 'Thank you,' to all of the volunteers in Australia, and especially in my electorate of Ryan: We couldn't do without you. Budget 48 13:48 Ms CLAYDON 248181 Newcastle The people of Newcastle, and, indeed, all Australians, could have been forgiven for thinking, when we saw the appointment of a new health minister, that this might mean a new approach to health. Regrettably, that was clearly too much to hope for. While the government wants to pretend that it has finally given up—indeed, buried—versions 1,2,3,4 and 5 of its deeply unpopular GP tax, we know from the budget that it will nonetheless press ahead with the freeze on Medicare rebates in order to save some $13 billion across the next four years. We on this side of the chamber know that when you freeze those rebates the costs are passed on to the patients. That means massively increased out-of-pocket expenses for the people we represent in this parliament. The Abbott Liberal government has done nothing since being elected other than attack Medicare and universal health. This budget inflicts even more damage. It includes an additional $2 billion of cuts to health and it backs in the $60 billion of cuts to public hospitals that we knew about before. In my region of Newcastle there is a lot of anxiety about the loss of after-hours GP access right now. The government needs to provide secure funding for primary healthcare services like after-hours GP access now. (Time expired) Durack Electorate: Wild Dogs 48 13:50 Ms PRICE 249308 Durack Sustainable agriculture is a central issue in my electorate of Durack. I visited Challa Station in Mount Magnet, not so long ago, to experience firsthand the wild dog problem and its threat to pastoral enterprises. During my visits to Challa I participated in the preparation of dog baits with 40 members of the pastoral community. I was very impressed with their tenacity and community spirit but feel that baiting alone will not contain the dogs sufficiently, as recent history has shown. Wild dogs are destroyed thousands of livestock each year, costing producers millions of dollars and destroying lives. Whereas dingoes were once the culprit and cause of attacks, it is now the cross-breed mongrel. Over the years, we have seen fewer pastoralists caring for land, owing to their need to work more and more off the land. Wild dogs have been given free rein in some areas due to there being fewer people on stations to eradicate the animal. With fewer doggers, a decline in effective baiting and less rigour by local government in containing domestic dogs, we have seen the rise in wild dogs in the damage and devastation they cause. As the dogs become larger and more vicious, the effect they have, not only on sheep and cattle, is heartbreaking. I am actively seeking the state government's support for the Murchison Region Vermin Cell fence and also the development of a state-wide strategy for the management of wild dogs. I urge the federal government to play its part to save the pastoralist industry in my electorate of Durack. Budget 48 13:52 Mr CHAMPION HW9 Wakefield I was leafing through the coalition's policy from the last election, which was the one they took to the people. It is called 'Our plan: real solutions for all Australians'. There is a subheading: 'The direction, values and policy priorities of the next coalition government.' If you go to page 39, 'delivering better health services', the subheadings are: improving the performance of public hospitals at a local level, improving mental health services, funding diabetes research, improving access to medicines, improving private health insurance and bringing dental to Medicare. There is nothing in this document about $60 billion worth of cuts, including $2 billion in this budget, $125 million cut from the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, $1 billion out of the flexible funds, $250 million out of the PBS, $70 billion out of health workforce and $70 million out of allied health program for veterans. There was nothing about that at all and nothing about the GP tax. It was in all five versions, including the latest version. It was not discarded in this budget but simply snuck in under the radar. We know that the president of the AMA has belled the cat and told the truth about this: the GP tax will be there in the community undermining bulk-billing rates. That is a reality. This government is determined to smash Medicare. Grey Electorate: Coober Pedy Opal Festival 49 13:53 Mr RAMSEY HWS Grey It was my privilege over Easter to attend the hundredth celebration of the discovery of opal at Coober Pedy by Willie Hutchison, a 14-year-old in 1915. What a fabulous community it has become. It is unique. The Opal Festival, which has become an annual event, was staged over Easter. There was a street parade, lots of things for people to do at the oval and a fabulous gem show that is organised by the Coober Pedy Miners Association, which is led by Paul Reynolds. Coober Pedy is a tourism mecca. We have working mines and we have historical mines for visitors to explore. We have some of the world's best accommodation and certainly the world's best underground accommodation. There are wonderful underground restaurants, showrooms and dugouts. About 70 per cent of the population live subterraneously. Just out of town, there are the wonderful Breakaways. In fact, a number of movies of the shot around the Coober Pedy area. It is interesting: there is a lot of focus on Mad Max at the moment. In Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Coober Pedy is where Tina Turner came out of the spacecraft, which is still in the main street. Of course, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was filmed there. This is a great place. What I am trying to tell people is that if you have been all over the world and you are jaded, come for a look. As Molly Meldrum would say, 'Do yourself a favour.' Budget 49 13:55 Ms KING 00AMR Ballarat The Prime Minister would try to have you believe that the GP tax is dead, buried and cremated. Just like his statement on Work Choices, this is a tax that never seems go away. Buried deep in the health budget papers is the ongoing four-year freeze on indexation. In fact, the Medical Journal of Australia itself just last month belled the cat on this. It said, 'This in fact is a GP tax of $8.43.' This GT tax is already being imposed on patients across the country—we are seeing bulk-billing rates collapse—and is still buried within the budget. $1.3 billion will be transferred directly onto every single patient as they go to access their general practitioner. Far from being dead, buried and cremated, the GP tax is very much alive and well in this budget. We have now had several versions of this. It has been a price signal, a value signal and a co-payment. It is a GP tax well and truly. It is now $8.43. We have also seen the president of the Australian Medical Association again say: This is a GP tax by stealth. Bulk-billing rates are already going down as a result of the policies of this government. These are people who are trying to access the medical services that keep people well and that keep people out of hospital. What counts for a health policy from this government is to try to put a barrier in the way of people accessing a GP. The GP tax is alive under Tony Abbott. (Time expired) Longman Electorate: Storms 49 13:56 WYATT ROY M2X Longman I rise to speak about the brutal storms that hit our local community. We are still recovering both physically and emotionally. The ferocity and the density of the downpour created chaos, which ultimately led to tragedy. This event claimed five local lives, including the life of a young five-year-old boy. On behalf of my community, I would like to extend our condolences to the family and friends, who are facing the unthinkable. In the face of such adversity and tragedy, we saw the rallying spirit of our community. I particularly want to thank the swift water rescue guys, the SES, the police, the fireys and the ambos who put their own lives on the line to save others. Among the stories of courage, we saw spontaneous gestures of community spirit. The Caboolture Historical Village, the Caboolture Sports Club and Julie from Elimbah's Health Concepts all opened their doors to give people food and shelter from the storm. In our darkest of moments, the light of our community spirit shines bright. In the face of such adversity, we see the absolute best of our people. I could never be prouder to represent our amazing community. Budget 50 13:58 Ms CHESTERS 249710 Bendigo In beginning my remarks, I would like to acknowledge that joining us today in the gallery are the students of the Catholic College of Bendigo. It is great to have them here today. What I know from speaking with those students is that their motto is, their school believes and they believe that relationships are built on love and respect. Those are important words and words that this government has forgotten when it comes to health care. Far from being done, the GP tax is back. It is back in a way that the government has tried to hide in its budget papers. They are trying to introduce a GP tax by stealth. What they have done is continue to freeze the Medicare rebates. That is going to cost billions and billions of dollars to our healthcare system. If this government does not continue to increase the Medicare rebates, it means that patients will have to foot the bill. They will have to pay the tax. It has already been outed today. It has already been exposed that that will cost individual patients upwards of $8 per visit. This is worse than a $5 GP tax; this is worse than a $7 GP tax. We are now up to $8. It is time that this government went back to school and remembered the lessons of their days in school and the lessons about relationships, respect, believing in young people and respecting our healthcare system and our doctors. If they do not, then the placards will be back, the rallies will be back and the protests will be back about a government that does not understand that you must back Medicare. (Time expired) Canning Electorate: Veterans 50 13:59 Mr RANDALL PK6 Canning I am delighted to rise today to congratulate several retired servicemen who reside in the electorate of Canning. Because I am going to be out of time, can I seek leave to have this speech about these two diggers incorporated into Hansard? Leave granted. The speech read as follows— Thank you Speaker, I am delighted to rise today to congratulate several retired servicemen who reside in the Canning electorate. Last week I was most humbled to present a Service to Malaysia Award (Pingat Jasa Malaysia) to Lance Corporal O'Brien (ret) and Private Clark (ret) on behalf of the Malaysian Government and Malaysian Deputy Secretary General. The Pingat Jasa Malaysia is an award that recognises service by members of the Commonwealth forces during the Malayan Emergency and the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation. The award is in recognition of distinguished chivalry, gallantry, sacrifice and loyalty contributing to the independence of Malaysia. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Mr Colin Parker who is a past recipient of the Service to Malaysia Award. Mr Parker now dedicates a significant portion of his time to supporting veterans in Canning and we most certainly appreciate all that he does to support those who have so selflessly served our great country. Finally, Speaker, to all servicemen and women both past and present I say this: To you, we owe a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. Your courage, mateship and sacrifice leave us the enduring legacy of a free and peaceful nation. I also formally acknowledge the contributions of Mr O'Brien, Mr Clark and Mr Parker in ensuring a free and peaceful Malaysia. The SPEAKER SE4 It being 2 pm, the time for members' statements has concluded. We would normally move to questions without notice, but I think it might suit the House if we now dealt with the condolence motion concerning the Right Honourable John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH. CONDOLENCES 50 CONDOLENCES Fraser, Rt Hon. John Malcolm, AC, CH 50 14:00 The SPEAKER SE4 The question is that the motion that was moved by the Prime Minister and seconded by the Leader of the Opposition be agreed to, namely: That the house record its deep regret at the death on 20 March 2015 of the Right Honourable John Malcolm Fraser AC CH, former Member for Wannon and Prime Minister, and place on record its appreciation of his long and highly distinguished service to our nation and tender its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement. I ask that that all members stand in their place to show their approval of the motion. Honourable members having stood in their places— The SPEAKER SE4 I thank the House. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 51 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Paid Parental Leave 51 14:02 Mr SHORTEN 00ATG Maribyrnong My question is to the Prime Minister. Given the disrespectful—indeed regrettable—language used by his ministers in recent days, describing mothers getting paid parental leave from their employers as a rort, will the Prime Minister apologise to new mums on behalf of his government? 14:02 Mr ABBOTT EZ5 Warringah There is a very simple issue here: is it or is it not fair for taxpayers to have to pay two lots of paid parental leave to the public servants of the Commonwealth? That is the issue, and members opposite plainly think that it is right and proper that taxpayers should pay two lots of paid parental leave to Commonwealth public servants. Well, I want a good deal for the families of Australia. I want a fair deal for the families of Australia, and it is not fair that taxpayers should pay twice for the same thing. It is just not fair. Ms Macklin interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Jagajaga will desist or leave. The choice is hers. Mr ABBOTT EZ5 This is a government which is absolutely committed to the wellbeing of the families of Australia. This is a government which has been consulting extensively with the families of Australia— Mr Snowdon interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Lingiari will temper his comments into silence. Mr ABBOTT EZ5 about what they most need at this time, and the message that has come back to us loud and clear from the families of Australia is that their priority at this time is better child care, and that is exactly what this government is determined to deliver: better child care—more flexible, more affordable, more accessible, and, above all else, simpler. The tragedy is that members opposite are opposing a better childcare system for the families of Australia. They are opposing a better childcare system for the mothers of Australia. What this government wants to do is to deliver to low-income and middle-income families better childcare benefits, to the tune of $1,500 a year. That is what is right, that is what is fair, and that is what this government wants to do. Budget 51 14:03 Ms MARINO HWP Forrest My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on how the budget will strengthen the economy and reward hardworking Australians in my electorate of Forrest? 14:04 Mr ABBOTT EZ5 Warringah I thank the member for Forrest for her question, and I am delighted to be asked about the people of Forrest because, like every other electorate in the country, Forrest is full of hardworking small-business people who deserve a fair go. And that is exactly what they are going to get from this government, and that is exactly what they are getting from this budget. This budget is about a fair go for small business, a fair go for people who are having a go for the benefit of the people of our country. At the heart of this budget is a $20,000 instant asset write-off for small business. That is the heart of this budget: a $20,000 instant asset write-off for small business. This is one for the tradies of Australia. This is one for the tradies of Forrest. It is one for the tradies of every electorate, because they are having a go and they deserve a fair go from government, and that is exactly what they will get from this government. It is one for the tradies of Australia who will be able to re-equip their workshops. It is one for the tradies of Australia who will be able to upgrade their tool kits because they are working hard, and some of them are doing it tough. They deserve a fair go because they are having a go for Australia. This budget has probably been the best budget ever for small business, as demonstrated by the reaction. Let me read what Peter Strong, the executive director of COSBOA, has said. He said that 'this is a small business budget', that the $20,000 tax write-off is extraordinary and will send a message loud and clear to people that the government is thinking about them—in a good way—giving them something that will really motivate them to go and spend and buy things and grow their business or save their business and employ people and get cash flowing through the economy. The head of the Business Council said that this small business package is an absolute 'shot in the arm', and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry said: … it turbo-charges Australia's two million small businesses, and small business is the backbone of Australia. That is what this budget does. It turbocharges the small businesses of Australia, who are the backbone of our economy. By contrast, what will the Leader of the Opposition give them? Well, we will see tonight night, won't we? We will see tonight. But I know what he has in his heart for them: the carbon tax comes back, the mining tax comes back, there are more superannuation taxes. Even the member for Lilley comes back, because he is the man preparing their election policy. Budget 52 14:07 Ms MACKLIN PG6 Jagajaga My question is to the Minister for Social Services. Is the minister aware that many nurses need to take six weeks maternity leave before their baby is born and are currently able to spend 24 weeks with their baby after the birth? Does the minister believe this arrangement for nurses is a rort? 14:07 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook I thank the member for her question. The government supports paid parental leave and recognises that it provides much-needed support and assistance for families. The safety-net paid parental leave scheme that is in place—the safety net is there—is provided to those families that were not getting anything from employers: absolutely nothing. Of those, 92 per cent of employees who work in the private sector—particularly for small businesses, who simply cannot pay more for paid parental leave, as the Minister for Small Business would know—are unaffected by these arrangements. Only eight per cent of those who are unaffected by the arrangements work in the public sector. I should stress that anyone who has a child now and is getting paid parental leave, and anyone who is expecting a child now, is unaffected by these changes as well, because these changes come into effect in July of next year. But the principle is this for large employers, be they large Commonwealth employers or large state and government employers: is it really fair that small business employees and their employers actually have to pay more in taxes or in high deficits and higher debt to ensure that they can subsidise the schemes put in by the public sector? Is that fair? Is it fair that someone who is getting $20,000 a year in employer-provided paid parental leave should then also get another $11½ thousand in taxpayer-funded paid parental leave? We support a safety-net paid parental leave scheme and we support a fair paid parental leave scheme—a fair scheme—but we are not going to support the one cooked up by those opposite with the unions. Budget 52 14:10 Mr HUTCHINSON 212585 Lyons My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer outline how the government is helping Australians who want to get out there and have a go? How will the budget help small businesses create jobs around the country and, particularly, in my electorate of Lyons? 14:10 Mr HOCKEY DK6 North Sydney That is a great question. That is a great question from a great member for Lyons—and he is absolutely right. This government's budget is focused on helping Australians to have a go. Whether they be in families, whether they be in small businesses, whether they be farmers, wherever they are located, whether they are starting up their own business or whether they are working damn hard for someone else, this budget is about giving Australians the chance to have a go. In particular, our initiatives for small business, such as a 1½ per cent tax cut for incorporated small businesses— Mr Champion interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Wakefield seems anxious to leave early again! Mr HOCKEY DK6 Have a go! Have a go—out the door! And then there is a tax cut of up to $1,000 for unincorporated small businesses. But, most significantly, anyone out there who has a small business with a turnover of less than $2 million can buy items that support their business activity and write it off against their tax on 1 July—100 per cent of it. So they now have an opportunity to buy the equipment that is going to help make their businesses more profitable and successful. There are 7,050 small businesses in the member for Lyons' electorate, and many of those are in agriculture, in farming. In fact, across Australia, eight in 10 jobs in farming are in small businesses. In construction, six in 10 jobs are in small business—all those tradies out there: Tony's tradies! Tony's tradies are getting a massive benefit out of this budget because we want them to get the very best tools, we want them to be able to improve their business, we want to help smash that red-tape burden that they have to go through at night, in order to make their business viable. The member for Lyons called me this morning and told me the story of Jane Shaw, who is the proprietor of the Ingleside bakery in Evandale. That is a beautiful town, Evandale, and it is a great bakery. I am familiar with it! The Prime Minister went there—the Prime Minister's bakers as well! She has a staff of 15 people, mostly casuals and two who are full time, and has a turnover of around $1 million a year. She described the budget news as 'really fantastic'. She has great optimism. This morning she was planning what the business can buy with that new allowance and she said, 'This is going to massively help with the cash flow.' We are the best friends of Australia's small businesses. We are the best friends of the workers. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 53 DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 14:13 The SPEAKER SE4 I wish to advise the House that we have in my gallery the former member for Barker, Mr Patrick Secker. You are most welcome. Honourable members: Hear, hear! QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 53 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Budget 53 14:14 Ms PLIBERSEK 83M Sydney My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, is it better for new mums to be able to have 18 weeks at home with their new babies or is it better for them to be able to have six months? 14:14 Mr ABBOTT EZ5 Warringah We want a fair system, and what the member for Sydney is suggesting is that public servants should get two lots of paid parental leave from the taxpayer. That is what she is saying—that public servants should get two lots of paid parental leave from the taxpayers of Australia. I tell you what the fairest thing of all is. The fairest thing of all is what the families of Australia told us that they wanted. What they want as their priority right now is a better childcare system, and that is exactly what this government is going to give them and that is exactly what members opposite are opposing. They are opposing a better childcare system so that Commonwealth public servants can get two lots of paid parental leave from the taxpayer. That is what they are doing. Ms Owens interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Parramatta will desist! Mr ABBOTT EZ5 They would rather let Commonwealth public servants get two lots of paid parental leave from the taxpayer and deny those selfsame taxpayers the better childcare system that they want. Let us be crystal clear about what we want to give the families of Australia. The SPEAKER SE4 The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The member for Sydney on a point of order. Ms Plibersek 83M Madam Speaker, just on relevance. The question is: is it better to have 18 weeks at home or 26 weeks if you can? The SPEAKER SE4 The member will resume her seat. It is not a point of order on relevance to stand up and repeat the question. That is out of order. I call the Prime Minister. Mr ABBOTT EZ5 What would be much better would be if Labor would help this government to deliver a better childcare system. That is what would be better for families. A better childcare system is what would be better for families, and that is exactly what we want to give the families of Australia. Low-income and middle-income families accessing child care will be $1,500 a year better off under the policies that this government wants to pursue. What policies do members opposite want to pursue? We know they want two lots of taxpayer funded PPL for Commonwealth public servants. We know they are opposing better childcare, because they have told us that they are opposing better childcare. That is what the Leader of the Opposition needs to do tonight. What other big hits does he have on the families of Australia? Is it a new carbon tax? Is it a new mining tax? Is it a new superannuation tax? Tell us what your plans are. If you do not like our plans, you have a simple thing to do: tell us what your plans are. If he cannot tell us what his plans are, he just does not have any except what he did in government, which is just more taxes and more unaffordable spending, which ultimately mean that the families of Australia will be slugged yet again. Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme 53 14:17 Mr WILKIE C2T Denison My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, federal government subsidies for Bass Strait will be pocketed by the Port of Melbourne in skyrocketing port fees. This is in addition to the licence fee imposed by the Victorian government, which is a tax on interstate trade and unconstitutional. The previous Tasmanian government was of that view but too spineless to act. Prime Minister, will your government intervene and bring the shysters in Victoria to heel by forcing them to drop their unconstitutional tax? The SPEAKER SE4 I call the Prime Minister. 14:18 Mr ABBOTT EZ5 Warringah I do thank the member for Denison for his question. The SPEAKER SE4 Prime Minister, I would say that I am allowing the question to stand although it does tend to ask for a legal opinion, which is not in order, so you can ignore that part of the question and answer the rest. Mr ABBOTT EZ5 Thank you, Madam Speaker. It is good that you have extended some licence to the member for Denison because he has asked a question which I think is of interest to a number of members of this House, certainly the members for Lyons, Braddon and Bass, all of whom have been fighting hard for the people of Tasmania. As a result of their hard work for their constituencies and the people of Tasmania this government has extended the freight equalisation scheme to the ever-growing exports of the great island of Tasmania, the ever-growing exports of that great state, beyond Melbourne and beyond the Australian mainland. That is what we want to do. We want to encourage Tasmania to be an exporter not just to Australia but to the wider world. That is what we want to do and that is why we have extended the freight equalisation scheme to exports. This coalition that I lead is a very good friend of Tasmania. It was the Fraser government that first introduced the freight equalisation scheme. It was the Howard government that helped the movement of passengers from Tasmania. Now this government has extended the freight equalisation scheme to exports beyond the mainland. So it is a very good initiative from this government. It was worked for by the members for Lyons, Bass and Braddon and I know it was welcomed by the member for Denison. There is an issue. The member for Denison is quite right—there is an issue. The Victorian Labor government is slugging the exports of Tasmania. That is the only way to describe it. The Victorian Labor government is penalising the exporters of Tasmania by ever increasing the fees and charges in the port of Melbourne. I share the member for Denison's dismay and I share the dismay of all the Tasmanian members of this House at what the Victorian Labor government is doing. If the Leader of the Opposition really wants to be useful, as well as telling us his plans for Australia tonight he will get on the blower to Daniel Andrews this very afternoon and say, 'Stop ripping off the exporters of Tasmania.' Suddenly he is interested in his notes, isn't he? It is funny how he looks down and starts playing with his papers whenever he is asked to do something useful. Pick up the phone to Daniel Andrews and get these unfair taxes and charges dropped. Mr Burke DYW Madam Speaker— The SPEAKER SE4 The Prime Minister will resume his seat. Mr Burke DYW Madam Speaker, I have a point of order. The SPEAKER SE4 The Prime Minister has concluded his answer. Budget 54 14:21 Dr GILLESPIE 72184 Lyne My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Could the Deputy Prime Minister please outline to the House what the budget will mean for people living in regional Australia? 14:21 Mr TRUSS GT4 Wide Bay I thank the honourable member for Lyne for his question. He is one of the many representatives of regional Australia on this side of the House. This is a government that has made deep commitments to regional Australia, and this budget delivers on many of them. It is a good budget for people who live outside the capital cities. They will reap the benefits of the job creation programs, the infrastructure plans and of course our commitment to do the right thing by small business. The $50 billion infrastructure program will build major projects across the nation but also fund last-mile projects on local roads and streets. The member for Lyne will be particularly interested in the commitment in this budget to provide all of the money that is going to be necessary to complete the four-laning of the Pacific Highway all the way to the Queensland border. That is certainly a project that I know everyone in northern New South Wales has been looking forward to for a long period of time. This budget also provides the Growing Jobs and Small Business package, the National Stronger Regions program, the Bridges Renewal Program, Roads to Recovery and a $300 million youth employment strategy. All of those things matter a lot to people who live in regional communities. This budget has been welcomed by regional Australia. The Australian Trucking Association said: More than 45,000 trucking businesses will benefit from the small business tax changes announced in today's Budget … That is 45,000 trucking companies. I know there are some major ones in the member for Lyne's electorate. The Automobile Association said: 'Infrastructure expenditure on land transport for 2015-16 is $7 billion. This represents an increase on the 2014-15 expenditure, which was $4.9 billion.' These are major commitments to road construction. That is about four times the amount that was spent on roads in the last year of the Labor government. When you go to the Australian Local Government Association, they said: The doubling of Roads to Recovery is an important boost to all Councils who need help maintaining the first and last miles of our transport network … The Civil Contractors Federation said that 'budget infrastructure initiatives such as the National Stronger Regions Fund and increased funding for Roads to recovery and the Black Spot Program showed the federal government appreciated the benefits that flow to the economy from productivity-boosting infrastructure … this is a solid budget. It recognises business, and particularly small business, as the driver of the economy.' This is a good budget for business. It is a good budget for regional Australia. Paid Parental Leave 55 14:24 Ms BUTLER 248006 Griffith My question is to the Minister for Social Services. I refer to a mum-to-be in Brisbane, Sienna Perry. Sienna writes that if she and her husband have to choose between government and employee benefits because of the Prime Minister's plan to cut to paid parental leave it is likely she will have to go back to work at 19 weeks instead of six months. Why does the minister think Sienna is a rorter because she wants to spend more time with her baby? 14:25 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook I thank the member for her question and I reject the assertion in terms of what she claims my statements have been. That is not my claim. The member might be interested in the following. Opposition members interjecting— Mr MORRISON E3L They may wish to verbal on that side, but we have every right to reject the way they do that. Mr Champion interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Wakefield is perilously close to leaving. Mr MORRISON E3L I refer the member to the PPL evaluation that was commenced under the previous government, the evaluation of the Labor public service union scheme that was introduced by the previous government. Mr Champion interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Wakefield will leave under 94(a) for one hour. The member for Wakefield then left the chamber. Mr MORRISON E3L The contention that has been put forward today is that somehow the Labor public service union scheme will allow people to stay at home longer with their kids—but the evaluation report did not find that. It said that there has been an increase in those who are on the PPL scheme, both higher income earners and lower income earners, up to 18 weeks. But after 18 weeks of the proportion of people staying at home under these arrangements has fallen. So the Labor public sector union scheme has resulted in fewer people staying at home longer, but the public sector union have been able to ratchet up the entitlement, as they do. They are the masters of those who sit on that side of the House. Ms Butler 248006 Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. The woman concerned is not a public servant— The SPEAKER SE4 There is no point of order. Resume your seat. Ms Butler interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member will resume her seat. Ms Butler interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Griffith will leave the chamber under standing order 94(a). The member for Griffith then left the chamber. Mr MORRISON E3L It is absolutely the case— Mr Burke DYW Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. You previously ruled that it is not in order when raising a point of order on direct relevance for somebody to restate the question. On this occasion, the member concerned referred specifically to the fact that the— The SPEAKER SE4 There is no point of order. The member will resume his seat. The reason that the member for Griffith was asked to leave under 94(a) was her refusal to respond to the Speaker's command. Mr MORRISON E3L All those who receive employer funded schemes will continue to receive those schemes. In all cases where those schemes are not as generous as the safety net scheme they will be topped up to the safety net scheme. That is what will happen. What will not happen is this. If you are an executive level 2 in a government department currently earning a salary of $130,000, under the department enterprise agreement you will get 14 weeks of paid maternity leave. Ms O'Neil interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 There will be silence from the member for Hotham. Ms O'Neil interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Hotham will leave under standing order 94(a). The member for Hotham then left the chamber. Mr MORRISON E3L That is worth $35,000. On top of that, you will get $11,500 under the Labor public sector union scheme. Ms Macklin PG6 Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This is a serious matter— The SPEAKER SE4 What is the point of order? Ms Macklin PG6 The woman is not a public servant— The SPEAKER SE4 The member will resume her seat. There is no point of order. The member knows perfectly well that that is engaging in debate and that is not permitted. Mr MORRISON E3L What those opposite are trying to protect and maintain is an unfair scheme that they put in place with their union mates when they were in government. But this government is going to maintain a safety net paid parental leave scheme for those who were not getting something before. Do you know where they were working? They were working in small businesses. Small business employers could not afford to pay for that. Now, under this scheme, they can. We support that. But what we are not going to support is cost shifting and subsidising of large employers, particularly those in the public sector, which is what the Labor public sector union scheme is designed to achieve. We support a fair scheme, not deals cooked up between the Labor Party and public sector unions. (Time expired) Budget 56 14:29 Dr HENDY 00BCM Eden-Monaro My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Will the minister advise the House how the government is delivering a fair and sustainable aid budget? Is the minister aware of alternative approaches? 14:30 Ms JULIE BISHOP 83P Curtin I thank the member for Eden-Monaro for his question. I note his longstanding interest in development issues in our region. Australia remains a generous and important supporter of development, particularly in our region for we have a primary responsibility to the Pacific to promote stability and prosperity for those island nations. Our aid program in the Pacific aims to reduce poverty and raise standards of living by promoting economic growth, including the empowerment of women and girls. Strong economic growth is the most powerful driver for lifting people out of poverty and this has been proven in Asia, where nations recording strong economic growth have delivered higher living standards for hundreds of millions of people. China and South Korea, for example, once aid recipients are now major economies, major trading partners of ours, and now aid donors. This transformation from aid recipient to economic partner is also the aim of the fast-growing economies of South-East Asia. For example, in 2003 Thailand requested Australia no longer provide aid. Instead, we signed a free trade agreement, bilateral trade doubled to $18 billion a year and Thailand is now an aid donor. These countries want trade not aid. Another example: in 2003, Australian aid to Indonesia was eight per cent of our aid budget. It grew to 13 per cent as a result of the tsunami in 2004. It will now be normalised to nine per cent and since 2004 Indonesia's economy has almost doubled, and GDP has grown by 70 per cent. Indonesia is now the 16th largest economy. It is a member of the G20. So these examples demonstrate why we can reduce our foreign aid in some countries in recognition of their growth trajectory, the percentage that Australian aid makes to their economies and to total aid. For example, Australian aid as a percentage of Indonesian GDP was 0.1 per cent but for Tuvalu, for example, it is about 24 per cent. I have been asked about other approaches. I know Labor have a massive problem because it has to fund the promise of the shadow foreign minister that Labor will increase the aid budget by $18 billion. In the budget-in-reply tonight the Leader of the Opposition must state how Labor will fund an increase of $18 billion. What programs will be cut and what taxes will be increased? I know Labor have run out of ideas. They are now canvassing the coalition for ideas. The member for Eden-Monaro has received an email from Labor asking, 'What are your thoughts for Labor?' They have no ideas— (Time expired) Paid Parental Leave 56 14:33 Mr SHORTEN 00ATG Maribyrnong My question is to the Prime Minister. I advise the Prime Minister that AFP officers have negotiated an additional 16 weeks parental leave and the members of the ADF receive an additional 14 weeks. These people are not rorters. Why does the Prime Minister want the ADF personnel and the AFP personnel to spend less time at home with their new children? When will the Prime Minister backflip on this stupid idea? Opposition members interjecting— 14:33 Mr ABBOTT EZ5 Warringah I am really pleased— The SPEAKER SE4 I will not tolerate the wall of noise. Now stop. Mr ABBOTT EZ5 I am really pleased that our hardworking police and our extraordinarily committed and dedicated military personnel are getting a good Paid Parental Leave scheme. Frankly, I want all Australians to get the best possible Paid Parental Leave scheme. There is absolutely nothing that we are doing to reduce or remove anyone's employer provided Paid Parental Leave scheme—absolutely nothing. Under us, every person will get at least 18 weeks at the minimum wage. Every person will get it. If they get nothing from their employer, they will get it from the government. If they get less than that from their employer, it will be topped up by the government. If they get more than that from their employer, that is great—they have a very good scheme. What we do not want to see is Commonwealth public servants getting two lots of paid parental leave from the taxpayer—that is all. Members opposite seem to think that it is fair for Commonwealth public servants to get two lots of paid parental leave from the taxpayer. This is from the Leader of the Opposition who said that this was going to be the year of ideas. So far, the only idea we have had from him in the post-budget period is that Commonwealth public servants should get two lots of taxpayer funded paid parental leave. Tonight, he has a chance to rise above mindless negativity and actually tell us— Mr Burke DYW Madam Speaker, on relevance: surely there can be direct relevance on a question about soldiers and police. The SPEAKER SE4 There is no point of order. The Prime Minister is addressing the question as it was asked. Mr ABBOTT EZ5 I have been asked about budget issues and I am dealing with budget issues. We know that the Leader of the Opposition does not like this government's plan. His challenge is to tell us what his plan is. He said that this was going to be the year of ideas. Give us an idea—just one will do, any idea will do. I tell you what he would have to do: he had better fund his ideas too— Ms Claydon interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Newcastle is warned! Mr ABBOTT EZ5 because as things stand, the Leader of the Opposition has a $52 billion budget black hole that he is going to have to fill and he should start filling it tonight. Budget 57 14:36 Mr RANDALL PK6 Canning My question is to the Minister for Education and Training. Will the minister update the House on the government's commitment to science and research? How is the government supporting these vital sectors and are there any alternative policies? 14:37 Mr PYNE 9V5 Sturt I thank the member for Canning for his question. I know that he is particularly interested in knowing that today we announced the 37 projects that will be funded this year under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Scheme, the NCRIS. I also announced today that we will fund a round of Future Fellowships scholarships for the next 12 months. This government is funding the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Scheme. We are funding the Future Fellowships scholarships. These two programs were defunded by the previous government. They cut research and they cut scholarships to researchers. In fact, the previous government not only axed these two programs, they also—in 2011 and 2012—took away the discounts for maths and science students at university, costing maths and science students $1.35 billion. That was their record in research and science—cutting programs and making university more expensive for maths and science students, who had previously been given a discount. The Labor Party's maths and science policy also extended to trying to axe the PrimaryConnections: Linking science with literacy program, which is a very good program, and the Science by Doing program. But—because of the pressure from the opposition of the time, led by the now Prime Minister—they did not get away with it. We saved it. We are also making substantial changes in research and science at schools. We are linking the national curriculum reforms to primary schools giving a greater emphasis to science and maths. And, as part of our reforms for teacher training at uni, we are requiring universities to only graduate students for primary school teaching who have a maths or science specialty. It does not surprise me at all, however, that the Leader of the Opposition has a collective amnesia about these subjects and that science and maths are not his strong suits. A little bird tells me he is going to talk about science and maths tonight. It will be important to remember his record in cuts, in hurting uni students and in hurting school students. I was very surprised to read the transcript of the Leader of the Opposition's speech to the Caucus today, when he said—rather profoundly, I might say: 'We know the future is happening right now.' This reminded me a bit of 'Everybody is somebody' from the Travelling Wilburys; I think the Leader of the Opposition thought Martin Luther King said that but it was, in fact, the Travelling Wilburys. Today it is 'We know the future is happening right now.' It is less of a zinger than a zingerang: it came back to hit him in the face. The truth is: if the future is happening right now, it is the present, Bill. If it is happening right now, it is the present. There is the past, there is the present and there is the future. The future cannot be happening right now—it has to be the present. (Time expired) Medicare 58 14:40 Ms KING 00AMR Ballarat My question is to the Prime Minister. Today's Sydney Morning Herald carries an article headed '"Copayment by stealth" could push up cost of GP trips, says Owler'. Can the Prime Minister confirm his four-year Medicare rebate freeze will mean patients will be hit with a new $8 GP tax every time they visit the doctor? 14:41 Mr ABBOTT EZ5 Warringah I welcome this question from the shadow minister for health. I am very happy to tell her that, as a result of this year's budget, there will be a net increase of $2.3 billion in health spending next year. There will be $2.3 billion more spent by this Commonwealth on health next year than there was this year—a $2.3 billion investment in better health services from this government. I am also pleased to tell the shadow minister for health that, over the next four years, hospital funding will increase by 25 per cent or $3.8 billion. Ms Ryan interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Lalor is not in her seat. Mr ABBOTT EZ5 There is good news for health from this government. She does not want to hear it though, obviously. Ms King 00AMR Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order: relevance. The question was about the MBS indexation freeze—a GP tax of $8. The SPEAKER SE4 There is no point of order. The member will resume her seat. Mr ABBOTT EZ5 There is a lot of good news for health and for patients in this year's budget. There is $1.3 billion over four years invested in new medicines and vaccines, including the listing of new drugs to help Australians beat melanoma, breast cancer and blindness. That is the good news for health in this budget—$1.3 billion in new drugs to help Australians beat melanoma, breast cancer and blindness. There is $485 million to reform the eHealth scheme that members opposite so mishandled. There is $200 million in funding support for state and territory governments to improve dental services and there is $100 million over four years to improve Australia's capability to quickly and effectively respond to health risks posed by natural disasters. This is a good budget for health. The shadow minister for health, like the Leader of the Opposition, is still responding to last year's document. Come on! The future is now. It is not last year. They think that not only is the future now, but last year is the present. That is why they are still asking us about last year's budget. Come on. Get real. Welcome to 2015. Ms King 00AMR Madam Speaker, I seek leave to table the Medical Journal of Australia which shows there is an $8.43 GP tax in this year's budget. The SPEAKER SE4 Leave is not granted. Budget 58 14:44 Mr VARVARIS 250077 Barton My question is to the Assistant Treasurer. Will the Assistant Treasurer update the House on the government's commitment in the budget to reduce Labor's debt, and is the Assistant Treasurer aware of any alternative approaches? 14:44 Mr FRYDENBERG FKL Kooyong I thank the honourable member for Barton for his question and acknowledge his strong commitment to sustainable budgets and to small business. The Treasurer has delivered a great budget. It cuts taxes, it cuts the deficit and it slows spending. We inherited a deficit of $48 billion. Mr Dreyfus HWG No, you didn't. The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Isaacs will desist or leave. The choice is his. Mr FRYDENBERG FKL Next year it will be $35 billion and in three years' time it will be just $7 billion. We have slowed the rate of real spending growth from the 3½ per cent that we inherited to just over one per cent today. And gross debt under the coalition will be $110 billion lower than it would be under the Labor Party. I am asked whether I am aware of any alternatives. Well, the Leader of the Opposition has been perfecting the 'Shorten short cut'—how to deliver surpluses without any savings. What about the immortal words in this community newsletter from the Leader of the Opposition: 'We have brought the budget back to surplus on time and as promised.' The Leader of the Opposition backed that up within an opinion piece in the Daily Telegraph when he said: 'This budget surplus meant taking some tough calls.' There was no tougher call than that mining tax! In another fantastic interview, Fran Kelly said to the Leader of the Opposition: 'But you also factored in $2 billion from the mining tax.' And the Leader of the Opposition said: 'Fran, you can take that money to the bank.' This is the Leader of the Opposition who has said, 'If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.' This is the Leader of the Opposition who has a $52 billion black hole. This is the Leader of the Opposition who wants to increase your taxes on super and who insulted 14 million Australians with superannuation accounts, calling it a 'legalised tax haven'. This is the Leader of the Opposition who just yesterday was asked 13 times to take responsibility for the debt and deficit that he left behind for the Australian people. Tonight the Leader of the Opposition has to put aside the 'Shorten short cut' and he has to answer one simple question: How is the Leader of the Opposition going to fix the mess that he left behind? DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 59 DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 14:47 The SPEAKER SE4 I wish to advise the chamber that we have with us the Indian Young Parliamentary Delegation. We make you all most welcome. Honourable members: Hear, hear! QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 59 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Medicare 59 14:47 Ms KING 00AMR Ballarat My question is again to the Prime Minister. I ask whether the Prime Minister agrees with the President of the Australian Medical Association, Professor Brian Owler, who said in referring to this year's budget: If the rebates don't rise, those costs have to be passed on in out-of-pocket expenses—we will see less bulk-billing, and there is the possibility of seeing a co-payment by stealth … Won't the Prime Minister's four-year freeze on the MBS rebate mean patients will be hit with a new $8 GP tax every time they visit the doctor? 14:48 Mr ABBOTT EZ5 Warringah No. Budget: Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme 59 14:48 Mr LAMING E0H Bowman My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister advise the House what steps the government is taking to ensure that the best medicines are available for Australian patients? 14:48 Ms LEY 00AMN Farrer I thank the member for Bowman for his question and recognise his expertise and his input into health policy. I also recognise the Prime Minister's commitment to the $1.3 billion listings of new medicines and vaccines in this year's budget that will save lives and improve the quality of life for thousands of Australians. Tuesday's budget listed new drugs to help beat breast cancer—Perjeta and Herceptin; for melanoma—Mekinist; and extended indications for eye disease, most relevant to the member for Bowman as an eye specialist—the drug Lucentis. The government will also extend free vaccinations for the debilitating shingles virus to older Australians aged 70 to 79 by listing it on the National Immunisation Program. This is part of our commitment to ensure that Australians have access to affordable medicines as and when they need them. But with listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme approaching $50 billion over the next five years, it is imperative that taxpayers—and, by extension, governments—make this money available for life-threatening diseases and our responses to them. We have 29 new and amended listings per month on the PBS compared to Labor's eight listings a month. It was part of our election commitment that, when drugs pass the PBAC, they get listed as expeditiously as possible—and we are maintaining that. But, with more and more drugs in the pipeline, it becomes vital that we keep the PBS sustainable and that it continues to grow at a sustainable rate. In addition to the $1.3 billion in new drugs that I have announced, there is $3 billion in new recommendations on the table. Negotiations across the whole of the supply chain for medicines have been positive, proactive and have had patients at the table the whole way through. But where this leads—and no-one would ever want to be political about an issue to do with lifesaving drugs—is that we must have the savings. We must manage the budget responsibly. We must, as the Prime Minister said, invest and continue to invest. With $2.3 billion in added expenditure across the health portfolio, that is important. Where is Labor's plan for savings? It is nowhere. In this year where a thousand good ideas were going to bloom, the only thing that the opposition spokesman has said is that cuts could be made across the system wherever they are found. There is nothing in the health landscape. There is no idea from Labor about how to manage this problem and how to keep patients, doctors and the community at the centre of the healthcare system. We maintain our responsibility. Budget 60 14:51 Mr BOWEN DZS McMahon My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, what would be the impact on the budget bottom line if the Treasurer's nominal growth forecast dropped by one per cent in 2016-17? 14:52 Mr HOCKEY DK6 North Sydney That is a hypothetical, at any rate. I am glad I have a question from the member for McMahon, the shadow Treasurer. We were about to ask the Serjeant-at-Arms to call the roll to see if he was still here—two days after the budget. We stand by our forecast, and I tell you what: look behind you. There is the member for Lilley, who got every single number wrong. I tell you what—no, I am just kidding you. Mr Watts and Mr Conroy interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The members for Gellibrand and Charlton are both warned! Mr HOCKEY DK6 I tell you what I wanted to get out of my folder—this: 'Labor to launch prosperity commission to help shape economic policy.' Hullo? The SPEAKER SE4 The Treasurer will resume his seat. The member for McMahon, on a point of order. Mr Bowen DZS Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. On a point of relevance, the Treasurer's forecasts turn on this very important question. If the Treasurer does not know the answer, he should just— The SPEAKER SE4 The member will resume his seat. He knows perfectly well that standing orders may not be used to engage in argument, which is what he did then. Do it once more and you will leave the chamber. The Treasurer has the call. Mr HOCKEY DK6 The honourable member would know that there is a particular part of the budget papers which deals with upside and downside risks. If you are asking me to hypothesise about a number, you are not going to get an answer, because we stand by our numbers. I tell you what: old 'Swannie' over there, the well-tanned member for Lilley—I know what he is up to— The SPEAKER SE4 The Treasurer will resume his seat. Quite frankly, the member for Parramatta was on her feet before the Manager of Opposition Business. The member for Parramatta, on a point of order? Ms Owens E09 Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would ask that members refer to other members by their correct titles. The SPEAKER SE4 Certainly. The Treasurer will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business. Mr Burke DYW Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. When a question contains absolutely no argument, the relevance rulings must be more constrained. They must, by definition. The SPEAKER SE4 There is no point of order. The member will resume his seat. I would suggest he goes back and takes a look at the discussion on the meaning of 'direct relevance'. It may assist him in his endeavours. I call the honourable the Treasurer, and please refer to people by their correct titles. Mr HOCKEY DK6 I am sorry. I know what the member for Lilley is up to at the moment. He is trying to come back. Ms MacTiernan interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Perth is warned! Mr HOCKEY DK6 He was the last Labor Treasurer to get every single number wrong, apart from the member for McMahon— Ms MacTiernan interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Perth will leave under 94(a). Mr HOCKEY DK6 who got it $30 billion wrong when he said there would be an $18 billion dollar deficit and it turned out to be a $48 billion deficit. They are so proud of the effort of the member for Lilley. Listen to this: 'Labor to launch prosperity commission to help shape economic policy.' This is what we are going to hear tonight. The SPEAKER SE4 The Treasurer will resume his seat. The member for Isaacs, on a point of order? Mr Dreyfus HWG Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. My point of order is under standing order 91. This Treasurer is wilfully disregarding the standing orders, making a mockery of the processes of this House, and you should call— The SPEAKER SE4 There is no point of order. The member will resume his seat. Resume your seat. The Treasurer has the call. Mr HOCKEY DK6 I think I am viewing witness protection. The SPEAKER SE4 The Manager of Opposition Business. Mr Burke DYW Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The rulings at the moment are making 'direct relevance' completely inoperable in this parliament—completely. You are letting him say— The SPEAKER SE4 The member will resume his seat. What I am seeing is a deliberate campaign of points of order designed to stop and disrupt. That is what the evidence is showing me. The Treasurer has the call. Mr HOCKEY DK6 Thank you, Madam Speaker. It says: Labor’s thinktank, the Chifley Research Centre, will … launch a new inclusive prosperity commission to help shape the opposition’s economic policy development process in the lead-up to the 2016 election. …   …   … The project will be led by … Wayne Swan— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Perth was asked to leave. The member for Perth then left the chamber. Mr HOCKEY DK6 the former treasurer, who recently renominated for his Queensland seat of Lilley. Opposition members interjecting— Mr HOCKEY DK6 I can hear all the cheers over there. I can hear the cheers all around the nation: 'Swannie is coming back! He did such a great job when he promised all those budget surpluses—we want him to come back!' And there are all his fans—they are all getting up. The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Isaacs, on a point of order? Mr Dreyfus HWG Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. It is clear that the Treasurer does not know the answer to the question, but he needs to refer to— The SPEAKER SE4 The member will resume his seat immediately. If you had made the second point the first time, you would have been in order and you ought to know that. The Treasurer has the call. Mr HOCKEY DK6 The good news for Labor is that the future is here. They are going back to the future and getting the member for Lilley to do the numbers. I would urge the shadow Treasurer to speak to someone who got it wrong before as he is getting it wrong now. (Time expired) Budget 61 14:57 Mr BOWEN DZS McMahon My question is to the Treasurer. Yesterday, ABS data showed wages growth at record lows and below government forecasts. Can the Treasurer advise what the impact would be on the budget bottom line if the Treasurer's wage forecasts drop by even 0.5 per cent? Government members interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 I am going to continue to give the call to the member for McMahon. I did not see the member for Petrie on his feet, for which I apologise, but the member for McMahon has the call. Mr BOWEN DZS Madam Speaker, I have asked my question but I am happy to repeat it if you like. Yesterday ABS data showed wages growth at record— The SPEAKER SE4 The member will resume his seat. The member for Bass, on a point of order? Mr Nikolic 137174 Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. During the Treasurer's eloquent reply the member for Lilley, on four occasions, called the Treasurer an unparliamentary name. I ask him to withdraw. The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Lilley would assist the House if he would withdraw. Mr Swan 2V5 I am not going to withdraw, Madam Speaker, because the Treasurer is a liar. The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Lilley will leave under 94(a) for one hour. The member for Lilley then left the chamber. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 There will be silence on both sides of the House. The member for Chisholm has a point of order. Ms Burke 83S Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Twice during question time yesterday, in an answer to a question, the Prime Minister used that same word and was not asked to withdraw on either occasion. Is the word unparliamentary or not? Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 There will be silence! In answer to the question from the member for Chisholm: if someone accuses someone of being a liar, that is totally and utterly unparliamentary. The gerund or the noun can otherwise be used. But you will also notice that in the course of question time yesterday I had cause to ask the Prime Minister to withdraw the use of the word in a different grammatical form and he did. However, what is beyond any doubt is that to accuse anyone in this chamber of being a liar is totally and utterly unparliamentary, and that is why the member for Lilley is no longer in the chamber. 15:00 Mr BOWEN DZS McMahon My question is to the Treasurer. Yesterday, ABS data showed wages growth at record lows and below government forecasts. Can the Treasurer advise the House what the impact would be on the budget bottom line if the Treasurer's wages forecast dropped by even 0.5 per cent? The SPEAKER SE4 I am going to say that that question is a hypothetical and not in order. National Security 62 15:00 Mr HOWARTH 247742 Petrie My question is to the Minister for Justice. Will the minister please inform the House of measures in the budget to keep our streets safe? Mr Burke DYW Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. It is on the same ruling that you just gave. If ministers are being asked to speculate on what might happen in the future, apparently now it is not allowed. That is exactly what just happened! If we are not allowed to ask a question about the reduction— The SPEAKER SE4 The member will resume his seat! If the Manager of Opposition Business cares to go back through the Hansard, he will see— Mr Perrett interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Moreton is warned! The Manager of Opposition Business will see that where there is a question asked that is phrased in terms of other suggestions on offer that that is a mechanism that has been used by both sides of the House. I give the call— Mr Burke DYW I was raising a different point of order to the 'other policies' argument that you just ruled upon. The SPEAKER SE4 What are you asking a point of order on? Mr Burke DYW I am raising that the question he is asking about the future implementation of policies of this government is in the same way as the implementation of what happens when unemployment figures— The SPEAKER SE4 No, there is no point of order. Mr Burke DYW in the budget changes the entire trajectory of the budget. The SPEAKER: No. Mr Burke DYW It is reasonable that we can ask the Treasurer— The SPEAKER SE4 No, it— Mr Burke DYW what will happen if unemployment changes. How can that not be a proper question for the parliament? The SPEAKER SE4 The member will resume his seat. It is a hypothetical question and out of order. Mr Burke DYW But it says— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Petrie is asking a question to the Minister for Justice, and he can repeat the question! Mr HOWARTH 247742 My question is to the Minister for Justice. Will the minister please inform the House of measures in the budget to keep our streets safe? 15:02 Mr KEENAN E0J Stirling I thank the member for Petrie for that question. As the Treasurer indicated to Australia on Tuesday night, the highest responsibility of any government is the safety and security of its citizens. This government is more focused than ever on making sure that our law enforcement and our security agencies have the resources and the tools that they need to do their job of keeping us safe. This has been drawn into sharp focus by events in Melbourne over the weekend, where lives were once again saved by a joint operation involving the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and their security partners. This operation has resulted in the arrest of a 17-year-old from the northern suburbs of Melbourne, who has been charged with terrorism offences. During the search of the home three improvised pipe bombs were discovered inside the house, which police were forced to seize and render safe by controlled explosion in a nearby park. A total of 23 people have now been charged as a result of eight counter-terrorism operations since the terror alert threat level was raised to high last September. That is one-third of all terrorism related charges in Australia since 2001. It is very clear that we are living in a much more difficult and challenging security environment than we were 12 months ago, and that Australians are being groomed online by extremists in an effort to radicalise them and to recruit our vulnerable young people to go out and do their fellow citizens harm. Protecting Australians, our communities and our way of life is paramount, and it is this government's highest priority. We have already taken significant steps to achieve this, including introducing four tranches of legislation that have passed this House and which give the agencies the powers they need to do their jobs. We have also backed that up by providing $630 million of resourcing to boost the capacity of our national law enforcement bodies and our security agencies to respond to this new threat. This year's budget has built on that commitment by including an extra $450 million to strengthen our intelligence capabilities and to counter extremist messaging. This includes almost $300 million for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, $21 million to counter terrorist lies and propaganda online and $131 million to assist telecommunications providers to retain metadata for the prescribed period of two years. We are very fortunate in Australia to have the best law enforcement and security agencies in the world. It is very important that they are backed by this government, and they have been backed through resourcing and by being given the extra powers that they actually need to respond to this threat. They are working to make sure that Australians continue to live their lives safely and normally, without fear, and they will continue to be supported by this government to do that. Superannuation 63 15:05 Mr SHORTEN 00ATG Maribyrnong My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday, your current Treasurer described concessions for people who have superannuation accounts of $10 million as 'extraordinary and ridiculous'. So why will the government not have a go and fix it up? 15:06 Mr ABBOTT EZ5 Warringah This is from the Leader of the Opposition, who once described superannuation accounts as 'legalised tax havens'. The Leader of the Opposition who effectively called people who were saving through superannuation 'people who were rorting the tax system'—that is, effectively, what he did. By Labor's logic, if you make a policy pronouncement about something—a tough-minded policy pronouncement about something—you are somehow guilty of blackguarding the people who take advantage of government policy as it stands. I have been asked about superannuation, and I want to say to the Leader of the Opposition and to the people of Australia that this government supports people's right—indeed, their duty—to save for their retirement. We absolutely support peoples' rights and duty to save for their retirement and we want them to be appropriately incentivised to save for their retirement. We have given a very clear commitment that there will be no adverse changes to superannuation in this term of parliament. Unlike the Leader of the Opposition, we have no plans to slug retirees with future taxes, because, I tell you what, we do not regard people's retirement savings as a piggy bank for governments in trouble. We do not regard people's retirement savings as a cash cow to be raided by government when government is in trouble. That is the Labor way. Labor regards people's superannuation savings as a cash box for government. That is what it is: a cash box that the government can raid whenever it is short of money. If I am wrong, I call on the Leader of the Opposition to explain tonight in his budget reply exactly what superannuation taxes he has in store for people, because with a $52 billion budget black hole he certainly has to fill it somehow. The Labor way is the taxing way whether it is the carbon tax, whether it is the mining tax, whether it is the piggy bank tax or whether it is the stealth tax on inactive savings accounts. We know that he has a $52 billion budget black hole, and tonight he has to tell us how to fill it. Come clean with the Australian people. Tell us what the year of ideas is actually going to entail. Come clean I say to the Leader of the Opposition. Tell the truth. What are your ideas? If you are an alternative Prime Minister, tell us what sort of polices the alternative government would pursue. On that note, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS 63 PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS 15:09 Mrs MARKUS E07 Macquarie I wish to make a personal explanation. The SPEAKER SE4 Does the member claim to have been misrepresented? Mrs MARKUS E07 I do, most grievously. The SPEAKER SE4 She may proceed. Mrs MARKUS E07 On Thursday, 26 March 2015, Senator Doug Cameron, in questions without notice in the other place in relation to the Blue Mountains bush fires of October 2013, claimed falsely that I was silent. The senator went on to criticise me further. His claims are false and scurrilous. In addition to the significant assistance I provided on the ground for the devastated community, I made numerous representations in writing and personally to the minister, including the Prime Minister. The senator was noticeably absent from these meetings. DOCUMENTS 64 DOCUMENTS Presentation 64 15:10 Mr PYNE 9V5 Sturt Documents are tabled in accordance with the list circulated to honourable members earlier today. Full details of the documents be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings. BUSINESS 64 BUSINESS Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders 64 15:10 Mr PYNE 9V5 Sturt by leave—I move: That standing order 31 (automatic adjournment of the House) be suspended for this sitting and that, after the Leader of the Opposition completes his reply to the Budget speech, the House automatically stand adjourned until 10 am on Monday, 25 May 2015, unless the Speaker or, in the event of the Speaker being unavailable, the Deputy Speaker, fixes an alternative day or hour of meeting. Question agreed to. The SPEAKER SE4 For the arrangements for the speech by the honourable Leader of the Opposition in his budget reply tonight, the same rules will apply as applied for the presentation by the Treasurer of his budget speech. If there is any need for action under section 94(a), it will be done by a note being sent to the person concerned. 15:11 Mr BURKE DYW Watson With regard to the rules for this evening: I know there has been a significant handing around of props around the government benches. Given that you have the ruling that you will only pass around advice by written note, it creates a problem if there is an attempt to disrupt the speech tonight. I would ask that you take appropriate action in terms of advising government members. Ms Macklin PG6 The whip was just holding it up. The SPEAKER SE4 I would simply say— Ms Macklin interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 The member for Jagajaga! Excuse me. Could I have some manners. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 I will have silence, thank you very much. The fact of the matter is—yes, the member for Bass. Mr Nikolic 137174 I seek leave to make a personal explanation. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER SE4 There will be silence. I will in fact deal with the member for Bass's request in moment. The member for Bass will resume his seat. I will simply say that there is a rule in this House that there are no props to be used. That applies equally to the speech in reply by the Leader of the Opposition, and I would ask all government members to observe that. That is the proper behaviour, and I would not wish to see any change from it. If there is, it might have to be dealt with. 15:12 Mr NIKOLIC 137174 Bass I seek leave to make a personal explanation. The SPEAKER SE4 Does the member claim to have been misrepresented? Mr NIKOLIC 137174 I do indeed—just now, by the member for Jagajaga and others— The SPEAKER SE4 You may only proceed with my indulgence. You have my indulgence. Mr NIKOLIC 137174 The member for Jagajaga I believe just made the claim that I had passed props around the parliament. That is absolutely false and mendacious. It is absolutely false and mendacious. I have passed no props to other members of this parliament. Ms Macklin PG6 Point of order. The SPEAKER SE4 There is no point of order on a statement of indulgence If the member seeks indulgence, she may do so. Ms MACKLIN PG6 Just to correct what I said: you held up a prop for the cameras to take pictures of. That's exactly what you did. The SPEAKER SE4 No! No! The member for Jagajaga will resume her seat. The proper way in which to deal with that is to seek leave to make a personal explanation. MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE 65 MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE Employment 65 15:14 The SPEAKER SE4 I have received a letter from the honourable member for Gorton proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely: The Government’s failure to offer a plan for jobs in the new economy. I call upon those members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places. More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places— 15:14 Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR 00AN3 Gorton On Tuesday night the Treasurer handed down a budget that the government promised would be about taxes coming down, debt coming down and unemployment falling. Instead we were witness to a budget where taxes are rising, debt is rising and unemployment is rising. Even on the government's own forecast, unemployment will be rising next financial year to 6.5 per cent. This is the highest unemployment rate for 14 years. This is a very, very big problem for the 800,000 Australians who are seeking work. What we see, over the forecast years, is a forecast where unemployment will be higher than was forecast in last year's budget. So the fact is: things are getting worse, not better, when it comes to job opportunities for Australian workers. What we need to see from this government instead is a plan for jobs. What we need to see from the Treasurer, the Prime Minister and other ministers of this government, including the Minister for Employment, is a plan for jobs for those 800,000 Australians. Instead, we have today an unemployment rate of 6.2 per cent. We have 80,000 more Australians on unemployment queues today than we had at the last election. We have a government with a very modest goal, in terms economic growth, of a million jobs in five years, and yet there are more than 80,000 jobs fewer than there should be, given the government's commitment to that goal. The Prime Minister's goal is certainly not being met; indeed, there are more people unemployed as a result of this government. Why is that the case? When this government was elected it confected a crisis and scared business and consumers. That is why we have an economy that has been flagging. That is why we have employers who are not hiring. That is why we have consumers who are not spending. As a result, we have an economy that is in trouble. A confected crisis by this government caused problems. It dampened consumer confidence, it dampened business confidence, it has led to unemployment increasing and, unfortunately—despite this budget being called a 'jobs and family' budget—even the forecast within the budget shows that unemployment will rise over time. That means, if these forecasts are right, we are going to see tens of thousands more Australians in unemployment queues. The question the opposition asks is: where is the government's jobs plan? Where are the jobs for the 284,000 people who are looking for work? The unemployment rate for young job seekers is nearly 14 per cent, which is well above twice the national rate of unemployment. We have young job seekers not earning or learning and they are seeking answers from this government. They want to enter the labour market. They want to be productive. They want to have a purpose and they want to have a decent job, and yet there are no jobs for them. And there is nothing in this budget that would suggest there will be job opportunities over the course of the next few years. That is a major problem and something that this government has failed to attend to, and one of the reasons is that this government and these ministers have a callous disregard for Australian workers. We saw that writ large early in this term when we saw the Treasurer turn up at this dispatch box, in December 2013, and threaten an iconic company like Holden to leave our shores—and they are leaving. We saw it when the government said that Australian shipbuilders will not build ships. We saw it when the Prime Minister tried to do a deal with Japan to stop submarines being built in this nation. We see it when it comes to the failure of this government to invest in skills, to invest in infrastructure, to invest in those things that will create the opportunities for businesses to hire and for workers to have productive lives. These are the reasons that we are seeing unemployment rising. The figures in the government's own budget illustrate that opportunities will not be there for those Australian workers. Some areas of this nation are at crisis point. In Northern Tasmania, in Northern Queensland, in parts of Melbourne and Sydney and in northern Adelaide, unemployment figures for young people are at 20 per cent There are major challenges for our economy. It is awful to see young people without opportunities for work, and yet there is not enough in this budget; there is not enough effort by this government to attend to this issue. And it is not just those young people who may have left school early. There are university graduates trying to work out where their jobs are for the future. There are apprentices finishing apprenticeships who cannot find work. There are trainees who cannot find work. This is a major challenge that is not being responded to by the government. Not everything is rising. If you look at the budget figures, you see that we have the lowest rate of wage growth since the ABS started collecting information. Even for those workers who do have a job, there is very little wage growth at all. Indeed, at the very best in the next financial year it will be matching inflation. This is the lowest rate of wage growth we have seen for many a year. So, with the cost of living rising, you are going to see more families under pressure because of those very low rates of wage increases. We have heard a lot of talk from this government about employment participation. They have suggested that they want to see more people enter the labour market. That was the reason the Prime Minister used to advocate having a paid parental scheme. He used to talk about a paid parental scheme that would ensure that women would enter the labour market. What has happened since then? The Prime Minister used to boast about improving employment participation but the paid parental leave fiasco that we have seen this week is as good as theft. What we have seen by this government in introducing the initiative that will deprive 80,000 mothers of entitlements is an absolute disgrace. First we were going to have a paid parental scheme, then we were going to have a reduced scheme, and now we are going to have no scheme at all—but, even worse than that, we have a policy that will have a perverse effect on the current workplace agreements in place in this country. There are women in this country who are working for private sector companies and who will be deprived of entitlements, and the government has the cheek to call these women fraudsters, rorters and double dippers. These women are not fraudsters or rorters; these women negotiated those entitlements. They forewent wage increases so that they would get this entitlement, and now we have a government that is going to steal that from those women. Women who have just had a child will have a reduced entitlement, an entitlement that came about through their own discussions and negotiations at workplaces as a result of the Prime Minister's and the Treasurer's budget. And that is an injury to those 80,000 women. The insult, of course, was this government having the hide to call these women 'rorters' and 'fraudsters' and 'double dippers'. This is not double dipping; this is double crossing by the Prime Minister of mothers who are in the workforce. This will not help employment participation. This will not improve opportunities for women in the workplace. This is an outrage that the government should change. The Prime Minister himself should come to this dispatch box and apologise to those women for the insult and the injury he has caused as a result of that item in the budget. But we will not expect the Prime Minister to do that because, as I said, this government has a callous disregard for workers, a callous disregard obviously for working mothers as well. We want to see this government outline a jobs plan but we have seen none of that in this budget. We want to see the government engage with business. We want to see the government ensure that there is proper investment in skills to ensure that businesses can find the skilled labour they need but we do not see enough of that. They took $1 billion in the first budget out of training and apprenticeships and we do not see any improvements on that front as well, so there are major problems with this budget. Finally, it is also important to note the way in which a government treats its own workforce. The actual increase over the forward estimates for the Commonwealth would suggest there are going to be more job cuts in the public service or indeed a wage freeze. It is incumbent on Minister Abetz to explain where he is going to cut those public service jobs or whether in fact there is going to be a wage freeze, because the money is not there to ensure that the workers are properly treated or that they keep their jobs. This is a government that has failed on jobs and needs to attend to this major challenge for this nation. 15:24 Mr BILLSON 1K6 Dunkley If you want to know anything about Labor, you just saw it—an old union hack will not bring the jobs back. All you heard here was whingeing and moaning straight out of Trades Hall, straight out of the ACTU, all protecting the unions, nothing about jobs. You did not hear anything about jobs; all you heard about was unionism. You did not hear anything about the future economy; all you heard was back to the future, slagging off and name-calling, inciting aggro. Why don't you just go onto a picket line? That is where your place should be. What we have been asked to talk about today are the—you had a pretty fair go, Sunshine. Mr Brendan O'Connor 00AN3 Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The SPEAKER SE4 The minister will resume his seat. Mr Brendan O'Connor 00AN3 Madam Speaker, I think it is outrageous that he would be attacking— The SPEAKER SE4 Resume your seat immediately. In fact, leave under 94(a). That is an absolute abuse of the standing orders. You had a very fair run. The minister has the call. The member for Gorton then left the chamber— Mr BILLSON 1K6 Can't you tell the difference between attacking a hopeless Labor opposition with no plan for the future, only running lines your the unions fed you and the interests of this country? Can't you work that out? As the member for Gorton leaves, what a surprise, he has failed to mention small business once. He may have only been the minister for 11 months. I accept he may have been the only Labor minister in the previous government for 11 months. He was only one of six. I should not be too harsh. I should not think he actually understands that the task of job creation rests in the hands of those that are creating the economic opportunities. It is a pretty simple idea. Jobs do not come by just by coming here and running a picket line speech. It is about supporting the productivity of our economy, getting behind the wealth creators, understanding that for someone to gain a job there has to be an employer with the capacity to employ them and pay for them. And that is why enterprise needs to be at the heart of any credible agenda that talks about the future economy and where the jobs are going to come from. That is what this budget was all about. I am not surprised those opposite could not quite pick up the fact that we are energising enterprise through this budget, that jobs and small business were at the heart and that supporting participation, families and child care are all about putting in place the environment and infrastructure that is needed to create employment opportunities in this economy. To have people prepared and able to take up those opportunities and to have a go to make them their own is what this budget was about—a challenge we faced after inheriting the mess and their debt and deficit legacy of Labor. It is a difficult assignment trying to deal with the hard wired expenditure that Labor had in the budgets and in the books of the Commonwealth that would see $123-billion worth of deficits if we left it on the set-and-forget Labor plan. But we could not do that because you do not create jobs for the future by giving our kids the debts that we were not prepared to pay today. That is no way of opening up the economy for the future. So not only does this budget deal with new initiatives designed to support the job creation and the economic prospects of the economy but we have more than offset those outlays by finding savings within the budget. What else have we done? We have reduced the deficit as a percentage of GDP in our economy by half a per cent each year in the out years. We are back on track for a credible budget recovery that is what the markets are looking for. All of this is happening while we present to the Australian public a jobs and small business plan, a family and child care support strategy. It is all about energising enterprise, encouraging people to be a part of the economy and to be in a position to take up those jobs that, through the work we are doing as a government in partnership with the private sector, will be available in increasing numbers into the future. Why am I so optimistic about that? In the first year of the Abbott government, the job creation rate by this economy was three times what it was under the last year of Labor. We had three times the rate of job creation. We have got record numbers of business formation. We have got momentum heading in the right direction and all Labor can do is ignore the history as if it never existed. Have a look at Labor's last budgets. Have a look at the debt trajectory that is in there, understated and fraudulent though it was. In there, have a look at the slowing in economic opportunity. Have a look at the rising rates of unemployment. All of those settings were created and put in place under Labor's administration. When the Australian public said enough is enough of that ridiculously dysfunctional government of Labor and put the coalition in office, we had to start with where Labor left things. And let me assure you, they were not where anybody wanted them to be. In small business, 519,000 jobs—livelihoods, the opportunity for people to get a go in the workforce—provided by small business were lost under Labor, in six years under the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government. Do you know that the number of small businesses actually employing people declined? It declined. Labor seemed to go out of their way, as an assault on the small business economy, to take on those enterprising men and women who mortgage their houses and in some cases think of nothing other than what they can do to support their enterprise. We had to tackle that, and we have. Job creation is at a rate that Labor could only dream of. In business formation, again, there are encouraging signs. Building approvals are up. There is confidence in consumers. We had to recover from Labor. I admit that the Australian public was ecstatic when Labor was voted out of office. I accept that. The Australian public was ecstatic, and some of those confidence ratings went through the roof, such was the jubilation of the Australian public when Labor left office. Yes, it has come off those heights of jubilation, but you hear Labor talking down the economy. They are optimism sponges. They are the perpetrators of negativity. They do not talk about policy. Right throughout the member for Gorton's speech, did you hear one policy idea? Wasn't this Labor's year of big ideas? I have an idea for Labor. Why don't they just get out of the road? Get out of the road. Let us implement the plan that has been articulated in the budgets. Let us get on with repairing the debt and deficit disaster that has been left, not just for governments. Governments have to contend with them; citizens have to pay for them. If we are going to achieve our potential as a great nation and carry forward the promise that every generation before us has had that the next generation will have it better than us, we cannot leave those settings where Labor had them and where Labor wants them: 'What we'll do is steal those opportunities from our kids. We will load up the economy and enterprising people with more debt and lead in the saddlebag than they need to contest and win the economic opportunities of the future.' What are we doing? We are opening those doors. Those North Asian trade agreements—hundreds of millions of new prospective customers wanting what we do well; a chance to grow our business and our economy and the jobs that flow from it. That is what we are doing. And then we are making sure that our economy is best equipped and fit to win those opportunities, because they are contested; they are not reserved for us. They are not something you can protect by a picket line performance like you saw from the member for Gorton. Tonight will be interesting. Will Labor have anything positive or constructive to say? Will they dwell on name-calling, on semantics and on the use of words that they seek to distort to create division in the society but no clear pathway for where the economy and this nation are going? That will be the test, because we have already seen some examples of it. Do you know that last week—I think it is the shadow, assisting, part-time, occasionally, about-to-be-retiring—Bernie Ripoll, the member for Oxley, put out a press release? He was having a crack, having a go, not in a positive sense but having a go at our plan to provide tax relief to small business. He was bagging it. He was playing from the big-end-of-town rule book. He was saying, 'Well, if it can't go to everybody, it shouldn't go to anybody.' Well, that is not our view. We do what we can in a responsible and affordable way. So you had the member for Oxley bagging the idea of a tax cut. You had the current opposition Treasury spokesman, who I must confess was the small business minister—let me check it. One and a half months he lasted in that role. He would not have even got his cards printed in time. He was out there saying, 'No, I actually think this isn't such a bad idea.' And then you had the Leader of the Opposition doing the corridor talk. In fairness to the Leader of the Opposition, I try to ignore a lot of the corridor talk about him from his own colleagues. I do not think it is really helpful. But he had a corridor chat, and he thought he might be onside with some of these small business measures. But have we got any clarity? Are they actually going to back this measure? Are they going to support our efforts to energise enterprise, to give a reward and incentive to those courageous men and women who create wealth and opportunity not only for themselves but for our community? Are they going to get behind our work to provide the roadshows to explain what the trade agreements mean, how to get a part of them and how to bring wealth and opportunity through those? Are they going to get behind our accelerated depreciation measure? That is not offered, as Labor did, as a sweetener to hide the sourness of yet another new Labor tax. At the same time, they removed a tax incentive for small business provided by the Howard government known as the entrepreneurs tax offset. How is that for a cunning plan? Take off a tax benefit for small business, with 400,000 benefiting from that, and put on a new tax that was actually limiting our capacity for the future. That is no plan. Only the coalition has a plan— (Time expired) 15:34 Ms BIRD DZP Cunningham I have something positive to say to the minister. You have to give him marks for enthusiasm and evangelising in his portfolio. He never, ever lacks enthusiasm, so there is something positive. Sadly, I fear that he is, however, by and large, terribly, terribly misguided. The Prime Minister has a penchant for putting people to live on other planets, and it appears that his Minister for Small Business is living on Planet Delusion. He criticises Labor in government for removing one particular incentive for small business and replacing it with another. Just remind me: what did they do in the last budget? Mr Husic 91219 Got rid of all the incentives. Ms BIRD DZP They got rid of all the incentives Labor had put in place for small business and replaced them with nothing—nothing. Therefore, after 12 months, they have decided they actually have to go back to the issue and try to repair some of the damage that they have done. I just have a little challenge for members opposite. I extended it to the Assistant Treasurer during our chat at the table. Anybody who is sitting here is welcome to take it up. They criticised the shadow Treasurer and the shadow small business minister for not putting out any positive press releases about government initiatives. Well, I challenge them, over the entirety of the years of the Labor government, to find me one press release—just one; that will do; I will be happy with that—from a shadow minister congratulating on or endorsing a Labor government initiative. If they can do that, I will accept that the minister may not be delusional on these matters, but I doubt very much that they will be able to find a single one. Let us come back to the reality. Before the election, the commitment of the now Prime Minister—who at that time was the Leader of the Opposition—to the Australian people was that he was going to create a million jobs. What is the reality with unemployment at this point in time? I am going to use the government's own budget to outline what the current system will be. This government budget as released this week confirms that unemployment will be higher and stay higher as a result of the budget. Despite all the rhetoric we hear, the budget forecasts unemployment to reach 6.5 per cent— Mr Husic 91219 Higher than the GFC. Ms BIRD DZP higher than the global financial crisis, which those opposite like to pretend never happened—in fact, the highest unemployment rate in 14 years. The budget does not have a plan to address that for the long term. In areas across the nation like mine and the member for Chifley's there is an ongoing deep concern about endemic unemployment, particularly for our young people. In fact, it was a topic of the OECD and a major focus for the OECD. What we need to see happen, and it has been told to the government time and time again—it was told to us in government and we responded with a significant investment in both skills and infrastructure—is investment in knowledge, skills and the tools with which to utilise them to ensure the growth of new jobs and the ability of people to take up the emerging jobs of the future. We have not seen that in this budget. I want to deal with my own shadow portfolio of vocational education and skills. If you look at what the budget says about this, it confirms that there is a massive 20 per cent cut over the forward estimates in skills funding. That is the reality—a 20 per cent cut. It has totally failed to make any new announcements about investments in skills and training. This abject failure to act comes on the back of last year's budget, where they cut $2 billion out of the portfolio. Of particular concern in a debate about jobs and in particular when someone claims they are the Prime Minister for 'Tony's tradies', they cut $1 billion out of apprenticeships and traineeships. Not a single dollar of that has gone back, nor is there a single new initiative in this budget for apprentices and trainees. It seems it is all right to love the current generation of tradies, but heaven forbid you actually invest in the next generation of them. What we actually saw put in place was the abolition of a whole range of programs that were there— (Time expired) 15:39 Mrs MARKUS E07 Macquarie It is with delight that I rise today to speak on the government's plan to see the economy grow and the people of Australia prosper, particularly with the Growing Jobs and Small Business package announced in this year's budget. I thank the shadow minister for raising this very important issue, giving this side of the House the opportunity to inform both the people of Macquarie and the people of Australia how it is working to ensure that the engine room of the Australian economy, small business, will be positioned to drive growth and create jobs. Focusing on building a strong and prosperous economy encourages business confidence and consequently increases job creation. In 2013-14, Australians started over 280,000 small businesses. The $5.5 billion Growing Jobs and Small Business package is the largest small business package in Australia's history, building on what has already been achieved. This package will help small business to invest more, grow more and thereby employ more. The Growing Jobs and Small Business package will assist employers to grow and to employ young job seekers, mature workers, parents and long-term unemployed. I find it incredible that the other side raised this question, having put our economy on the back foot during their six-year tenure. We all know: where there is a good economy, where businesses are supported and have confidence, jobs will follow. What has this government already achieved? It repealed the carbon tax. It repealed the mining tax. It agreed free trade agreements with China, Korea and Japan. It announced $2.45 billion in annual red tape savings. It established the $484.2 million Entrepreneurs' Infrastructure Program. It created new employment opportunities through a $50 billion commitment to transport infrastructure. It established the new $6.8 billion jobactive employment services package, commencing on 1 July this year. It delivered a comprehensive reform package for the VET sector and introduced Restart, a wage subsidy to help Australians aged over 50 to find employment. It established the Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman. There is more, but time will not allow me to list them all. Some 11,000 small businesses in Macquarie will benefit from these measures and additional measures, and let me focus on some of the measures in this year's budget. This government will provide more than $330 million in targeted spending on new job initiatives aimed at employers to support the transition of young job seekers to work. There will be wage subsidies to support employers that assist job seekers, with a $1.2 billion national wage subsidy pool and $18 million over four years for job seekers to undertake valuable work experience. The government is also investing around $6 billion this year to support training that gives apprentices and vocational students the high-quality training they need for modern Australian workplaces. This includes the $664 million Industry Skills Fund, which will support more than 250,000 training places and support services, including skills advice for microbusinesses and small to medium businesses. Young unemployed people will receive skills links to real jobs and support to be able to engage with work, training or school through the government's two youth training pilots, Training for Employment Scholarships and Youth Employment Pathways, which are being trialled in 32 sites across Australia, including Macquarie. Under Training for Employment Scholarships, around 7,500 scholarships of up to $7,500 are assisting employers to take on and train unemployed young people. The Youth Employment Pathways program offers up to $2,000 of assistance to eligible community service organisations to help disengaged 15- to 18-year-olds get back to school, start VET or move into the workforce. Just after the budget, I received some positive feedback from Mr Ian Palmer, CEO of the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Penrith Schools Industry Partnership. He states, 'Hi Louise, just a quick note to say I was impressed by last night's budget and the small business and jobs measures.' He understands, let me tell you, what young people face and he understands what is required for them to access employment and education. He said, 'Well done. I am also very pleased to see the federal government renew support for young people caught in the transition and service gap between leaving school and joining the world of work.' His email concludes with congratulations on 'a good budget in difficult circumstances'. Let me conclude by saying this government is committed to ensuring that small businesses are empowered to grow and provide more jobs. We are committed to ensuring that young people have every access to employment and training. (Time expired) 15:44 Mr HUSIC 91219 Chifley Forty-eight hours after the budget was delivered here that made a number of references to start-ups, entrepreneurialism, innovation and small business let us go to those in the know and see what they say about this budget. Rui Rodrigues, the Managing Partner of Tank Stream Ventures, said: Overall, it’s positive that the government has mentioned startups twice in the budget but specific incentives are still lacking or aren’t applicable to the sector, so in the end it’s difficult to look at the glass half full with this budget. That is what they are saying in relation to what we have seen delivered. That is not the only criticism that has been levelled at this budget. It pretends it has a focus on small business, jobs and growth, but the reality is otherwise. We are confronted with a very serious challenge. Not only do we have more joblessness now than in the global financial crisis but we are at risk of being loaded up with the weight of that joblessness well into the future. We are under massive pressure to change on two counts. Mining is not delivering the wealth and, importantly, not delivering the jobs that we once experienced. For example, liquefied natural gas facilities that took over 35,000 people to build are now being operated by fewer than 5,000 people. Our GDP growth has taken a one percentage point hit because as construction projects end they require fewer people. This means that joblessness is up and there are fewer jobs around for people to go into. On top of that technology is wiping out manual and entry level jobs. There are fewer jobs that require little or no training. So we have in our own country this challenge with the economy changing and also technology having an impact. We need to see whether this government is thinking ahead. What is its jobs plan? The problem is there is not much of a jobs plan in place. Other countries get this. For example, the UK is focused on finance or Fintech, New Zealand has coinvestment programs and entrepreneurs visas to generate the type of innovation required there, Singapore has $14 billion put aside for a national framework for innovation and entrepreneurship, and South Korea has a $100 million coinvestment program. They are all changing their economies. In the US they have seen that jobs grow 25 times faster in the tech sector than in any other sector in the country and they are making massive investments. They lead the world in terms of innovation and entrepreneurship. Small businesses and start-ups got big mentions in this budget but there is no plan backing up the words. They are making it up as they go along. We have to work now. Again, let us look at what the start-up sector is saying. They said: … in today’s globally connected digital world, our education and training systems need to place a far higher priority on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths … skills, including Information and Communication Technology … skills. That is from the Australian Computer Society's Andrew Johnson. This budget cuts billions of dollars out of skills training and cuts nearly 20 per cent out of vocational education and training, as the member for Cunningham indicated. Where are we getting ready for the jobs of the future? We are not. Each new technology based job creates five additional jobs in other sectors, according to Enrico Moretti, Professor of Economics at the University of California in Berkeley. We are not prepared for it at all so we are under pressure to change. We risk being left behind. We have no plan to generate jobs. Only one job was being thought of in this budget—that is the Prime Minister's job. That was the only target for this budget. The only target for this budget was to get both the Prime Minister and the Treasurer through, but we cannot afford that kind of short-term thinking. We need to be able to think ahead about what is going to generate jobs for the people I represent in my area and the members for Greenway, Wakefield, Gellibrand and Griffith represent. We are all concerned about what is going to happen to jobs in the future but there is absolutely nothing here in terms of investing in schools and education and there is very little thinking in advance about what we need to do to keep our country ahead while others are stealing the march on us. 15:50 Mr PITT 148150 Hinkler What a presentation from the member for Chifley. I keep hearing about this plan for jobs. I am not sure where they have been this week. I am fairly certain it is in the budget. It is a big pile of paper. There are a whole heap of books. There is a big plan in there. They must be using it to hold a door open. Go back to your office and have a look. In fact, the member for Gorton has an opportunity to do that given he has been taken out of the House for a short period of time. Mr Frydenberg FKL I've got it here. Mr PITT 148150 There is part of it right there. There is a plan. The issue we have is that the only plan over there is to just say no. Those in the opposition will just say no. If they continue to get in the way it will be very difficult I am sure. As has been said before by a number of speakers on this side, the powerhouse of the Australian economy is small business and this budget has a whole heap of things in it that are very positive for small business. As someone who was in small business for 15 years I can tell you that there are real opportunities here. These opportunities can be brought forward before the end of this current financial year. There will be an opportunity for people to replace small infrastructure and get a direct write-down. I can tell you that every small business in this country right now is making decisions about what they will do before the end of the financial year. They have done their planning. They have looked at what is coming through the door and they will make decisions about what they can spend between now and 30 June. They have an opportunity to write off 100 per cent of small infrastructure, small items of plant and equipment, up to $20,000. I think it is fantastic. The member for Gorton talked about there being no investment in skills. I am not sure where he has been because I am positive that there is the Industry Skills Fund. There is $476 million for skills advice and tailored staff training to help businesses expand and compete. Once again, as someone who has come out of the training sector, I can tell you that the days of training churn, the days of putting numbers through training under the JSA system, are finished. We need to provide people with skills with which they can become employed. That is what is important, not just churning through different training organisations on a subsidised basis and coming out the other side. We have 4,000 baristas and in my electorate we do not need that many. We quite simply need people who have the skills to drive forklifts and operate a vehicle. They are very, very simple things. We have a very difficult economic situation in my electorate. I have some 4000-odd people who are multigenerational welfare dependants. The biggest restriction to them getting a job is having a drivers licence. To get one they need over 100 hours of monitored training, they need a logbook and they need a vehicle. It is very, very difficult when you are in such a situation. This is supposed to be the year of ideas from those opposite. If that is the best salvo they have to fire in the year of ideas, if this were a game of battleship nothing would be hitting the board. They are scrabbling around in the tin, looking for things to throw, but it is all falling on the floor. There are definitely no hits—none. There is nothing in the jar. It is empty. They have no ideas. It is an empty landscape as far as you can see. In fact, I am sure tonight's speech will be, 'There is nothing to see here.' There is absolutely nothing to see. We have opportunities right now. The member for Cunningham talked about Tony's tradies. I am very interested in tradespeople because I actually am one. I am one of the few people left in the House who is. Those opposite, many years ago, used to represent working people. They now represent unions. The number of people with trades on that side of the House has deteriorated incredibly. I would like to see more working people on that side of the House, not just people who represent unions. Not everyone is in a union. There is an awful lot of people out there who are not. The member for Chifley was talking about start-ups. Start-ups are, once again, something I know something about given I have started quite a number. I can tell you that the first three months of trading are incredibly difficult. There are opportunities in this year's budget for start-ups to get 100 per cent write-down on the cost of setting up. It is good value. He talked about LNG facilities and how, amazingly, there were thousands and thousands of people employed in the construction of these facilities. That is not really a surprise. Last time I checked, when you build things, it does take an enormous number of people. It takes labour, equipment and money. When things go from construction to operation, there are fewer people involved. I cannot think of too many operations where you construct things that end up with as many workers in them as there were to build the thing. That is just the nature of the issue and the nature of the operation. Those facilities are operational. In Gladstone there is in LNG plant which is providing gas from Australia to the world. It is providing returns to the people of Australia and the people of Queensland. It is a very important part of our economy, and we should continue to get on with it. Those opposite needs to wake up to themselves and get out of the way. 15:55 Mr ZAPPIA HWB Makin What is absolutely clear from Tuesday night's budget is that the Treasurer has lost the plot and has lost confidence in himself. His deficit is out of control, ending at $41 billion for this year, going to $35 billion next year. His taxes are rising—24 per cent of GDP this year, going to 25 per cent of GDP in a couple of years time. Unemployment is rising—6.5 per cent this year and 80,000 more people in the dole queues than there were when this government came to office. This government cannot continue to walk away from their responsibility. They have been in government for two years. It is their debt, their deficit and their unemployment figures. What is absolutely clear from Tuesday night's speech from the Treasurer is that he has totally lost confidence in himself. He is throwing up his arms and saying to the Australian people, 'You have a go because I have had a go and I cannot fix the problem.' The economy is going south. The budget has no clear strategy. There is no direction and there is no plan for jobs in this budget at all. For me, personally, what is extremely concerning is that no state has been treated more shamefully by this government and this Treasurer personally than South Australia. In the government's first budget, about $1 billion was cut from the South Australian budget just in health and education alone. Then we had the government turn their back on manufacturing in this country and in particular the auto industry. First, they would not give the industry a penny to help it survive when governments around the country were supporting their auto industries. Then they dared the industry to leave. As we saw, GMH took up the dare and said, 'If that is what you think about us, if that is how much you value our presence in Australia, we will leave.' And they did. The next morning the announcement was made. Having done that, we saw almost nothing from government, a very paltry amount, put into a fund to try to help those people who were going to lose their jobs and be affected by the loss of the auto industry in this country. In South Australia, up to 13,000 jobs will be lost. We can see the effects already being felt right across the economy. Then we had the submarine debacle. First, we had a minister—he was the shadow minister at the time—come to South Australia and say, 'The 12 submarines will be built in South Australia.' He made it absolutely clear. Straight after the election, the same person—by then he was the minister—began to undermine the ASC, saying that they were not fit to build a canoe to paddle upstream. This is a government that not only have betrayed South Australians but simply do not understand the impact of their decisions on the South Australian economy. We then had the Prime Minister, when his own job was on the line, come out with a competitive evaluation process that had never been heard of before in order to appease some of the South Australian backbenchers who had lost confidence in him and in his government. What does 'competitive evaluation' mean? We do not know. The reality is that what we do know is that the government has refused to commit to building the 12 submarines in South Australia and, as a result of that, we are already seeing jobs being lost. One hundred were lost from BAE Systems this week in Melbourne alone. They were all tied up with naval shipbuilding in this country. But it does not stop there. The truth of the matter is that, when it comes to South Australia, out of the $50 billion, we only got $2 billion. Four per cent of the national infrastructure funds went to South Australia. That is on top of the $130 million cut from special local road funding that was provided to South Australia year in and year out. That is money that would go straight into construction programs and, in turn, create the jobs that we need for the future. But it goes a lot further than that. If you go right through all of the cuts that this government has made—cuts to skills funding, research and training, industry innovation in manufacturing businesses around the country—they are all to industries that are going to create jobs of the future. Our future lies in innovation and the investment in it; in particular the future of our young people who today face unemployment rates as high as 20 per cent who are looking for work. Their future lies in the jobs that will be created by the very industries that this government from day one has sought to destroy and is destroying. There are only two jobs that this government and this Treasurer are concerned about: the Prime Minister's job—he made that absolutely clear when his own job was on the line—and the Treasurer made it absolutely clear that it is his job that is on the line when he spoke on Tuesday night. (Time expired) 16:00 Mrs WICKS 241590 Robertson What an extraordinary debate that we are having in this chamber today, because this budget is actually all about a plan for our economy. It is all about the creation of new jobs, new opportunity and more growth in our economy. I just cannot believe members opposite. I cannot believe the gall, that they would hold an MPI like this today. In fact, I actually think it is just sad. In a week when we should be talking about all the positive aspects of this budget, with so much positive news for families, with so much positive news for small businesses to get ahead and have a go, with so much infrastructure that will be built—infrastructure for the 21st century thanks to this government—all we see member opposite do is complain, attempt to run scare campaigns and outline no positive future. As much as they may want to run away from their past, as we have certainly heard outlined in the chamber today, their legacy and the legacy they cannot run away from is this: gross debt was projected to rise to $667 billion— Mr Champion interjecting— Mrs WICKS 241590 Yes, let's actually remind you about this—$123 million in cumulative deficits; 14,500 jobs lost under their watch and a jobs-destroying carbon tax that of course cost the average family around $550 a year. In our first term of government, and as this budget outlines, we have already cut Labor's projected debt and deficit in half. Our budget delivers a credible path back to surplus. We have seen a quarter of a million new jobs, 250,000 new jobs, added in just the last 18 months. We have scrapped the jobs-destroying carbon tax. This is a fantastic budget that will actually help to create jobs, growth and opportunity. I want to outline the opportunity that this budget is going to deliver for families and small businesses in my electorate of Robertson. We all know that national decisions have a local impact. They have an impact on families and they have an impact on small businesses, like those in Erina, Gosford, Woy Woy and Killcare. They have an impact on local economies like the Central Coast region. We all know as well it is not government that creates jobs; it is business that creates jobs. This budget will help business, particularly small business in my electorate and I have around 13,000 small businesses in the Gosford council area. This budget will help those businesses to grow, to thrive, to prosper, to succeed and to create even more jobs and more opportunity for our young people and our commuters on the Central Coast. Let me outline. We have been talking already in this debate about the great benefits of our $5½ billion growing jobs and small business package, which of course includes a tax cut for small businesses regardless of whether they are incorporated or not, and includes the ability for small businesses to claim an immediate tax deduction for each and every asset purchased up to $20,000. What we have not spoken about is our $10 million commitment to Somersby industrial park to help upgrade the infrastructure there—part of a $29 million project with Gosford City Council that will help improve economic growth and employment opportunities, and boost productivity. It will make that park business-ready. It will make sure that it is cheaper for businesses to choose to relocate to Somersby. Relocating to the Central Coast means more local job opportunities for our Central Coast residents. I want to talk as well about something else that this budget confirms: the 600 jobs that we are relocating to Gosford in a purpose-built building, a key announcement that Labor refuses to even guarantee to support but an important project that is on time and on budget. Not only will it deliver 600 new jobs to Gosford; it will help to create hundreds more besides that. What does that mean? That means more local job opportunities for people on the Central Coast. I want to talk about our commitment to NorthConnex—$405 million in the budget. We did not see that under the former Labor government. We had heard promise after promise after promise. There has been 50 years of planning for this really important road but no delivery. Under this government, not only will it be delivered on time; there will be 8,700 jobs created for the people of New South Wales—more opportunity for people in my electorate. We will see $7 million into Kibbleplex, which means more people into the heart of Gosford and more opportunities for our small businesses to do even better in Gosford. I could go on and on. I just want to say that the response that we have received on the Central Coast has been overwhelmingly positive from businesses and community leaders because they can see that this budget is a game-changer for the Central Coast. 16:05 Mr CHAMPION HW9 Wakefield Nothing amazes me more than hearing government speakers. They are living in an almost parallel universe. Every Australian remembers the document, Our plan: real solutions for all Australians. Apparently it is: The direction, values and policy priorities of the next Coalition Government. They all remember this document and they all remember the appeal to nostalgia that was made by the then opposition, the now government. They remember them offering very easy solutions. Page 15 of the document says the: … strategy for Australia is to get our finances in order, build a strong growth-powered economy with less debt and make Australia more productive and competitive in the global economy. And their plan: … will deliver more jobs, higher real wages and better living standards for all Australians. Yet, what do we have in this budget? What do we have in the reality of this budget? Mr Fletcher interjecting— Mr CHAMPION HW9 I will tell the member for Bradfield what we have: taxes up; debt up; deficits up—$17 billion projected, $41 billion popped out the other side; unemployment up. This is the reality as opposed to alternate parallel fantasy world that those opposite live in. And they expect the rest of Australia to go along with it. The member for Bradfield expects his constituents to buy into this fantasy world that the government seeks to illustrate for us all. I can tell you—and we heard the member for Makin talk about this—about the debacle that has occurred in my state of South Australia in our automotive industry, where GMH was chased out of the country at a time when we had a high dollar and all sorts of pressures on automotive exports. We had them chased out of the country by this Treasurer. What happened to the dollar subsequently? It has gone from $1.06 to 80c—to a point at which Holden would quite happily have been exporting to the United States and other places, particularly to the police-car market in the United States. We would have had exports going there, but instead we have an industry that is closing down. What did we see on subs? We had a promise to have submarines manufactured in Australia, in South Australia. It was a solemn commitment—broken. There were secret deals behind the nation's back with the Japanese Prime Minister—sort of a nudge-nudge, wink-wink—for the FTA. We know that is the case. We know that press releases were prepared for the purchase of a Japanese submarine, to be made in Japan. The irony—the bitter irony—is that they would have had to double the shipyards in Japan to build our submarines. So instead of building them here, we were going to build them there, and they were going to have to build new shipyards. What a tragedy. What we have from this government is no plan—no plan at all—for jobs. There is nothing in this budget about jobs at all, just wishful thinking. There is a sort of Keynesian pump priming of the economy at a time when there is a global recovery. It is pretty ironic that they are talking about headwinds. They talk about headwinds now, but refuse to acknowledge the global financial crisis a few years ago. There is an interesting confusion on the opposition side. We have seen no investment in infrastructure— Mr Fletcher interjecting— Mr CHAMPION HW9 There are some very funny interjections from the member for Bradfield. I am quite happy to have them on the record. There is no investment in infrastructure. They are $2 billion under where they should be. There is no investment in skills and innovation. There is $3 billion cut out of science and a 20 per cent cut in school funding. This is the reality of what the government is doing. What is the reality on jobs? I can tell you what it is in my state. On 21 April: 'Holden to axe 270 jobs at Elizabeth'. Ninety of those workers are going to be forced redundancies—people who will finish up early because of the actions of this government. If there had been a Labor government— Ms Henderson ZN4 Are you going to guarantee those jobs? Mr CHAMPION HW9 The member for Corangamite asks about our commitments. If there had been a Labor government the auto industry would have been supported and they would not have left our shores, because we would not have been so reckless with their jobs. We would not have been so reckless with our commitments as you have been on cars, on submarines and on jobs. 16:10 Mr HOWARTH 247742 Petrie It is great to be in the chamber today to talk about jobs and what the government is doing to support workers, businesses and everyone who lives throughout Australia. I must admit, it is really interesting to sit here and listen to the member for Wakefield and others talk about how debt is up and unemployment is up. This is coming from a man who voted for the job-destroying carbon tax—who wanted to push up everyone's electricity bill and the electricity bill of businesses throughout Australia. This man voted for the mining resources rent tax, and now we have his Labor friends in Queensland shutting down a whole lot of new investment when they came into government. They are shutting down new ship terminals and new residential construction— Mr Champion HW9 Where? Mr HOWARTH 247742 Up in Queensland, mate. They are shutting down other mining leases up there as well, around uranium. This is coming from the man who voted to end the live cattle trade in this country and shut it down overnight, along with every job that went with it. This guy has been in parliament for years and he wants to tell us how bad a job we are doing. I have met a lot of people in my job; in my 43 years of life I have met a lot of people, and those opposite are just totally negative. This man gets thrown out of parliament in question time every single day, or just about. The lot of you—you are all negative. If you cannot bring a positive contribution to this place, then get out. It is all of you: the member for Gorton, the member for Cunningham. That is true, member for Wakefield. Mr Champion HW9 I bet you I come back with a bigger majority! Mr HOWARTH 247742 And I am sure you will. I am sure you will and I congratulate you if you do. Mr Champion interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER YT4 Order! The member for Wakefield is going the right way to get a 94(a). Mr HOWARTH 247742 Let us not get distracted by the opposition, because the people of Petrie and the people of Australia want to hear about the positive contributions of our budget. Of course, jobs are important, and if those members opposite care so much about jobs they will support this budget, because this budget is all about producing jobs. Let us look at what it does for small business. I note the member for Gorton, who was a former small business minister, never even mentioned small business. Mr Champion HW9 I don't think that's quite true, mate. Mr HOWARTH 247742 That is true, mate. The instant tax write-off—that is fantastic for jobs. It really is fantastic for jobs. It will help many small businesses in the Petrie electorate. There is also a company tax cut for those businesses with a turnover of less than $2 million. That will also support jobs. Youth unemployment is particularly high throughout the country, and it is fairly high in the electorate of Petrie. One of the big incentives we have around youth unemployment and getting youth back to work is around work experience. I would be interested to know what members opposite are going to do with the issue around work experience, because often people who have not been employed for six months— Mr Champion interjecting— Mr HOWARTH 247742 If you would like to listen up a minute: one of the things that employers say is 'What sort of experience have you got?' It is very difficult to get a job if you have not had some work experience or practical experience in the real world. One of the measures in this budget enables those people who are on welfare to continue to be supported and be able to get up to four weeks training in a real business—to understand customer service and productivity in the workplace. Those businesses that take on those men and women for work experience will spend a lot of time, obviously, training them, and it will be of benefit to the unemployed. They will be able to say, 'Look, I have gone and done some work experience at this place and this place,' when they go for their next interview. That is looked upon favourably. In the budget there is a great package—a $5.5 billion package for small business that will help jobs growth in this country. There are also incentives for youth unemployment and for getting people back to work. There are also incentives for those young people who are particularly disengaged, or who may have left school early, to go back and do some further study—to finish year 12 or perhaps do a certificate III. There are big incentives for their workplace providers to get them trained as well. Finally, I would just say that, when it comes to jobs, the Liberal-National party have a strong record. We believe in supporting small business. We believe in lower taxes. We believe in reward for effort. This is important. What stands in the way of that is the Labor Party. They want to come back into office and to run this country. But what do they plan to do? They plan to tax people with their super. They plan to be in a coalition with the Greens, who want to destroy what is left of the mining industry in this country. They are all members and the party of unions, and they want to make sure that casual workers have sick pay and holiday pay when they already have a 20 per cent loading. The DEPUTY SPEAKER YT4 Order! The time allocated for this debate has expired. The discussion has concluded. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS 75 PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS 16:15 Mr RIPOLL 83E Oxley Mr Deputy Speaker, I am seeking indulgence to make a personal explanation. The DEPUTY SPEAKER YT4 The member for Oxley has the call and will demonstrate how he has been misrepresented. Mr RIPOLL 83E I have been misrepresented. Unfortunately, just earlier, the Minister for Small Business claimed that I put out a media release that said, 'If tax cut couldn't go to everybody, then it shouldn't go to anybody.' That is completely untrue. It is something that the minister has fabricated. What I said was that the government has created more confusion in the way it has introduced its two-tiered tax system and the way that it has done that in relation to incorporated small businesses rather than small businesses which are sole traders for contractors. COMMITTEES 76 COMMITTEES Human Rights Committee 76 Membership 76 16:17 The DEPUTY SPEAKER YT4 I have received advice from the Chief Opposition Whip nominating Ms McGowan to be a member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights in place of Ms Rowland. 16:16 Mr FLETCHER L6B Bradfield by leave—I move: That Ms Rowland be discharged from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and that, in her place, Ms McGowan be appointed a member of the committee. Question agreed to. BILLS 76 BILLS National Water Commission (Abolition) Bill 2015 76

National Water Commission (Abolition) Bill 2015

First Reading 76 COMMITTEES 76 COMMITTEES Public Works Committee 76 Approval of Work 76 16:17 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to parliament: Fit-out of new leased premises for the Department of Finance, ACT. As I advised the House when referring this project to the Public Works Committee, the Department of Finance proposes to fit out the new leased premises at One Canberra Avenue, Forrest, Australian Capital Territory. The committee has conducted an inquiry and is of the view that the project signifies value for money for the Commonwealth and constitutes a project that is fit for purpose and expedient to carry out. Subject to parliamentary approval, the proposed fit-out works are scheduled to commence later this year, with staged practical completion scheduled from December 2015. I note that the committee made a number of comments, and I agree with the committee about the need to ensure that decisions about leased accommodation make sense on a whole-of-government basis. That is why the Minister for Finance and I announced on Monday that we have a process underway to maximise the value from Commonwealth property leases in ACT by ensuring surplus vacant office space is promptly filled by agencies with similar requirements and upcoming lease expiry dates. Previously, individual agencies were responsible for managing their own large vacant leases. These leases will now be considered at a whole-of-government level to maximise the efficient use of leases across government. As the minister and I stated earlier this week, this approach has the potential to save an estimated $200 million over 10 years. This is just one of the ways in which we are working to realise savings and better value for money out of the Commonwealth's non-defence property portfolio. I do thank the Public Works Committee for its report. The committee will always be rigorous and pay careful attention to detail in every inquiry it conducts. I commend the motion to the House. Question agreed to. BILLS 76 BILLS Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 76

Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015

Consideration of Senate Message 76 16:20 Mr HARTSUYKER 00AMM Cowper I move: That the amendments be agreed to. Question agreed to. MOTIONS 78 MOTIONS Centenary of Anzac 78 16:21 Ms BRODTMANN 30540 Canberra This afternoon, when I left off this speech, I was thanking and commending the Canberra population for their incredible turnout on Anzac Day. As I mentioned at that stage, 120,000 people from around the country, but primarily from Canberra and the capital region, came to attend the dawn service. As I said at that time, the population of Canberra is 380,000 and the region is between 500,000 and 600,000. So that was a significant proportion of the population. There were people of all ages. It was just extraordinary to see so many people at that dawn service watching the sun come up, acknowledging and remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice, remembering relatives who served and remembering, acknowledging and thanking those who are currently serving. I thank and commend those Canberrans who turned out on that day in such record numbers. It was quite extraordinary. As I said at that time, record numbers also attended the national ceremony, and record participants from all age groups from cadets right through to vets. It was a wonderful ceremony. I am incredibly proud of the way so many Canberrans commemorated Anzac Day here. The Australian Garden History Society is erecting a monument in Weston Park to the young men of early Canberra who served in the First World War. Their service is personified by Private Malcolm McIntosh Southwell, who was a forester based at what is now the Yarralumla Nursery and who was killed in action near Flers in France on 5 November 1916. At Fetherston Gardens in Weston volunteers constructed a memorial garden using plants of significance such as the Gallipoli Rose, poppies, cornflowers and a lone pine. In Chisholm, the existing memorial on Simpsons Hill is being lovingly upgraded by the local community to become the centre of local commemorations. A new flagpole, garden beds and memorial plaques designed by local schoolchildren have brought the memorial to life. These are just some of the many local commemorations that ensured that Anzac Day continues to have meaning and relevance to our Canberra community for the next hundred years. As you would be aware, Mr Deputy Speaker Scott—although I do not know whether you partook of these activities—thanks to the fantastic work that has been done by Dr Brendan Nelson, the Director of the Australian War Memorial, and by the Archives and so many other national institutions here in our nation's great capital, many Australians have been using the commemoration of the Anzac Centenary to connect with relatives who served during those four years. It has been extraordinary to see the work that has been done by the National Archives as well as by many other national institutions, where you can type in your relative's name and trace their history. You can sometimes see letters; you can see the enlistment papers; in the case of the person I am about to talk about, you can see the dreadful notification of death. Through that, too, you get a sense of these individuals and the fact that they were individuals who had dreams and hopes and loves and passions, and who often left young wives and babies behind. In our case, my husband, Chris Uhlmann, and I spent quite a lot of time researching Sergeant Christopher Ernest Uhlmann, who was killed in action in Belgium on 21 July 1917. On that day, 'this splendid stamp of a man' was wounded by a shell in the trenches near Zillebeke Lake in Belgium. The brigade doctor, Captain Aspinall, Bomber Barrs and Private Salisbury went to his assistance, but another shell fell almost in the same spot and killed the four. Christopher Ernest Uhlmann was just 26 and he was married to Florence May Uhlmann. After attending the dawn service, the mass at Saint Christopher's and the national Anzac Day ceremony, Chris and I honoured 'Ernie', as he was called, by placing a poppy against his name on panel 11 at the War Memorial. We joined with so many thousands of Australians not just at the War Memorial but also at memorials and commemorative shrines in each town right across the country, in paying tribute to the memories and legacy of lost loved ones. I want to take this opportunity of again thanking Dr Brendan Nelson, because after Chris and I placed that poppy on Ernie's plaque at the War Memorial, the following night we also went at 9.17 pm, when his name was lit up on the War Memorial. Over the next four years his name will be lit up three times. I encourage all Australians to, first off, get a sense of history of those who lost their lives, the relatives who lost their lives or who were wounded during the First World War, but also to take the time to find out when they will be memorialised at the War Memorial, with their name lit up, so that all across the capital region and here in the capital we can remember them. Lest we forget. 16:27 Mr HUTCHINSON 212585 Lyons What an amazing event Anzac Day was for so many people and so many communities. The member for Canberra's contribution is an illustration of events that took place all around our country to remember, to reflect and not to celebrate but commemorate those people that gave so much for our country and the country that we all love so very much. It is a privilege for me to contribute to this debate. I imagine that most members of parliament will take this opportunity. The collation of all these recollections will form part of a wonderful memorial at the national War Memorial, if nothing else from a historical point of view to try to capture how, as a nation in 2015, we commemorated the centenary of Anzac. I attended three services on Anzac Day. I could have attended many more. There were 36 towns around my electorate that held services. In total we were able to ascertain 57 services around the electorate of Lyons, from small communities to some of the larger towns. I have no doubt that that there were also some private services around the electorate. There has been a private service held on top of a hill at the property of Patterdale near the town of Deddington in the northern Midlands to remember some brothers who were killed in the First World War, and I understand they held that service again this year. The first service I attended was the dawn service at Beaconsfield, coordinated by Mr Colin Smee, the president of the RSL at Beaconsfield. At 9 o'clock I attended the service at Bishopsburn in the northern Midlands. That was coordinated by Mr Gordon McGee, and I had an opportunity to address the very large crowd that was at that 9 o'clock service. Large crowds were the case at every service as I understand it, around Tasmania and I believe around the country as well. There was also a fine contribution made by Gordon McGee's grandson, Bradley. Perhaps the highlight for me was the opportunity that I was given in being invited to speak at the 11 o'clock service at Evandale. It was a wonderful occasion in a beautiful setting. There was a very large crowd there. The school band from the Launceston College performed and they had a choir. It really was a very wonderful commemoratives service, and a real privilege for me to be able to speak to the gathering there. As well as that, in conjunction with the Anzac Day service we had the Centenary of Anzac opening of a mural wall that was alongside the park where the cenotaph stands. It will be a lasting reminder for the people of Evandale of the contribution that was made by so many in World War I. My congratulations go to the Evandale History Society for that particular Centenary of Anzac project. Similarly, at Avoca at 1 o'clock—although I missed the service at 11 o'clock service, naturally enough. I thank Mary Knowles very much; she maintained a small gathering there to open the Centenary of Anzac commemoration that they had organised at Avoca, which was to install commemoratives plaques at the museum to honour the Anzacs who enlisted from Avoca. It really was a very nice recognition. Indeed, there are a number that I would like to mention as part of the Centenary of Anzac. I will not go into detail, but it has been truly a highlight for me over the last 12 months to have been part of seeing these communities deliver these wonderful commemorations as part of the Centenary of Anzac. I think of the Sheffield RSL and Citizens Club. Sheffield, as people who have been to Sheffield know, is the town of murals. They now have a wonderful recognition in the form of a mural in that town. There was a very small project: the Frankford Soldiers Memorial Hall committee has installed honour boards at the Frankford hall—long overdue. A more significant project was at St Helens, where the St Helens-St Marys branch of the RSL has created a wall of remembrance to honour all of the Tasmanian war dead. It is the only place, as I understand it, in the state where there is a list of every person who served in World War I. I am very proud to say that there was an uncle of my grandfather's on that list as well. The Exeter RSL Sub-Branch had some honour boards. I was very pleased to have the Prime Minister open those during his time in Tasmania with the Pollie Pedal. The Levendale and Woodsdale History Rooms now have a memorial garden made from local rocks that were collected to remember the men that served in both World War I and World War II. The    Liffey Old School Hall is no longer a school—they received only $1,000 but it was a significant contribution to restore the commemorative tree avenue at the Liffey Old School Hall. Those people who left that community to serve in the First World War will now be remembered. I mentioned the Evandale History Society. The RSL sub-branch at Westbury received a grant to improve access and to establish a heritage remembrance garden. The Kentish Council had a project at Wilmot, where they installed memorial plaques. The Northern Midlands RSL Sub-Branch at Longford received a grant for their Anzac Day 2015 commemorations. I was unable to attend the service, but this was something of truly epic proportions from what I can understand. They do a tremendous job. Recently, I attended the Eaglehawk Neck Community Hall, where they have used timber from the memorial avenue trees at the Port Arthur historic site. Some of those trees had fallen into disrepair and had to be removed for safety reasons. The timber from the macrocarpa has been sawn and has been made into picnic benches, all of which have a memorial plaque on them, at Eaglehawk Neck and at other parts on the Tasman Peninsula. If anyone is passing that part of the world, it is perhaps the most stunning place where you could have a memorial—overlooking the bay at Eaglehawk Neck. It really is very special. The Deloraine RSL Sub-Branch Anzac Centenary 2015 day of commemoration activities—'A Living Memorial'—was recognised. And there was the Brighton Council. Of course, Brighton has a very significant history as far as Tasmania and World War I are concerned. It was where my grandfather served. Like so many, he enlisted—Albert Russell Cordell—but because of his eyesight he was considered unable to go to Gallipoli, where his brothers did. He lost an uncle in World War I as well. But he served his time as a trainer at the Brighton Army Camp, as it was. The Southern Midlands Council had truly wonderful commemorations at Oatlands, Campania and Kempton schools, which I attended, for those communities in the southern Midlands about those who gave their lives in World War I. The Bicheno RSL Sub-Branch has established a new Anzac memorial. Lastly, Clarence Point on the West Tamar will receive an amount of money to support their project, which is, again, to install honour boards and a story board as part of an avenue of honour. As I say, it has been a real highlight for me and I have no doubt for many other members in this place to have been able to support the local communities as we remembered and as we commemorated 100 years since World War I. For me it has been an absolute privilege and a real highlight of my time as the member for Lyons. 16:38 Mr HAYES ECV Fowler I join with the other members of the House in supporting this motion about a very significant time, a very poignant time in our history, as we come together to acknowledge what occurred 100 years ago and to have some regard of how the reflection of that has played into who we are today and shaped our view as to where we go for the future. Like all members of this place, I joined with hundreds of thousands of people across Australian in attending various Anzac Day commemorations to honour those who have served this country. I attended commemoration functions at the Cabra-Vale Diggers Club, the Canley Heights RSL, the Mounties club in Mount Pritchard and the Triglav club. On each of these occasions, many of these people—who, in my community, have come from all over the world, it being the most multicultural community in the country—came together to look at what occurred, not to celebrate war but to commemorate the efforts that were made on our behalf to achieve peace. You know the scene well. We saw a sea of wreaths that were laid as Australia paused to remember those who served our country and to honour those who did make the ultimate sacrifice in the protection of our nation. Their extraordinary efforts, their courage and their endurance have been displayed by our service men and women throughout the history of this country. But this particular Anzac Day we focused on the centenary of the landing on Gallipoli. Much flows from that in terms of the great Australian story that we often refer to as the Anzac spirit. Although 100 years have passed, the events of the First World War and particularly the efforts of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps—the Anzacs—have helped forge our identity and have certainly helped to define us in respect of our national character. In the spirit of the Anzac and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of landing at Gallipoli, the Commonwealth government chose to make grants available for communities to help them not only to honour but also to reflect on these events. In my community they decided they did not need another monument and they did not need a commemorative plaque. What they wanted was to do something in relation to young people. We chose to use the entirety of the Commonwealth grant to engage with both primary and secondary schools across my electorate. They came together to work for over 12 months on an exhibition—artworks, literature, film and artistic performances—to depict their unique understanding of this important chapter in Australia's history. This project was initiated in 2013 by empowering my local Anzac Centenary committee, comprising representatives of local clubs, schools and ex-servicemen's associations. They worked tirelessly over that 18-month period to plan and coordinate this project with the schools community, with teachers and students alike, and also engaged pretty fully with local members of our community. This project was an opportunity for young Australians to learn more about the significance of this time in our history and to appreciate the freedom that we enjoy today, that being the legacy of those that have sacrificed much on our behalf. Thirty schools in my electorate participated, with more than 20,000 students coming together to participate in this project to design the creative works that built the knowledge and understanding of their contribution to those who fought for peace. The poignant theme of this centenary program adopted in my electorate was 'not taking peace for granted' and, in doing so, honouring our Anzac tradition. The schools ran their own competitions in the areas of visual arts, performing arts, print and multimedia, and the winning works were showcased last month at Cabra-Vale Diggers Club. There was a very big reception with a couple of thousand people. The work was extraordinary. It depicted the visions not simply of war but also of the achievements that occurred as a consequence of Australia being prepared to stand up and fight for peace. It was very interesting seeing this reflected through the eyes of young people—young people from very multicultural communities. One thing that flowed from it was that they all saw themselves as Australian and they all saw themselves as imbued with the Anzac spirit. I would like to congratulate all those who were involved in this project, as it has allowed many in my local community to imagine the events as they unfolded in Gallipoli a century ago. The young people worked tirelessly to bring this Anzac Centenary project together, but it would not have occurred without the extraordinary effort of the Anzac Centenary committee. I will take a moment to acknowledge the members of the committee. Beth Goodwin, who is the Principal of Cabramatta High School, played an integral role in coordinating the project, as did Michael Foulkes and Megan Orahem from Cabra-Vale Diggers Club. Others include George Taylor, Jim Thompson and John Dillon, who are all board members of the Cabra-Vale Diggers Club; Barry Brooks from the Fairfield RSL sub-branch; John Baron from the City of Liverpool RSL; Reg Bonney from the National Servicemen's Association; Taffy Pritchard from Canley Heights RSL; Bill Lottey from St Johns Park Bowling Club; and Geoff Lewsam, chair of the committee and also a director of the St Johns Park Bowling Club. They all gave very freely of their time over 18 months to plan, coordinate and deliver this project. The successful coordination and planning of the project would also not have occurred without the most diligent work of a young staff member of mine, Renata Cekic, who has dedicated an enormous amount of time and effort to the committee. Renata is a young woman who was a refugee out of the Bosnian conflict. She came to this country, completed her education here and now is doing extraordinary work in our local community. I also thank the local students in my electorate who, through their artistic endeavours, also played a vital role in making sure the Anzac Centenary was honoured in a most fitting way. I thank all of them for their contributions. History teaches us great lessons, not just about the past but also about ourselves and our place in the world. It is important that we ensure the Anzac legacy continues to be handed down through the generations in order to preserve the Anzac tradition and to allow us to appreciate how it has influenced modern Australia. The Anzac Centenary project in my electorate has definitely ignited a passion in many to learn more, and it has engendered a renewed respect for those to whom we owe so much. 16:48 Mr TONY SMITH 00APG Casey It is an honour and a privilege, as it has been for other members, to speak on the motion on the 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli. It has been a time when all Australians have remembered, reflected and rededicated themselves to the memory of the first Anzacs. As we move through the four years of the anniversary of the war, we will continue to reflect and remember as the battles at Gallipoli through 1915 shifted to other parts of the Middle East and to the Western Front. Australia's contribution to the First World War was monumental. From a population of just under five million, 400,000 joined up. One hundred and sixty thousand were wounded and 61,000 were killed. Forty per cent of all eligible men joined up. I mention those statistics because they tell so much of the story, but not all of it. They tell us that every community, every family, in every corner of our country was affected. But it is only when you look into the histories at the local level, as we have been doing in our local electorates, to the names of those 61,000 who lost their lives, that you can comprehend fully the effect on the families and the communities 100 years ago and in the years that followed. I attended a number of services, as all members in this place did in the lead-up to Anzac Day, on Anzac Day itself and in the days since. I attended the dawn service at Lilydale. The cenotaph bears the names of 25 locals who lost their lives in World War I—25 young men who, 101 years ago, were walking the main street. They were young men in a young country with their lives ahead of them. When you look to the stories, you can imagine how the families and the communities were shattered at that time. Leonard Lawlor, whose name is on the cenotaph, was one of the 750 who were killed on the day of the landings. Edwiin Poyner's name is on the cenotaph. The Poyner family had a large farm that is now suburban housing blocks, just north of the town. Ed joined up with his brother Frank on the same day and they served together on the Western Front. They were 25 metres apart when Ed was killed by a shell. JD Burns was the son of the Presbyterian minister. He was an outstanding scholar and had penned the poem For England. He had won a scholarship to Ormond College but never got there because he joined up and he was killed in September at Gallipoli. The other names on the cenotaph, Rankin and Goodall, were brothers-in-law. Chauvin and Briers were cousins. You think of the effect on those families and the town back then, and then repeated in each town and each suburb across the country. I mention this because some academics try to sum up the typical Anzac. Without being critical, when you look at the scale of it, it is a fruitless task because every community was involved, every family to an extent and every profession. And that scale 100 years on is hard to comprehend. The Yarra Valley was home to one Anzac who was awarded the Victoria Cross, George Ingram. I will say he does have some of the characteristics of the typical Anzac. His family story is the story that we can find in other corners of Australia that was all too typical for back then. He was one of the first to join up. He was sent to Rabaul and he got malaria, so he was sent back to Australia and discharged. He rejoined five hours later by changing his middle name—he confused the authorities and he has confused every local historian ever since. His brother Frank joined up in New Zealand and his brother Alex joined up. They had been a family of four. They had a sister but she died at a young age. Ronald and Alex saw action on the Western Front before George managed to get back there but both Ronald and Alex were killed, leaving George as the only son. He was awarded the VC in the last month of the war. One hundred years on, the Anzacs would be amazed at a number of things. They would be amazed at the technological advances in the world and the progress in our country. They would be very proud that the values they believed in and they were fighting for have endured George and that Australia, which was a very young democracy back then, has succeeded and developed in the way it has. They would be very humbled that we are not only remembering them but remembering them in such numbers 100 years on. As all members here attending services would agree, they would be especially touched at the school children attending the services playing a part, because they are our nation's future and that was what they were fighting for. In the time available, I want to mention some of the schools and some of the students who played such an important role at the services. I want to mention Ruskin Park Primary School and Bimbadeen Heights Primary School, who have a service every year in the lead-up to Anzac Day and did on Anzac Day eve. Yering Primary School always has a service in the days following Anzac Day. I want to thank the RSLs and community groups who hosted services in the lead-up to Anzac Day or launches of local Centenary of Anzac grant commitments. For the Yarra Junction Avenue of Honour, I want to thank Rob Worlley and Lorraine Green and Rhonda Simmons. I would also like to thank Gladysdale Primary School, Upper Yarra High School, Wesburn Primary School and Yarra Junction Primary School, who were all part of that service. For the Healesville RSL Avenue of Honour service held on 17 April, I want to thank the school captain of Healesville High, Maddison Wilson, and the senior leader, Kiera Heatherich. I want to thank Birmingham Primary School, Monbulk Primary School, Mount Evelyn Primary School and The Patch Primary School, who participated in the Bells of Peace project. I want to thank the Millwarra Primary School, Warburton Primary School and the RSL president from Warburton, Jamie Thomas and Coral Reynolds, the commemorations coordinator, who conducted a very touching service on the launch of the Gallipoli Wall in Warburton. As a community, we will continue to remember and reflect with only the intensity a centenary can bring. In closing, I want to thank the RSL president from Mount Evelyn, Roger Boness; the RSL president from Lilydale, Don Parsons; and local historian and member of my Centenary of Anzac committee Anthony McAleer, who determined in the days leading up to Anzac Day that not only would they have the best service possible but they would have an individual service on the 100th anniversary of the death of each local Anzac. They had one on Anzac Day for Leonard Lawlor, who I mentioned. They had one in Wandin the day after Anzac Day for Frank Nicholls, a local from Wandin. Just last Friday, I was pleased to attend a service in Mount Evelyn for William Aicher, who was killed on 8 May at Gallipoli. Anthony McAleer gave the address there, giving us an insight into his life as a local—and a rich life it was—in Melbourne and in the Mount Evelyn community. William Aicher was the son of German immigrants. He joined up as one of the first Anzacs. 17:01 Mr ZAPPIA HWB Makin I feel somewhat humbled speaking to this motion, but I certainly appreciate the opportunity to do so. It is doubtful that 100 years ago, when Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed at Gallipoli, they were aware that their landing would become so significant in the history and indeed in the future of Australia. They obviously understood the strategic military importance of their mission. Within days of their landing, they would also have understood that the heavy losses incurred ensured that Gallipoli would become part of the World War I story. But it is very unlikely that they would have foreseen that, 100 years later, Australians of all ages would acknowledge their landing by turning up in record numbers to attend dawn services around the country, undeterred by weather conditions, be it wet or cold, and that Anzac Day would have become, in my view, the most significant national day in the Australian calendar. Just as Australians from every part of Australia had volunteered their service to Australia in World War I, so too, 100 years later, every community around the country paused to honour them, and they did so with very deep and genuine sincerity. It is a unique Australian and New Zealand characteristic that I am not aware is replicated by any other country in quite the same way. Notably—and perhaps regrettably, but understandably—none of Australia's World War I veterans are still with us. Importantly, the commemoration of Anzac Day goes to the heart of the Australian identity: our character, our culture, our values and what we stand for. It is often said that Gallipoli was Australia's first major military engagement as a nation and that through Gallipoli Australia earned its place and its respect on the world stage. It is also acknowledged that the heavy losses of lives at Gallipoli, including some 8,700 Australian lives, ensured its place in Australian history. Quite rightly, Anzac Day has become immortalised in Australian life. The centenary events have shone a light on World War I and particularly on Gallipoli. The centenary has exposed so much about World War I that was previously not known. Individual stories have emerged about people, places and events about which little had previously been reported. We have heard several of those stories in contributions by members in this place in the course of this debate. With each story, respect for our Anzac members grows. Each story provides another piece to our understanding of the complete picture and further entrenches the relevance of the Gallipoli landing and other World War I events. Such was the case in the Makin electorate, which I represent, where local researchers, historians, family members, writers and school students uncovered a wealth of local stories that had previously not been told and were simply not recorded anywhere. Additionally, centenary events and services were held throughout the community, again bringing a much deeper knowledge to members of the community than was previously known. I was unable to get to all of those events, but I attended services at the Salisbury and Tea Tree Gully RSLs; at Modbury, Golden Grove, Keithcot Farm and Ardtornish primary schools and Golden Grove Lutheran Primary School; and at Torrens Valley Christian School. I was represented by staff at the combined Golden Grove, Pedare and Gleeson College high school services, as well as being represented by staff at a poppy-planting service at Civic Park at Modbury that was organised by the Tea Tree Gully council. I also attended services at the Ferns Lifestyle Village, the Viceroy nursing home, the Springfields nursing home and the Pegasus Pony Club, as well as attending the Anzac parade through the streets of Adelaide on Anzac Day. I was particularly impressed that a number of the nursing homes in fact put on services within their nursing homes for the elderly residents of those homes who could not otherwise have attended dawn services but who undoubtedly had recollections. Some of them wore their medals on the day. They were much more, and much more closely, connected with World War I and World War II and other military events than any of today's generation, and to them it meant so much that a service had been organised for them. As I said, there were obviously many other events that I simply could not get to for one reason or another, sometimes because they coincided with events being held at the same time. But what I was also very much impressed by was that the services at the Salisbury and Tea Tree Gully RSLs saw record crowds. In fact, several thousand people attended both of those events, and people had started arriving an hour before the services. I have been going to those services now for years and years, and I have watched the numbers grow. They have been growing, but indeed I have never seen numbers of the size of the crowds that I saw at this year's services. That is heartening because, as I see more people coming out to the service, it tells me that more and more people both understand and respect what our Defence men and women have done and continue to do for our country. Indeed, when I went to Keithcot Farm Primary School to attend their service I was asked to give an address. There were some 500 children in the school hall, and I asked the school children to put up their hands. Because this service was after 25 April, I asked the school children how many of them had attended dawn services. Over half of the school children had attended dawn services. Half of the school children put their hands up, and it was wonderful to see. World War I has been referred to as the Great War and so too it was for Australia. Of a population of 5 million at the time, of which about 1 million were males aged between 15 and 45 years, 420,000 Australian men enlisted for service. Of those enlisted, 330,000 left our shores. 270,000 or thereabouts returned, and of those over 150,000 were physically wounded. From South Australia some 6,000 died from the almost 35,000 who had enlisted. The figures speak for themselves. No community and very likely no Australian family was left unscarred. In respect of that I commend all the communities across Australia that have picked up on the centenary project funds and established projects within their communities. By doing so they continue to tell the story—and different stories—to each and every part of Australia about the importance of our Defence men and women. The effort in respect of World War I was indeed a national effort of unparalleled commitment. Our Anzacs set a standard of mateship, courage and grit that has been upheld by Australian Defence Force personnel ever since. It also created an enduring bond between Australia and New Zealand that has stood the test of time. Last year, accompanied by my wife, I had the opportunity along with Madam Speaker, the member for Forrest and Senator Glenn Sterle to visit war cemeteries at West Flanders. We visited Tyne Cot Cemetery, where we laid a wreath and crosses alongside many of the war graves. The crosses had been sent to us by school children from around Australia. We also visited Buttes New British Cemetery and a memorial to the Australian 5th Division at Polygon Wood, and then went on to the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres. The experience of those visits is unforgettable. Standing in the midst of the war graves, often those of unknown soldiers, in a faraway land brings home the reality of World War I—a cemetery filled with boys and young men, all of whom had a life ahead of them and family, friends, fiancees and loved ones waiting for their return, who had plans and dreams for their future. Those plans and dreams all came to a sudden end, leaving others to carry the heartache. I recall one headstone. I cannot recall the words precisely, but it was something like, 'My time here at Gallipoli is finished. I am coming home on Saturday.' Clearly that young man did not. To all those who served Australia at Gallipoli and indeed at every other battle of World War I and in every other Defence engagement that Australia has been involved in I simply say thank you. To the families of the 101,000 Australians who have lost their lives serving Australia I offer my condolences. Australia would not be the great country that it is were it not for those people. We shall remember them all as a nation as we do each and every Anzac Day. Lest we forget. 17:11 Mr O'DOWD 139441 Flynn I thank the former speaker, the member for Makin, for the very touching words he said about our great Anzacs. This year we come together as a nation to honour the Centenary of Anzac and to honour those who have fought for our country in this and in all other conflicts we have had since our nation formed in 1901, to honour the memory of our brave soldiers who paid the ultimate price. The Anzacs have a sacred place in the hearts of all Australians. It is because of the Anzacs and the soldiers in those other conflicts that I have referred to that we are able to stand here proudly today as one nation united and not divided. Most Australians have a connection to the efforts of our armed forces either through personal experience or family members. It is important that we remember the sacrifices made by these young men and women so that we could remain with our freedom. In the early hours of Sunday, 25 April 1915, soldiers from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on Gallipoli. At the landing, the 16th Battalion was about 1,000 strong. By the evening, despite strong Turkish counter-attacks, the Anzacs were able to hold a narrow triangle of land. By the next morning, more than 1,700 casualties had been evacuated from the area of the Anzac landing. Counterattacks continued for several days, but the Anzacs held firm. In a roll call on 3 May, just a week later, fewer than 300 men called their names. The stalemate persisted for months. The August Offensive was an attempt to break the stalemate but failed, with counterattacks by the Turkish troops. The battle fought at Lone Pine is remembered for being especially ferocious. Within three days of fighting at Lone Pine, seven Victoria Crosses were awarded. More than 4,500 Australians fought at Lone Pine, and by the battle's end nearly half were killed or wounded. The Gallipoli campaign has passed into our country's mythology, an example of our courageous spirit. That spirit continues today, and the tradition is carried on by the young school children that flock to our Anzac Day ceremonies each and every year. But this year it was something special. I want to say a little word on the lone pine. I have had the honour of being gifted five lone pines from a constituent in my electorate. You may be aware that there was a solitary pine tree on the Gallipoli Peninsula which marked the Battle of Lone Pine. The hills around Gallipoli were originally covered with these pines but the Turkish soldiers chopped every one down except one to fortify their trenches. The original lone pine was a sole survivor of a group of trees that had been cut down by the Turkish soldiers. However, this tree was eventually obliterated during a battle. An Australian soldier picked up one of the pinecones and sent it home to his mother. The lone pines you see growing in Australia now are descendants from that cone of the lone pine. You may be interested to know that you cannot buy lone pines unless you go through the Australian War Memorial. This is why I treasure the five lone pines that have been given to me by a good friend. They are not easy to grow. They will be given mainly to schools in my electorate, but we do need people with green fingers to make sure that they mature into very nice trees. During the Anzac Day week, thanks to the federal government and the Queensland government, I was able to organise a troop train. We took a heritage steam train—I think the only one in existence in Queensland—out of the museum in Ipswich and Queensland Rail took that train to Winton. Why Winton? Winton was only a small town in 1914—and it is still only a small town—but 600 soldiers came out of the town of Winton in 1914 plus the horses. We did not ship only troops to Gallipoli; our horses went with them and on to France. That is why the train started in Winton. We laid wreaths at Winton, Longreach, Alpha, Emerald, Blackwater, Rockhampton, Maryborough, Cooroy and finally Brisbane. Everywhere we stopped we laid a wreath. We took our own contingent of horses by truck—they did not come on the train—and we had a re-enactment of the light horse in every town we stopped at. There were 250 passengers on that train. They thoroughly enjoyed the commemoration of Anzac and the authentic reliving of that troop train that made that journey in 1914. When we stopped in Brisbane the night before Anzac Day people were a little exhausted. I think the average age on the train was 85—I was one of the young ones. They all had a very enjoyable time. They were all keen to get up the next morning and participate in the dawn service and were very proud to march in the Anzac Day celebrations in Brisbane. The Anzacs are part of our national identity. They represent us to the rest of the world. That is where Australians become Australia. There is a strong belief in mateship, loyalty and trust. It was not only the men who went to war; there were Aboriginals, women, nurses and doctors. Some women were told to stay home and do the knitting but still found ways to get around the system. They came through the backdoor in England and Scotland to look after our wounded troops. Your heart must go out to them in those days. The nurses in the re-enactment were very finely dressed in white and red. They really caught people's eyes when the train stopped at different locations. We must always remember the Anzacs and every day we must think of them. We will remember them. God rest in peace. 17:20 Ms HALL 83N Shortland On 25 April this year Australia celebrated the centenary of the landing of Australian troops at Gallipoli, a landing that has become one of the most significant events in Australia's history. Throughout Australia record crowds attended Anzac Day services. In the Shortland electorate there were dawn services at Swansea, Pelican, Catherine Hill Bay, Dudley and Doyalson. In addition, there were services later in the morning at Belmont, Redhead, Valentine, Swansea, Gwandalan and Doyalson. Some of those services were accompanied by marches. There is always a march at the Pelican dawn service. It is quite eerie to see emerging from the fog that clouds the road in the morning diggers from the Second World War and other conflicts Australia has been involved in. It never ceases to make my heart beat a little faster and a tear come to the corner of my eye. At Belmont there is always a march. Members of that community, schoolchildren and young people march in Belmont. Swansea was very special to me this year. I often join in the march at Swansea, and this year was no exception. One of my very dear friends, a gentleman who is 96 years old, I think went in his last Anzac Day march. He was unable to walk this year, but his grandson came from Melbourne and pushed him in a wheelchair. At the end of the march, it was a real privilege to have my photograph taken with Norm Bilton, who fought in New Guinea in the Second World War and who has been a role model to me over the years. I would like to thank all those people who attended the Anzac ceremonies to honour our Anzacs and ex-service men and women. I also want to put on the record my thanks to the Shortland Centenary of Anzac committee, who under the leadership of Allan Bargwanna chose seven outstanding projects to fund and to Lisa McDermott, in my office, who made sure that everything ran on track. The interesting thing about Anzac Day is that it is not a celebration of a great victory. Rather, it is a day when our nation focuses on defeat. We remember and pay tribute to those young Australians who braved the shores of Gallipoli in an operation that was doomed before it even started. In its 100th year I think it is important to analyse why Anzac Day is so fundamental to our Australian identity and the Australian ethos. The iconic status of Anzac Day is demonstrated every year when Australians, no matter where they are, pause to remember and honour those brave men who landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. We also remember all Australian service men and women. It has become a rite of passage for all young Australians to visit Gallipoli, and that shows just how significant that landing was. It can be argued that one factor that can be attributed to the iconic status of Anzac Day is that, at the time of the landing at Gallipoli, Australia had been a nation for barely 14 years. It was a nation in its infancy, one that still saw itself as a British colony. It can be argued that it was that landing by Australian soldiers on the rugged peninsula at Gallipoli that was really the birthplace of our nation. The Gallipoli campaign was the first major campaign where Australian and New Zealand troops fought under their own commanders and, for the first time, we had Australian troops fighting as Australians for Australia. It was a battle that took an enormous toll. After eight months from the day of the first Gallipoli landing, over 8,700 of these soldiers were killed. Many died of wounds or disease on the battlefields at Gallipoli. Signaller Ellis Silas of the 16th Battalion AIF at Gallipoli reflected on the casualties suffered by the battalion. He wrote: The roll is called—how heart-breaking it is—name after name is called; the reply a deep silence which can be felt, despite the noise of the incessant crackling of rifles and screaming of shrapnel—there are few of us left to answer to our names—just a thin line of weary, ashen-faced men; behind us a mass of silent forms, once our comrades—there they have been for some days, we have not had the time to bury them. We can only imagine the despair and marvel at the determination and spirit of those brave men who refused to take a backwards step against almost impossible odds. As the sun set on that first day, approximately 2,000 Australians lay wounded or dead. Despite the campaign being a disaster, Australian troops at Gallipoli showed courage, fortitude and military competence. These gallant men epitomised the values all Australian's treasure—courage, mateship, compassion, strength in adversity, loyalty and the spirit to endure. Once again, when we are considering the significance and iconic status of Anzac Day in Australia's history, it is significant that these characteristics are the characteristics that Australians value and that epitomise our self-image. It can be argued that the characteristics displayed by our Anzacs at Gallipoli were the same characteristics that had led to Australia moving from being a penal colony to becoming a nation. The Australian soldiers that landed at Gallipoli allowed Australians to demonstrate to the world those characteristic and values. As a consequence, they became the values that were attributed to Australians world-wide. Our Anzacs epitomised what it means to be Australian. Our Anzacs were respected and honoured by our enemies. This was demonstrated in the words of the Turkish General Ataturk who said: You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well. The Turkish people will never forget our brave young Anzacs and nor will we. On Anzac Day we particularly remember all those who fought in World War I, and particularly those who fought at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. My grandmother was engaged to a soldier who went to Gallipoli. He managed to leave Gallipoli and then he went to the Western Front where he was killed. This is a common story. World War I saw many Australians lose their lives, and the impact of that left an indelible mark on communities in Shortland and throughout Australia. I conclude my contribution to this debate with a poem from Bill Charlton, a poet from the Shortland electorate who writes poems about war. This poem demonstrates the impact that World War 1 had on those communities. They came from Little Pelican, Marks Point and Belmont South. From Speers Point to Toronto, News spread by word of mouth. Front every town around The Lake They marched by night and day, For God, for King and Country, They went to join the fray. Shipped off to Gallipoli, They arrived at Anzac Cove. Where death would greet them daily, In a war they came to loathe. Two miners came from Catho. Woods and Farr by ;name. But they were killed within a month With this cruel war to blame. Our brave young men from 'round The Lake Were with those fighting there. They stormed the heights and made their mark, And a name they all would share. The Anzac Legend there was born, And our kinfolk played their part. These brave young soldiers had no peer. They showed tremendous heart. Almost a hundred years has passed since then, But Time has not lessened our pride. And these diggers will not be forgotten, While people still mourn side by side. 17:31 Ms PRICE 249308 Durack Anzac Day is entrenched in the hearts and minds of the young and old, of all colours and creeds in communities in Durack. Anzac Day 2015, dare I say, I believe outshone Australia Day celebrations. The government, the communities, the RSL and various entities have indeed been privileged to work together joyfully and respectfully to reignite, honour and herald the Anzac story. I had the pleasure of attending four Anzac events in my electorate of Durack: at the coastal communities of Kalbarri, Cervantes and Jurien Bay, and the idyllic Wheatbelt hamlet of Yuna. I also visited the inland town of Mullewa, where Father O'Bryan rededicated the World War 1 memorial, which was restored with the support of an Anzac centenary grant. With pride, a heavy step and deep reflection on their faces, the school children, the volunteers and communities produced sensitive and unique events in Durack that highlighted the importance of Anzac in their towns—lost uncles and grandfathers, letters from the Front, sweethearts left waiting, re-enactments. I particularly enjoyed Jim Clark's Anzac address, which he presented with such passion and force; the flag bearers in Kalbarri; the attention to detail of the Yuna and Cervantes primary school children. Well done to Mickey Russell and the Cervantes Primary School, the Yuna Primary School, Kalbarri District High school and the Jurien Bay RSL, ably led by secretary Barry Wilson. It was obvious for all to see that after 100 years, Anzac still touches the lives of almost every family in Australia. Working with my team over recent months, I am pleased that many localities in Durack received federal funding for Anzac centenary projects. The funds were used for: commemorative services in Morawa and Koorda; construction or upgrades to memorials in Broome, Mt Magnet, Tom Price, Moora, Meckering, Mullewa and Wongan Hills; displays, artworks and reliefs in Carnamah, Dalwallinu and Perenjori; the restoration of honour rolls in Geraldton; interpretive signage in Mukinbudin; and    through the state library, making WA's World War I history available worldwide through the digitisation of World War I newspapers. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank Leanne Thurston from my Geraldton office for all her hard work to achieve these outcomes for Durack communities. I want to use this opportunity to reflect on the role of women in World War I. Peter Rees's 2008 book The other Anzacs: nurses at war, 1914-1918 indicated that around 2,500 nurses saw overseas service with the Australian Army Nursing Service during the World War I, while approximately 720 others served overseas with other allied nursing services. Interest was reportedly so strong in serving overseas that at least 130 nurses chose to circumvent the waiting lists in Australia and travel independently to England to join the Australian Army services British equivalent. Rees also noted that 44 Australian Army nurses received the Royal Red Cross for their service and 143 were awarded the Associate Royal Red Cross. As part of its World War I commemorations, the City of Greater Geraldton's regional library in my electorate of Durack noted the service of Olive Goldridge Hall, who lived in Geraldton and enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service on 6 August 1915 as a 28-year-old trained nurse. On 14 March 1918, a letter Hall wrote home to her mother was published in the Geraldton Guardian, detailing her experiences and noting the recent Christmas celebrations. On the home front, many Australian women became voluntary active members of patriotic funds. These women were the mothers, wives and sweethearts of the brave Aussie soldiers. The patriotic funds were established to provide help services such as medical care and social and financial support to returning soldiers. A branch of the British Red Cross was established in Australia on 13 August 1914 by Lady Helen Munro Ferguson, wife of the Governor-General at the time. It is quite incredible that by 1918 there were 2,200 Red Cross branches across Australia, involving more than 55,000 women. Many other patriotic fundraising organisations were set up, including the Victorian League of Western Australia. It has been estimated that these organisations collectively fundraised a total of around £14 million, which is a considerable amount given that Australia's total defence expenditure between 1914 and 1918 was €188 million. We know this organisation today as the Australian Red Cross, which celebrated its own centenary in 2014. In the postwar period, the Red Cross has focused on social welfare, national emergencies, natural disasters, the blood bank and first aid programs. Today it has around one million members, volunteers and staff. Its role may have changed since the commencement of World War I, but its desire to help those who need it most has never waned. Well done to the Australian Red Cross. Many people from my electorate of Durack contributed to the World War I effort. It is opportune moment to mention and honour some of those individuals as we reflect on 100 years, and the incredible contribution the Anzacs made to our nation. Henry Joseph Bradley was a 28-year-old labourer living in Geraldton when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in September 1914. Mr Bradley embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Ceramic on 22 December 1914, travelling to Egypt before landing at Anzac Cove at approximately 6 pm on 25 April 1915. Following his service at Gallipoli, Mr Bradley moved with his battalion to the Western Front where he was not only progressively promoted to the rank of lieutenant, but also awarded both the Distinguished Conduct Medal in November 1916 and the Military Cross in 1918, returning to Australia in December 1918. Mr Bradley also had two brothers, William and Nicholas, who served in and returned from war. Walter Edward Parry, a 24-year-old telegraphist from Geraldton, enlisted as a private in the AIF's 11th Battalion. On 18 August, the Geraldton Guardian reported that Parry was one of 23 selected as the second contingent to enlist from Geraldton. They were 'given a stirring and enthusiastic send-off' that morning as they departed south by train. Mr Parry embarked from Fremantle on 2 November 1915 bound for Gallipoli, where he landed on 25 April 1915. Mr Parry served on the peninsula until August, when he was evacuated due to illness. After recuperating, he joined the 21st Field Artillery Brigade in Belgium in May 1916. Later in November, Parry, now of the rank of bombardier, was awarded the Military Medal for bravery. Mr Parry returned to Australia in October 1918. This year, the hundredth commemoration of the Anzac's landing at Gallipoli is a proud and historic moment to pause, to reflect and to be thankful. The reaction of Australians to this 100-year commemoration confirms that Anzac is firmly embedded as a day of national pride. It unites us as one. Those people who attended Anzac services for the first time—and I know there were many—said to me they would never miss another Anzac Day service. It made them so proud to be Australian, and now they know more clearly what it means to be Australian. I have to say I agree with them. For me and for Durack, the Anzac 100-year anniversary is a new coming of age for Australia. Lest we forget. 17:40 Mr EWEN JONES 96430 Herbert They say there are only a few times in your life when you will always remember where you were. People a little older than me will tell you they will always know where they were when John F Kennedy was shot. I will always remember where I was and what I was doing when the attacks on the World Trade Centre occurred. Equally, on the other hand, there are things which are highly popular for a very short time and wane dramatically—things like Gangnam Style, Achy Breaky Heart and the like. My dad attended the centenary of Waltzing Matilda in Winton. It was a fantastic time as we celebrated an Australian icon. By the end of the week of celebrations, they were running out of steam. My dad penned the following poem, sitting on the verandah of the Wellshot Hotel in Ilfracombe, in relation to this idea of things running out of steam: She always was a scallywag With spirits hale and hearty And when she heard about Winton She headed for the party She had the best time of her life She partied night and day But suddenly on Friday night She upped and passed away Now it wasn't all the dancing Or the drinking that had killed her But the thousand times She listened to Waltzing bloody Matilda. I do not say this to denigrate this great work or to be flippant or amusing about Anzac Day. I want to make a contrast between what can happen in our society and what we as a country have just witnessed—something very special. The Anzac Centenary commemorations of the Gallipoli landing will live on in this country for a very long time. It was not just the sincere words spoken so strongly by our Prime Minister. It was not just the thousands of people that stood shoulder-to-shoulder all night in the cold to be on that soil, in that sombre place, for that sombre service. It was the families who got up all over the country and attended dawn services commemorating the Centenary of Anzac. It was the community groups who worked together and used the $120,000 each electorate was given by the federal government—both governments, the previous government and this one. In my electorate, the committee was headed by Nick Reilly, and he was ably assisted by Mick Johnson, Andrew Gisinger, Jan Power, and Jeff Jimmison. In every electorate these people were the same. The names changed, and they looked different, but they were the same people. They were the people who cared about their community and who understood that this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put on record our community's thanks to those who served our country in uniform and those who paid the ultimate price. In my electorate we approved: a research project, Between Battles: Commemorating the Cultural Lives of Soldiers; an interpretive exhibit; an exhibition of the military history of Magnetic Island; a theatrical presentation, Ginger Mick at Gallipoli; a website project by Pimlico State High School on the Anzacs of Townsville; and we made a strong contribution to the Anzac commemoration activities in Townsville in partnership with the Townsville City Council. It was the council workers, the police, the ADF personnel, the schools, the members of the local RSLs and the emergency service workers who all gave more than was asked to ensure that this day was very special—not just at the main service in Townsville but all around the region. The Prime Minister spoke, when moving this motion, about the massive crowd in Canberra that morning. I watched the news the following day and the size of the crowds around the country was a testament to the respect in which we hold the people who made this country what it is today. In Townsville it was no different. The stage at Anzac Park is right on the marina and those on the stage look away from the sea and towards the city. It is pitch-black when you get there. You cannot see the crowd. The girls of St Margaret Mary's Bella Voce choir performed at their best and started the day in perfect tune. The catafalque party, dressed in World War One uniforms made their way into place. Mick Johnson was the master of ceremonies and the service started bang on time. Our Mayor, Jenny Hill, who served as a reservist and whose husband, Shane, served in the AIF, spoke of mateship and courage. This was surely a theme echoed around the country, but it was when she spoke of Townsville's Keane family that the emotion of the day started to take its toll. My mayor spoke of how the brothers, John and Michael, enlisted immediately. Both men, aged 20 and 18, 'Saw action on the Gallipoli Peninsula', as the mayor said. War is hell, and John was medically discharged in 1916, having suffered terribly in the trenches and the bitter winter fighting. Michael served at Gallipoli, Egypt, and France. A third brother, Patrick, lied about his aged and, when he was found out, he was already on a ship. Tragically, he died of Spanish influenza before he got to serve his country. The mayor said: Michael would suffer from many illnesses endemic amongst our diggers and suffer the horrors of WWI. Jenny then said: Like hundreds of thousands of others at memorials in cities, suburbs, and towns across Australia, I join today to pay respect to Private Patrick Keane, his brothers, and tens of thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers who served so valiantly for their country. John and Michael never recovered from the horrors of war. Today, here, with their nephew, Alan Stephenson, we take pride in keeping their memories alive. It was a truly moving moment. Brigadier Roger Noble, Commander of 3rd Brigade spoke as all Townsville military leaders speak: with knowledge, pride, and with a slice of originality. He opened his speech with these words: For 100 years Australian's have gathered to commemorate and remember that fateful landing at ANZAC Cove. For 100 years we have invoked the sacred commitment— Lest We Forget. Quickly take a look around you and you will see that we have been faithful to that original and enduring sacred promise. Think about that for a moment. Here we stand together—their sons, their daughters, their grand children, their great grand children, their great great grand children and many who had no direct personal link to them at all. All together; Australians together. He went on: On the Centenary of ANZAC it is perhaps most important to reflect on the meaning and purpose of ANZAC Day. In a democracy like ours it is both inevitable and positive that there is much opinion and speculation on this topic. This is as it should be. There is no one 'right' reason or view on what it all means and why it still matters. But to talk, to discuss, to consider, to analyze, to think, to care is the actually the act of remembrance that matters most. It is the ultimate act of respect by the citizens of a free country to those who have fallen in its name. He spoke of service, of sacrifice, of being optimists even in the face of the absolute facts of their situation. He spoke of how their example, not just as soldiers but as men, have led to an ethos which remains as strong today as ever. Perhaps the greatest compliment is from your enemy. Brigadier Noble quoted Field Marshall Erwin Rommel as saying, 'If I had to take hell, I would use the Australians to take it and the New Zealanders to hold it.' Just like every other city in Australia, the First World War took a huge toll on our city. Brigadier Noble noted, with solemnity, that there were 165 names on our cenotaph from a total of 1,914 volunteers. That is from a city of only 13,000 people at the time. Every city and town in the country shares statistics like this. It is said that Anzac Day was not a government idea. It grew out of our communities. It is a grass roots, bottom up approach which marks this day as special in our calendar—and so it should be. As dawn broke we saw the extent of the crowd. As far as the eye could see, there were people. In the dark they were silent. But, as the day broke, they spoke loudly as to our commitment to those who don a uniform and serve our country. They stood shoulder to shoulder all the way up Melton Terrace to Cleveland Terrace. They stood shoulder to shoulder all the way down near Tobruk Pool to one side and past the Coral Sea memorial towards the Criterion Hotel the other side. The council received funding to simulcast the service at Jezzine Barracks. Credit must go to the council and the private contractors, such as Peter Jepson, for making that a huge success. Later that morning, the main parade was review by Brigadier Noble and Mayor Jenny Hill. The parade was led by Colonel John Simeone. As they started, they marched through an honour guard of Townsville school students. Every available soldier, sailor and air man and woman marched in front of our veterans groups, emergency service representatives and then the schools. It was a brilliant day. Today, to me, Anzac Day is about those who serve. Sure it is about the Australian Defence Force, but to me it is about those who wear a uniform and put themselves in positions I would never hope to be in. As well as our Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel, my city includes the police, ambulance and fire services and there are nurses. There were nurses in our parades, signifying the fact that service is also behind the firing lines. The Centenary of Anzac is not a passing fad in my city or my country. It will not be forgotten in my city or my country. It will not blur into a trivia question in my city or country. It will be something about which the people in Townsville will always take pride. It will be something about which the people of Australia will always take pride. I will always remember where I was for the Centenary of Anzac. I will always be able to remember what it was like to be there, representing the Prime Minister at the dawn service in Townsville. It is where I should be, in my garrison city with the people who share the respect of those who paid the ultimate price 100 years ago, all those who have died in service since and all who continue to put their lives on the line at home and all around the world keeping us safe and sound. I thank the Townsville RSL, the Townsville City Council and the people of Townsville for allowing me to be part of their day, part of our national day of remembrance. Lest we forget. 17:51 Mr FLETCHER L6B Bradfield I am very pleased to rise to speak on this motion to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli and to join in this debate, which has been characterised by many fine contributions, including the one we have just heard from the member for Herbert. Every Anzac Day is an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifice and service of so many men and women in the First World War, the Second World War and many other conflicts in which Australians have fought. But as we mark 100 years since the landing on the Gallipoli peninsula, 100 years since the battle which so quickly came to be a defining moment in our national character and identity, it is particularly timely to consider the central role of military service in our history as a successful democratic nation. There is something of a paradox in the way that a democracy goes to war and in the attitude that we bring to the role of war in our history. For militaristic and fascist nations—like Hitler's Germany or Tojo's Japan—war was to be sought out and celebrated. The nation gloried in its victories, and the disruption to the lives of tens of millions of people, both in the aggressor nation and its victims, was of little consequence. Democracies, by contrast, go to war reluctantly—more often than not, only when it is necessary to defend themselves against aggression. It is notable that the famous call from opposition leader Andrew Fisher in July 1914 is couched in terms of defence, not attack: … should the worst happen, after everything has been done that honour will permit, Australians will stand beside the mother country to help and defend her to our last man and our last shilling. When democracies go to war they do not abandon their fundamental values. On the contrary, to maintain popular support for the war effort, the government of a democracy must be able to show that the purpose of fighting is to defend and advance those fundamental values. During World War I, Australia held two successive referendums on the contentious question of conscription. The citizens of this young democracy reserved the right to decide on this fundamental question of how the war effort should be resourced. They twice repudiated the Prime Minister of the day, Billy Hughes, who later became the first member for Bradfield, who was urging that conscription should be adopted. Similarly, Australians at the front were determined to form their own opinions. Historian Michael McKernan highlights this point in his foreword to a recent edition of Keith Murdoch's famous letter about Gallipoli, saying: Australian soldiers saw themselves as quite competent to form their own opinions, to think for themselves. They had freely offered their service as soldiers to their country, but they had not surrendered their capacity for independent thinking and judgement. The wars of the 20th century, particularly the two world wars, were tests of whether soldiers of a democracy could fight effectively. Would they be less disciplined? Would they follow orders less reliably than soldiers who had grown up in a totalitarian state? Or would their upbringing in a democratic nation be a strength, equipping them to display initiative and exercise their own judgement? Would the freedom and the way of life they enjoyed in a democracy translate into a greater determination to fight so as to preserve that way of life? Writing about D-day, the American historian Stephen Ambrose said: It was an open question, toward the end of Spring 1944, as to whether a democracy could produce young soldiers capable of fighting effectively against the best that Nazi Germany could produce … when the test came, when freedom had to be fought for or abandoned, they fought. They were soldiers of democracy. So too were the Anzacs soldiers of democracy. Indeed, Charles Bean, Australia's official war historian, saw a parallel with soldiers of the ancient Greek democracy of Athens, who had fought in the Dardanelles over 2,000 years earlier. Let me quote from the biography of Bean written recently by Ross Coulthart: Bean was drawn to the stories of fifth century BC Athens because they fit his mythologising of the Anzacs: just as in ancient Athens, the Australia they were fighting to defend was a new democracy with similarly high minded ideals. Anzac Day, therefore, marks the anniversary of a campaign which occurred early in the life of Australia in a war we were fighting to defend the ideals embodied in our nation. If this is one reason why the Gallipoli campaign looms so large in our national consciousness, another is that it forms part of a war in which Australians decisively demonstrated their capacities as effective fighting men. Gallipoli itself was a military failure, but later in World War I Australians were involved in decisive victories, particularly the Battle of Amiens on the Western Front under General Monash. The most successful aspect of the Gallipoli campaign was the way it ended, with an evacuation in December 1915 carried out largely without the enemy realising it. Perhaps a strength of democracies in war is that it is harder to hide military failures from public opinion and, in turn, the armies of democracies cut their losses more quickly than the armies of totalitarian nations. That is not to say it was at all easy for journalists reporting on the Gallipoli campaign to get the truth out. They faced heavy censorship, but the efforts of Australian journalists like Keith Murdoch and Charles Bean were important to the decision ultimately taken that the campaign should be abandoned. It is hard to imagine such men operating, and their work having a similar effect, inside a totalitarian political system. The centenary of Anzac, of course, is much more than a commemoration of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I. On the contrary, we are recognising over 100 years of service and sacrifice by the men and women of our armed forces. We are also marking the fundamental importance of the wars in which Australians have fought, particularly the two world wars, in shaping Australia as a nation. The First World War led to a change in Australia's perception of itself and its standing in the world. After the victory, we pushed forward to participate more strongly in world affairs and to express the ideals which had motivated us to fight. Prime Minister Billy Hughes demanded a seat at the table at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 and pushed the case for Australia to have independent membership of the League of Nations, despite the reluctance of the United States. On 28 June 1919, Hughes signed the Treaty of Versailles on behalf of Australia, and at the end of the conference Australia was a full member of the League of Nations and, along with the other former British dominions, had achieved a new international standing. Of course, all of this came at enormous cost to so many ordinary Australians. The impact on the region of Ku-ring-gai, within my electorate of Bradfield, is a good example. Over 1,300 people with a connection to this area served in the First World War, and the ratio of casualties locally, as nationally, was terrible: around one in five did not return. Every aspect and institution of Australian society was fundamentally affected by the First World War. In the words that Charles Bean used of the Anzacs, adapted from a memorial to the earlier Athenian soldiers: They gave their shining youth, and raised thereby valour's own monument which cannot die. If you add up the rolls of honour across schools, across other social institutions and across the cities, towns and villages of Australia you reach dauntingly large numbers. The Australian War Memorial records the names of over 102,000 members of the Australian Armed Forces who have died in war or due to war or warlike service and on certain other operations. But while we can add up numbers, we can never calculate the true human cost. We can only know that all of us today—citizens of this vibrant, prosperous, successful modern democracy, a country that ranks second in the world on the human development index, a country with standards of education and health care envied around the world, a country of peace and safety and personal security—all of us citizens of this country owe such a profound debt to our soldiers of democracy. That is, I am sure, why the experience in Bradfield was the same as the experience that members of this House have reported from all around Australia—that attendances at Anzac Day services were up to double, and in some cases more than double, the normal attendance levels. The services that I was privileged to attend in my electorate were at Roseville RSL on Sunday 19 April; at Pymble Ladies' College on Friday 24 April and also at West Pymble Public School on Friday 24 April; the dawn service at Roseville RSL on Anzac Day; the services at Wahroonga and then at Turramurra organised by the National Servicemen's Association; the service at the Kokoda Track Memorial in Wahroonga; the Knox Grammar School service and ceremonial cadet parade on 26 April; the commemoration service at St Martins, Killara, also on 26 April; and the commemorative service at St John's in Gordon—a church with strong associations with the 18th and Second 18th battalions, the first of which is known as the Ku-ring-gai regiment—containing the Battalion Cross from World War I, carved on the battlefield, and the second cross from World War II. At all of these events the attendance was remarkable as Australians in my electorate of Bradfield, as for all around Australia, commemorated this extraordinarily important occasion, the centenary of Anzac. Debate adjourned. BILLS 93 BILLS Norfolk Island Legislation Amendment Bill 2015, Tax and Superannuation Laws Amendment (Norfolk Island Reforms) Bill 2015, A New Tax System (Medicare Levy Surcharge—Fringe Benefits) Amendment Bill 2015, Health and Other Services (Compensation) Care Charges Amendment (Norfolk Island) Bill 2015, Health Insurance (Pathology) (Fees) Amendment (Norfolk Island) Bill 2015, Health Insurance (Approved Pathology Specimen Collection Centres) Tax Amendment (Norfolk Island) Bill 2015, Aged Care (Accommodation Payment Security) Levy Amendment (Norfolk Island) Bill 2015, Private Health Insurance (Risk Equalisation Levy) Amendment (Norfolk Island) Bill 2015, Private Health Insurance Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2014, Australian Border Force Bill 2015, Customs and Other Legislation Amendment (Australian Border Force) Bill 2015 93

Norfolk Island Legislation Amendment Bill 2015

Tax and Superannuation Laws Amendment (Norfolk Island Reforms) Bill 2015

A New Tax System (Medicare Levy Surcharge—Fringe Benefits) Amendment Bill 2015

Health and Other Services (Compensation) Care Charges Amendment (Norfolk Island) Bill 2015

Health Insurance (Pathology) (Fees) Amendment (Norfolk Island) Bill 2015

Health Insurance (Approved Pathology Specimen Collection Centres) Tax Amendment (Norfolk Island) Bill 2015

Aged Care (Accommodation Payment Security) Levy Amendment (Norfolk Island) Bill 2015

Private Health Insurance (Risk Equalisation Levy) Amendment (Norfolk Island) Bill 2015

Private Health Insurance Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2014

Australian Border Force Bill 2015

Customs and Other Legislation Amendment (Australian Border Force) Bill 2015

Returned from Senate 93 Judiciary Amendment Bill 2015 93

Judiciary Amendment Bill 2015

First Reading 93 BUSINESS 93 BUSINESS Consideration of Legislation 93 18:03 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina I move: That business intervening before order of the day No. 6, government business, be postponed until a later hour this day. Question agreed to. BILLS 93 BILLS Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2015-2016 93

Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2015-2016

Second Reading 93 19:30 The SPEAKER SE4 The question is that the bill be read a second time. I would ask the House to be seated, and give the call to the honourable Leader of the Opposition. Honourable members: Hear, hear! Those in the gallery applauding— Mr Shorten 00ATG That's a bit early! The SPEAKER SE4 And we will have some order! I will make it quite clear. I made it clear earlier in the day that we will have respectful silence in the House—that includes the galleries—so that the Leader of the Opposition can be heard and that the same courtesies that applied to the Treasurer on his budget speech will apply to the Leader of the Opposition. That includes the members in the gallery. I give the call to the honourable Leader of the Opposition. 19:31 Mr SHORTEN 00ATG Maribyrnong Thank you, Madam Speaker. My fellow Australians, a budget should match the priorities of the nation, and the priority of our nation should be a plan for the future, a plan for the decades to come, a plan to build beyond the mining boom, a plan for confidence. Our people and our nation are interesting, imaginative, caring, productive and adaptive. But the 2015 budget has neither the qualities nor the priorities of the Australian people. Australians awaited this budget in fear, anticipation and hope—fear that the unfairness and cruelty of last year's budget would be repeated; anticipation that it might not; hope that the government would at last, after 613 days, get the economy right. But once again, in every way, this government let Australia down. The test for this budget was to plan for the future, to lift productivity, to create jobs, to boost investment, to turbocharge confidence for the years and decades ahead, to restore hope, but this budget fails every test. It is a hoax, a mirage, a smokescreen. To the extent that the Treasurer pretends that this budget is in any way remedial to the Australian economy, it is a hoax. Does it return Australia to trend growth this year or in future years? No. Does it smooth the transition in our economy? No. Does it deal with the challenges of the digital age and the new skills and jobs that we need? No. Does it deepen our engagement with Asia? Does it help older Australians live in comfort? Does it advance the equal treatment of women? Does it tackle climate change? No, no, no and no. It is nothing but a cosmetic job by a very desperate make-up artist. And this budget has also missed the main game: the challenge that defines life in the 2020s. Let me unpack this for you. In 2012, eight per cent of our GDP was investment. It is now slumping to as low as two per cent. This is a fourfold contraction. In a $1.6 trillion economy, it is a $96 billion contraction, the biggest that Australia has witnessed. This is the reason we are living in a low-growth economy: the massive step change, the step-down in investment. But what does this budget do about it? A giveaway to start a fire sale at a second-hand-car yard and Harvey Norman? That is good as far as it goes, but it does not go very far. The sum total of this government's stimulus is a $5.1 billion deposit against a $96 billion withdrawal. Is the Treasurer seriously asking Australians to believe that this is the best he can do in response to a $96 billion withdrawal? Even the government knows that this is a short-term fix. They must. They have only booked the measure for the next two years. The truth is that the 2015 budget is silent on the big picture, the next decade, the long run. The budget records the government's lack of vision and the price that our economy is paying for it. This budget drops the ball on reform, change and fiscal sense. It is a sorry rollcall: 17 new taxes; tax at its highest level in a decade; the deficit doubled, up from $17 billion to $35 billion since the Treasurer's last budget; spending outweighing revenue every year; over 800,000 Australians unemployed; and no plan to tackle the structural deficit. The only polite description for the forecasts in this budget is that they are an experiment in hope over experience. This budget is built upon improving forecasts preceded by worsening results. According to the Treasurer, nominal GDP is forecast to jump by a whopping four percentage points in two years. This year it came in at half of what he forecast 12 months ago. Tuesday's budget banked wages growth at 2½ per cent. Wednesday's figures put it at 2.3 per cent, and experts predict it will stay low. The truth is that there is a trifecta of indecencies underpinning this budget: (1) the repackaging of last year's unfairness, cuts to schools, hospitals, universities and family support; (2) relying on bracket creep to increase taxation by stealth; and (3) their unconscionable attack on the states. Yes, Madam Speaker, it is a bad budget. In every respect, this budget is a hoax. It is an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of Australians. Where it counts, this is last year's budget, rebranded, reheated and repackaged for an opinion poll; the same broken promises; the same unfair, extreme ideology wrapped in trickery. Last year's budget cut $6,000 from families working hard to make ends meet. Those cuts are still in this budget, and Labor will never support them. Last year's budget cut university funding by 20 per cent and ambushed students with higher fees and bigger debt. This unfairness is still in the budget, and I can promise you this, Christopher Pyne: Labor will vote against $100,000 degrees every time you bring them to this parliament. Those in the gallery applauding— The SPEAKER SE4 There will be order, thank you. I repeat: we will have order from the galleries. Mr SHORTEN 00ATG Whether it is for one month or six, Labor will never support leaving young people looking for work to survive on nothing. We will never sign off on the Prime Minister's plan to push young people into poverty and worse. The meanness of spirit in the last budget lives on in this one, the same spitefulness in all things great and small—$2 billion in cuts to health and aged care hidden in the fine print; $100 million cut from Indigenous housing; $70 million cut from the dental care for veterans; $130 million from the dental care for children; and a $1 million cut from a program that put seatbelts in school buses in the regions. The coalition has an impeccable eye for detail and this government's second budget has one more thing in common with its first: it creates divisions and fault lines in our community. Remember the 2014 lifters versus the leaners? They are at it again, this government—cutting family support to pay for child care; pitting mums and dads of three-and four-year-olds against mums and dads of six-and seven-year-olds; and forcing nurses, retail workers and police to choose between more time at home with their baby or a cut to their pay. In just one year, this Prime Minister has gone from being the staunchest defender of paid parental leave, his signature scheme, to vilifying tens of thousands of women who rely upon it; from praising women of calibre to demonising rorters and frauds—that is how quickly this Prime Minister reverts to type about women in the workplace. It confirms what we have always known: no employee, no employer, no family can ever trust this Prime Minister with their rights at work. Nowhere on Tuesday night did the Treasurer utter the words 'bracket creep'. He should have, because bracket creep is the biggest driver of revenue in his budget. The Treasurer should have told Australians that, for every dollar that the government keeps in spending cuts, $2 will be collected through higher taxes. In a lazy budget, Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey are getting inflation to do their dirty work. Eighty cents in every dollar and the rise in revenue comes from bracket creep—the invisible hand in the pocket of every Australian worker. Along with rehashing the manifest unfairness of last year's measures and the abuse of bracket creep, the third cardinal sin of this budget is the government's unconscionable attacks upon the states of Australia and the people who depend upon the services they provide. There is no atonement—not even a trademark insincere mea culpa from the Prime Minister nor a tear from his Treasurer about the cuts to the states. Like the last budget, this budget cuts $80 billion from Australia's school and hospitals. This breaks an old and a new Abbott promise: not just no cuts to health and no cuts to education but a breach of his promise before this budget not to hurt families. Prime Minister, let me tell you something on behalf of the families of Australia: when you cut $30 billion from our schools, you hurt families. When you cut $50 billion from our hospitals, Prime Minister, you hurt families. When you close hospital beds, rob our kids of the resources they need and when you put nurses and teachers under more pressure, you hurt families. Right now, we need to work with the states more than ever. We need a new approach. For a decade, capital investment in mining has been running at eight per cent—four times the long-run rate. Now it is reverting to the long-term average of around two per cent of GDP, and there has been a 17.3 per cent fall in spending on public sector infrastructure in the last year. The Commonwealth must use its fiscal horsepower to work with the states and private investors to provide more affordable housing, to develop our cities and towns. Labor will bring certitude and direction. We will bring confidence—that is what we intend to do. We believe in confidence for new rail and roads; ports and bridges; better social housing; smart energy grids; efficient irrigation projects; and of course the best digital infrastructure. New infrastructure projects boost demand in the short-term and they lift supply over the long term, creating jobs and generating national momentum. But this budget does nothing to address the funding cut from the important public transport projects like the Melbourne Metro or Brisbane's Cross River Rail. It continues to overlook higher-return productivity-enhancing improvements like Managed Motorways, a series of overdue improvements to Melbourne's south-east. This is the first budget in living memory with not one significant infrastructure project funded. In government, Labor funded all 15 projects on the priority list: the Pacific Highway in New South Wales, the Regional Rail Link in Victoria; and the Gold Coast Light Rail. This government has not funded a single priority project; in fact, they have abolished the funding for three and have ripped away half of Infrastructure Australia's budget. Inaction undermines confidence and hurts state budgets, and we all pay a price. More of us spend more time stuck in a car on our way to work. We need a circuit-breaker for investment and a commitment to put the nation's interest at the heart of nation building. Just as the Reserve Bank of Australia is the independent voice at the centre of monetary policy, we will put Infrastructure Australia at the centre of capital investment. This will bring greater rigour, transparency and authority to give investors greater confidence. Infrastructure Australia will drive projects that deliver benefits to our economy and our community; commercial viability; and the capacity to enhance national productivity. I want the experts at Infrastructure Australia to play a more active role in getting projects properly financed, to act as a broker, to bring together construction companies, long-term investors like super funds, and, most importantly, state governments to get projects underway. Infrastructure Australia priority projects will receive first funding. Prime Minister, in government I will do what you have proved to be incapable of: we will consult with the opposition of the day on every appointment to the Infrastructure Australia board, to put the national interest first. Prime Minister, Australians are sick of the petty partisanship around appointments. We can and will do better. Infrastructure must be at the centre of any plan for Australia's future. It is too important to be held hostage to short-term politicking or squabbling. Good infrastructure makes our cities more liveable, our regions more accessible and our economy more productive. It is essential to the jobs and the economy of the future, to where we will live and to the lives that our families will enjoy. There is a role for the Commonwealth in the future of our cities. By 2025, an extra 4½ million people will be living in our cities, and making our cities more productive, more sustainable and more liveable is a key responsibility of the government. Prime Minister, when it comes to small business, I will offer you another thing you never extended to your opponents: cooperation. There are measures in this budget that Labor will support in the national interest. We will cooperate on national security. We will cooperate on overdue drought relief for our farmers and we will cooperate on small business. But when Labor proposed a tax cut for small business, you opposed it. When Labor implemented an instant asset write-off, you abolished it. When Labor introduced loss carry-back, you unwound it. But I am not like you; I want to create jobs and grow the economy. Those in the gallery applauding— The SPEAKER SE4 I have asked the gallery for some order. Mr SHORTEN 00ATG A 1½ per cent cut for small businesses might be enough to generate a headline but it is not enough to generate the long-term confidence and growth our economy needs. Tonight I say: let's go further—let's give small businesses the sustainable boost to confidence that they deserve, the confidence to create jobs. I invite you to work with me on a fair and fiscally responsible plan to reduce the tax rate for Australian small business from 30 to 25 per cent—not a 1½ per cent cut; a five per cent cut. That is the future. That is confidence. I understand that this will not be easy, and it may take longer than the life of one parliament. That is why it must be bipartisan and it has to be fair. That is why it must be part of a more comprehensive approach to address the key pressures on our taxation system not only for small business but, as I mentioned before, for bracket creep and tax rates for ordinary working Australians. All of these things and more need to be addressed together in a fair and fiscally responsible way—this parliament, you and me, working together to create more jobs, working together to build a stronger economy and a better country. And you are welcome to work with Labor on our clear and fair plans to improve the budget bottom line by more than $21 billion in the decade ahead. These include making foreign multinationals pay their fair share of tax—making them pay over $7 billion to help the budget bottom line—and improving the budget bottom line by an additional $14 billion by tightening unsustainably generous superannuation tax concessions subsidised by Australian taxpayers to those who already have millions of dollars in their accounts. Labor created an improved superannuation for the same reason we champion a fair pension: we believe in dignity and security in retirement as the birthright of all Australians. We will take responsibility for making sure that superannuation is sustainable and fair—a national retirement savings system for the many, not just a tax haven for the few. Prime Minister, your stubborn defence of these unfair loopholes will only cause millions of other Australians to pay even more tax and our deficit to rise. Labor will back small business to support jobs today, and we have a plan for jobs tomorrow. We have a plan to build a new engine for prosperity and to turbocharge our science, skills, infrastructure and education. Like so many of my Labor team, I have spent my adult life standing up for fairness in the workplace, in the community and in this parliament. In 20 years of representing working people, I have been there in good times and hard times. When economic change starts to bite, Australians do not reach for a handout and they do not want charity, but they do expect hope and a sense of confidence. Above all, Australians want to know where the new jobs are coming from. What will their kids be doing for a living? What are the jobs of the next generation going to be? Nothing matters more to Labor than securing the jobs of the future, jobs that help Australians aim high, raise families and lift their standard of living. The new jobs of the future require new skills—designing skills and coding skills—building, refining, adapting and servicing the machines in the supply chains of the new age. Three out of every four of the fastest-growing occupations in Australia will require skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics—not just researchers and programmers but technicians, electricians, plumbers and machine mechanics. Yet right now in our schools, TAFE and universities, there are not enough people acquiring these skills. Australia must get smarter or we will get poorer. I believe Australia can be the science start-up and technology capital of our region, attracting the best minds, supporting great institutions and encouraging home our great expats. We should aspire together—universities and industry, the people and the parliament—to devote three per cent of our GDP to research and development by the end of the next decade. I want more Australians making breakthroughs and adapting technology here in Australia and more Australian businesses sharing in the benefits of that technology in our warehouses, in our factories, in our farms and in our design firms. Together let us harness the power of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to prepare for the future—a future of knowledge and service industries and advanced manufacturing, a nation of ideas and a country that makes things here. Our future prosperity depends upon harnessing Australian ideas and defining a new global market for world-leading products. I want ideas born here to grow up here and create jobs here. Twenty-five years ago, if you were looking for work, you purchased a newspaper. Today, all around the world, millions of people search online. The world's largest online job ads company, SEEK.com, was created in Australia with the support of the Australian government. A $2½ million investment in 1998 helped grow what is now a $5 billion company employing over 500 Australians. Labor will create a new $500 million smart investment fund to back great Australian ideas like this. Our smart investment fund will partner with venture capitalists and fund managers to invest in early-stage and high-potential companies. Our model has a definite, proven record of success both here and abroad. Every global company begins as a local one. Every big business starts out as small. And Labor will work with the banks and finance industry to establish a partial guarantees scheme, Startup, to help more Australians convert their great ideas into good businesses. We will enable entrepreneurs to access the capital they need to start and grow their enterprises. So many of our competitors for the jobs of the future already have a scheme of this kind in place: the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany—and Hong Kong is a leader in our region. We understand and Labor understands in the new economy it is these businesses that will drive growth and create jobs. It is our responsibility to support our next generation of designers, refiners, manufacturers and creators. And productivity is the most important catalyst for our economy, and the most important catalyst for productivity is education. Resource booms come and, as we discovered, they go, but our future depends on investing in our best natural resource: the creativity and skills of the Australian people. Digital technologies, computer science and coding, the language of computers and technology, should be taught in every primary and every secondary school in Australia, and a Shorten Labor government will make this a national priority. We will work with the states and territories and the national curriculum authority to make this happen. Coding is the literacy of the 21st century, and under Labor every young Australian will have a chance to read, write and work with the global language of the digital age. All of us who have had our children teach us how to download an app know how quickly that children adapt to new technology. But I just do not want our Australian children playing with technology; I want them to have a chance to understand it, to create it and to work with it. We cannot do this without great teachers—not now and not in the future. We all remember our great teachers. I was raised by one of the best. My mother lived the value of education. As a young teacher, a mature-age student and as a university lecturer she showed me the doors that education can open for Australians from every walk of life, yet today two out of every five science and maths teachers for years 7 to 10 do not have a degree in these subjects. Twenty thousand teachers in our science, maths and IT classes did not study these subjects at university. We are asking too much of these teachers and not doing enough to support them or pay them properly, so Labor will boost the skills of 10,000 current primary and secondary teachers, we will train 25,000 new teachers who are science and technology graduates and we will write off the HECS debt of 100,00 science, technology, engineering and maths students—and we will encourage more women to study, teach and work in these fields. We need to offer the most powerful incentive to Australians thinking about studying science and technology: a good job. A career in science does not just mean a lifetime in a lab coat; it means opening doors in every facet and field of our national commercial life. Innovation offers opportunities everywhere: smarter farming and safer food; more liveable cities and better transport; new ways of learning from each other, working and communicating with each other and caring for each other. It is the key to the jobs of the future—the jobs that a Labor government will deliver. It is reported that the government have nicknamed this the 'have a go' budget, but it does not have a go at returning to trend growth. It does not have a go at smoothing the transition in our economy from mining to services in our cities. It does not have a go at getting us back to surplus. It does not have a go at reform. It does not have a go at delivering skills required in the digital age. It did not even have a go at apologising for the last budget! But, to be fair, it does have a go at some things. It does have a go at pensioners and the states. It does have a go at working women and working families. It does have a go at the students, the veterans, the carers, the job seekers. It does have a go at the sick and the vulnerable. But, if this is an election budget, so be it, but be under no illusions: the failure of last year's budget was not inevitable. If Labor had not stood strong, if the government had had its wilful way, if Tony Abbott had controlled the Senate, last year's malignant budget would have passed with all its social vandalism. And if by chance he gets another chance by having this one confirmed he will by ricochet inflict last year's unfairness this year—unfairness which remains at the core of this political document. This budget is not an economic piece of paper; it is just a political piece of paper. Tony Abbott has only changed his tactics. He has not changed his mind. Whatever this budget brings, we are ready. We are ready to offer remedies rather than reactions. We are ready to fight for equity and for what is reasonable. We are ready to fight for what is good and for what is true. We see the future. We see the future as one defined by science, technology, education and innovation. We see a future for Australia with good jobs and thriving businesses, productive infrastructure and liveable cities. We see an Australia writ large where opportunity is shared by all. This is the future that Labor believes in. This is our vision for what we can achieve together as a people and as a nation: a smart, modern and fair Australia. House adjourned at 20:01 NOTICES 98 NOTICES

Thursday, 14 May 2015

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Hon. BC Scott ) took the chair at 09:30.

CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS 99 CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS Shortland Electorate: After-Hours Medical Services 99 09:30 Ms HALL 83N Shortland It is with great sadness that I stand here today to raise this issue in the parliament. GP Access After Hours is a service that has been operating in the Hunter since 1999 and has serviced over a million Hunter residents. I remember, when I was a state member back in 1999, that there was much lobbying of both the state and federal governments to establish this service. I think it is a model for the delivery of after-hours medical services. Unfortunately, in this year's budget, the government did not secure its future. The Hunter Medicare Local has been negotiating with the government and the Department of Health for some time. Yesterday, it announced that from 30 June it would be winding up that service. That is absolutely devastating, because so many Hunter families have received services from GP Access After Hours. I know I have attended it on occasion, as have my children and grandchildren. It is one of the services that are loved by people of the Hunter. I put a post on my Facebook page yesterday about the fact that Hunter Medicare Local had announced that it would be closing GP Access from 30 June and I was overwhelmed by responses. Denise said that it was a poor decision that will cost more time and more money to already overrun emergency and other hospital departments, and that is exactly what it will do. People will go to emergency instead of going to GP Access. Alternatively, their children will get sicker or they will get sicker, and they will end up in acute-care hospital situation. The Minister for Health said that the department was continuing to work with the Medicare Local to ensure GP Access continued. Well, my message to the member for Farrer is: don't talk; act—because this is a service that every person in the Hunter relies on, every person loves, and it should be a service that is rolled out across the nation. It should not be left in limbo by a minister that cannot consult with local communities. (Time expired) Lindsay Electorate: Environmental Conservation 99 09:33 Ms SCOTT 165476 Lindsay It gives me great pleasure today to update the House about the works going on in the Cumberland Conservation Corridor. I represent an electorate in Western Sydney that is under a lot of pressure at the moment. We live with the north-west growth sector and the south-west growth sector: 200,000 people to the north; 200,000 people moving into the south of my electorate. It is wonderful see the member for Hume here today, who also represents a lot of the south-west of Western Sydney. The Cumberland Conservation Corridor is a critically endangered habitat, and it is crucial that we protect as much of this as we can whilst we have the pressure of development going on. I am pleased to announce that the Australian government will restore and protect approximately 700 hectares of the Cumberland Plain Woodlands through future land covenants, land acquisitions and activities under the Green Army 20 Million Trees Program. One million of those trees will be coming to Western Sydney, and that is fabulous news. But there is a lot more exciting news that I have the privilege to inform the House of today. Firstly, applications have been opened for grants to plant the beginning of these one million trees to rehabilitate some 400 hectares within the Cumberland Conservation Corridor. Secondly, the first of the 15 Green Army trees are now on the ground. I would like to commend the minister for the work that has gone on here with local Indigenous groups like Murru Mittigar and the Deerubbin land council. Of course, Deerubbin is the native word, or the original word, for the Hawkesbury-Nepean River. Working with these two land councils is really a triple bottom line approach. It is about ensuring the protection of our environment; it is also about providing the range of programs so that the Aboriginal culture can go to a next generation. The third piece is that, when we do look at social disadvantage in Western Sydney, it is our Aboriginal brothers and sisters that have some of the higher unemployment rates, so having training directly designed for Aboriginal people to get into work and also relearn and adopt a lot of the Aboriginal culture is such a crucial program. Thirdly, the remaining part of the 700 hectares will be placed under the conservation covenants through Commonwealth purchases, and the land will be held in public hands forever. The first of these purchases—nearly six hectares—is of the highest conservation quality woodland in Londonderry. I would like to reflect on the words of the Minister for the Environment: This land has been virtually untouched for the past 30 years and is in very good condition. Large trees and logs provide habitat for native wildlife, and more than 30 bird species have been identified in the area. This is great news for Western Sydney; this is great news for our environment. I thank the minister. Kingsford Smith Electorate: Centenary of Anzac 100 09:36 Mr THISTLETHWAITE 182468 Kingsford Smith On 25 April, our community remembered those who served our nation and lost their lives in World War I and subsequent wars, through the Centenary of Anzac tributes in Kingsford Smith. On behalf of the community, I wish to thank and congratulate those from our area who were involved in the organisation and coordination of events that commemorated the centenary of the landing at Gallipoli. In particular, I pay tribute to and thank the members of the Kingsford Smith Centenary of Anzac committee: Tony Waller, Ann Slattery, Ronnie Davison, David Cohen, Roger Perry, Pam Richardson, Colin Flatters and Neil Lee. These dedicated men and women worked hard for 18 months to organise, scrutinise and allocate funding for Centenary of Anzac projects and commemorations in our community. Some of those projects include the upgrading of the Light Horse War Memorial at Eastlakes—it was one of the staging posts and training grounds for light horse brigades prior to going to World War I—and the establishment of commemorative plaques on streets in our community that are named after World War I Victoria Cross winners and significant achievers. The Coogee Legion Club held a Centenary of Anzac breakfast. The combined dawn service at Coogee Beach saw 12,000 people come together in our community to watch the sunrise and pay tribute to those who had served our nation. Our community made a contribution to the Sydney Jewish Museum and their Centenary of Anzac program. The New South Wales Rifle Association has restored First World War commemorative gates at the Liverpool rifle range. The Malabar RSL undertook a project with the Chifley Public School to create a commemorative garden in memory of those who served. These are all very worthwhile and wonderful projects, and I thank the organisations involved in establishing those projects to commemorate the Centenary of Anzac—in particular, the RSLs and local schools, and a special mention to the Windgap choir, who once again performed at the Botany RSL Anzac march. I have often said in this place and in the chamber that the best thing about our community is the close-knit nature of people and the sense of community, and that really shone through in our Centenary of Anzac celebrations. Once again, I pay tribute and thank those who were involved in commemorating those who served our nation. Lest we forget. Bass Electorate: Walkathon, Australian Tourism Awards 100 09:39 Mr NIKOLIC 137174 Bass I welcome the young people from Rotary who are in the chamber here this morning. In that context, it is always inspiring to see young people in our community working to improve the lives of others, especially when it involves a considerable personal challenge. For the past 52 years, senior students at Launceston Church Grammar School have organised an annual fundraising walkathon with the money donated to worthy causes. In early April this year, 75 young men and women from year 12 at Grammar completed an 80-kilometre trek from Deloraine to the school campus at Mowbray. The annual 80-kilometre walkathon in 20 hours has become something of a rite of passage for year 12 students at Grammar. It is said to have originated from a challenge by the late US President John F Kennedy, who said that a fit person should be able to walk 50 miles, or 80 kilometres, in 20 hours. School headmaster Stephen Norris says students gain a great sense of achievement from the non-stop walk. It is a tough physical and mental challenge helping the students learn more about themselves and about supporting one another. This year they also raised nearly $20,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Tasmania. It was a similar effort in 2014 when around the same amount was raised for Variety. I congratulate Launceston Church Grammar School for undertaking a daunting challenge over the past 52 years and raising much-needed funds for local charities. I am also delighted to report that tourism operators in my state of Tasmania were most successful at the 30th Australian Tourism Awards conducted in Adelaide in April. In fact, Tasmania was definitely the talk of the town, winning 10 of 29 categories at the awards. The Port Arthur Historic Site won the Major Tourist Attraction Award, as well as the Heritage Tourism Award. Bruny Island Cruises won the Regional Tourist Attraction category and Ecotourism Business category. Rob Pennicott, the energetic and innovative force behind Bruny Island Cruises, was rewarded with the Award For Excellence in sustainable tourism for his Pennicott Wilderness Journeys and for his new tourism development, Tasmanian Seafood Seduction. He was then named an Australian Tourism Legend. It is not just the big tourism operators in Tasmania that are having a big impact. Launceston tourism training provider, Rebecca King, beat some of the country's largest TAFEs and training organisations to win the education and training section of the awards. Mrs King runs her business, Kingthing Marketing, and mentors tourism operators in North Queensland and South Australia, as well as those in our home state. I was also pleased to see Launceston Airport, and the James Boag brewery in Launceston, recognised at these awards. A vibrant and innovative tourism industry is important to the Tasmanian economy, and I congratulate all of the businesses that received recognition at the Australian Tourism Awards, especially those from my home state of Tasmania. Charlton Electorate: Health 101 09:42 Mr CONROY 249127 Charlton The GP access after-hours initiative was launched over a decade ago and it is an invaluable service for the Hunter region. The service has several functions, including the coordination of after-hours GP care of more than 240 general practitioners, the triage of patients through a centralised call centre, and the allocation of limited GP appointments in five clinics, including at the John Hunter Hospital, the Westlakes Community Health Centre, in Toronto, in my electorate. From a public policy point of view, it does not get more efficient than this. The pooled funding model overcomes traditional state and federal funding delineation, and the value that comes from the knowledge sharing and planning between a network of primary healthcare providers ensures the best patient outcomes. Most importantly, it relieves the pressure on our local hospitals' emergency departments. Labor in government drove the creation of Medicare Locals, which were designed to strengthen primary care and make it easy for people to see a doctor. Drawing on more than two decades of knowledge, firstly as the Hunter Urban Division of General Practice, then as GP Access, the organisation became the Hunter Medicare Local and continued to move from strength to strength, adding the headspace and Partners in Recovery mental health programs, and the Connecting Care program, to its list of services. They set the benchmark in this field and we are proud of this. So when the Abbott government announced the abolition of Medicare Locals, despite their pre-election promise not to do so, we were concerned about what this new landscape would bring. Under the new regime, Primary Health Networks would no longer deliver services directly to the community, and the structural separation of the founding GP access group was enacted. Last year, Hunter Medicare Local worked with the New England and Central Coast Medicare Locals to become the successful tenderer for the new Primary Health Network, and unfortunately the government has since then failed to meet each of their own self-imposed deadlines to get this primary healthcare network fully operational, and we are now in a very dangerous situation. This week's budget included $98 million in funding for the primary health networks around the country. Yet the Health Minister has refused to reveal how much of this will be allocated to the Hunter. This is despite several conversations between my office and the minister's office. In the absence of funding certainty, and with only six weeks to abolition of the Hunter Medicare Local, GP Access have announced that they have no choice but to begin winding down operations. This will impact on the 50,000 patients who use this service each year. This will impact on the hundred nurses employed, and the 250 GPs that are part of this service. I have had personal experience of this through the assistance they provided to my wife, to my daughter and to my mother-in-law, and this service must receive funding certainty if we are to provide the best possible health care to the residents of the Hunter. La Trobe Electorate: Muslim Youth 101 09:45 Mr WOOD E0F La Trobe Very tragically, we have had in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne a number of terrorist related incidents and events. I recently have had many constituents contact me regarding their concerns, including parents who wrote about their children being radicalised. I have met with Dr Anne Aly, an academic who is an expert in this field. One of the biggest issues facing Muslim youth today is a feeling of disenfranchisement, of not having a group to belong to. Dr Aly told me that interviews conducted with former radicalised youth and young people on the path to radicalisation also suggest that providing these youth with alternatives, positive pathways, is a critical factor in preventing and disrupting the process of radicalisation before it becomes a danger to our society as a whole. This is backed by empirical evidence and research that highlights the importance of alternatives to the influence of radicalisation influence on young people. In addition, young people are often left out of the process of developing solutions to violent extremism, despite being the target group of these programs. Often, community consultations and attempts to engage communities in the consultation process fail to reach and include young people. This is why I have met with Dr Aly regarding the MYHACK program, which properly addresses both of these issues. Firstly, the program provides young people who are at risk of engaging in violent extremism with an opportunity to participate in the development of solutions to violent extremism themselves. This is done by getting a group of young people together who are potentially at risk of becoming radicalised, along with those that may not be. The group has workshopped solutions to problems that directly face their own generation. This process works to also raise awareness amongst young people of violent extremism, while providing them with a platform for expressing themselves. Secondly, the process addresses the significant issue of youth engagement, because it involves youth coming up with solutions for youth. The kind of solutions generated by the MYHACK events will enhance provision of services for the intervention and prevention at a broader level. At the recent Common Vulnerabilities Exposures Summit—CVE—at the White House, in Washington, the CVE and youth panel stressed to the audience the need to engage young people in ways that meet their demands. The MYHACK project is designed to use youth voices to stimulate product and innovation as well. The application of the Hackathon mode means that any one of the MYHACK programs could potentially yield very strong innovations and strategies, developed by youth, to actually be realised. I very much look forward and am lobbying very hard to get a MYHACK project launched in La Trobe, not only for my electorate but also for the whole of Victoria. Blair Electorate: Roads 102 09:48 Mr NEUMANN HVO Blair On Tuesday night this week, the Treasurer, the member for North Sydney, delivered his second budget—viewed by friends and foes alike—as a desperate attempt to save his job and the job of the Prime Minister. So what did the second Abbott budget hold for the people of Ipswich in the Somerset Region, after the first budget with its promises, priorities and propaganda? Obviously, the jobs of people and the infrastructure needs in the western corridor outside Brisbane were neglected once again. When I first ran for the seat of Blair in 2004, my then-incumbent LNP opponent opposed the upgrade of Ipswich Motorway from Dinmore. It took the election of the federal Labor government to get the Ipswich Motorway—from Dinmore to Darra—designed, built and completed at a cost of $2.8 billion. One-hundred-thousand vehicles a day travel between Ipswich and Brisbane, both ways. It is important for jobs in the western corridor. It is important for the lifestyles of the people in that area. They are the farmers in the Lockyer Valley and the Somerset Region in rural Ipswich, the miners who take their produce, iron ore and other minerals to the ports in Brisbane, the farmers who take their goods to Rocklea markets and the people who travel to Brisbane for recreation and medical needs. Before the last election, after we put $279 million in the budget to kick-start the last section, the last six kilometres of the Ipswich Motorway from the Oxley roundabout to Suscatand Street, the coalition finally had a road-to-Damascus conversion experience. After opposing, election after election, the upgraded Ipswich Motorway, they said, 'We will match them'. In fact, just a couple of days before the election, The Queensland Times had headlines that the coalition was going to fast-track the Darra to Rocklea section of the Ipswich Motorway. It is now 19 months later and we have nothing—and guess what? In the minister's press release listing projects for Queensland, there is not a mention of the Ipswich Motorway. They have done nothing in this region. Have a look at the forward estimates. For Queensland projects under the National Partnership Agreement on Land Transport Infrastructure Projects, there was nothing in the last year. The estimates show $20 million, then $25 million, then $25 million, then $209 million for 2018-19. This is fast-tracking? They said before the election that they would fast-track it—yet another broken promise to the people of Brisbane, Ipswich, the Somerset region and the Lockyer Valley. Where is the member for Wright? Where is the member for Groom? Where is the member for Brisbane? They have said nothing about this. The minister, the member for Wide Bay, the Deputy Prime Minister—he should get off his backside and fulfil his promise to the people of the Western Corridor and South-East Queensland. Budget 102 09:51 Mr TAYLOR 231027 Hume The federal budget is having an immediate positive impact on the small businesses of my electorate of Hume. As I sat at the budget dinner with a table of small-business people from my electorate, they were straight on their phones—texting, talking and planning to spend money, to invest. This is exciting for me, as I am someone who has always believed in the power of small businesses to create jobs, to invest and to support our prosperity. The government's Growing Jobs and Small Businesses package is about workable, practical measures to help small business. Included in that is a tax cut of 1.5 per cent for incorporated small businesses with turnover up to $2 million, while unincorporated small businesses will get a five per cent tax discount of up to a $1,000 a year. Having an immediate impact—and this is what we are seeing already—is that small businesses can now claim a tax deduction for each and every asset purchase up to $20,000. Six to eight weeks ago farmers in my electorate were saying, 'If you can give me an instant asset write-off on silos or water investments, I will go for it'—and that is exactly what we have delivered. These tax deductions do not stimulate just small individual businesses; they will stimulate all of the service providers and input providers that sell to them. This budget has also invested in regional infrastructure as a sure-fire way of stimulating jobs and investment. In my electorate a $10 million grant, one of the largest grants in Australia out of the National Stronger Regions Fund, has been given to Goulburn to build a new wastewater facility. A vital new pipeline to carry water from Yass to Murrumbateman has been allocated $6.1 million, noting that Murrumbateman has remained on water restrictions since the year 2000. The federal budget has delivered strong positive policy that will fan the sails of our regional economies. It strikes the right balance between stimulus and a responsible path back to surplus. We have said it time and time again: the real problem we faced when came into government was that spending under Labor had been going up far faster than income. Any small business owner who has been in that situation knows it is a problem—you have to fix it. That is what the coalition has been doing. We have further to go, but we are a long way down the track. When Labor wanted to stimulate the economy, it went out with big, centrally driven, mismanaged programs. We want small businesses to do the growing, not government programs. That is our clear philosophy. I have sometimes heard the passing comment: 'You are too optimistic about what small business can do for the economy'. I am here to say that I do not think I am optimistic enough. When small businesses start employing and investing, the sky is the limit. Calwell Electorate: Cameron Baird Awards 103 09:54 Ms VAMVAKINOU 00AMT Calwell The inaugural Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG Memorial Awards were held in my electorate on 22 April. The awards were hosted and established by the Hume City Council to recognise the legacy of Corporal Cameron Baird, an Australian national hero who was killed in action in 2013. Cameron Baird was a student at my local school, Gladstone Park Secondary College before he joined the army and was on his fourth tour of Afghanistan in 2013, when he was killed defending and protecting his comrades. His bravery and sacrifice earned him the first posthumous Victoria Cross to be awarded in Australia. Just a few weeks ago, I was part of the delegation that visited the Al Minhad Military Base in the UAE, where the Australian headquarters of the Joint Task Force is named after Corporal Baird. This is a show of the respect, admiration and high esteem that his mates continue to, and forever will, hold him in. It is the same respect and admiration that our local community holds Corporal Baird in. As a result, Hume City Council established the Cameron Baird Memorial Awards in order to encourage young people to be like him—to strive to be the best they can be in the service of others. Present at the inaugural dinner with Cameron's parents, Doug and Kaye Baird. I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the recipients of the awards. The first recipient is Sarah Mackin of Broadmeadows. Sarah, who is 24, is inspired by those who have overcome obstacles in their own lives to achieve amazing things. Since experiencing a period of homelessness, Sarah decided that it was up to her to improve her own life's chances. Sarah has since become passionate about her local community and is an avid volunteer, particularly through the Hume Whittlesea Local Learning and Employment Network and the Kangan Youth Forum. Sarah strives to make every day count; she has a passion to initiate and create change in community development. She will soon commence in a volunteer mentor role to a young person in need through Big Brother/ Big Sister program, and her dream is to work alongside young people in a voluntary capacity overseas. Ms Mackin said she needed to realise that there were 'people worse off than her' and she felt it was time to turn her own life around. The second recipient is Angela Antonio. Angela, 21 from Craigieburn, is passionate about change and making a difference in the community, particularly with young people. Earlier this year she was named Hume Young Citizen of the year at the council's 2015 Australia Day awards. She is also a highly active member of the community and has played a leading role in the delivery of community events, including the 2014 Change It Up Youth Forum, the RUOK campaign and White Ribbon Day activities. She is a strong role model with admirable leadership skills. Angela will use the award to attend be 2016 Youth Summit in Canberra and she will take with her two other young Hume leaders. Swan Electorate: Development Assessment 103 09:57 Mr IRONS HYM Swan I rise to highlight a serious issue in my electorate of Swan, which is also an issue right across Western Australia. It is about the development application process that the state government commenced in 2011. The objective of the development assessment panel, or DAP, structure was to have applications considered by an independent panel of experts with technical expertise and elected local government representatives, either on a mandatory basis for large-scale developments or on an opt-in basis by applicants. Unfortunately, instead of applications being scrutinised and subsequently rejected when appropriate, we are seeing development after development come before this state government appointed panel and simply marked with a big rubber stamp, which in big letters says 'approved'. The application could have major safety concerns, overwhelming community opposition or it could fly in the face of other state or federal policy initiatives, but still that rubber stamp manages to appear. In fact, in the case of one development application in my electorate of Swan, every one of these reasons for rejection were raised, not once but four times. To ensure transparency, I ask members whether the following sounds like a good case for planning approval to you. An application for a large-scale Dan Murphy's liquor outlet—booze-barn style—was submitted to the relevant local government. The application was rejected on the basis that it would adversely impact local residents' amenity, including the potential for increased crime rates. It also poses major road safety concerns, which were also raised by Main Roads WA, particularly at the intersections of the Canning Highway and Norton Street and South Terrace, which have been identified in a number of reports as crash risk areas. It does not comply with the local government's town planning scheme and it contradicts the state governments new anti-alcohol campaign, Alcohol: Think Again, which is aimed at combating Australia's large binge drinking culture. In this case, following the local government's rejection, the applicant opted into a DAP assessment, which was also rejected twice. But then, members, can you believe that this same application was appealed for a third time, so a reasonable person would think that some major planning changes must have been made to constitute this application again. So I read the apparently revised application and searched for major changes, but they were nowhere to be found. So again, members, a reasonable person would think, 'Well, the application might be rejected again.' But how wrong could you be? Instead, on 17 April, the DAP approved this large scale liquor outlet against the community's wishes, with no major planning changes, and they approved an application which poses a serious danger to all road users, and in particular the local residents whom I represent. This is a perfect example of a poor planning decision, which typifies the community's belief that all a big developer has to do is keep appealing a decision and eventually they will crush the little guy. This panel should not simply be a rubber stamp, but in Western Australia that is exactly what it has become. I will hold personally responsible that panel for any lives lost through this development. Bendigo Electorate: Women of the War Exhibition 104 10:00 Ms CHESTERS 249710 Bendigo In early April, people in my electorate gathered together to recognise Women of the War. Bendigo residents came together to commemorate the contribution of women to Australia's war efforts at the Bendigo Library on 17 April. The launch featured the Bendigo Youth Choir, performing their new song, 'Women of the War', written by the exhibition's organiser, Gail Godber. Gail told the group that the inspiration for the exhibition came from seeing documentaries about women's roles during the war. She reflected on the work of her mother and her aunt during the war. They worked the switchboards and were quite often the first to find out about deaths of men they had grown up with. Other women told their mother's story. Women in Bendigo were involved not just in telecommunications; they also worked for the Land Army, tending Bendigo's large agricultural area. Women also took up positions in the ammunition factories. Today we still have a proud Defence manufacturing presence in Bendigo. The voices that we heard at the launch will stay with us. The women and the children who attended reminded us how important it is to remember the local stories of Bendigo. I was humbled to be asked to speak at the event and honoured to be able to acknowledge the role that the Bendigo Youth Choir throughout our Centenary of Anzac events. I would like to read to you—because I do not have the singing voice that the choir have—the words they sang at the launch of the exhibition. These words sum up the sentiment, the mood and the importance of this exhibition. The Women of War She would work alongside women, and fill the shoes of men, and when she had no more to give, she would get back up again. She laboured hard from dawn 'til dark, each day a hill to climb, she was a woman of the war years, a hero of her time. Mobile Phone Services 104 10:04 Dr HENDY 00BCM Eden-Monaro Inadequate mobile phone coverage is one of the major issues for Australians living, working and travelling in regional and remote areas of the country. Nowhere is this more evident than in my electorate of Eden-Monaro. No matter where I travel in Eden-Monaro, mobile phone coverage is always one of the top issues raised with me. Last month I attended a public meeting in Gundillion, south of Braidwood, and was grateful to the 80 residents who took time out of their days in this small and close-knit community to discuss the region's telecommunications issues. Many people shared their personal experiences of the hardship brought by inadequate or unreliable communication services. I acknowledge the hard work of the secretary of the Gundillion Hall, Mandy O'Brien, for facilitating this meeting. These experiences are, however, shared experiences right across the towns and communities of Eden-Monaro. Communication services, and especially mobile phone coverage, are critical. They impact on local business, tourism, social amenity and the safety and wellbeing of the community. Despite this, in the six years they held office, the former government and the former member for Eden-Monaro did not invest one cent to rectify mobile phone blackspots. After six years of no plan and no action by the former government, the coalition is delivering a good first step in building better mobile phone reception. The coalition government's $100 million Mobile Black Spot Program, included in this week's federal budget, has received an overwhelming number of applications. This highlights the importance of this issue to rural and regional communities. After six years of inaction by Labor, the announcement of successful applicants and locations under the coalition program later this year will be an important milestone for improving communications in the bush. But we need to do more. The experiences of my constituents, like those at Gundillion but also in towns such as Nelligen, Numeralla, Dalgety, Carwoola, Bega, Wallagoot, Pambula, Towamba, Wyndham, Mystery Bay, Dalmeny, Bodalla, Turlingah, Bingie, Moruya, Malua Bay and Bredbo, for example, illustrate that we need to do more. That is why I have launched a petition for better mobile phone coverage and more funding. This is a petition that will allow the residents in Eden-Monaro to demonstrate the importance of this issue to our community. Over the last few weeks, I have personally taken the petition to Michelago, Cooma, Berridale, Jindabyne, Merimbula and Eden. It is also available in both my Queanbeyan and Bega electorate offices. The initial response has been substantial. It is clear to me already that this petition will receive significant backing from the community. I thank everyone so far who has taken the time out to sign it. (Time expired) Greenway Electorate: Glenwood High School 105 10:07 Ms ROWLAND 159771 Greenway I rise to pay tribute to a great local school in my electorate, and indeed the local high school of my home suburb of Glenwood: Glenwood High School—which recently commemorated the historic achievement of their 10th anniversary. Since 27 April 2005, Glenwood High School has served as a beacon of opportunity in our local community. It has fostered a very diverse and harmonious environment which reflects the very best of our nation—anyone, irrespective of their race, colour or creed, can write the next chapter of our Australian story. Approximately 52 per cent of students are from a language background other than English. This is not only a wonderful statistic that reflects the reality of everyday life in multicultural Australia but it is a credit to the ethos of the school that each and every day every student at Glenwood High School is instilled with what one former student called a 'feeling of belonging and a sense of purpose'. It was a wonderful event on 27 April this year, and wonderful to be part of those commemorations. I want to particularly acknowledge the school community for putting on a great day. It included two assemblies for junior and senior students, showcasing the history of the school. There were performances, and we had former students telling their success stories. When you heard these young people, who had gone through this local high school, and saw what they are doing now—everything from studying, going into design to be being real success stories in their fields—you can see what a great school this is. I must also acknowledge the founding principal, Mr Russell Turner, who joined for the day, and also the P&C, who funded the creation of an anniversary garden at the front of the school. It was a wonderful day. It included a mini fair in the quadrangle for students, with food trucks selling a variety of food. Games were conducted, and there was live entertainment. It was a truly enjoyable day. I would like to give some recent examples of the calibre of students from Glenwood High School. Recently, as part of the Anzac Centenary commemorations, I conducted a Greenway Anzac Day writing prize. The judges in this were selected from our local RSLs, national servicemen, and some other community organisations. I was not involved in the judging, and they certainly did not look at the names of the students and the schools that they came from before judging. But it is telling that Liam Lengronne and Patrick Gleeson from Glenwood High School won the intermediate and senior prizes, so two students from the one school winning those. I want to particularly acknowledge their librarian, Rada, and also everyone involved in the performing arts at Glenwood High School. Not only was this a wonderful day of celebration, but it also showcased their talents in music, Indigenous performing arts, and their Punjabi dance number. I pay tribute to all the students and teachers of Glenwood High School and wish you all the very best in the next decade to come. Budget 106 10:10 Ms HENDERSON ZN4 Corangamite I rise to speak about our government's budget, a budget which is all about jobs, growth and opportunity. It is a budget which is responsible, measured and fair. That is why our budget is funding a number of job creation programs. In the electorate of Corangamite I represent, our No. 1 priority is jobs—the Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund, which has so far created 750 jobs; and the Growth Fund, to deliver new jobs, particularly in manufacturing. There is another $1.3 million for Geelong Employment Connections, which is delivering our jobs fair and providing grassroots support to manufacturing and retrenched workers with the help of a dedicated employment facilitator. There is more than $7 million for the $40 million Northern Community Hub in Norlane, which will deliver 100 jobs under our National Stronger Regions Fund. Another funding round is about to open, and many more opportunities will flow from that. There is $1.5 billion to build a proper western link for Geelong commuters. State Labor's proposal simply does not deliver for the people of Corangamite. Last week, I was very proud to turn the sod on the $371 million duplication of the Princes Highway between Colac and Winchelsea, with half of the funding coming from our government. We are also upgrading the Great Ocean Road, which is so important for tourism, jobs and road safety. Other big projects being delivered in our region are the National Disability Insurance Scheme trial, the ABS Centre of Excellence and of course the rollout of the NBN now to some 40,000 premises across Corangamite. There is some fantastic news for small business out of our budget. For the 11,300 small businesses across my electorate—this is fantastic news for jobs and growth—there is $5.5 billion to deliver a 1.5 per cent cut to the company tax rate to 28.5 per cent, the lowest in almost 50 years, and for sole traders and unincorporated businesses, a five per cent tax discount up to $1000 a year. Small businesses can also claim an immediate tax deduction for each and every asset purchased up to $20,000 and they can do that right now and claim the tax deduction straightaway. This is an extremely important measure for small business and for jobs. For families, child care will be simpler, more affordable, more flexible and more accessible. Families earning between 65,000 and 170,000 will receive an extra $1500 a year in child care from the government, and the new childcare safety net will provide more support for disadvantaged and vulnerable children. Labor left us with a terrible legacy of debt and deficit which we are tackling, while fighting for jobs, growth and opportunity. Chifley Electorate: Struggle Street 106 10:13 Mr HUSIC 91219 Chifley Having grown up, worked and lived in the area that I represent, I have always been very grateful and humble to see the great talent that exists our way, great stories, great achievements and the prospect that people can go on and build better lives for themselves. But often it is the case in the area that I represent within Western Sydney, people have a degree of difficulty attached to their ambition. That degree of difficulty comes through a postcode bias that judges that people in certain postcodes in the electorate of Chifley have to work doubly hard to prove their worth, which I do not think is right. In this country we value skill regardless of your background, regardless of your wealth, regardless of your fortune and the generations that preceded you. If you have got a good idea, you have got skill, you have got commitment, you should be able to get ahead. But that postcode bias, when I have students in my area say that they do not put their address on their resume because they want to get a better chance to get a job, really angers me. You can then appreciate, Deputy Speaker, the degree of anger generated in me and the people that I represent—my friends, neighbours and people in the community—when they see a promotion for a show on SBS, a national broadcaster that is supposed to promote a variety of voices in the public arena, mimic and mock those people based on where they live. I have often, in the last few weeks, had to explain to people why there has been such a ferocious reaction in our area to Struggle Street. People watch the show and say, 'Isn't it important to put a spotlight on some of the struggles people have?' Yes, it is, but we are sick to the back teeth of problem definition. What we want to see is solutions. What will happen, as this show comes and goes, is continual reinforcement of the stereotypes. It will create a greater degree of difficulty, as I mentioned a few moments ago, for people trying to get ahead, people who think: 'If I have the talent and skill, can't I just be judged on that? Can I not have people either pity me or downgrade me on the basis of where I live—just judge me the way you want to be judged, on the skills that you have.' Struggle Street reinforces those negative perceptions. It stigmatises and it stereotypes. In particular, the way the promotion of the program mocked people was disgraceful. There are a lot of concerns about the way SBS gained, or failed to gain, genuine informed consent. The way the production house, KEO Films, preyed on people to get footage—to take the mickey out of them and to mock them—is a disgrace. I intend to follow this up in future debate, because this should not stand. Budget 107 10:16 Mr HOWARTH 247742 Petrie I want to talk directly to the people of North Lakes and Deception Bay about good news in Tuesday night's budget. The people in Deception Bay and North Lakes know how congested with peak-hour traffic the Boundary Road overpass at Narangba is every morning and afternoon. I am very pleased to announce that the federal government will provide $84 million for this project, of which $34 million was announced in Tuesday night's budget. I want to thank everyone in North Lakes and Deception Bay for signing my petition calling on the state government to commit their share of funding, which they have now done. This budget is also great news for everyone else in my electorate, particularly for our small businesses through the $20,000 instant tax write-off and the 1.5 per cent company tax cut for those businesses with a turnover of less than $2 million. There is also extra childcare support for families and extra support for the pensioners in my electorate. I will continue to work hard for you and I look forward to meeting you in the electorate soon. Thank you. Richmond Electorate: Regional Funding 107 10:17 Mrs ELLIOT DZW Richmond I rise to talk about the importance of funding for regional areas and would like to highlight some fantastic events of the last week. First of all, we had the official opening of the trades training centre at St Joseph's College, Banora Point. I was very pleased, back in September 2013, to announce $1.5 million from the federal Labor government for St Joseph's College to build this fantastic trade skills centre to ensure that local young people gain the skills they need to compete for the jobs of tomorrow. This is in total contrast to the Liberal-National Party, who later cut funding for these trade skills centres. The St Joseph's trade skills centre focuses on electrotechnologies, hospitality and construction. There are a whole range of different areas they will be addressing through the new trades training centre, including a range of emerging technologies, which is really important. It was great to see firsthand the wonderful facilities they have there at the trades training centre. I congratulate all of the young people who took us on a tour. It was good to hear from them firsthand what a success it is in making a difference in their lives. Last week we also had the opening of stage 1 of the Arkinstall Park Regional Sports Centre at Tweed Heads. This redeveloped site is expected to cater for the region's sporting requirements for the next 10 years. I was very proud, as the local MP, to have delivered almost $5 million through the former federal Labor government's Regional Development Australia Fund for this much needed upgrade of Arkinstall Park. The facilities are very important for the local community and as a future training centre for elite athletes. Our former Davis Cup captain and No. 1 ranked doubles player, John Fitzgerald OAM, was on hand for the opening of this wonderful facility that includes netball courts, tennis courts, club rooms, soccer fields and a playground. It is absolutely fantastic. I would like to recognise the great work of Tweed Shire Council. They also contributed $2.6 million. Tennis Australia contributed $100,000 and $30,000 was contributed by the Tweed Netball Association. I would really you like to commend both the Tweed Netball Association and the Tweed District Tennis Association for their great advocacy for this project. We really did work together to make sure that we delivered a world-class sporting facility right in Tweed Heads, which is fantastic with the Commonwealth Games just a few years away, over the border, on the Gold Coast. In contrast to all of this, yesterday we had announcements in relation to the National Stronger Regions Fund. We are very disappointed that the Liberal-National government have rejected Tweed Shire Council's funding application for the Kingscliff Foreshore master plan. This was a great project that the community got behind. I particularly condemn the National Party for continuing to slash funding for regional areas. The fact is, the National Party have broken most of their election commitments, and their dishonesty and incompetence continues to hurt local families. In contrast, we had a Labor government delivering more than $1.5 billion for our region and now we have the National Party failing to deliver for regional areas for great projects like this one, the Kingscliff Foreshore master plan. The community were behind this, and I condemn the National Party for not funding this remarkable program. Coal Seam Gas 107 10:20 Mr HOGAN 218019 Page In January 2013 I visited Chinchilla and its surrounding districts in Queensland. I was there to talk to and to look at the CSG industry, which was quite developed in the region. I spoke to many people the day I was there. I spoke to gas workers, shopkeepers, land owners and community members. I came away from that visit very concerned about the suitability of the industry for the Northern Rivers region where I live. There are, at the very least, questions about air and water quality issues, and also the effects of the industrialisation it brings. There is much piping, there are obviously gas wells, compression plants and much, much more. I tried to envision what the industry would physically look like in my region. In the Chinchilla region, where I visited, land is measured in the thousands of acres. In my area, land owning is measured in the hundreds of acres. I could not see that the industry could work without being extremely invasive and, given the nature of our topography and small land ownings, that it could not work without being exceptionally detrimental to neighbouring properties. I came back from that visit stating that I did not believe the industry was suitable for my region. In my first speech in parliament 18 months ago, I stated the National's policy is: … that water and prime agricultural land, as well as built-up areas, need to be protected from CSG mining. I believe, and in my opinion, so does the majority of my community, that given current extraction techniques this policy currently rules out the electorate of Page from CSG mining. Since then much has happened. I applauded the action of my National state colleagues in suspending Metgasco's drilling program at Bentley last year. There would have been 6,000 to 7,000 people willing to stop a drill going on to a property in my area. One thousand police would have been needed to get that drill on the property because of people's concerns in my region about the impacts of the CSG industry. I am extremely disappointed by the decision of the New South Wales Supreme Court a number of weeks ago to squash the suspension of the drilling program issued to Metgasco by the New South Wales government. I have spoken to my state colleagues and know that they are looking for avenues to appeal this decision. They are also looking to buy back another PEL 445. I believe that my role here is to represent my community. My community has spoken; I have listened. I will support my state colleagues in doing anything we can to keep the Northern Rivers coal seam gas free. Mandarino, Mr Alessandro 108 10:23 Ms BIRD DZP Cunningham I would like to share with the parliament the story of a very dear man whom we lost on 4 April—Alessandro Mandarino—known to everyone as Alex. He was my partner Gino's dearly loved dad, and someone who was also very special in my life. He is sorely missed by both of us and by his wife, Enza, daughter, Daniella, grandchildren—to whom he was 'Nono'—Ellie and Joshua, and great-grandson, Anton. Alex's story was the classic, post-war migrant one. He was born on 9 April 1935 in a little village near Naples to Nicola and Raffaella, one of 11 children. Two of his brothers and one sister still live today in Italy and one sister, Lina, with her family in Australia. Alex migrated to Australia in 1959, leaving war ravaged Europe after completing his national service. He embarked with only a suitcase and a dream of a better life. He arrived at Circular Quay in Sydney and immediately set out looking for work. This took him cane cutting in Cairns and then working on the erection of power poles across regional Victoria. Finally, he arrived in Wollongong to start work at the steelworks. He remained working there as a scaffolder and rigger for the next 35 years. Here, he met Enza and married her within two months—he knew a bargain when he saw one! It was a marriage that lasted 48 years, until he passed away last month. It was a true partnership of love and support, and Enza continues to miss him every day. Alex joined the ALP with Gino in December 1986, and he remained a proud Labor man, working on campaigns until ill health made it too difficult. He was always keen to chat with me about how Labor was going in the federal parliament and, as Gino outlined in his eulogy for his dad, he was determined to register his vote for his state member, Anna Watson, in the New South Wales election, from his hospital bed in the weeks before he died. He was a true gentleman and had a wide circle of friends. Of all his activities, I think the lunches around the family table with his children, grandchildren and great grandson gathered together for the fantastic food prepared by Enza, and a chance to catch up, were some of the most precious to him and to all of us. Gino said at the funeral that he remembered: Me, taking the trip out to the dusty steelworks car park to collect my father's fortnightly pay packet. With his mates, they laughed, tossing out nick-names, sharing ribald jokes and used extremely colourful language—things I appear to have inherited. I learned about the values of working people: fairness, responsibility and aspiration. Those timeless values are still dear to me—and they will remain so—because of him. My father will be remembered as a good and decent man. I hope we made him proud. I know we did. Rest in peace, Alex. You are very sorely missed. Braddon Electorate: Budget 108 10:26 Mr WHITELEY 207800 Braddon The 2015 budget is good for Tasmania, and it is good for Braddon. It is fair, it is responsible, it is measured and it is a budget that will build on the work the government has already done to repair and grow the north west economy. It is the next step in the Liberal government's long-term economic plan to build a stronger, safer and more prosperous future for all Australians. We on the north west coast all know that there are economic challenges; yet, because of the economic management of this government, Tasmania's economic and employment position is improving. Our economic plan is working. Economic growth is up. Jobs are up: nearly 250,000 new jobs across the country and nearly 8,000 new jobs in Tasmania since September 2013. In addition to the small business package that will benefit thousands of small businesses in Tasmania and in Braddon particularly, the family package that will deliver fairer and more equitable child care for families in Braddon, and the youth unemployment program that will tackle our youth unemployment problem, the north west region is a big winner from the 2015 budget. Importantly for our region, the federal government has allocated $10 million for the Devonport LIVING CITY project. This is an exciting project not only for Devonport but for the region. It will open up hundreds of millions of dollars in government and private investment and will create hundreds of jobs over the next four to five years. The budget also confirmed $203 million over the next four years for the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme enhancement, allowing our exporters to access dependent markets overseas, based on the new free trade agreements. The budget also confirmed $60 million over four years for tranche 2 of the Tasmanian Irrigation Scheme. These are economic enablers that will boost jobs, boost investment and give local Tasmanian businesses the opportunity to compete on the world stage and grow more of the world's best produce year on year. I know that many in the electorate are concerned about health, and I do commend the state government and the Minister for Health for examining the state's health services and committing to ensuring the health system delivers the best patient outcomes. But I want to make one thing clear: the federal budget delivers a 19 per cent increase in hospital funding for Tasmania over four years. That is on top of the 12 per cent increase last year. When it comes to the Mersey hospital, base funding is confirmed in the forward estimates—page 90, for those that are a little pedantic about the matter. The state and federal health ministers are finalising an agreement, and that will be announced soon. There is far more that we could talk about, but let me say that I believe this is a fair, responsible and measured budget that will build on the work the government has already done to repair economy of the north west, west coast and King Island. CONDOLENCES 109 CONDOLENCES Benaud, Mr Richard, OBE 109 10:30 Mr EWEN JONES 96430 Herbert Sixty-three tests; 2201 runs at 24.45, including three test centuries; 248 test wickets at 27, including a best return of seven for 72—the figures do not really compare with what happens in today's busy test cricketer's life. More than that, they do not speak to the nature of the play, the aggression and the thought that he put into his game and how he changed the game for the better. When I was a child, Graham McKenzie retired with 246 test wickets. In our backyard games in Texas, the conspiracy theory was that Richie Benaud could not stand the thought that someone would overtake his record as Australia's greatest wicket-taker. That theory did not last long. When the great Dennis Lillee took his 249th gest wicket, the first person to congratulate him was Richie Benaud. Similarly, when Dennis Lillee had Larry Gomes caught by Greg Chappell at slip at the MCG for his 310th test wicket, passing the West Indies' Lance Gibbs as the world-record holder then, the first person to offer congratulations was Richie Benaud. I have played some rugby in my day. I was never any good but I also judge all things sport by how it was perceived by me as a young person, playing the game I loved. The difference between me and Richie Benaud, apart from talent and dedication, is that he never looked at the game from the perspective of what it was like in his day. He marvelled at a young Tendulkar. He spotted Brian Lara as this wristy left-hander and told everyone how great this boy would be. He saw Shane Warne get carted for plenty against Ravi Shastri and still saw this young man as the future of cricket. I always wanted to ask Richard Benaud about Keith Miller. Richie played with both Miller and Alan Davidson, and all three were great all-rounders for our country, but none had the absolute brilliance of Miller. I wanted to know who he would pick in his team out of Davidson and Miller, knowing full well it would be Miller, but to have him explain to me what it was like to be on the field with this man would have been something. I will now have to wait until I get an interview with Ian Chappell, my cricket hero, to find the answer to that question. Watching the documentary of the West Indies tour of the 1960-61 series versus Australia is an insight into the man and the competitor that was Richie Benaud. He was never in awe of batsman, the man, but respected the greatness of his cricket. We all know now and look back on this tour with the romanticism of a game reborn. The likes of Gary Sobers, Wes Hall and Frank Worrell took on the Australians Norman O'Neill, Alan Davidson and Richie Benaud. We remember with great fondness the tied test in Brisbane—this magnificent game of cricket. When Bradman came down to congratulate Richie on what was a first for test cricket, and something that would see the coffers of the ACB swell to overflowing, Richie lamented that it was a game that got away that they should have won. Oh, how I love a man who loves to win. You cannot discuss the life and times of Richie Benaud without mentioning his sense of humour. Billy Birmingham, the twelfth man, has been on the commentary team for over a generation. You would swear by Richie's deadpan manner and the professionalism with which he always did his job that this was a serious man, devoid of a sense of humour. I am told that in a room of very strong personalities, he knew exactly what to say and when. He did not have to say a lot; he just knew what to say and when to do it. Richie Benaud and I could never have been friends. He always said the secret of great commentary is knowing when to say nothing—and there are a few of us in this place who could learn a thing or two from him in that respect. Summer will never be the same without him. But I reckon Richie would just say that his place will be taken by someone else sooner or later and that he would wish them all the best. I think that he would be up there now talking with Alan McGilvray about the next great batsman or some kid he saw in a net in Western Sydney really giving it a rip. Vale Richie Benaud—a truly great Australian. I thank the House. Debate interrupted. Churcher, Ms Elizabeth 'Betty' Ann Dewar, AO 110 10:35 Mr DREYFUS HWG Isaacs With the death of Betty Churcher, Australia has lost one of its great champions for the arts. She is remembered and respected for her service as Director of the National Gallery of Australia from 1990 to 1997—its first and so far only female director. But it is as a communicator and enthusiast for the arts that she is most remembered. She had an eye for art with critical and discerning judgement and she had the ability to communicate that judgement and a love for art to a wider audience. She took art to the Australian public and welcomed everyone to the National Gallery. She made it an art gallery for the people. Betty's lifelong mission was to make art understandable, accessible and available to all Australians. She took art to the people with grace and class, and people responded to her enthusiasm, her deep knowledge and her ability to share that knowledge and enthusiasm. She made art popular but not populist. She maintained the highest scholarly and curatorial standards. She brought historic and hugely significant exhibitions of great art to Australia. She showed Australians masterpieces of world culture that we had never seen before. She opened our eyes and taught us to see. Not only were those exhibitions of artistic significance; they were commercially successful. Betty Churcher was a highly competent arts administrator. Betty Churcher came to Canberra to the National Gallery of Australia after distinguished service as Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia. She had chosen not to pursue a career as a painter, although she had shown early talent. Instead she chose to become an arts administrator and educator, and we are all the richer for that choice that she made. After she retired from the gallery she continued her passion for education through her writings and television programs. Betty's son, Peter, said that her life and art were inextricably linked, and I quote: Art for my mother was not something to perplex, or to over-conceptualise. It was not something floating high up in the intellectual ether, or out of anyone's reach, but its impulse and power was right there in one's own heart Betty was supported throughout her career by her late husband Roy, a distinguished artist. Labor extends its sincere condolences to Betty's sons Ben, Paul, Peter and Tim, and to her grandchildren. Benaud, Mr Richard, OBE 110 10:38 Mr THISTLETHWAITE 182468 Kingsford Smith On the 10th of April this year, the voice of Australian cricket fell silent. Australia lost a legend. The game of cricket lost its greatest ambassador, and our community of Kingsford Smith lost one of its most loved and cherished residents. Richie Benaud, I think, is amongst two people who are synonymous with Australian cricket: Sir Donald Bradman and Richie Benaud. When you think about Australian cricket, you think of those two individuals. His on-field career speaks for itself: 63 test matches for Australia, 2201 runs for 248 wickets. He captained Australia in 28 tests and, whilst he was the captain of our national team, Australia never lost a test series. He was known for his aggressive style of captaincy and play, always playing for the win. It was that aggression and approach to the game that saw him involved in—and captaining—the notorious tied test against the West Indies, in 1960. He ambitiously took on trying to win that game. It went down to the last ball and ended up in a tie. He brought a new charisma to the role of captain of the Australian cricket team. He was media-savvy. He understood how to connect with Australians. He brought an allure to that particular role. He really laid the foundations for the reverence that Australians now show for the captain of our national cricket side. Upon his retirement from cricket, Richie Benaud began a career in journalism. He actually started working for the BBC, in 1956, as a part-time journalist while he was still the captain of the Australian cricket team. At the conclusion of a test series in England he would stay behind and do some work for the BBC. In 1964 he retired from international cricket and took on the role of journalism full-time, initially not working in cricket but eventually coming back to the game that he loved and commentating, both in Britain and Australia. He was a vehement critic of the actions of the Chappells in the 1981 underarm incident, against New Zealand, and believed that it lowered the tone and standard of the game of cricket. He commentated on 500 test matches throughout his career. It is an achievement that I do not think will ever be matched by any other commentator. Richie was also a very passionate advocate for having cricket broadcast free to air so that all Australians had access to the game that we love over the summer. Richie Benaud was also involved in many charities. He often worked and volunteered his time to support many charities within not only our local community but also nationally and the world. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985, the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2007 and the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009. He even won a couple of Logies for his work as a commentator. For me as a child growing up, there were two hallmarks of summer: one was the beach and the other was cricket in the afternoon. The trusty beige jacket and dulcet tones of Richie Benaud were the symbol of cricket. He really was the voice of Australian cricket. Listening and watching Australian cricket is not the same without hearing the voice of Richie Benaud. Later in his life, Richie and his wife retired and lived, in our community, in Coogee. They were beloved residents. You would often see Richie walking around the beach and cliffs of Coogee. He would always stop and give time to those who wanted to have a chat about what was going on in cricket or what was going on in the local community. It is quite fitting that Randwick City Council have decided to erect a sporting walk of fame at Coogee Oval and that the first inductee into the Randwick sporting walk of fame will be none other than Richie Benaud, a fitting tribute to his contribution to our community, to Australian cricket and to international cricket generally. I offer my condolences to his family. May he rest in peace. 10:44 Mr JOHN COBB 00AN1 Calare Richie Benaud passed away just over a month ago. He obviously knew what was happening for quite a long time. As with his whole life, he did it with dignity and poise and just embraced what was happening—in a way that we would all hope we could do ourselves. I think modern Australia sees Richie Benaud as this guy who wore the white, the cream, the bone and was the face of cricket. Be it test cricket or one-day cricket, he was the person everyone expected to see on the television screen. When he opened his mouth, his knowledge and his ability to talk about the game certainly sold us on him ahead of every other commentator. I think that is how modern Australia really see him: as a commentator and somebody with extraordinary knowledge. It is a well-known fact that there have not been many Australian captains who, when wondering what to do, did not seek his advice. It was very well known that they would even go up the box and ask, 'What do you think?' Even apart from they way he presented himself and cricket, I think this man was the best Australian captain I ever saw in my lifetime—and I will come back to that in a minute. For somebody of my age, Richie Benaud and the guys he played with were, along with tennis players such as Lew Hoad and the like, my heroes as I was growing up, but very few people ever retain the respect and the status that Richie Benaud had. Everyone always says that to be captain of the Australian cricket team is the most important job in Australia. I do not say it is the most difficult—maybe being Prime Minister is more difficult—but the captaincy of the Australian team is the pinnacle of sport. As time goes on, it gets more difficult in that you have to deal with the politics and all that as well these days. If Richie had been the captain of the Australian team today, though, I think he would have handled the media; they would not have handled him. I have just been talking for a minute about how modern Australia sees Richie. For somebody who is a little older, there is a heck of a lot more than that involved. One of the moments in my life I will never forget—I was very young, it was 1960 and I presume it was December—was the first test in Brisbane against the West Indies. Richie Benaud was the captain of the Australian team. We were out the back of our place, way out in western New South Wales in the Western Division and there were two guys crutching sheep for us in a woolshed. The radio got turned on and it was quite amazing: the test was tied. Just recently—only a few weeks before he died—Richie was asked about his greatest moment in cricket, or the greatest thing he was involved in, and he said it was that tied test. That was the pinnacle of cricket and there are a lot reasons why it was. Young as I was, that is a moment that has been etched in my mind forever. We did not have TV, we just heard it on the ABC with AG 'Johnny' Moyes, a famous cricket commentator of the day. I think that series was the start of modern cricket. There is a very well-known photograph from the end of that series, which Australian won—Australia only just won and probably were lucky to do so, because they played one of the most talented teams we have ever seen—of Sir Frank Worrell, the West Indies captain, and Richie Benaud shaking hands over the Frank Worrrell Trophy. Johnny Moyes said that this was two people who had conspired together to make cricket exciting again. That is why I say that Richie Benaud and Sir Frank Worrell—Sir Frank Worrell unfortunately died comparatively young, but Richie lived on to see modern cricket—led, I believe, the growth of aggression and excitement in cricket long before one-day cricket ever happened. I was very fortunate to be young enough to see guys like that as my heroes. They were not around as long as modern players. The two great all-rounders that we had in our team, Richie Benaud and Alan Davidson, were phenomenal cricketers. They both retired from international cricket in about 1964—not really because they wanted to but because they had to make a living. Guys like that would have had far bigger records, because they both retired at the height of their powers. Thy would have had records far more comparable to modern cricketers if they had not had to go and make a living. I am not going to say any more except this: Richie Benaud and the guys that he led were the start of what we have today, which, I am very happy to say, is still part of Australian lore. It certainly transcends politics. A guy like Richie Benaud never, ever took a side on anything political. He just talked about cricket and what it needs, and I thank him for my memories and Australia's. 10:50 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I think it is appropriate that this parliament pay tribute to a great Australian in Richie Benaud. Is there any other sports commentator in the world who is so much of a cult figure that literally hundreds of grown men are prepared to don white wigs and cream-coloured suits in an annual fancy dress party to pay tribute? I doubt it. But, once a year at the test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, hundreds of cricket fans dress up as Richie Benaud. I noticed during this year's test it was not just men. It does not matter if the temperature is 40 degrees. They are there all day—'The Richies'—paying homage to a man who became a familiar and a very welcome presence in their lives and in the lives of millions of people around the world over a period of more than six decades. I suspect there is something very Australian about The Richies' presence at the SCG, and I think next year will break the record for the number of Richies, as I am sure even more people will pay tribute to this great Australian. So much has been said about the death of Richie Benaud that it is hard to break new ground in any tribute to his remarkable life. The key word that comes to mind when I think of this great sportsman and journalist is integrity—integrity as a bowler and batsman; integrity as a captain who led his team with an intense fighting spirit but never forgot to treat his opponents with courtesy; and, later, absolute integrity as a journalist and commentator. It is often difficult to explain to visitors to our great land how people can sit and watch every ball of a game that goes for five days without, potentially, getting a result. But what cricket is about is not just what is written down. It is what is unwritten: the culture of sportsmanship that someone like Richie Benaud embodied—a man who would never have claimed a catch that he knew had not been taken; and a man who played absolutely within the spirit of the game and embodied it as a sport—a contest, yes—but a sport. It was about relationships and bridging those relationships between all countries who play that great sport. What made Richie Benaud stand out was his understanding that, while winning was important, what was more important was the way that you played the game. After his death last month, many people described him as the voice of the Australian summer. But the truth is he was the voice of world cricket—a man known as widely in other cricket-playing countries as he was in Australia. He was also the voice of English summer, which is remarkable—broadcasting every year, regardless of whether Australia was playing or not. He loved cricket, but he refused to let that affect his commentary as an Australian. He was above all a cricket enthusiast. He was as generous about the great batting of Tendulkar, or performances by Botham or Viv Richards, as he was about Mark Waugh or Allan Border or Dennis Lillee. He was happy to offer criticism where it was warranted. When Greg Chappell ordered his brother Trevor to bowl underarm against New Zealand in 1981, Richie Benaud had no hesitation in condemning the decision. Whoever was playing, you always felt that when Richie was commentating, his key concern was you—the listener. He did not see his job as barracking for any particular team. His concern was to use his special knowledge and experience to help people understand and enjoy cricket. Much-loved ABC commentator Jim Maxwell perhaps put it best when he described Richie as 'cricket's pope'. He was indeed a gentleman who I had the honour of meeting on a number of occasions. His knowledge, his authenticity and his genuineness just shone through. I will miss hearing that voice: he was very much a part of our lives. He played 63 tests for Australia; he was the first player to score 2,000 test runs and take 200 wickets. As Australian captain, he never lost a series; as a commentator, he had no peer. Recently I was listening to an ABC radio documentary about the 1961 West Indies tour of Australia, which of course featured the famous tied test at the Gabba. Richie was interviewed for the program along with other greats of the era. What impressed me the most was the way that Richie and his opposing captain, the great Sir Frank Worrell, formed an informal pact at the beginning of the series. Of course they were going to try to beat each other, but the most important thing was they were going to play to win, not just to draw, and they played an exciting brand of cricket that re-energised cricket from that 1961 series on. I think that tells you everything that you needed to know about Richie Benaud: just as he put his viewers first when he was in the commentary box, he put those people at the ground watching the game first when he was a player and a captain. He knew that they wanted to be concerned about the style of the game as well as the outcome at the end of a test match. I think that was the secret of his greatness. Even in his final months, as he fought the melanoma that he linked to sun exposure during his playing career, he was happy to appear publicly to urge children not to make the same mistake. His tribute to Phil Hughes was quite remarkable, even though he himself at the time was going through his illness. He never looked for sympathy. What he wanted though, with his campaign against sun cancer, was to make sure that others benefitted from his experience. To his family and many friends, particularly his wife, Daphne, whom he spoke about often and so affectionately, I offer my sincere condolences. And to cricket fans here and indeed everywhere throughout the world, I say we are all very lucky to have shared time on this earth with Richie Benaud. 10:58 Mr CRAIG KELLY 99931 Hughes It gives me great pleasure to rise and speak on this tribute to Richie Benaud. Richie Benaud was born back on 6 October 1930, during the Depression, and passed away on 10 April 2015. His test record and his cricket record: he debuted for New South Wales at the age of 18, and made his test debut at the age of 21. His record stands at: playing 63 test matches; scoring 2,201 runs, with a batting average of 24.45; scoring three hundreds—three centuries—and nine half-centuries, with a top score of 122; he took 248 wickets, with a bowling average 27.03; and took five wickets in an innings 16 times, with a best bowling figure of 7/72. Upon his retirement, he was the only test cricketer in history at the time to have achieved the double of scoring 2,000 runs and taking 200 wickets. His bowling record of 248 test wickets would stand until it was broken by the great Dennis Lillee. But his record as captain was even more impressive than his test record. As captain, he regained the Ashes for Australia and retained them twice. In fact, he never lost a series as captain. He was also not an overnight success—something that we all should learn from. In fact, as a batsman, in his first test match, he made the scores of three and 19. He was not even given a bowl in the first innings, and in the second innings he was only given a bowl when the West Indies were nine batsman out. He took his first wicket then, with 14 runs from only 4.3 overs. His first tour of England, again, you would have to say, was a complete failure. In his first two tests he managed only eight runs in four innings, took only two wickets for 136 runs and then was dropped for the third test. He was recalled for the fourth test, but was dropped for the fifth, after managing only seven runs and going without a wicket. He finished that series with a grand total of 15 runs, at a batting average of three, and two wickets at 87 apiece. So it is a lesson again—a lesson of many of the great people throughout history—that success does not come automatically; it is achieved through hard work and persistence. Richie Benaud was absolutely no different. What made Richie Benaud so famous and so popular, of course, was his commentary. Throughout many a long summer, it was Richie there with us in our living rooms on the TV. I am in my 50s, and I think many people around my age—and older and younger—as young kids we almost had a bit of cricket embedded in our DNA. That comes from Richie Benaud's broadcasts. The words 'Welcome back to the MCG' are a part of our summer. Of course, he was master of the understatement. Richie Benaud's economy of words was beautiful. He also became a cult hero from the 12th Man tapes, which I am sure many of us have had a great laugh over. Richie actually wrote to Billy Birmingham, the 12th Man, on his tapes—again, using his beautiful economy of words. After Billy Birmingham sent Richie a copy of his latest recording, Richie said: Dear Billy, Thanks for the cassette and record of your latest creation. Plus mark, excellent entertainment as always. Minus mark, the same as last time. A bit too long, too much swearing for the sake of it and Chappelli’s voice still not right. But in a word: brilliant. richie Cricket has a special part in our nation's history; Richie Benaud will always be a part of that history. As we say in the words of Richie: a marvellous life; a marvellous innings. May he rest in peace. 11:03 Mr RIPOLL 83E Oxley I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this very important matter of condolence, which honours the life of Richie Benaud. I know that many people in the parliament have associated themselves with the words that have been said, and I want to do the same thing and associate myself with the words of the Prime Minister and also of the Leader of the Opposition. It is said that Australia is a sporting nation, and we hold our sporting legends very close to our hearts. I think that, in itself, is an understatement, because we seem to almost be consumed by sport in so many different ways. It is sometimes difficult to understand that; at other times, it is very simple. It is a form of identity. It is a way that we connect with each other as communities and as people, it is a way that we can compete, and it is even a way in which people that not only play sport but report and commentate on sport have become—as we have heard from other speakers—part of our lives. Richie Benaud was definitely part of our lives. In the passing of Richie, at the age of 84, we have lost not just a sporting champion of Australia but also an icon of modern Australian life. He may have been born in 1930 but he really was a modern person, somebody who evolved and changed with the times, not only with cricket but with life itself. To many Australians, as we have heard often, Richie was the voice of summer—a distinctive voice at that—much imitated but never quite replicated might be the nicest way to say it. We all relied on his definitive word about what was happening out on the field and often what was happening more broadly about cricket as well. If Richie told viewers what the players were thinking or what the tactics were, somehow that seemed to carry that little bit more weight than if somebody else had told us those thoughts. If we consider why Richie was so loved by so many, I think it was because he could deliver this insight with a shrewd wit and a dry sense of humour. He really was believable. It was almost as if he was telling you what the players were actually thinking when they were out of the field—what was really happening. There was a special bond, a connection, that he had with viewers and with the players in the game of cricket. He was born in Penrith in 1930. He was an excellent leg-spin bowler and an accomplished batsman as well. He was the first in test cricket history to reach the 200 wicket and 2,000 run mark, and that is a great accomplishment for him, and he has been well acknowledged for those achievements. Richie captained Australia for 28 test matches between the 1958-59 and 1963-64 seasons. Australia never lost a series under Richie Benaud's captaincy, an achievement that was in part due to his dedication to lead a team that played attacking and entertaining cricket, something all Australians love. After his retirement from cricket, Richie continued his career as a professional journalist and broadcaster in Australia and England, and there is no doubt he did a fine job in all aspects of that. He became the host of the world series cricket broadcasts in 1977. Just as the game on the field changed forever with the advent of world series cricket, with Richie as the host television broadcasts of cricket were also never the same. He brought a life to that broadcast. Perhaps it might never have been as good as it is without him having been there. Richie settled into his role, and for decades he became so familiar to Australians that there has been a sense of something missing when watching the cricket in recent years as he reduced his appearances. I am sure it will take some time for Australians who watch the cricket to adjust to Richie's permanent departure from our screens—so deep was that connection. It can be said that there are other sports where there are similar connections with broadcasters and commentators but it would be hard to find many that had such a deep connection as Richie Benaud. I offer my sincere condolences to: his wife, Daphne; all his family; all his loved ones; and to the cricket world more broadly. 11:08 Mr ALEXANDER M3M Bennelong Sport is a very important part of our culture—possibly more so than in any other country—and cricket holds a very special place in that sporting heritage. Richie Benaud certainly held a very special place in cricket. It is a cliche, but interestingly—as we have heard from our colleagues—this is one that unites us all: Richie Benaud was the voice of cricket, the voice of our summer. Whilst we often welcome to our shores commentators from other countries, like Britain, to commentate on cricket, and an American or two to commentate on other sports, it is very rare that an Australian is invited to commentate in Britain, but Richie was as admired and accepted in Britain, the home of cricket, as he was in Australia. His unique voice will stay with us all. Hearing it instantly evokes memories of its companion sounds of cicadas in trees, of a bat on a ball and of Bill Lawry's cheers—what a great duo they were. It would tell you also about Richie's generosity in working with his fellow commentators. His voice is synonymous with the halcyon days of summers long gone and summers which will be missed now forever. That is Richie the cliche; Richie the man has a far greater legacy which speaks to his sportsmanship, his leadership and his commitment. Joining the Australian team as a batsman he soon impressed with the ball and became a fixture in the team, filling the massive shoes of Bill O'Reilly was not an easy feat. But Benaud's skill as a leg-spin bowler strengthened Australia's reputation in this dark art—to be cemented years later by one Shane Warne. On the field, Benaud's statistics speak for themselves. He remains number 8 on the list of leading Australian wicket-takers, with his 248 wickets taken in only 63 games. This left him as the highest wicket-taker in Australia at the time of his retirement. Impressively, these wickets were taken at an economy of 2.10, by far the lowest in the top 10. While history has remembered his bowling ahead of his batting, he is still the holder of the third-fastest test century in minutes—and his score of more than 10,000 first-class runs. Indeed, for most of his career he was considered an all-rounder and was famously the first player to score 2,000 runs and take 200 wickets in their career. This unique record keeps Richie in exalted company. As impressive a player as he undoubtedly was, Benaud's leadership is perhaps his greatest onfield legacy. His collegiate approach to captaincy set a benchmark that all subsequent leaders of our team have tried to emulate. Richie took charge of a young team following the retirement of Bradman and most of 'The Invincibles'. As our recent cricket history demonstrates, rebuilding a team after its foundations retire is no easy feat. But Australia's return to form following the post-Bradman slump can be directly attributed to his aggressive captaincy and to his ability to unite his team. The opening day of the famous tied test saw over 250 runs scored. This may not be a great feat in today's age of thick bats and sympathetic pitches, but it apparently led to the unflappable Bradman embracing Richie with excitement at the prospect of what this could mean for the future of cricket. And the crowds did flock to see the attacking style of the play over the following four days with sold out crowds throughout the match. This series epitomised test cricket as it should be: aggressive, attacking, hard-fought and very close. Yet any confrontation between the teams on the field was replaced with civility and respect off the field, with both teams recognising the hard work and the talents of their opponents. Sadly, this sort of competitive camaraderie is hard to imagine these days. If his captaincy style reformed test cricket, it was his involvement in world series cricket and commentary that led the sport in new popular directions and secured his legacy as one of the greats of the sport. The success of one-day cricket was dependent on the broadcasting, and Richie ensured it was a runaway hit. The years that followed brought all of us great calls. Benaud's commentary of the ball of the century was almost as memorable as the ball itself. His composure when his retirement speech from British TV was interrupted by a howling McGrath wicket was nothing of short of poetry. He summed up his philosophy about commentary by saying: 'Put your brain into gear. And, if you can add to what is on screen, then do it. Otherwise, shut up.' As a young commentator I was given the same advice. It is not radio; it is television. You do not need to tell people what they have just seen. So, as a fellow commentator, I can attest to the truth of this philosophy: let the picture tell the stories. One of his less famous roles, yet one that impacted on me personally, was in his time spent in sport as the IMG agent in Australia. I had been signed up by IMG—Mark McCormack's group—and he thought it would be nice for me to meet the Australian agent, Richie Benaud. My father was delighted to come with me and have lunch with Richie. My father claimed to be the youngest player of his school to ever make the first grade team and, like all men of his age, he played against the great Don Bradman. He did not embellish the story any more to say he bowled him out three times—which did not happen. I think he actually did play against Don Bradman as his school often played against Bowral and so there is every chance that that was not such an embellishment. He was absolutely delighted to meet Richie. We drove to his apartment in Bondi, picked him up and we went to the Sebel Townhouse and you just think, this is Christmas to be with this great sportsman—and Dad's first love was cricket, as was mine. The day got better because Harry Secombe was at an adjoining table—being a great fan of cricket, he arranged his calendar of events to coincide with the cricket—and so he came and joined us. For a dad and his son to come from the northern beaches to have had lunch in the city with Richie Benaud and Harry Secombe, you go home and tell Mum about this and get 'sure boys, you have lost it'. Whenever I would run into Richie in future years, rare as that might have been, I would remind him of his stint with IMG and our meeting and what it meant to the Alexander family and how he touched us. The only time I can recall seeing Richie upset, or maybe lose his cool, was during the underarm bowling incident. It had some impact on us because just a few months later we played tennis against New Zealand, in New Zealand, and we got less than a friendly response. There was that great saying that 'it just wasn’t cricket' because cricket embodied not just a win at all costs; it was how you played the game. When you think of the term 'it's just not cricket', you know it doesn't apply to Richie Benaud—he was the epitome of the sport. 11:17 Mr MATHESON M2V Macarthur I thank the Member for Bennelong for his wonderful contribution in respect of Richie Benaud. Today I rise to honour and pay tribute to Richie Benaud, one of our finest ever Australians. It is hard to articulate what Richie Benaud means to Australia and cricket fans throughout the world. Those younger than me will remember him as the preeminent commentator and the benevolent grandfather of cricket, with the rich evocative voice that became so familiar. Cricket will never be the same without it. He certainly was the voice of summer. Those of my generation remember Richie as a tough, fearless, canny, Australian cricket captain who never lost a test series and in 1963 was the first man in the history of the game to do the double of 2,000 test runs and 200 test wickets. Richie Benaud was born in Penrith in Sydney's south west on Monday 6 October 1930 to parents Louis and Irene. Richie was born into a sport-loving family, with his mother a fine tennis player in her youth and his father, Louis, or Lou, as he was known, a talented leg spinner who transferred his cricket passions to his two sons, Richie and John, who both played for Australia. By his own account, Richie's childhood was filled with happiness and adventure as he found his passion for the game which would later make him famous. I would like to read an excerpt from Richie's autobiography that captures this magical time in his formative years: Better than heaven was when the team was one short and aged twelve 12 I was allowed to bat for Cumberland against Petersham in 1942 at Petersham Oval. I took quite a good catch off my father's bowling when they batted and then with nine wickets down I went out to bat. We needed four runs and I had one ball to play in the over. Everyone was crouched around. I played forward and dropped the ball at my feet. Milton Jarrett the big hitter and medium-pace bowler took strike at the other end, smashed the ball for six and the game was over. It was like playing a Test cricket match or so it seemed at the time. When I walked off the field Milton Jarrett looked ten foot tall. I felt the same and there was no happier twelve-year old than me. In many ways, this recollection perfectly sums up the man we came to know and love—a person filled by the success of others, a person who was determined to win, but only do so within the spirit of the game. Richie's success playing cricket is beyond repute. He made his national debut at 21, but it was not until the 1957-58 tour of South Africa that he really made his mark and established himself on the international stage. Richie was player of the tour. His fielding was excellent. In 18 first-class matches he scored 817 runs at 51.06 and took 106 wickets at 19.41 that saw Australia take the series 3-0. Added to this, it was abundantly clear he was leadership material, despite being in the shadow of Ian Craig at the time. The Australian Cricket Board went through a period of great upheaval after that successful South African tour, but Richie emerged as captain and took the reins as skipper in a home series against England in 1958, leading the side to regain the Ashes. His Australian team went on to defend the coveted trophy twice, and during his rein as skipper, Benaud was in charge of the national side for 28 tests, and in that time Australia never lost a series. As Andrew McGarry wrote: Most remarkable still was the way he achieved this feat: not by grinding out results but with an attacking flair that not only produced results but captured the imagination of the public that was jaded with Test cricket. In this way he broke new ground and set a model for the modern cricket captain. This is certainly a view held by Michael Clarke, who credits Richie with creating the winning culture that led Australia to become the most dominant force in world cricket. As Clarke said in April in response to Richie's passing: He loved winning. He helped the Australian team have the attitude where they wanted to win. He played the game the right way. He saw the game that not many people are gifted enough to see … This gift that Richie had for reading and understanding the game was crystal clear in his commentary and writing, which educated and enthralled countless cricket fans for more than 40 years. I feel it is only appropriate that I conclude with a passage from Richie's writing taken from his book The Appeal of Cricket: Great players and great team men, ordinary players and ordinary team men have taken part in splendid or mediocre matches. There have been changes to laws and the playing conditions and stubbornness and ignorance ensure that in some areas no change will take place. There are been generous incidents and bitchy behaviour, joy and despair. This is in part what makes cricket such a great game—a game that should be taken seriously. Involved is a stern test of character for everyone: players, umpires, administrators, media representatives and cricket followers. More than anything else this is the appeal of cricket. In a finishing, may I say: rest in peace, Richie. You were loved and respected by all and certainly will never be forgotten. Our thoughts go out to Daphne, John and the entire Benaud family for their loss. 11:23 Mr O'DOWD 139441 Flynn Today I would like to join with my colleagues on both sides of the House in paying respect and tribute to the great Australian Richie Benaud. Born on 6 October 1930 and passing away on 10 April 2015, he sadly lost his battle with cancer last month at the age of 84. Richie was a man of many talents, including being a daring Australian cricket captain and the voice of cricket, the voice of summer. He was arguably the greatest Australian cricketer of his generation, but he is known to generations as Channel 9's cricket commentator. For decades his voice was always there. He became a familiar presence in households across the country for his analysis of the sport he loved. Richie was a celebrated all-rounder who will be remembered for his many sporting achievements, among them: hitting 100 runs against the West Indies in 78 minutes, the third fastest century of all time and the second fastest by an Australian; captaining Australia in 28 tests, including 12 wins, 11 draws, one tie and four losses—he never lost a series—and becoming the first player to complete the test double of 200 wickets and 2,000 runs. He was the first Australian to achieve that milestone. Having said that, back in his era there was not the number of test matches we play today. It is worth noting that he is one of only 10 Australian cricketers to have scored more than 10,000 runs and taken more than 500 wickets in first-class cricket. He debuted at Sydney Cricket Ground in January 1952 against the West Indies. He played his last test, again in Sydney, in 1964, against South Africa. His batting: he played in 64 matches, he scored 2,201 runs, and his highest score was 122. He made three centuries in his career as a test player. He will probably be remembered more for his bowling than for his batting. He took 248 wickets. Best figures were seven for 72, at an average of 27.03. He played many first-class matches from 1949 to 1964—259 first-class matches in total. He scored 11,719 runs and took 945 wickets—an outstanding achievement. What he remembers as probably one of the finest matches he has ever competed in was the famous tied test at the Gabba in 1960. There were some great players in that team. Alan Davidson, for instance, the left-hand swing bowler, took five for 135 and six for 87.    Wes Hall, a strapping young West Indian—very tall, very powerful—took four for 140 and five for 63. This is the calibre of players he was playing with. Garry Sobers scored 132; he was arguably the best all-rounder in the world. Norm O'Neil made 181 runs. Frank Worrell, the captain of the West Indies team, scored 65. Alan Davidson had a good double for the match; he also scored 80. It was a very exciting last day of that test match. Australia had seven for 227. They needed 233 runs to win the match. Benaud was out on the second ball of the last over. There were then two more run outs, and the scores were locked at the end of the match at 232. Later that afternoon Benaud and Worrell stood on the veranda of the Gabba and congratulated their teams for playing the game in the very highest of spirits. In that match, Benaud and Davidson scored a seventh-wicket record of 134. The great man also has a lasting place in popular culture satire. Billy Birmingham's The Twelfth Mandepicted the whole commentating team: Richie, Bill Lawry and Tony Greig—'It was a great laugh', and we probably all remember 'two for 22'; that was Richie's saying. And when he got to the stage where one match went for 'two for 222', everyone roared laughter. That was Billy Birmingham, a good mate of Richie Benaud. He was also a family man and is survived by his wife of 47 years, Daphne; his brother, John, who also played cricket for Australia; and of course a large extended family. John was also a very handy cricketer. He played only three matches for Australia, but he did have a higher score than Richie; his highest score in three matches was 142. In keeping with Richie's modest wishes, his family declined an offer of a state funeral. A noble man, his final request was that guests at his funeral not bring flowers but instead make a donation to the Primary Club, a charity that provides sporting facilities for the disabled, of which Richie was the patron. Richie was the last man standing from a golden age in Australian cricket. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends and by world cricket. A marvellous effort, Richie. Rest in peace. 11:30 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina The cream, the bone, the off-white, the ivory or the beige: they are the familiar words of summer. They are the familiar words of every cricket season, be it summer or be it an Ashes series in England, in the middle of an Australian winter, and we all know that they belong and relate to and are very much a part of Richie Benaud. Vale, Richie Benaud. We already miss him. I almost cannot believe that Richie's international cricketing career ended in 1964. That is the year I was born, and people tell me that that was a long time ago! But the fact that he has been so much a part of our cricketing folklore post his cricketing career is truly remarkable. He was, as the member for Flynn just indicated, the voice of our summer, the voice of our cricket. I claim him as Riverina boy. Jugiong is not actually in the Riverina electorate, but Jugiong considers itself part of the wider Riverina. He was not born in Jugiong; he was actually born in Penrith, in Sydney. But he forged an indelible link with the Riverina by being educated at the local public school there, where his father, Louis, was the principal. Lou actually took all 20 wickets in a Sydney grade cricket match against St Marys, playing for Cumberland, which is truly remarkable. So Richie obviously had that cricketing ability coursing through his young veins. Certainly, Richie made his first-grade debut at a very young age. The talent scouts spotted him, and pretty soon he was part of the New South Wales team and, not long after that, a member of our test team—and what a great test career he forged. What a marvellous, as he would say, career he forged: 63 tests and 2,201 runs. He took 248 wickets with his very crafty, thoughtful leggies. He was a tremendous cricketer for us. But most people probably remember Richie for being behind the microphone. Most people remember him for his analysis of the game, for his careful summary of how matches were panning out. When there were incidents in international cricket, you could always rely on Richie to come up with a very diplomatic and thoughtful commentary on a particular incident that put it into perspective. He was not one for getting too excited. But, I tell you what, when he did get excited, you knew it was for something very, very special. We all remember Richie's commentary of Shane Warne's first-ever delivery in England, when he removed Mike Gatting with 'that ball' around the English captain's legs, bowling him out. Richie's passing at the age of 84, on 10 April 2015, was mourned not just throughout our nation but indeed throughout the world. He died in his sleep and he died of skin cancer. Back in the day, Richie's shirt was usually unbuttoned all the way down to his waist, with the sleeves rolled up. He was part of that great era of the bronzed Aussie, when everybody went out and got a suntan, when 'Slip! Slop! Slap!' was probably not a part of our summers. As we mourn Richie's death, we should also—as Richie would want us to—make sure we cover up in summer when we are standing in the slips or out at the beach, because the Australian sun is deadly. Richie, like so many others, was a victim of those all-too-often summer afternoons spent in the hot, blazing Australian sun, doing what he did best and loving it at the time but, unfortunately, treating his skin to those deadly rays. His passing was certainly mourned in Wagga Wagga, which is very much a cricketing city. It is home to Geoff Lawson, the former test fast bowler. It is home to Mark Taylor, the former Australian cricket captain, although he probably came more from Leeton than from Wagga, but we will claim him because he went to high school there. And it is home to Michael Slater, the very aggressive former test opening batsman. We know that those three have also got behind the mike in recent years: Taylor and Slater with Channel Nine, having spent many a summer in the commentary booth with Richie; and Geoff Lawson, a very, very good commentator with the ABC. As I say, Richie's death was mourned in Wagga Wagga. There was an unusual gathering of young cricketers, and some not so young, for a photo for TheDaily Advertiser newspaper, to reflect on the role that Richie had played not just in cricketing circles but in their lives. We had Samuel Smith, 12 years old, of South Wagga; Sam Perry of Wagga RSL; Will Morley of Kooringal Colts; Martin Loy, a good mate of mine from St Michael's; Sean Gaynor, a young fellow from Lake Albert; and Josh Thompson, a very good, bright young cricketer from Wagga City, who came together for a shot to talk about their memories of Richie. Of course, most of them — all of them — were far too young to remember Richie rolling his arm over for Australia, but they remembered him for what he did in the commentary box. Geoff Lawson also made some comments to the paper. Martin Loy said: 'You have Bradman'— another Riverina boy from Cootamundra— Mr O'Dowd interjecting— Mr McCORMACK 219646 Well, we have many, Member for Flynn! I do not have time to relay all the sportsmen that we have produced in the Riverina. Marty Loy said: 'You have Bradman, Waugh and you have Richie Benaud …' As the paper said: As evening descended on Wagga, all six of the city's cricket clubs paid tribute to the icon of Australian sport. I think Geoff Lawson summed it up very well when he described him—because he knew him: 'He was very friendly, very affable and loved to talk to anyone about cricket—it didn't matter who you were," he said. 'He was the kind of person that would always go out of his way to shake your hand.' One of my favourite photos is with my sons Alexander, who is now 20, and Nicholas, who is 17. They are cricketers. They are much better than their father, thank goodness! I still play, mind you. I still open the batting at the age of 50. We got a photo taken with Richie when we played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Yes, I played at the Sydney Cricket Ground—probably the worst cricketer to ever grace that famous sporting arena. But we played there as part of a promotional annual event with the Primary Club, that great charity which does so many good deeds for people around the nation, of which Richie was—although you would call it a patron in most organisations—the Primary Club's twelfth man. We had our photo taken. It was a great day, I love that particular photo, and I love the way that Richie was the voice of our summer. We will miss him dearly. I was so disappointed that, when the Prime Minister stood to give his eulogy, to move the condolence motion for Richie Benaud in question time the other day, it was 2.25 pm. What a shame it was, because it would have been so appropriate that he did not get up just three minutes earlier, at '2.22'! We will always remember that about Richie. We will always remember his coats. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, and I think copying him, wearing wigs and off-beige, brown or ivory coats will continue as long as we play cricket in this great nation. Farewell, Richie Benaud: 'Marvellous innings, that.' MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS 119 MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Murray-Darling Basin Plan 119 11:39 Mr BROAD 30379 Mallee I rise to talk about something that is very important not just to the people in my electorate but to the people of Australia, and that is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Water management is absolutely critical not just for irrigators but also for those who want to have a healthy river system. It is absolutely critical to our broader environment and global reputation and to our productive capacity. The Murray-Darling Basin is the most fertile part of Australia. We talk about the great opportunities that present themselves in Northern Australia, but it needs to be remembered that you have to combine great soils and water, and what we have in the basin needs to be enhanced, managed properly and preserved for future generations. We do need a diversified river system. I often hear people say that we should not be growing cotton or rice in Australia. Those comments are built on a bit of ignorance of how our environment and river system works. Having looked at this extensively—having been an irrigator myself, having represented irrigators and having an understanding of global agriculture—it is absolutely critical that you have a diversified variety of plantings across a river system. It is not workable to simply have all permanent plantings. Permanent plantings require water every year, whether you have water or not. You need to have rice, you need to have dairying, you need to have irrigated grains, you need to have almonds, you need to have table grapes and you need to have wine grapes. You need to have that variety. When you have lots of water in the system that is the time you can plant annual crops, when you can put rice in and those sorts of things. In the years when it is very dry, when there is not much water around, what is there maintains our permanent plantings. A diversified river system is very important, but if we are going to have a healthy river system there has to be confidence for people to invest. People who invest in irrigation infrastructure actually invest a great deal of money. It is not cheap to put in the type of technology we want on our farms and to manage our water better and in an environmental way. People are only going to invest in that infrastructure if they have confidence. If you take away their confidence they will simply ask the question: 'What is the point?' What we have seen over the period of reform, through the Murray-Darling Basin plan, is a shattering of confidence for people who are involved in the irrigation-technology area, a shattering of confidence for farmers and a shattering of confidence for communities. That has resulted in worse environmental outcomes rather than in instilling confidence. Our government is proposing to put some confidence back into those who want to invest in better water management so that those communities believe they have a future, and to put some confidence back into people who want to capitalise on the opportunities of free trade by expanding their agricultural business. We are proposing to have a cap of 1,500 gigalitres that can only be purchased by the Commonwealth. That is not saying we do not want to recover more water for the environment, it is simply saying how we do it. We have a great example in my electorate at the moment called the Sunraysia Modernisation Project. It is quite fascinating to watch it being built. The federal government is spending $103 million of taxpayers' money to reconfigure the irrigation infrastructure in the Sunraysia area. These are big pipes—you can walk down them. It is not only providing that water in a more timely and cleaner manner to those irrigators but also—in saving water—returning water to the environment. We want to introduce a 1,500 gigalitre cap on buybacks and say that the future of water recovery will come from infrastructure, and we are very proud of that. The water management we have seems to be focused on delivering water to Ramsar listed wetlands across the system. I want to use this opportunity to talk about a new way forward, a way forward that has been demonstrated, a way forward that every Australian can be proud of—but a way forward that also delivers the environmental outcome, on the Ramsar listed wetland, using pumps, using technology that was not available 100 years ago. If you come to my electorate, come and have a look at the Hattah Lakes. They have been dry but, recently, with government money we have put in lift pumps that essentially are lifting the water out of that river and watering that environmental asset. It has been a great success story. It has been something that irrigators, locals and environmentalist have all stood shoulder to shoulder and said, 'This needed to happen' and been able to see in practice how this has rolled out and how it has worked. It is my great vision—and a vision shared by, I know, several in this chamber here today—to see more of those environmental works and measures rolled out across the Murray-Darling Basin; more of those systematic, practical ways of achieving good environmental outcomes being built. We want them to be funded, we want them to be sustainable for the taxpayer but we also want them to be measurable outcomes for environmental management. We have a great belief that the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder could use some of its resources through temporary sales to help fund this environmental infrastructure and we hope that this is something that the minister will consider. It is certainly responsible management of the river from an engineering point of view but it is also responsible management of our finances from a taxpayer's point of view. If you combine introducing a 1,500 gig cap on buybacks to keep confidence for irrigators to invest with allowing the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to use some of their temporary sales to agriculture and that money being put aside to deliver environmental works and measures on the Murray-Darling Basin as we slowly reconfigure and use that infrastructure from that fund over five, 10 and 20 years, we will have something that will be looked at in history as great water reform. At the moment, there is still a lot of uncertainty. At the moment, there are some things we need to do to bring that reform to fruition but, provided both sides of the parliament work constructively—which is a great ambition—then I think, in years to come, we will say that we have succeeded in looking after wetlands and the Lower Lakes and we have achieved river health, at the same time as putting infrastructure into our agriculture, confidence into our farmers and providing food and high-value products not only to feed us in the future but also to export across the world. Thank you. 11:48 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina I commend the member for Mallee for his comments and his advocacy for a better basin outcome than what we have seen over recent years. I am also joined in the chamber by the member for Murray whose strident and passionate lobbying to get certainty for her irrigators—not just those in the Murray electorate but those right throughout the Murray-Darling Basin—is commendable. I know she and I have worked very hard together to try to reach a shared outcome which everyone can be happy with or everybody can be satisfied with, but of course we all know that not everybody is going to be completely satisfied when it comes to water. Whilst the member for Mallee was speaking, I received a text from Emma Bradbury who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Murray-Darling Association who said that, 'It was great to see the conversation on basin resources gathering unity and momentum, particularly from the agricultural productivity and sustainability perspective'—and of course, she is right. I met with Ms Bradbury this morning, along with the Chairman of the Murray-Darling Association, Greg Toll, a farmer from Gunbower, in the member for Murray's office. I know that they are going to be meeting with the Labor Country Caucus who, given the fact that they also do need to reflect the views of the majority of the people who are very interested in production and in food and fibre, will give a good listening ear to those people from the Murray Darling Association. We need to have a good and viable Murray-Darling Basin plan. I am joined in the chamber by the member for Murray, and she and I moved a disallowance to that plan in December 2012. We did it at the time out of frustration at the fact that we felt as though the government of the day was not listening. We had both sat on an exhaustive inquiry with the then Independent member for New England. We had gone right throughout the Murray-Darling Basin, conducting important talks and consultations with people who grow food and fibre but also with those people who felt as though there should be more water pushed through the system, people who were not that concerned about whether the supermarket shelves stock any Australian grown food but who just wanted an environmental outcome. Ms Butler interjecting— Mr McCORMACK 219646 There were. You were not on that inquiry. I am just saying there were people from both sides. There were those who felt as though water should be just used for production. There were those who felt that water should be just used for the environment. The member for Murray and I always have known—and you should too, Member for Griffith—that there is a sensible balance. It is in the middle. I know you would appreciate that. And so we met people from all sides and we ended up with a report that had 21 recommendations. I will give Tony Windsor credit where it is due; he always feared that there were ad hoc buybacks. He talked about the Swiss cheese effect, about the damage that governments going in and just buying water willy-nilly just for the sake of the environment was doing to local regional river communities—not just the farmers, not just the irrigators but the machinery shops, the chemists, the schools because, once you take an irrigation farmer out of the system and take that productive water out of use, that family either shuts up shop or leaves the area totally. It leaves the area high and dry, and I mean every aspect of that term. There are not so many children going to that local school. The education department then looks and says: 'Do we really need the 4.6 teachers that were allocated to that school? Maybe we can make it 3.6.' Those sorts of things happen. They have an effect on river communities. So moving that disallowance in December 2012—in the very last parliamentary sitting week—showed to our side of politics and, I hope, the other side of politics now how important it was to get a cap on buybacks. The cap was 1,500 gigalitres, which at the time meant that only 249 gigalitres still needed to be recovered. Over the course of the water sharing plans up to 2019 and thereafter, it seemed a very good idea at the time. It is now an excellent idea because we do need to say to irrigation farmers, river communities and environmentalists that enough is enough. Fifteen hundred gigalitres is a good number. It provides for the environmentalists—and some of them are rabid, absolute greenies who do not care two hoots about the farmers who I represent, do not care two hoots about the fine Australian food that we grow and only want to see the water being pushed down the river system. I say that, whenever there is a prolonged drought, whenever we had a man-made drought forced on us in our electorates, the first living organisms to bounce back were the birds, frogs and lilies. They bounced back far quicker than the farmers did because Mother Nature always knows when it needs to quench its river systems. We live in a country of droughts and flooding rains. That was the very title that Tony Windsor opted for in his very comprehensive report. I am just sorry that the previous government did not adopt that report, because I think that, if we had, we would have been in a far better position then than we are now. But this cap on buyback does give certainty to my irrigators, my communities, and I know Dr Sharman Stone's people as well. It gives them the certainty to invest with confidence and hope for the future. It gives them the certainty and hope to try to attract more doctors, more professional people to their communities, because we need these communities to grow. There are the scaremongers out, even in my communities at the moment, saying that just about every shop in certain main streets of certain cities and towns in the Riverina is shut. That is not entirely correct. Banna Avenue in Griffith is going very, very well; it is hard to find a park there on any given day of the week. Leeton is humming and ticking along, as is Narrandera. There is some confidence brought back. That confidence has been helped in part by the fact that we have a coalition government, and I do say that whilst also imploring the country members of the Labor Party opposite to get on board with the legislation, because it is good legislation. It should be bipartisan legislation, because it does give people—not just in coalition, including National Party, electorates but also those in Labor country electorates—certainty, and there are Labor country members who I know understand this. I can see the member for Griffith nodding, because she knows how important it is. She knows how important is the fact that when regional Australia is strong so too is our nation. When regional Australia is thriving so too is our nation. In really advocating for this 1,500-gigalitre cap, I know it is going to give certainty to those wonderful irrigators—and they are. They are people who understand the river system and who want the very best. They do not want to see their rivers dry up. They do not want to see any environmental damage done by salinity or anything else that goes with a drought-affected river system. What we do need, and what we are getting by this legislation, is a shared common goal right throughout the Murray-Darling Basin and the capacity to manage. We are getting unity of purpose, and it is so important. The Murray Darling Association, in a paper that they have given me this morning, say that as far as the 1,500-gig cap goes it is important and that the government obviously need bipartisan support. They understand that. They understand the politics of it. They understand the reality of it. The government does need the support of Labor and the crossbench senators to get the legislation through the Senate, and it is so important. I can not implore that enough. The cap on buyback is the maximum amount of water that may be purchased by direct tender from water owners. It is important for the Riverina. It is important for Murray. It is crucial for Maranoa. I know that the Labor members will understand and appreciate just how important it is. I implore and urge them to get on board with this legislation. It is not just good for river communities or regional Australian; it is good for our nation and absolutely critical that it pass. 11:58 Dr STONE EM6 Murray I want to congratulate our previous speaker, the member for Riverina. He is a champion for the whole of his community. He understands the triple-bottom-line multiple-benefit approach, and we have worked in partnership to try to bring about a better basin outcome for a long time, so I commend his remarks as important and necessary, and they should be taken on-board. Let me say that the recent joint statement from Ministers Hunt and Joyce and Parliamentary Secretary Baldwin stated that the coalition sees the value in regional communities and the long term sustainability of these communities. The coalition acknowledged the contribution these communities make to Australia, first through supplying food for the nation through to the international trade benefits to the national economy. The coalition, it went on to say, will deliver the Murray-Darling Basin plan in a way that achieves a triple-bottom-line outcome focusing on investing in communities rather than just recovering water through an ad hoc buyback program. That was on 10 March; of course, that is the statement we are debating today. I wholeheartedly embrace the remarks of our ministers and parliamentary secretary. The problem is that is not what is happening. That is our aspiration—that is what should happen with the Murray-Darling Basin plan—but unfortunately it is not what is happening. We have a crisis in the Murray-Darling Basin. In particular, unintended consequences of what should have been well-meaning and well-thought-through policies are not in fact giving our irrigators, in particular, any sense that they can even continue in the northern Victorian irrigation zones in my electorate. The temporary water price that at least half of them now depend on is beyond their capacity to pay, and I will come back to that issue. The other point I want to make is that, while some of the plan's aspirations were good and some of the policies were reasonable, the reason why the member for Riverina and I moved that motion to disallow the plan was that some of it was nonsense. Some of it was not well thought through and it was not based on science. It still is not based on facts and real information, and that is a tragedy for those who need to make a living in the basin today. It is also a tragedy for those who care profoundly about the environment and environmental outcomes, and that of course includes the primary producer community, because as a primary producer you cannot ignore the environmental impacts of your farming or your work in concert with your water system, your soils, your air, your riparian vegetation or your remnant vegetation and stay in business. So our best environmentalists are our primary producers, and they are now deeply alarmed and concerned about the unintended consequences of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and the fact that the plan is still not delivering on the basis of science. Since the plan was ticked off, there has been an extraordinary travesty of justice—a political short-term fix. The Premier of South Australia, when approached by the then Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said: 'I'm not going to tick off as one of the states in agreement with the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. I want more water for South Australia—just more. Give us a lot more, please, or I'm going to take you to the High Court and challenge your very right to be standing there on behalf of all states. We challenge your use of the external powers in the Constitution.' So in a panic, with the help of the Greens, the Labor Party threw together what is colloquially called the Constraints Strategy. A piece of legislation was thrown into the Commonwealth parliament, without consultation with the Murray-Darling Basin community or even the authority itself, and that now requires an extra 450 gigalitres of water to be found on top of the agreed volume of sustainable delivery yields for the Basin Plan itself. The extra 450 gigalitres is—wait for it—to keep the mouth of the Murray open 95 per cent of the time without the aid of bulldozing, a nonsense idea, because it was never the natural way of the mouth of the Murray. A red gum forest rivalling Barmah would have been there had been a regular flow out of the mouth of the Murray, but it is an ephemeral stream. In fact the Murray River ends up pushing through sand dunes at the mouth. But we now have to have a channel flowing out to sea 95 per cent of the time without the aid of bulldozers. The act dictates a high level of water for the lower lakes and a lower level of salinity. Instead of saying, 'How best can we achieve that? Through works and measures? Through better management? How can we improve the ageing, leaking inefficient barrages to deliver better outcomes to the lower end of the South Australian system?'—none of that was put in play—instead they said: 'Oh, we've got a good idea: we'll just flood the hell out of the upper reaches—the middle and upper Murray—and we'll put $1.77 billion on the table in this act, only $200 million of which will be used to ameliorate the 2½-yearly regular man-made flooding, which is going to take out the levees, the riparian zone, agriculture and a lot of the flood plain properties which have developed into the most productive agribusiness enterprises in Australia. They're now to be flooded every 2½ years.' But it gets worse. This constraints strategy depends on knowing how the tributaries to the Murray actually behave. Take the Goulburn, for example. We do not gauge or monitor all the tributaries to the Goulburn, so we cannot tell the people on the lower Goulburn what the water levels will be when there is a huge flush of water thrown down from Eildon to keep the mouth of the Murray open. The Environmental Water Holder will give a message to the Victorian government: 'Open the Eildon gates; let it rip.' Unfortunately, for the people on the lower Goulburn, it takes 10 days for that water to reach them. They will just have to hold their breath, because we only have accurate weather forecasts for 10 days. There could be a rain event in the next five days on top of the river flow, and you could have those tributaries pushing water into the main Goulburn River. We have no idea what the Goulburn tributories would deliver. We do not gauge them. We do not monitor them. We are expecting towns and cities—Shepparton, Cobram, Yarrawonga, Echuca, Swan Hill, Wagga Wagga—to simply cop it because of this political fix that was thrown into the arena in the dying days of the Gillard regime. We are having to wear that. It is called the constraints strategy crisis in my part of the world. I want to put it on the record as an indecency that we have got to change. But it gets worse. During the worst drought on record, Senator Penny Wong, then minister for the environment, offered my irrigators $2,500 a megalitre for their permanent water. The banks said, 'You must sell water or we will sell you up entirely.' The state government had separated land from water titles. The bank said, 'You can sell your water and you will get a million dollars worth of your debt back in order.' So about half my irrigators were forced to sell their water in the middle of the worst drought on record. For example, in the year 2000, we had 1,650 gigalitres in the Goulburn-Murray Water authority area; we are now down to just 1,000 gigalitres. Farmers believed that they could rely entirely on the temporary water market. That temporary water market is now a fraction of the size because all that permanent water went out of the system into the Environmental Water Holder's bucket. The Environmental Water Holder is allowed to trade, but he does not; only twice has he traded. I am glad about that, because at the moment the act says that, if he trades the temporary water, he has to spend every cent he makes on that trade on further buybacks—water out of the irrigator's pocket again. That is even though, through the on-farm water use efficiency grants, or least half of each project's savings goes into the environmental bucket, on top of what he has already got accumulated from out of direct water buyback. My irrigators now cannot afford the $135 per megalitre the temporary market is commanding for temporary water. A dairy farmer cannot pay them more than about $80. A dairy farm wants to fight back from the drought, regrow its herds, grow its capacity to produce milk; it has got an export market waiting. It cannot pay $135 for temporary water. I have been told today—it might not be true; I hope it is not true—that the South Australian government is in my irrigators' market right now looking for eight gigalitres of water, half from New South Wales, half from my Victorian irrigators. What are they going to do with that eight gigalitres of primary producers' food- and fibre-producing water? We do not know, but I understand that tender closes on Monday. I am terrified about the impact of that. It is not right. A state government should not be in there buying irrigators' water. For what purpose? They are going to get 450 extra gigalitres to keep the mouth of the Murray open. Isn't that enough? We must immediately amend the Water Act to make sure that when the Environmental Water Holder sells his water, it goes into environmental works and measures investment, not buying back more water. This has the support of the independent panel of the Water Act review. I hope Labor supports that. It is a sensible thing to do. Half of my irrigators survived the drought. They are on their knees now because of the unintended consequences of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. We have had the constraints strategy, the temporary water market collapsing to only half the volume of water that was once there and the speculators playing in that market: VicSuper, Melbourne Water, and now it looks like the South Australian state government is wanting to make a dollar as well. It is not acceptable. We have got to fix this situation. 12:08 Mr BRUCE SCOTT YT4 Maranoa I rise to speak on this very important issue, representing as I do the seat of Maranoa, which covers 95 per cent of the area that is affected under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. The other member who is affected is the federal member for Groom, who has the region around Toowoomba which is impacted by the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. I have long argued the point that there are two systems: one is called the Murray system; the other is the Darling system. They are lumped together for the benefit of talking about the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. From my point of view and that of many irrigators and communities in my electorate, the Darling system is seen as being a totally different ecological system from the Murray system. Much of the Murray's water comes out of a Mediterranean-type climate. A lot of the water in government storages is from melting snow. The Darling system, on the other hand, and much of the Darling, goes through very arid lands—the rainfall events are irregular and often of high intensity. The rainfall has quite a different impact on the rivers, creeks and streams in the Darling system, which do ultimately contribute some water into the Murray system at the bottom end—but of course there is still one big impediment on the way: the Menindee Lakes. The Menindee Lakes are used as a water storage system for Broken Hill; I understand that. That is one of the things that has to be addressed as part of this whole plan. I recently had the parliamentary secretary, the Hon. Bob Baldwin, and his advisers in my electorate. We went to Dirranbandi, St George, Goondiwindi and on to the Brookstead and Cecil Plains irrigation areas and spoke with users across that area. I support, as do many of the farmers and irrigators, the 1,500 gigalitre cap that is now being legislated. I think it is currently going through the Senate. We only hope the other side of the House will support that—as a maximum, not as the target. I also note that the irrigators in my electorate—particularly those in the Lower Balonne and along the Macintyre, which I share with the member for Parkes—are frustrated and reform fatigued. This has been going on for the last 10 to 15 years. A plan came in under John Anderson, the Deputy Prime Minister under John Howard, to look at how we could cooperate with the states so that this issue, instead of being a political one, could reach an outcome that was sustainable and gave certainty to irrigators—because certainty for irrigators also means greater certainty for the businesses in those towns that are so dependent on the irrigation farmers and the welfare that is created from water. Water is wealth in these areas, never more so than in the recent drought years. The dryland agricultural sector is confronting that right now—if you have water, you can generate income. That income creates jobs and those jobs create wealth for the people of the towns. Water users from the Lower Balonne have said to me and the parliamentary secretary that they cannot afford to lose any more water from the Lower Balonne. They say that we have to get smarter and look at how we deal with meeting the targets, that we need to look above the Beardmore Dam—right up as far as Dalby, perhaps—to see whether there are some allocations that could be purchased without having an impact on the general economy of the towns which are so dependent on the water. Over the last 15 years, these communities on the Condamine-Balonne system have gone through water allocation management plans—referred to as WAMPs—and resource operational plans. They gave back 15 per cent of their allocation without compensation. Their allocations now are events based allocations. What that means is that the event and the time of the year that the water flows through the river will determine whether they can harvest water or not. Simply put, at this time of year, if an event came through, the idea at a certain level is that it would go through as environmental water—because it may be nine months before we get into a more regular season, the summer rainfall, when common sense tells that you will get a similar event and you can therefore harvest water. They have provided that as the model for the way they harvest water. Only recently there was a very small flow-through of the Balonne below St George that came down the Maranoa River. That went through. Notwithstanding that they needed water, they let it go through for environmental purposes. It went on down through to Bourke in the electorate of the member for Parkes. They did not harvest it. They let it go through for environmental purposes. So they are working with us. If only some of these decisions could be managed at a local level at the time the water events occur. They believe, and they have said this to me, that you could get a good outcome for the environment if you only took some of those decisions locally—when the event occurs and at the time of year it occurs. The other issue has been the purchase of the entire water licence from Ballandool, south of Dirranbandi, without any replacement for the impact that that would have on the community. That purchase of water has meant—and that has gone to the Environmental Water Holder—that it has gone. Businesses have said to me that up to a third of their business was lost the moment that was purchased from Ballandool. The crop sprayers and aerial contractors from St George put off two pilots and two other workers, because a third of their business was related to the work on Ballandool Station and their irrigation operations. But there has been no money invested in alternative businesses to assist in that structural adjustment—in other words, it has been a stranded asset and it has had a big impact on these communities. When you see a third of the businesses in your town affected because of one decision to buy back a significant quantity of water that provided, obviously, cash to the seller—the land title has been separated from the water entitlement—it has left a lasting impact on these communities that have been built up through agriculture but also the irrigation industry. In Goondiwindi—and perhaps the member for Parkes might touch on this issue—we share the Macintyre River. Recently, and not long before I was there with the parliamentary secretary, we had a situation where, on the Queensland side, the licence has been issued by the Queensland government—the pump water—but on the other side, because licences have been issued by the New South Wales government, they could not pump. That creates that across-river anger and stupidity in the system that we are trying to reform and change. But I can assure you, once again, on one side, they are able to harvest in a very difficult and dry season; and, on the other side, they could not. This has to be addressed. I will go to the Warrego River in the west of my electorate, which comes down from Charleville, Wyandra, Cunnamulla and eventually flows into the Darling just near Bourke. There is no plan at the moment for any water on the Warrego to be required for environmental purposes. In fact, 8,000 megalitres was provided by the former Queensland Labor government without any compensation or consideration of what impact that might have on the towns way back in about 2006-07. But the water users of Cunnamulla have got more water than they can effectively utilise. They would like some Healthy HeadWaters money, if they could, or be able to sell some of their allocation upstream of the town of Cunnamulla. That would enable them, if they were able to trade it up or sell the licence upstream where there may be another opportunity for other users, particularly around Charleville, to develop some economic activity and wealth that would be created from that. I have touched with the minister on that issue and I know that he has listened to me. I only hope that we can deal with some issues like the Warrego, quite apart from all the other issues dealing with the Condamine–Balonne system, the Macintyre system and the Mooney system. They are totally different systems from the Murray. We have got to look at the impact that it has already had and we need to resolve this quickly. I call on the Labor Party to support this side of the House as we try to manage this system and not lose jobs and wealth in our community. 12:18 Mr COULTON HWN Parkes I rise today to speak about the ministerial statement made by the parliamentary secretary, Mr Bob Baldwin, the member for Paterson. Legislation will be introduced into the House in the next couple of weeks to make sure that the buybacks do not go beyond the 1500 gigalitres that have been agreed upon. This is not a change to the plan. It is not a grab for any more water by any one part of the basin. It is merely putting into legislation something that has been agreed upon so that in the future it will be difficult for someone to interfere with that agreement for political purposes and to severely impact on communities around the basin. I am hopeful, because of the sensible nature of this legislation and the obvious need for it, that we will get support—not only in the chamber from the opposition but also in the Senate and from the Senate crossbenchers. The Murray-Darling Basin is a very complex place. I would go as far as to say that I do not believe that any one person in Australia completely understands the complexity of this system. The Parkes electorate, which I represent, covers 25 per cent of the Murray-Darling Basin; it is entirely in what is known as the northern basin. My electorate encompasses the areas bounded by the Lachlan River in the south through to the Macintyre River or the Border Rivers, as they are known, in the north. That part of the basin is an ephemeral area. The water runs on a seasonal basis as and when the rainfall occurs. It is different from the southern basin, which has the reliability of snow melt and much more infrastructure to handle that. Many of my rivers are disconnected from the rest of the basin. The Lachlan River hardly ever—maybe once or twice in a century—flows through to join up to the Darling. Maybe every 30 years or so, the Gwydir River will flow through the wetlands and join up with the Barwon River—indeed, not on all occasions, as the Macquarie River goes through the Macquarie Marshes and up into the Barwon River. So it is a very complex system, and that needs to be taken in mind. I think it is always very dangerous when human beings try to manage nature. If anyone had been up in an aeroplane with me in 2012, the last time we had a flood through that area, they would have realised that mankind is coming very much second to the forces of nature. If you would like to go out into the Parkes electorate now, you would see that mankind is also coming second to nature, as we are now in the grip of a three-year drought. Many of the rivers in the Parkes electorate have ceased to run, and it was many months ago that irrigators and communities were last able to pump from some of those areas. So we do need to keep in mind that we are dealing with a very complex and ephemeral system. In managing the Murray-Darling Basin in a sustainable way so that everyone—from the mouth of the Murray to the headwaters in Central Queensland—gets a fair share and so that the system can remain healthy long into the future, we need to make sure that we deal with the science, not the politics. Quite frankly, some of the statements made in this place in the past, through sheer ignorance of the truth, are sickening. We need to maintain a scientific and practical outlook. Unfortunately for the parliamentary secretary, due to storms in his electorate, he was not able to attend the opening of the Trangie Nevertire Irrigation Scheme upgrade. Fortunately for me, I was able to attend. It was done under round 1 of the Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program, otherwise known as PIIOP. It was a huge undertaking. I would like to place on record my admiration for the irrigators in that scheme. A large number of farms are involved, and serious decisions had to be made. Some of the farmers in that scheme ceased to be irrigators. They filled in their channels. They piped the water through polythene pipe for stock and domestic use, but they basically had to change the roles that their farms performed. That enabled the irrigators and the farmers closer to the river to have a more reliable access. Along with the redesigning and the lining of the channels, and private infrastructure such as lateral-move and centre-pivot irrigators, we now have a much more efficient and reliable irrigation scheme. Indeed, the cotton crops that have been harvested under that scheme have been some of the best crops grown for some time. That was not a gift from those farmers. They actually traded an entitlement back to the Commonwealth, back to the Environmental Water Holder, so that paid for the grant that they received to undertake this work. There are practical ways of managing our water so that we do have a more sustainable and more reliable scheme without severely impacting on our communities. But we need to keep an eye on this. If you want to stimulate economic growth in a basin town, the best way to do that is put in a megalitre of water. The multiplication effect of a megalitre of water is such that its value is magnified seven times. If you take a megalitre of water from a basin town, that basically equates to a job. Every megalitre of water that is removed in a buyback means a job. These communities have suffered a lot because of this. The previous speaker, the member for Maranoa, mentioned that there are cross-border issues, with the Murray-Darling Basin covering four states. One of the drivers of this plan in the era of the Howard government was to have a plan that was fair to everyone, but some cross-border issues remain. When discussions take place beyond this legislation—which I hope will be passed—I hope that we take a sensible attitude, because we are not talking about a philosophical debate here. People like the member for Melbourne talk about restoring the Murray-Darling Basin to the condition that it was in in 1770, but he does not mention the Yarra, which runs through his electorate, and what might be done there. We are told that removing 25 per cent of the population of the Parkes electorate or those towns on the basin is for the common good of this country, but we do not see any movement in the cities of Melbourne and Sydney and other places. When people in my electorate are expected to wear the pain of the ideological drivers of others in this place, it does make me somewhat irate. So I call for this to be dealt with in a sensible and scientific manner, so that we realise that we do have to feed this nation, that the Murray-Darling Basin is the food bowl of Australia and that the communities that live in that basin are important, as are the communities further downstream in Adelaide, Victoria and southern New South Wales. Everyone has a right to this water in a sustainable way. This legislation is important. It is coming in. I am asking the parliament to support it. Debate adjourned. ADJOURNMENT 126 ADJOURNMENT Domestic Violence 126 12:28 Ms ROWLAND 159771 Greenway Last Monday, I joined over 100 locals in Blacktown's Village Green for a sombre and sobering event on a chilly autumn night. It was a candlelight vigil initiated in the memory of someone whom most of us had never met: a local woman from Quakers Hill named Linda Locke. We came from different backgrounds—most of us strangers to one another—young and old, children, diverse ethnicities, community organisations, police, businesses and local government. Why? Because barely 18 weeks into 2015, Linda Locke became the 34th woman in Australia to have died in a suspected violent incident. Linda was a beloved mother and grandmother. She was 51-years-old. As the Sydney Morning Herald reported: Many years ago, Linda Locke found the courage to leave her violent husband after decades of abuse. It took a mountain of strength but she had her friends, her two children and parents close by, supporting her all the way. …   …   … Last Monday— which was 27 April— Ms Locke, 51, was admitted to hospital after being severely bashed in her Quakers Hill home about 6.30am. She died two days later … …   …   … It was a tragic end to a life of perpetual violence that no woman should endure. In my own community, family violence is an emergency. I want to thank the state member for Blacktown, John Robertson, the Blacktown Women's and Girls' Health Centre, Blacktown Local Area Command, the students and support personnel, my local community and everyone involved in organising this vigil. As John Robertson said: 'This vigil was not just about remembrance and being angry about what happened to Linda Locke and the 33 people to have died before her so far this year. It is about taking action by all agencies and all levels of government, especially in an area like Blacktown where police data reveals 1,966 incidents of domestic assault last year. The message from the police is to come forward and report it because there is help.' John Robertson went on to outline some of the measures that many legal, social, policing and health practitioners say need to be done in this area. He said: 'We need to be pushing for specialist domestic violence courts and reinstating funding for women's only refuges to protect victims of domestic violence.' He also said that more funding was needed for additional domestic violence officers at local police stations so that they are available at all times and over shifts outside of ordinary business hours. But probably what struck the greatest chord with those in attendance was the need for perspective. With this rate of death, we need to have a war on it and treat it as an epidemic as much as we do with any other policy issue we encounter. We need to ask ourselves: what other single factor has resulted in 34 women having died so far this year in such similar circumstances? Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty, has labelled this scourge to what I refer to as 'family terrorism'. That is Rosie Batty's term. Family violence stains every Australian. It isolates, excludes and traumatises its victims. It disconnects people from community, work, education, friends and family. It is an affront to our conviction that each of us is equally entitled to some basic human rights and values. As the Leader of the Opposition has stated: There is no clearer symbol of continuing gender inequality in our society than the epidemic of violence against women. We know the biggest risk factor for being a victim of family violence is actually being a woman. For too long this issue has been put in the too-hard basket. Our progress has been uneven and slow. The opposition has called on the Prime Minister to hold a national crisis summit on family violence—and I echo that call. There are things we need to do as a parliament. Experience shapes how we respond and pursue these issues. At this point, I want to place on record my admiration for the new state member for Blue Mountains, Trish Doyle. In her first speech to the parliament—and I quote the ABC's reporting yesterday—Ms Doyle: … revealed that when she was growing up her mother was in a violent and abusive relationship. Ms Doyle spoke in the third person as she described in graphic detail one particularly horrific night. "Picture another place in another time, a young girl awake and afraid in her bed trying to still her racing heart and holding her breath," she said. "A man stands at the foot of her bed, with one finger on his lips... and the other holding a rifle," … "There are shrieks and screams and gunshots. The night erupts. The night becomes one of ambulances, police, sobbing, fear and eventually the delivery of four young children to an orphanage of sorts, where they will stay for a while as their mother recovers from the emotional and physical trauma of a severe beating and internal haemorrhaging." Ms Doyle revealed "that small girl of eight is now the woman that stands before you". We all need to do something as a parliament and at all level of government. Trade 127 12:29 Dr HENDY 00BCM Eden-Monaro As members would be aware, since being elected to office the coalition government has pursued an aggressive trade and investment agenda aimed at putting in place the best possible settings for business to flourish. As the secretary of the coalition's trade and investment committee, I have a particular passion in seeing an expansion of Australia's trade agenda. That passion also stems from the time I worked heavily on trade issues when I was the chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The government's agenda has led to the swift conclusion of three landmark bilateral trade agreements with major economies of North Asia—that is, with Korea, Japan and China. These are agreements that without the renewed focus of the coalition government and the dedication and talent of the Minister for Trade and Investment would not have been concluded. The agreements form a powerful trifecta which will open up so many doors for our goods, services and investment. Together, these agreements cover nations that account for over 62 per cent of Australia's export market and provide Australian businesses with greater access to more than 1.5 billion people. In order to maximise the awareness of opportunities afforded to small to medium businesses across Australia, the Minister for Trade and Investment officially launched the government's free trade agreements national seminar series. The seminar series is designed to increase awareness within the business community of the agreements with Japan, Korea and China. I am very pleased to report to the House that the very first of these seminars was held in my electorate of Eden-Monaro. The seminar held in Queanbeyan on Thursday, 9 April, was the first of an expected 200 to be rolled out across the country to ensure both existing and potential export businesses, large and small, understand the opportunities created by the agreements with Asia. The purpose of the seminars is to equip our local businesses with the information they need in order to take advantage of these agreements. The seminar was very well attended—over 80 people—and it was pleasing to see such a high turnout of our local business people. I particularly want to thank Alan and Jenny Carpenter for providing the venue for the forum. Some of the other attendees from the local area were: Graham Baxter of the Southern Region Business Enterprise Centre; Michael Tisshaw from the National Australia Bank; small business people Anne Scott, Michelle Barron, Joshua Toohey and Georgianna Duggan; Paul Donaghue from Point n Putt Pty Limited; Noel McCann from Canberra Airport; Michael Keating from Keating Media; Mick Spencer from On the Go Sports; and Laurie McDonald from Furnished Industries Pty Limited. That list gives a sense of the wide variety of interest from different industry sectors for the opportunities that are unfolding. It was also very pleasing to see so many of our region's mayors and councillors at the seminar, learning how they can assist their local communities in taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by the agreements. In attendance were: Mayor Tim Overall of Queanbeyan; Mayor Pete Harrison and Councillor Mark Schweikert of Palerang Shire; Mayor Michael Britten and Councillor Bill Taylor of Bega Valley Shire Council; and Mayor Lindsay Brown and Deputy Mayor Rob Pollock of Eurobodalla Shire Council. Trade specialists from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Austrade, the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation, Australian Customs and Border Protection Service were on hand at the seminar to offer targeted advice and assistance on how to identify avenues for trade and navigate the export market. Speaking at the seminar, Andrew Wales, of Australia's Oyster Coast in my Electorate, said the agreements have presented a whole new world of opportunity for the seafood industry. He noted that: 'We began exploring offshore markets for our organisation last year. The free trade agreements with Asia have certainly given us that extra incentive to ramp up our international strategy in that part of the world, given all three agreements provide significant tariff cuts for our product'. These agreements are a key part of the government's economic strategy. They provide huge potential markets that can be taken up in rural and regional electorates like my own. The great deals in the agricultural industries are obvious; from wool to beef to dairy to fishing to a multitude of other activities. Eden-Monaro is already a significant exporter of wool products from the Monaro. Forestry products from the New South Wales south coast and the Bombala Shire are also key exports or potential exports. Fishing and oyster exports have huge potential. Beef products are being exported now from Cooma. And being the home of Bega Cheese means dairy exports are very important. All these existing industries will further prosper with the new agreements. Scullin Electorate: Centenary of Anzac 128 12:39 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin Recently I had the privilege of attending several Centenary of Anzac commemorations in my electorate. I spoke earlier this year about the wonderful work done by many volunteers across the community as part of the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program, noting that over these 100 years Australia—and Melbourne's northern suburbs—changed dramatically. At the commemorations I have been impressed and indeed heartened by the involvement of new generations of Australians, in terms of age and in terms of the places they have arrived from. The electorate of Scullin, like that of Calwell, is very diverse and the Anzac commemorations have reflected this. The largest event I attended was the Diamond Creek combined schools commemoration, which had over 2,000 schoolchildren in attendance. The participating schools were Diamond Creek East Primary School, Diamond Creek Primary School, Diamond Valley College, Sacred Heart Primary School and Wattle Glen Primary School. The involvement and the engagement of the students was deeply affecting. It was clear to me and all present how much the commemoration meant to them. I later—inexpertly—turned the sod at a Lone Pine planting ceremony at the Diamond Creek East Primary School oval. I understand that this tree was an official memorial Lone Pine tree seeded from specimens taken from Gallipoli. This was a great privilege. That the school went to such effort to secure the tree is an indication of their commitment to commemorating the Anzac spirit. I pay tribute to Denise Power and Shane Nelson from Diamond Creek East Primary School for their efforts in putting this event together, as well as the respective school principals—Rob Rostolis, Helen Micallef, Greg Williams, Jim O'Sullivan and Gerard Fay. It is testament to these schools and their staff that they can work so well together to literally sing from the same song sheet to commemorate this occasion. I also attended an Anzac ceremony at Watsonia North Primary School. Once again, this was a student led commemoration. The students conducted themselves with a solemnity and gravitas far beyond their years. I pay tribute to them and to their principal, Tina King, for her role in putting this whole-of-school ceremony together. Other schools, right across the electorate, including Yarrambat Primary School, Epping Views Primary School and St Luke's in Lalor, also invited me to engage with students. I particularly remember a Q&A session at St Luke's, a school where, I was told, none of the students had an ancestral link to anyone involved in Anzac. Yet there was a real engagement with the commemorative spirit and a sense of the journey that Melbourne's north, as well as Australia, has undertaken over these hundred years. On Anzac Day itself I had the honour of participating in the dawn service at the Epping RSL and later that morning I attended the service held by the Diamond Creek-Doreen sub-branch of the RSL. Melbourne's bracing weather did nothing to chill the passion of those present at either of these events. I want to thank the president of the Epping RSL, Herb Williams, and the president of the Diamond Creek-Doreen sub-branch, John Langford, who, all on their own time, perform tirelessly in these important roles—a particular effort having obviously been required over the past year. I would like to make one final point on these commemorations about something that was in evidence at the Epping branch commemoration. There was a tremendous spirit of reconciliation and inclusiveness between former foes, and right across our communities, which resonated and made a lasting impression on me and, I believe, all the thousands attending that service. This spirit of reconciliation and inclusiveness is, I believe, the best way to maintain and commemorate the shared sacrifice made by so many during the First World War. It was a collective sacrifice and so we should remember it in the same spirit. Lest we forget. Forrest Electorate: Vasse Virgin 129 12:43 Ms MARINO HWP Forrest The laws of copyright are complicated and fraught with peril. They are particularly difficult if you are a small regional business up against a multinational corporation. This is the kind of David and Goliath battle that a small, family-run, olive oil producer from Margaret River now faces. Richard Branson's Virgin Enterprises Ltd is the Goliath in this conflict. They are seeking to stand on Vasse Virgin, an olive oil maker in Western Australia's Margaret River district that produces condiments and skincare products. Virgin Enterprises Ltd manages and protects the Virgin trademark. But I wonder if that really means they have a total monopoly over the word 'virgin'. The owners of Vasse Virgin, Edwin and Louis Scherini, recently attempted to reregister their brand and extend it to a broader product range. However, the Virgin Group has objected to the application, apparently claiming the right to exclusive use of the word 'virgin'. Virgin Group's manager of Asia-Pacific branding, public relations and digital communications, Elizabeth Gain, has said that the trademark application 'covers a very broad range of goods and services, some of which fall squarely into the core activities of the Virgin Group—in particular, transportation services.' They argue that the continued use of the name 'Vasse Virgin' would cause confusion in the market and that people may assume a connection between Vasse Virgin and the Virgin Group. However, the Vasse Virgin expansion does not actually include an airline, and I do not think they intend to run visits to space from Margaret River. Perhaps Richard Branson wants to go into the olive oil business and does not want to compete for the name on that basis. Apparently, the contentious part of the application by the Scherini family is that they plan to give visitors tours of their olive oil farm and the workshops in which they process the olives and make olive oil and skincare products. Somehow this might be interpreted as transportation services. Logically, is riding around the farm on a trailer behind a tractor really such a threat to a global airline that consumers might not be able to tell the difference? Well, if that is the case, instead of perhaps flying by Virgin Airlines to the South West or to Western Australia and visiting our fabulous part of the world and the famous Margaret River region, it would mean a really long, slow journey on that trailer behind that tractor, and imagine trying to cross the Nullarbor. Maybe there are a lot of implications for Mr Branson and his group in trying to restrict the use of the word 'virgin'. If you look historically and even currently, there are a number of ways that this is used. Maybe the Virgin Islands might have to change their name, or Queen Elizabeth I will have to have a new nickname. If you look at the state of Virginia, which was named after Elizabeth I, I think there could be a range of instances where it falls foul of the trademark laws as well. But I would really like to hope that common sense prevails. This to me is just extraordinary. This is David and Goliath. I would encourage Virgin Enterprises to see reason. This is a fabulous little company in my part of the world. Perhaps, when the Busselton airport is upgraded at some stage in the future and it does take interstate flights and Virgin Enterprises might choose to fly into that place, they will be bringing people who will want to go to Vasse Virgin and sample some of their fabulous products. They are a key part of the tourist offering that we have in our region, yet we have this David and Goliath situation. It really does concern me that it could possibly come to this. Louis and Edwina started out just finding a way of dealing with their daughter's eczema. They started with a bucket and a wooden spoon, and they have built a wonderful local business in my part of the world, in Margaret River. It really does appal me that this is what it has got to: that someone like Richard Branson is seeking exclusive use of the word 'virgin' and this little company is in trouble. Middle East 129 12:48 Mr HAYES ECV Fowler Growing up in a religious household and having a faith-based education probably in part accounts for my social conservatism. My upbringing has also caused me to know from a very young age that the Jews have historically been a much-persecuted people. Therefore, I find it easy to accept the right of a Jewish state to exist and I believe the people of Israel are entitled to live in peace and to protect their way of life. However, I have become increasingly concerned about the hostilities in Israel's occupied territories, as well as the lack of progress in finding a path towards the creation of a Palestinian state, as Palestinians too have a right to exist and enjoy statehood. Last year's Gaza War has had a profound impact on me—a conflict which saw Israel attempt to suppress Hamas rockets but resulted in the deaths of over 1,500 Palestinians, of whom 538 were children. Gaza was decimated, with critical infrastructure destroyed, along with the housing of more than 100,000 Palestinians. I still find it hard to shake the image of the four boys playing on the beach in Gaza cut down. While I have serious misgivings about the scale of the Israeli response, I am equally disturbed by the fact that civilian sites were used by Hamas to shield militia, and I deplore the fact that over 3,000 rockets were fired by Hamas, threatening the lives of Israeli citizens. Nevertheless, no fair-minded person could possibly think what occurred in Gaza was acceptable. With a view to lasting peace in the region and recognising the dignity of people, the international community has long held the view of a two-state solution that recognises the sovereignty of both Israel and Palestine. Indeed, Benjamin Netanyahu, when he came to office in 2009, spoke of his determination to see 'two peoples living with amity and mutual respect' and he indicated that Israel would be willing to support a two-state solution in a future peace agreement. However, recent comments and the behaviour of Mr Netanyahu and members of his government have cast serious doubt as to his sincerity in achieving this outcome. Distancing himself from a two-state outcome gives great cause for concern. The international community should be demanding an unequivocal commitment from him to a Palestinian state and the reinvigoration of the peace process. Since he came to office in 2009, more than 10,000 homes have been built in the occupied territories. The issue of settlement activity remains one that continues to frustrate the peace process. Regardless of the prospects of future land swaps, the construction of settlements must cease. There is no doubt a two-state solution is in the best interests of Israel itself. The consequences of trying to absorb the territories would lead either to an end of Israel's democracy if the Palestinians were denied a vote or the end of Israel as a predominantly Jewish state and a haven for Jews escaping persecution. Australia, along with the majority of the international community, could never accept a situation where sections of the population were denied fundamental democratic rights. During his visit to the Holy Land in 2009, Pope Benedict said 'Israel has the right to exist and enjoy peace and security'. He went on to say that the 'Palestinian people have the right to a sovereign, independent homeland, to live with dignity'. Given Prime Minister Netanyahu's recent behaviour, along with that of senior members of his Likud Party, to distance themselves from a two-state solution, I believe it falls to countries like Australia, who believe in the dignity of all peoples of the region, to become more engaged in the peace process and to address the need for tangible progress in the creation of a Palestinian state, while ensuring respect and security for the Jewish homeland. I conclude with the words that were also offered by Pope Benedict: 'Let the two-state solution become a reality, not remain a dream.' McMillan Electorate: Illicit Drugs 130 12:52 Mr BROADBENT MT4 McMillan I have just come from my office in Parliament House, where I met with Josie Rycks, who is a year 11 student at Mary McKillop Catholic Regional College in Leongatha. This most impressive young lady is here on the Rotary program that introduces young people to parliament. She at this very moment is speaking in Parliament House on the very issue I am about to speak on—the scourge of ice—in her township of Leongatha, while I will be talking about the scourge of ice across my electorate, which I will come to in a moment. This very charming and intelligent young lady has suggested to me that she will be inviting Ken Lay, the former Chief Commissioner and head of the government's ice task force, to Leongatha to talk to residents in a community forum about how they can tackle the drug ice in their community. I have also attended community forums on the topic of ice. My disappointment was not that they were not well attended; they were fabulously attended—there were police and support services; and everybody spoke. But my disappointment was: was anything done afterwards? There was no change. In Moe we had quite the opposite experience: after that forum, they decided to do something. Three businesses—two run by young ladies and another one—got together and decided to put an advertisement on the side of a bus that read: 'Dob in a dealer.' On 8 April, I was part of a group that gathered outside of the police station in Moe to launch what is known as the 'Dob in a dealer' bus. So there was this huge bus with big photos on the side of it with businesses advertising their wares, but on the back it had 'Dob in a dealer. Crime Stoppers' and the number. The bus does its regular rounds around Moe with these huge letters on the back of the bus. Peter Brown from Crime Stoppers Victoria—who the members at the table would have met—said that Moe was a particular success because it was a community that decided they did not want drugs. The idea has been sponsored by two local businesses: Susan Broadbent—no relation; she calls me 'Uncle Russell'—and Christine Waterhouse from Furniture Beds & More; and Alastair Doherty from rent4keeps. They were the ones that paid for the ad on the side of the bus. Since the bus was launched on 8 April, there has been a 263 per cent spike in tip offs of suspected drug activity. The tip offs ranged from manufacturers of the drug ice, to distribution of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ice. Credit should go also to the local police, who have just been fantastic: Sergeant Fusinato; Moe Senior Sergeant Cameron Blair; Latrobe Valley Police Inspector Dean Thomas; and the new head of the national ice task force, a former Korumburra man, Ken Lay. This ice epidemic is staggering. When you speak to the police, they tell you that they have never struck anything like it in the whole of their careers, and they are 20- and 30-year veterans. They said, 'We have never struck anything like it, and it will attack anybody'. I said to Josie today, 'What age in the school cohort are being affected?' She said, 'Down to 14 years of age.' I said, 'Up to how old?' She said, 'Even older people'. Now, she had no idea how old I was, so I cannot imagine what she calls old, but it is probably 26 or 24. I know for sure that this ice epidemic has directly killed two people around the Warragul area. They were not from low socioeconomic, deprived families. These were young, bright, brilliant tradies with a magnificent future in front of them, destroyed in moments—quality business people destroyed in three months; going from 30 people on their staff, down to nothing; their business gone in three months, and their family destroyed. I believe that my time has expired. Sadly, so many lives will expire before we deal with the ice epidemic. (Time expired) Question agreed to. Federation Chamber adjourned at [ 12:58 ].   QUESTIONS IN WRITING 132 QUESTIONS IN WRITING Aviation (Question No. 737) 132 737 Mr Zappia HWB asked the Minister for Agriculture, in writing, on 26 February 2015: What is the breakdown of the $171.5 million import clearance in Figure 2 on page 12 of his department's 2013-14 annual report? Mr Joyce E5D The Minister for Agriculture has provided the following answer to the honourable member's question: Table 1 provides detail of funding received for the Import Clearance programme in 2013-14. Table 1. Breakdown of Import Clearance Revenue 2013-14 by Cost Recovery Impact Statement Outcomes International Trade Remedies Forum (Question No. 750) 132 750 Mr Zappia HWB asked the Minister for Industry and Science, in writing, on 17 March 2015: How many times has the International Trade Remedies Forum met since 25 March 2013, and on what date(s) Mr Ian Macfarlane WN6 The answer to the honourable Member' s question is as follows: The International Trade Remedies Forum has not met since 25 March 2013 Aviation (Question No. 751) 132 751 Mr Albanese R36 asked the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, in writing, on 17 March 2015: (1) Why has his department commissioned ORIMA Research to review the efficacy of airport community consultative arrangements. (2) What is his department's budget for this research. (3) What sum has his department spent to date on this research. Mr Truss GT4 the answer to the honourable member's question is as follows: (1) The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (the Department) commissioned ORIMA Research following a competitive tender process in accordance with Commonwealth Procurement Rules to review the efficacy of federally-leased airports' consultative arrangements to comply with recommendation 12.1 of the Productivity Commission inquiry report, Economic Regulation of Airport Services. (2) The Department has commissioned ORIMA Research (Orima) at a cost of $90,915 (inc. GST). (3) To date, the Department has made one milestone payment to Orima of $23,562 (inc. GST).