COMMITTEES

2020-03-02 46 1 2 House of Reps 0 1

Monday, 2 March 2020

The SPEAKER ( Hon. Tony Smith ) took the chair at 10:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.

COMMITTEES 1 COMMITTEES Petitions Committee 1 Report 1 10:01 Mrs ELLIOT DZW Richmond I present the tenth report of the Petitions Committee for the 46th Parliament. PETITIONS 1 PETITIONS Responses 1 10:01 Mrs ELLIOT DZW Richmond I present the following 17 ministerial responses to petitions previously presented to the House: The document was unavailable at the time of publishing. Statements 1 10:01 Mrs ELLIOT DZW Richmond The four petitions that I present today are paper petitions, each with one signature only—that of the principal petitioner. One signature is the minimum required for a petition to be presented to the House. The first signature of each petition is always the principal petitioner, so for these petitions no other signatures were collected. Some may find it unusual that only one signature is needed, but the committee believes it's the right of all Australians to have easy and accessible avenues to engage with their parliament. In fact, in the previous parliament during its review of the standing orders in relevant practice, the committee reported that it did not support setting a higher minimum signature threshold. The committee decided this could create a barrier for people to engage with parliament who may not have been able to gain further support for their petition. During this review, the committee also found the petitions with the single signature made up a small amount of the overall petitions. Of the 719 petitions presented during the 45th Parliament, only 26 had one signature. On a final note, I'd like to acknowledge the retirement of a very valued member of the secretariat. Adrienne Batts has been in the parliamentary service for over 22 years, and more recently she's provided such professional and friendly service in the support of the Petitions Committee. Thank you so much, Adrienne, and best wishes for your future and your retirement. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The committee looks forward to further updating the House on its work. BILLS 1 BILLS Climate Emergency Declaration Bill 2020 1

Climate Emergency Declaration Bill 2020

First Reading 1 Second Reading 1 10:04 Mr BANDT M3C Melbourne I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Environmental collapse is here. Stopping a breakdown of the earth's delicate climate system is no longer about simply protecting future generations or saving impoverished communities farming on floodplains half a world away. Australia's last few months of megafires, drought, floods, hailstorms, heatwaves, toxic smoke covering cities and dust clouds swallowing up entire regional towns has shown us that global heating is now a direct and present threat to every aspect of our lives that we cherish and hold dear. We are in a climate emergency. The last time there was this much carbon dioxide in the air was at least 2.6 million years ago, before humans existed. Yet on this very day, the world is still producing more heat-trapping gases than we have ever produced before. Australia's pollution from coal, oil and gas at home and abroad has never been higher. If we keep polluting at our current rate, we could be at 1,000 parts per million by the end of the century. Last time that happened, dinosaurs roamed the earth. Scientists say that all our countries' pledges under the Paris Agreement still have us on track for 3.4 degrees of global warming—up to 3.4 degrees of global warming, when we are meant to be constraining it to well below two. What this means, if we get this hot, is that humans can't live in the equatorial zone; northern Australia's oppressive humidity and frequent flooding only allows humans to live there for part of the year; mosquito-borne disease will head southward; one in six Australian species will be extinct; and vast tracts of the will be dead zones with algal blooms sucking away all oxygen, like we've seen in the Menindee River. That is what awaits us between three to four degrees and that is the path the Prime Minister has us on at the moment. Unless we rapidly change course away from coal, oil and gas, then life as we have always known it will no longer exist. It is not scaremongering; it is hard physics. And we have just had a taste of it over the last summer. We should refuse a future where children need to wear gas masks because their cities are full of smoke. We should not, as the Prime Minister asked us, just have to get used to and adapt to fires so massive that they create their own powerful storm tornados that can flip an eight-tonne truck and kill its passengers. We should honour the memory of Samuel McPaul, the volunteer firefighter that this happened to, not by pretending that everything will be okay or that the government has it under control but by stopping this climate emergency in its tracks. People are angry and are anxious and are desperately looking for leadership. This bill will enable this parliament to show that leadership. This legislation declares that we commit to secure a prosperous, jobs-rich future for ourselves and our children. This bill is an explicit acknowledgement of how much danger we are in. As US climate campaigner Margaret Klein Salamon wrote: 'Humans evaluate danger and risk by noticing how other people respond. When we see people in our community acting as though nothing is wrong, it is a cue to us and everyone else that everything is normal, but when we see people in our communities responding to an event as though it's an emergency we start to view the event as an emergency too. Telling the truth about climate and treating the climate crisis like the emergency it is is highly contagious.' That is especially the case for our political leaders. That is why 92 local councils have declared a climate emergency, from Mildura to Lismore to Launceston, and more keep signing up. But this bill will be more than a declaration. All Public Service agencies will be responsible for acting in accordance with the declaration when developing, implementing, providing and evaluating policies. Agencies will be required to report on their compliance each reporting period. The bill will also establish a climate emergency war cabinet to guide the country through the rapid societywide and economywide response to the climate crisis. When the allies won World War II, it wasn't just because the US and other governments put their resources into it; the war was won because the government, industry and communities worked together to meet an unprecedented threat. In 1942 America, a spark plug factory produced machine guns, a merry-go-round factory made gun mounts, a pinball machine plant made armour-piercing shells and a toy company started making compasses. Now, at this stage, we don't need to militarise, but we need to decarbonise. This bill enables the mobilisation of government resources to keep our citizens safe from danger. We have the technologies, the skills, the capital and the resources that we need. Nothing will stop scientists and engineers from solving these problems. We will get there eventually, but the problem is we don't have until eventually. We need to act superfast. If we only reach net zero by 2050 or 2060 or 2070, we will still confront disaster, and that is why the government and the whole of society must recognise we are in an emergency and take action at emergency speed, devoting all the resources we need to stop a threat that, if we don't do this, will become overwhelming. So I commend this bill to the House and in my remaining time I invite the seconder for this motion and this bill to speak. The SPEAKER 10000 Is the motion seconded? 10:10 Ms STEGGALL 175696 Warringah I second the Climate Emergency Declaration Bill 2020. There is no doubt we are in the midst of a climate emergency. For six months Australia has been devastated by the worst bushfires in our nation's history. Communities have been wiped out; businesses irreparably impacted; cities blanketed by smog, forcing many indoors; our courageous volunteer services stretched to the limit; and our beautiful wildlife and landscape decimated. I'll never forget the images of Australian families being evacuated by the Royal Australian Navy or the first images of singed wildlife searching for water, all on the backdrop of blood-red skies and ashes eerily falling like snow. The AMA has declared a climate emergency. The royal medical colleges have also done so. The Reserve Bank have recognised the threat; they are now factoring a worsening climate into their modelling and decision-making when it comes to managing our economy. Our financial regulators, APRA and ASIC, have guidelines on companies to report to shareholders on climate risks as it affects their businesses. Our Public Service and Defence Force chiefs have also been meeting for some time, planning for climate worst-case scenarios, some of which we are starting to see. All agree that Australia is especially vulnerable to climate change impacts and that this is having and will have an increasingly devastating impact on Australia's economy, our health system, our national security and our food system. The Australian public also agree in October last year I presented to the parliament a historic petition of 404,538 signatures. These are signatures of ordinary Australians who call on their parliament to take urgent action on climate change. I urge my fellow MPs in this place to contemplate on that. Each of those names is an individual with a story, with a voice, with a network and with a vote. To confirm this sentiment to the parliament, several times the crossbench and the opposition have attempted to move motions to declare a climate emergency. However, so far the government has prevented any official declaration of emergency or any debate or discussion. All three councils in Warringah have declared a climate emergency. They are but a few of over 90 who have now declared the same across Australia, representing a third of the country's population. At state level, the South Australian legislative assembly also declared a climate emergency. This bill will go to the heart of these requests by declaring a climate emergency and putting the climate emergency at the centre of policy decisions and decisions of this government made by the Public Service and this government. Now, after a summer that devastated much of the country and left the rest blanketed in smoke, my fellow crossbencher presents a bill consistent with the voice of at least those 400,000 that signed the petition and the over 81 per cent in Australia who when surveyed indicate climate change action is one of their most pressing concerns. Yet the government does not seem to have heard these many voices and is intent on ignoring the science. Whilst the government has clearly accepted the science on the urgency of the coronavirus threat, we seem to be in a parallel universe when it comes to the impacts of climate change. In October 2018 the IPPCC warned that we need to take stronger action to restrict the warming to below 1.5 degrees. This government must accept the science of the urgency of the climate emergency. As the 46th Parliament, we have a duty to the Australian people to go beyond partisan allegiance. It's time for us all to be accountable. Let's listen to the people and take meaningful action on climate change. I stand with the member for Melbourne and thank him for presenting this bill on behalf of Warringah and many other Australians. I commend the bill to the House. Debate adjourned. PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS 3 PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Gender Equality 3 10:14 Ms CLAYDON 248181 Newcastle I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) International Women's Day will be held on Sunday, 8 March 2020; and (b) the theme for 2020 is 'Each for Equality', which calls on all of us to 'Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality; (2) recognises that entrenched gender inequities remain, including: (a) high rates of family and domestic violence, sexual violence and harassment; (b) the under-representation of women in leadership roles; and (c) pay inequity and the undervaluation of work in traditionally female industries; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) make gender equality a central priority; (b) commit to urgent action to improve Australian women’s: (i) safety and physical security; (ii) economic security and retirement incomes; (iii) health and reproductive rights; and (iv) representation in Australian parliaments; and (c) reinstate the Women’s Budget Statement. I am very pleased to stand to speak on this motion to recognise International Women's Day. The theme for 2020—'each for equal'—is a call-out to each of us to work together to achieve gender equality. It recognises that every individual has a role to play. Here in this place we bear a particular responsibility when it comes to gender equality, as many of the levers that can bring about change are controlled from this building. We are in a profoundly privileged position of having power to make a difference. The flipside of this is that we must take responsibility when in fact there is little progress. Looking back over the decades, there has certainly been significant forward momentum for women in Australia. On the Labor side, I'm particularly proud to a member of the party that instituted no-fault divorce, that created supporting mothers benefits, that ensured the pill was listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, that gave women the right to the minimum wage and of course reopened the equal pay case that saw women's wages rise by 30 per cent. But on a shorter time scale things are not looking so rosy. All of the key metrics, by any measure, suggest that we need to do better. While the gender pay gap has been tracking down for a few years now, parity is a long way off. According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, men working full time earn more than $25,000 per year more than women working full time. This is an astounding gap. Female dominated industries like aged care and early childhood education are still chronically underpaid, despite undertaking some of the most important work in our communities. Women are also gravely under-represented in leadership roles. Last year only 17.1 per cent of CEOs were women—unchanged from the previous year. Female representation on boards inched up by just one per cent to 26.8 percent. This place isn't much better. While the Labor Party brought in a strong quota system, the Liberal Party has steadfastly opposed this. The result has been that while Labor has almost achieved parity, less than a quarter of Liberal members in the House of Representatives are women. This matters. When we have more women at the decision-making table, we get better, more inclusive policies, which help women, children and families. When it comes to policy development, the government could do one thing today that would make a huge difference. They could implement gender-sensitive budgeting and reinstate the women's budget statement, which was axed when the Liberals came to office. When it comes to gender issues, the most diabolical failure of all—the greatest indictment of all of us in this place—is our failure to reduce, let alone stop, gendered violence. One in three Australian women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15, and one woman a week continues to be murdered by her former or current partner. Last week we held a vigil to remember Hannah Clarke and her three children, who were violently murdered by the children's father. We rightly condemned this brutal act, but it keeps on happening. Already this year nine women have lost their lives violently. Clearly this is a truly wicked problem with complex and intertwined factors at play. I recommend to members in this House that they read Jess Hill's insightful book See what you made me do: power, control and domestic violencefor a thorough analysis and specific calls to action when it comes to family law and policing. I would like to draw the House's attention to one thing we could do right now. I am Deputy Chair of the House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs. We did an extensive inquiry into how we might improve the family law system to better support and protect those affected by family violence. I would like to draw the House's attention to recommendation 19 in the report of this inquiry—which, I emphasise, was a consensus, bipartisan report. This recommendation calls on the government to consider removing the presumption of equal shared parental responsibility, which creates a dangerous situation for women and children escaping violence. We know that the post-separation period is one of the most dangerous times for women and children. This is something the government can do right now. The SPEAKER 10000 Is the motion seconded? Dr Aly 13050 I second the motion and reserve my right to speak. 10:20 Ms HAMMOND 80072 Curtin I thank the member for Newcastle for raising some very important issues in her motion today, particularly highlighting that Sunday 8 March is International Women's Day. In January this year I, along with many parliamentary colleagues, attended the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum with the aim of bringing together nations in the region to foster economic, environmental, cultural and social cooperation. One major focus of the delegation was promoting gender equality in the context of sustainable development and shared prosperity in the region. This forum discussed empowering women and promoting gender equality and how it is crucial to accelerating sustainable development. Ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls not only is a basic human right but also has multiplier effects across other development areas. Providing women and girls with equal access to education, healthcare, work and representation in political and economic decision-making processes will fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large. Women's participation in decision-making in all sectors is also fundamental to having inclusive and effective solutions. We know that, despite the increasing recognition of the critical role of women in decision-making, women remain largely underrepresented in both public and private sectors at the global, regional and national levels. The UN issued a SDG progress report in 2019. Encouragingly, the report notes that the Pacific is the leading subregion for progress towards gender equality, but overall progress is still insufficient in the region. Likewise, Australia's first voluntary report on its progress towards the SDGs in 2018 noted: … women in Australia have made significant strides towards equality with men. At universities, in workplaces, in boardrooms and in government … But there is still a lot to do. On a personal level, I need only compare the life opportunities I have had with those of my mother and grandmother to make the observation that we have made progress towards gender equality. But we do need to do more, and in doing more our focus should be on providing equal opportunity and choice for all. We need to recognise and realise, through our laws and general conduct as individuals and society, that everyone has different aspirations, different talents and different goals, regardless of their gender. We need to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to reach their potential to fulfil their ambitions and participate in a society that is best suited to them, regardless of their gender. We must also make sure that we respect the choices that different people make. True equality for women does not mean that all women should aspire to do the same thing or be the same thing, rather that they can aspire to do and be their best selves. In the context of this motion I also want to comment on a rising phenomenon which has had a greater impact on females than on males and is a form of gendered violence—the insidious rise of revenge pornography and image based sexual abuse. I met with a constituent in my electorate of Curtin. She gave me permission to share her story to help raise awareness for others. Noelle Martin was only 18 years old when she discovered that images of her had been taken from her online social media and had been doctored onto highly explicit pornographic material and that these deepfake images had been uploaded to multiple pornographic websites, along with other personal information, such as where she studied and where she lived. This abuse, undoubtedly and quite understandably, saw Noelle's mental health suffer, as she worried what this would mean for her future employment and for her future life. The abuse continued but, rather than succumbing to this, Noelle stood up to it and started a relentless campaign to raise awareness of deepfake online abuse. It took Noelle some time to gain momentum, but she persevered, and her perseverance was recognised with her being awarded the WA Young Australian of the Year award in 2018. Noelle's victimisation at the hands of deepfake online abuse is a very real situation that many Australians have faced and may potentially face in the future. It is a rising trend of online sexual abuse. A recent RMIT report found that 23 per cent of young Australians have experienced at least one instance of being a victim of image based abuse. The scale and severity of this is absolutely alarming. I'm pleased that our government has strengthened laws aimed at protecting victims, but I also urge the government to be as relentless as Noelle was and continue to ensure this insidious evil is stopped. (Time expired) 10:25 Dr ALY 13050 Cowan I start by commending the member for Newcastle for bringing to the House's attention International Women's Day on 8 March and the theme for this year: each for equal. I would like to take this opportunity to broaden the lens a bit on International Women's Day and draw attention to the fact that a singular focus on gender, as well meaning as it is, inadvertently excludes some women. The fact is that women's rights have not always worked for all women. When women first got the vote, not all women were allowed to vote. We had to fight for that. When women first entered the workforce, not all women entered the workforce. We had to fight for that. The gender pay gap in the US—an Hispanic woman or an African-American woman is likely to earn less than other women. While we don't have the statistics here for Australia, I'm sure that the gender gap for women of colour is much bigger than the gender gap for other women. We have the incarceration rates for Indigenous First Nations women here in Australia as well. There is also the fact that women of colour and women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are underrepresented here in parliament as well as in other forms of leadership. If women are gravely underrepresented in the corridors of power and the corridors of leadership, as the two previous speakers pointed out, then they are even more absent if they are women of colour, or women with a disability, or women with a disability and women of colour. If the odds are stacked against women then they are piled high to the ceiling for minority women. What we need is an equality framework that works for all women, that takes into account the intersection of gender, race, ethnicity, religion and disability, that recognises the double sometimes triple disadvantage of being not just female but black and female, ethnic and female, disabled and female—a minority within a minority and sometimes within a minority again. Equal rights for women will only work if they work for all women and if no woman is left behind. I reiterate that sometimes, when we focus singularly on gender, we inadvertently forget minority women. They're added on as a postscript or as an afterthought to policies that we have about women. I've been and will continue to be very vocal about the fact that women's rights don't work unless they work for minority women and unless they're inclusive of all women. The fact is that we won't achieve true gender equality until the most marginalised among us can share in the success. We cannot celebrate women's success if not every woman can celebrate with us. The measure of our moral code is to be found in how we treat our most vulnerable. While we must keep an eye to where we've come from and the fact that we have made huge strides as women, collectively, we must also keep an eye to the future and continue to agitate for more change. But we can't continue to do so at the expense of women who are yet to experience the wins, the rights and the equality that a lot of other women enjoy. On a final note, I would like to make a particular reference to violence against women, which is mentioned in this motion. I've spoken about this in parliament before. I've shared my personal story before. I want to make sure that we continue this conversation. I want to make sure that every time we speak about women and about policies for women and about equal rights for women we talk about violence against women, we talk about family and domestic violence and we get this message out to every home, to every living room, to every street in every suburb and to every community across Australia, because the fact is that we're failing on this. The fact is that we're failing to prevent domestic and family violence in the home and, as leaders, we need to take a stand on this. I'll be speaking about it as much as I can. 10:30 Dr ALLEN 282986 Higgins I rise to support the motion from the member for Newcastle that we celebrate women's achievements and highlight their unique challenges on International Women's Day, on Sunday 8 March. I take this opportunity to acknowledge all the women sitting here in the chamber. We stand here today because of the hard work and strength of generations of women that have come before us, women who have fought for our right to vote and our right to stand. We should all be proud that Australia was one of the first countries in the world to enable women the right to vote and stand 120 years ago. I would like to honour one of those early suffragettes in the UK, my cousin Margaret Bondfield, who was the first female member of cabinet in the UK parliament almost 100 years ago. In those days, women, like my cousin Margaret Bondfield, and like our party's cofounder Dame Elizabeth Couchman, had to choose between public life and having a family. The legacy of these women is left to us to champion. I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor in the seat of Higgins, the former Minister for Women, the Hon. Kelly O'Dwyer—the first member for Higgins who was truly committed to gender equality. Kelly understood that financial security is key to enabling women to have the freedom to follow their dreams and have the power to stand on their own two feet. This is why we should celebrate that, as a result of the work of Kelly and the Morrison government, women's workforce participation is at a record high of just over 61 per cent in Australia and the gender pay gap is now at a record low of 14 per cent. The Morrison government is also working to address the challenges of women returning to the workforce after taking time out of their careers to look after their family. I know what that's like. I have four children myself. We've committed $75 million over four years to our mid-career checkpoint, helping up to 40,000 people who've taken time out of their career to care for their family. This will tailor career advice, coach and train them, and help them get back into the workforce. It's days like today that we have to take the opportunity to shine the spotlight on the longstanding abuses that women have had to face, and this includes violence that is perpetrated by men against women, not only here in Australia but across the globe. There are 111 countries that have no repercussions for husbands who rape their wives, 45 countries do not have specific laws against domestic violence and 35 per cent of women globally have experienced sexual or physical violence. 'Surely,' I hear you say, 'Australia is immune from these dreadful statistics?' But in the last week alone the staggering figures of women who experienced intimate partner violence have again been brought home, here in Australia, in a devastating way. Words cannot describe the shock of the nation at the terrible event that occurred when Hannah Clarke and her beautiful children were set alight and killed by someone who should have been supporting and protecting them. Unfortunately, this event is not a horrible and tragic one-off. In Australia, one woman is killed every nine days by a partner or a former partner. One in six Australian women have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former partner. Every two minutes somewhere in Australia the police are called to a domestic violence incident. By highlighting and talking about this issue, it brings it out of the darkness and from behind closed doors, and we can work to understand it and then fix it. It should be the commitment of all governments to create and prioritise a safe, secure and equal status for women in our economy and our society. This year's International Women's Day 2020 theme mirrors that commitment. The campaign theme is #EachforEqual. The theme recognises that an equal world is an enabled world. Despite the dreadful statistics there is still much to celebrate on IWD. We can celebrate the fact that around the world more girls today are attending and completing school. Fewer are getting married or becoming mothers while still children. We can celebrate the fact that women are breaking boundaries and stereotypes across all walks of life all around the world and translating dreams to reality. I hope for a world where my daughters and yours are truly equal. Individually we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions all day, every day. 10:35 Ms WELLS 264121 Lilley Women are usually the first to celebrate the success of other women and to feel inspired by their achievements, but when it comes to our own successes we tend to see self-promotion as fairly unctuous bragging, and most prefer to downplay their work and to avoid bringing attention to their successes. Humility is a trait with many virtues, and it's a trait which many of us in this House could do to remember more often, but while we still live in a world where women are earning 14 per cent less than men for the same job, whilst doing 28 per cent more of the unpaid care of our littlest citizens and oldest citizens, we cannot afford to let each other be silent about our hard work and our success. The habit of steering clear of self-promotion is a learnt behaviour and is driven by societal, gender-based norms that expect modesty in women. It contributes to the self-promotion gap in Australia, where there is a perception that men in the workplace are more successful not because they actually are but because they are much better at telling each other, their colleagues and their bosses that they are. Before getting elected to this place, I used to work at a workplace with an 80 per cent women workforce, and I still found that stat to be true each and every day. I see the that member for Curtin is nodding. Obviously it is a truth universally common from east to west coast. We need to change how we look at talking about our achievements. Maybe the way to do it is to see making our work visible as an ultimately altruistic and supportive offering to other women that will encourage other women to speak up about their own successes, because only once we are willing to highlight our achievements can we be properly recognised for them. Today I stand in this place to celebrate and pay homage to the women in my electorate of Lilley who have been recognised by their peers for their dedication to community service and were part of the 2020 Lilley honours list. Rosslyn Davies has worked as an early childhood educator at C&K kindergarten in Nundah for over 30 years. Ros is passionate about getting her kindy kids out in nature and learning through play. She regularly goes above and beyond her duties as an educator, often spending hours of her own time at home getting art projects and lessons ready for the next day. When I met her, she was busy spending each and every evening gluing photo frames together at night in front of the television in order for the kids to paint for Father's Day gifts. Ros has done a great job getting families and the local community involved in the kindy by organising regular family picnic days and working bees to maintain the kindy gardens and facilities. In doing so she also maintains our community's cohesion. Ros, thank you for everything that you have done for our littlest citizens. Elma Amberger is a teacher at St Kevin's Catholic Primary School in Geebung. As if being a primary school teachers isn't admirable enough, Elma uses her weekends and holidays to work on making Saint Kevin's a more environmentally sustainable school. Some of the initiatives she has implemented at Saint Kevin's include promoting nude food to reduce single-use plastics, a tin can recycling system, composting, worm farms for garden fertilisers, sustainable gardens that produce crops and a chicken coop that encourages the kids to bring in scraps to feed their chickens. Elma, thank you for doing your part to save our planet and for thinking locally while acting globally every single day. Lizzie Ashton is a former employee of Wesley Mission in Chermside. Lizzie had barely retired in 2015 before she came back to volunteer at Wesley Mission. She runs 'cooking with Lizzie' twice a week to get residents involved in cooking, as well as regular bingo games, quizzes and fundraisers. Lizzie injects enthusiasm and energy into the life of the residents at Wesley Mission. Lizzie, thank you for bringing a smile to the faces of some of our eldest citizens on the north side. Carmela Baxter has used her entrepreneurial savvy to open the Silky Oak Espresso in Chermside West, a place I came to cherish while on parental leave. The cafe trains and employs vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our community who are trying to get back on their feet—like survivors of domestic violence, young adults transitioning from foster care and people who have been otherwise struggling to find work. Carmela, thank you for using your business to bring support and purpose to our young people on the north side, who often feel forgotten or left behind. Colette La Frantz has spent her career as a teacher and principal. Colette is also an active member of the Lions Club of the Brisbane inner-north chapter and a driving force behind some of the club's youth projects. She has spearheaded bravery awards for children with special needs and their supportive siblings. Colette, thank you for mentoring our next generation of activists and leaders. 10:40 Dr MARTIN 282982 Reid I rise today on the motion moved by the member for Newcastle. This week, on 8 March, we will mark International Women's Day. For the growing number of women in this place, International Women's Day is an opportunity for us as female leaders to celebrate the women in our communities and recognise the challenges that we still face collectively. The theme for 2020 is #EachforEqual. It calls on all of us, regardless of our gender, to celebrate women's achievement, raise awareness against bias and take action for equality. Much needs to be done to uproot entrenched gender inequities in our society. For Australia to prosper, we need to take further steps for women's economic security, health, reproductive rights and safety. While we have made significant gains in some areas of gender parity, other areas continue to leave a scar in our communities and across our country. High rates of family and domestic violence, sexual violence and harassment continue to disproportionately impact women. Since 2013 the coalition government has made ongoing investments, totalling $840 million, to prioritise women's safety. Much of this funding has been dedicated to funding front-line services, prevention strategies and providing safe places for people impacted by domestic and family violence. This investment includes a $60.4 million grants program to provide new or expanded emergency accommodation facilities for those escaping family and domestic violence. We've also expanded the role of the eSafety Commissioner to tackle online abuse and harassment. New tough civil penalties now exist for those posting or threatening to post any intimate image without consent. New criminal offences have been put in place for aggravated and repeated non-consensual image sharing. Abuse is abuse. Whether it occurs online or offline. Despite bipartisan efforts, violence against women and girls persists. Last week, many of us in this place spoke about the most horrific consequences of domestic violence—an issue which affects women at a disproportionate rate. In Australia, one in six women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a cohabiting partner since the age of 15. This means that 1.6 million women and girls right here in Australia are being impacted by gender based violence right now. The majority of men and women in our communities may feel overwhelmed by such devastating statistics. I spoke last week in this place about how understanding of domestic violence has expanded. The term now refers to abuse in the form of sexual, verbal, psychological, financial, and social abuse. Women and men are being armed with the understanding that abuse is not always physical or obvious but can be sustained and subtle. There are more complex challenges, of course, in the multicultural and linguistically diverse communities, where understanding acceptable behaviour in relationships can be a challenge. Ensuring that services to help and empower victims of domestic violence are accessible and available in community languages must remain a priority and that financial and social support is available to those who choose to leave unsafe circumstances. We must remember that each of us has the power to challenge attitudes that condone or dismiss violence. We have the power to challenge gender bias. We have the power to keep our friends and family accountable regarding the disrespect of women. We also have the power to reflect on the attitudes we ourselves were raised with and consider whether they truly support a vision of respect for all, regardless of their gender. An essential way to ensure women's safety is through empowering financial security and employment opportunities. Under the Morrison government, women's full-time employment and female participation in the workforce is reaching record highs. Last year, we delivered the Women's Economic Security Statement, investing $119 million to improve the financial security and independence of Australian women. Initiatives like the Future Female Entrepreneurs Program and the Boosting Female Founders start-up fund are supporting women to become entrepreneurs and access the finance they need to achieve their entrepreneurial goals. We're supporting women across STEM, economics, business and enterprise, so that more women can overcome gender biases and rightfully gain leadership positions in these industries based on their merits and skills. We have introduced more flexible paternal leave to give families more balanced caring responsibilities, and this has provided mothers with choices that suit their employment needs, if they choose to work. International Women's Day refocuses our efforts on gender equality as a central priority of this government. 10:45 Ms SHARKIE 265980 Mayo In the few minutes that it takes for me to deliver this speech, the police will have attended three separate calls in relation to family violence. By the time all speakers on this motion have concluded, that number will grow to 30 separate calls for family violence related incidents. By the end of today, the figures will grow to 723 separate calls—if not more, given that we know incidents of family violence spike following natural disasters and given that we know not all women report. Imagine if these were reports of suspected coronavirus infections. Would we as individuals, as a society and as a parliament respond differently? Ugly violence against women is far more deadly than the disease. A 2016 ANROWS study found intimate partner violence contributes to more illness, disability and premature death than any other risk factor in women aged 18 to 44, with an average of eight women hospitalised each day due to family violence. Arguably, the economic impact of family violence is equal to if not greater than the coronavirus too, with a 2016 KPMG report estimating $26 billion is lost each year as a consequence of violence against women and their children. Former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty issued a statement following the death of Hannah Clarke and her children in which she called on political leaders to think deeply about their leadership on this epidemic. In 2010, the then Julia Gillard government created the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. It was a historic moment that brought together state, territory and Commonwealth governments to address the scourge of family and sexual violence against women. The national plan was a clear demonstration of Australia's commitment to uphold the human rights of women, and that there can be no greater right than to feel safe and to be free from violence in all forms. But for our regional and rural communities feeling safe and free can be a challenge. Twenty-one per cent of women in rural and regional areas have experienced violence at the hands of an intimate partner, compared to 15 per cent of their urban counterparts. The problem is further compounded by the fact that women are unable to reach services due to a lack of both private and public transport options, and the closest services and support may be hundreds of kilometres away. In some communities, there is a view that family problems, such as domestic violence, should not be talked about outside of the home. This is perhaps reflected in some of the more disturbing statistics arising from the National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey, which show that many in our community still hold attitudes and beliefs that tolerate or excuse violence. Two in five Australians believe gender inequality is exaggerated and no longer a problem, and one in five Australians believe domestic violence is a normal reaction to stress and that sometimes a woman can make a man so angry he hits her without meaning to. Government alone cannot stop violence against women, but it can put in place the necessary frameworks to ensure that every single member of the public has the tools they need to uphold the fundamentals human right to feel safe and to be free from violence. The national plan and accompanying action plan strive to do that. I want to acknowledge the extraordinary work of ANROWS, the national centre for excellence and Our Watch, but we as individuals must acknowledge that everybody in our society has responsibility to tackle the attitudes and beliefs that give rise to violence against women and that we have a role to play in advancing gender equality and respect for women, because women will never be safe if they are not viewed as equals. As Rosie Batty said, this is a serious abuse of human rights in our advanced and privileged culture and must continue to be addressed as an absolute priority by both federal and state governments. So this Sunday we will recognise International Women's Day. I ask all in this chamber to pause and reflect and to think about the women who are not here to celebrate this day this year. Let us think about what we can do as a parliament collectively, all together, to bring change to this very important and concerning issue. 10:50 Ms BELL 282981 Moncrieff I agree with the members' sentiments. It's a pleasure to speak on this private members' motion to highlight the amazing achievements that have been made by women. This Sunday marks International Women's Day, a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. From women who are the backbone of families and communities to those who are visionary entrepreneurs and run million-dollar businesses on the Gold Coast, our women are engaged and they are strong. It's fitting that we celebrate their contribution on International Women's Day. As part of International Women's Day this year, I will attend the launch of the 2020 Gold Coast Women of the Year awards, present bid the Gold Coast Bulletin and host at the Star Gold Coast. Nominations will be open and represent a broad categories, including sport, education and entertainment. Last year the inaugural event included 359 nominations across eight categories at a sold-out luncheon. This shows the incredible support shown by the Gold Coast community to celebrate the achievements made by women who make a most valuable contribution to our city. The 2019 winner was the former Bleach* CEO and artistic director, Louise Bezzina, for her incredible work in the events sector, a key pillar on the Gold Coast. Last week I spoke in parliament about the fantastic women in Gold Coast sport and the launch of the first women's national team, the Gold Coast Suns, in the AFLW. We live in a momentous time for women's sport across our country, with women's T20 cricket recently achieving pay parity and women's surfing achieving equal pay. It's important that we celebrate women's sport, particularly given some of the challenges they face, including access to facilities and funding, and social and cultural barriers. We've heard before that you cannot be what you cannot see, and many Australians look to sports stars as leaders in our society. That's why their behaviour as role models is so important. To all those young girls out there: if you have yet watched our fabulous new sport stars, I encourage you to tune in to the AFL Women's and cheer on the Gold Coast Suns women's team. The Gold Coast is the small business capital of the Australia. In my electorate alone there are over 32,000 of them. It's so important to support small business and celebrate their success, and I want to take the opportunity to highlight the achievements and immense contributions that women-led businesses make to both the Gold Coast and the Australian economy. Locally, in Surfers Paradise, I had the privilege of meeting with women leaders with the Minister for small and family business, Senator Michaelia Cash. I met with them on a second occasion when I hosted a roundtable discussion with the Minister for Women, Senator Marise Payne. It was the first time in history female leaders in business on the Gold Coast had the opportunity to meet with the Liberal Minister for Women. These women have been successful across many industries, including manufacturing, health, law and the automotive sector. I would like to pay special mention to the Women in Business Awards of Australia and Queensland Women in Business CEO Karen Phillips, who has been instrumental in unearthing the depth and breadth of the growing cohort of female leaders in our city. Her work through these awards has encouraged ambition, empowered confidence and inspired women leaders now and into the future. These awards support and promote the exceptional work women are doing in the business community. Last year the winners from my electorate were Lucy Johnston, Renee Tocco, Andrea Lewis and Samantha Reynolds. I congratulate all of them on winning the 2019 prize. The Morrison government backs Australian women, expands their choices and delivers more opportunities. Under our government we've created more than 1.5 million jobs through the hard work of Australians each and every day. The majority of these have actually been taken up by women. Women's workforce participation is at a record high of just over 61 per cent, and the gender pay gap is now at a record low of 14 per cent. We've achieved equality in the number of women and men in the Australian Senate for the first time in history, and there are very many more women in the class of 2019 than there were at the last election. I'm very pleased to say we've moved within cooee of equal representation on government boards. As of 30 June last year, women held 47.9 per cent of positions. That is an all-time high. It's, in fact, the highest percentage of women in government boards since public reporting began in 2009. Of course, we must keep fighting against domestic violence to change the attitudes of those who offend and work towards zero deaths. To close, I would like to commend the Morrison government on the work it has done to prioritise secure, fair and equal status for women. Perhaps we can look forward to a day when 'women in business' awards and roundtable discussions on how we can support women are no longer required. I wish women across Moncrieff, across the Gold Coast and of course across our great country a very happy and celebratory International Women's Day. 10:55 Dr HAINES 282335 Indi I thank the member for Newcastle for her motion. For over a century, International Women's Day has recognised and celebrated the achievements of women, and we should celebrate. Women have come so far in spite of the cultural and institutional barriers holding us back. We get a step closer to equality each year. But this year I'm not in the celebrating mood. The horrific murders of Hannah, and Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey by their husband and father respectively make platitudes about female empowerment ring a bit hollow for me. At the candlelight vigil held here in their honour last week, we sang 'Amazing Grace'. When words fail, sometimes there is only a song. There were no words that could properly condemn those terrible crimes. The deaths of Hannah and her children are just one example of this epidemic in our society. As a nurse and a midwife, I met countless women experiencing family violence. One in six Australian women has experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or previous partner. For some women, the very first time they experience this violence is during pregnancy. Since I last spoke in this place about violence against women, exactly two months ago, 24 women have been killed according to Counting Dead Women Australia researchers. One woman is killed every nine days. Family violence is as regular as clockwork, and what makes the news is just the smallest tip of the iceberg. 'Why didn't she just leave?' people ask. For people experiencing family violence, leaving may not feel like much of an option. She might have nowhere to go. She might work part time or not at all, and her income isn't enough. Her family may not believe her, and he's gaslit her into sometimes not believing herself. He's threatened to post that video or kill that dog. Leaving can be a risk that involves weighing up the odds of your own life. If she does leave, there can be a huge financial cost. It costs money to change the locks, break the lease, repair the property damage and pay off the joint credit cards. She may need to pay a lawyer or try her luck with an understaffed and underfunded free service. Maybe she'll go to the police. She might wait hours in court in a queue of women in the same boat for a scrap of paper meant to protect her. And this is just the beginning. Family violence can have long-term impacts on health, wellbeing, education, relationships and housing. In my electorate of Indi, we have a fantastic network of services to support women escaping abuse. Their hallmark is their collaborative partnerships which provide a holistic, trauma-informed and client-centric safety net. The Hume Riverina Community Legal Service has embedded a family violence lawyer, Jodie Wells, within the Centre Against Violence in Wangaratta and Wodonga to help women and children with legal issues, including family violence, protection orders, family law, property, child support and victims of crime applications. Other services working hard to support women include Women's Health Goulburn North East, Ovens Murray Integrated Family Violence Network, Upper Murray Family Care, Gateway Health, Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service, Intereach, YES Unlimited and its women's centre, as well as government agencies, the courts and police. The demand on these services is immense. The family violence lawyer is funded for only two days per week and she'll see 20 clients per day. Legal Aid fees are so low that private lawyers lose money doing family violence cases. Without a Victorian Legal Aid office in my electorate, Hume Riverina Community Legal Service is the only provider of onsite free legal service. Each year they turn away hundreds of people due to capacity and conflict issues. The number of people accessing services due to family, domestic and sexual violence continues to rise. Properly funding these services that support women fleeing family violence is absolutely critical. No woman should be turned away, especially given what it takes for her to get there. If there is somewhere to go that can help when they need it, deciding to leave is made easier. Yet, women have come so far. Only 28 years ago rape in marriage was still legal in South Australia, 15 years ago the defence of provocation still allowed a man to escape conviction for murdering his wife, and only three years ago the Me Too movement swept the world. But the most dangerous place for women is still the home. I call upon the government to properly fund these services to improve Australian women's safety and physical security and then give us something to truly celebrate. 11:00 Mrs ARCHER 282237 Bass Thank you to all of those who have spoken today ahead of International Women's Day on Sunday. I stand here today as the first female Liberal member for Bass and only the fourth female in the history of the seat—not much balance there, I would say, but some progress. At the UN International Women's Day breakfast, the PM noted that for the first time in the parliament's history there are equal numbers of men and women in the Australian Senate, and I'm proud to stand among the growing number of women from all sides in this place. But I look forward to a day when we don't have to discuss it. In 2020, we have a long, long way to go. As long as women and girls in this country continue to suffer physical, emotional and financial abuse in outrageous numbers, true gender equity remains out of reach. The shocking murder of Hannah Clarke and her children is a horrifying reminder of the work that we still need to do. We should be outraged. We should be outraged that what Hannah endured before her death is not the exception for so many in this country; it's the norm. The lifelong impact of being on the receiving end of such abuse, or a witness to it, cannot be underestimated. Trauma leads to lifelong economic, social and mental health challenges for those impacted. In my first speech I made it clear that addressing the scourge of family and domestic violence was a priority for me. There is not a corner of this country that does not hold the shadow of this issue. I will not stand here today and pay lip-service. This issue is a deeply personal one. Even though I consider myself to be more than just a statistic, I am one of the one in five women who experience sexual violence before the age of 15. I was groomed and sexually assaulted for almost a decade from the age of eight and grew up in a household of abuse, fear and control. I survived, but it has impacted on my entire life since. It must change. We can't speak of gender equity and ending bias without addressing violence in all its forms against women and their children. It's only when we can directly hear the powerful stories of survivors that we can truly begin to understand the quantum of the problem. In my home state, sexual assault survivors are gagged by Tasmanian state law from being able to share their experiences in the media. One incredible young Tasmanian woman, Grace Tame, is fighting to change this. Grace was just 15 years old when she was repeatedly raped by her teacher, Nicolaas Bester. Grace has had to fight for years to allow her story to be told, eventually winning a court order allowing her to speak. Standing with Grace has been the incredible Nina Funnell, creator of the Let Her Speak campaign. Together they are leading the fight to change the legislation which is currently under review. I urge the state government to make that change. It's ironic then that while Grace had to fight to have her voice heard the man who preyed upon her was given an audience in a sympathetic interview with Bettina Arndt, in which she suggested that Grace was 'sexually provocative' towards Bester and has suggested that young women need to 'behave sensibly and not exploit their seductive power to ruin the lives of men'. I have no issue with advocacy and support for men, but Ms Arndt's actions are not that. They do a disservice to good men. They are apologies for predators and are barriers to change. We must do more. This requires commitment and collaboration from governments, the community and individuals. Funding for vital support is part of the answer, but a commitment to changing the entrenched ideas of our society and eliminating violence should be the wider goal. We know that at the core of gender inequity and bias in all its forms is a basic lack of respect. This was powerfully highlighted by a video released last week. Be alady, narrated by actress Cynthia Nixon, unpacks the many layered and confusing messages that girls and women receive on a daily basis: dress modestly; don't be a temptress; don't be so provocative; you're asking for it. To my own three daughters and to the women and girls of Australia I say this: stand up, make your voice heard and keep fighting for change. And to everyone I say: if you want to see change, let her speak and listen to her voice. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 203092 The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles Project 12 11:05 Mr PEARCE 282306 Braddon I move: That the House: (1) notes that new Defence projects such as the Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles built under the $5 billion LAND 400 Phase 2 Mounted Combat Reconnaissance Capability program support the development of defence industry and small business in electorates across Australia; (2) supports job creation in construction and sustainment; (3) recognises this project presents an exciting opportunity for Australian industry to play a vital role in delivering leading-edge capability and technology to Australia’s army; and (4) acknowledges the Government’s significant $200 billion investment in Australia’s defence capability. The Morrison government's No. 1 priority is to keep Australians safe. It was a commitment made in 2013 and it has continued to be at the forefront of our consideration ever since. An important part of delivering on this commitment is the unprecedented investment of more than $200 billion in Australia's defence capability over the next 10 years. This represents the largest investment in the Australian Defence Force in decades. This year, the defence budget will restore back to two per cent of GDP. Again, this represents another example of us being true to our word and meeting our commitment that we made back in 2013. The Australian government is investing over $5.2 billion to build 211 Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicles. I joined the Australian Army in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War in the mid-80s. We were still using very much conventional war-fighting. Basically, there was a line drawn and everyone on the wrong side of the line was the enemy. Today, however, the threat of terrorism—with a threat of guerrilla-style warfare and escalated low-level operations—has meant our war-fighter is now working in towns and cities amongst civilians. So the reduction of collateral is absolutely paramount. It is also important that our war-fighters are protected by a defensive platform. In this case, it's light armoured vehicles. These vehicles will allow the war-fighter to engage targets, to defend against improvised explosive devices, roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenade-style warfare. At the same time, it will reduce the level of collateral damage in an urban environment. Importantly, the new style of equipment will provide a posture. Its mere presence engenders respect—and that again is important for our war-fighters. This is a significant Army capability and force multiplier that will enhance the safety, security and protection of Australian troops for the next 30 years. This investment will also support Australia's prosperity. The program represents an exciting opportunity for Australian industry to play a vital role in delivering leading-edge defence capability and technology to the Australian Army. Our government's investment decisions in defence capability are complemented through a comprehensive defence industry, which supports jobs and investment right across our country, including in my electorate of Braddon, in Tasmania. Contracts have been signed with Rheinmetall Defence Australia to deliver and support 211 Boxer vehicles, creating 450 jobs across the country. The build of these vehicles has commenced. In September last year Rheinmetall signed a subcontract with Direct Edge, a company based in South Burnie on the north-west coast of Tasmania. Direct Edge will supply prototype bracketry for the first 25 vehicles. The project will generate up to 10 jobs in that small business and, as a result, $15 million worth of investment into our region. Congratulations to Diane Edgerton, the CEO of Direct Edge, Damien Smith, the production manager, and all the team at Direct Edge. There is enormous potential for business in my region, including in the defence industries. We already see this happening with businesses like a Penguin Composites and Elphinstone Underground. This is a great project, well delivered and engaging local businesses, that will provide prosperity for not only our Australian Defence Force but also Australian business. I commend this motion to the House. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 203092 Is the motion seconded? Mr van Manen 188315 I second the motion and reserve my right to speak. 11:10 Mr KEOGH 249147 Burt In recent weeks the Morrison government has been caught out time and time again. This government made an election promise of about 1,500 jobs to Queensland as part of the Land 400 phase 2 project. However, last week we found out that only 330 jobs would be going to that state. This government has developed a habit of trying to buy votes through misleading the Australian people. This, like the sports rorts scandal, has had but one objective: to buy an election result. It's not to develop a plan for this country, not to heave us out of the economic slumber that we are currently in, not to get more people into work, not to develop our sovereign defence industry capability but just to manipulate the Australian people into electing them for another three years. This, like many other election commitments, was merely a stab in the dark at buying some votes with the thought that they wouldn't actually have to follow through. There was an expectation set by the Prime Minister, and those LNP members from Queensland, that Queensland would be getting the lion's share of jobs from Land 400 phase 2's $5 billion contract. In the lead-up to the election, in fact as recently as August 2019, the Prime Minister told The Courier-Mail that he expected most of the predicted 1,400 jobs of that stage would go to Queensland. In fact, only 20 per cent of these jobs are heading to the sunshine state. We know that this is yet another example of #Scotty from Marketing nabbing a headline and being loose with the truth. The spin over substance has left the people of Queensland without many of the much needed, valued jobs that they need in the defence industry space. It's yet another example of this government using the defence space as a partisan ATM rather than creating a sovereign capability, building a self-sustaining defence industry workforce and capability. The government claims that they're making a $200 billion investment in Australian defence capability, but last week it was revealed that instead of the money being spent on new equipment, technology and infrastructure for our defence force some is being spent on internal departmental salaries, sexual assault victim compensation, pollution clean-up and keeping the Defence department's IT systems barely running. This program is meant to be used to ensure our defence personal have the equipment and capability to keep our nation safe. Instead, they are quietly siphoning off money from this budget to cover their running expenses. They are, indeed, robbing Peter to pay Paul. This government is not serious about job creation, and it is not serious about maintaining and growing our Australian defence industry. Last week Naval Group revealed it will spend nearly 60 per cent of the value of the Future Submarine contract in Australia, but nobody can confirm if or when it will be an enforceable contractual requirement. You can't trust a word this government has to say about the Future Submarine project. The government has been crafty. They say they are spending 60 per cent of the contract cash in Australia, but they mask the fact that the cash will go towards things like hotels, removalists, travel agents, linguists and—wait for it—even the South Australian agricultural society! I've got nothing against agricultural societies; the Kelmscott Agricultural Society in my electorate is one of the oldest in the country. But I fail to see how an agricultural society can contribute to the Australian content required for building submarines let alone developing sovereign capability. Maybe an underwater petting zoo will be included in these submarines, or is the government proposing to develop more killer rabbits of Caerbannog, in which case let's hope that our enemies haven't developed the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch! I've spent a lot of time recently meeting with small and medium Australian businesses from across the nation who are working in the defence space. They've all been telling me the same thing: they have no confidence this in this government supporting them in their industry—in job creation and opportunity, as products continue to be purchased off the shelf rather than being made here and businesses are told that they don't have the experience or the workforce to be able to do major defence industry work despite previously supplying the Defence Force—because they simply aren't getting the opportunity when they're put up against outsourced, overseas industry. Australian businesses are continuously being shown that there should be opportunities but then are locked out, time and time again. So I thank the member for Braddon for putting forward this motion that provides the opportunity to speak on the lack of support that this government has been providing to Australian defence industry or to developing our sovereign capability for our defence force industry support, sustainment, procurement and build. 11:15 Mr TED O'BRIEN 138932 Fairfax What absolute rot and untruth from the Labor Party. Time and time again they come into this chamber and they do the same. Firstly, I acknowledge the 20 years of service from the member for Braddon, who has put forward this motion on defence procurement. I thank him and other men and women who have given themselves in service to our military and to the people of Australia. It is a pleasure to support a motion put forward by him. It is not at all surprising that Labor again drivel untruths to try to tell a story. We know that Labor's spend on defence when they were in office—1.5 per cent of GDP—was actually lower than before World War 2. That is an absolute and utter disgrace. It takes a coalition government, the only side of politics that happens to know how to run an economy, to be able to ensure that defence spending is lifted. Defence spending has been lifted to be on track to two per cent of GDP. Part of that is the largest recapitalisation program that this country has seen in a long, long time, and part of that recapitalisation program is for the Army. Within the Army is the Land program, and within Land of course is Land 400 phase 2, which is the building of 211 combat reconnaissance vehicles. It is the largest contract in the history of the Australian Army. It was won by Rheinmetall and is to be delivered through Queensland. Clearly, Labor have a problem with Queensland because of what happened in last year's federal election. If you don't get support from Queensland at the election you have no right to stand in this chamber and try to suggest that something be taken away from Queensland. It is a cheap trick to try to penalise the very state that didn't give you support. It is absolutely no coincidence that they stand up, opposing companies in Queensland that will benefit from this job. One of the wonderful things about the way that this government has run procurement has been to make sure that small and medium businesses reap rewards, and that is precisely what is going to be happen with a particularly high Australian industry content out of this program. We're talking about a $5 billion procurement project that will probably have at least that amount of spending on its sustainment and through-life support. We know that through the Rheinmetall job about 330 Queenslanders will be directly employed to deliver on these reconnaissance vehicles. We also know that it will be up to 450 when you account for people based at Rheinmetall headquarters. Is this the largest contribution of jobs through that contract throughout the country? Yes, it is. Queensland does win big time out of Rheinmetall. Indeed, Land 400 phase 2 establishes not only a large contract for our Army but the capability of our local industry, through which we can not only ensure the transfer of intellectual property from Germany but also build deep expertise that will go into new products that we can export. Those opposite don't like that idea. They don't like that idea, because Queensland, which obviously did not support them in last year's federal election, is the big winner of Land 400 phase 2 jobs. They like to tell mistruths. They like to misuse numbers. They misused numbers again with the 'over 1,400 jobs at the peak of manufacturing and sustainment' comment. They know that the jobs which can be divvied up and specified by state, with Queensland getting 330, are for the procurement piece, but the big, high-level number of over 1,400 at the peak includes sustainment, for which there has not been a breakdown. Again, this is Labor mistruths. Here's the rub. With support of the Queensland LNP team, colleagues on this side of the House—with not a word from those on the other side—helped advocate to ensure that the single-largest contract in the history of the Australian Army came to Queensland. It is our state that is building that expertise. It is our state that will win. It is our state that will get the jobs. If Labor have a problem with it then they should tell us exactly where they want those jobs to go, if not Queensland. 11:20 Mr GOSLING 245392 Solomon It's an honour to speak on the procurement of the Land 400 phase 2 combat reconnaissance vehicles for the Australian Army because investments like these keep Australian soldiers safe. The German Boxer eight-by-eight CRV will replace the ASLAVs that have seen continuous operational service since 1996. I pay credit to the ASLAVs because back in the early 1990s, as the 2nd Calvary Regiment moved north to the Robertson Barracks in Darwin, they received the ASLAVs and then when Timor erupted in 1999 the ASLAVs were put into service and have been continually in service, with upgrades that provide greater protection for the crew, in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have performed a very important role for our nation in keeping our people safe. These new generation Boxers will operate in high-threat operations, ranging from peacekeeping through to close combat operations. It's vital that our soldiers have the best available kit to not only protect them but enable mission success. It's also excellent that they're going to be equipped with very potent weapon systems, like the Israeli Rafael Spike long-range antitank guided missile, which has a range out to four kilometres. Again this will keep our people safe. I welcome that Rheinmetall will base its regional headquarters as well as its manufacturing hub in south-eastern Queensland. It's important, as a matter of principle, that we keep and grow our onshore defence manufacturing capabilities. Of course, principles, by their very definition, are universal. With that in mind, I'd like to read two lines of this motion that has been moved in the House. It states that this House: (2) supports job creation in construction and sustainment; (3) recognises this project presents an exciting opportunity for Australian industry to play a vital role in delivering leading-edge capability and technology to Australia's army … These are praiseworthy aims. It's important that this House supports job creation in construction and sustainment and the local defence industry everywhere around the country, including of course Queensland, WA, SA and the Northern Territory, where I'm from and where such noble principles espoused by the federal government often die in a ditch. The Top End plays an important role in keeping our nation safe and strengthening our alliance with our US allies. The government's $1.1 billion program of infrastructure upgrades at RAAF Base Tindal is a case in point. Making sure Territorians can tender for these works is the least Canberra can do for our Territory businesses. As part of the promised $20 billion of defence funding in northern Australia over coming decades, $737 million has been committed to upgrade the Tindal airfield, extend the runway and build extra fuel storage facilities. The government has said that an additional $437 million will go towards engineering services on the base for power, water, sewerage and 108 new live-in units for our defence personnel. The United States Department of Defense reportedly also plans to spend more than $400 million on developing naval and air force facilities in the Northern Territory over the next few years. It's very important that Territorians are able to have a go at that work and are able to tender to allow local companies and workers to benefit from these huge projects. The Minister for Defence Industry, Melissa Price, has guaranteed that defence's managing contractor will be required to maximise the involvement of local industry from the Katherine region and wider Northern Territory. She said that hundreds of locals will benefit from subcontract packages and supply chain work. For those companies, I draw your attention to the fact that a public information session will be held on 4 March in Darwin, to allow companies to ask questions about what is involved and how they might get a look-in. I mention my concerns about whether Territory companies will be able to get a look-in because, to my great disappointment and that of many members of the Territory business community, a defence contract in Darwin has been given to a state owned foreign company, when at least three local companies could have done that work. We are right to have our concerns about this. (Time expired) 11:25 Mr WALLACE 265967 Fisher I want to acknowledge the military service that my colleagues, both on this side and the other, have provided to their country. It's an absolute pleasure to stand and speak on this motion of the member for Braddon's. The last speaker, the member for Solomon, had a different slant. I want to congratulate him, by and large, for his views on this motion, as opposed to the previous speaker, the member for Burt, who is also the shadow defence industry minister. The member for Burt came into this place and started lecturing us about defence procurement. He is from a party that did not build one ship—not one ship. It's very interesting to see that just in the last week we celebrated with the defence minister the NUSHIP Sydney being delivered to the Royal Australian Navy. The Royal Australian Navy took possession of NUSHIP Sydney, the final three of the air warfare destroyers, which will no doubt serve this country terrifically in the years to come. Returning to the motion at hand, this Rheinmetall project—which, as we all know, is being provided to Queensland to be built in Queensland—will provide jobs not just for Queensland. I'm pleased to see the member for Oxley in here. The military defence centre of excellence, where the vehicles will be built, is in his electorate. Good luck him and good luck to the people of Ipswich. I would've liked those jobs in Fisher, but, there you go. The member for Oxley will no doubt stand up here today and talk about how great this program is: jobs for the good people of Ipswich, jobs for the good people of South East Queensland and jobs for Australians. There are those opposite—I'm sure the member for Oxley won't be one of them—who stand in this place and say that the government only provides jobs for coalition members' electorates. Well, the member for Oxley will no doubt stand up here in a few short moments and talk about how wonderful this is for his electorate. Mr Dick interjecting— Mr WALLACE 265967 I take the interjection from the member for Oxley. He's already done it. I congratulate him for his honesty. It'd be great to see that sort of honesty replicated by all those opposite. This is a $5 billion project, just in the initial build. Over its lifetime sustainment it's $15 billion of defence procurement that will ensure sovereign capability for Australia, because that's what this is all about. Through the 2016 Defence white paper, Mr Deputy Speaker Zimmerman, you would no doubt be aware that this government has seen a shift in defence industry procurement. No longer are we, as a government, prepared to just buy equipment off the shelf. We want to see Australians get good, meaningful, hi-tech jobs and there's no better way to do that than through defence industry procurement. This government, through that 2016 white paper, has announced $200 billion of defence industry local builds. Yes, there will be some products that are purchased overseas. We're not, at this stage in our country, able to build our own fighter aircraft, although we are providing domestic material that goes into that supply chain across the world. But we have made a very conscious decision to increase our Australian industry content. We will continue to do that. Land 400 phase 2 is a classic example of that. I congratulate the government on its Land 400 phase 3 project, which has just recently gone out. I know the minister is doing some terrific work in the community. If you're interested in small business, get in. Now is your chance to get into that next phase. 11:30 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland I intend, in my five minutes, to talk about the last part of this motion, the Integrated Investment Program. This government likes to brag about that program, but this government is already cutting that program. This government has already cut $5.2 billion out of that program a mere 3½ years since announcing it. We've seen a $1.2 billion cut through omitted schedule delays. We've seen $566 million spent on PFAS remediation. We've seen $560 million diverted to wages blowout. We've seen $465 million diverted to an ICT blowout. We've seen $165 million diverted to compensation for Defence's response to the royal commission into child sexual abuse. The last two of those, and the PFAS remediation, are really important topics and they deserve support, but not out of Defence's capital budget. The government can't talk about this spend in the Integrated Investment Program if it's then going to use it as a honeypot to spend on other things. The government have made a commitment to the country that they will be spending this money on defence capital acquisition, but they've already breached this commitment. This is made much worse by their mismanagement of the projects. This government likes to brag about how much money it's spending in defence capital acquisition, but it is wasting so much of it. They cannot manage defence procurement. They have an awful track record. Their last government, under Prime Minister Howard, mismanaged the Seasprite helicopter project so badly that it had to be cancelled. We spent $1½ billion on a helicopter and missiles that weren't delivered. Sadly, it has got worse under this particular iteration of the coalition government. They have 36 major defence projects that are running cumulatively 74 years late. Seventy-four years worth of delay across 36 major projects. That is an average of over two years of delay to each of these projects. That means that the Australian Defence Force is not getting the equipment they need when they need it, because of this government's mismanagement. This means that the ADF is making do with outdated equipment because this government can't manage defence acquisition. It's not just the ADF that suffers; it's Australian taxpayers that suffer, because these 36 major projects also have a cumulative $10.3 billion worth of budget blowout. Seventy-four years of delay and $10.3 billion of budget blowout. There's a simple reason for this: the revolving door of defence ministers. Sadly, this government has been in power for a bit over six years and they've had five different defence ministers. Seriously, goldfish have an average life expectancy greater than defence ministers in this government. On average, about one defence minister every 14 months. The latest one is a doozy. This defence minister, Senator Reynolds, had a total ministerial career of five weeks before being appointed defence minister. Five weeks! I'm sure it was a very fruitful five weeks, where she really got to grips with the challenging role of a minister. That's not discounting her role and contribution in other roles, but quite frankly you do need to actually have some experience as a minister, and in particular a cabinet minister, before you take on such an important portfolio as defence. Five weeks as a minister before becoming defence minister! What we have seen is a complete step back from this government in terms of oversight of defence. They've had three ministerial projects of concern summits in 6½ years. They've watered down the projects of concern process, which is a key oversight mechanism for making sure that projects are delivered on time and on budget. We have seen that. There have been 36 major projects delayed 74 years. There is a 37-month delay in the landing helicopter dock. There are 29 months in the MRH-90, 44 months in deployable air traffic management, 42 months in Defence satellites, 40 months for special operations vehicles force the commandos, 28 months for ADF IFF and 18 months for Hercules upgrade. Only this last week we learned about a 12-month delay to JORN, the Jindalee Operational Radar Network, a key early-warning system for this country. This government likes to brag about how much money it's allocated to Defence. They've already cut $5.2 billion from the integrated investment plan and they've already mismanaged so many projects because each of their defence ministers has training wheels on. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 203092 The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. Jewish Australian Internet Radio 16 11:35 Mr TIM WILSON IMW Goldstein I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) the Jewish Australian Internet Radio (J-AIR) is an outstanding broadcasting service that brings together Jewish culture, news, analysis, music, comedy, personalities and performers for audiences in Melbourne and through the internet; (b) since 2014, the volunteers at J-AIR have worked tirelessly to give Jewish people a voice and provide awareness of the ongoing safety and security challenges faced by Melbourne's Jewish community; (c) as demonstrated by the 2019 Executive Council of Australian Jewry report, the character of anti-Semitism has worsened in Australia and services like J-AIR play a crucial security role; (d) J-AIR has begun working closely with the Community Security Group (CSG) to combat the rise of anti-Semitism and ensure the safety and security of the Jewish community in Victoria; and (e) the absence of a community broadcasting licence limits the capacity of J-AIR to fulfil these critical functions; and (2) calls on the Australian Communications and Media Authority to consider the new relationship with the CSG and allocate J-AIR a community broadcasting licence in the Melbourne Radio Licence Area. J-AIR is one of the most important social institutions in Melbourne's Jewish community. It's an incredibly important part of the social fabric because it provides many Jewish Australians in our community, across Australia and overseas through the internet with the opportunity to directly hear about the issues that affect Jewish Australians. It is particularly important for those who may not have access to newspapers like The Australian Jewish News, so they can be aware of updates and events that make sure that Australia's Jewish community is well represented and well heard. It's an incredibly important part of the social fabric of the Jewish community because it provides an opportunity where people can hear those voices. It started in 2014, when J-AIR Founder Rob Bontschek and a dedicated group of volunteers built the station from the ground up. Since going to air in 2014, J-AIR has been transmitting on 87.8 megahertz, a low-power narrowcasting station from the Glen Eira Town Hall, and is an authorised user from a third party. Over time it has been consistently successful in delivering and achieving aspirations and its goals. There have been a number of important community organisations that have a direct relationship with J-AIR to get to the issues that affect Melbourne's Jewish community out to the community. These include the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the community service group of Victoria, the Zionist Federation, Zionism Victoria, United Israel Appeal, the Jewish National Fund, Magen David Adom, Maccabi Victoria and Bialik College, amongst many. Of course it has received significant community financial support, including from the Bendigo Bank foundation, the Besen Family Foundation, the City of Glen Eira, Peachtree Capital and River Capital. Many people, including members of this chamber, will have been on J-AIR to talk about the issues that affect the Australian Jewish community. I myself have been on many times, talking to the Jewish community about important issues like free speech and why that's central for a liberal democracy, as well as updates in this chamber and our important relationship with one of our most allies, Israel. But one of the challenges that J-AIR has always faced has been around access to spectrum to be able to broadcast Jewish culture into the Australian context through a proper broadcast medium. They have constantly and unsuccessfully lobbied ACMA and regulators to make sure that they have access to spectrum to have a permanent home. Since then, it's been facing challenges around whether it's going to be able to receive the spectrum so that it can make sure it continues to broadcast to the general community. This poses challenges not just because of issues of reach but because of the viability of the station itself. Once the broadcast spectrum issue is satisfactorily resolved with the help of ACMA, J-AIR may be in a position to continue to provide services into the future. I am very happy to see the member for Macnamara and the member for Higgins, amongst others, in the chamber. They are all supporting this push to make sure that J-AIR has a permanent spectrum home, because it will enable it to continue its important and vital work for the community. Of course, there are options available to ACMA. Only recently, since January 2020, Western Radio Broadcasters Inc. surrendered its licence to provide a long-term broadcasting service in that community. Consequently, 97.4 MHz frequency has become available in Melbourne's west, RA1 licence area. ACMA, of course, is considering what they are going to do with this licence. It would provide an avenue and an opportunity to enable J-AIR to find a permanent home. It isn't a perfect solution, but it might be part of a sustainable solution into the future—because making sure that every part of our community is represented in the media and that people have an avenue and an opportunity for their voices to be heard is critical. Australia's community is blessed and enriched by the incredible Jewish heritage and culture traditions that inform the fullness of the Australian way of life. J-AIR provides a critical role as part of that rich social fabric so that Jewish Australians can hear the voices and the issues of concern to them. I'm very proud to represent the third-largest Jewish community in Australia, divided between Macnamara and Goldstein as well as Higgins. We're very proud to support this important community organisation, to support its ongoing broadcasting to support our fellow Australians. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 00AMT Is there a seconder for the motion? Mr van Manen 188315 I second the motion and reserve my right to speak. 11:41 Mr BURNS 278522 Macnamara I'm very pleased to follow the member for Goldstein on this important motion and I commend him for bringing it to this place. I also acknowledge the member for Higgins, who is in this place today, who will be supporting the motion, and the member for Eden-Monaro, who is also here, who has been a longstanding and true friend of the Australian Jewish community. Community radio is not just a place for journalists to find and craft their skills; it is also a place for politicians as well. The very first radio interview I did was way back in 2014 when I was a candidate in the state election for the Australian Labor Party—the mighty Australian Labor Party—and I was taking on the member for Caulfield, Mr David Southwick. It was a very safe Liberal seat back then. It's much less safe now. I went on Mates at 8, believe it or not, with my good friends Daniel and Ariel. That was my first radio interview. That was on J-AIR in the very first year it began. J-AIR is a wonderful, local community radio station. It is a place where ideas are spoken about, not just in relation to the Jewish community but also the wider community and our local community. We have a huge Jewish community in Macnamara, but they are also spread across Melbourne and the country, which is why it is nice to see so many of my follow parliamentarians supporting this motion. Today I'm a frequent guest on J-AIR. I especially acknowledge Talking to the Max, with my good friend Gary Max, on a Wednesday morning. He puts me through my paces on a Wednesday morning on all of the local politics of the day. Then, of course, there's my old friend Hanna Baum. She does TheBaum Interviewsandbroadcasts them on Thursday mornings. I believe they are re-run on Sunday night, so if you miss them you can catch them again on Sundays. J-AIR is a wonderful story that began in 2014. It has been broadcasting on 87.8. Robert Bontschek helped found it, along with many volunteers. I also want to acknowledge Sean Meltzer, who was crucial in the early days of setting it up. It used to be broadcast on top of a factory in Oakley before it moved to its current home in Caulfield, in conjunction with a low-power open narrowcasting frequency over the top of Glen Eira council. But, as the member for Goldstein touched on, the current arrangement is being negotiated through a company called Trycycle Pty Ltd. At 87.8, J-AIR is currently on a month-by-month contract. What that means is that Trycycle is looking to consolidate all of the 87.8 frequencies that are on the low-power open narrowcasting—that is, all the localised different versions of 87.8. Obviously at the moment, on a month-by-month contract, it is very difficult for J-AIR to plan, to go to sponsors, to go to a range of other community organisations, many of whom, as the member for Goldstein pointed out—but of course there is the generosity of a lot of the philanthropists and people who sponsor our community organisations, who do an amazing job. It is difficult to plan for the future when you're only on a month-by-month contract. It can be your last month of broadcasting. For an organisation like J-AIR that is particularly difficult. I would hope they can be afforded a more permanent home by ACMA. Finally, one of the reasons why J-AIR is so important is because it's not just the permanent shows that people go on, some of whom I agree with, some of whom I have strong editorial differences with—as the old saying goes, if you have two Jewish people, you have three opinions!—but also because they cover a lot of the community events locally. Coming up we have the In One Voice festival in a couple of weeks, which is the largest Jewish cultural and arts festival in Elsternwick. J-AIR will be there. I support this motion. I support J-AIR getting a permanent home, and I support the member for Goldstein in his efforts to bring J-AIR closer to a permanent home. 11:46 Dr ALLEN 282986 Higgins I rise to support the member for Goldstein's motion to support J-AIR, Melbourne's Jewish radio station, which broadcasts over the internet to Melbourne audiences, including the wonderful Jewish community in my electorate of Higgins. J-AIR also operates on narrowcast radio frequency 87.8 to the Caulfield area. Community radio plays a vital role within Melbourne and across Australia and adds to the many unique cultures that Melbourne and Australia is famous for. We have 3XY Radio Hellas serving the Greek community right across Australia. LightFM provides a positive and family friendly alternative. We also have Joy FM to celebrate and support the LGBTI community. Included in Melbourne's community radio scene is J-AIR. J-AIR Melbourne facilitates cross-cultural exchange and promotes an understanding of Australian Jewish culture and life, by giving the Jewish people of Melbourne a voice in the wider community. It gives the wider Melbourne population an opportunity to hear and be educated about the Jewish point of view. J-AIR was started by a group of dedicated volunteers who set up in the Glen Eira town hall in 2014. It brings Jewish culture, news, analysis, music, comedy, personalities and performers together to offer well-rounded services for the Jewish community in Melbourne. However, I was saddened to read the Executive Council of Australian Jewry's Report on antisemitism in Australia 2019. It noted a significant rise in anti-Semitism towards the Jewish community in Victoria. According to the report, there were 368 antisemitic incidents logged within the Jewish community, consisting of 225 attacks and 143 threats. The incidents included verbal abuse, graffiti, threats via email, telephone and postal mail and, most concerning, physical attacks. The report included this paragraph, which I found particularly chilling: The 30% year-on-year increase in reported incidents of verbal abuse, harassment and intimidation demonstrates that antisemites felt increasingly emboldened to behave in an aggressive, confrontational and menacing way towards Jews who were doing nothing more than going about their daily lives. Jews continued to be verbally abused and harassed around synagogues on a regular basis, especially over the Jewish Sabbath of Friday evening and Saturday, and on other Jewish holy days and festivals. These attacks are based on ignorance and an unfounded hatred for a group of people. To be reporting this to the chamber in 2020 is simply unbelievable. The good work of community radio stations like J-AIR seeks to educate the wider community about the practices and beliefs of Jewish people in a bid to end the scourge of anti-Semitism in Australia. J-AIR works to bridge the gap between two communities and also works closely with the Community Security Group to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish community in Victoria. Despite the good work of J-AIR and its volunteers, the absence of a community broadcasting licence limits the capacity for J-AIR to support the Jewish community and provide awareness for the ongoing safety and security challenges faced by Melbourne's Jewish community as a result of the rise of anti-Semitism. Today I join with the member for Goldstein and the member for Macnamara, on the other side of this chamber, to call on the Australian Communications and Media Authority to consider the importance of J-AIR and its ties to the Jewish community and allocate J-AIR a community broadcasting licence. We all know the exceptional work provided by Victorian radio stations, the ABC and 3AW, during the bushfire seasons. The broadcasters provided 24-hour coverage that provided immediate and accurate advice from our emergency authorities. Similarly, J-AIR is working closely with the Community Security Group for the same purpose of providing safety and security. I will continue to encourage the Australian Communications and Media Authority to work with J-AIR to secure a broadcasting licence and look forward to speaking to the residents of Higgins from across the airwaves of J-AIR in the near future. Community radio helps ensure everyone in our community has a culturally relevant voice. I commend this motion to the House. 11:51 Dr MIKE KELLY HRI Eden-Monaro I commend the member for bringing forward this motion and heartily endorse his call for ACMA to issue a community broadcasting licence to J-AIR. This is important from two perspectives that have been highlighted: the cultural and security aspects. I was just at the Queanbeyan Multicultural Festival yesterday in Queanbeyan Park, celebrating the incredible rich diversity of that community. We are supported in that by community broadcasting and the wonderful work done by many people—for example, the work that Cveta Taleski‎ does for the Macedonian community. But, on top of that, of course, our community radio stations right across Eden-Monaro played a vital role in the disaster response in relation to what we have just been through. It was great to meet with Jon Bisset, the CEO of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, to reflect on that and what more support could be brought to community broadcasting. I want to commend the work of stations like Braidwood FM—Barbed Wireless, as they call it—and also Sounds of the Mountains over in Tumut, who did a fantastic job during all of that. Reflecting on J-AIR, in particular, we have, as part of the wonderful cultural landscape, the contribution that the Jewish community of Australia has made—and the rich diversity of what is broadcast on J-AIR is a wonderful, living, breathing example of all that that community has contributed to this country. When you talk about discussions and opinions, I know that there is a joke in the community that, if you get two members of the community together, you get three opinions. So you will get a lot of lively debate and discussion, and it is a wonderful, vibrant part of our democracy. Mention has been made of the security aspects and anti-Semitism. Alongside the member for Berowra and the member for Kooyong, I have experienced some of those vile attacks myself, as my wife and son are Jewish. It is a scourge. We have just heard in this last week comments from the Director-General of ASIO about the rising threat of extreme right-wing violence in this country. It is important to get on top of that, and radio stations like J-AIR will make a tremendous contribution to that. But we all have a role to play. It is broader than I think many people understand. The sort of vile traffic that has been appearing on our Facebook timelines—and plugged into veterans groups, as I am, I see some of that floating around—and targeting police and other groups more broadly—is expanding as a threat that is supported by foreign intelligence. We have seen revealed in the US Senate Intelligence Committee reports on the Russian interference in the 2016 US election—which is ongoing for this 2020 election—that one of their lines of operation is to discredit liberal democracies and to undermine the social cohesion in those democracies. And one of the ways to do that has been to network and promote these right-wing groups. There used to be a time when these extreme right-wing people used to just sit in their lounge rooms and scream at the television. Now, they are being networked, feeding on their own vile propaganda, and being spurred on by this material coming from organisations like the special technology centre and the Internet Research Agency in St Petersburg, supported and fuelled by the bot factories there and their Eastern European organised crime fronts. This stuff is vile deepfake material, manufactured, and it is having an effect in this country. We have seen the tragic circumstances of the attack over in New Zealand. We must get on top of this. We need the protection of personal data in that space, but we also need to ensure that social media companies are playing their part and accepting responsibility in limiting that terrible, vile stain on our nation and on the international community as a whole. I know that members will endorse that, but we need a much bigger effort on how we deal with this technologically, and I hope that we can answer that call and heed the warnings that have been made by the Director-General of ASIO. It is a question now of making sure our agencies have the mandate and the means to fight that rising right-wing threat. Also, in helping these community radio stations, it is important that we open up funding resources. I know the New South Wales Labor Party took a policy to the last election of providing a million dollars in support, plus opening up sponsorship and advertising possibilities. We also need to look at that in terms of what federal support can be brought to this. I know the federal Labor Party took a policy to the last election in relation to assisting the peak body, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, and we should have a look at that as well. I know that mainstream media is largely withdrawing from regional Australia. It is really those community radio stations that are filling that hole. So I salute this motion and the member for Goldstein for raising it. Let's get behind J-Air. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 00AMT The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. COMMITTEES 20 COMMITTEES Economics Committee 20 Report 20 11:56 Mr TIM WILSON IMW Goldstein On behalf of the Standing Committee on Economics, I present the committee's report entitled Review of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority annual report 2019, together with the minutes of proceedings. Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). Mr TIM WILSON IMW by leave—The Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry found that Australia's financial sector suffered from a lack of moral leadership and a corporate culture motivated by greed. Evidence provided to the royal commission expressed shocking and widespread examples of misconduct, and highlighted systemic failings throughout the banking and financial services sector. Revelations of further misconduct have continued to come to light following the conclusion of the royal commission. The public expects—and deserves—better than a financial sector lacking in moral leadership and motivated by greed. The community expects the banks and other financial institutions to be held to account, and to fear their regulator because it has the power, the authority, the responsibility and the duty to exercise accountability across the sector. It is essential that we restore trust, eliminate conflicts of interest and raise standards of professionalism in Australia's financial services industry. Governance, culture, remuneration, and accountability risks are core to a healthy and working prudential supervision regime. As demonstrated by the findings of the royal commission and noted by the capability review, these risks must be supervised and monitored as rigorously as traditional financial risks are. This will require not only the efforts of government and of regulators but the efforts and actions of lenders and individuals within the sector. Critical to that is the capability of the prudential regulator in making sure they understand their purpose and their responsibility but also that they have the internal skills to be able to manage their obligations. This was a matter highlighted by the recommendations of the inquiry into the capability of APRA. That inquiry was led by good Goldstein constituent Graeme Samuel, and we appreciate his efforts and ongoing interest. The government has been working to implement the royal commission's recommendations and strengthen financial regulators, and is investing in improving APRA's capabilities and resources. The government recently commenced work on the extension of the Banking Executive Accountability Regime, or the BEAR, to all APRA regulated entities. This is known as the financial accountability regime, and will increase the transparency and accountability of financial entities, and will improve risk, culture and governance for both prudential and conduct purposes. Across a series of public hearings, the committee scrutinised APRA's progress regarding the implementation of the royal commission recommendations, the APRA capability recommendations and, of course, its annual report. This important work will continue to strengthen APRA as a regulator and enable it to continue to ensure the raising of standards of governance, culture, remuneration and accountability across the financial services sector. And let there be no misunderstanding, the committee takes this work very seriously. At the end of last year we asked APRA to come and present. Shortly after their presentation, they were advised that the evidence they provided was inadequate. They were recalled to make sure that they exercised their full responsibilities. We continue to scrutinise their work now and into the future. Consistent with the work we're doing in the oversight of the implementation of the Hayne royal commission around the banking sector, insurance, financial advice and superannuation, we continue to recall witnesses and hold them to account to make sure that everybody is following the full recommendations, but also that the committee is understood to be an important part of holding financial services firms and the banking sector to its full accountability. The committee also scrutinised APRA's new enforcement approach and its commitment to increasing transparency in its supervision and enforcement work. This will assist in both the raising of standards of governance, culture, remuneration and accountability and rebuilding the Australian people's trust in the financial services sector. The committee will continue to scrutinise APRA's performance, particularly its ongoing implementation of royal commission recommendations and the capability review recommendations, as well as the ongoing strengthening of APRA's capability. On behalf of the committee I would like to thank the chair of APRA, Mr Wayne Byres; the other APRA representatives; and the chair of the APRA Capability Review, Professor Graeme Samuel, for appearing at these important hearings. I also, of course, would like to thank the secretariat, including Mr Stephen Boyd, who ably steers the secretariat and keeps troublesome chairs such as myself in line from time to time, at least in terms of following procedure. I commend the report to the House. 12:02 Dr LEIGH BU8 Fenner by leave—Australians spend more on superannuation fees than they do on energy: over $30 billion per year. According to work by the Productivity Commission, this amounts to some 1.1 per cent of total assets, which may not sound like much until you realise that the difference between fees of one per cent and half a per cent is the difference between a nest egg which is 10 per cent bigger or 10 per cent smaller. As the Productivity Commission noted: While some may be receiving exceptional investment returns or member services, the evidence indicates that funds that charge higher fees tend to deliver lower returns, once both investment and administration fees have been netted off. High fees also persist over time. The Productivity Commission further concluded: Superannuation fees in Australia are higher than those observed in other OECD countries. The issue of superannuation fees has been one that the committee has focused upon. I personally have been disappointed in APRA's response to fees. In answer to earlier questions last year, APRA doubted the Productivity Commission's finding that higher fees were associated with lower returns. Pressed for evidence to the contrary, they were unable to provide any. In the most recent hearing, APRA said: … I think it's simplistic to try and reduce the level of expenditure to a single metric. While the issue of fees is complex, it is important for APRA to place a significant spotlight on the on fees and ask for greater clarity and more information from funds as to the fees that are charged from members. The APRA heat map does this to some extent, and APRA themselves have said that it's about enhancing comparability. I would urge APRA however to use their powers to a greater extent to ensure that all of the relevant fees are reported, given how critical excessive fees are to driving down the retirement savings of Australians. We also heard from APRA about the issue of climate risk. APRA made the interesting observation: … the emerging discipline of central banks and regulators globally is to project a zero carbon 2050 scenario … It's striking that this is the view of APRA, given how out of step it is with the government's own approach to a zero carbon 2050 target. While 73 countries and all Australian states and territories have committed to a zero carbon 2050 scenario and while the government's own prudential regulator is working on that basis, the government is out of step with the business community and the international community on this issue. APRA also answered questions relating to their enforcement activities. I was concerned that their enforcement activities may not have stepped up in response to the findings of the royal commission. I was pleased when APRA responded to a question they took on notice in the hearings to say that notices to produce had gone from two in 2018 to 64 in 2019 and that infringement notices had gone from zero to one, depending on how you count it—they actually said that, if you counted the 715 infringement notices to Westpac, it went from zero to 715. Either way, it's good to see APRA stepping up somewhat. APRA also noted that they've commenced court proceedings against the IOOF group, imposed additional conditions on the RSE licence of two entities in the IOOF group and two entities in the AMP group. Finally, on the issue of APRA's own staff survey, on some indicators APRA is improving and on others it seems to have fallen backwards. Two that are of concern to me again come from answers to supplementary questions: only 67 per cent of staff say that APRA leaders, SM and above, in their division act in a way that is consistent with APRA's present values and only 42 per cent say that, in their opinion, decisions are made in a timely manner in APRA. That does suggest that the organisation has some way to go to ensure that it is operating as promptly and as consistently with values as Australians would expect. Like the chair, I thank the secretariat for their hard work in this and other hearings in the busy agenda that the committee has been undertaking. BILLS 22 BILLS Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Simplifying Income Reporting and Other Measures) Bill 2020 22

Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Simplifying Income Reporting and Other Measures) Bill 2020

Consideration of Senate Message 22 12:07 The SPEAKER 00APG The question is that the amendments be agreed to. 12:07 Mr SHORTEN 00ATG Maribyrnong The trigger for the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Simplifying Income Reporting and Other Measures) Bill 2020 is the digi-disaster called robodebt. It's not because hordes of welfare recipients have been ripping off the government. Instead, the government has been punishing welfare recipients with its own illegal use of inaccurate data. This legislation is all about fixing up the problems that the government created four years ago. It had a faulty algorithm. In cases where recipients were often 100 per cent correct, they still had to repay thousands of dollars. This legislation reflects that the government has partially recognised it is in the wrong, but, even as we speak, tens of thousands of robodebt victims and class actions are still having to argue their case against the government. The robodebt scheme was born of a desire of the government to find money off the most vulnerable, and it still hasn't got the message that that was an illegitimate, illegal scheme. I commend the amendments to the House. The SPEAKER 00APG The question is that the amendments be agreed to. Question agreed to. STATEMENT BY THE SPEAKER 23 STATEMENT BY THE SPEAKER Federation Chamber 23 12:09 The SPEAKER 00APG I have to report that the Deputy Speaker has informed me that last Thursday 27 February the Federation Chamber was adjourned early because of continuing disorder. I understand that, following closure motions moved by members from both the government and the opposition and consequent unresolved questions, the Federation Chamber was suspended. The chair warned members of the consequences if the disorder continued after the suspension. When the meeting was resumed, another closure was moved and the chair adjourned the chamber pursuant to standing orders. I confirm that, in my view and in the Deputy Speaker's view, these repeated motions were an abuse of forms of the House and were disorderly. On Thursday members deprived themselves of opportunities to make constituency statements to speak on the disaster risk reduction report and on the adjournment debate. When this has happened before, as I've said previously, this reflects poorly on the House. The Federation Chamber is a very innovative thing, but it does rely on the consent of all members if it's going to operate effectively. 12:10 Mr BURKE DYW Watson on indulgence—This is not the first time that you've give a report of that nature. I think it's important to advise the House that the fact that the conduct continued was not a rejection of the reports that you've given. There is a very specific context that has led to those motions being moved in the Federation Chamber, and it goes to what happens in this chamber. It has become the practice in a way that it never used to be—in particular, the Leader of the Opposition, when moving suspension motions, is not allowed to deliver a speech anymore. That the member be no further heard is moved immediately. Certainly when I first arrived—and as I saw under the Howard government, the Rudd and Gillard governments, the Turnbull government and the Abbott government—the question is whether or not leave is granted. If leave is not granted, then ordinarily the suspension debate takes place. If it is felt that the opposition have moved it out of the blue or that they've been moving them too often, occasionally that the member be no longer heard would be moved. Instead now it's just become how this place operates. In those circumstances, the opposition has no way of pushing back other than to move resolutions of that form. I don't want to delay the House any further but, given the seriousness of the report—and it's not the first time that you as the Speaker have reported that—it should be made absolutely clear that if the House returns to its ordinary procedures and way of operating, then we will not see that again in the Federation Chamber. But if we continue, this term, to have a situation which has no parallel in this chamber, then the sorts of reports that have been given just now by the Speaker will refer to events that will occur again. BILLS 23 BILLS Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020 23

Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020

Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020

Second Reading 23 12:13 Mr FITZGIBBON 8K6 Hunter After 20 years at ClubsNSW, including ten years as the organisation's CEO, Anthony Ball is leaving ClubsNSW. Our registered clubs play a vital role in our communities, particularly in rural and regional Australia, where they provide a venue for so many organisations—charitable, sporting, service clubs, just to name a few. Too often we're lacking the infrastructure that our city cousins enjoy, and our clubs fill that void. During Anthony Ball's tenure, our clubs have gone from strength to strength. As a consequence, so too have the services, facilities, infrastructure and sponsorship they provide to our local communities. It's rare to go to a children's sporting event in my electorate without seeing sponsorship provided by one of our local clubs or one of our local hotels. Anthony Ball will be missed in this role. His supervision of the growth of the clubs is not just about their profitability and longevity but also about the role he has played in addressing a deep seated community concern about poker machines and problem gambling. On that front, he has been an innovative leader, introducing codes of conduct into our clubs—for example, introducing ClubSAFE to our registered organisations. These initiatives, with others, have made a substantial and proactive contribution to community concerns about those issues. Most recently our clubs played a role in regional Australia by providing evacuation centres for bushfire affected local communities. Local club boards, CEOs and staff can be very, very proud of that. So we thank Anthony Ball for his legacy, not only for the way in which he has been able to further strengthen the registered clubs movement but also for the way he has shown leadership on addressing community concern about problem gambling and the way in which he has extended the reach of clubs into our local communities, providing so much infrastructure and so many local services. We wish him well for the future, as we do Josh Landis. Josh Landis has been at ClubsNSW as Executive Manager Public Affairs for some time, and he is well known around this place. I know he will do an outstanding job replacing Anthony Ball, and we wish him the very, very best in those endeavours. Each year, the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party holds what we call Country Conference. It's an opportunity for rural and regional delegates to talk about the things that are important to rural and regional Australia, including their own local communities. It's considered a great thing to host the Country Conference because delegates come to town and spend lots of money. They do like to eat and they do like to drink—I know that is well noted—and, of course, they need somewhere to stay and to sleep. So it's a great boost to the local economy. I've been in this place for 24 years. Happy anniversary to me and happy anniversary to the member for Grayndler, who also is celebrating 24 years in this place today! Happy birthday to the member for Gorton and the member for Grayndler and, I think, the member for Rankin, who are all celebrating birthdays today! March 2 is an auspicious day in our annual calendar of events here in Canberra. Sadly, the member for Grayndler, the Leader of the Opposition, and I are the only two remaining members of the class of '96, but it is still a class of very high quality, obviously. I'm proud to boast that over the period of time, the Hunter electorate has hosted the Country Conference on three occasions: once in Cessnock, once in Muswellbrook and, more recently, over the course of the weekend just past, in Singleton. I attended my first Country Conference in Singleton in 1987, so Singleton has hosted the event on two occasions. It has been a great honour for me to be able to deliver Country Conference to Singleton on a couple of occasions. Welcoming the delegates to Singleton on Saturday was the deputy mayor—and, I should disclose, member of the Labor Party—Tony Jarrett. Tony is a highly regarded and respected member of the community—he's a former high-school principal— and took the opportunity to boast of the town's many attributes, and there are many, and to speak about its challenges, as you'd expect him to do. He spoke very, very robustly about the importance of the coal-mining industry. I don't think it would be an exaggeration for me to say that there is not a person in Singleton who doesn't have their fortunes tied in some way to the coal-mining industry. Whether they're at the coal face or are driving the trucks or the transport in between, even right down to the local coffee shops, which thrive on the activity generated by the mining sector, and those who work in the Mount Thorley industrial estate with companies devoted totally to servicing the mining organisations, they are all in some way linked to the mining industry, and Deputy Mayor Tony Jarrett highlighted that for the conference. He also took the opportunity to lament the fact that, while we send so much bounty to both Sydney and Canberra in the form of taxation and other royalty revenues, we feel, I think quite justifiably, that we don't get sufficient return on that investment. There are plenty of examples in Singleton. We've been begging for a bypass of the town for far too long now. I thought we were getting close when, in the lead-up to the last election, the now Leader of the Opposition announced that a future Labor government would make a substantial contribution to that project to get it up and running. We grew tired of waiting for the New South Wales government to get the project to the point where you'd expect Commonwealth monies to flow, so we took the initiative, went on the front foot and I suppose attempted to embarrass the New South Wales government into accelerating the design of the project by saying we would put money up front if we won the election to try to drive that project forward. Alas, we lost the election. We accept that. But of course that project has gone very, very quiet. We saw a report from Infrastructure Australia only last week. We welcomed the fact that the project was still in the books, but it is one amongst many other projects, and one can't hold any confidence of seeing anything happen on the Singleton bypass given the timeline that the Infrastructure Australia report sets out in that policy document. Similarly, in Sydney we've seen no activity from the New South Wales government since the election. There is no indication that the government there is taking the project more seriously or trying to accelerate the project. This piece of infrastructure is desperately needed in the community. When Labor was in government, over the six-year period we funded the $1.7 billion Hunter Expressway, delivering the coalmining traffic to Singleton from the south more quickly and in a safer and more orderly way, making sure those coalminers and other workers not only get to work on time but get home safely. We funded the $1.2 billion third rail track, which allowed our coal to get to port more efficiently, therefore lifting productivity and our competitiveness on international markets. There were many others. I don't have time to go through in this speech, but since this conservative government in Canberra was elected in 2013, the funds are pretty much dried up. You can imagine how frustrated my constituents were to see so many stories in recent weeks about the way this government in Canberra has been spending money on infrastructure projects, projects like the swimming pool in North Sydney, the recipient of a regional sporting grant of $10 million, when we have so many projects, including the Cessnock public swimming pool in my home town. We've been chasing money for that for a long time. It's an iconic facility with great heritage value, pristine water quality, a central location right in the CBD; but of course it needs an upgrade. It is historical, which indicates it's old and needs some money. The Labor Party promised some money for the Cessnock swimming pool in the lead-up to the election but alas, we lost the election and we've been unable to secure any money out of the Morrison government. You can imagine how my residents in Cessnock felt, particularly the pool users, who are many given the number of children who compete in that pool. You imagine their anger when they saw that regional sports money was being used to fund the poor old people in North Sydney and the magnificent pool that sits just under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. These are the points that Deputy Mayor Tony Jarrett was making at Country Conference on Saturday. This government has ignored rural and regional Australia. It continues to ignore rural and regional Australia. It talks a lot about rural and regional Australia, but does not act on behalf of rural and regional Australia. That takes me to the bushfires. It's almost a consensus in this place now. I don't think anyone sitting on the other side would try to claim that the Prime Minister's response to the bushfires was sufficiently quick. Certainly it wasn't sufficiently robust. That was the initial response, but it's also true that the ongoing response has been inadequate. I heard the Leader of the Opposition—and the member for Gorton was with him—at a press conference earlier today, talking about all those people they and others have visited, small businesses in particular, that haven't been able to get the assistance they need because, they weren't directly affected by the bushfires. The fire didn't go through their business house, vineyard or cropping territory, but of course their business has collapsed because of the impact the bushfires have had on local communities. I've used in this place before my own example in the beautiful Hunter wine country, where vignerons have lost their vintage—100 per cent in some cases. Now, if they lost it because of the flames, they would be eligible for assistance. Because they've lost it due to the smoke from the same flames, they aren't able to secure assistance. I understand why a program might be developed and these things not realised until after the program is developed and put into place, but we've been telling this government for many weeks now about the problems and the short-comings of these various schemes, and I don't understand why the government hasn't been able to or been prepared to act. In closing, I said it last week, but I'm going to say it again: I'm so disappointed by the way people continue to try to politically weaponise the issue of our changing climate. They are on the left, where they see political opportunity—the Greens and other activists—to suggest that we are doing nowhere near enough. They are on the right, with the National Party, One Nation and others, who claim that you can't take meaningful action on climate change without destroying our local economy and jobs, particularly in rural and regional Australia like those in the coalmining industry. Both of these propositions are patently false. I've been dealing with these climate wars in this place for much more than a decade now. It's time they came to an end, it's time that we found a political settlement on this issue and it's time that people on both the left and the right got out of the way and let the sensible people not just in this place but across our community, industry and elsewhere progress sensible policy that will make a real difference in terms of our natural environment and will also protect local—including regional—jobs. We can do this. We're now being led by a whole range of companies—Santos, BHP, BP, Qantas, the Business Council of Australia, Meat and Livestock Australia and the National Farmers Federation—who all say we can meet net zero emissions by 2050 without harm to the economy. Indeed, we can reach that target while bolstering our economy. The lunatics should get out of the way and let us get on with the job. 12:28 Mr STEVENS 176304 Sturt by leave—I was about two-thirds of the way through my contribution on Thursday before we adjourned. I was of course focusing my comments then on the Urban Congestion Fund, to remind everyone in the chamber that didn't check the Hansard in the last hour or two about the comments I made. I'm of course very grateful for the investments that are being made in the electorate of Sturt: nearly $200 million worth of infrastructure upgrades to major intersections in my electorate. They are going to be a great benefit to many in my community from a safety point of view and from a speed point of view. People will be quicker home, safer home and with more time with families and also the economic benefit of that activity locally for jobs. I want to spend the remainder of my time talking, from a community point of view, about three other smaller but very important commitments that are contained in this appropriation bill in my area. The first is the $5 million that we are contributing towards the upgrade of the Max Amber reserve in the suburb of Paradise in my electorate. With support from the Campbelltown council, this is going to see a transformative upgrade to the Max Amber playing reserve for the Athelstone Football Club and the Athelstone Cricket Club, and there is also now the establishment of a netball club as part of this upgrade. We are knocking down completely the current building. It has provided great service to the community, but it is getting quite long in the tooth, and I don't think anyone from the clubs that currently use it would find it offensive to say that it is in dire need of an upgrade. They themselves are the ones who have been fighting so hard to see this commitment made, so I was very pleased to be part of a team that, in the recent election campaign, committed to contributing $5 million to that project if we were successful. The community consultation on this, conducted by the Campbelltown council, has finished now. It's got very strong community support. We've now settled on the design principles and we have an indicative budget. The $5 million from the Commonwealth is now committed. The Campbelltown council are moving forward to do the work needed to start construction of that, probably at the end of this football season in around October this year. This builds on the back of some great sporting infrastructure investments that have gone into my electorate over the years. My predecessor was very effective at getting support for other upgrades, like the Campbelltown Memorial Oval and the ARC leisure centre. Those both had significant Commonwealth contributions, and now we have this contribution for Max Amber. I am eternally grateful that when we raised this with the Deputy Prime Minister he understood the benefit that this would provide to our community and was only too willing to commit to that for a re-elected Morrison government. The second project I want to talk about is the Magill Village Project. We are making a $2 million contribution to the Burnside council on this. This is a joint project between the Burnside council, the Campbelltown council, the state government and of course the Commonwealth government, through our contribution of $2 million. We've seen the undergrounding of power lines in the stretch of road on Magill Road—which is the boundary between those two councils—between the St Bernards/Penfold intersection in Magill, down through the retail area. The undergrounding of power listens has occurred at a cost of around $7 million to $7½ million. The icing on the cake with this project, now that the powerlines have been buried, is the opportunity to re-streetscape that area, plant lots more trees and put in place lots more public amenities to create a better public realm and better atmosphere for pedestrians and people out with their families during the week and on weekends. Businesses can get on the back of that and see the benefit of the more activated village precinct that we are planning to put in place there as part of this project. So that's a very exciting investment from the Commonwealth, which was the difference between whether or not that project went ahead. Now it is going ahead, and I'm extremely proud of that. The final project I want to talk about is our contribution of $3 million towards the Kensington Gardens Reserve, which is famous as the home of the Kensington Cricket Club—Sir Donald Bradman's cricket club. More importantly, this is an environmental project to provide a major upgrade of what is at the moment quite a dangerous local hazard, particularly for young people: a duck pond that was built many decades ago, which captures water on Stonyfell Creek. We've had to fence it off because it's become quite dangerous from a drowning point of view, and it's also not very hygienic. What we are going to do with this project, which we are working with Burnside council on, is turn that into a nice, free-flowing wetland. That's going to provide an excellent environmental outcome and a great safety outcome, and improve the local amenity for residents in that area. It's coupled with a commitment to reline the hardcourt tennis courts that the local tennis club use there in the Kensington Gardens Reserve. This is another fantastic local project, where we are working with local communities, local sporting clubs and local councils to invest in local community. I intend, for however long I'm lucky enough to serve in this chamber, to always be someone who fights for these local community projects and secures financial support from the Commonwealth as regularly as possible. When we invest in our local communities, there's such a fantastic outcome—from a safety point of view, an economic point of view and a community point of view. I reiterate that I'm very proud to be a part of a government that understands the importance of investing in our communities and is doing so in spades. 12:35 Dr WEBSTER 281688 Mallee It gives me great pleasure to support this bill and the amendments it will enact to the Farm Household Support Act. This bill is another step up in the government's range of assistance measures for farmers. Since its inception the farm household allowance has been a key mechanism to support farmers facing hardship, whether through floods, drought or other natural disasters. That is why the government has worked to continually improve this program—to make sure we are getting it right for farming families and to help more people where they need it. Farmers have informed government about their views regarding policy approaches and targets. Indeed, I travelled with Minister Littleproud to meet with Millewa farmers to hear firsthand their struggles and issues through the current drought. They told us of specific gaps in the previous policy settings and asked for the ability to access support for agistment, restocking and replanting. Their ideas informed changes to government policy on agistment, restocking and replanting, which is now part of the Regional Investment Corporation funding criteria. This farm household support bill is the next instalment of the government's response to the independent review of the Farm Household Allowance program. The review, commissioned by the minister for agriculture, David Littleproud, in 2018 and released in 2019, made a number of recommendations to government. After considering these recommendations and feedback from farmers and industry on the ground in Mallee, the government has made a suite of changes to the farm household allowance since 2019. These important amendments increase the maximum time a person is able to access the Farm Household Allowance program from four years over their lifetime to four years in every 10-year period. This change recognises that hardships faced by farmers are unpredictable and can last longer than in the past. A one-off lump sum payment was introduced for farmers who have exhausted their four years of payment on or before 1 July 2020. From February this year, Services Australia has paid relief payments to over 1,100 people. In addition, the ability to earn money off farm was expanded and increased from $80,000 to $100,000. The assets test under the program was also simplified so that all assets—farm and non-farm—are now subject to a single net threshold of $5.5 million. Setting the bar at this amount responds to the fact that some farmers are asset rich but cash poor, thereby allowing greater flexibility for farmers with an extensive asset base in drought. The rate at which the farm household allowance is paid has been set to a fixed amount and is no longer varied by the recipient's income. This change recognises that it can often be quite difficult for a farmer to estimate their income over a shorter period of time. It also provides certainty each fortnight by paying the maximum rate available. Furthermore, the activity supplement under the program was increased from $4,000 to $10,000. This supplement is payable for eligible activities, such as legal advice, training or study. The supplement has also been extended to include accommodation and travel costs associated with eligible activities. For farming families in Mallee, this is a very useful support. The changes made to the program under the bill currently before the House build on those contained in previous amendments. The first of the changes under this bill removes provisions which give rise to business income reconciliation. Currently, a recipient's income estimate is reconciled annually using tax returns and financial statements. This process can result in the recipient incurring a debt if their annual income was above the estimated amount. This provision will be removed from the act, meaning farmers will no longer need to conduct an income reconciliation and will no longer have to worry about whether a debt is raised at the end of a year. This means the person's rate of payment will be more simply based on their current income. This change significantly reduces the complexity of the program and, when combined with previous changes to provide a single rate of payment for the farm household allowance, farmers will have greater certainty about how much they will receive fortnightly and annually. The second set of amendments under this bill extends the 28-day time limit for conducting a farm financial assessment by a further 28 days, providing flexibility and appropriate time lines to identify the most appropriate person to conduct the assessment. Farmers that miss this window will no longer have their applications delayed or withdrawn. Taken together, these changes will significantly increase uptake of the program. I have spoken to a rural financial counsellor from Mallee who believes these new changes will be a positive step forward and will be welcomed by farmers. I was advised that some farmers had been reluctant to engage with the program because of the business income reconciliation component. The possibility of overestimating income due to the sporadic nature farm income has was a risk for some farmers. The possibility of incurring a debt through this process has clearly been a lingering concern for many, and by removing this complex process from the program the changes will provide additional peace of mind to farmers engaging with the farm household allowance. I believe that by addressing these barriers we could see significant uptake of the program. In Victoria there are approximately 6,200 people that are eligible for the program but have not yet applied. I am sure that some of these people will now consider applying due to the removal of barriers within the program. At the end of the day, we don't want our farmers to have to rely on programs like the farm household allowance, but if farmers need to make this choice the government is making sure there is a safety net for our primary producers that is easily accessible. This safety net is so important, especially if the drought continues to worsen this year. This has been the case in my electorate, with large portions of the Mallee facing severe drought. The Wimmera has been one of the hardest hit in my electorate. I am assured by the Rural Financial Counselling Service that many Wimmera farmers have accessed these payments. I want to reassure all from my electorate that, if the drought continues to worsen, the government's response will continue to increase. It will step up. I have been working closely with Minister Littleproud, conveying the difficulties facing farmers in Mallee. I would like to thank the minister for his continued support throughout this difficult period. This government, the Morrison-McCormack government, is working together to respond to the concerns brought to us by farming families and communities affected by drought. The government has taken a holistic approach in its response to this drought because we know that drought doesn't just hurt farmers, it hurts small businesses and the wider community as well. This is why the government has allocated an additional $50 million to extend the Drought Communities Program to another 52 local government areas, including Connewarre shire in my electorate. This funding is targeted at local infrastructure and other activities that provide employment for people whose work has been impacted by drought and to get money to flow through local shops and suppliers. It's also why we have committed another $82.5 million to the Drought Community Support Initiative through the Salvation Army or the St Vincent de Paul Society. This measure responds to the unprecedented demand from farming households under this initiative due to one of the worst droughts on record. The Morrison-McCormack response to this drought has been multifaceted, and the farm household allowance is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. The program has helped more than 13,700 farmers and their partners, paying over $406 million to these households. The farm household allowance exit survey, implemented in 2017, shows that almost 89 per cent of respondents felt that the allowance had improved their current financial circumstances. More than 50 per cent expected to stay on farm, with greater farm income and less debt. Clearly, the farmhouse allowance has made a difference for many farming households across Australia. I don't doubt that the amendments contained in the bill will improve the outcomes for farmers and farming communities further and continue to help farmers get back on their feet. 12:44 Mr DICK 53517 Oxley I rise to speak on today's appropriation bills but also to strongly support the second reading amendment. Whilst this may be a third-term government, they are certainly, looking at their performance, a third-rate government when it comes to delivering for the Australian people. It's hard to know where to begin in describing the failures and continuing embarrassment that is this coalition government. That's why I am glad about this second reading amendment regarding their six years of office and the floundering economy. Every week, we see an internal battle, and day after day we see headlines about the government being more interested in fighting with each other or looking after themselves than looking after the Australian people. Obviously, that is because there is pretty hardcore evidence on a daily basis around what the Prime Minister knows, or who knew, about the sports rorts—but I'll come back to that a little later. Perhaps I'll start with the decay of the government's credentials when it comes to the budget and managing the economy. We're starting to hear excuse after excuse as to why the economy is struggling on the government's watch. I want to make it crystal clear that the government has to take responsibility for an economy that was floundering well before the impact of the summer bushfires and well before the outbreak of the horrific coronavirus. I quickly bring the chamber's attention to the MYEFO 2019-20, where we saw economic growth and wages downgraded, and unemployment upgraded. That's from the government's own records, that's for everyone to see. And we're dealing with the appropriations bills today. Blind Freddy could have told you this was going to happen with the government's overambitious accounting. Who can forget the spin and marketing technique of all those coffee cups with 'Back in black' on them, coming off the conveyor belt as quickly as possible? There was the black-and-white silhouette photo of the Prime Minister—a wonderful marketing technique, wonderful marketing tool. Perhaps there was a song, a jingle? They're really good at the jingles, really good at the ads. We saw it in the bushfires. They're really, really good at promotion—self-promotion, I should say. But I somehow suspect those 'Back in black' coffee cups are being packed away, put in boxes, sent back to the distributor or marked down to only $5. 'Let's hide all of that.' We will see about that. So, faced with the prospect of a hollow and broken promise to the Australian people, we're seeing these excuses being trotted out time and time again. We all know that wages growth is still at record lows, and there are almost two million Australians looking for work or for more work. That's two million Australians without enough money in their pockets every single day. Yet we see no meaningful action from this government to actually fix the issue, happy to let the status quo go on. We can't hide from these facts. The government doesn't ever really talk about debt. But I put it on the record again: net debt has more than doubled. In the 2019-20 MYEFO, we saw that budget surpluses over the forward estimates have halved. So the dream or fantasy of a growing economy, more jobs and increased wages from a government without a plan to achieve this is now unravelling. What do you expect from a government that doesn't support wage growth? The finance minister said low wages were a feature of their economic plan—not a plan to increase wages, not a plan to increase the standard of living of working Australians, but a deliberate economic plan to keep wages low. More Australians are looking for work. We are seeing a struggling retail sector, and a budget bottom line that is growing more out of control day by day. The economy is floundering because the government had a plan to buy the election—subset 'sports rorts'—but not a plan to boost wages or growth, or see the economy grow. We know that the impact of the bushfires and coronavirus cannot be ignored. We know that the government, I think it would be fair to say, or kind to say, mishandled the bushfires—and with the Prime Minister being overseas, the defence minister being on holidays. We saw the terrible response: 'Nothing to see here; fires happen all the time. We don't need the Army. We don't need the ADF deployed. We've got it all under control.' And then we saw the whole scenario spin out of their control. We saw handshakes that people didn't want to have. We saw a whole lot of spin and marketing—TV ads, all sorts of things—but not actually a plan to deal with one of the greatest natural disasters our country has ever seen. Obviously I place on record today my deepest condolences for those who tragically lost their lives and those businesses that have been smashed. I welcome the announcement this morning by the leader the Labor Party, Anthony Albanese, and the shadow minister, Brendan O'Connor, and their support for small business, making sure that when communities need support they get it. This is an area where I think we can work in a bipartisan way. Just as we saw the Labor leader lead over the summer by constructive, positive policies to help those communities get through the natural disaster, now we're seeing constructive, positive policies by our shadow minister, Brendan O'Connor, and the Labor leader to get those small business communities. I want to commend the work of the members for Macquarie, Eden-Monaro and Gilmore—Fiona Phillips—who have done an outstanding job in working with their small business communities. But we know that the government can do more. We know that they control the levers, and we know that those small businesses are hurting. As the member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, said today, some of those businesses weren't affected or destroyed by fire, but they may as well have been. It is time for the so-called the party of small business to stand up and back in what the small business communities are asking to get more support. New research by Fidelity International shows that health care, education, insurance and child care are just some of the many mandatory cost of living expenses that have rocketed way above wage and salary growth over the past two decades. In my time remaining I want to focus on child care, which is up 97 per cent, while housing is up 94 per cent and food and non-alcoholic beverages are up 62 per cent, while the average inflation rate was just 2.5 per cent. The Sydney Morning Herald report said: In the past year alone, while inflation remained relatively muted at 1.7 per cent in the year ended September 30, we saw big price hikes in tobacco (8.4 per cent), domestic holidays, travel and accommodation (7.3 per cent) … However, by far the largest price rises in the past 20 years is in private secondary school education – up a whopping 203 per cent – and private pre-school and primary education (up 159 per cent) … The cost of medical and hospital care has almost trebled in the past 20 years. Integrity Life managing director Chris Powell says the hike means many families are now trying to cut corners to save money by forgoing emergency protection products such as total and permanent disability, life and health insurance. The price of insurance itself has jumped about 118 per cent. All of these massive increases have happened whilst wage growth remains uncomfortably stagnant under this government. The member for Cowan and myself were out in our communities on the weekend. This is not an unfamiliar story that we hear at coffee shops, at muffin breaks, at street corner meetings—all over the place—where the community talks to us about what is happening in the economy. 'The economy is not working for me.' We're seeing people looking for work who can't get jobs. We're seeing the cost of living rising through the roof. We hear this day in, day out. People genuinely ask, 'What is my government doing about this? Not making coffee cups saying 'back in the black'; not talking about everything other than the economy. We see a government focused on funding programs skewed to one side of politics; we see internal fights within the National Party like we have never seen; but we're not seeing an economic plan for this country. They have no plan and no idea when it comes to actually delivering, with the cost of living the way it is. One of the issues I have been championing in the last parliament and this parliament, because I have seen it firsthand while working with welfare agencies and support groups, is the issue of short-term loans, also known as payday lending. This feeds into that data I was talking about before, where everything is going up except wages. People are turning to all sorts of short-term finance just to pay the bills. Your car might break down; there might be a problem with the roof; you might have health care costs; so you turn to immediate sources of income. I want to place on record today data recently released by the Consumer Action Law Centre and the Stop the Debt Trap alliance, which shows that the number of households currently holding a payday loan is fast approaching the one million mark. These payday loans are almost exclusively used by people on low or very low incomes to try and keep their heads above water, when, as I said in my earlier remarks, you've got flatlining wages and low incomes as, I guess, proud hallmarks of this government. Research has shown that more than 15 per cent of people who take out a payday loan will fall into a debt cycle, with outrageous fees and interest rates of almost 900 per cent. Because of this, an estimated 324,000 households have been allowed to enter a debt path that might result in bankruptcy. This represents a rise of 23.13 per cent of all borrowers, with 41 per cent being women and single parents. I have been campaigning on this for about two to three years. I introduced a private member's bill, which used the government's own wording—until the hard Right of the Liberal Party and the economic vandals got their hands on that legislation and ripped it away from the former financial services minister, the Hon. Kelly O'Dwyer, and the former Deputy Prime Minister, who supported that legislation. For roughly four years consumers have been ripped off under a government that is not delivering increasing wages and has been seeing the cost of living going right through the roof because it doesn't want to introduce legislation that can help people with financial reform. We have had a succession of ministers through the portfolio. The latest minister, Minister Sukkar, has of course, ignored the issue. He's sat on his hands and done absolutely nothing, while consumers in my electorate, in the member for Cowan's electorate, in the electorate of the shadow minister at the table, and those in just about every other electorate in Australia, have been ripped off by these loan sharks. This is an important issue—when you're buying a fridge that should cost $400 but ends up costing $4,000 due to payday loans and leasing! This week we find out that payday lenders are rebranding themselves as hipster fintech credit and buy-now pay-later providers. They are abusing screen scrapers to scrape out when consumers' bank balances hit a low point before hitting them with pressure marketing for high-cost loans. These reports are really disturbing. That is the reality painted by Drew MacRae, the policy and advocacy officer at the Financial Rights Legal Centre, who is staring down a barrage of intense lobbying by the Australian FinTech centre to legitimise screen scraping under open banking and a review of transaction liability regulations. We know that there is a simple solution to these customers being ripped off. The government know it. They did a report and a review that made 22 recommendations. Two of those recommendations— Dr Aly 13050 Where is it? Mr DICK 53517 That's a good question. I'll take that interjection. Whilst more and more Australians are being ripped off under payday lending, we know that this government doesn't want to take action. There was a Prime Minister once who did want to take action on this: Malcolm Turnbull. He wrote to me and said— Mr Pasin interjecting— Mr DICK 53517 I know that the member for Barker is not a big fan of the former Prime Minister. Mr Pasin 240756 That's an overstatement. Mr DICK 53517 He says it's an overstatement. I won't be distracted by the interjections. I know that when he wrote to me and said, 'Legislation will be brought before this House'—two weeks later he was rolled for the current Prime Minister. The consumers that I represent—and my electorate has some of the highest payday lender rip-offs of any electorate in Australia. I want to make it clear: this is an issue that welfare agencies, churches and consumer advocates all across Australia are calling for action on. There is no reason for this government not to take action, apart from the fact that the payday lenders themselves are placing enormous pressure on this government not to take action. I will keep calling out their behaviour. I will keep calling out the fact that Australians are being ripped off. They don't like it when I say that. They write to me. They send me emails. They will even meet with me and say, 'If these reforms are passed, we don't care; they're not going to do anything.' Why do they care about them then? What's the big deal? We know the recommendations on small amount credit leasing, which the government have been sitting on for over four years now, demonstrate that they can take action. The government brought in legislation; they did a draft exposure. They brought it in. Minister McCormack, who was the small business minister and is now the Deputy Prime Minister—I've had private conversations with members from the National Party as well, who have come up to me and go, 'Keep going with it; we really want to do it.' (Time expired) 12:59 Mr PASIN 240756 Barker The appropriations bills—these being Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020—are always great opportunities to talk about what we as a government are doing prosecuting our national agenda. I'd like to take the opportunity to talk about a few projects that are taking place in my electorate at a really local level that are very important for the people in those communities. I'll start with the Sturt Reserve at Murray Bridge. Our government is investing in our regions. We're making our regions better places to live and work, and this of course includes Murray Bridge in my electorate of Barker. Murray Bridge is in fact one of the largest communities of my electorate. It's indeed known as a rural city. The township centres on the Murray River. It's a river that in this place we're quite familiar talking about because of its importance to so many communities dotted along the length of that mighty river, communities which rely on that water for their economic, social and environmental benefits. It's the lifeblood of many communities and towns in my electorate, and Murray Bridge is no exception. Murray Bridge is a beautiful part of the river, but over the past century-and-a-half the town has grown, shopping centres have been built and the river bank has not, in my view, been developed to its full potential. Sturt Reserve is a wonderful open area that facilitates enjoyment of the river. It's home to the Murray Bridge Rowing Club, the Murray Bridge community club, the Murray Bridge Lawn Tennis Association and the popular Riverscape café, but it's in need of upgrade to realise the full socioeconomic potential of the riverfront. That's why our government has invested $200,000 that will support the new Murray Bridge war memorial, which is to be located at the Sturt Reserve. Interestingly, Murray Bridge has never had an appropriate war memorial, and it's our government, in partnership with the rural city Murray Bridge and the Murray Bridge RSL, that will deliver that for this community. This is important because it's obvious that we need to continue to recognise the contribution of our local veterans. In partnership with the local RSL and council, this new memorial will provide that opportunity at this improved location. The new memorial will be a place of peace, tranquillity, reflection and commemoration where future generations can pay their respects to those who have served our nation. Our government is investing in this council project upgrade to the Sturt Reserve Precinct as well. We recently provided $1.35 million from our government's Building Better Regions Fund that will help deliver a $3 million project to reinvigorate the recreation precinct, which will include a new boat ramp and parking areas. This will help unlock tourism and community potential at the site and improve access to the Murray River and the heart of Murray Bridge. The Building Better Regions Fund has also delivered funding for the Murray Bridge Rowing Club, located at the Sturt Reserve, for a regional rowing facility to be built there. This will not only be a regional rowing facility but I hope will become our state's rowing centre of excellence. And our government's Community Sport Infrastructure Grant Program has helped see upgrades to the Murray Bridge Lawn Tennis Association clubrooms, located—you guessed it!—at Sturt Reserve. These individual projects all contribute to an improved lifestyle in the Murraylands. They all find themselves at Sturt Reserve, because that is becoming very much the beating heart of Murray Bridge's social infrastructure. It's projects like these that make regional communities even better places to live, work and raise a family. I'm excited about the vision that the rural city of Murray Bridge has for Sturt Reserve, and I'm doing everything I can to make their vision a reality. Our government is supporting community infrastructure through the Community Development Grants Program to promote stable, secure and viable local and regional economies. This program is funding a number of projects across local communities making a real difference to the lives of Australians everywhere, including in the small timber town in my electorate of Nangwarry. It's a town of roughly 500 people 30km north of Mount Gambia, and, although small, Nangwarry is large in community spirit. The Nangwarry Saints footy and netty club are significant assets to the Nangwarry community. Once a powerhouse, winning four flags between 1993 and 1999, I'm disappointed to report to the House they haven't won a game for a while, but it makes no difference to the club's spirit or the importance of those clubs to that town. Understandably, community morale took a hit when a fire destroyed the Saint's clubrooms, chaired by the netball club, on 9 January 2019. It was an arson attack, and anger was raised. That being said, support from not just the Nangwarry community itself but the whole of the south-east region poured in. In fact, it came from across the state. There were funding programs, there were fundraising events and there was even a joint training session, with rival clubs coming to the Nangwarry oval to support their fellow teams. Without clubrooms, members have used the Nangwarry swimming pool's facilities and the Nangwarry Forestry Museum for larger functions. However, I'm pleased to confirm our government is contributing $200,000 to the rebuild through our Community Development Grants Program, because our government knows how important this club is for that town and the south-east region. Like many regional towns, footy clubs are the central part of local communities. Nangwarry is no different. It has a 54-year proud history and is critically important to the future of Nangwarry. I am very much looking forward to the finalisation of those plans and shovels going in the ground. I want to take this opportunity also to talk about work that I'm doing to support the local Limestone Coast Foodbank, which is based in Mount Gambier. Deputy Speaker Georganas, you know, as I do, that Foodbank is an exceptional organisation with locations all over the country. Its core concept is a simple one: to supply food to those in need, redistributing surplus goods that for various commercial reasons can't be sold or are surplus to requirements. In short, it's the perfect solution to a very real problem for many people struggling to put food on the table. The Limestone Coast Foodbank began with the late Barry Maney OAM some 15 years ago. I'm proud to say I knew Barry, and he was someone who I very much looked up to in the community. Barry and his wife Shirley were instrumental in the establishment of the regional Foodbank. In my view it's Barry's greatest legacy to the city of Mount Gambier. Foodbank in Mount Gambier was first opened in 2005 and, since then, has distributed over a million kilograms of food to the residents of the Limestone Coast. In March last year our government announced funding to help Foodbank purchase, expand and renovate the premises they're currently in. Foodbank SA continues to play a vital role in the Limestone Coast community as it grows its presence and distributes more and more food to people than ever before. Our government funding will be used to expand the coolroom and freezer capacity to accommodate more fresh fruit and vegetables as well as frozen products, including meat. We all know how important fresh fruit and vegetables are to all our diets but particularly for those people who are struggling to make ends meet. To help offset the facility's operating cost, additional solar panels will also be installed using this funding. Not only is the federal government funding ensuring the Limestone Coast Food Hub remains a sustainable part of the Limestone Coast community but it will be able to increase the services offered by dint of the fact that we're providing this funding. This is yet another example of the Community Development Program promoting stable, secure, caring and giving communities. I congratulate all the volunteers at Foodbank Limestone Coast. I look forward to continuing to work with them to deliver for people in need. Finally, I want to speak briefly about the Riverland Dinghy Derby, which takes place every year in the Riverland town of Renmark. The Riverland Dinghy Derby is a highlight on the social calendar for those living in the Riverland. It brings visitors from all around the country to compete or, as I did this year, to take the opportunity to watch. The event is said to have begun in 1981 when a few mates made a bet about how fast they could race some tinnies. I said recently, at the opening of this year's event, that I can't think of anything more Australian: blokes racing their tinnies, an event which has come to great heights but started as a bet between mates, no doubt over a beer, with one mate boasting to another that he was he could drive or navigate a tinnie faster than his mate. In any event, that's when the dinghy derby started. Forty years later the event now attracts huge crowds of spectators along the creeks and river to watch drivers and navigators peel past snags, hidden logs and various course obstacles. One of the particular bends is called Carnage. There is Carnage 2, or New Carnage. It gives you an idea of the event. They are very brave drivers and navigators. If I look at the club today it's hard to imagine whether anyone had an idea of what it was to become. This year over 100 competitors joined the race, which I was pleased to attend and officially open. The full weekend event has six rounds, from the Dash 4 Cash to the Hunchee, with five classes of entries, from standard to sports. A team of officials overseas each event, with the weekend culminating in the presentation of four trophies. I'm pleased to report that river safety is taken very seriously. This is the kind of regional event that is great for local communities and their economies. It's why our government is investing in projects that support clubs like the Riverland Dinghy Club. On behalf of the government I was pleased, in the lead-up to the election, to announce $100,000 that will go towards the building of club rooms for the dinghy club. This increasingly popular event will benefit from the new infrastructure and have wider benefits for the Riverland community, helping to promote stable, secure and viable economies. By highlighting these four local projects across a broad range of endeavours, for anyone who may be listening and those who subsequently may take the opportunity via Facebook post or other things, I hope to highlight that good government is about providing leadership at a national level but also at a local level. My electorate is a complex patchwork of communities. There are communities within regions, communities within communities. For example, the community of Renmark is a particularly strong one, which you're familiar with given your cultural links, Mr Deputy Speaker Georganas, but there are those within the Renmark community who are part of the dinghy derby community. That's so strong, in terms of community links, that it's almost a family. It is important that we provide support to these organisations because the volunteers who run events like the dinghy derby do it in their own time. They don't ask much in return. It's a particular boon for the Riverland and Renmark communities during the weekend of the dinghy derby. It fills the hotels; the bars are full; accommodation is brimming. They do it and ask very little in return. The very least we can do in support of these endeavours is to provide them with the infrastructure they need to make the volunteering they do so much easier. That's exactly what the $100,000 for the Riverland Dinghy Club will do. It will provide the capital they need to redevelop their club rooms, which means that the current tin shed they're operating from—I visited it, but unfortunately we couldn't get inside because it was so full of the kind of equipment you need to run the event—will be laid out correctly. It will be a place for them to meet. It will be social capital for that community. This facility will be available to be used by other members of the Riverland and Renmark communities. A small investment from that capital means their volunteering is made easier, they're more likely to volunteer and the event is likely to be sustainable. It is exactly the sort of project we need to be investing in as a government. 13:14 Ms ROWLAND 159771 Greenway I rise to speak on Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020. As I move around my community, it's very clear that there is probably one word that summarises the mood of the electorate, and that is 'uncertain'. There is grave uncertainty in many parts of Australia and, indeed, in many parts of my electorate of Greenway, where people are uncertain about nearly everything in their lives. They're uncertain about whether they will have any work the following week. They are uncertain about their kids' futures and what jobs they will have. They're uncertain about key infrastructure issues, particularly in the growing north-west part of my electorate, where once there were paddocks and farms. The number of houses going up in these areas is gathering pace every single week. So there is tremendous uncertainty about what that will mean for the quality of life of local residents. It is the job of governments to ensure that that uncertainty is addressed with a plan that recognises the needs of local communities and their desire to have a quality of life that one would reasonably expect in the year 2020. It's therefore of great concern that we see what is happening under this Liberal government in the way the economy is floundering. You only have to look at a couple of the key facts in relation to economic indicators. Economic growth has slowed since the election last year, slowed since the now Prime Minister became Prime Minister and slowed since the Liberals came to office. Underemployment is high, with almost two million Australians looking for work or for more work. There is weak wages growth—and it has slowed even further. This government is presiding over the worst wages growth on record, and wages are growing at one-fifth of the pace of profits. Household living standards have declined under this government, with real household median income lower than it was in 2013. As I move around my community, no-one is saying that they feel things are going well, no-one is saying they think that there is a plan in place, and no-one appears certain about the future. That impacts on different communities in different ways. As I'm sure with many other members of this place, I service an electorate that is very diverse. It has people who have some of the most challenging socioeconomic conditions, which only seem to be becoming exacerbated and worsening. I have door-knocked people I represent and I have asked them how they are feeling, what they think government should be doing, and what needs they have and how I can respond to them. I continue to be overwhelmed by the number of people who call themselves part of the 'sandwich generation', which I mentioned in a speech a few months ago in this place: people who are around my age—around middle-age—who have their own children and who are looking after elderly parents, in some cases grandparents. So, in fact, they are the primary carers of essentially two different levels of their own family. Many of us are fortunate in that we have the support of families and the incomes to enable that to happen. But I don't know what happens to those individuals who don't have that support. I don't know what happens to those individuals who don't know how to reach out for help or have reached out for help and haven't been able to get it. As I mentioned, the issue of underemployment is again one that continues to be exacerbated in our society. In another reminder of the structural issues in the labour market—as my colleague the member for Gorton pointed out—1.2 million Australians are looking for more work but are unable to find it and almost two million Australians are underutilised. They are looking for work or more work because the economy is floundering, as stated earlier. With an underemployment rate of 8.6 per cent and an underutilisation rate of 13.9 per cent, our most critical resource, the human capital of our society, is going to waste—and there is no plan to turn this around. There is no plan for those people who want to be hardworking Australians, who want to do the best for themselves and their families and get ahead—and that is a crying shame. I also want to deal with the issue of healthcare—in this case the cost of seeing general practitioners. According to figures provided by the Department of Health, in my electorate of Greenway alone out-of-pocket costs to see a GP have increased 39 per cent since 2013. That figure alone is large, but, when you consider it in the context of all those other economic indicators that I mentioned, it is absolutely staggering. Specialist costs have risen even more, up 42 per cent in the same period. What does that mean? We're talking in monetary terms about an average cost of $94.59 to see a specialist. That's up from $66.65 since 2013. It is staggering, too, that only 29.9 per cent of people in Greenway are bulk-billed by specialists. So we're seeing thousands of local residents being slugged with higher costs each and every year. I'm a great believer in primary health care. In one of my previous lives I had the privilege of serving on the board of the Western Sydney Area Health Service. It was there from very great minds that I learned the basics, and certainly it was a real insight into the economics of health. One thing that always stayed with me was being told about the importance of primary health care. It's something I never forgot and something I did not fully appreciate until I came to this place and saw what this government was inflicting upon Australians and the impact that it will have. I say this from a very personal point of view. Around six years ago I went to see my GP, whom I had been seeing for a number of years. I hadn't been feeling too well for awhile, so he did a few tests and he basically said to me that I needed to do something really drastic with my health due to potential to have cancer because of family cancer history; diabetes, again, as a result of family history of diabetes; and also heart disease. So I needed to do a number of things. For me this was very radical. It was not a plan that I thought I could put in place. I was a relatively new mother still, I had a busy job and was busy with my day-to-day life and my family, but I decided to take on his advice. I was put on a care plan. I had referrals to a number of specialists. Because I'm of means, because I'm educated and because I took on board that advice, I was able to implement the plan that my GP set out for me. As a result, today I'm actually far healthier than I was six years ago. I make this point because I believe we need to not only cherish our general practitioners but promote primary health care much more than we do in Australia. The unfortunate reality is that the record cost of health care means that many Australians skip seeing their GP and that we have a system that is set up for episodic or one-off care rather than long-term care. The alternative, of course, is to see a GP or a specialist only when things go wrong and to fix it there and then, not to have a long-term plan for prevention and certainly not a plan that enables you to address what it can potentially become: chronic disease, even more expensive to treat. Western Sydney, my area, is known as the diabetes capital of Australia, most unfortunately. Coronary disease and smoking rates are still too high. I firmly believe that this requires a different model of care. It needs to be ongoing, it needs to be comprehensive and it needs to address all of those health issues in a very integrated way across health professionals. I understand, even from speaking to my own GP and the specialists to whom he's referred me, that they want to practise in this way. They want this new model of care, but instead what we've seen is the freezing of GP payments as this government has done for four years. Unfortunately, it's that kind of backward-thinking attitude that is not going to address these crises in healthcare, particularly in Western Sydney, which has some of those chronic conditions, as I mentioned. In summing up, there were comments made in this chamber last week by the Treasurer, one of the most senior members of the government, and I'm not going to let them go unchecked. I can appreciate why many Australians of Hindu faith have been offended by these comments by the Treasurer in question time and by the behaviour of those who sit behind him. The Treasurer referenced several themes pertinent to Hinduism that have caused offence to many believers. I know this because, as a regular feature of my role as the member for Greenway, I spend time with several hundred Australians of Hindu faith every week and, indeed, even over the weekend. I deal with them in different ways, as small-business owners and as parents in their local communities. All of them are hardworking Australians who want to do the right thing. Hinduism is one of the fastest-growing religions in Australia, and indeed some measurements say it is the fastest. There are 20 times more Hindus in Australia now than there were 30 years ago. In the 2016 census, the percentage of Hindus in Australia stood at 1.9 per cent. I'm sure that that has increased. In my electorate of Greenway it is 12.1 per cent, a significant difference demonstrating that the diversity of west and north west Sydney is only enhanced by Hindu Australians. I'm not surprised by the statement made by the Hindu Council of Australia over the weekend, a highly respected and active organisation. Just to be clear about what they're saying—they don't mince their words here: What is more unsettling to the Hindu Community is that the Floor of the House, the shrine of democracy, was used as the stage to disrespect the Hindu community … This behaviour shows lack of respect to the Hindu community and undermines deep faith and multiculturism that we all, as Australians, are so proud about. The sentiments of the Hindu community are deeply hurt. They have an action point, too: We also call upon the Liberal Party to clarify where it stands with respect to Mr Josh's remarks. I want to make it perfectly clear in this place that I don't care what juvenile or inane comments are employed by government MPs as they go about their business in this place—in fact, I expect it. If you're looking for answers from this government, I'm not surprised that question time is considered by so many Australians to be one of the biggest wastes of time. What I do care about is the community that I represent. I care about the fact that Hindu Australians come to this place and invite us to celebrate Diwali with them. They invited us only weeks ago to celebrate Pongal, Tamil New Year, with them, just to name a few. The engagement that I have had with Hindu Australians, even before I came to this place, within Parliament House and outside it has been nothing short of welcoming and hospitable, and this is how Hindu Australians have been rewarded. We need to do better as a country overall. This is not some flash-in-the-pan issue. Three years ago I called for greater sensitivity and respect for the Hindu community, for the way in which Lord Ganesha was featured in an advertising campaign marketing lamb. As I said at the time, I hope to see greater sensitivity and respect for the Hindu community and Lord Ganesha in advertising and marketing communications in future. That's what it's about, a bit of respect and a bit of sensitivity. I remain of the view that it is not too much to expect from our elected leaders, where multiculturalism is being challenged from many sides—including, as the boss of ASIO said only last week, by factors such as right-wing extremism. One of the most senior members of the government in this place should be well aware of the offence that is being caused to Australians of Hindu faith. Over the weekend, I was delighted to celebrate, in just one of many celebrations that I am invited to and which I accept with such gratitude, the dedication of a new Jain temple in Western Sydney. It will be the first Jain temple in Australia. They have been working towards this since 2007. The Sydney Shakti temple is about to open after more than a decade of building. I congratulate them and thank them for their contribution to our society. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265991 The debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 43. The debate may be resumed at a later hour. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 35 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS Australian Bushfires 35 13:29 Ms RYAN 249224 Lalor Over this summer—this terrible summer—we've also seen some wonderful things that Australians have done, coming together to support other Australians. We saw the tennis world and the cricket world raise funds, and this weekend we saw the AFL world—with the return of a state of origin match between Victoria and the All Stars—come together to do the same: to raise funds, to support the Australian supporting community in bushfire affected areas. And I want to congratulate them on their efforts. I also want to congratulate the netball family, who came together on the weekend in a fundraiser where the Diamonds faced off against the All Stars. I want to congratulate Caitlin Bassett, captain of the Diamonds, and Geva Mentor, the captain of the All Stars. This game saw an extraordinary array of talent across the region. We saw our sporting elite putting their hearts and souls and, may I say, their smiles into their sporting games to support other Australians. But it is a sad that, today, Labor has had to call on this government to do more for small businesses, both directly and indirectly, affected by the fires, particularly around wage assistance. I say to the government: the precedent is there. A previous Labor government put forward the levels of support that we'd like to see for small business and for those people who work in our small businesses. This government really needs to do what our sporting world is doing, and get behind Australians in this great time of need. Forde Electorate: Beenleigh Yatala Junior Chamber of Commerce 35 13:31 Mr VAN MANEN 188315 Forde The Beenleigh Yatala Junior Chamber of Commerce is one of the many wonderful organisations in my electorate of Forde that fosters the development of high school students across Logan and the northern Gold Coast through monthly business breakfasts that expose youth to business and community leaders. The students are under the stewardship of long-time resident and local legend Heather Christensen, but run their own meetings, breakfasts and fundraising events, which give them a platform to engage with the small business community in my electorate. On the back of the successful launch of the Rising Entrepreneurs Competition in 2019, the chamber and BOP Industries have got together again and taken the best aspects from last year's competition and expanded on the format to develop a new program designed to assist students to start their own business for less than $100. It will run as an after-school program throughout term 2 through the six junior chamber participating high schools—Beenleigh and Windaroo state high schools, Livingstone College, Canterbury College, Trinity and Rivermount. The aim of the program is to inspire, empower and engage participants and give them the tools, knowledge and platform to be able to have their own small business. I commend the Beenleigh Yatala Chamber of Commerce for taking this hands-on approach to giving our youth a good position and foundation to be successful in life and, as they continue to contribute to the community, to take the opportunity to employ people and do it well. Parramatta Electorate: Shakti Temple 36 13:33 Ms OWENS E09 Parramatta Two events—and the difference between them couldn't be starker. On the one hand, in this place of all places, we saw a playground level performance by Treasurer Frydenberg when he ridiculed ashrams and mocked Hinduism for a political point—a demonstration of an extraordinary lack of respect for a religion not his own. But, in the real world, back in Parramatta, there was an event that was all about respect, when people of two ancient religions came together. The people of the Shakti Temple, people in my community who follow one of the oldest religions on earth, Hinduism, came together with Indigenous Australians, from the oldest living culture on earth, with a smoking ceremony for their soon to be reopened temple. It was, quite frankly, a lovely moment of Australian-ness—a coming together, with profound respect, of people from two ancient cultures recognising and acknowledging the beliefs and traditions that matter to each other and marking a significant moment together. This is the community where I live, where trust and acknowledgement of things that matter are the norm. That is what we should expect here in this Parliament of Australia—and, quite frankly, Minister Frydenberg must lift both his game and his gaze. In Parramatta, our Hindu community is amazing and a delight. For those who don't know Hinduism, if you've dabbled in yoga, meditation or mindfulness, you've dabbled in something with millennia of history. There is much to learn from each other if we keep our minds open—and that's what we should be doing in this place, the Parliament of Australia. PM's Spelling Bee 36 13:34 Ms HAMMOND 80072 Curtin Apparently, a-p-p-a-r-e-n-t-l-y, many politicians p-o-l-i-t-i-c-i-a-n-s believe b-e-l-i-e-v-e they are humorous h-u-m-o-r-o-u-s, particularly p-a-r-t-i-c-u-l-a-r-l-y when they persistently p-e-r-s-i-s-t-e-n-t-l-y interrupt i-n-t-e-r-r-u-p-t each other. Unfortunately u-n-f-o-r-t-u-n-a-t-e-l-y, the comments are often embarrassing e-m-b-a-r-r-a-s-s-i-n-g, bizarre b-i-z-a-r-r-e or weird w-e-i-r-d. and they had should remember r-e-m-e-m-b-e-r to occasionally o-c-c-a-s-i-o-n-a-l-l-y bite their t-h-e-i-r tongues t-o-n-g-u-e-s. These sentences contain 15 of the commonly misspelt words, according to the Oxford English Corpus. I challenge all students in years 3 to 8 in schools in Curtin C-u-r-t-i-n to test their own spelling skills in the inaugural PM's Spelling Bee s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g b-e-e, which is open for entries now. Let's get a champion and outshine our neighbours in Fremantle, F-r-e-m-a-n-t-l-e and Stirling S-t-i-r-l-i-n-g. Just visit kidsnews.com.au. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265991 The member's time has e-x-p-i-r-e-d! Wellbeing Budget 36 13:36 Mr HILL 86256 Bruce I was approached by many Australians over the weekend, appalled by the Treasurer's disgraceful performance last week. He thought he was being funny, attacking Labor for showing interest in New Zealand's innovative Wellbeing Budget, but he did so by mocking Indian and Hindu culture and their religious practices. He denigrated ashrams, yoga and meditation. The Treasurer would not make such jokes about Christians or Muslims, or his own Jewish faith, would he? So why are the ancient practices of Hindus and Indians so funny to him? Honourable members interjecting— Mr HILL 86256 Liberal MPs just laughed along, like they're yelling now, but I was appalled. I've been to India. I spent time in ashrams, meditating, doing yoga. Yoga and meditation have been proven by modern science to have health and wellbeing benefits, and they're taught in many schools. Frankly, this parliament—and those opposite—would function better if we spent a bit of time each day calming down and reflecting. This wasn't a politically incorrect private remark, or words taken out of context; it was a sledge in the national parliament, where the highest standards should apply. I don't think he was being racist, but it was culturally insensitive—the verbal equivalent of doing blackface in the chamber. He should reflect on his words and find his apology within, and actually have a look at the Wellbeing Budget. It's interesting. It doesn't mean abandoning fiscal discipline, but it's founded on the idea that financial prosperity alone is not a sufficient measure of the quality of human life. It's not really that radical. Brown, Dr Benjamin (Ben) 36 13:37 Mr FALINSKI G86 Mackellar I rise today to acknowledge the altruistic work and charitable actions of Dr Ben Brown and his team of nurses at the Sydney Animal Hospitals Newport, who put the needs of helpless animals above their own. They recently journeyed up the mountains of Peru to provide veterinary care to animals who would not have received treatment otherwise. Dr Brown and his team acknowledge the trip would not have been possible without the support of local pet owners and their generous donations to the collection box at the practice. The endeavour was organised by World Vets, a non-profit NGO. Their mission aligns with the goals of Dr Brown, those being to provide aid and medical help to animals in developing countries. Working alongside a local animal welfare group in the Huaraz mountains of Peru, Dr Brown and his team donated their time and skill to tend to suffering animals. Upon their arrival, a team of international vets and nurses set up their temporary veterinary hospital, which was in operation for seven days. Within that single week, the team managed to complete 315 successful surgeries. Dr Brown explains that these surgeries took place in challenging conditions, as they were operating at an altitude of over 3,000 metres above sea level. Vocational Education and Training 37 13:39 Ms McBRIDE 248353 Dobell New data from the education department reveals the Central Coast has lost 1,140 apprentices and trainees under the Liberals. Around 140,000 apprentices and trainees have been lost across Australia. It's hurting our economy and denying locals jobs. There are now shortages of bricklayers, plumbers, hairdressers, bakers, electricians, mechanics, panel beaters and other critical trades across Australia. This is a skills crisis. It's holding back local businesses and denying locals jobs. Businesses on the coast want to grow and hire more locals but are being let down by the Liberals' failure on training. The Australian Industry Group says 75 per cent of businesses are struggling to find qualified workers. There are almost two million Australians looking for work or for more hours. On the Central Coast, we have a long-term youth unemployment rate stuck around 12 per cent. Young people on the coast need employment opportunities through apprenticeships and traineeships. When the Liberals came to power, there were 4,709 apprentices on the Central Coast. Now there are 3,569. That's a drop of 25 per cent. My electorate of Dobell had 2,401, which has fallen to 1,841, a loss of 560 apprenticeships. The Liberals have cut around $3 billion from TAFE and training. This is forcing more people to drop out of vocational education and training courses than finish them. By locking Australians out of skills and training, the Liberals are locking Australians out of jobs. Agriculture Industry 37 13:40 Mr RICK WILSON 198084 O'Connor Last Friday, in my capacity as chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources, I was briefed on Tasmanian Irrigation projects by CEO Andrew Kneebone. He described the 16 Tasmanian Irrigation schemes, some as small as 3,000 megalitres, supporting up to 1,000 farmers and agricultural enterprises, including meat production, dairy, fodder, cereal cropping as well as horticulture. These schemes, dubbed 'the pipeline of prosperity', have led to a massive increase in agricultural production and expansion of Tasmania's food processing capacity. There are 10 more schemes planned, with $100 million in federal government funding already committed to support five of these projects. Paul Ellery, general manager of program development, and Ian Smith, North Esk project manager, took me on a tour of some of their operations. I visited the Rocklands Dam and the North Esk pump station and heard from farmers how irrigation supplementing their existing water storage had enabled them to expand and invest. They are farmers like Andrew Von Stieglitz, who grazes fat lambs at 65 head per hectare, returning up to $312 per animal. In my travels throughout north-west Tasmania, I saw everywhere the benefits of irrigation to farmers. Tasmania comprises only two per cent of Australia's land mass, experiences nine per cent of Australia's rainfall and holds 24 per cent of Australia's stored water. Tasmanian agricultural production has increased 3.8 per cent per annum since 2014, over three times the national average. I see tremendous potential for irrigation to improve productivity in the southern forests food bowl in my electorate, from Manjimup to Northcliffe, small and large irrigation projects— (Time expired) Climate Change 37 13:42 Mr BANDT M3C Melbourne The Prime Minister needs to take climate science as seriously as he's taking the coronavirus science. Our summers are now twice as long as our winters in Australia. The climate crisis is hitting us now. It's devastating Australia and it's devastating the economy. We're experiencing towering infernos, ranging floods, record heatwaves and toxic air pollution. People have died, livestock have died, crops have been wiped out and entire towns have been pushed to the limit. This is happening at one degree of global warming, and today in estimates the Bureau of Meteorology have confirmed that we are on track to closer to four degrees of global warming under this Prime Minister in Australia. When experts advised him on the coronavirus, the Prime Minister swung into action immediately and came up with an urgent plan but, when experts advise the Prime Minister on the climate crisis, he not only does nothing but knowingly makes the problem worse. The Prime Minister had treated the coronavirus the same way he's treating the climate crisis, we'd all be infected by now. It's time to understand that this is an urgent problem and we need climate action now—not in 2050, not in 2040, but right now. It is only going to get worse. What Australia has experienced this summer will pale in comparison to what is to come. The Prime Minister is putting Australian lives at risk. We need to start responding to the climate crisis the same way we are responding to the coronavirus, the way countries responded in World War II when there was the threat of invasion. The climate crisis needs a whole-of-government, whole-of-parliament and whole-of-society effort. Returned and Services League of Australia 38 13:44 Mr YOUNG 201906 Longman Last month I was invited to celebrate the Woodford RSL Sub Branch's 100th anniversary with its more than 60 members. It got me thinking about the important role that RSL sub-branches play in the electorate of Longman and in communities across Australia. RSL, of course, stands for Returned and Services League, which was founded in 1916 in order to ensure a unified approach to addressing the lack of organised repatriation of facilities and medical services available to those returning from the Great War. Even 104 years later, it remains important to support that RSL on their mission to meet the needs of service men and women who have made and are making sacrifices for our country. RSL sub-branches provide a wide range of activities, advice and support to current and former Australian Defence Force members and their families as well as the local community. This helps veterans connect and bond with other veterans, both past and present. The RSL also preserves the memories of those lost to ensure they are never forgotten, and provides welfare to the sick and wounded. One of the most important roles that the RSL plays is ensuring that younger Australians never forget the sacrifice that ADF personnel have made for our great country. In this, they do a great job. So, if you know of a veteran who could use some support, direct them to their local RSL sub-branch. I know all of the RSL sub-branches in Longman welcome serving and ex-service members with open arms, and the one just down the road from your house will be no different. Buddhist Vihara of Queensland 38 13:45 Mr DICK 53517 Oxley I'm delighted to advise the House that over the weekend I attended the opening ceremony of the Buddhist Vihara of Queensland as a place of worship. The Buddhist Vihara of Queensland services a diverse group of Queenslanders, now numbering upwards of 2,000 families, from the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast and as far west as Toowoomba. It started from humble beginnings at Darra back in 1998. In 2006, the vihara was relocated to the current location of Goodna, in the Oxley electorate, with more space to develop facilities required to nurture Buddhism for future generations. I was delighted to be part of the official opening ceremony of their new renovations at the temple, alongside the Premier of Queensland, the Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk; Labor's candidate for the upcoming Bundamba by-election, Mr Lance McCallum; and also the Premier's father, the Hon. Henry Palaszczuk. The project has provided significant benefits to the vihara community. We heard of the dedication and hard work of so many that made this a reality. Living in harmony and peace with each other is a huge achievement for us as a nation. We take pride in this, as there are many countries that are not able to worship or live out their faith as easily as we can here in Australia. I extend my sincere thanks to all those involved with this remarkable project for our community. Long may Buddha protect and nurture all of those who worship there. Environmental Conservation, National Plastics Summit 38 13:47 Mr ZIMMERMAN 203092 North Sydney Plastic makes up around 80 per cent of all marine litter. In 2050 it is estimated that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by weight. That is why I'm proud to be part of a government that takes plastic pollution in our oceans so seriously. At today's National Plastics Summit, around 200 industry representatives, state and local governments, scientists and school children are taking part to address the challenges of plastic and recycling. I particularly want to acknowledge one participant: 11-year-old Alexander Spring of Cremorne, who I met this morning at the summit. Alexander's passion for a sustainable future led him to start the 'kids off the grid' initiative, which sought to encourage his school mates at Middle Harbour primary school to recycle plastic bottles using the New South Wales Return and Earn scheme. The money made from Alexander's program was then used to pay for solar panels to increase his school's energy self-sufficiency. It's a great example of the passion I see among so many school students in my electorate to make a difference in areas like this and climate change. At the national level, our government is committed to working with businesses to significantly increase the use of recyclable materials as well as phase out problematic plastics by 2025. I want to commend the Prime Minister for taking the lead on this important matter. Today's summit is about the future and our younger generation. People like Alexander Spring have the right to expect that we will work to protect our oceans from the incredible damage being done by plastic pollution. Women in Sport, T20 World Cup 39 13:48 Ms MURPHY 133646 Dunkley Today at 3 o'clock, while many of us in this place will be in question time, the mighty Australian cricket team will be taking on New Zealand for the sudden-death play-off to make it into the finals of the world T20 championships. Some of us will be checking the updates on our phone while paying attention to question time. The final is— Honourable members interjecting— Ms MURPHY 133646 I know, but we will be. I hear people saying, 'Shame!' but we will be. The women's T20 final is on Sunday at the home of sport in Melbourne, the mighty MCG. I'm really proud to be taking 10 young women from Dunkley—from Frankston Women's Cricket Club, and Carrum Downs, Mount Eliza and Langwarrin cricket clubs—to that event. We are going to be part of the crowd and world-famous entertainers like Katy Perry trying to beat the world record for attendance at a women's sporting event. What better day to do it than on International Women's Day. It is going to be a magnificent event, showcasing magnificent female athletes. I am absolutely positive that Australia is going to be in the grand final. We're going to be cheering them along and part of a world-record-setting group. But, if the worst happens and New Zealand are in that final instead of us, we will be part of 100,000 people revelling in women showing what tremendous, strong, bold and brave athletes they can be. So best of luck to everyone. We're all looking forward to it. Clean Up Australia Day 39 13:50 Mr ALEXANDER M3M Bennelong Hear, hear, Member for Dunkley! Yesterday was Clean Up Australia Day. Like thousands of Australians, I donned gloves and got out in the community to help restore our beautiful country. Every year I join Victor Dominello MP for Ryde, local scouts, residents and our young supporters to dredge through the mangroves at the Meadowbank Wharf. Mangroves are great for cleaning our rivers and harbour of toxins, but they also collect a lot of plastic and other rubbish in their roots. Once again we saw bag loads of rubbish there that had been swept down with recent high tides. We did our bit and left the riverside sparkling and refreshed. I thank everyone who came down and put in backbreaking effort. We'll be back next year. Hopefully, there will be much less to pick up. Clean Up Australia Day is a great event, but it's important to remember that the message is beyond the day itself, so it was great to see the Prime Minister launching Australia's first National Plastics Summit this morning in the Great Hall. The plastic problem we're facing is mammoth, but with innovative solutions we can seize the opportunities this presents and not just fix a problem but grow a sustainable industry full of opportunities. Until then, we'll keep picking up the rubbish down at Meadowbank Wharf. International Women's Day 39 13:51 Mr PERRETT HVP Moreton It's International Women's Day on Sunday 8 March. I'll be celebrating with the women of Moreton on Friday with a morning tea. This year's theme is: 'An equal world is an enabled world. How will you forge a gender equal world?' We in this place have a responsibility to strive for gender equality. It's very important for all of us, particularly in the wake of the horrendous murder of Hannah Clarke and her children. This is an issue we need to tackle urgently. Our Watch says that violence against women is primarily driven by gender inequality and is reinforced or exacerbated by a number of other factors. Men have a particular responsibility to stop violence against women. All of us can do better, but men especially, whether it's speaking out when you hear a sexist joke or another bloke say something demeaning about women or victim blaming a woman who has been subjected to violence. In an article in The Australian newspaper today the CEO of DVConnect said: Our position in regards to working with men who use violence is … their use of violence is a choice … they can also choose not to use violence. It's mainly men who need to change, not women. I know that when relationships go bad it can be a horrible thing. Sometimes we need to get help to see things clearly and to let the anger go. As politicians we need to do whatever we can to support women leaving a violent relationship to make sure that there are support services like DVConnect for men who are scared of what they will do and who want to change. We need to make sure that the family law system is protecting families who experience family violence. I try to be a good man always and I hope all good men will join with me on International Women's Day in celebrating the women in our lives. Coronavirus 40 13:53 Dr ALLEN 282986 Higgins I rise to highlight the work being achieved by our medical research community in responding to the global coronavirus epidemic. The Morrison government has been preparing for the current public health emergency epidemic by investing in centres for research excellence, like APPRISE, to improve Australia's response to infectious disease emergencies. APPRISE is the Australian Partnership for Preparedness Research on Infectious Disease Emergencies and is led by Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. Professor Lewin is a constituent in my electorate of Higgins. Because of the government's investment in medical research the Doherty institute was prepared to respond to this global health crisis with cutting-edge research. It is why they were the first in the world to grow the coronavirus. This is one of the first steps to vaccine development, and the Doherty has already shared its technology around the world. Already APPRISE has begun working with international collaborators to begin a preclinical vaccine, support capacity gaps for the national incident room set up by the Morrison government and activate an extensive specimen collection for returned travellers to monitor the virus's behaviour. I congratulate the exceptional work of everyone in Professor Lewin's team and thank them and another medical researchers around Australia for their endeavours. With the speed of air travel, this coronavirus global epidemic represents a new normal for the world. The Australian scientists have a vital role to play in global health diplomacy for the benefit of us all. Defence 40 13:5 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland This government likes to brag about its support for defence, but the truth is this government uses the defence capital budget as an ATM. Only last week we heard that they ripped out $5.2 billion from the defence capital budget. What were the biggest drivers? A $1.2 billion cut because of schedule delays, $560 million spent on a wages blowout instead of equipment and $465 million spent on an ICT blowout. This is a government that cannot manage defence effectively. We've got 36 major projects running, cumulatively 74 years late and $10.3 billion over budget, and that's no surprise given we've had five coalition defence ministers in six years of government. Goldfish last longer than coalition defence ministers, and the result of this is mismanagement. The current defence minister had a massive five-week apprenticeship as a minister before they became defence minister! How can you take on one of the most challenging jobs in government if you've spent a total of five weeks as a minister before being handed that responsibility? The truth is that the ADF and taxpayers are paying the price for this government's mismanagement, this government's cuts to the defence budget and this government's mismanagement of projects. It's the ADF that suffers. STOVES, Ms Doreen AM PSM 40 13:56 Mr ANDREWS HK5 Menzies At the end of this month the Manningham community will say good bye to the chief executive officer of Doncare, Doreen Stoves. Doncare is the main welfare organisation in Menzies and has provided support to enhance the quality of life for people living in the municipality and surrounding communities. The majority of services are delivered by volunteers, including a team of around 300, who staff six op shops and also volunteer on the board of management. Last year, Doncare celebrated its 50th anniversary of serving the local Manningham community. In my time as member for Menzies, Doreen has been a much loved and well-respected figure in the local community. Her commitment to the local community is second to none. Prior to working at Doncare, she worked at the Department of Human Services for 25 years before joining the local organisation. Doreen is also a clinical family therapist who previously worked with individuals and families. She has a particular interest in domestic and family violence and is a strong advocate for quality service provision to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our community. Doreen has worked at developing strong links and partnerships with the service system in Manningham and at developing a range of programs to meet the needs of the local community. Doreen was appropriately awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in June 2013. She was also awarded a Public Service Medal in 1995 for her work with children and families while working for the Department of Human Services. Farewell, Doreen. The local community will greatly miss you. Morrison Government 40 13:57 Mr STEPHEN JONES A9B Whitlam The people of Australia are getting a bit sick and tired of seeing the Treasurer and the Prime Minister use question time as a forum to practise their amateur acting skills. Outside the problems are mounting: the government promises one thing but simply does not deliver. Remember the promise to do something about getting rid of debt? Well, they've actually doubled it. On Friday, in one month, we saw it go up by a massive $30 billion. They promised a surplus, and now they are running away from it at great speed. Remember them promising to knock off $500 from our annual power bills? But the bills are going up! Remember them saying that they're going to do something to look after older Australians? Well, seniors are now struggling to get access to aged care. They were going to do something about the National Disability Insurance Scheme, but people are waiting months and months and months to get a basic wheelchair. They promised to look after the businesses on the South Coast after the terrible bushfires. It's been months and months and not a dollar is flowing through to the businesses that are doing it tough. Australia needs more than this marketing guy with a penchant for coffee cups and baseball caps. Prime Minister, you're always talking about alternative approaches. Isn't it time you tried one? Bass Electorate: Exeter Show 41 13:59 Mrs ARCHER 282237 Bass Agricultural shows are an integral part of our community identity, and nowhere was this better represented than at the Exeter Show this past Saturday. I was thrilled to officially open the 107th show and to witness firsthand the intrinsic value of community that surrounds this event. Of course, the traditional activities were there—the woodchopping, the baking competitions, the alleged delicacy known as the dagwood dog, and the show bags. But what was obvious to me beyond the time-honoured traditions and activities that are the backbone of an agricultural show were the personal connections made. Everywhere I looked I noticed groups of friends and acquaintances gathering in small groups for a catch-up. Those connections, especially in rural areas like the Tamar Valley, are so valuable. Beyond demonstrating the best of our agriculture, industry and community, rural shows likes Exeter are an important way for those in the suburbs and outer regional areas to get a taste of the important job our farmers do and, in particular, offer a chance for young people to get up close to farm animals and understand their role in supplying produce across the state and country. I'm pleased that the Morrison government has recognised the value of agricultural shows by offering grants to local show societies and ensuring rural and regional communities across Australia can continue to stage local shows for years to come. Well done to the Exeter Show Society's organising committee for another fantastic event. I can't wait to come back next year. The SPEAKER 00APG In accordance with standing order 43 the time for members' statements has concluded. MINISTERIAL ARRANGEMENTS 41 MINISTERIAL ARRANGEMENTS 14:00 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook Before we begin today, can I wish the Leader of the Opposition a happy birthday. I'm sure he'll return it in kind, generous remarks as question time goes on. I don't think so! An honourable member interjecting — Mr MORRISON E3L My present's coming? I suspect yours is too! I inform the House that the Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure will be absent from question time today for personal reasons. The Deputy Prime Minister will answer questions on his behalf. The Minister for Home Affairs will answer questions of behalf of the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs. I thank the opposition for those arrangements. The SPEAKER 00APG Happy birthday to the Leader of the Opposition! QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 41 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Cabinet Office Policy Committee 41 14:01 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Prime Minister. Today the Minister representing the Prime Minister told the Senate that the Cabinet Office Policy Committee is made up of just one permanent member: the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister advise, in relation to this one-man cabinet committee, do the committee's discussions take long? Is there a lot of disagreement in this committee, and are the meetings of this committee held in the Prime Minister's head? Isn't this just an abuse of the cabinet designed to hide government documents? 14:02 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook I can confirm that the government's committee of cabinet regularly has attending its meetings myself, the Attorney-General, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Treasurer. The SPEAKER 00APG The Leader of the Opposition, seeking to table a document?. Mr Albanese R36 Yes, I seek leave to table the document from directory.gov.au on the Cabinet Office Policy Committee. Leave not granted. Coronavirus 42 14:02 Dr ALLEN 282986 Higgins My question is for the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister inform the House why the Morrison government is well prepared to respond to the coronavirus outbreak and its impacts, and what next steps will be taken to further protect Australians from the effects of the coronavirus? 14:03 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook I thank the member for Higgins for her question and for her engagement as the government seeks to manage this very difficult issue, given her background and experience. The sad death of the 78-year-old James Kwan from Perth is a very sad reminder that Australia is not immune from the coronavirus, COVID-19. But I can say that Australia is as well prepared as any nation can be and as well advanced. We've got ahead of this issue early, and we intend to stay ahead in the interests of the health and wellbeing of Australians. The declaration on the coronavirus under the Biosecurity Act was made a week before such a declaration was similarly made at a global level by the WHO, on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer. Equally, the pandemic emergency response plan was agreed in January and has been activated, so Australia is now on a footing to effectively deal with this issue as a pandemic. The WHO is yet to actually form a position on that. I want to thank again the Chief Medical Officer and all of the state health officers who have been part of providing that advice to government to ensure that we are getting ahead and staying ahead on this issue, with travel bans, evacuation arrangements for Australians out of some difficult situations, and quarantine facilities established and stood up both in the Northern Territory and on Christmas Island. I want to thank state and territory authorities for their assistance. The border measures are under increasing pressure now as the coronavirus extends into more and more countries around the world, and I want to commend the excellent work that is being done by the Australian Border Force in standing up these arrangements, often at extremely short notice based on the urgent medical advice that we have received. On the economy, our response will be the same: we are engaging broadly on pulling together a response plan in the not-too-distant future. Earlier today the finance minister, the Treasurer and I, and senior officials, held discussions with the Governor and the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank to talk through the impact of the coronavirus on the economy at a global level and its impact on markets, as well as the impact here in Australia. The impacts of this coronavirus economically, and the assessment of those impacts, are changing on a very frequent basis. We will be focusing on ensuring that we keep Australians in jobs, we keep businesses in business, and we keep investment flowing during what will be a very challenging time for the Australian economy. This is a health crisis, not a financial crisis, but it is a health crisis with very significant economic implications. It's important that we understand that on the other side of this crisis, when the health issues are addressed, there will be a bounce-back, and our plan will be ensuring that Australian businesses and jobs and the economy bounce back strongly. Cabinet Office Policy Committee 42 14:06 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. I ask: can he confirm that he is the only permanent member of the Cabinet Office Policy Committee? 14:06 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook I refer the member to my earlier answer. Cabinet committees have various memberships. What matters is who attends those meetings. On the matters which have been more recently before the Governance Committee, those meetings were attended by me. Mr Burke DYW Point of order. Mr MORRISON E3L You want to write the answer too, do you? The SPEAKER 00APG The Prime Minister will resume his seat. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG Members on both sides! The member for Solomon! The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order? Mr Burke DYW On direct relevance. The SPEAKER 00APG Yes. Mr Burke DYW The question is asking about one cabinet committee: the Cabinet Office Policy Committee. The Prime Minister is answering with respect to the Governance Committee, which is a different committee. The SPEAKER 00APG The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. Whilst I appreciate that this was a more specific question than the last one, it had a lot of argument and imputation— Mr Albanese R36 No, it didn't. The SPEAKER 00APG The last question? Mr Albanese R36 The last one didn't. The SPEAKER 00APG Well, you've just got to listen. I was talking about the last one. Opposition members interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG I can rule very quickly if members on my left want me to. The last question contained a lot of argument and imputation. I could have struck out quite a lot of it if I'd followed the rules strictly. You've only got to match some of the rhetoric with the specific subsections of the standing orders to do that. I think that's beyond argument. This question was more specific, but it essentially asked the same question that was there, with a long preamble, the last time. The Prime Minister has referred to his previous answer, and I think he was specific. He might not have given you the answer you want, but it's certainly directly relevant to the question. I'm listening closely to the Prime Minister. Mr MORRISON E3L The cabinet office policy committees meet together on a regular basis to focus on key challenges and issues facing the Australian people. As the convener of that committee, I bring into that Cabinet Office Policy Committee members of the cabinet, of the executive and of the government. That Cabinet Office Policy Committee has been dealing with issues like getting electricity prices down, how we manage plastics waste, how we can get focused on the energy needs of Australia into the future and how we can focus on meeting the challenges of the drought. These cabinet office policy committees have been crucial mechanisms used for the government to come together, to pull together the experience, the learnings and the wisdom of those who sit on the government benches, and to focus on the issues that are most important to the Australian people. The lesson that the Australian people are getting from the opposition at the moment is that those opposite are more interested in the trivial politics of Canberra than the serious issues that are confronting the Australian people. Coronavirus 43 14:10 Mr ALEXANDER M3M Bennelong My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister outline the actions the Morrison government is taking to protect Australians from a coronavirus outbreak, including how it is working with the states and territories? 14:10 Mr HUNT 00AMV Flinders I thank the member for Bennelong, who has been one of the great advocates for the strength of the Australian medical sector—and the medicines sector, in particular. I have had the privilege of visiting and working with him in Macquarie Park. I also know that in Eastwood, a part of his community, the Chinese-Australian community has been struggling with some of the challenges. We want to encourage people to visit Eastwood—to be out in the restaurants and out in the community. One of the things that we have done—and I want to thank the states and territories for this—is to work very specifically with the states and territories on the challenge of coronavirus. Sadly, over the weekend, as the Prime Minister mentioned, Australia suffered its first loss. Mr James Kwan lost his life at age 78. He had been on the Diamond Princess. His death was obviously a tragedy for his family, and it was also a blow to all of those who had been on the Diamond Princess and are now in quarantine. We know, through the daily checking process, that 10 Australians who had been on the Diamond Princess and been returned to Australia and are now in quarantine have been detected as having coronavirus. The other nine are, I am advised, well and in good care. The states have been medivaccing them, and have done a tremendous job in taking care of the patients. I don't think any finer care could have been given. As part of the work of COAG, we've looked at the numbers in Australia. All up, there are now 29 cases that have had an impact on Australia soil: 15 initially, who were contained, isolated and treated and all of whom have recovered; the 10 from the Diamond Princess; and four with links to travel from Iran identified over the weekend—which contributed to the decision we made, before the latter three had been identified, to impose a travel ban in relation to Iran. With regard to the states and territories, the implementation of the pandemic plan was discussed on Friday at COAG. That included the Commonwealth taking steps on the primary care component of the plan. We've been working on that with the AMA and the College of GPs since Friday. There's work in relation to aged-care protection for our vulnerable older Australians. That work on aged-care protection has included talking today with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner and will include further work throughout the course of the week. Then there is the work in relation to the national medicines supply and the National Medical Stockpile. Today I met with the head of the TGA, Professor Skerritt. They have a dedicated unit focusing on this. The states are focusing on lifting their hospitals' capacity to have what is known as surge capacity, to make sure that the workforce is covered. The country is working together, as it should. This is a difficult time, and there will be challenges going forward. But the plans that have been long-established are now in place. (Time expired) Australian Bushfires 44 14:13 Ms TEMPLEMAN 181810 Macquarie My question is to the Prime Minister. Why has the Prime Minister broken his promise of immediate support for bushfire affected communities, given that fewer than 20 per cent of applications for small business grants and fewer than five per cent of applications for small business loans have been approved? 14:14 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook I thank the member for her question. Over $167 million has been paid to families and individuals in direct support in response to the bushfire crisis. There's been $145 million paid to more than 121,000 eligible individuals in disaster recovery payment and disaster recovery allowance, as at 1 March 2020. There's been $21.7 million in payments made for over 54,000 impacted children, as at 1 March. There's been $7.1 million paid to volunteer firefighters. There's been $47 million paid in primary producer grants, and some 767 grants have been approved. That includes 1,156 applications in New South Wales, with 605 approved worth $36.8 million. I am also concerned about the progress of the small-business grants. Just over three weeks ago I invited the Leader of the Opposition to submit any proposals that he had as to how he thought that system should be changed. I haven't received that as yet but I would welcome any proposals. Just over a week ago I had the opportunity to talk to the state member for Bega. The state member for Bega has raised some important suggestions that can increase access to the small-business grants. Those issues were raised also with the minister responsible for emergency management and the head of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, Andrew Colvin. I met with Andrew Colvin and the minister last week. We are currently in the process of looking to rephase and revise how those grants are being constructed. We will be doing that to ensure that we're backing those businesses in that can see that they have a future where they are, going out not only over the next three months but over the next 12 months. That's what we're applying ourselves to do. The New South Wales government will be working in that state to deliver those arrangements. They've highlighted some issues, because they're the ones who are processing these applications. I look forward to us being able to deliver a better program. When the Leader of the Opposition would like to submit his proposals, as I invited him to do, I'd be happy to receive them. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 44 DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 14:16 The SPEAKER 00APG I'd like to inform the House that we have present in the gallery this afternoon the Hon. Ian Viner AO QC, a former member of this House and minister for Indigenous affairs. On behalf of the House I extend a very warm welcome. Honourable members: Hear, hear! QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 44 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Energy 44 14:16 Mr KATTER HX4 Kennedy Energy minister. The complete collapse of mineral processing. The most coal and gas rich nation on earth has the highest gas and electricity charges. Steel, aluminium and copper have stated plans for closure. Nickel is closed. Bludgerigar greens ramped electricity up 30 per cent, but hasn't cancerous free-marketing put electricity up 300 per cent? Gas government sold for 6c is now $12. Is government a spectator sport where we watch Australia reduced to a quarry, with all industries and sophisticated activity offshore? 14:17 Mr TAYLOR 231027 Hume I thank the member for Kennedy for his question and his strong interest in the prosperity of Central and North Queensland, an interest we share on this side of the House. We're committed to affordable, reliable energy for Central and North Queensland—in fact, for all of Australia. As the member for Kennedy knows, we've committed over $5 million to the important CopperString Project between Mount Isa and Townsville, a project that will help to put downward pressure on electricity prices in Townsville, one of the great energy hubs of Australia and of the world, with metal processing, fertiliser and other energy-intensive businesses in that area. It's absolutely crucial that towns like Mount Isa have access to affordable, reliable energy. That's why we're delivering on our fair deal on energy we announced before the last election. We're taking strong action. We've introduced price caps, we've ensured customers have a better basis for choosing the best possible plan for them, we're helping them get the best possible deal, we're supporting new supply into the marketplace and we're getting more gas into the market. Our plan is working, with four consecutive quarters of electricity price reductions at the retail level, a 3½ per cent reduction, for the first time since records began. The good news is that in the last quarter in terms of wholesale prices we've seen a 35 per cent reduction compared with the same time in the previous year, including in Queensland. The crucial point here is that that needs to be passed on. In Queensland, the Queensland government plays a crucial role in passing that on. We've recently passed legislation through the parliament, the 'big stick' legislation, that requires substantial and sustained reductions in wholesale prices to be passed through to customers. Those opposite opposed that legislation many times over. They couldn't work out whether they were Arthur or Martha. This legislation will ensure big industrial users see the benefits of those wholesale price reductions. We're seeing reductions in the wholesale price of gas too—again, a 35 per cent reduction in the last quarter since the same time last year. I'll tell you what we're not going to do. We're not going to set a target without a plan. We've seen those opposite spruiking a plan, in the absence of having one of their own, from the CSIRO with a $273 carbon tax. That's what we're not going to do. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 45 DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 14:20 The SPEAKER 00APG For the information of honourable members, I'd like to advise that a well-liked, well-known and well-respected member of our Parliamentary Library team is soon to retire. Indra Kuruppu is a longstanding member of the Economic Policy Section of the Library. I asked Indra many policy requests and research requests over the years and got to know her very well. She policed my comings and goings from the Library. She joins us in the Speakers Gallery today. On behalf of all members, I wish you a very happy retirement. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 45 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Coronavirus, Economy 45 14:21 Mr ANDREWS HK5 Menzies I ask the Treasurer: would he outline to the House how the Morrison government has taken action to ensure that the Australian economy and our financial system are well prepared to respond to the coronavirus? 14:21 Mr FRYDENBERG FKL Kooyong I thank the member for Menzies for his question. He is the Father of the House, a former minister and the chair of important committees on the NDIS and family law. The spread of the coronavirus is a global health crisis with a significant economic impact on major economies around the world. Here in Australia we are seeing disruption to supply chains, we are seeing disruption to our tourism markets and we are seeing disruption to international students who have not been able to get to Australia to start their course. We've also seen significant volatility in credit and equity markets both here and globally. We've seen the International Monetary Fund downgrade their forecasts for global growth. Australia will meet these challenges posed by the spread of the coronavirus because we have prepared. We approach the challenge ahead of us from a position of economic strength. As recently as January, the International Monetary Fund was forecasting Australia to grow faster this year than the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany and France. We are in our 29th consecutive year of economic growth, we are one of only 10 developed economies around the world to have a AAA credit rating from the three leading credit rating agencies and we have delivered the first balanced budget in 11 years. When it comes to the labour market, since we have come to government we have seen the creation of more than 1½ million new jobs, unemployment has fallen from 5.7 per cent when we came to government to 5.3 per cent today and employment growth, at 1.9 per cent, is nearly double the OECD average and nearly triple what we inherited from the Labor Party. Our fiscal response will be considered, responsible and targeted, in stark contrast to the reckless spending that we have seen from those opposite. The Australian people can trust us to manage the economy and to steer it through this very challenging period. Eden-Monaro Electorate: Australian Bushfires 45 14:23 Dr MIKE KELLY HRI Eden-Monaro My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, the president of the Merimbula Chamber of Commerce, Nigel Ayling, has said that this members have lost up to 60 per cent of their annual turnover. He said: When it comes to government assistance, it’s a big fat zero with 100% of respondents saying they have received NO government assistance at all. Prime Minister, my bushfire affected businesses want to know: why have you left them behind? 14:24 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook I note that in the New South Wales Small Business Grants there have been 674 applications. Of these 111 have been approved, totalling some $1.9 million. There are 491 still being processed by the New South Wales government. I'll ask the minister to further update the House/ 14:24 Mr LITTLEPROUD 265585 Maranoa I thank the member for his question. It's important to appreciate that there are clear lines of delineation about the delivery of these programs. Sixty per cent of the disaster recovery payments—$1,000 per child, $400 per child—were done within 30 minutes. The grant arrangements and the loan arrangements are administered by the states, after agreement with the states on how the loans, along with the grants, should be administered and the criteria they should be administered under. We continue to work with the states, who have the sole responsibility of administering those and making sure that that money gets out. With respect to the disaster recovery allowance in Bega Valley, 306 have been made that made. In Eurobodalla 130 have been made. For the agricultural sector in the seat of Eden-Monaro, there have been 6,425 claims in Bega Valley and over 14,600 in Eurobodalla. We work with the states, who are the service level of government in this country. We have and always will be in agreement. We continue to work with them. Last week the New South Wales Deputy Premier wrote to me asking us to think about the criteria that are in place for some of these grants and loans. We are in a position of exploring those options because of the feedback we're getting as we listen on the ground, but we need the agreement of the states to administer that. We're looking at the application forms. The other piece we have is that when the states administer, they create their own application form. In New South Wales it's different to Queensland or South Australia. We're working with them as quickly as we can to clear the red tape, to make sure that we get out of people's lives as quickly as we can and make it as effective as we can. There is a balance in this. This is Australian taxpayers' money. We need to make sure we get the money out in effective, responsible ways. Opposition members interjecting— Mr LITTLEPROUD 265585 You can yell and scream, but you need to be calm and methodical. You care about the lives impacted by this disaster and you do it in a calm, methodical way that protects the Australian taxpayer and gets real results. We have raised the fact that we have concerns about the administration of these loans and grants by the states, who have the responsibility for it. We're not walking away from them. We will work with them to make sure they streamline the process in administering them. That is their role and responsibility. The federal government will not turn it back on any state or territory. We will help them to do this better, because it needs to be done better. No-one is walking away from that. We will walk hand in hand with every level of government in making sure we support farmers, small business and particularly those Australians that have lost it all. Coronavirus 46 14:27 Mr SHARMA 274506 Wentworth My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer update the House on the impact of the coronavirus on the Australian economy, and how will this inform the Morrison government's response to this challenge? 14:27 Mr FRYDENBERG FKL Kooyong I thank the member for Wentworth for his question and acknowledge his experience as a diplomat representing Australia, including at amabassadorial level, and his experience in the private sector before he came to this place. When we came to government, unemployment was rising, investment was falling and the budget was deep in the red. As a result of the work we have done, we have seen the current account reach a surplus for the first time in more than 40 years. We've seen welfare dependency get to its lowest level in 30 years. We've seen the biggest tax cuts in more than 20 years, and the budget is in balance for the first time in 11 years. But we have faced a number of economic shocks that have been outside our control. Clearly the trade tensions between the US and China had an impact on the global economy, including here in Australia. There are the ongoing effects of drought and fires; and now the coronavirus. The spread of the coronavirus is clearly still evolving, but the economic impact of the coronavirus will be much more significant than both SARS and MERS before it. We know that because China is a bigger part of the global economy since that time. The Chinese economy is four times the size it was at the time of SARS. In terms of the Australian economic relationship with China, it's a lot greater today than it was at the time of SARS. Our two-way trade with China is worth more than $200 billion a year, and about a third of our exports go to China. China is the No. 1 source of international students to Australia, and that market is worth more than $12 billion a year. In terms of tourism, China is the No. 1 source of international tourists to this country, and that market is worth more than a billion dollars a year. At the same time, we are seeing, as a result of the spread of the coronavirus, disruption to international supply chains and disruption to international students and tourists coming to this country, but our fiscal response will be responsible, it will be considered and it will be targeted. There won't be the reckless and wasteful spending that we've seen from those opposite when it comes to economic shocks. What we will see is a responsible, considered and targeted response focusing on ensuring that businesses and those affected are stronger when they come out of this crisis and that we continue to see strong employment growth across the Australian economy. Alinta Energy 47 14:30 Dr CHALMERS 37998 Rankin My question is to the Prime Minister. When did the Prime Minister first become aware that the foreign investment conditions he imposed on Alinta Energy as Treasurer, which were meant to protect the privacy of over one million Australians, were not being enforced? 14:31 Mr FRYDENBERG FKL Kooyong I thank the member for Rankin. As he would be aware, it is the practice of treasurers and Treasury not to comment on specific foreign investment matters, particularly when they involve compliance issues, and Treasury has put out a statement to that effect. What we do know is that this side of the House supports foreign investment and free trade. On this side of the House, we're very proud of the fact that, when we came to government, free trade agreement covered about 26 per cent of our two-way trading relationship and now it's more than 70 per cent, and that one in five Australian jobs are related to trade. The SPEAKER 00APG The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order? Mr Burke DYW We've now had a preamble from the Treasurer with respect to general views on foreign investment. The question goes specifically to conditions that were imposed on Alinta not being enforced, and that's the only issue that the question goes to: when did the Prime Minister first become aware of that? The SPEAKER 00APG There are two points here. I noticed members looking at me, because the question was addressed to the Prime Minister. I could take them again through the Practice, which makes very clear that the Prime Minister can ask a minister—any minister—to answer a question directed to him, and that's outlined there. I expect that the Manager of Opposition Business wasn't one of those seeking to make that point. I did listen very carefully to the Treasurer. I think he's talking more generally, but he was actually quite specific in terms of his answer. His answer wasn't a date, but his answer was really saying that it's not practice to divulge such things. On the point of order? Mr Burke DYW To the point of order: if his position is that he refuses to answer, that doesn't change the fact that what follows is no longer relevant to the question. The SPEAKER 00APG I'll listen to the Treasurer carefully. The Treasurer needs to be relevant. Mr FRYDENBERG FKL I was asked about foreign investment, and I stated the fact that we strongly support— Dr Chalmers interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG No, the Treasurer will pause. The member for Rankin will cease interjecting. I've just ruled on the point of order that's been made by his colleague. He's not going to bellow the question again and again and again. The Treasurer has the call. Mr FRYDENBERG FKL In relation to the specific issue and the specific matter that was raised by the member opposite, this is what the Treasury statement said: 'It is not the practice of Treasury to comment on matters which may involve a foreign investor applicant or compliance matters. This is due to protected information privacy provisions contained in the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act which recognise that information provided to Treasury can be commercially sensitive.' I think that makes it very clear. Infrastructure 47 14:34 Mr CONAGHAN 279991 Cowper My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. Will the Deputy Prime Minister inform the House how the Morrison-McCormack government is building resilience and growth in Australia by bringing forward investment in infrastructure projects? 14:3 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina I thank the member for Cowper for his question. As I travel throughout the country I see a resilience in our people unmatched anywhere in the world. Regional people are very resilient people, whether it's drought, whether it's bushfires, whether it's the summer that we've had—indeed, the novel coronavirus 2019. The regions are meeting challenges head-on. Whether they're crayfishers in Geraldton or, indeed, tourism operators in Cairns or Rockhampton, they know that there are challenges ahead. They are meeting them. They are determined to build, to grow and to thrive as regional people always are. Together we will build back together. We will build back better. In January I went to Macksville in the Cowper electorate, where I met Judy Ward, Helen Rival and other staff at the local ex-services club. During the bushfire crisis they established a crucial coordination centre, which proved very valuable for the local community there. Judy and Helen epitomise what regional Australians are all about. They are meeting the challenges and also making them into opportunities to ensure that Macksville and other communities in Cowper can be their best selves. As a government we've addressed these challenges as well: a $2 billion National Bushfire Recovery Agency, putting $8 billion on the table for the drought and making sure that we're doing everything we can to protect public health and safety with the coronavirus outbreak. I'm asked about bringing forward investment. Look at the $2.9 billion in infrastructure that we have brought forward, with $571 million for New South Wales to improve safety and efficiency, including the Pacific, Newell and Princes highways. I know the member for Page is particularly excited when we talk about the Woolgoolga-Ballina upgrade, where we've fast-tracked $20 million to complete that project this year. But it is every state and every territory: $1.3 billion for Queensland, $868 million for WA, $514 million for Victoria, $327 million for South Australia, $173 million for Tasmania, $147 million for the NT and $30 million for the ACT. I know the member for McEwen is completely pleased that the Hurstbridge railway commuter car pack, with 120 spaces, will be the first of 30 commuter car parks in Victoria to be delivered under our fast-track spending. That's particularly important for the member for McEwen. I know; I was in his electorate the other day. We were looking at infrastructure and looking at what could do for that particular part of the world. He's nodding in appreciation and recognition. Look at the Coffs Harbour bypass in the electorate of the member for Cowper: four lanes, 14 kilometres long, 12 sets of traffic lights avoided and thousands of vehicles removed from the town centre. Perhaps most importantly, part of the plan is 12,000 jobs created during construction. (Time expired) Alinta Energy 48 14:37 Dr CHALMERS 37998 Rankin My question is for the Treasurer. It refers to his earlier answer about Alinta Energy. Can the Treasurer explain why he's protecting the privacy of the company but not protecting the privacy of over one million Australians? 14:37 Mr FRYDENBERG FKL Kooyong Again, I can read from the Treasury statement, which says: We can confirm that Alinta Energy is engaging constructively with the Foreign Investment Review Board to implement remedial activities endorsed by FIRB. Remedial activities will be completed by December 2020. Whilst FIRB is engaging with Alinta it would not be appropriate to comment further. Those opposite will know that the head of the Foreign Investment Review Board is David Irvine, the former head of ASIO, the former head of ASIS, a former Ambassador to China and a distinguished Australian and public servant. Australians can trust him to get these measures right. Coronavirus 48 14:38 Mrs WICKS 241590 Robertson My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government is continuing to ensure our health system and our citizens are well prepared to respond to the outbreak of the coronavirus? 14:39 Mr HUNT 00AMV Flinders I appreciate the member for Robertson's interest in what is an issue of fundamental importance to Australians—probably the single topic with which Australians are most concerned at this very moment. I say that acknowledging her work in helping to establish the Gosford Health & Wellbeing Precinct and the work with the University of Newcastle. At this moment she has raised the question of the preparedness of our health system. I mentioned earlier the work with COAG, but I now want to acknowledge and outline what has been implemented. On 21 January the Chief Medical Officer declared coronavirus to be a disease of potential human pandemic proportions, and that has framed the government's actions. We have been able to implement the national incident centre. We have brought online the national medical stockpile and made allocations from it. We have set out the work of the national trauma centre in making AUSMATs available to assist with the evacuation of Australians from Japan and from China and then their subsequent quarantining on Christmas Island and in Howard Springs. In so doing, we've also activated the work of the states and territories with the Commonwealth. In particular we've been able to establish the pandemic preparedness plan, which the Prime Minister activated after consultation with the National Security Committee last Thursday. That means that many years of preparation and then active preparation ahead of events are now being implemented. We continue to look ahead through the work of the National Security Committee. One of the things we're also doing is helping to prepare our citizens and to outline the circumstances for travel. Travel bans have been put in place, as we know, with China and, over the weekend, with Iran. We have had upgraded travel advisories for Japan, Korea and, now this morning, Italy. There is also the request that those who have travelled to countries that are high risk and our health and medical workers self-isolate or not attend work for a period of 14 days. Those are very important steps. We have had patients who have been diagnosed. Before they were diagnosed they self-isolated when they showed symptoms. That is the most extraordinarily responsible behaviour. It is helping to minimise the risk and spread of the condition. It has been coupled with the work of the states and territories in implementing the biosecurity arrangements and the pandemic plan. So all of these things are coming together. I want to thank all of our health and medical workers, our patients and our Australian citizens for partnering with us at this time. Community Sport Infrastructure Grant Program 49 14:42 Ms RYAN 249224 Lalor My question is to the Prime Minister. Today the Prime Minister's own department told the Senate that Mr Gaetjens wasn't aware of the 136 emails and 28 colour-coded spreadsheets that passed between his office and the office of Senator McKenzie and, further, didn't interview anyone in the Prime Minister's office. Isn't his defence of the corrupt sports rorts scheme based on an ill-informed, sham report by his former chief of staff? 14:42 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook No. Coronavirus 49 14:42 Mr THOMPSON 281826 Herbert My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government's strong border protection regime is helping to protect Australians from the threat of the coronavirus outbreak? 14:43 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson I thank the member for Herbert. He's a great supporter of our Border Force officers. I thank him very much for his service to our country as well. The government has obviously implemented very significant plans to try to keep Australians healthy and safe. At our borders we are armed with the most professional group of men and women in the Australian Border Force. I think all Australians should be very proud of the work they do. Along with Agriculture, they process some 60,000 people a day inbound through not just our airports—obviously a number of Border Force officers are dispatched to different seaports to meet cruise liners and to process product that is coming into our country as well. When we put Border Force together, and the Home Affairs portfolio more generally, the idea was that the agencies would be able to work more effectively together. That is certainly the case. Border Force has a much closer relationship now with the Australian Federal Police, the ACIC, AUSTRAC, ASIO et cetera. That informs all of their work at the airports on the front lines. Our officers are highly trained and they're internationally respected. I want to pay tribute to the commissioner, Michael Outram, and to all of the officers of the Australian Border Force for the work that they do on a daily basis to keep Australians safe. As the health minister and the Chief Medical Officer have pointed out, there have been travel changes put in place. We've worked very closely with DFAT as well. The Australian Border Force has been able to communicate that message effectively to the travelling public and, importantly, to provide enhanced ill-traveller screening processes to target coronavirus. I want to reassure the Australian public about the network of officers that we have, not just domestically but internationally, particularly at major hubs, where we have departmental liaison officers and airline liaison officers. They are screening people as they're coming onto flights. We reject people if they don't have the right documentation or if we have concerns about their health, so we reduce the risk to the Australian public. It's an incredibly important part of the work the Australian Border Force does. We've also implemented pre-recorded announcements in English and Chinese being played in arrivals areas at international air and sea ports. Electronic signage and pull-up banners are on display at our international airports, and there are radio announcements for seaports and cruise terminals informing travellers of the symptoms of COVID-19 and what to do if they experience symptoms. Again, I'd ask people to heed the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and the officers at our borders. Economy 49 14:46 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister stand by his 2019 statement that he 'brought the budget back to surplus next year'? 14:46 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook For the past six years our government has been dealing with the financial wreckage that was left to us by the Labor Party. I remember well when 'Obi Swan' came to the dispatch box and his Padawan over there was priming him up as he came into the chamber and he talked about those four surpluses. The Padawan may recall that the GFC had passed by that time. That budget surplus that Obi Swan announced on that night was based on an iron price of US$180 a tonne. The SPEAKER 00APG The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order? Mr Albanese R36 It was a very short question that goes to a quote from the Prime Minister himself. It was on 8 May, just to jog the old memory, in the National Press Club debate that you said, 'Brought the budget back to surplus next year.' Do you stand by it? The SPEAKER 00APG The Prime Minister has had— Mr Bowen interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG The member for McMahon is warned! I'm not going to have members interjecting when I'm seeking to rule on a point of order that their own leader has raised. Yes, the question was specific. The Prime Minister has been entitled to a preamble, but he knows that he needs to come back to the specifics of the question. Mr MORRISON E3L The point I was seeking to make is when the Treasurer— Ms Butler interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG The member for Griffith will leave under standing order 94(a). Mr MORRISON E3L The point I was making is that the budget that was handed down by the Treasurer for 2019-20 was based on the assumptions of the economy at that time. And the assumptions of the economy at that time were very credible assumptions, as opposed to the assumptions that were made by the previous Labor Party when they were in government and forecast surpluses based on pure fantasy. The surpluses that we forecast at the last budget were based on an outlook that was a very credible and a very sensible outlook at that time. The challenges we now face, which have literally emerged in just the last few weeks, will definitely have a significant impact, and they have been evaluated by Treasury as we move towards the next budget. But this is what the Australian people will know: that the actions of our government will always put jobs first, will always put those businesses first and will always put that investment first, and, because we worked so hard to bring the budget back to balance, which we achieved last year, we can now confront the challenges of bushfires, of coronavirus, of floods and of drought. That's why the Australian people trusted us at the last election. Those opposite thought the best antidote to what the country was going to face was higher taxes and higher spending. That was rejected by the Australian people at the last election. This leader of the Labor Party still clings to those policies, and that's why the Australian public don't trust him with the economy any more than they trusted the last bloke. The SPEAKER 00APG Before I call the member for Lyne: there are a number of members who I have asked to cease interjecting. If they interject again, they will leave immediately under 94(a). I'm not going to run through the list of them—it's far too long. Coronavirus 50 14:51 Dr GILLESPIE 72184 Lyne My question is to the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison-McCormack government has been at the forefront of infectious diseases research to ensure that Australia is well prepared to deal with the impacts of coronavirus? Will the minister also outline how the government is assisting in the development of a new vaccine against the coronavirus? Dr Aly interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG The member for Cowan is warned! 14:51 Mrs ANDREWS 230886 McPherson I thank the member for his question and acknowledge his background in the medical sciences as a doctor and his dedication to the health and welfare of his constituents. The coalition government has been taking very decisive and pre-emptive steps to keep Australians safe, and that includes activating our emergency response plan just last week. This is about practical actions that will ensure that we are best prepared to deal with the serious challenges of this outbreak. Finding a vaccine is central to prevent the further spread of this very infectious disease, as is understanding how it is spread and the most effective ways of preventing infection. Australia is a world leader when it comes to dealing with infectious diseases. That's why the international body that was tasked with developing vaccines engaged with our very own science and research agency, the CSIRO, back in January to undertake critical new research as part of the rapid global response to the coronavirus. We are, here in Australia, a crucial part of the rapid response pipeline for developing and testing new vaccines, aiming to reduce the development time from years to just weeks. Our scientists and our researchers continue to be in daily contact with networks of researchers around the world, working on understanding how the virus spreads, how we can effectively manage the outbreak and how we can best treat and ultimately prevent this very serious illness. Our contribution has already been very significant—from being the first to grow the virus outside China to developing a promising vaccine. As I reported to the House just last week, the potential vaccine being developed by the University of Queensland researchers is now undergoing testing at CSIRO's state-of-the-art facility in Victoria. I take this opportunity to thank the scientists and the researchers who have been involved in this process and acknowledge how difficult the environment is for them to work in and to conduct their research at the moment. They are fully kitted out every day that they go to work, so that they are best protected as they deal with this highly infectious virus. So, to all of Australia's scientists and researchers: I could not be prouder of you and, on behalf of the Australian people, we say thank you for your work. Economy 51 14:54 Dr CHALMERS 37998 Rankin My question is to the Treasurer. Why does the Treasurer pretend that weakness in the economy is entirely due to the bushfires and coronavirus, when last year the Reserve Bank had already cut interest rates three times to well below GFC levels? 14:54 Mr FRYDENBERG FKL Kooyong I'm glad the member for Rankine raises the Reserve Bank, because it was the Governor of the Reserve Bank who said the Australian economy had reached a gentle turning point. It was the Governor of the Reserve Bank who said Australians could rightly be confident about their economic future. It is only those opposite, including the member for Rankin, who continually talk down the Australian economy. The facts are these: in December last year unemployment fell to 5.1 per cent. In December last year retail trade volumes had their biggest jump in two years. In the September quarter household disposable income had its biggest jump in more than a decade on the back of our tax cuts. Under the coalition we've passed over $300 billion of tax cuts. We've created more than 1½ million new jobs. We've seen the first current account surplus in more than 40 years. We've seen the lowest welfare dependency in 30 years. We've seen the first balanced budget in 11 years. Only the coalition can be trusted to create more jobs and to lower taxes. Coronavirus 51 14:56 Mr YOUNG 201906 Longman My question is to the Minister for Education, representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government is responding to the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak on Australia's trade sector? Will the minister outline the steps the Morrison government is taking to ensure we continue to respond to these impacts? 14:56 Mr TEHAN 210911 Wannon I thank the member for Longman for his really important question. The coronavirus is having an impact on our trade sector. The government knows and understands that and wants to make sure that we're working with the sector to put measures in place to help it get through the economic impact of the coronavirus. It's worth reminding everyone of our trade sector's importance to our economy. In 2019— Mr Brian Mitchell interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG The member for Lyons will leave the chamber under standing order 94(a). The member for Lyons then left the chamber. Mr TEHAN 210911 our exports were doing extremely well—up 13.4 per cent in 2019. Our services exports were up 8.9 per cent. They jumped over the $100 billion mark for the first time. What are we doing to help and support the sector? With the Export Market Development Grants Scheme, we are making sure that through existing programs we bring that forward so that we can help and support the sector. The Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Simon Birmingham, is meeting with all the industries that are being impacted to make sure that they understand the measures the government is putting in place and to help and support them. He's had consultations with the seafood industry and has established a direct point of contact so they get the support they need from the government. When it comes to our tourism industry, there's the $76 million tourism recovery package which has been put in place, including the $20 million 'holiday here this year' domestic marketing campaign which is under way. All of us understand the importance of the tourism sector to the economy. When it comes to education, we've been working with the international education sector to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus. On Friday I had consultations with all state and territory education ministers so we could also put in place plans to ensure that our schools would have contingencies in place if there were an outbreak of the coronavirus domestically which impacted on our schools. We also had discussions around the child-care sector. Separate to that, I've been having discussions with Universities Australia to make sure that all our universities have contingency plans in place to deal with an outbreak of the coronavirus. I also thank those opposite, the shadow minister for education and the shadow minister for early childhood, because I've had discussions with them around schools and child-care centres, so they're up to date on everything that the government is doing to keep Australians safe and secure. Economy 52 14:59 Ms O'NEIL 140590 Hotham My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer confirm that recent data showed that, in the December quarter, construction work fell by three per cent and capital expenditure fell by 2.8 per cent? Can he also confirm that this was before the outbreak of coronavirus? 15:00 Mr FRYDENBERG FKL Kooyong I'm very pleased to confirm to the House that, in the December quarter, construction by the public sector was up 0.7 per cent. That is higher through the year. This is the benefit of our $100 billion, 10-year infrastructure pipeline. I'm also pleased to inform the House that investment in equipment, plant and machinery was up 0.8 per cent in the December quarter, and this will feed into the national accounts later this week. I'm also pleased to inform the House that residential building approvals are up 2.7 per cent through the year. Mining capex is up 0.9 per cent through the year. The data that the honourable member was referring to suggests that capex for the 2021 year will be up by 6.8 per cent—and a 21 per cent rise in mining. This is in stark contrast to those opposite. Investment outside the mining sector fell by 10 per cent during Labor's time in office. Under the coalition, investment outside the mining sector has increased by 34 per cent. Coronavirus 52 15:01 Mr PEARCE 282306 Braddon My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the Attorney outline to the House how legislative mechanisms currently in place ensure the Morrison government is able to respond to the coronavirus? 15:01 Mr PORTER 208884 Pearce I thank the member for his question. As we've heard today in responses from several ministers, we are planning essentially around a strategy of trying to slow the penetration of the disease in Australia, and so we will be consistently monitoring the operation of a range of legislative arrangements which are there to make sure we can do that. Under the COVID-19 plan, we know that there are some things, with certainty, that we will need to do; we know that there are some things which may need to be done. Many of the laws will be operating at scale in Australia for the very first time, and we will be assessing them, modifying them and/or enhancing them as needs be. In answer to that question, it's very important for all Australians to understand that there are powers under laws that were introduced specifically by this government, which they may never have experienced before at all or on any scale, that may become necessary to use in the months ahead. Probably foremost amongst those laws are changes that were made by our government in 2015 to the Biosecurity Act. That act replaced the Quarantine Act, which, of course, was over 100 years old at the time that we engaged in law reform in 2015. Of course, the old act was designed for an Australia that had goods and people arriving essentially by sea. COVID-19 was listed as a human disease for the purposes of the Biosecurity Act on 21 January 2020. That has a number of very important consequences for Australia and Australians in what will no doubt be challenging months going ahead. There are a range of powers that can now be activated under the reformed Biosecurity Act because of the listing of COVID-19 as a human disease. Importantly, there are two broad ranges of powers that people may well experience for the first time. The first is with respect to individuals or groups of individuals. There is the ability of the government to impose—always based on medical advice, but nevertheless impose—a human biosecurity control order on a person or persons who have been exposed to the disease. What that will mean for Australians is actually something very important. It could require any Australian to give information about people that they've contacted or had contact with so that we can trace transmission pathways. It will also mean that Australians could be directed to remain at a particular place or indeed undergo decontamination. Secondly, a very important power that may be experienced for the first time—and that we will be monitoring very carefully—is the declaration of a human health response zone. That was the power that was used to declare the Diamond Princess. But it's very important to understand, going forward, that that is a power that can be used for either localised disease outbreaks in Australia or indeed to restrict individuals from attending places where a large number of people may otherwise choose to gather, such as shopping centres, schools or work. These are challenging times going forward, and these will be some of the first times that these important powers may be used. Economy 53 15:05 Ms MADELEINE KING 102376 Brand My question is to the Treasurer. Can he confirm that since he became Treasurer economic growth has almost halved, wages growth has stalled further, business investment and productivity have declined, underemployment has increased and household debt and net debt have reached record highs? And all this happened before the bushfires and coronavirus. 15:05 Mr FRYDENBERG FKL Kooyong I can confirm that as of January this year the Australian economy is going to grow, according to the IMF, faster than the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. I can confirm that under this government the minimum wage has gone up every year. The real minimum wage has gone up every year whereas under those opposite it did not. I can confirm that this government has passed through the parliament more than $300 billion worth of tax cuts, including ensuring that those earning between $45,000 and $200,000 pay a marginal rate of no more than 30 cents in the dollar. I can confirm that, for the first time in 11 years, under this government, the budget is back in balance. I can confirm for the first time in more than 30 years that welfare dependency is down to a record low. I can confirm to this House that the current account is in surplus for the first time in more than 40 years. I had a bit of spare time on the weekend and I got to read an excerpt in The Australian from Samantha Maiden's new book. The SPEAKER 00APG The Treasurer will resume his seat. Just before I call the Manager of Opposition Business—I suspect he's going to raise a point of order, which he can do if he wants—as much as I'm fascinated with what the Treasurer reads on the weekend, I am going to point out I am going to hear him to see if he's being relevant. The question contained references to seven different indicators: economic growth, wages, business investment, productivity, household debt, national debt and—I can't read my own writing, but there was a seventh. I'm going to hear from the Treasurer, but he needs to be relevant to the question. Mr FRYDENBERG FKL The key point is that, to strengthen the economy, to deliver higher wages, to deliver more growth, to deliver more jobs, to deliver lower debt, you need to lower taxes. Those opposite took to the last election $387 billion in higher taxes that the member for Rankin and the member for McMahon cooked up. On the weekend, there was some very clear evidence that Labor elders like Bill Kelty didn't think much of it. Economy 53 15:08 Dr WEBSTER 281688 Mallee My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison-McCormack government is continuing to deliver our response to the drought and bushfires in addition to addressing the impacts of coronavirus? 15:08 Mr LITTLEPROUD 265585 Maranoa Tonight many Australians will be enjoying the produce of the people of Mallee, an agricultural engine room not only in Australia but around the world—an exporting powerhouse of the agricultural sector. It's important that we ensure our trade remains open during the coronavirus, but we haven't forgotten the impacts the bushfires and the drought have had on the agricultural sector. That's why there is not only over $150 million in direct support to families who have been impacted by these fires, to help them in the here and now, but a $2 billion initial investment in the recovery from the drought that's been going on for some eight years. Eight billion dollars is our commitment to the drought under our national drought strategy through our three pillars: supporting farmers in the here and now; supporting the community to support those farmers; and the future. We are the first government to look to the future. In only the last two weeks we announced another initiative under the here and now, another $82.75 million under the Drought Community Support Initiative to give up to $3,000 to those farming families, the contractors who support them and their employees, to help them get some dignity and respect. That's on top of the farm household allowance. We've also ensured, with the Regional Investment Corporation, access to interest-free, repayment-free loans for two years that will save farmers up to $153,000 a year, taken out of the big banks' pockets and put back in farmers' pockets. But also, because we have had some rain, we're allowing them to recover. We're saying that you can use this for replanting and restocking, because your cash flow doesn't recover instantly. It takes time to produce a crop, to grow your progeny and to get money back in the bank. It's important that we look at this with a multifaceted approach. We are also supporting those communities that are supporting the farmers, with the Drought Communities Program. There are an extra 52 shires right across into WA and the Northern Territory, where this drought has spread right across. It is to empower local councils to put in place a stimulus that keeps not just farmers going but actual local communities. Local tradies are moving through this as well. We are ensuring that we empower them. This is not a Canberra led solution but a local led solution to this recovery. We're looking to the future. We're the first government to put in place a Future Drought Fund, a $5 billion future fund, with a $100 million dividend every year. Then, talking about coronavirus and the impacts on trade: we took pre-emptive steps some years ago, with a $50 million investment in more agricultural counsellors. We're taking them from 16 to 22, to put them in embassies and high commissions around the world to make sure that our farmers have market access and to spread our risk. We've seen the advantage of this investment some years ago only now, with the rock lobster industry, where the impacts in China meant that there has been a significant impact on market access. But, because of these agricultural counsellors, we're opening up access in the United Arab Emirates. This is about ensuring that, from the very start, we have talked about a plan to not only support through natural disaster but through coronavirus, because we understand that agriculture in regional Australia will not just survive; it will thrive. Mr Morrison E3L I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper. COMMITTEES 54 COMMITTEES Corporations and Financial Services Committee 54 Report 54 15:13 Mr GEORGANAS DZY Adelaide On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, I present the committee's report entitled Regulation of auditing in Australia: Interim report—Report, February 2020. Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). Mr GEORGANAS DZY by leave—I've just tabled the report, as the deputy chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, and the recommendations that come with it. This interim report comprehensively sets out the committee's findings collectively resulting from more than 110 submissions; 32 witnesses, including accounting firms, regulators and academics, at four public hearings; and more than 100 answers to questions previously taken on notice. It is an interim report because we are still awaiting answers from some of the witnesses that appeared before the inquiry, one of them being Westpac. We hope that we will get some of those answers. We also want to be able to see the next tier of auditors and banking services appear before the committee. Therefore, we decided collectively to table this interim report. The report has some comprehensive recommendations—a whole range of them; approximately nine. I commend the report to the House. Public Works Committee 54 Report 54 15:15 Dr McVEIGH 125865 Groom On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present Eighty-third annual report (2019) of the committee. Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). Dr McVEIGH 125865 by leave—On behalf of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, I present the committee's 83rd annual report, as I mentioned, which examines the committee's activities undertaken in the 2019 calendar year. Despite it being an election year, 2019 was yet another busy year for the committee. During this time the committee of the 45th and the 46th parliaments inquired into 10 projects with a combined estimated value of more than $2.9 billion. We tabled six reports and one annual report, examined 201 medium works proposals with a combined value of more than $1.1 billion and held 21 meetings, both in Canberra and around Australia. The Public Works Committee Act requires the committee to consider and report on referrals as expeditiously as practicable. The committee takes this very seriously and acts to ensure that all referred works are scrutinised and reported on in a timely manner and without compromising the rigour of the scrutiny. To ensure the committee meets the statutory requirements under the act, the committee has at times had to hold a more detailed scrutiny process so that all committee members were satisfied they had sufficient information to support a recommendation of expediency. In particular, the committee has often found it difficult to identify critical information from a detailed statement of evidence. The committee will now be asking for a one-page executive summary that clearly addresses the information required under section 17(3) of the act at the front of every statement of evidence. That is simply to ensure that witnesses focus on the requirements under the act. Details of the changes to the format of statements of evidence will be included in an updated procedure manual as well as in new templates for medium works, and medium works for defence purposes in particular. I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to my fellow committee members from the 45th and 46th parliaments for their hard work during 2019. It was a privilege to work with all of you, and I look forward to continuing the committee's important work in 2020. I commend this report to the House. BILLS 55 BILLS Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020 55

Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020

Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020

Second Reading 55 15:18 Mr CHRISTENSEN 230485 Dawson I rise at a time when the country is facing unprecedented challenges due to the impact of the coronavirus and at a time when the world is bracing for the further effects of what is now being classed by many as a pandemic. It certainly has been classed as such by the Morrison-McCormack coalition government. The coronavirus emergency response plan has been initiated. That action has been taken not to cause panic but, rather, to enable our services to take further action so that we are as fully prepared as we possibly can be to cope with what is to come. Australians should take comfort in the position the country is in, and I want to acknowledge the decisive and early steps taken by this government about two weeks ago, led by our Prime Minister and our Deputy Prime Minister, in putting in place measures to restrict movements into the country and enforce quarantine and self-isolation measures. That was not necessarily popular, but, as coronavirus continues to spread and take its toll on human life and causes extreme difficulties in other countries, I think we can all agree that the measures that were taken were the right ones. Those measures are working, and I personally thank our Prime Minister for his leadership on this matter. I would also note that the Prime Minister's leadership stands in stark contrast to that of the Leader of the Opposition, who on this matter, on Thursday last week, chose to play politics and call a series of divisions for the sole purpose of disrupting the operations of this House. The Prime Minister, the health minister and others on the National Security Committee of cabinet had asked for pairs so they could sit out those divisions and focus on the important task on that day, which was to make decisions about further responses to coronavirus. I note that Labor refused those requests and continued to call for division after division that day. The national security meeting was interrupted some seven times by those divisions, as our ministers had to head into the chamber for pointless vote after pointless vote. Shame on the opposition for putting petty politics ahead of the safety of this country. As we continue to feel the effects economically from coronavirus, I want to mention the work of the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth, of which I am chairman. We have just commenced an inquiry into diversifying Australia's trade and investment profile. This will look at whether we need to diversify Australia's trade markets, and it will consider our level of reliance on foreign investment. Recent events have ultimately highlighted our vulnerability as a nation, and it's important to consider ways in which we can mitigate these risks. We are taking submissions from interested individuals, businesses and organisations until 9 April, and I would point out to interested people to go to the trade committee's web page to find out more. Despite the difficulties we are currently facing, there is much to celebrate in terms of what's being delivered and what's going to be delivered. I want to focus on some of the Australian government's investments and plans for future delivery to secure the future of North Queensland and Central Queensland, to improve the facilities that we have and to provide a better standard of living for all. I'm going to start with water security—most notably, dams. Firstly, I note the $10 million investment which has gone to the Bowen-Collinsville Enterprise economic development group to progress the Urannah dam project to shovel-ready stage. It's a project that both I and the member for Capricornia, who is in the chamber, are very interested in because of the economic benefits it will bring about for our respective electorates and the communities therein. The 1½ million megalitre Urannah dam will be a game changer for the region. It'll open up at least 22½ thousand hectares of high-value agricultural land. It'll support regional communities like Bowen and Proserpine in my electorate, and Collinsville in the member for Capricornia's electorate. It will also supply water for current and future mining projects. The Urannah Water Scheme provided an update just recently on their progress. GHD, the renowned engineering firm, are their consultants, and they're set to begin site studies any day now, which will involve soil sampling and many other things. The other big news for Urannah is that the renewable energy hub which will be located near the dam received a $2 million grant towards the development of a proposed 1.5-gigawatt pumped-hydro electric plant. The Urannah Water Scheme and the renewable energy hub combined will deliver water security for North Queensland, and another source of fairly reliable power to go into the grid. Another investment is in a project eagerly awaited by both North Queenslanders and Central Queenslanders, a high-efficiency low-emissions coal-fired power station at Collinsville, which sits in the electorate of Capricornia but will provide lower electricity prices for the entirety of North and Central Queensland. This government has invested $4 million to support Shine Energy's feasibility study for this proposed one-gigawatt plant. While Labor has trashed this idea, I have to say that there have been two different studies: one conducted by the current Queensland Labor government and another conducted with funding that was allocated by the former Gillard Labor government. Both of those studies have pointed out that a clean-coal-fired power station—a supercritical coal plant in North Queensland—would actually bring power prices down. Despite this, Labor wants to deny the traditional owners—Shine Energy is a traditional owner company run by the Indigenous people of Collinsville. The Birri people, the traditional owners of the Collinsville area, want an opportunity to provide jobs and a brighter future for their people, for their region. It's being talked down by the Labor leader. The Labor leader has labelled that project 'pathetic' and 'a nonsense'. Let's hope he can explain why if he has the courage to accept the invitation by the Birri people and Shine Energy to meet with them in Collinsville and find out more about their energy park project. The Dawson electorate is specifically benefitting from a massive investment into our roads. Just four projects—the Mackay ring road stage 1, the Mackay ring road stage 2 or Mackay port access road, the Mackay northern access upgrade and the Horton River flood plain upgrade in the Burdekin—add up to almost $1½ billion in investment in the Bruce Highway in my region alone. Mackay ring road stage 1 is a $500 million project. We work hand in hand. It goes across the electorate of Dawson and the electorate of Capricornia. It's a $500 million project which is going to be completed this year. Eighty per cent of the funding—close to $400 million—comes from the Morrison-McCormack Liberal-National government. This is the biggest infrastructure project that the Mackay region has seen in a long time. Ring road stage 1 will divert traffic out of busy city street for motorists and businesses and will provide not only motorists but heavy vehicles a quicker and safer route to the north of Mackay. It's an 11.7-kilometre stretch of highway which allows this traffic to avoid 10 sets of traffic lights. It includes 13 new bridges and nine overpasses, and it lays the foundation for the Mackay ring road stage 2 or, as I called it before, the Mackay port access road. This stage of the project puts the ring on it, if you will, by taking this road through to the port of Mackay. It provides a strategic connection between the port and the vital Bowen Basin and Galilee Basin mining regions as well as the prime agricultural regions to the west of the city and also our mining service hub area, Paget, thereby boosting our export potential and freight movements. I would also note that a recent supply chain study for the region—the Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday agribusiness export supply chain mapping study—stated that two of the key factors for realising the growth potential in our region were road infrastructure and port access, and that is happening thanks to the significant investment from the Morrison-McCormack government into our region. Work is also beginning on another connected element for our road network, and that's the $120 million Mackay northern access upgrade. The work will include increasing the Bruce Highway from four lanes to six from the Ron Camm Bridge to Mackay Bucasia Road, upgrading a number of busy intersections and constructing bridge overpasses. It will reduce congestion and increase capacity at the city's northern access point. The other half-billion-dollar project to upgrade the Bruce Highway is taking place further north at the Horton River, between Ayr and Townsville. This is a major upgrade which will replace a dangerously low-set bridge, put in two new overpasses and 13 other brides and upgrade nine rural intersections, including a few that are very unsafe. It will widen the road, install wide centre-line treatment and ultimately create a far safer option for motorists and also in terms of flood immunity on a section of the Bruce that floods regularly. About every two years it cuts off access north and south. I should also mention another major investment into flood immunity on roads. That's in the Whitsundays, along Shute Harbour Road, which links Proserpine and the Bruce Highway to Airlie Beach and Cannonvale. The area around Hamilton Plains suffers regular flooding, which cuts off people in the Whitsundays from schools, the hospital and the local airport. This is another completely state controlled road which has been ignored for years by the Palaszczuk government. I saw an avenue for investment under our Roads of Strategic Importance program and I worked to secure $29.6 million to address the area's flooding issues, improve travel times, keep the coastal communities in the Whitsundays connected and secure the movement of tourists who come to visit our beautiful Whitsundays. While we're focusing on the beautiful Whitsundays, I want to mention another boost to the region's economy, through the passage of laws late last year to remove import duties and cut through red tape for superyachts which are looking to holiday in our waters. This is allowing Australia, and in particular the hotspots of Cairns and the Whitsundays, to attract these big-spending superyachts to our region. This is estimated to be about $3.5 million of extra revenue into the Whitsundays region each year. I want to touch on some of the investments in community infrastructure taking place in my electorate under programs such as the Building Better Regions Fund, before moving on to consider the sports facilities which have benefited from funding over the last year to 18 months. Sticking to Proserpine and the Whitsundays again for a moment, we are investing $5 million into the rebuild of the Proserpine Entertainment Centre, which copped an absolute hiding from Cyclone Debbie. When work started on the rebuild following the cyclone, the local council found that the building had serious defects. Rather than a repair job they needed to consider a completely new centre. I was happy to go into bat and secure that funding. We have also invested $3.6 million into the Proserpine administration building—the council building. They are going to house a new disaster centre there. This building also suffered at the hands of Cyclone Debbie. The facility will act as a local disaster coordination centre. Due to the severe weather events—floods and cyclones—which are a fact of life in the north, this investment will benefit the entire community. Further north, in Bowen, another Building Better Regions grant of $9 million will stop waste water heading into the Great Barrier Reef and instead allow that treated water to be harnessed for local irrigation in parks and gardens and to be utilised for business and community development and perhaps even farms. Finally, on to sport: in Mackay, the Harrup Park Country Club's Barrier Reef cricket arena project was awarded $10 million through the government's Regional Growth Fund. This will see the construction of a 2,000-seat grandstand with media and corporate facilities to attract major cricket and AFL sporting events to our region, providing diversity and another boost to the economy. The proponent, Harrup Park Country Club, is seeking funding from the state Labor government to bring the project to fruition, but they are still sitting on the sidelines at the state level. I would urge the member for Mackay to stand up for her electorate and secure funding from the Palaszczuk Labor government for that project. Other sports projects in Mackay to receive a boost include the Mackay Basketball Association with stadium seating. The Morrison-McCormack government invested $300,000 by a community development grant to enable to club to put in the seating that they need for the hugely popular spectator sport and the other groups that use this facility. Mackay Hockey Association also received half a million dollars under the Community Sport Infrastructure Grants program to put in a new artificial turf. This will benefit 750 junior and senior hockey players in the city. Pioneer Tennis received $50,000 under the program to put up minicourts to get young players off to a good start. A number of local groups—rugby clubs, soccer clubs—received funding for lighting, enabling them to play night games or host night events. This is just about a necessity in our steamy summers. The Slade Point Rugby Union Club received $22,000. Brothers Football Club received $490,000 to light up Leprechaun Park and put in an additional field. Dolphins Football Club got $200,000 for night training facilities, and $480,000 went to the Whitsunday Moto Sports Club near Proserpine for night karting and motorbike events. In the north of my electorate, in the southern suburbs of Townsville, we have seen investment into sporting facilities that were just about wiped out with the flooding: $500,000 for Townsville Basketball Association and $362,000 for NQ Football for female change room facilities. All these things are creating a better Dawson electorate. 15:34 Ms WELLS 264121 Lilley I rise this afternoon to speak about the lethargy of this budget in addressing the significant policy challenges of our coming generations. I note that I do so today in a particularly timely way, because it's the same day that Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and first millennial ever to run for the office of President of the United States, has withdrawn from the race. It's a sad day for millennials. The hits just keep on coming for us. It's a good opportunity to talk about where our intergenerational inequality issues are at here in Australia. I note that if we take stock right at this second in the chamber, we might just about have equality. If the member for Dawson legs it a bit faster out of the chamber, then we might actually be at an accurate representation of millennials in the country. Last year was the first year where there were more Australians born after 1980 than before, and last year was the first year when there were more millennial is in the workforce than gen X or boomers combined. Yet, millennial's comprise only 10 per cent of the parliament—there are less than 20 of us here in both the House and the Senate. But, at this one moment while I'm making this contribution, I note that there are three from each age group in the chamber—we are actually at equilibrium! So maybe things aren't as bad— Mr Gorman 74519 Lock the doors! Ms WELLS 264121 Shut it down! Going to the issue of intergenerational inequality, economic growth has been slow for a decade. Australia's population is ageing. Climate change looms. The burden of these changes falls mainly on the young. Young people face real concerns about housing affordability, stagnating wealth and incomes and future budget pressures. It is a wonderfully conservative idea to carry on about the left redistributing wealth. We heard it again in question time today, when they themselves actively seek to redistribute wealth in the opposite direction. In Great Britain, 75 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted to remain in the EU in 2016, whereas 66 per cent of those aged 65 to 74 voted to leave. Guess which side won? In Australia, at the 2019 election, Scott Morrison's government was elected with one of the lowest voter turnouts since the advent of compulsory voting as the nation's young turned their back on this democracy, after enrolling in droves for the same sex marriage postal survey. That being said, electorates with higher proportions of younger people were more likely to swing towards Labor. Put it all together, and it's hard to shake off the feeling that politics is currently being driven by older people against the wishes of the young. The age related voting divide isn't about generational warfare; it is actually driven by economic disparity which is produced by politics, not by people. Intergenerational inequality is often presented as a zero-sum battleground between the old and the young, usually by people who wish to see their structural advantage endure. But it doesn't have to be a zero-sum game. We are in this together. Millennials are in precarious work with low incomes. That means they may not be able to provide the necessary tax revenues to support boomers in their twilight years. The current rate at which earnings are growing will not fund our future welfare needs. Overburdened hospitals and cuts to social care don't help any generation; they make things harder on everyone. The socialist historian RW Tawney captured the wider sense of responsibility for future generations when he said of education, 'What a wise parent would wish for their child, so must the state wish for all its children.' We won't reignite intergenerational solidarity if we entrench resentment across age groups, which is a fundamental prong of this government's re-election platform. The economic divide is real. It's systemic causes are ignored by this government—in fact, in some ways, they are entrenched by this government. What we can do to shift these dynamics is to create shared intergenerational spaces. That could be home-share schemes where elderly people rent out affordable rooms to young people in exchange for a helping hand. That could be nursing homes for 4-year-olds and partner programs for their parents. That could be second act volunteer programs between retirees and young people who need to foster life skills and understand that their community cares for them. We have to think about these matters, because at the moment this government will not. We have to act on these initiatives, because at the moment this government will not. We have to harness the different struggles across the generations as a force for unity before the self-absorbed and self-sustaining government causes these fractures to polarise our community for good. Progress doesn't move in a straight line. It zigs and zags. In my first speech I spoke about being galvanised through the resistance. Coming up to one year since being elected to the parliament, I want to reflect on what it means to be in opposition. You oppose something by standing up to it, but also by being its opposite. It means being compassionate and inclusive, where they are cold and exclusionary. It means being committed to accuracy and to precision, where they are sloppy with the truth and the facts. Or, when it comes to climate change, it means being at total war with them. It also means preserving your greatest effort for the true battles over the course of our future—battles like this one, battles like intergenerational inequality and preserving the memory of how the people before us have opposed and how they have resisted and how they have won. With that in mind, I want to turn to a few of the specifics around this afternoon's appropriation bill, which comes at a critical time for our country, when we are at the tail end of the summer of catastrophic bushfires and now we are at the breaking point of a coronavirus pandemic. Labor will be supporting the uncontroversial appropriation of this funding, but my support does not mean that I am giving the LNP government a free pass for their significant economic mismanagement over their seven years in government. Last week we saw the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, telling the Prime Minister that he cannot just deport his problems. Prime Minister Ardern's observation of how this government deals with problems is pretty spot on. If there's a problem, this government will just ignore it until it cannot ignore it anymore. Then they will obfuscate until that strategy runs out as well. Finally, they will just cast the blame on others. They've been very quick to shift the blame on the economy to the bushfires and coronavirus. I'm not denying that they will have a substantial impact on our economy on the scale of which we cannot yet quite understand, but we have to remember that this isn't the government's first nine months in power—it is their seventh year in power. They might shrug their shoulders and they might point their fingers, but Australians remember the economy was floundering before the fires and before coronavirus. Australians haven't just started being hurt by unemployment and skyrocketing electricity prices and completely unmanageable childcare fees in the past few months. We remember because we feel like we haven't caught a break in years. We've been feeling the rising cost of living, and we've been feeling that compounded by economic mismanagement, so I will not allow this government today to use the bushfires and coronavirus as an excuse for not addressing the longstanding challenges that families in my electorate of Lilley, on the north side of Brisbane, have faced for years. There has been some need for responsible and proportionate and measured stimulus to boost the economy for some time. It's something we've been calling for for nine months. Economic growth was downgraded before the bushfires, before coronavirus. To say the economy is only starting to hurt now doesn't match the facts. And it's not just Labor saying this; it's the RBA, it's business, it's everyday people who come here and look to us for solutions. In the government's own midyear update from December last year, they downgraded their own expectations for wage growth. Currently wages are growing at one-fifth of the pace of profits. They've not just been stagnant for the past few months; they have now declared through Mathias Cormann, the Minister for Finance, that wages are low by design—low wages are a deliberate part of the government's economic strategy. This must be such a huge relief to the teachers, nurses, retail workers, hospitality workers and tradies across the country who are struggling to get by every week, who are up to their necks in debt because of low wages, to be told by this government to consider their low wages as part of a grand national design. With low wages, government and household debt together have reached new record highs. This seven-year government has promised a surplus every year, and so far they have delivered deficits every year. Six budgets—not a single surplus. That's pretty shocking for a party who claims their greatest strength is economic management. Gross and net debt have doubled on this government's watch, and what they're not shouting about is that in 2013 under the Labor government net debt was $175 billion—it's now $403 billion. Gross debt under the Labor government in 2013 was $280 billion. Gross debt is now at $570 billion. Most of the debt in the Commonwealth budget is LNP debt. Most of the debt has been accumulated under this LNP government, not under the former Labor government. At the end of February 2020, the Prime Minister suggested that as we face difficulties in the international economy we need to lean more heavily on the domestic economy. But this suggestion is completely ignorant of the fact that domestic and local economies are hurting too. With record household debt, high unemployment and low wages people cannot afford to go out and spend money at local businesses and in their local high street. Businesses are hurting; local jobs are being cut. In Lilley, over the past few months alone, we have had Lockheed Martin at Pinkenba shut down operations altogether; we've had Virgin Australia cut 750 jobs from the corporate office on the inner north side; the historic Arnott's—an iconic part of Brisbane's north side—has been sold off to a private US equity giant; Nundah Village has been labelled 'the village of the damned' in the Courier Mail because of all the shopfronts closing down along the village; and last week Tigerair announced that they were closing their Brisbane base, with something in the vicinity of up to 100 jobs that could be lost. These closures hurt local businesses. These closures hurt local jobs. These closures hurt the local economy. Unemployment is now at a crisis point, with almost two million Australians unable to find work or actively looking for more work. Data from the ABS last week revealed that the unemployment rate has jumped to 5.3 per cent. The RBA recently named a consistent increase in the underemployment rate as the most likely trigger for another interest rate cut, after the RBA slashed rates three times last year to a record low of 0.75 per cent. Perhaps worst hit by this government's policies are the social services and the people who rely on them. I've said before that this government prefer cuts over compassion. The way this government manage our social services is not like a government but like an external administrator winding up a failing company and putting it into administration. When it comes to how this government view Centrelink recipients, their actions speak louder than their words. Instead of treating vulnerable Australians with empathy and compassion, this government have introduced demeaning, contemptuous legislation that further stigmatises and isolates people who are down on their luck. They have refused to increase the rate of Newstart above the poverty line, they have sent illegal robodebt notices, they have pushed for mandatory drug tests, they have introduced a cashless card system to control how welfare is spent, and now they are trying to increase the liquid asset test so Australians who are looking for a job have to burn through their savings before they even get to Newstart. How much contempt can one government have for a group of people who are just looking for a hand up? People receiving Centrelink benefits are not the caricatures this government would like you to think they are. They are people like Marcia, who contacted my office because she had stage 3 breast cancer and was told by Centrelink that she needed to go on Newstart because she was not sick enough for the Disability Support Pension! The LNP have gutted $4.6 billion from the NDIS, leaving Australians with a disability and those who care for them without the support they need. One of my constituents, Karen, who is frequently wheelchair-bound because of a number of illnesses, told me that when a person has several illnesses they tend to get lumped into the too-hard basket by the NDIS and forgotten about by the very service tasked with looking after their welfare. The LNP cut $2 billion in funding for aged care. The aged-care system is in crisis. There is not one part of the aged-care system that has not been seriously compromised. Two constituents, Joyce and Ray, have both told me they were told they faced a 12-month waiting period for their approved aged-care package. What is the government's response to decrease waiting times? They drip-feed 14,000 new aged-care packages to older Australians, while over 100,000 people are still sitting on the wait list. The economy is supposed to work for the people, not the other way around. A surplus is pointless if people are struggling to get by. Those opposite are unwilling or unable to show leadership. They refuse to come up with a decent plan. We are seeing, in years of economic weakness, wage stagnation and slowing growth, an absolute failure to address the policy challenges that Australians are asking their federal government to fix. Economic management is what the government prides themselves on. It's what the Prime Minister and the Treasurer asked Australians to trust them with at the 2019 election. Where has that trust got Australians to now? If the government cannot deliver a healthy economy, they have delivered nothing in seven long years. I will close my remarks by noting that millennials are now four out of six in the House of Representatives—a good outcome! 15:49 Mr HASTIE 260805 Canning We are now in the third month of the third decade of the 21st century, and the further we move into this century the further we move away from the certainties of the past 30 years. The optimism of the post-Cold War era has long faded. September 11 and the rise of authoritarian powers over the last 20 years remind us that there are realities in this life that we cannot avoid—the reality of competition, self-interest, disruption and conflict. Indeed, the coronavirus reminds us of how fragile modern life can be. As the Roman poet Horace wrote during the reign of Caesar Augustus, you can drive nature out with a pitchfork but she keeps coming back. Peace, order and prosperity are hard fought for, must be cultivated and cannot be taken for granted. We must work to secure them every single day, and that is the task of government. I'm proud to say that the Morrison government is leading to secure our health, prosperity and security during this uncertain time for our country. We are also witnessing increasing competition between the United States and the People's Republic of China—strategic competition, economic competition, competition in artificial intelligence and technology. Both countries are building rival digital universes supported by virtual and physical networks. Fifth-generation mobile technology, or 5G, is a decisive battleground in this competition. At the heart of any debate on the 5G network in this country is the question of our digital sovereignty. Since the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia it has been a principle in international law that each state has exclusive sovereignty over its territory. The United Nations Charter recognises and upholds this principle. In the digital age, sovereignty now extends beyond the historical territorial definition. It must also include the right of nation-states to protect the privacy and security of their citizens' information and communication and the integrity and availability of the networks themselves. The 5G network in this country will be the central nervous system of our political, economic and cultural life together. It will enable the Internet of Things, bringing together a host of devices transformed by artificial intelligence—driverless cars, fridges, robots—and will also include services such as accounting, remote surgery and key functions in the health sector, to name just a few. What has changed? Why are there concerns around 5G and security? Why are the stakes so high? With 5G there is no distinction between the core and the edge of the network. That makes it much harder to protect. 4G and previous generations of mobile technology allow for this distinction between the core and the edge of the network. In 4G, the core is where data is stored and transferred. It is where the computing happens; it's the brain of the network. The edge is the customer-facing components—the radio towers and antennae that you see on buildings. Data is centralised and therefore easier to protect. 5G uses a different radio spectrum that doesn't reach very far, so you need more equipment closer together to overcome obstacles to transmission. As an aside, that poses unique challenges in our country, given the fast continent that we live on. You also need to decentralise the data to enable the Internet of Things, so the core in a sense ceases to exist, which make it far more difficult to cordon off the central nervous system. With 5G you get a much faster network, but you also create a much larger surface for cyberattack. The whole network is virtualised, and therefore it must be protected. A big risk to our digital sovereignty will always be foreign interference in our networks through cyberattacks. Sadly, the record over the past few years indicates that we in Australia are a regional target of choice for denial of service, intellectual property theft and espionage. 5G disruption could be used against our interests in a number of ways. For example, a remote actor could stop a ship from communicating as ocean traffic approaches, causing a collision that disrupts more traffic and critical supplies to our domestic economy. Remote controllers could cause engines in power plants to overheat and disrupt power generation for hospitals, factories, storage facilities and other critical parts of our economy. Finally, systems that manage access to traffic lights, tunnels, bridges, airports and dams could be attacked, causing injury and fatalities. Therefore, our 5G vendors and providers must be trustworthy and have our nation's interests at heart. That is why the government framed the decision to exclude Huawei from our 5G network in the following terms. I'm quoting from the 23 August 2018 press release, which said: The Government considers that the involvement of vendors who are likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law, may risk failure by the carrier to adequately protect a 5G network from unauthorised access or interference. The government didn't name Huawei directly, but no-one pretends otherwise. Indeed, this was confirmed in late January by Simeon Gilding, a senior fellow at ASPI and the former head of the Australian Signals Directorate's signals intelligence and offensive cyber missions. I doubt there is anyone else within government who is as uniquely qualified to speak on these matters. Gilding's chief concern was that Huawei could be compelled by the Chinese state to provide clandestine access to our network through back doors and that no amount of work by our smartest and brightest people at ASD could protect against such a risk or threat. He wrote a very influential article on 29 January 2020 posted on The Strategist on the ASPI website, '5G choices: a pivotal moment in world affairs'. This is how he concluded: Although I remain sceptical about some of Huawei's marketing claims, my concerns are not about the company or the quality of its products. They relate to the legal and political power of the Chinese state to compel the company to do its bidding. It's simply not reasonable to expect that Huawei would refuse a direction from the Chinese Communist Party, especially one backed by law. … it's all about capability, opportunity and intent. The ability to compel Chinese vendors of 5G equipment is a strategic capability for China's intelligence services. We should be very thankful that we have people like Simeon Gilding working to preserve our sovereignty. I firmly stand by the government's decision to ban Huawei, as do my colleagues across the parliament, including those sitting opposite. Interestingly, if our reasons weren't enough to the ban, we could look to the United Kingdom for guidance—and, no, I'm not being ironic. I refer to Huawei cyber security evaluation centre oversight board: annual report 2019, which is a report to the National Security Adviser of the United Kingdom. The Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre Oversight Board is a facility in Oxfordshire in the UK. It belongs to Huawei Technologies and it was established with Her Majesty's government to mitigate any perceived risks arising from the involvement of Huawei in parts of the UK's critical national infrastructure. The report is very telling. Last year in March the key conclusions from the oversight board's fifth year of work were: The Oversight Board continues to be able to provide only limited assurance that the long-term security risks can be managed in the Huawei equipment currently deployed in the UK; The Oversight Board advises that it will be difficult to appropriately risk-manage future products in the context of UK deployments, until the underlying defects in Huawei's software engineering and cyber security processes are remediated … Its final conclusion was: … the Oversight Board can only provide limited assurance that all risks to UK national security from Huawei's involvement in the UK's critical networks can be sufficiently mitigated long-term. This report was handed down seven months after we made our ban. I think those conclusions themselves would give any policy-maker, any decision-maker, pause when considering Huawei as a 5G vendor. So, as I said earlier, I support our government's decision, as do many in this House and in the other place. I should note in fairness though that the report also says: These findings are about basic engineering competence and cyber security hygiene that give rise to vulnerabilities that are capable of being exploited by a range of actors. NCSC— The National Cyber Security Centre— does not believe that the defects identified are a result of Chinese state interference. But that's where we part company with this report, because it is not good enough to just believe; you also need evidence. This government, once again, is not prepared to risk our digital sovereignty when Huawei is subject to Chinese law. I refer to the 2017 National Intelligence Law in China, which says, 'All organisations and citizens shall support, assist and cooperate with national intelligence efforts in accordance with the law.' So I think it's entirely reasonable to expect Huawei—or indeed any other Chinese company—to cooperate with the wishes of the Chinese government. That would place us at risk if they were a vendor. Huawei has been very unhappy with reports about its links to the Chinese government—and I don't want to get into a great deal of detail here except to say there is research on the internet which demonstrates the opacity of the ownership structure. One such report says the Huawei operating company is 100 per cent owned by a holding company, which is in turn approximately one per cent owned by Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei and 99 per cent owned by an entity called a 'trade union committee' for the holding company. We know nothing about the internal governance procedures of the trade union committee. We do not know who the committee members or other trade union leaders are or how they are selected. Given the public nature of trade unions in China, if the ownership stake of the trade union is genuine and if the trade union and the committee function as trade unions generally function in China, Huawei may be deemed effectively state controlled. I'm not asserting that. I'm saying there are reports out there that assert that or at least indicate that and I think it's up to Huawei to prove otherwise. As I said, they've been very sensitive recently and there are examples in the press. It was reported in Bloomberg on 23 November last year that Huawei Technologies Company is suing critics in France who alleged it has ties to the Chinese state. It is suing a French researcher, a broadcast journalist and a telecommunications sector expert for their claims. Huawei, according to this report from Bloomberg, has confirmed those claims. This is worrying because, in order to make the right decisions on national security, we need to have a free press, we need to have free speech and we need people to be able to express their views without fear of defamation. Unfortunately, that's not just confined to the European continent. We also have ASPI receiving threatening letters from Huawei itself. I have this letter dated 14 October 2019 before me. It says, 'To whom it may concern: we were informed that the Australian Strategic Policy Institute has completed a paper and will publish it soon.' It goes on to say what the paper is about. It says, 'Huawei categorically rejects the unfounded and inaccurate statements and allegations in the paper published by ASPI.' Then it says at the conclusion of the letter: 'We request ASPI state and/or report Huawei in a factual, objective and impartial way. Otherwise, we may commence defamation proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against the office-bearers of ASPI and the authors of the paper.' It referred, of course, to a paper published in late last year. I don't have it here, but it was called Engineering global consent: the Chinese Communist Party's data-driven power expansion, dated 14 October 2019 and authored by Samantha Hoffman—a very good paper indeed. What have they done since then? They hired Nick Xenophon, former senator, as their strategic counsel. It's an odd choice. Mr Xenophon is about to go on a public affairs blitz with town halls throughout the country, arguing the case for Huawei. I find it quite interesting because there's the old Nick Xenophon and there's the new Nick Xenophon. For example, in July 2009 he travelled to Tibet as part of an all-party parliamentary group to visit the Dalai Lama. There is a report on this online. They criticised the Chinese government: Religious repression, "patriotic education" and undemocratic social-economic reforms, including the forced settlement of nomads, have fanned the flames of unrest in Tibet and brought untold suffering to the Tibetan people. The report then goes on: We commend His Holiness, with whom we had the privilege of conversing at some length, for his pragmatic and conciliatory approach to the Tibetan situation and for his calm determination. So Nick Xenophon is now effectively pursuing the strategic aims of a large Chinese company with, I think, clear links to the Chinese government. My question to Mr Xenophon is: why is he not registered on the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme? Why he is going through Australia, trying to influence our public policy process, but has yet to sign up to the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme? In the remaining time, I call on Mr Xenophon and his associates to register and do so in the national interest so that we have full transparency about his dealings with Huawei and the Australian people. 16:04 Mr NEUMANN HVO Blair As Labor's longstanding policy, we will be supporting the appropriation legislation, Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020. Historically that has been our position and it remains our position today. But as the shadow minister for veterans affairs and Defence personnel I want to take the opportunity to talk about issues facing our current and ex-serving men and women and the government's failures across this space. I've been making a point of getting around and meeting as many Defence personnel and veterans as possible to see what they're doing and hear what they think is best for them, their families and their communities. Obviously one of the issues is veterans' mental health and the alarming suicide rate. They have been receiving a lot of media attention, and rightly so. The high number of veteran suicides is a national shame and a personal tragedy for the individuals concerned and their families. There have been more than 400 since 2001, though anecdotally we suspect that there are many, many more. This is significantly more deaths than occurred for ADF personnel on overseas operations during this period. That's why late last year, having listened to families affected, Labor announced that we would back a royal commission into the issue, and we called on the government to establish one. So we were a bit intrigued when, on 5 February, the Prime Minister announced that the government would establish a new permanent National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention. We've cautiously welcomed the proposal and said we were happy to look at the detail. But like others, including veterans' suicide royal commission campaigner Julie-Ann Finney, we've become increasingly concerned that this is not better than a royal commission, as the government has claimed. The government has some work to do to convince us and the public that they're genuine about this space and taking action accordingly. We know the devil will be in the detail, so we urge the government to address the concerns of Ms Finney and other veterans' families quickly, to release the enabling legislation and the terms of reference as soon as possible and to consult widely and wisely on this matter. We call on the government to put this on the next COAG agenda, because there will be need to deal with the states and territories, particularly in the area of coronial inquiries, police investigations and the like. We will then be able to see if the commissioner will indeed have all the powers of a royal commission, as the government has announced. But better still why not just announce a royal commission so we can get to the bottom of veterans' suicides and deliver accountability and justice for veterans and their families? On a related note, the government committed to developing a new mental health and wellbeing strategy and national action plan by the end of last year. Labor support this, and I've met with the minister to provide input. But the government has dithered, delayed and failed to meet its own deadline. The latest was that the Department of Veterans' Affairs was to provide a draft strategy and action plan to the government at some indeterminate date this year. Just when we'll see the final strategy is anyone's guess, and frankly, with its proposal for a new national veterans' suicide commissioner, the government needs to get on with the job and deliver this as soon as possible. We also know that there are serious problems with DVA and the veteran support system. In Senate estimates in October last year, Labor exposed that the government had failed to deliver an election commitment to cut waiting times for claims through the DVA and streamline processes through the new MyService system. DVA officials revealed that overall waiting times for processing claims had blown out in recent times, and we've seen reports that simply allocating a file can take up to 75 days. The secretary of the department has admitted that the department has been hit hard by ongoing funding and staffing cuts, which has driven a massive outsourcing and casualisation of DVA's workforce, with around 45 per cent of staff now being non-permanent APS employees and 26 per cent being labour hire contractors. DVA has had more than 16 per cent of its secure jobs cut since the LNP came to power here in Canberra in 2013, which has seriously eroded the capacity of the department to deliver its service. This is simply unsustainable. It's frustrating for us that this government has been in office for nearly seven years and is now playing catch-up and desperately trying to come up with a plan in its third term. Be that as it may, we're willing to work with the government and the veterans' community in as bipartisan a way as we possibly can to address the important issues of veteran's health and wellbeing. That's why Labor took to the last election a range of policies in this space. We committed $31 million to develop seven veterans' wellbeing centres across Australia, including in Townsville, Ipswich and elsewhere. The government embraced this policy, with six veterans' wellbeing centres, although the details still remain sketchy and the progress slow. Interestingly, in my electorate, in Ipswich, we were left off the government's list of veterans' hubs. The government reneged on a commitment that they announced in 2016 election to deliver one. I have told the minister for veterans affairs directly that we need additional centres where there are significant ex-service communities. I will touch on a few other hot topics where I have recently received significant feedback from veterans. First, following the release of the Productivity Commission report on the veterans support system on 4 July last year, the government committed to provide a response as soon as possible. It's now been more than eight months and we're still waiting. The government is yet to make a formal response. The PC report had a number of worthy recommendations, but it also included a number of recommendations that Labor cannot support. This includes scrapping the Gold Card for dependents and outsourcing the administration and monitoring of the veterans support system to an independent statutory agency, which the PC calls a 'veterans service commission'. Both of these proposals are very unpopular with veterans and I have called on the minister to rule them out. Regrettably, he has failed to do so, which has only created further anxiety in the community. Secondly the government is sitting on a review of the totally and permanently incapacitated—TPI—or special rate disability pension, and it has presided over a whitewash in the form of an inquiry into the Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits Scheme. Labor supported these reviews in principle, but given that both were announced just before the election we questioned the government's commitment and suspected it was just another example of government kicking the can down the road and seeking to placate veterans accordingly, hoping that they would haven't to deal with the issue after the election. Since then we had concerns that the terms of reference of the reviews have not stressed all the concerns raised by veterans and there's not been adequate consultation. We know the Prime Minister received the final TPI review in August last year, following an earlier secret KPMG report. It's been sitting on the Prime Minister's desk for more than six months. I call on him to release the review and the government's response as soon as possible to provide certainty for our TPI veterans. What is the Prime Minister hiding in relation to this matter? Release the review. The DFRDB inquiry conducted by the Commonwealth Ombudsman concluded in early December last year. I'm pleased that the government and Defence apologised for the dodgy and misleading advice that many DFRDB scheme members received. The government admitted that it has caused a lot of confusion and distress for people over the years. It's clear that ADF members relied on advice from Defence to make critical decisions about their retirement, and they were let down badly. We know that many veterans are very unhappy with the review's finding that they did not experience a financial loss as a result of bad advice and that this doesn't warrant financial compensation. If they have suffered financial loss, it's no wonder the government's done nothing to assist them. I can assure the government that these veterans are very unhappy with the government. The government should be working with those veterans to compensate them if they have suffered some form of detriment, so that if there has been defective administration they are capable of getting compensation for detriment caused by that defective administration. But there's no evidence—none whatsoever—that the government's been working with veterans communities to see whether any of those veterans have suffered any form of detriment. On the Defence personnel side of the portfolio, last year we were shocked to hear that the government had decided to abolish the well-respected Defence Reserves Support Council—the DRSC—to essentially replace it with an in-house Defence appointed body. For more than 40 years the DRSC has played an important role in increasing understanding and support for reserves, including having regional organisations and employer and employee organisations represented on the council. This announcement was made late on a Friday afternoon under the cover of another secret KPMG review, so you can see a bit of a pattern developing here. The DRSC national council members were shown the KPMG report only days before the announcement as a fait accompli, and they were effectively given their marching orders. This is an absolute disgrace, and the government's handling of this and the treatment of the DRSC has been utterly appalling. Finally, there has been a lot of interest in and concern about the new veterans card. I know there's been a mixed response to the card and the associated lapel pin among veterans, and I've received a fair bit of negative feedback about it. Labor broadly welcomed the launch late last year—or the relaunch, relaunch and relaunch again—of the card and the discount scheme, which are intended to provide veterans with access to a range of offers and benefits from participating businesses. But it has taken far too long for the government to roll this out, and again we question the government's commitment and the urgency to deliver it. The relaunch on 3 November was the third time the government had recycled this announcement since it was first announced. It was announced in October last year and it had been announced during the election campaign. Three times they have announced this. At the outset, no businesses were on board, and even now there are few details on how the card will interact with other, existing discount schemes and what advantage the card will have over other programs. The government even attached the card to enabling legislation which was introduced by the government into parliament last year, in February, only for it to lapse, of course, when the election was called and parliament was prorogued. After the election, the bill was reintroduced, and the government insisted it was a priority for the new government. It was only passed on 22 October last year, with Labor support. So, in the end, veterans had to wait for more than a year to see the veterans card after it was first announced, and, even then, the government and DVA completely bungled the rollout. Other MPs and I—and, I'm sure, those opposite—have received numerous complaints from people about the complicated and cumbersome application process. It turns out each veteran needs to be a client of DVA first and apply online via DVA's MyService portal, and needs to have an email address. Based on the comments we've heard from the Prime Minister and the minister, it could be argued that the veterans card and lapel pin were designed simply as a mechanism to count veterans and gather more data on them. Launching something that many veterans don't want and forcing them to apply for it online is not the best way to gather information about them. I note the next census will include a question that identifies veterans, and so it should; I welcome that. It will be a much more transparent and effective way of understanding how many veterans we have. On top of the other requirements just to get the card, veterans need to sign up to the Australian Partners of Defence, APOD, platform and create an account before they can start accessing discounts. Clearly, this makes it very difficult for older veterans who might not have access to computers or the internet or have an email address. Once you've jumped through all of these hoops and you've got your card, many of the discounts offered are pretty paltry, such as maybe a dollar off a $100 supermarket purchase. Further, a number of veterans in regional areas in my electorate of Blair have pointed out that they will not benefit as much as people living in major centres, where there are more participating businesses. As one advocate put it recently, 'The veterans card isn't what the veterans were told it would be—a bone fide recognition program—given it's not much better than the general public can get.' The latest instalment of this saga is that the minister has written to MPs asking them to approach small businesses in their own electorates and ask them to participate in this discount scheme. It sounds fine in theory, but it's just another example of the government shifting onto MPs' offices the cost of delivering a program and drumming up support. We've seen a number of grant programs of late, and it is simply unreasonable to expect MPs and their staff to do the legwork for government departments. Labor hope the veterans card and discount scheme doesn't turn out to be the tokenistic policy, the thought bubble, we feared it would be when it was announced. Unfortunately, this seems to be an incompetent and secretive government that has failed to deliver for veterans. It seems to be a government determined to outsource policy responsibilities of departments to independent agencies and a government determined to privatise when it can. Make no mistake, we honour those who have fallen and we need to look after the living—Labor will always stand with you. We want to be as bipartisan as we possibly can, but there are differences, and we do have some serious criticisms of the way the government is handling the Department of Veterans' Affairs. 16:19 Dr GILLESPIE 72184 Lyne I rise in support of the appropriation bills. I'd like to record, for people listening in my electorate, what we do down here in managing the nation's finances and talk about the wonderful support that the Morrison-McCormack government is giving to all people in aged care and people who rely on income support. It all comes down to balancing the books. We are not spending government money; we are spending taxpayers' money. Through Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020, and as part of the MYEFO—or Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook statement—more appropriations are made. These bills appropriate over $3 billion, and the MYEFO has highlighted what needs ongoing support. First of all, with these bills we support Home Affairs with almost a billion dollars—$948 million to be exact—to implement our border protection policies and also support people who have been impacted by the recent bushfires. Also, the Department of Social Services required another $592 million for higher than expected disability employment services payments and for additional emergency relief and financial counselling for communities affected by the recent bushfire emergency. Thirdly, the Department of Defence has additional funding of $488.8 million, including $87.9 million for the Australian Defence Force contribution to the bushfire response through Operation Bushfire Assist. I would like to thank all those people from the Reserve forces who turned up in the Lyne electorate, building fences with BlazeAid. We had a wonderful get-together with people from company D as well as the Lions Club, the Rotary club, and the fauna group, which was rescuing all the burnt and damaged wildlife. It was all done at the Wauchope Showground. The Wauchope Showground ended up being an emergency Noah's ark in the middle of the bushfire. All these domestic animals, including horses, from small- and large-acre properties had to go somewhere, and, like all good country towns, the showground was opened up. Volunteers poured in. Donations of food and bedding were assembled with the help of other people who came over from Lake Cathie. It was just an amazing response that we saw in the face of the bushfires. The Army Reserve turned up for weeks. They had to leave their regular jobs, and many of them had to learn all about fencing, which is really critical when you're running a grazing enterprise. Unfortunately, many grazing enterprises in Upper Hastings, around Birdwood and Yarras, were severely damaged. Houses were lost. In fact, over 152 houses were lost in the mid-coast area alone and about 25—I'll have to check the exact figures—in the area of the Lyne electorate that goes into the Port Macquarie-Hastings council area. The Reserves turned up in 35, 40 degree heat, clearing debris and rebuilding fences so that the stock could be grazed safely and not lost. We're eternally grateful to them. There is also $287 million for Services Australia to support individuals, families and communities to achieve greater self-sufficiency. Another appropriation goes to support our health budget. There's $170.6 million extra, including $53.2 million to support access to medicines and medical treatments. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is one of the most shining examples of our wonderful health system. Australia has a health system that is second to none. I've had experience in Canada. Whilst I haven't worked in America, I've seen how the American system works, and it's different in every state. Then there's the NHS, which is another similarly iconic health system. Out of all the places I've worked, I think the Australian health system is the best. We cover all avenues. We don't rely just on the public health system. We have Medicare in the community, we have the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and we help make health insurance affordable so people can take control of their own hospital requirements and make it sustainable to stay in private hospitals. That takes the pressure off the public hospitals. If our private hospital system were to fade away, and not be as prominent as it is in delivering health care, the public hospital system run by the state governments wouldn't be able to cope. So these provisions are really important. All those wonderful biological drugs and cutting edge treatments—like Keytruda for lung cancer and all the biologicals and the CAR T-cell therapy—are available at minimal cost to average, everyday Australians. In other nations around the world, you have to be incredibly well insured, way above what we can deliver in our health insurance system, or have huge capital behind you to access these wonderful new lifesaving, targeted treatments: biologicals, immunological drugs and the other general cardiovascular, neurological and dementia drugs. You name it—cutting edge medicines are available in Australia. There are also appropriations for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment for wildlife and habitat recovery. As you recall, no doubt, Mr Deputy Speaker Andrews, there was $66 million appropriated for that cause to help our wildlife recover. As I said, we are not spending our money; we're spending taxpayers' money. Just so that it's on the record, and a lot of people who don't have to rely on income support may not appreciate this, but people who do receive it are very grateful for the support that we give them to get their life back on track—including in aged care, with the huge support that we give that industry. We have some of the biggest aged-care facilities in the country in the Lyne electorate. We have the second oldest demographic and the second highest incidence of dementia. In the recent funding rounds there were specialised sections of the funding to expand dementia care in residential and non-residential. Our budget is funding the royal commission into aged care. We've got a new aged-care commissioner with exceptional new powers of surveillance for the maintenance of standards. All these things come from taxpayer dollars. I should mention that our income support, our welfare, has a very highly targeted and comprehensive net, so that people don't fall through the cracks. One in three dollars goes into that budget—one in three taxpayer dollars goes into the welfare support budget. That is a huge amount, so we have to be very targeted, and we want to support people when they need it most. Recently there have been comments about Newstart. We all support a fair go for people who have to rely on Newstart. Because we've got record participation in the economy and growth, the number of people depending on Newstart is the smallest it's been for decades, and the number of people in part-time or full-time employment has grown to the highest rate, similarly, for decades. Newstart is not a wage replacement or a supplement; it's taxpayer funded income support to assist people while they look for a job. In the press people have recently been questioning the Newstart amount, and I want to put on the record that it has increased over the last 20 years. It's been indexed. There were comments in the press that Newstart hasn't been raised for 25 years. It is raised twice a year every year in line with the CPI, which is a widely accepted measure of the changes to cost of living. In 1994, the payment rate for a single person on Newstart was $294 a fortnight and today it is $559 a fortnight, plus there's the energy supplement and there are also other additional payments and allowances. For those who rely on income support via Newstart, there is also Commonwealth rent assistance if they are in community housing or in the private housing market. The most that can be is up to $185 a fortnight for a couple with children. There is also family tax benefit A and B, depending on the number of children and the age of the children, which can be quite considerable. There is also a pharmaceutical supplement. That is why one shouldn't be dismayed when people in the press or other people arguing the case say that things aren't enough on Newstart. It is not meant to be a replacement wage; it's meant to support people while they get back into employment—and that's what we are doing. The maximum under family tax benefit A for a couple with children is $242 a fortnight and, under family tax benefit B, the maximum is up to $158 a fortnight. It's not the same for everyone, because every family is different. Some have many more children and others have fewer children who are dependent. So it's very hard to be blanket about what any one person would receive to support them whilst they are getting back into full-time employment. The other thing I should mention is that we are supporting a huge number of industries that have been through the major floods in the north of the country and now we are supporting people in the southern part, in Queensland, New South Wales, down the South Coast, into Victoria and over into South Australia. There's billions of dollars there in support. I might add that some people are getting frustrated because some of the support payments which are administered by the state governments aren't getting through quickly enough. I exhort my state colleagues to get the bureaucracy fired up, shorten the delivery phrase and get the funds in the pockets of the people cleaning up after the fires. Get those contracts up and get the money out to support bushfire affected businesses and farms. The clean-up is critical and needs to be started as soon as possible. In my state of New South Wales they have appointed a lead contractor. In my council area that was the worst affected, which was the MidCoast Council, they have special areas declared and developed to take all the debris from burnt houses—whether they are asbestos tainted or untainted. There are special provisions, and they are keen to roll. People with insurance won't have their insurance payout consumed in the clean-up of the burnt property, because that is now covered in a fifty-fifty arrangement between the Commonwealth and the state governments. But the delivery of those funds and the management of that scheme—and also the Rural Assistance Authority—for people whose property or businesses have been damaged by the bushfires, are administered by the states. That's what a lot of people don't understand. They say, 'Well, the federal government said that they were giving this money out,' but we rely on the states. That's how it works in our Federation. The states are the delivery organisations of services and schemes like this. So it is a partnership with the state governments, but sometimes the paper work takes way too long. Time is ticking. People are itching to get their lives back on track. So I implore my state colleagues to make it simple. If there are more negotiations needed about the guidelines, our ministers are ready, willing and able to stump up and negotiate. I commend these appropriation bills to the House. As I said, it's all about the dollars and managing the economy to get ourselves back into the black as well as to cope with all these emergencies and extra demands on taxpayer dollars. 16:34 Mr ZAPPIA HWB Makin These appropriation bills 3 and 4 allocate funding so that government services, public works and government programs can continue. Public expenditure of course relies on sound economic management by the government. Despite the Morrison government's spin and boasting, this government's economic management record highlights failure and incompetence. When I talk about the government's spin, this is a government that brought forward the last budget to 2 April in order to be able to supposedly bring forward a budget that was in the black and then go into an election immediately afterwards on the claim that they were good economic managers. I quote exactly what the Treasurer said in his opening line on that evening: 'Tonight, I announce that the budget is back in the black.' The budget has never been in the black and the way things are going it is unlikely to be. I believe that the Australian people are getting a little sick and tired of the spin that comes from this government on every single issue. You can get away with it up to a point, but this government has now been in office for almost seven years—longer than the full term of office of the last Labor government. Yet again, as we saw in question time today, the Treasurer will come into the chamber and pretend that all is well; that his government is managing the economy beautifully; and that it's all the fault of the previous Labor government. This is almost seven years into their term of office. It is time this government took responsibility for their own poor track record, because the public don't want to hear spin. They want to see a government that's telling them the truth and doing what is necessary in order to get the economy back on track. Given what has happened in recent times, it is unlikely that the budget will get back in the black, as the Treasurer keeps saying. I note that his new spin is now that it's a 'balanced' budget. Whatever the term 'balance' means I don't know, but I do know that the economy of Australia is struggling. We now see the government coming into the chamber almost on a daily basis, hiding behind the coronavirus and the fires of the last summer, saying that the impact on our economy from the fires and the coronavirus is why they may not be able to get the budget back in the black. The facts are clear. The reality is that even before the coronavirus and the fires the Australian economy was sluggish. Wages were stagnant. Gross national debt went from $280 billion when the government took office to $570 billion. It has more than doubled. This is this government's debt. Net debt has gone from $175 billion to, last Friday, the latest figure is $430 billion—2½ times what it was when this government took office. They haven't got net debt or gross debt down; it's actually increased under their watch. We know that two million people are either unemployed or underemployed; That is, they are looking for work or looking for more work. We've seen private health insurance rates drop markedly because people simply cannot afford to pay the private health insurance premiums. Household debt has reached record highs. I read only today that 40 per cent of recent retirees are struggling financially. That is a statement from Industry Super Australia. The greatest indicator of all that the economy is struggling is the record low interest rates of 0.75 per cent. When this government came to office they were around three per cent. To fall to 0.75 per cent, which is less than inflation, is saying that the Australian economy is struggling. That's why the Reserve Bank has dropped their interest rate to 0.75 per cent, and we hear that tomorrow it might even fall further. The Reserve Bank, of all authorities in this country, is a strong and credible organisation whose advice we should look to and take seriously. If the Reserve Bank Board is saying that interest rates have had to come down to 0.75 per cent and maybe have to go even further, it's because the Australian economy is struggling and the Reserve Bank Board is trying to do what they can to stimulate the economy. Then, the latest of those figures that one can point to, to assess whether the Australian economy is doing well or not, is the value of the Australian dollar against the US dollar. Today it has fallen to 0.65 of a US dollar—that is, 65 cents US for each Australian dollar—one of the lowest figures that I can recall in a long time. The reason it has fallen is that the global confidence in the Australian economy is also falling, and that's why the dollar falls. This is a government that fails to understand what needs to be done and, instead of perhaps spending more money on infrastructure projects that it could bring forward or establishing a stimulus package similar to what the Rudd-Gillard governments did, this is a government that goes in the opposite direction. It cuts public funding to the NDIS by $4.6 billion in order to try and go back to the Australian people and say, 'Look, we balanced the budget.' We've done it on the back of some of the most vulnerable people in this country by not allocating to them the funds that were set aside for them of $4.6 billion! As we keep hearing, by cutting Medicare bulk billing incentives in regional parts of Australia right now, again, people who are going to doctors, and who obviously need medical support, are finding they may have to pay more for them. Cutting hospital funding, cutting funds that go to pensioners and failing to adequately fund the aged-care system in this country—these are all vulnerable people to whom this government is saying: 'I'll take money from you in order to try and prove that I can get the budget back in the black.' It is simply not working because, quite frankly, those kinds of measures never do. All they do are ensure that less and less money is spent in the economy, and that in turn has a flow-on effect in terms of the economy going backwards rather than forwards. With respect to that, in my own state of South Australia the economy is dire. I have read report after report indicating that the South Australian economy is in trouble and, indeed, is struggling. Recently, in the last couple of weeks, we have had a prominent South Australian businessman Sam Shahin call on the state leaders—not political leaders, state civic leaders—to come together and develop a strategy for a way forward for South Australia. That's how much concern there is out there about the direction of the state. Can I say, in my view: that is an absolutely clear message that there is little confidence in the Marshall Liberal government in South Australia. As with their federal counterparts, the South Australian Marshall Liberal government turns to austerity, privatisation, sell-offs and service cuts in order to try and balance its own budget. And we have seen since coming to office this government wanting to close South Australian service centres, which provide a whole range of government services to people face-to-face, at Modbury, Mitcham and Prospect. They are all set to close. The South Australian government's argument is that online transactions, which are now available to the public, are replacing the need to have these face-to-face service centres and they are much more efficient et cetera. It is simply more spin and not true. People want those service centres to remain open in all of those three areas—Modbury, Mitcham and Prospect—and, indeed, the statistics will show that they are being used, but the South Australian government will close them because they need to balance their budget. Simultaneously, they want to open a new South Australian service centre at Mount Barker! And, surprise, surprise: where's the logic in doing that? The logic is that it was a 2018 election promise to the Liberal candidate for Mount Barker at the time and, after he got elected, he's asking his government to deliver on that promise. So the logic of using online services applies to other people in South Australia but not to the Liberal seat that they won as part of the election outcome. The even sadder thing about that is that new service centre—which I support, because I believe the community out there also deserve to have one of these centres—will be paid for by communities in other places that will lose their own service centres. The even sadder thing about that is that the new service centre, which I support because I believe the community out there also deserve to have one of these centres, will be paid for by communities in other places that will lose their own service centre. I turn to the Civil Contractors Federation of South Australia. Only in the last couple of days its CEO, Phil Sutherland, issued a press statement. The press statement relates to Infrastructure Australia's priority list of projects that should be funded by the federal government. I will quote directly from Mr Sutherland's comments. He said that this situation is 'completely unacceptable and totally lamentable'. He was referring to the fact that there was no South Australia project on the list. He said: It is a matter of very serious concern that there is not a single new road or rail project earmarked for SA on Infrastructure Australia’s updated high priority list. He went on to say: Alarmingly, this has been the case for several years. That sums up the attitude of the federal government here in Canberra towards South Australia. The truth of the matter is that, as Mr Sutherland went on to explain in his press release, there are 10 projects that he could immediately identify as warranting national infrastructure funding because they are projects that need urgent attention—projects that have been the cause of some 500 people being killed in the last eight years—but not one of them is on the priority list, and South Australia will likely get nothing. The reality is that, at both federal and state level, these are governments that think that the way you manage an economy is simply by retreating and going backwards, and then, in turn, allowing the private sector to take control of everything. In South Australia we are seeing more of that with the Marshall Liberal government wanting to privatise rail services. I understand that the three shortlisted companies that have bid, and one of them is likely to get the contract if it goes ahead, and I expect that the Marshall government will do everything it can to do that, are companies named Adelaide Next, Keolis Downer and TrainCo. Interestingly, not one of those companies is from South Australia, so South Australians, who need the work and who should be part of any economic progress in the stake, are not even being given the opportunity of bidding for or getting major South Australian government contracts. That is where the state is heading and, not surprisingly, is why the state is going backwards, because every time that happens profits are shifted out of South Australia to elsewhere, which, in turn, makes the economy struggle even more. South Australia has consistently had a high unemployment rate for the last two or three years. That has been the case ever since the federal government turned its back on General Motors Holden. From that day onwards, confidence in the South Australian economy has fallen and is continuing to fall. Whilst the South Australian government will go out and say, 'But unemployment in the last month's figures fell from 6.3 to 5.7 per cent,' they don't say that total employment also fell that month. In other words, people are simply giving up looking for work, coming off the employment list or, as I've seen with many young people that I've spoken to, moving interstate or overseas because they have given up trying to find work in South Australia. It is simply not good enough. South Australia is a state that has huge potential. It is a state that in years gone by showed that it can stand on its own two feet and did so well. I believe that with the right policies—policies that encourage, not discourage, investment and that support government initiatives in the state—South Australia could do a lot better than it is doing. That is exactly the same argument that I would use for the federal government. It is not austerity measures that work; it is indeed the opposite. 16:49 Ms RYAN 249224 Lalor I'm pleased to rise today on these appropriation bills to raise some pressing local issues. In 1998 I chaired the Werribee Residents Against Toxic Dump—we were called WRATD—a community group formed to lead my community's fight against CSR's plan to develop a toxic dump in Werribee. This campaign taught me how to work at the grassroots level and I believe led to me sitting here as my community's federal representative in this chamber. I learnt to be a local member from a couple of exemplars. The Hon. Julia Gillard referenced this fight with CSR in her first speech in this place because she was involved as a candidate. I worked with Julia and Barry Jones, who was our local member. We brought that fight to the federal parliament, and today with that history I bring another fight to the federal parliament. Like many others in my community, I thought that our fight and win had sent the strong message to governments of all stripes that community consultation is not a tick-and-flick exercise and that ignoring community sentiment came with consequences for proponents and legislators. Imagine my disappointment then when in the last sitting fortnight local community activists started calling me to say that an Age journalist was contacting them asking for comment about the Transurban proposal to store contaminated soil from the West Gate Tunnel project in our community as a backup option. My immediate reaction was to assure them that this couldn't be true. I was sure that any environmental effects statement would have had to have addressed these issues prior to the project starting. I was sure that this was merely a rumour that would prove to be untrue. What followed was even more disbelief, because this was, in fact, true. Since then I have been in discussions with local community groups, experts and colleagues from all levels of government over Transurban's plan to place contaminated soil in Wyndham Vale. Following these discussions I want to say clearly: I do not support Transurban's toxic soil plan for Wyndham. I am bemused that we are hearing talk of plans for extenuating circumstances when there is no plan detailing the final disposal or treatment facility. Further, I'm not confident the backup plan being discussed will have the safety measures in place to protect people and to protect our precious environment. My objections and the objections of many in the community are not about the West Gate Tunnel project. Tens of thousands of the 270,000 people who reside in the city of Wyndham commute to and from the city for work and pleasure. To do their jobs and to enjoy their free time they pay the Transurban tolls. Tens of thousands of locals will use the West Gate Tunnel on completion. Like me, they support the Andrews government's investment in this much-needed piece of infrastructure for Melbourne and the entire western suburbs. But, like me, they are bemused that Transurban and its construction partners, John Holland and CPB, are casting about at the eleventh hour to organise the disposal of contaminated soil in a project that will see the removal of 1.5 million tonnes of soil. I'd like the House to know too that this is a market led project—that is, that Transurban made an unsolicited approach to government with this project. They have been through several processes. One of these processes was an environmental effects statement where the history of the area where the tunnel is being built has been detailed, including maps of groundwater movement over many years. I have an attachment to that EES. I note that most westies would know that where they're planning this tunnel used to be an incredibly industrialised part of Melbourne where there were gasworks; rail and trams lines; supply, laydown and storage areas; maintenance areas; warehousing; filling of low-lying or swampy areas; the Bradmill textile factory; James Hardie; motor garages with other vehicle services, including service stations; drycleaners and dyers; engineering and metal manufacturing; refining and finishing works, including foundries and heavy engineering firms; iron, steel and other metal works; electroplating and enamelling; bulk fuel terminals and refineries; and chemical manufacturers and storage. That's where the tunnel is being built. I don't think it would take much imagination for anybody in the west to figure out that there would be a bit of contaminated soil when you started digging in this space. One of the worst pieces of information that comes from this EES is the fact that was there were some quarries in that area as well, and that they have been filled. They had been used for the disposal of solid and liquid wastes. There's been a solid inert landfill, an abattoir and a stockyard site located at Kyle Road, Altona. So it is a surprise to me to think that Transurban are, at this late hour, determining that they're in desperate need of a backup plan when, in fact, as far as I'm concerned, they should have already had detailed plans. It is dumbfounding that this enormous company with a history of major project development can claim it didn't know the soil would be contaminated. Anyone from the west—in fact, two local governments raised red flags during the EES about this. So there's no surprise that my community objects to the way it was informed, the lack of consultation and the stupidity of thinking the soil should go anywhere for storage unless it was for treatment—let alone at the site being suggested, which is 70 metre from new homes with more being built as we speak. The site is also inappropriate because it is too close to the Werribee River and a tributary that runs through the site after a deluge. But, mostly, we object because the site will not have the required linings—synthetic and clay—that are required to take contaminated soil of this kind. Let me be clear, too, to all those already claiming that this is driven by 'not in my backyard' attitudes or sentiments. You couldn't be further from the truth. This is about setting the standard for the private sector and for government. There should be no shortcuts, no matter the importance of the project. Transurban need to understand that their market led project has to follow the rules. Contaminated soil should be taken from source to appropriately licensed disposal or treatment sites. My community has fought this fight before. I know. I led that fight. Now we will fight it again. Last week, a committee was formed at a public meeting. Tomorrow night, once again, my community will come together, this time to fight Transurban's toxic soil plan. I urge all concerned locals to head down to Station Place at 6.30 pm for this rally. I'll be there because my community matters to me. I'll be there because I'm their federal member. I'll be there because I was raised in this community and I've raised my family in this community. I will always stand with my community. In 1998, I lead our community's fight against CSR's toxic dump in Werribee. In 2020, I will stand with my community as their federal representative, fighting Transurban's toxic soil plan. Another local issue is being raised with me by concerned locals living at Federation Village. I want to bring to the House's attention the plight of a group of locals in my community who, it would seem, are being taken advantage of by the administrators of their retirement village. A few weeks ago a group of residents from the Federation Retirement Village in Werribee came to my office to explain how Allswell and Ingenia are enforcing exit fees and upping weekly maintenance contributions—some to as high as 13 per cent—or, as they call it, 'rent' on the residents of this village. This is in comparison with the modest increases to pensions, and this is while Ingenia proudly promotes on their website, 'No, there are no body corporate charges, no council rates and no entry or exit fees.' The residents of these villages have retired, many of them on fixed incomes, and are reliant on the modest aged pension. The owners of Federation are continuing to up rents on these fixed-income locals, and when they're priced out of paying the rent the exit fees are astronomical. Worst of all, they're getting away with it. While Allswell on their website promotes the same language, word for word, about exit fees, there's one addition: an asterisk. That asterisk is for residents of the Federation Villages around the state. It's simply not fair for people who've worked their entire life to be treated this way. There have been promises that the market will fix the exit fee problem. In the past, when these things have been raised in the federal parliament, we have seen some market pressure and some change in those areas. That is not the case for the residents of the Federation Village in Werribee—or, for that matter, in their locations around the state. So, while I urge Allswell and Ingenia to do the decent thing, I believe it is time for us to have a nationally consistent approach to retirement villages and to the fees they charge, and an end to the ridiculous exit fees that these locals told me about, where $70,000 can be taken off any sale of their property. With the population getting older and the need for retirement villages growing, we must fix this dodgy practice now. While I'm pleased to hear that there is now a dialogue between the operators and the residents, and I hope that that there will be positive action to come, it shouldn't be left to good faith. As a country let's fix this problem now and save older Australians these hassles down the track. The electorate of Lalor sits in Melbourne's outer west, our amazingly diverse and fast-growing Melbourne's west— Dr Mulino interjecting— Ms RYAN 249224 I say hello to the member for Fraser, who shares some of the burden of being part of an intense growth corridor—where our community is growing through things like a hundred babies a week being born and 6,000 dwellings a year being built, outpacing every prediction made by governments. Wyndham is home to many records and statistics, but perhaps the worst statistic we own is the fact that we are home to the greatest number of residents who travel two or more hours a day to go to work. The congestion we face as a community is the main contributing factor. While the state government are doing great things to reduce this—removing local level crossings, offering more public transport options and building the West Gate Tunnel—it was disappointing to hear about the Urban Congestion Fund of this government and that it has gone down the same path as other funds under this government. Despite all the stats and common sense about building congestion-busting infrastructure, as the man in the cap tells us all the time, or when he's donning his shiny hat, he doesn't see us in Wyndham. We're not worthy because we vote Labor. What did we get from this government, going into the last election? Zero. Absolutely nothing. In fact, in Victoria, coalition seats and some marginal seats received 89 per cent of the $1.26 billion allocated across Victoria. That left 11 per cent for the rest of us, but nothing for Lalor—absolutely zero. I've been on my feet in this chamber so many times talking about parking at train stations and talking about Labor's commitment at the last election to build the Wyndham West Link and create two bridges on the edges of our city to move us in and out. But the government claims we didn't ask. Well, in fact, we did. Lalor proposed projects at the last election, and even our previous mayors wrote to the minister about the infrastructure we needed, but we got nothing. It is apparent to everyone in my community and in my electorate that this government does not care about people living in the outer west's growth areas. We are not part of their consideration of where they might spend money, and they will ignore the incredible congestion in our part of Melbourne while pouring money for train station car parks into other seats, like Kooyong. It is outrageous. This government needs to take a good hard look at itself. One of the proudest things you ever see on election night, whether you've won or you've lost, is a prime minister who stands up and says that they will govern for all. This Prime Minister has failed that test, not just in my electorate but across Melbourne's west. He has failed that test. Tarneit train station is the second busiest V/Line station in the state of Victoria, and you have to get there before 7 am to get a park. These are families who are dropping off children at early childhood education centres at 6 am and picking them up at six that night, and they're travelling for two hours a day. They need this government to start to care. They need this government to have a good hard look at itself, the way it budgets and the way it apportions taxpayer funds, remembering that people in my community pay taxes too. It's time for this government to wake up. It's time for this government to take the outer suburbs of Melbourne's west seriously. 17:04 Dr MULINO 132880 Fraser In rising to speak on the appropriation bills I want to talk about this government's incompetence in managing the economy. The speaker that preceded me, the member for Lalor, very powerfully set out how this government's inattention and lack of investment to the west of Melbourne is having a very negative effect on people's quality of life. I want to build on that and explain how this government's incompetence over many, many years is now putting this economy in a very parlous situation and making it very susceptible to risks in the global economy. This government claims that, over recent years, it has performed on the economy in such a way that it has put this economy in a reasonable position to withstand the risks that are arising as a result of the coronavirus, recent fires and the drought. But let's look at what this government has done over seven years. It inherited an economy that was growing strongly, that had wages growth and that had high levels of investment, and what we have now is an economy which, over recent years, has experienced the worst period of wages growth in recorded history; an economy that is experiencing negative labour productivity growth for the first time that records have been kept; and an economy that is experiencing unemployment that is far higher than comparator economies. One can compare our unemployment to unemployment in the United States and the UK—economies which are experiencing unemployment at the lowest level for many decades. Our unemployment is stuck at levels that it shouldn't be, because this government is failing to reform. On measure after measure, our economy has been underperforming for year after year. Underemployment has been rising for years now. In many parts of our country, underemployment is over 10 per cent of the labour force and underutilisation is approaching nearly 20 per cent in some regional areas. This is a huge number of people who aren't being given the opportunity to join the labour force, to find employment. This is a vast number of people whose skills and talents we aren't taking advantage of. And this is a vast number of people whose living standards are far lower than they should be and whose circumstances are far more precarious than they should be. This government will trumpet its own success by saying that this or that many jobs have been created or it has invested this or that number of dollars. But when you dig beneath this government's claims—and there aren't many of them—every claim this government makes is built on numbers that are based on population growth. Nothing this government has done is based upon policy reform, productivity growth or sustainable long-term growth. Everything this government bases its economic claims upon is based upon the fact that the number of people in this society is growing. They are hollow claims, and people in Australia's communities are seeing these claims for what they are. You don't have to look too far with this government's claims to notice that time and time again what they look at are aggregates but every measure that is per capita, every measure that is at the household level, every measure that looks at wages growth or per capita spending and every measure that really affects how people feel in terms of their quality of life or their vulnerability to economic shocks—every measure that actually means anything to people—is going backwards. But this government comes in here time and time again and pats itself on the back, because a few aggregate numbers are going up. Well, people are seeing through that. The reason that it's important to look back over the last seven years—seven long years; seven inert years; seven years where nothing has happened—is because the government are now in the business of expectations management. They should have been in the business of economic management. The Prime Minister and the Treasurer come in here day after day and say, 'Isn't it amazing; we balanced the budget,' when they've in fact been claiming that the budget was in surplus for months and months. So the government are now in the expectations management game, and what they are trying to do is say, 'Oh, everything is great, but now we have one or two unexpected shocks.' The reason that this economy is not in a good position to weather shocks is that nothing has happened in relation to economic reform for the past seven years. And people in the community understand that things are going to be a lot worse in our economy than they needed to be, because this government has been sitting on its hands. We are going to face some tough times, but what we need to make absolutely clear is that the times that Australia is going to face over the next six months needn't have been as bad as they will be, because this government has put Australia's economy in a far worse position entering into this period than it needed to be. The other thing I want to stress about the shocks that this economy is facing—the drought, the season of fires, and now the coronavirus—is that in each of them the government had a period over which it had notice. The drought has been with us for years, but their response to it has been completely inept and heartless. We had questions in question time today showing that there are still farmers who aren't getting a response from the government many, many months after programs were announced by the government and they've been patting themselves on the back. The fires are a great example of how this government had significant advance notice of risks and sat on its hands. We only need to look at the fact that a large group of ex-commissioners of the fire services from around the country were begging the Prime Minister to meet with them to talk through ways in which the Australian government could invest in strategies to deal with the growing risk of fires, given climate change and other factors. The Prime Minister wouldn't meet with them. Then when the fires occurred—and they occurred over many months—this government was again too slow to act. So we had shocks to the economy that were in fact foreshadowed by many experts, and this government did nothing even when the risks were known far in advance. Again with coronavirus: it is true that in December, or the middle of last year, we weren't foreshadowing the specifics of how the coronavirus would break out, but we have known now for well over a month that this is a significant risk for the economy. One only needs to go to a whole range of websites that have been tracking the exponential growth of the number of cases of coronavirus in China since the middle of January. We're now almost two months down the track from when this was flagged as a serious issue, and what is the economic response? All we get from the government is coming in here, question time after question time, saying how sober and measured and calm they are. They're so sober and calm and measured at they're not doing anything. The Australian public again is seeing through this. Let's look at the coronavirus. Let's look at the fact that a number of commentators for some time now have been flagging how serious this could be for the economy. The government has not run through any kind of plan in the public realm, but keeps saying 'wait for the budget'. Let's look at the fact that S&P some weeks ago downgraded its forecast for the Chinese economy significantly—an economy which we of course are highly interdependent with. They foreshadowed that there would be significant impacts on the spending of its tourists and students. Let's look at the comments by Alex Joiner, an economist at IFM Investors, which again alluded to the fact that this was going to have a serious impact on tourism. China's tourists represent 15 to 16 per cent of tourists to Australia but they outspend many other tourists by significant margins. Their spend in Australia is greater than that of American, British, Japanese and New Zealand tourists put together. Let's look at the fact that the education sector was flagged as one. Moody's said a couple of weeks ago that Australian universities will be harder hit than those of any other country. So there have been people who for some time now have been flagging that this is an emerging issue. It's true that it's impossible to precisely model how this is going to play out, because that depends upon how the health impacts evolve in countries right around the world. But it is absolutely clear that this is going to have a material impact. Those opposite seem to want do nothing for weeks and weeks and months and months, by coming here and patting themselves on the back for being sober and measured. Top economists at JPMorgan have said that the coronavirus outbreak has completely changed the dynamics of the Chinese economy. That was weeks ago. What do those opposite have to say? If you look at the Treasurer's answers in question time today, they'd almost be verbatim the same as his answers one week ago, two weeks ago and three weeks ago. I say that having had the excruciating displeasure of having to listen to all of them over the last month or more. I could run through many commentators, here and around the world, who have foreshadowed that action is going to be needed. We see no plan from those opposite, just as we haven't had a plan for the last seven years on productivity. All we have from those opposite is 'We're going to balance the budget.' That's the sole test they give themselves. It's the most narrow and ineffective way in which to view an economy. Time will tell whether they meet their own test. Even if they were to meet their own test, it's a wholly inadequate way in which to look at the long-term challenges this economy faces. What does the economy need right now? Let's go to the Governor of the Reserve Bank, who has pushed monetary policy to its limits. We'll see tomorrow whether the Reserve Bank feels the need to push interest rates even lower than they are, which is almost a quarter of the level they were at the depths of the GFC. They might go lower still—that's what the markets are guessing. The point is that the Reserve Bank has made it clear that, no matter how low interest rates go, monetary policy cannot do this alone. The governor has said, 'Monetary policy is not the only option.' He said: We will achieve better outcomes for society as a whole if the various arms of public policy are all pointing in the same direction. He's a very diplomatic person. He would never presume to tell the government what to do when it comes to fiscal policy, but it's fair to say that when the Governor of the Reserve Bank is using expansionary monetary policy and says that fiscal policies should be pointing in the same direction, that means he believes that fiscal policy should be expansionary at the same time. So what could fiscal policy look like if it was ambitious, well calibrated and more expansionary than it currently is? As we've said on a number of occasions, as the opposition, we don't have full access to the government's briefing on the exact state of the economy, so it's not for us to give highly calibrated policy responses. But we have said on a number of occasions that we would work with the government to develop policy in a range of areas—and a range of areas that could be fiscally prudent, such as increased infrastructure expenditure, with shovel-ready projects at the local level that could have a real impact. Another area is to bring forward some of the stage 2 tax cuts, particularly those which would have an effect on effective marginal tax rates where those are discouraging people from entering the workforce and especially those where they would have a positive impact on spending. We saw from the government's first tranche of tax cuts, from evidence given in the House Economics Committee by the banks, that approximately a quarter of it was spent. We need to get money into the hands of people who are going to spend it at a far higher rate. Another area is Newstart. We have for a long time now said that Newstart needs to be looked at. Raising Newstart would have the double effect of, firstly, being very sound public policy and, secondly, putting money into the hands of people with a high marginal propensity to consume. It's something this economy desperately needs. When it comes to it being sound public policy, I only need to go to the Business Council of Australia's recent submission to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee inquiry into the adequacy of Newstart. Recommendation 2(b) says: The single rate of Newstart ought to be increased for people who are unlikely to return to sustained work in recognition that as it stands, Newstart is not adequate to live on long-term. We also of course need a settled energy policy, but that's far too complex a set of failures on the part of those opposite to deal with in 15 minutes. I will simply identify that issue and then move on to something else. Then there are the tax incentives for investment. As was alluded to, as was identified in question time today, business investment in the last recorded period as announced today has fallen in the last quarter. This is a sign of this economy moving in the wrong direction. This is a sign of business confidence heading in the wrong direction. We need to, as a government, do something proactive that would both be beneficial for the economy in the short term and have very positive long-term benefits. In summary, our economy is facing some outside challenges, but what is absolutely critical when we look at the predicament the government faces is that we firstly have to hold this government to account for having sat on its hands for seven long years—seven years of failed opportunities. This government has put our economy in a position that is far more vulnerable than it needs to be. Secondly, when it comes to dealing with these external issues, we do have advanced notice to varying degrees. The drought has been with us for years. We had experts tell us we're at increased risk of bushfires. We have had experts for weeks now telling us we need a plan for coronavirus. This government should be doing far more than just waiting for the budget to see if they can scrape a surplus. We need action from this government today in order to get people's wages rising, get people into jobs and raise people's living standards. That's the job of this government, and they're not doing it. 17:19 Mr FALINSKI G86 Mackellar Clearly the whips knew that the member for Fenner would be on duty, because they have put duelling economists on today. However, I suspect that if we leave him to adjudicate which speech won he'll make the wrong decision, so we'll just get stuck into it. I'm going to drop some wisdom on the member for Fraser. He comes from the Austrian school, so he should just sit back and enjoy—oh no, he's leaving. As we have stepped into the new decade we have encountered an onslaught of unmitigated social, environmental and economic crises. The devastating fires of the black summer, the ensuing floods and storms which ravaged Sydney, leaving thousands of households and businesses without power, and of course the spread of the coronavirus around the world have made it a very difficult start to the decade. However, I can proudly report that, despite these challenges, under the Morrison Liberal government the state of Mackellar continues to be strong. Our economic management, sensible and practical environmental policies and innovative solutions to roads and traffic congestion are resulting in a better, more prosperous Mackellar. The upgrades around the Northern Beaches Hospital site as well as the widening of Mona Vale Road, the introduction of the B-Line and the impending construction of the Beaches Link Tunnel are all assisting in making people's lives less stressful by easing traffic flow. However, it is my melancholy duty to report there is still a thorn in the side of us beach and bush people, and that's the unfinished roadworks at Warringah Road, a two-year project that is now three years overdue. People like to criticise private sector involvement, but it might be of interest to know that these roadworks were spurred by the development of the public-private hospital on the northern beaches. The roadworks started a year before the hospital started being built and they will end four years after it was successfully completed. And, of course, there is Wakehurst Parkway. When you're in an ambulance being rushed to Northern Beaches Hospital—one of the most successful hospitals in the history of New South Wales—you obviously want to be taken by the quickest and most-direct route to get there. On the northern beaches that is sometimes not possible following rain. The Wakehurst Parkway is one of the main roads connecting the upper northern beaches to the new hospital and the city. However, according to a recent report, it is closed due to flooding over 10 times a year on average, sometimes for a few hours and sometimes for a few days. When combined with the fact that we are the only part of any major city in the world whose major link is a drawbridge, it's an extraordinary state of affairs. Not only is this inconvenient but it's dangerous to the people I represent. We are lucky to have a state-of-the-art hospital run by an excellent company that is showing the public sector how to run a hospital in Frenchs Forest, but when access becomes difficult when the road is blocked you have to question how helpful that is. Currently, it is a two-lane road, which is grossly inadequate to cope with the volume of traffic it receives, not to mention when lanes are closed because of car crashes. The people of the northern beaches deserve better, and they deserve this. The council and state government have dragged their feet on this and have dodged their responsibility for too many years. We don't need to hear anymore that it's too expensive or too hard to be done or that they're undertaking yet another report. Indeed, we found out only the other day from the minister for planning that, since 2017, the Northern Beaches Council has been in receipt of $5 million from the state government to fix this problem and, three years later, they still haven't released the report. It needs to be flood-proof and it needs to be widened. I've written to the Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure, Alan Tudge, as well as the New South Wales Minister for Transport and Roads, Andrew Constance, and implored them both to work together to get this done for community. I'm glad to report to the House that Minister Tudge has already informally indicated that he will do what it takes to get this done. This project has been talked about for decades, but the time for talk is over. We now need to see action. Narrabeen Lakes Public School is just across the road from my electorate office and has a long and proud history of educating students in the area. I've been fortunate to meet with those students on a number of occasions, and it became clear to me that there was a need for facility upgrades. Understanding this, under the Local Schools Community Fund I secured $20,000 to restore their outside green space area so the children could have the facilities to play outside with their friends and learn the importance of exercise. It is important to note that this area services a suburb that has large numbers of units and multidwelling blocks. A good education requires balance between learning inside the classroom and outside on the playground, in open space, and I am happy to assist in providing that. I do so despite the fact that the New South Wales Department of Education has close to $3 billion of unspent money that it has received from this federal government under Gonski 2.0. Under the same scheme I secured just under $20,000 for two St Lucy's classes located in Narraweena and Narrabeen. I notice the interest of Deputy Speaker Wicks in this matter. St Lucy's offers education for children with a disability, and this money will be spent on the installation of hearing loops in their classrooms because we want all students to have the same opportunity to learn in an environment which is suited to them. A society is great when those within it strive for greatness, not with the intervention of government bureaucrats. Volunteer organisations prove this rule every day of the week and, as we conclude this black summer of bushfires, I don't think anyone could deny that it was not the government which saved the day but volunteers like the Rural Fire Service. The Volunteer Grants program is a wonderful opportunity for the government, for the taxpayer, to provide some assistance to these volunteer organisations. I'm proud to support the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club with the purchase of a new boat trailer and cover. Our surf lifesavers do an amazing job each summer. When the red and yellow flags are flying, swimmers know they are under the watchful eye of some of society's best. It is also great to know that the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club, whose clubhouse was built just after World War II, will be getting an upgrade this summer after we secured almost $2 million from the federal taxpayer to help fund the program with the state government. It gives me a great sense of achievement on behalf of my community to highlight these advances, to know that we as a community achieved so much with so little and that the state of the northern beaches is so strong. Most notably, it gives me great pleasure to do so because I speak of hope and opportunity. These are the creed of the Liberal. We know that all great advances have come from freedom, that when that freedom is couched in a fair society, it is best used by all for all. That freedom in a moral environment that stresses that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us is one that develops the greatest hope and opportunity for all of us. Today we face many challenges—most notably at the moment the coronavirus. But I have no doubt that we will face this challenge, overcome it and be stronger for it. Why? It is not because of what lies ahead but because of what lies behind. We have faced so many challenges in the past. We have faced them together and we have overcome them all. Economically, we face the challenge of falling productivity. Productivity is the key to all the issues we face. Aristotle, Socrates and Pericles are the result of productivity. When our civilisation worked out how to feed everyone without needing everyone to do that, it allowed some people to go off and be thinkers, writers, inventors and innovators. If we are to solve the challenges of our time, we need to be able to collect capital and deploy it in pursuit of the solutions, and we need to do more with less. Productivity is the outcome of innovation. It is well understood that Australia's productivity fell badly under Labor when they introduced the Fair Work Act—an act that has done so much damage to our nation and its people but done so much for their donors. If we are to encourage innovation, we need to reward risk and forgive failure. The Labor Party does the opposite. We need to improve our tax systems. We need to renew and revolutionise our industrial relations systems. But, most of all, we need to improve our education system. Liberals throughout the ages have fought for the rights of all people, no matter who they are or where they come from, to live lives to their fullest potential. Any society organised on Liberal principles will never allow a person's destination in life to be determined by where they came from. History has shown us that government-enforced equality ultimately and quickly leads to injustice. But we cannot possibly be a parliament of equality of opportunity if we do not make education our highest priority. Too many of our fellow Australians are condemned to live lives of quiet desperation in cycles of poverty that cannot be broken, even when the will exists to do so. This parliament has predetermined that the right answer for everyone is a university education despite the fact that in other nations only around 20 per cent of people choose tertiary education, and those nations provide better outcomes for their economy, national wealth, business formation, productivity, employment, real wages and the people they seek to serve. The United States is just one example. The vast majority of companies in their top 20 by capitalisation were started after 1975. By contrast, Australia's youngest company in the top 20 was formed before the Great Depression in the 1930s. We continue to ignore best practice and inconvenient truths throughout the education sector. We ignored the fact that decentralised education systems are the most successful, as we continued to do all we could to centralise our education system. We ignored the importance of training teachers and experimentation in curriculum as the major drivers of education outcome, as we ploughed billions of dollars into a system that is producing decreasing outcomes in education. In Australia, there is currently a negative correlation between spending and education, and we pretend that giving parents freedom to choose is somehow a bad thing for their children, them and our nation. But, most of all, we pander to a Congo line of stakeholders whose self-interest goes unchecked and unchallenged. Our children suffer. Our Liberal ideals are undermined. The cycle of poverty continues. Our economy and national dynamism suffers. The quiet desperation of so many continues to go on unheard and unheeded. No matter though, the good and the great are satiated. If we are to live up to our highest ideals, then this parliament should advance the cause of a better and more responsive education system for all—not just for some. As we know, some Australians are born in this country and some Australians are born elsewhere in the world, choosing to make a life here as citizens. It is a frequent honour and joy to attend citizenship ceremonies for those who have chosen the Northern Beaches as their home. I'm often moved to hear the personal stories behind the individuals who make this decision. I think of my own family and how we came to become Australians. My father was the son of a Jewish migrant who fled communist oppression in 1957. When he arrived in the country, my father was a young man and learnt English by selling encyclopedias door to door. I will not repeat some of his learned language out of respect for this chamber. His mother, my grandmother, helped sustain her family by spending her nights screwing caps on toothpaste tubes—many nights she came home with bleeding fingers. While my story is special to me, it is not unique to Australia. Modern Australia was built by migrants like my grandparents. Those who I welcome into our community in these ceremonies I'm sure will make it a positive contribution, like my father and his before him, and that is what has made this one of the greatest countries in the world. 17:34 Dr LEIGH BU8 Fenner In 2008 Ross Garnaut's climate change reviewsaid that unchecked climate change would lead to more hot days, droughts, extreme weather, hailstorms, thunderstorms and floods. Here in Australia we've witnessed a summer with much of that in abundance. It's been a brutal summer for the east coast. The city of Canberra was hit by severe smoke haze. On Thursday, after almost 40 days of continual operations by the ACT Emergency Services Agency, the Orroral Valley fire was officially out. That fire was the first fire to threaten Canberra since the 2003 bushfires. ESA Commissioner Georgeina Whelan, the first female commissioner of the ESA, has been honoured with the ACT Award for Excellence in Women's Leadership. The recent bushfires have brought out the best in some, but for others it has led to the spreading of misinformation or even disinformation. On 7 January the member for Hughes told ABC radio that the majority of the fires were lit by arsonists, a claim echoed by the member for Dawson on Facebook a few days later. Earlier this month the home affairs minister told ABC journalist Patricia Karvelas: It started because somebody lit a match. I mean there are 250 people as I understand it, or more, that have been charged with arson. That's not climate change. His colleague Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells went further, telling the other place that 'ecoterrorists' were behind the fires and that 40 per cent of the fires were deliberately lit. Then there's the truth. Only about one per cent of the land burnt this bushfire season in New South Wales, and an even smaller percentage in Victoria, can be officially attributed to arson. The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said that three per cent of the bushfires in that state this season were deliberately lit. None of South Australia's deadliest or most destructive fires are being treated as suspicious. As for that claim of 250 arsonists, New South Wales police said only 24 people were charged with deliberately lighting bushfires between November 2019 and 6 January 2020. Misinformation around these isolated events is scary enough, but even more concerning is the level of climate change denial and complacency in the coalition. Liberal Senator Jim Molan told ABC's Q+A audience earlier this month that he was 'not relying on evidence' when it came to climate science. I'm pretty sure Senator Molan doesn't take the same approach when he's sick and going to the doctor. The Deputy Prime Minister in December dismissed concerns over climate change as 'ravings of some pure, enlightened and woke capital-city greenies'—perhaps channelling the words of the member for New England, who clearly wants his job, but hardly reflecting the state of the science. While the fires were burning, the energy minister was in Madrid arguing for Australia, along with only a few other countries in the world, to be able to use loopholes to meet our climate change agreements, to effectively be able to cheat our way to achieving what we promised. The Climate Council's Will Steffen called Australia's performance of those COP25 meetings 'disgusting'. The Prime Minister last year, like Tony Abbott before him, boycotted the UN Secretary-General's climate leaders summit, despite being in the United States at the very time the meetings were taking place. The fact is that Australia is getting warmer and Australia is getting drier. The lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's sixth assessment report, Dr Sophie Lewis, wrote in December that the bushfire seasons are becoming longer, more extensive and more severe and will continue to do so if climate change continues unchecked. Dr Lewis continued: Climate change has influenced the likelihood and severity of extremes we have experienced. For example, the November 2018 Queensland fires have been linked to climate change and scientific literature. Dr Lewis, a climate scientist and ACT Scientist of the Year, is calling for action. She writes: The current bushfire crisis in Australia is impacting health, industry and economy, and the natural environment. Further widespread impacts should be expected under future warming. Risk reduction, climate adaptation, policy and planning is required now. Last year was Australia's hottest on record. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the temperature was up 1.52 degrees on the long-term average. It was also Australia's driest year on record. Globally, it was the second-hottest year since records began nearly a century and a half ago. And we cannot say we weren't warned. As I mentioned, Ross Garnaut's 2008 climate change review warned of risks of more intense and frequent bushfires. In 2015, the Australian Academy of Science warned of the impact climate change would have on the sick, the elderly, the very young and the poor. In 2016, the government's own defence white paper described climate change as a 'major challenge'. Last year, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences said that climate change was reducing Australian farms' average annual profitability, down 22 per cent. Last month, the University of Melbourne released research, authored by Tom Kompas, Marcia Keegan and Ellen Witte, showing that the cost of inaction on climate change is 20 times the cost of action. The Prime Minister talks about adaptation but, in 2017, when he was Treasurer, the coalition discontinued finding for the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, a Howard government initiative. The Prime Minister spruiks technology as the way forward on emissions reduction. But less than a year ago, he was claiming that electric vehicles would 'end the weekend'. He was standing alongside Senator Michaelia Cash saying, 'We're going to stand by our tradies and we're going to save their utes.' So I'm not sure how seriously we should take our Prime Minister when he says that his government's answer is technology. The Business Council of Australia has come out in support of the Paris Agreement and transitioning to net zero emissions by 2050—as has every Australian state and territory, 73 countries around the world and Australia's biggest bank and our biggest airline. COSBOA chief executive Peter Strong said climate change deniers in the coalition should 'shut up' and stop standing in the way of action. He and the small business community he represents know the cost of climate inaction. Mr Strong told the ABC last month that 'there will certainly be businesses that will close and not reopen' as a result of the recent bushfires—a tragedy that has been linked by experts to climate change. It's not just extreme weather. Climate change is literally reshaping Australia's coastline. In March 2019, the Western Australian state government identified 55 hotspots where coastal erosion is expected to cause serious issues within 25 years. In Victoria, the state government last year warned that sections of the Great Ocean Road risk being washed away within five years—and the Apostles are slowly dwindling in number. As Crikey reported last month, erosion has melted away 50 metres of the coast in seven years at Inverloch, south east of Melbourne. That includes 20 metres of erosion since the beginning of 2019. In New South Wales, the damage to Newcastle suburb Stockton is so severe that residents are considering a class action. At Shellharbour, south of Sydney, the city council has warned that 94 homes are at risk from erosion and sea level rise. Dr Mick O'Leary, a senior lecturer at the University of Western Australia, told Crikey that increased erosion was 'absolutely climate related'. Victorian Marine and Coastal Council chair Anthony Boxshall said that the situation was very likely to get worse. Climate change is real. Australians can see it, smell it and feel it. As Nick Cave's Darker with the day goes: I smell smoke, see little fires bursting on the lawns People carry on regardless, listening to their hands Australia is the developed economy that is most at risk from climate change. We need action now. It is in our interest to encourage the rest of the world to move more rapidly on climate change, rather than to be dragging the rest of the world back, as we did last year at Madrid—while they watched our lands burn; while they watched bushfires take a full one per cent of the Australian landmass. Finally, I want to pay tribute to a great Australian. David Yencken passed away on 21 September at home in Albert Park, Victoria after a 66-year career in the public service which earnt him praise and multiple awards. Before he went into the public service, David ran one of the earliest art galleries devoted to Australian painting. He opened Brummels Gallery in South Yarra in 1956. The following year he broke new ground again. He opened one of the first motels in Australia. In 1965, David co-founded Merchant Builders Pty Ltd, which went on to win three Victorian Architectural Medals and several other architectural awards, including the inaugural Robin Boyd Environmental Award for changing the face of residential Melbourne in 1972. David went on to serve as the inaugural chair of the Australian Heritage Commission from 1975 to 1981. It was established after the Whitlam government's Committee of Inquiry into the National Estate, of which David Yencken was a member. In the eyes of many, David Yencken's work secured the commission's future. Historian Graeme Davison wrote: 'It might easily have suffered the fate of other reforms of the Whitlam government. In Yencken, however, the commission found a director with the required combination of diplomatic finesse and political tenacity'—qualities not always found in the city. David went on to work as the Secretary of the Ministry for Planning and Environment in Victoria, where he oversaw a comprehensive plan for the redevelopment of Melbourne's central business district. His work was recognised with several Royal Australian Institute of Architecture awards, among the many honours that he received during his career. David Yencken was the joint leader of the Australian delegation to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 1981 and 1988. Other public roles included the Prime Minister's Urban Design Task Force in 1994 and 1995; chair of the design committee of the Australia Council for the Arts; and president and later patron of the Australian Conservation Foundation. He was an honorary fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia, an honorary fellow of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, and an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to conservation and history, awarded in 1982. Outside his impressive career, David also demonstrated true altruism in gifting his South Coast property, including a house now included on the New South Wales historic houses list, to the New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service. He is survived by his wife, Helen, and his children, Andrew, Daniel, Anja, Lars, Jessica and Luke. I want to finish by again quoting Graeme Davison, who along with academic Alan Pert, said of David Yencken: He has integrity, sincerity and a capacity to inspire and lead his colleagues to achieve goals beyond their expectations. May he rest in peace. 17:48 Ms PLIBERSEK 83M Sydney It's such a pleasure to follow the member for Fenner because I wanted to pick up on a few of the issues that he raised in his address. As the member for Fenner said, according to the Bureau of Meteorology we have just lived through our hottest year since that organisation began to collect records in 1910. It was also the driest year on record, which came at the end of the hottest decade on record. So, we have the hottest year and the driest year at the end of the hottest decade—three records broken, all within the space of a few months. There's never been a stronger case for action on climate change. To keep global warming below two degrees, scientists have told us—again and again—that we must pursue ambitious pollution reduction targets now. Thankfully for this country, with climate action comes great opportunities. If Australia is smart, if we actively plan for the future, if this government ends its obstruction and finally shows some leadership on climate change, we can maximise our natural advantages as we move into a lower carbon era. We can both reduce emissions and flourish economically. Australia is a land with abundant potential for renewable energy. We live on a large and open continent bathed in the crystal blue light needed to power solar farms. Our coasts are long and gusty, perfect for shifting wind turbines. Australians readily understand this. Most people don't see investment in renewable energy as in any way controversial or a matter for politics or ideology. They have been voting with their feet for years. When we came to government in 2007, there were a few thousand homes with rooftop solar panels. We are now at two million homes with rooftop solar panels. It is an industry which has grown at an amazing rate over the last decade. That's more than one in five households reducing their electricity bills and cutting their pollution, saving money while they're helping the environment. You also see this in business. Wesfarmers, of course, owns the Bunnings stores. They've got dozens of Bunningses now that have rooftop solar, reducing the electricity bills in those Bunnings stores and doing their bit for the environment. Some of these store will have batteries as well, so they'll go towards taking care of the majority of their electricity needs from their panels and their batteries. The proportion of Australian households with the solar panels on their roofs is higher than any other country in the world, and with that comes a great opportunity for installers of panels, the technicians that work on them. Of course, those large-scale renewable projects come not just with the jobs in installation but also the fact that lowering energy prices supporting other types of businesses as well. This offers particular opportunities for rural and regional towns, which have the space needed to house these massive projects. With proper government encouragement and leadership, renewables can really help drive our regional communities. Port Augusta, South Australia, a town which was built around coal power generation, is now home to over a dozen renewables projects, including the largest solar farm in the Southern Hemisphere. Developments in that area have attracted 3,000 jobs during the construction phase and an ongoing 200. But it's not just the renewable energy jobs; there are the spin-off jobs and, for example, the cheaper energy produced by these projects being used in other sectors like local vegetable producers, who are growing tomatoes and using solar power for the greenhouses and for the desalination they need to water those tomatoes. You see the jobs in a traditional area in agriculture also being empowered by this vestment in renewables. That region can now reasonably claim to be the renewables capital of Australia, and it's proof of what we can achieve when government, industry and workforce work together. Queensland has prospects that are just as strong. In the past couple of years Queensland has led the country in renewables construction, with more than a third of our country's commissioned projects. With so much space and light and some of the best renewables resources on earth, much of this is happening in the north of the state. Queensland's largest project is located 60 kilometres south-west of Townsville, where the Haughton solar farm is installing over one million panels—enough to power 170,000 homes. These success stories can be found right around the country, with workers in Geelong building turbines in the same factories that once built the Ford Falcon, with wind technology supplying extra income for farming communities across New South Wales and with hydro power already generating the vast bulk of Tasmania's energy. Renewables offer huge upsides for regional communities: jobs in construction, jobs in maintenance, jobs in generation, and, of course, as I mentioned, the greatest supply of cheaper energy. That's even before we look at initiatives like carbon farming or tree planting. Unfortunately, this growth in investment in renewable energy has occurred in spite of the federal government rather than because of it and has occurred despite a bizarre ideological resistance to the sector. Under this Prime Minister, the coalition has left all of the heavy lifting to the states and territories. The states and territories have all chosen to adopt a policy of zero net carbon emissions by 2050. Every state and territory, every part of Australia, already has this target. Really quite bizarrely, the Prime Minister has said he supports the New South Wales target but he doesn't support having a national target that is the same. It is quite odd. We want to help the states and territories achieve this zero net emissions target. We want to support them in the work they're doing. They are setting goals. They are sitting pathways to zero net carbon emissions. Why wouldn't the federal government partner with the states and territories to achieve that goal? Our biggest airline, our biggest mining company and our biggest bank support this target. The Business Council of Australia and the Australian Industry Group support this target. The National Farmers Federation and the meat and livestock corporation support it. The government talk about the problem for farmers, but the farmers representative organisations adopted this target. States and territories and business have adopted it. Actually, the people who are looking increasingly isolated in not adopting a zero net emissions target by 2050 are those opposite. This is a mainstream position across our economy and, for the most part, across politics. The Liberal and National state MPs have also signed up to these targets. It is extraordinary that those opposite can't get it together to do the same. Government decisions, or a lack of decision-making, I suppose you'd say, are placing a handbrake on investment. They're sabotaging the future of the renewables industry, and the sector really is crying out for some leadership at the federal level. Investment in new industries requires policy certainty, and that's the one thing that we truly have not had at the federal level. It requires a stable environment to attract finance. The government is simply refusing to give that certainty, to give the stable framework that will allow greater investment in this area. This obstruction absolutely must end. This is not just a little error of judgement; this is a deliberate sabotaging of the opportunities to invest in our future. It is vandalism, a very deliberate act of vandalism. A recent survey of renewable energy executives found the lowest level of confidence since the survey began. This comes at the same time that new investment in clean energy projects collapsed by more than 50 per cent between 2018 and 2019. Solar farms are being told not to put the energy they're generating into the grid because the grid can't cope with the amount of energy they're generating. This is truly an absolutely disastrous bungling of the situation by the government. This kind of uncertainty and obstruction is an investment killer, and that means it's a jobs killer. Imagine what Australia could achieve if, instead of blocking progress, the government joined the states and territories or led the states and territories in helping them achieve their zero net emissions targets. Imagine what Australia could achieve if the whole country were pulling in the same direction instead of having state governments moving ahead and the federal government slamming on the handbrake, wasting time with 19 different energy policies. Imagine if the federal government had actually been leading the way on greater investment in renewables. The government is spending a lot of time talking about the cost of action, but we're now staring at the cost of inaction. This summer has been the most tragic example of the cost of inaction—lives lost, homes lost and massive loss of animal life. The rebuilding task is monumental and it will take years. Years after the cameras and journalists have moved on we will still be rebuilding after this horror summer. But this is a glimpse of our future if we are not prepared to act—not just Australia but of course the whole planet—in addressing the dangerous impact of climate change. Even the Prime Minister admits that our summers are getting longer and hotter and drier and that this means worse natural disasters. What he doesn't have is any plan to deal with that. As a recent report by Deloitte Access Economics found, the annual cost of natural disasters alone is forecast to double to $39 billion by 2050. And it's not just emergencies, of course, that will cost us more. As the Climate Council said: Rising temperatures, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, and declining water availability in some of our most important agricultural regions pose significant risks for the nature, distribution, quality, and affordability of our food … The Prime Minister should tell the truth about the cost of inaction—the cost of inaction for Australian families. He should admit that this cost of inaction—Melbourne University has calculated it at $2.7 trillion—will hit Australian family budgets. What happens to the cost of insurance as these natural disasters become worse and more frequent? What happens to the cost of food as we live through drought and flood and fire? What happens to the cost of our power bills as the uncertainty of this government's energy policy means a freeze on investment in the new energy that would otherwise be built? A responsible Prime Minister would not hide from these questions. As economist Ross Garnaut argues in his new book, Superpower: Australia's low carbon opportunity, if Australia rises to the challenge of climate change it will emerge as a 'global superpower in energy, low carbon industry and the absorption of carbon in the landscape'. We should be recognising the threat that climate change poses to our nation, and we should be arguing for stronger action globally on this very dangerous phenomenon. For the last six years, instead, we've had a federal government that has refused to rise to this challenge. The opportunities are there waiting for us to grasp, if only this government were prepared to see them. Australia cannot afford three more years of squandering our future. 18:02 Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Gilmore I'm pleased to have the opportunity to speak on Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020 and to talk about the cost of the bushfires on my community. The economic cost to my electorate from the bushfires is incredible. The cost of direct damage from the fires, which has been the major focus of the government, is, of course, vast, but the costs outside of this direct damage are wide ranging. The impact of the lost tourism season cannot be overstated. On the New South Wales South Coast, so many businesses rely on the income drawn from the busy summer season to get them through the rest of the year. We aren't talking about businesses that make a significant profit every year. We aren't even necessarily talking about businesses that make a small profit every year. We are talking about mum and dad businesses, family run shops and micro-businesses that make a modest 'just enough to get by'. They don't have nest eggs to fall back on. They don't have security in the bank that they can get new loans with. They don't have the buffer space for additional interest payments. But—and this is the key point—these are the businesses that the South Coast economy relies on. They employ our kids in the school holidays, they give jobs to mums that need flexibility in their work hours, they take on trainees and older workers. These businesses mean jobs for locals, but they are also vital in attracting tourists. They are our lifeblood. It is true that tourists travel to Jervis Bay for its crystal clear waters, but there is so much to see and do. They take a cruise on Dolphin Watch Cruises or go diving with Dive Jervis Bay. They grab a burger at the Great Husky Bite or grab a drink at Jervis Bay Brewing. Maybe they are on a road trip and just passing through for the day, so they stop in at Milton Meats to grab some steak for their barbie and rent a cabin at Holiday Haven Lake Conjola. Perhaps they get a paddleboard lesson with Simon from Ulladulla Surf School or buy a souvenir from The Fig Tree Forest. They might even buy some bait from Robs Bait n Tackle and go fishing on Burrill Lake. But what happens when, one day, the tourists are forced to leave, and so Robs Bait n Tackle loses 80 per cent of its income; Jervis Bay Brewing Co, which only just opened, can't cover their startup costs; and Dive Jervis Bay have to put off three of their skippers because they can't afford to pay them? What happens when The Great Husky Bite loses $100,000 in one summer and can't pay their business loans? The answer to that is tragically simple: businesses start to close and people lose their incomes. They lose their jobs. The consequences of that are dire. If these small and micro businesses, these family businesses, start closing, then we risk losing the supports of our tourist season. If we lose the places they buy food, the boats they go whale watching on and the bars that they drink at, then when they come for the crystal clear water there is nothing for them to do. So they stop coming back, and one bad season turns into two and then into five. The New South Wales South Coast stops being a top destination for tourists and our economy breaks down. The costs of inaction to address this unfolding economic crisis are so much greater than the costs of acting could ever be. But the government are dragging their feet. It took this government 61 days from the time the Currowan fire started burning to announce their small-business package. For businesses that had only lost income, the government was making concessional loans of up to $500,000 available—not ideal but a start at least. But then it took another 16 days for the eligibility criteria to be released for these businesses to see the guidelines. It took 16 days for the government to allow small businesses struggling with the loss of 80 per cent of their income to apply for these loans—not to receive money; to apply; to know whether they were eligible. The government's great saviour to small business—absolutely outrageous! The Morrison government's help for small businesses in this crisis has been appalling. It has left businesses struggling, distressed and confused. Even today the government is squabbling with the New South Wales government about why only 20 per cent of grants and five per cent of loans have been approved. Businesses are struggling, crying out for help, and the Morrison and Berejiklian governments can't decide whose fault it is. Well I don't care whose fault it is; I just want it fixed. The New South Wales government say the guidelines are the problem. Well I have been asking for the government to fix those guidelines for weeks. The assistance has been slow, inappropriate and inadequate. It is the common thread in the bushfire response for individuals, mental health, tourism and wildlife. I have three words: out of touch. They have no idea about the reality of this crisis on the ground. They have no idea about people like Bede and Angela from the East Lynne Store, who fought to save their store from the fires only to lose power and be forced to throw out all of their famous home-made pies. They have no idea about people like Joe from Burdett Real Estate, who has seen hundreds of cancelled holiday rentals, with people deciding to holiday elsewhere this year. The government has no idea about people like Ruth from a Nowra courier company, who now has to draw funds from her pension. They have no idea about people like Katrina from Caterina in Kangaroo Valley, who has had to let go of two of her employees. The loss of jobs across my electorate is huge. Just today I spoke to Max from Yatte Yattah. Max's farm was severely damaged by the fires. He lost nine out of 10 buildings, including his home. Max is retired, but he uses the farm forest on his property for fences and sheds. He has leased the grazing rights on his property to a local dairy farmer. He needs help to build after the fires. But, because Max is retired and less than 50 per cent of his income comes from the farm, he has been told it is unlikely he will receive the primary producers grant. So much damage, kilometres of fences, gates and the loss of his income, but he doesn't fit the guidelines. Still, Max is showing his beautiful prize roses at the Milton Show this weekend. That's just our community—the show must always go on. I look forward to seeing them there. When Gerry from Conjola tried to apply for the 13-week disaster recovery allowance, Centrelink asked him for a copy of his 2019-20 tax return—a difficult request to meet when we are only halfway through the tax year. Carol from Yatte Yattah was told she did not live in a bushfire affected area. Greg, a truck driver from Yerriyong, lost all his income in December and January, but Centrelink took nearly five weeks to process his application. The government has asked contract cleaners for their October and November payslips—from before the busy holiday period. They just don't understand the nature of casual contract work in tourism areas. So I say it again: they are out of touch. The costs of inaction for my community are huge. We rely on the tourists and we need them to come back. On 19 January, the Prime Minister announced an initial $76 million tourism recovery package. The package was, and I quote from the Prime Minister's media release here, 'to protect jobs, small businesses and local economies'. That package was announced 19 January, but I have spent every day since then trying to work out exactly where this money is going. How is it being spent and how can my local tourism operators access it? You wouldn't think this would be a difficult question. The money was for local events of tourism and marketing campaigns. Again, I quote from the Prime Minister's press release, 'One in 13 Australian jobs rely on tourism and hospitality.' So then why didn't the Regional Tourism Bushfire Recovery Grants Program for tourism events open until more than four weeks later? Four weeks when we had an economic crisis unfolding on the South Coast, businesses closing and jobs being lost! They didn't even say who would be eligible until the day the program opened. I have local tourism operators crying out for help, and government is dragging their heels. No-one seems to know where the money is, how they can access it or what it will do. Over and over again, I am left asking: where is the money? Well, it seems like we found some. According to the Cairns Post, $40 million of bushfire recovery funding has been redirected to fund a coronavirus tourism campaign. The federal government has apparently 'opened up bushfire tourism recovery funds'. Perhaps this is why my local tourism operators can't get help. Instead of committing additional funding to address the impact of coronavirus, the government is stealing from Peter to pay Paul. This is just not good enough. Every day I am out in my community speaking with local groups. Last week I delivered some funding assistance to two fantastic local environment groups, Eurobodalla Landcare and the Coastwatchers Association. At the Kangaroo Valley Show, I also chatted with a Kangaroo Valley wildlife group who are working hard to look after our precious wildlife. What has been a common thread amongst all these groups and more is their concern about pests. With so many local wildlife displaced by the fire and so many trees burnt, the threat of foxes and feral cats is greater than ever. On 16 January, the environment minister announced $50 million to help contain feral predators. Sounds great—just what we need! But again we are left asking: where is the money? My local Landcare groups have not seen it. Grass roots organisations working to protect our native wildlife are trying to find it. They are desperate to get some help. Once again, the community has stepped in where the government should be. Wildlife Stations Shoalhaven was created in the immediate aftermath of the fires, and they were inundated with volunteers willing to give up their time to make water stations. Even at the Kangaroo Valley Show, I watched as the pile of birdfeeders and water stations grew by the minute. Local people stepped in and stepped up. But where is the government? Where is this $50 million? That is what I want to know. That is what my community wants to know. The distress in my community, the trauma, is real. I am not exaggerating when I say that people have been to hell and back. When I saw Gerry at his farm in Conjola only two weeks ago, he told me how he was only just starting to feel okay seven weeks later. Gerry's story is distressing—not just how he fought the flames and how he wasn't sure he and his partner would make it out, not just because you can still see the scorch marks on his house, and not just because he lost all his wildflower farm after two intense firestorms, but because, in Gerry's words, since the fires he has been traumatised by his government. On 12 January, the health minister tweeted a phone number that people impacted by the fire could call to get mental health help. So that day Gerry rang that number, but there was no answer. A little while later he tried again. He was told they didn't know who he could speak to. They said someone would call him back, but they never did. He tried again a couple of weeks later and was told the counsellors don't work on Saturdays. He was asked, 'Why do you need a counsellor?' He was given no help. So he told his story to the ABC, and the ABC gave him the number of a trauma counsellor. Why, when we are told over and over again by this government that help is available and that they care about people on the South Coast, did Gerry have to contact the ABC before he could get help from a trauma counsellor? Over and over again, I am left asking this question. Why are so many people in our community falling through the cracks? Why can't they get help? Where is the money? I could go on. I have so many stories to tell. So many stories have been shared with me. I have been heartbreakingly honoured to hear them. It's been a privilege to be there for so many people and to help take some of the burden from them when I can. I just wish I could say all these stories were different and that they were a one off, but what I am hearing time and time again is that this government has left people without the help they need. It has been too slow in delivering their promised funding, help and support. People in my community only see broken promises from a government that doesn't understand and, frankly, doesn't care. Well, I care, I am listening and I will keep standing up here until something is done. 18:17 Dr FREELANDER 265979 Macarthur I rise today to speak on the Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-20 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-20. Whilst routine in nature, these bills provide us with an opportunity to further scrutinise the government on a number of their decisions and initiatives—or, more appropriately, a lack thereof. This government is rudderless. It lacks direction, it lacks vision and it lacks a sense of responsibility to the Australian people and our floundering economy. I have recently remarked in this place about the devastation of the 2019-20 bushfire season and its widespread impact on virtually every Australian. We cannot truly understand yet the true cost of the recent bushfire crisis, and I suspect we'll be feeling the ramifications for many years to come. It's particularly important that we are mindful of the long-lasting effects of this crisis, once the news cameras stop rolling and communities, families and businesses get back to rebuilding and seeing the damage that's been done. The health impacts, of course, are as yet unknown. Naturally, I'm supportive of any measure to address this crisis and provide support to those who have been affected in recent months. These bills—while, once again, routine in nature—are quite significant. They include over $5 billion in ordinary government expenditure, and that's a lot of government money—a lot of taxpayers' money. Given the government's failure to boost the economy—their mismanagement of it—I think it is only right to scrutinise the government's approaches in this arena. We will, of course, be supporting these bills and will not block supply, but I will take my allotted time to highlight some of the many issues with the government's approach and their failures in recent years. The Liberal-National government have demonstrated in recent sittings that they will shut down debate at any time, with their born-to-rule mentality on spectacular display for all to see. They do this to escape scrutiny, evade the public eye and rush through contentious legislation. I will be taking my time today to provide the government with some of the constructive criticism that they are so keen to avoid. Those opposite have a lot to learn in a whole range of areas, not just in the economy and the budget. I remarked before that the great folly of our time is the belief that those opposite constructed themselves as sound economic managers. They are not. The reality is that those opposite have made some truly irresponsible economic decisions throughout their time in office. Their decision to throw away $444 million of taxpayers' money on the small and ill-equipped Great Barrier Reef Foundation is just one example of how irresponsible the coalition government is with taxpayer money. We now know they didn't learn from this lapse in judgement, thanks to the ever-evolving sports rorts scandals. This is an absolute disgrace. The Prime Minister was directly involved in this heavily politicised scheme, with his office having sent over 130 emails to the then minister's office about the scheme. Any attempts to suggest the great marketing manager we have as a Prime Minister holds no responsibility for these complete rorts is a joke. This is the program that saw funding thrown at projects that were not appropriately chosen by Sport Australia; 76 projects in round 3 of the program, in fact, were not recommended at all. Money was given to clubs for projects they did not need, and many grassroots community sporting organisations were completely ignored. Those opposite do not know how to be responsible with taxpayers' money. These are not the only examples of the government's complete and utter mismanagement of taxpayers' money and irresponsible budgetary decisions. We have not even looked at the money wasted on reopening Christmas Island—a media conference stunt held by the Prime Minister—nor the secrecy over the government's decision to give $423 million of taxpayer money to power those decisions. The coalition is so out of touch they will consistently throw away taxpayers' money, often for their own political purposes. Yet shockingly, those opposite are still so determined to get their surplus. On the face of it, getting the budget in the black is not a bad thing, but when done so through such terrible austerity measures that services stop being delivered to the most vulnerable shows extremely poor political judgement. I could mention many things but one thing that I do know is they have underfunded the NDIS so patients I see with severe disability are being denied what they need to function in our society. I was contacted today by the family of a little boy called Ahmed, who has severe cerebral palsy, who requires gastrostomy feeds, who requires transport to all his services, who requires support at home so his mother, who has three other children and suffers from chronic medical conditions—including diabetes, hypertension and heart disease—can get some rest and go to her own doctor's appointments. She just had his funding for NDIS cut back by half—absolutely disgraceful—for no known reason. I have spoken about the NDIS before and the fact that the NDIS has been denied to some of the most vulnerable in our communities because they can't get assessments in an appropriate time. This is just another example of the underfunding of the NDIS. Yet we hear from those opposite 'nothing to see here; there's no problem'. It's ridiculous. We know that people are having to pay more and more for out-of-pocket medical expenses to the point where many people don't go to their doctor. They don't go because, even if they are sick, they can't afford the gap fees. One in 10 prescriptions written by doctors are not being filled because of costs. These are some of the poorest and sickest in our society. We know also that, with the collapse of the public hospital outpatient system, many people are not getting to see the specialists they need. I recently had a phone call from a lady who had incontinence because of a spinal injury. She couldn't afford to go to a private urologist, couldn't afford the gap fees—we have no private urology clinic in my electorate—so she asked me to ring the specialist to get her in and ask for her to be bulk-billed because she couldn't afford to see him. This is a lady who had persistent incontinence of urine and faeces—absolutely terrible. This Liberal-National government is denying countless NDIS participants, people who are sick and require medications, the treatments they need. It is quite bizarre that they rob some of the most vulnerable in our society to be seen as responsible economic managers. It is doing little for my community in these areas, and they should be ashamed of themselves. I've remarked in this place before that I've sought the government's support for a number of extremely worthy projects in my community. Upon being re-elected last year, I wrote again to the Prime Minister, not just to congratulate him on his election victory but to ask him to support a number of commitments that Labor would have funded for my community. I received no response from the Prime Minister, but I received a partial response from one of his assistant ministers indicating that nothing would be done. I'd hoped the Prime Minister would consider the merits of supporting a number of local sporting organisations by upgrading some local sporting fields and facilities, including female changing rooms in one of our busiest rugby league grounds in Eagle Vale, but to no avail. I'd hoped the Prime Minister would see the value in protecting Macarthur's local disease-free koala population, but I got no response. I wrote to the environment minister about this—no response. We hear the plaintive cries from those opposite about what they're doing for our native wildlife, but they're doing nothing in my electorate of Macarthur. I wanted the Prime Minister to see the need to upgrade local infrastructure for one of the fastest growing communities in Australia, but this government have completely ignored my constant reminders of the importance of this. They've said no to establishing a paediatric intensive care unit at Campbelltown Hospital for our rapidly growing and very busy paediatric unit. Worst of all, they've failed to commit to a rail link from the new airport, Western Sydney Airport, to Leppington, where the corridor has already been preserved and would be relatively cheap to build. They've failed to commit to the rail link from Western Sydney Airport to Macarthur. They're absolutely disgraceful decisions. These vital infrastructure projects have been recommended by every organisation I've met with. They are vital if our community is to receive the wonderful benefits that will come with the Western Sydney Airport, yet they've been ignored. They'll throw money away when they want to, they'll strip support from the NDIS, they'll strip support from health facilities and they'll consistently ignore the need for better infrastructure in Macarthur and south-west Sydney. Not only are the government irresponsible in the management of the federal budget, they lack the skills to manage and turn around our economy. I believe that no-one in this place knows better than me the likely effects of the coronavirus that is spreading throughout the world. There will be major economic costs as a result of this. My hope is that, if it does come—or when it does come; I think it is inevitable—significantly into Australia, the spread will be slow, because I can tell you now that our health services, if the spread is fast, will not be able to cope. I'm very worried about the aged-care system. The lack of attention to aged care in the six or seven years of this government has been terrible. I'm very worried about how aged care will cope with the spreading of coronavirus. As I said, I hope the spread will be slow and that we will be able to deal with it, but I am very, very worried. The government's ignoring of the aged-care system and the lack of funding for the aged-care system puts us increasingly at risk of a medical disaster. It's very important that they now turn around and start funding aged care immediately and appropriately. I'm very concerned about the effects on our emergency departments and our acute services in our local hospitals with the advent of the coronavirus. I think the fact that our medical services have been chronically overloaded and underfunded, particularly in growing areas like Macarthur, for many years is really putting us at risk. The Minister for Health can talk about the PBS and listing of medications, but overall health services in Australia have been under significant stress because of a lack of federal government funding. An injection of funding for infrastructure in the growth corridor of south-west Sydney makes a huge amount of sense in terms of things like transport, which I have mentioned, health services, education, TAFE—some of the vital things in our society that help us all function. They've chronically underfunded it and left us in dire need of adequate financial and economic support. Long before the bushfire crisis and long before coronavirus the economy was floundering. The Prime Minister and his government cannot hide behind those two things. Their mismanagement over six years in office is largely to blame. Each and every time we hear those opposite carry on in a sanctimonious manner about their track record versus ours on the economy, we'd do well to remember some simple facts. Labor saved the economy and protected Australia during the GFC. Yes, we spent money. We provided stimulus to Australians to prevent families and businesses from going under. That was the alternative. There is no point in denying it. We saved the economy and we saved Australian businesses. At times, it seems that those opposite would have preferred more people to default on their mortgages, have their cars repossessed, get into more debt, lose their jobs and have their businesses shut down. That was the alternative, and would have been the reality if Labor had not provided the stimulus the economy so desperately needed. This government needs to listen to that lesson. We grew the economy again in the wake of the GFC. In contrast, those opposite have allowed the economy to stagnate. They did not have a global financial crisis to face, nor do they have one to blame. The arrogance of those opposite and their mismanagement have caused our economy to flounder. Those opposite have been in power for six years. They have six years to answer for. Growth continues to slow in our economy. It's almost halved since the Prime Minister and his Treasurer took over the job. Wages are stagnating. There is a huge amount of underemployment and unemployment figures are rising. The impacts of coronavirus and the bushfires will be felt throughout Australia for many years to come but, in terms of the economy and wages growth, those opposite knew that the economy was already floundering. Almost two million Australians were looking for work or more work before the bushfires and before coronavirus. I spoke recently about unemployment, underemployment and underutilisation within my own community of Macarthur. South-west Sydney has an estimated unemployment rate of 6.1 per cent and we have a rate of 14.5 per cent youth unemployment in south-west Sydney. These are terrible figures. People can't find work and those who are in work are not being paid enough and are not working long enough hours. Our economy is in desperate need of a boost, but I doubt that those opposite have the wherewithal to do anything in this economy, other than just let it stagnate. I've attempted to work with the government. I've advocated for my community and I have advocated for investment in our economy. But this government does not want to listen—and it is irresponsible. 18:32 Ms McBRIDE 248353 Dobell I rise to speak on Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020, and I'm pleased to follow my colleague Dr Mike Freelander—a passionate advocate for his community. This government is letting Australians down. They are being let down because the government has no plan to deal with a stagnant economy, with low wages growth and high underemployment. It has no plan to deal with the rising cost of living. Its only plan is to cut services that many people rely on, particularly in times of hardship. The national economy is floundering, and the underlying problems emerged long before the recent disasters of bushfires, floods and coronavirus. This third-term government has had seven years to prove its economic credentials and key indicators confirm the economy is stagnant. Economic growth has slowed since the election, slowed since Scott Morrison became Prime Minister and slowed since the Liberals came to office. On Friday 7 February it was downgraded by the RBA for the third time since the May 2019 election. Underemployment is high, with almost two million Australians looking for work or seeking more work. Roy Morgan recently reported that, while 1.2 million Australians were unemployed in December, another 1.38 million were underemployed. While our region struggles with underemployment, businesses tell me they struggle to find the skilled workers they need to grow and expand their businesses. On the Central Coast of New South Wales, apprenticeships have fallen almost 25 per cent since this government came to office in 2013. In my electorate of Dobell, there are 560 fewer apprentices in training than there were when this government came to office. This government is presiding over the worst wages growth on record. Stagnant wages are a concern in my community, where the median wage at $44,782 is significantly lower than in many other regions. Wages are growing at one-fifth the pace of profits. Senior economists have consistently forecast that wages growth will slow even further—and that was prior to the bushfires, floods and coronavirus. Household spending is growing at its slowest pace since the global financial crisis and local small businesses are struggling as a result. We've recently learnt that the average Australian mortgage is now over $500,000. The Reserve Bank of Australia says big mortgages are the main reason households are cutting back on their spending. The best way to help local businesses is to put more money in people's pockets through real wages growth. Household debt is at record levels, and consumer confidence is well below average. In 2019 the level of household debt to income exceeded 190 per cent, and housing debt to income was over 140 per cent. Living standards have also fallen under the Liberals, with real household median income lower than it was in 2013. Business investment is down 20 per cent and is now at its lowest level since the 1990s recession. Labour productivity has declined for the first time on record. Net debt has more than doubled. In its latest Statement on Monetary Policy, the RBA emphasised the Australian economy was navigating a period of slow growth, noting, 'Growth in nominal household disposable income has been low for more than five years,' and that Australia was experiencing 'the slowest rate of growth in consumption in a decade'. December retail trade fell 0.5 of a per cent, and the latest NAB Monthly Business Survey showed business confidence had plunged to its lowest level in six years. Labor, the business community and the Reserve Bank are calling for responsible and proportionate investment in the economy. The government could adopt ideas put forward by Labor: introducing the incentive for businesses to invest and bringing forward infrastructure spending, a wages policy, an energy policy. If the government want to adopt Labor's proposal to bring forward infrastructure spending, I could give them a few suggestions of where to start. Over 30,000 people leave the coast each day to commute for work. For a population of over 350,000, roads have not kept pace with population growth. They are congested and often unsafe, and they need proper investment. We have been waiting for roads like the Pacific Highway through Wyong to be upgraded for 20 years. The Urban Congestion Fund could have been used to fast-track that essential infrastructure project. Quite often the highway through Wyong resembles a carpark. This is the main road to the hospital in emergencies, to the M1 to get in and out of town, and to the business parks in the north of Wyong. What have I discovered since the election? Rather than dealing with these high-priority projects, the Morrison government funnelled the Urban Congestion Fund into the adjoining Liberal-held seat of Robertson. We now know that 94 per cent of funds went to Robertson. Local roads funding has been rorted. Our community deserves better. Our community deserves its fair share. People in my community are struggling, and the government either doesn't get it or doesn't seem to care. In a devastating summer, where thousands of people have been impacted by bushfires and floods, the government is cutting support for people in their time of need. This government's $9-billion-a-year cut to emergency relief funding is a blow to my community. The Wyong Neighbourhood Centre will lose $140,089 each year. Dawn Hooper is a life member and retired president of the Wyong Neighbourhood Centre. She said the centre uses this funding daily to help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, including women and children fleeing family and domestic violence. The centre also covers Toukley and Wyoming for emergency relief with less than half the amount it previously needed to service Wyong alone. In a crisis, emergency relief can keep food on the table, a roof over your head and the power switched on. San Remo Neighbourhood Centre manager, Jillian Hogan, told me their emergency relief funding stretches to Blue Haven, Charmhaven and The Entrance in my electorate of Dobell. The Prime Minister's cuts mean the centre will need to help more people with $20,840 less each year. There are more people, not fewer, living in poverty in our community. Since New Year's Day, the centre has provided emergency relief to families affected by the Charmhaven bushfire. The Prime Minister should step up and reverse these cuts, properly support communities in their time of need and restore emergency relief funding. When people are struggling to keep a roof over their head or food on the table, out-of-pocket costs put healthcare out of reach for many. Under this government, out-of-pocket costs to see a GP or specialist are climbing. The government's own health department has revealed that people in Dobell are paying an average out-of-pocket fee of $32.65 to see their local doctor. This is a record high, up $7.21, or 28 per cent, since the Liberals were elected. The health department has also contradicted the government's claims on bulk billing, revealing that 24.4 per cent of patients in Dobell have to pay to see a GP. This is before people fill a prescription or are referred to a specialist. Specialist out-of-pocket fees are also at record highs, with people in my community paying an average of $83.71 to see a specialist, up $28, or 58 per cent, under the coalition government. With just 22.3 per cent of people in Dobell always bulk billed by specialists, these costs hit thousands of locals every year—particularly those who are sick, frail, elderly or living with a disability. As a pharmacist, I worked at Wyong hospital for almost 10 years, and I know this means more people will be first to turn up to the emergency department, putting greater strain on our overstretched hospitals, particularly as we're heading into the winter flu season. Another cost-of-living pressure impacting many families on the Central Coast is the cost of child care. There are over 10,000 children under five living in my community. The government's own data has revealed that the cost of child care is continuing to soar on the Central Coast. Fees on the coast have risen by 6.1 per cent over the previous 12 months, over three times the CPI. There are services on the coast charging above the government's hourly fee cap, the level the childcare subsidy is pegged to. This means families in my community are paying significantly more out of pocket for child care at a time when many households are struggling to get by. The government pretends there is nothing to see here while families on the coast continue to struggle. Across Australia, fees have increased by 34.6 per cent since the Liberals were elected. The government has broken its promise to families that the new system it introduced would bring fees down, and it has no plan to control rising fees. The government must act urgently so high-quality, early education is affordable and accessible for every child, particularly those growing up in regional and remote communities. Sadly, we learnt over the summer that over 1,200 people have died while waiting for help from the NDIA and that thousands of dollars are stolen from people with a disability each and every day. The NDIA accepts a 10 per cent fraud rate, and the government has hardly chased any of the $2 billion already stolen from people living with a disability. I'm working alongside the shadow minister holding NDIA forums and meeting with participants and carers who are struggling to get by. At one forum at Liverpool, hosted by the member for Werriwa and the member for Macarthur, I met Sharyn, who is the carer for her sister, Beverley. Beverley has a condition that means she cannot be left at home alone. She requires care seven days a week and overnight respite when Sharyn can't be with her. Sharyn moved into the family home where Beverley has lived all her life to care for her following the death of their mother. Sharyn balances caring for Beverley with running her small business and trying to spend time with her partner, children and grandchildren. Beverley's NDIS package worked well for the first six months. That is, until May last year when her support budget, for no known reason, was inexplicitly cut to the point where Beverley does not have sufficient support while Sharyn is at work. A request for an unscheduled review to resolve this took over six months. When Sharyn made formal complaints to the NDIA on three occasions, she received auto responses and/or generic responses telling her the situation would be looked at but not given any time frame. When consideration did take place, the planner told Sharyn that, if she couldn't make the funding work, she should consider alternative accommodation for her sister. Beverley doesn't want to leave her lifelong home, and Sharyn doesn't want to stop caring for her sister. The government needs to show empathy for NDIS participants and their carers. The government shouldn't callously prop up its budget at the expense of people living with a disability and those who love and care for them. Sadly, we've also learnt that over 30,000 people have died over two years while waiting for a home care package. In a wealthy country like Australia, people shouldn't die waiting for help from the government. On the coast, the number of people waiting for home care continues to increase year on year. Recently, I met Liliane and her mother, Odette. Liliane has been caring for her mother for over six years and, during this time, has struggled caring for her mother and her children. Odette received a level 2 package in 2014. She's been approved for level 3 but has been waiting for two years. Her daughter was receiving the carer payment, however, between balancing caring for her mother and her children and her employment, her payment was cancelled. She's now struggling with debt, making it even more difficult to care for her mum. Almost one in three people in my community are aged over 55, and more than 22,000 are recipients of the age pension. The unannounced closure of Centrelink in Tweed, Newcastle and Mornington Peninsula has people worried about what Centrelink will be closed next. The general manager of the Department of Human Services, which runs Centrelink, has sparked more concerns with his recent comments. He said: We have a responsibility to the taxpayer. Leasing offices is expensive. The government has a responsibility to the frail aged, to the overworked carers, to those living with disability, to veterans, to students, to the struggling families who need to deal with Centrelink. They will not be reassured by the objective of the Department of Human Services to maximise the benefits of digital capabilities—in other words, pushing people in their time of need to online portals like My Aged Care. There are three Centrelink offices in Dobell: Lake Haven, Wyong and The Entrance. The Entrance Centrelink is also a Medicare office. With limited public transport, it is already difficult for older people, people living with a disability and carers to get to those offices for the support they need. My community could not cope if it lost a Centrelink or Medicare office. On behalf of the aged pensioners, carers, people living with a disability, students, veterans and families on the Central Coast, I am calling on this government to keep our Centrelink offices open. This government's robo-debt scheme has been found to be illegal. Emails forced into the open reveal that the Morrison government, despite defending robo-debt, knew it was illegal. Given the financial hardship and distress resulting from this abuse of power, the public are entitled to know on what basis did the government think this scheme was justified. Over 10,000 people have signed up to a class action that will test the legality of this scheme. These people deserve to be treated better by the government. They deserve to be treated with the proper duty of care. This third-term government is letting down my community and people across Australia. It is letting down people in crisis by cutting emergency relief funding in their time of need. It is letting down people with a disability by propping up its budget at the expense of people living with a disability, and their carers. It is neglecting older Australians who are waiting for home care packages. Every day we hear of more cuts and threats to the services that people need. Every day we hear more stories of tragic failures to help those most in need—people dying whilst waiting for NDIS packages and older Australians dying whilst waiting for home care support. And every day we learn more about this government's rorting of billions of taxpayers dollars for its own political purposes. I will continue to hold this government to account and to fight for a fairer deal for people in my community on the Central Coast. Our community deserves better. It deserves better than a callous indifferent government that turns its back on people in their time of need. It deserves better than a government that is propping up its budget by not properly supporting older Australians waiting for home care and by not properly supporting people with disability waiting for their NDIS packages. Our community deserves better. 18:47 Mr WATTS 193430 Gellibrand Well, it's been hard to keep up with the rorts and corrupt programs that the Morrison government rolled out in the lead-up to the last election. There have been sports rorts, regional rorts, road rorts, car park rorts, pool rorts, grants for women's change rooms for footy clubs without women's teams, grants for projects that had already been announced and built—and just coincidentally happen to be in the Prime Minister's electorate—and regional infrastructure grants that went to swimming pools underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We saw 156 out of 166 grants allocated under the Building Better Regions Fund—94 per cent of grants—going to electorates that the coalition either held or was targeting in the two months before the election. Incredibly, we have seen $636.7 million in grants handed out by the Morrison government in the six months leading up to the last federal election. That is $100 million more than the government provided to the ABC in the same period. It's been hard to keep track. We've seen so many rorts that they have all combined in the public mind into one great big rort—a rort so big it has its own chaotic weather system, a 'rort sharknado', swirling with Liberal candidates and National Party donors, all trying to get their taste of the latest corrupt program. We saw astonishing things flying around in this 'rort sharknado': destroyed notes, colour-coded spreadsheet and breaches of the caretaker convention. But at the centre of it, at the heart of this government, in the middle of the 'rort sharknado' we find nothing—no climate change policy, no wages policy, no productivity policy, and no plan to guide Australia's already stalling economy through the challenging international environment that we now face. We find just a whirlwind of rorts swirling around an empty core—no policy agenda and no point to its existence. Those opposite talk small government and then carry big cheques. They talk small government as IPA research follows and carry giant novelty checks as Liberal Party candidates. Perhaps the worst thing, though, about all these rorts is that the Prime Minister insists it is all fine. He asked a former staffer of his to investigate it and he confirmed that it was all fine. In fact, it was so fine that we didn't even need to see the report. If it wasn't so serious, it would be laughable. The Prime Minister has been content to dish up the most shameful, slippery spin in defence of these corrupt programs. The Prime Minister has said repeatedly that it was fine that his government ignored literally hundreds of independent recommendations from Sport Australia in favour of grants for projects in targeted seats because all those projects were 'eligible'. It's as if giving the Gold Coast Suns the premiership cup last year, regardless of how well they performed on the field, according to the rules would have been fine because they were 'eligible'. Even this couldn't hold up, though, as we learnt that 43 per cent of the grants provided in the sports rorts scandal went to ineligible projects. The Prime Minister spent weeks telling the Australian public that he wasn't involved in the sports rorts scandal, that it was all the minister. And then we discovered hundreds of emails from his office to the former minister about which project should receive grants. The thing is, though—and this is the worst part of it—that he never expected the Australian public to believe this flimsy fig leaf of a defence of this program; he expected the Australian public not to care. His calculation was that Australians would expect politicians to act in their own interests over the interests of the Australian public, to act in a partisan interest over the national interest. All members of this chamber, all parliamentarians, should be outraged by this reflection on the integrity of all of us. Australians should expect better of their government, this parliament and their democracy. We should be outraged on their behalf. This isn't a Canberra bubble issue or a political triviality; this goes to the heart of the integrity of our system of government. University of Sydney professor Anne Twomey told the Senate committee inquiring into the sports rorts scandal that this is 'a very serious matter involving unlawful government spending of public money on a significant scale'. Professor AJ Brown, a board member of Transparency International, has made it clear that it is 'a clear case of political corruption'. At a time when public trust and confidence in our democracy is in freefall, this entire scandal underlines the urgent need for a national integrity commission in this country, with teeth, to ensure that rorts like this never happen again. On national television yesterday, we saw the Minister for Home Affairs struggling to answer the question 'Why is right-wing extremism growing in this country?' No less an authority than Mike Burgess, the head of ASIO, told us as much last week. But Minister Dutton, seemingly ignorant of the cultural conditions necessary for the growth of far right extremism, stumbled into an answer—the dark web. It wasn't quite a George Brandis style metadata moment, but it revealed the same level of technological ignorance we've come to expect from this government. The dark web is simply a part of the internet comprising sites that you can't search for on typical search engines like Google. You can access it within minutes, though; all you need to do is download a free specialist driver that has access to The Onion Router. Sites on the dark web were designed with privacy in mind, which is a neutral value. Political activists and dissidents use it to elude the eye of autocratic states. At the same time, drug dealers, hackers and child abusers try to use it to traffic in their illegal, destructive and propulsive goods. Silk Road was an infamous early black market that flourished on the dark web, and certainly the dark web requires policing. But, as the Minister For Home Affairs suggested yesterday, it is not where people are being radicalised to right-wing extremism; that is happening in plain sight. Today, people are being radicalised on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and then often pushed towards less restricted but still public forums like Reddit and 8kun, previously 8chan. 8chan is notorious for hosting extreme right-wing views celebrating Nazism and violence. But it is not the dark web; and nor is The Daily Stormer, an explicitly neo-Nazi site that mobilises so-called tribal armies in campaigns of targeted harassment against enemies. Take, for example, Caleb Cain, who was the subject of a New York Times profile last year. A young college dropout, Caleb was unsure and insecure in the world. He sought belonging and purpose. He found this with right-wing extremists on YouTube, not on the dark web. He found this with far-right videos. Cain was vulnerable and brainwashed, he was ideologically seduced—a condition made easier by YouTube recommendation algorithms, which drove him to more and more extreme content. Cain's story is an extremely common line. After five years, he finally left the rabbit hole of alt-right rhetoric and conspiracy theories. Radicalisation happens to non-radicalised people—not the people lurking in the shadowy recesses of the web already but those on popular mainstream platforms. Right-wing extremism is even more mainstream than social media platforms. You only need to turn on the TV. When white nationalist Blair Cottrell, a convicted arsonist and stalker, appeared on mainstream Australian television, we know that the Christchurch terrorist was watching and cheering. Blair Cottrell is a man who venerates Hitler and wishes that Mein Kampf would be taught in schools, but he was invited on television not as an extremist but as a commentator. He was invited on television not as a white supremacist but as a concerned citizen. When a violent champion of Hitler is presented to the public as a concerned citizen, the sound you hear is the shattering of the Overton window—the customary boundaries of victim discourse. Recently we've seen a Victoria Police member flash an alt-Right hand sign at a public rally he was policing. We have had the head of ASIO tell us that, increasingly, men are gathering at homes and clubhouses around the country to salute the swastika and discuss arms and training. Blaming the dark web for this misses the point badly. In fact the Christchurch Call to Action, the New Zealand and French governments' response to the massacre of 51 men, women and children by an Australian, does not mention the dark web in its recommendations to combat right-wing extremism—not once. What's more, the Christchurch call stresses non-technical measures to counter violent extremism—intervention programs, social cohesion programs, increased law enforcement and government working with tech companies to offer counter-narratives to extremist propaganda. Yet we now know the government has invested less than $2 million a year in extremist intervention programs since 2013-14 and, more broadly, has invested under $6 million a year in programs that counter violent extremism. Regarding its collaboration with online service providers, the government speaks of 'a range of activities' to promote positive alternatives and counter the messaging depicted in violent extremist propaganda. But it can't specify one; it can't give a single example. Abhorrent things are bought and sold on the dark web. But using the dark web as the answer to the question of why right-wing extremism is growing in this country is ignorant and inadequate, not least when the global terror index says there's been a 320 per cent increase in far-Right terror over the past five years. It's alarming that the minister responsible for countering domestic terrorism and violent extremism doesn't seem to understand either radicalisation or the internet, and it's alarming that the minister can't account for the rise of radical right-wing extremism in this country. This morning Australians woke up to a newspaper headline that the personal data of more than a million Australians was at risk—a depressingly familiar occurrence. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner receives around 1,000 notifications of data breaches under Australia's mandatory data breach notification scheme. This time we didn't learn about the scheme through a mandatory notification from the company but from a whistleblower. The whistleblower released documents that allege that power company Alinta's cybersecurity has been rated as 'recklessly bad' by auditors and that the company has a 'cavalier approach' to security. Leaked reports and emails tell us that EY completed an attached damning privacy internal audit in June 2019. The report highlights fundamental issues with privacy, data protection and compliance with legal obligations in cybersecurity. Elsewhere the auditor suggests that customer data has been so poorly secured that Australian privacy law may have been breached. Here is what else we know. When Alinta was sold to a foreign owner three years ago, the Foreign Investment Review Board imposed a number of specific obligations on the company to protect personal data it held about its customers. There's nothing surprising about this. David Irvine, the chair of the Foreign Investment Review Board and the former head of ASIO and ASIS, has repeatedly warned about the need to protect Australians' personal data in foreign acquisitions. He has made this clear in a series of speeches. This a sensible and proportionate intervention. The risks and consequences of data breaches and misuse have been growing significantly in recent years, and so too has the attention of FIRB. But what has the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government done to protect the security of Australians' private data? Spoiler alert—nothing. A year ago the Attorney-General told Australians: Existing protections and penalties for misuse of Australians' personal information under the Privacy Act fall short of community expectations … He's right: Australian privacy law requires companies to take reasonable steps to protect personal data that they hold from misuse, interference and loss as well as unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Yet, despite there being around a thousand security breaches affecting Australians' personal data disclosed every year, the OAIC has never sought to impose a pecuniary penalty—a fine—on a company for failing to protect Australians' personal data in contravention of privacy laws. Compare this with the EU, which has so far seen 144 million euros in fines for breaches of its General Data Protection Regulation, or even with the US, where, in July last year, the credit reporting agency Equifax agreed to pay at least $575 million as part of its settlement with the US FTC after its inadequately secured networks were breached and the private data of 147 million Americans was compromised. The Attorney-General was right when he said existing protections were inadequate, but that was 12 months ago—12 months of growing risks and consequences of data breaches of Australians while the government has done nothing to follow through on its commitments. While FIRB has been getting increasingly concerned about the risks to Australians' private personal data, the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government has done nothing on data security for 12 months. Just like the Attorney-General's religious discrimination bills and his national integrity commission bill, his privacy act amendments are MIA. This is just like the situation we confronted before the banking royal commission. There are chronic cultural problems with the way that Australian organisations treat the personal information they hold. There's a culture of impunity in the face of regulatory inaction. To put it bluntly, no-one believes there are regulatory consequences for failing to protect Australians' personal information. Sure, you might cop a bit of bad PR and a temporary stock market hit, but it will wash out in no time. Australians deserve better. The Morrison government needs to act to ensure that Australians' personal information is treated with the care and respect that it deserves. This government talks a big game on security issues, but it's just not capable of following through. 19:01 Ms MURPHY 133646 Dunkley Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020 today is something that is supported by the Labor Party and contains important measures that should go through. But people should be in no doubt that, when the Morrison government talks about their great handling of the economy and their great handling of finances, they are trying to pull the wool over Australians' eyes. It's an example of debate in this country, led by this government, letting down the Australian people. The Australian people know that there are external crises and threats that are affecting our country. They know about the coronavirus. Sadly, far too many Australians know about the local bushfire threats to life, properties and the economy. But they also know—and it doesn't matter how many times the Morrison government tries to pretend otherwise—that under the Morrison government stewardship the economy is floundering. They know that spin is no replacement for delivery. The truth of the matter is that net debt has more than doubled under this government. Gross debt is well over half a trillion dollars. Record highs are what we're experiencing. Household debt is a real issue, and you only have to talk to people in your electorates. I would urge members on the other side of the parliament to do so to know the burden that these debts are placing on them. Economic growth has slowed. It's halved under Morrison's leadership. The Australian economy is not just in danger from internal— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 74046 The member for Dunkley will resume her seat. Mr Howarth 247742 I ask that member use the Prime Minister's correct title. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 74046 Noted. I call the member for Dunkley. Ms MURPHY 133646 Certainly. Under Prime Minister's leadership economic growth is in real trouble. Australians know that under the Prime Minister's leadership they are struggling. They know that one of the reasons why they are so concerned about how we as a country are going to deal with the economic hits from coronavirus and the bushfires is that under Prime Minister Morrison's leadership— An opposition member interjecting— Ms MURPHY 133646 or lack of—I take that interjection and I accept it from my friend. Under the Prime Minister's lack of leadership, Australians are feeling the pinch. Two million Australians are looking for work or more work. Many Australians cannot keep up with the cost of living, because wages growth has been stagnant. It has hit record lows under this government and has been stagnant for record periods. That means that people who are going to work are working hard day in, day out but aren't earning enough money to be able to put food on the table, to pay the bills and to look after their families. What we need at the moment is a government that will not just make announcements. We need a government that will deliver appropriate and well-thought-out stimulus packages and that will choose people over politics. We need a government that doesn't just say, 'We support infrastructure and we're putting money into infrastructure,' but actually delivers the money for infrastructure. In my electorate of Dunkley, they need to tell us what they are doing with the announced budgeted funding for car parks and roads that we haven't heard anything about or seen delivered in the nine months since the election. They need to talk about how they are going to deal with these extraordinarily high levels of underemployment—people who just can't find enough work. They need to look Australians in the eye and explain how they are supposed to live on an amount of Newstart that means they can't even get to job interviews because they can't afford public transport, let alone do all the other things that are required in order to be able to get a job. What we need now is a government that cares more about delivering than it cares about promoting itself. We don't need a government that says it's providing bushfire relief to small businesses and farmers yet does nothing but engage in an 'it's not my fault, it's your fault' debate with the New South Wales government when it becomes apparent that, although there have been hundreds and hundreds of applications for the relief, it hasn't been delivered. People don't care whose responsibility it is; they just want politicians to roll up their sleeves, to get to work, to put rhetoric and debate about whose fault it is behind them and to deliver. That's not what is happening under the leadership of Prime Minister Morrison. We need a government that chooses people over politics, and we need a government that's willing to lead a national debate in a grown-up manner, to treat the parliament of Australia with the respect that it deserves and to stop talking about a Canberra bubble as if this institution of government and leadership doesn't matter. When I go around my electorate, as I have been doing in the last two weeks, talking to local Probus groups—a hundred people at a time—we talk about politics and whether it's broken. To a person—it doesn't matter whether they're Labor or Liberal or support any other political party or individual—the members of the Probus groups I've been speaking to are dismayed and distraught about the way in which politics is being conducted, particularly in this parliament and particularly in question time. These are people who have been watching question time in parliament for a long time, and they agree with me that what we are seeing under the leadership of this Prime Minister is some of the most blatant disregard for the traditions of debate, the Westminster system, integrity and leadership in politics that we've seen almost ever—certainly in a long time. It's just not good enough. We have challenges that we are facing as a country, as are many countries around the world, and we should be facing them from a position of strength. We won't do that with a government that won't acknowledge when things have gone wrong, apologise and fix them—a government that won't acknowledge the structural and other problems that are occurring in our economy under their leadership and work to fix them but just want to get on with slogans and marketing rather than delivery. That has to change. The other thing that I hear very often at the moment when I go around my electorate and talk to people at the local sporting events—because I have an electorate, Dunkley, where sport is in our veins and is part of our community and part of our identity—is dismay, sadness and, somehow, almost a sense of inevitability about not being able to trust a government to deliver sports grants and funding in a meritorious, fair and transparent way. Apart from the rorts, and the way in which that has meant that hardworking volunteers in community and sporting groups across this country have been misled into thinking that the hours and hours of work they've put into applications might actually result in some funding on merit, what the sports rorts—and now the infrastructure rorts and the park and ride announcements that predominantly went to Liberal seats—have done is to continue to undermine the public's confidence and trust in politicians and in government. What it has done is feed into the cynicism that too many citizens feel about those of us who are privileged enough to be elected to this place to represent them. That's doing them a disservice, because democracy matters. Government matters. The leadership of the country matters. If we have a government that continues to treat taxpayers' money as if it's their own money for their own political purposes, that continues to refuse to answer questions about how they spend that taxpayers' money and tries to deflect actual scrutiny about the way they're spending that taxpayers money, then we have a government that continues to do a devastating disservice to the people of Australia. We need a government that builds trust and builds belief, not one that continues to undermine it. Last year, not long after being elected as the member for Dunkley, I wrote to the Minister for Youth and Sport to bring to his attention requests that had been made to me by local sporting groups for funding. The Frankston Bombers Football Netball Club and the Frankston Rovers football club and the Baxter Soccer Club use Baxter Park. They have growing numbers of participants, particularly when it comes to women and girls playing football. They had a pretty reasonable request: that I speak to the government about some funding—about $180,000—for lights, which are really needed. So I wrote to the minister asking for a process to put in an application about the merits of that and to get funding. What I got back was a letter that said to me it wasn't possible for the federal minister to work with me to deliver this funding, because there was no more funding available for sports grants. At the time I thought: 'That's very unfortunate. How can we have a federal government, which says it's committed to all these things like supporting facilities that will help girls and women play sport, say there's no more money left?' Since we've heard about the sports rorts, I guess it makes more sense now. We've got a government that was willing to spend millions and millions of dollars—billions of dollars—to fund sports applications in electorates that mattered to them; to allocate money for projects that were finished, so they could make an announcement; and, unbelievably, to fund the redevelopment of a swimming pool in North Sydney under a regional development fund. But, now that they've regained power, the minister won't work with me to deliver funding for a meritorious project in the Labor held seat of Dunkley. Although we are an outer metropolitan seat, the entirety of my electorate is more regional than North Sydney. There is no doubt about that. If a swimming pool in North Sydney can be funded under a regional sporting and infrastructure fund, it's not unreasonable for Dunkley's needs to be funded. You would have thought that out of that money the government might have actually been able to put in the full $10 million that the council required for the Jubilee Park redevelopment for a centre of excellence for women in sport, but it couldn't. Because of advocacy from the groups and from me and the state member, in the end the council had to stump up the rest of the money. You would have thought a federal government might look at Emil Masden Reserve in Mount Eliza and the hundreds and hundreds of young people and adults who play four or five different sports there and say, 'This is a regional facility; maybe we could fund that?' Not so much. Bayside Gymnastics Club perhaps could have gotten a commitment for funding from a government that's splashing money around. They didn't get one. Frankston basketball has been left absolutely in the lurch by the Liberal government, which took money away from its redevelopment. No funding for them. Bruce Park? No funding for the clubs at Bruce Park. No funding for Frankston Bowling Club, who want to put in a synthetic lawn and chairs for disabled bowlers to be able to bowl. No funding for them. They're the sorts of projects that we need funding for in the electorate of Dunkley, and I'll be continuing to push for them and support applications that they make on merit, expecting that there will be a transparent and fair process. One of the most important things to people in my community is education. There's almost nothing more important than equality and fairness in an education system that gives young people a chance to succeed in life. We need to do more in this country to stop the visible inequality between Australian schools. We can see it in my electorate, where we have some magnificent schools and other schools that are just crying out for some support. This government says it's committed to sector-blind needs-based funding. Well, by 2030 under coalition policy almost all private schools will be funded at or above their full school resource standard while almost all public schools will remain below it. It's great that private schools will be funded, but it's outrageous that public schools, where often, particularly in my community, children and families in need attend, won't be. It's not good enough. I will continue the fight to make sure that these schools are funded. It's why I was so pleased to be able to support a number of schools across my community making applications for money for libraries, playgrounds and wellbeing centres. I'll be going around all the schools talking about this because education is vitally important and nothing we should be doing means more than supporting schools to deliver for our young people. 19:16 Mr ROB MITCHELL M3E McEwen Every time the hapless PM says, 'How good is Australia?' we should remember that this is the bloke who bailed to Hawaii when the country was burning. Like the marketing campaign asked, Australians asked, 'Where the bloody hell are you?' Great leaders are there in times of need. Over this summer Australians needed leadership, but we got nothing. We got a couple of snaps from Waikiki while the Blue Mountains burned. The PM was focused on his own hide, not those of the people he is tasked to represent. This is a government led by an ad man without a plan. Australians every day are feeling the heat. Australia was once a nation that punched above its weight, a nation that prided itself on the ability to lead the world. Now we're declining in global rankings across the board. Australia's falling rankings signify a rotting government. This is a government more obsessed with looking out for its mates than it is about stopping declines in standards. Each year it goes on the further and further we fall behind. Let's look at some facts. The coalition have slashed $4 billion from the R&D tax incentive, contributing to a brain drain in this country. We're now ranked 127th, below that of Slovenia and Greece. Renewable energy investment is down. Investment in renewable energy has dropped 60 per cent in the past year alone. We are ranked 15th in the world for sustainable energy, equal last amongst wealthy countries. We join Chile and Argentina as the only OECD countries without a price on carbon or pollution in any form. Childcare costs are skyrocketing. Since the coalition took power in 2013 childcare fees have increased around 34 per cent. That means Australians are paying more than $14,000 a year under the Liberals compared to about $11,000 under Labor. We see school performance declining under the coalition. Once ranked in the top five of the best-performing schools, Australia now ranks 16th. This means Aussie kids are 3½ years behind Chinese kids in maths education. They're also a full year behind from where they were in science achievements in 2007. The cost of sending your kids to school is too high for parents. The cost of secondary education increased by 125 per cent from 2010, under Labor, to 2019, under this Prime Minister. The cost of educating a child in government schools from K to 12 is now $68,000. This figure climbs to $127,000 for Catholic schools and $298,000 for private schools. Our gender gap is getting worse. Under Labor, in 2007 Australia sat in 17th place in terms of gender equality. In 2019 we fell to 44th out of 153 countries, a decline of 30 places. At this rate we'll be sitting with Saudi Arabia in about a decade. Poverty is increasing under this government. In Australia in 2018 there were three million people living below the poverty line. One in eight adults and more than one in six children are living in poverty. Australia has the 16th-highest poverty ranking out of 34 of the wealthiest OECD countries, but we are the second-wealthiest country in the world. The cost of medical care is getting too high for the average Australian. The cost of medical and hospital care has tripled in the last 20 years. This means some families are cutting corners to save money while forgoing emergency protection products, like life and health insurance. The average price of insurance itself has jumped by 118 per cent. Meanwhile Minister Hunt confirmed that insurance costs will rise by another 2.29 per cent this year. Electricity prices have increased under this government. The ACCC found the electricity prices are now 20 per cent higher under the coalition in 2019 than they were under Labor. Under Labor, electricity prices were hovering at around $1,200; now they're in excess of $1,500 per family. Spending billions on defence: the government is claiming about $90 billion over the next 30 years to build ships and submarines. But what we found last week was that the company building the ships has said they're not going to meet the 90 per cent local content rule that we were promised and instead try and meet 60 per cent, which they still refuse to put into contracts. Whatever happened to the country that designed and built and manufactured and sold and exported goods and inventions all around the world? Australia can achieve great things. Two men, Mark Lidwill and Edgar Booth, both invented the electronic pacemaker in the twenties. Nowadays, over three million people have it worldwide. The famous Hills hoist, the most iconic Australian invention, was created by Lance Hill for his wife in 1945 when their backyard became too small for their clothes line. The ute was an Aussie invention, dating back to 1932 when a farmer requested Ford Australia to make a two-in-one car-truck—we know what happened to the automotive industry under this government. Lewis Bandt took that two-door Ford V8 Coupe and grafted the high-sided open utility to what we know as the ute today. Another great Aussie invention was of course the electric drill. Arthur Arnot developed the 75 kilo electric drill, powered by a DC electric motor, to drill through rock and coal. The dual-flush toilet was developed by Australian Bruce Thompson as a way of saving water. It's estimated that around 32,000 litres of water are saved each year by Aussie households. Of course the black box flight recorder was invented by Australian scientist David Warren in the 1950s. In modern times, the black box is installed in every commercial flight around the world. The incredible Cochlear implant was invented by Australian professor Graeme Clark in the seventies. These days around 350,000 people now have the ability to hear because of Professor Clark's work. The first inception of Google Maps was developed in Australia in the early 2000s called Where 2 Technologies. In 2004 it was bought by Google, and those Aussies helped develop the maps we use today. In 1851, James Harrison from Geelong created a mechanical ice making machine—the first refrigerator. Wi-fi technologies are used by billions of people around the world today. A key part of that technology came from Aussie John O’Sullivan's research at the CSIRO in 1992. The ultrasound scanner that millions of pregnant women rely on was invented in 1976 by an Aussie firm called Ausonics. Nowadays millions of pregnant women rely on ultrasound technology as it's used in the diagnosis of medical problems. Australians are rightly asking this: when did we go from a country whose government stood up for people, not stood on them? When did we become a country that had safety nets to stop people falling through the cracks to one where the government actually pushes people through the cracks, a country with the highest wealth inequity chasm in history? When did this government lose sight of the Aussie ethos of working together for the common good to one which focuses on greed and deception of taxpayer dollars? When did we become a country where wage theft is an acceptable practice? When did the government decide that people with disability and those with the least to give be the ones who carry the can for those with the most in their pockets? When did this government decide to force farmers off their land so global mining giants can pillage the land beneath them and to frown upon those working in blue-collar jobs? When did this government decide to offer more protection for those who steal workers' wages than it does for the victims themselves? When did we become a country whose government is watching wages stagnate and costs go up when more and more Aussies are in housing stress and when families are now paying on average 46 per cent of their wages on a mortgage compared to that of seven years ago? I'll tell you when. It was on May 2019 with the re-election of a government through a deceptive campaign, a government which has done nothing to help everyday Australians, a government that when people needed leadership the PM had taken off overseas and now keeps blaming the opposition. Australians have many things to be proud of. This current government is not one of them. It's people in communities like ours out in the outer suburbs and the rural fringes that are suffering the most. There's been no investment in major infrastructure for seven years under this government—we can't get a single road project. There's a massive amount of population moving out to the north of Victoria and we can't get simple road projects, simple upgrades to schools, medical—all these things. We have a failing NBN—an NBN that was the envy of the world under the Labor government but now is a joke. In fact, in many areas Telstra are now cutting their 100 megabytes per second plans. They can't deliver it because this government changed from an NBN to an MTM, which became known as Malcolm Turnbull's mess. A place where fixed wireless— Mr Pasin interjecting— Mr ROB MITCHELL M3E Please, Member for Barker, you shouldn't interrupt because all you do is to show you don't have to have a long neck to be a goose! We see, every single day, that businesses can't function because of this government's failure to deliver a proper National Broadband Network. We were leading the world in these things. We were a country that could be proud of what we were doing. But, under this government, we have seen Australia's rankings in many, many different categories fail and fall backwards, because this is a government that is not interested in working for the Australian people; it's only working for itself. Mr Pasin interjecting— Mr ROB MITCHELL M3E As we sit here today and listen to government members carry on like pork chops, we know that there are billions of dollars of taxpayers' money being deliberately rorted. These programs have been corrupted by a government that has no integrity and no Australian values. It's all about its own self. Its own survival is far more paramount than what it does for the country. That's why we have a government that is seeing emissions rise. We have minister after minister after minister after minister being investigated because of rorting and because of their actions that are outside of what should happen. If we want to talk about the integrity in parliament and in democracy we can't look at this lot opposite, because there is none—it is a total vacuum of integrity and decency. Each and every day, Australians have to wake up and face what they've got—a government that does not care about what they're doing. Each and every single day, kids go to school and as they sit there they're looking at classrooms that need repairing—stuff that needs to be done. As I said, we're watching kids fall backwards. And what does the education minister do? Nothing. And this is an education minister that thinks that Africa is a country! Let's remember that. That's our starting point. We see a government that has continually done nothing but allow the extremists in their parties to control. We see a government that is run by the backbench of the National Party more than it is run by the frontbench of the Liberal Party. We see that each and every day. This is a government that has failed Australians on each and every level. What it is doing is really dragging us backwards—this country of ours that is so great and has delivered so much across the world. And what do we get? We get a government that has no faith in its people, no faith in the country's ability, and is too busy focusing on itself. The more and more we look at this the worse and worse it gets. There is not a member on that side who could actually stand up and say they've got the integrity to do their job properly, because they haven't, or they would be standing up each and every day and saying, 'You know what? As a parent, a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, a friend, you'd be doing everything you could to do the best for your kids and your grandkids. But this government doesn't.' You only have to listen to the rhetoric. They focus on the now. They're not interested in the future. They're not interested in building wealth. They're not interested in building a greater society. They're only interested in building their own egos. And Australians are paying for it. We have seen the carry-on over Holden deciding to close. Well, we knew that was going to happen. Of course that was going to happen, because this government ripped the guts out of it. They went to an election saying, 'We're going to destroy the auto industry.' Well, that's one thing they started that they actually completed! And now we do not have an Australian manufacturer of motor vehicles. Everything has to be imported. However, the one thing that they will continue to do, day in, day out, without fear or favour, is to make sure that they feather their own nests above everyone else's. Australians are paying every day because of the incompetence of this government. And the sooner it ends, the sooner the nightmare's finished, the better off we will be as a nation. We will see better health care. We will see better climate policies. We will see better employment. We will get a government that actually wants to help Australians—as I said, to stand up for them, not stand on them. That is the difference between this side of the House and that side of the House. We are not focusing on our own importance like they are; we're focusing on the nation's importance, and that's the difference. We're not running a government where, each and every day, you just don't know what's going to happen. Are we going to have the member for New England have another hissy fit, do another weird little video and come out and start attacking the Deputy Prime Minister? We don't know. We don't know what the member for Dickson is sitting there doing, day in, day out, plotting away; we just know that he's not sitting there quietly. It's time that this government focused— The SPEAKER 00APG The member for McEwen will resume his seat. The minister. Mr Howarth 247742 In relation to the speaker reflecting on members, the member for Dickson and the member for New England— The SPEAKER 00APG No, there's no point of order. The member for McEwen has the call. Mr ROB MITCHELL M3E That's just a simple thing—a protection racket of stupidity that runs in this government. Australians deserve a lot better than the pathetic excuse we've got running the government benches at this time. Debate interrupted. ADJOURNMENT 95 ADJOURNMENT Coronavirus 95 19:30 Mr BYRNE 008K0 Holt On 3 January this year, I received a message from someone who has a longstanding interest in epidemiological and pandemic reports and who drew my attention to a report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy in Minnesota. This report highlighted a cluster of cases of identified viral pneumonia in Wuhan, China with suspected links to a local seafood market. For those who can recall the 2002-2003 SARS virus outbreak, I'm sure the significance of the report wasn't lost. Within days of this report and the international and Australian media reporting on this outbreak, we saw the first spread of the virus outside of China and the identification of the virus as coronavirus. In the following weeks, we've seen the first cases emerge in Australia from overseas travellers as well as those returning to quarantine from the ill-fated Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan. Sadly, the first Australian death from the disease has also been confirmed in the last couple days. We 're also starting to see the economic cost of this disease, with education and tourism providers likely to be the most effected in the short term. In recent days, there has been an announcement by the Prime Minister that the country is operating under the assumption that a global pandemic will be declared. Given that the likelihood of infection and the infection and case fatality rates coming out and emerging in a number of countries are likely to be inaccurate, I would agree with and endorse this course of action. As an example and as a reason why, a paper released a week or so ago by six epidemiologist based in Canberra, using mathematical modelling and taking into account the number of exported cases, has estimated a case count of the coronavirus in Iran of being more than 18,000 cases. This is in comparison to the 593 cases that the World Health Organization is reporting for Iran. A co-author of the paper, infectious disease specialist Isaac Bogoch, commented, 'When a country exports cases to other destinations it's very likely that the burden of infection in this country is significant.' We are now starting to see the impact of this in Australia. Even today, we are hearing reports of the first community human-to-human transmission of this virus. How serious this disease will ultimately be is unknown at this stage. The case fatality rate is clearly higher than that of the seasonal flu. However, it is not clear how much higher and whether it has been distorted by unreported, non- or low-symptomatic cases, as happened during the 2009 swine flu outbreak. What we do know is this disease is proving more infectious than SARS. We know it can be spread by aerosols through coughing and sneezing. It can also be spread by those not exhibiting any symptoms. We know it can be spread by touching fomite—surfaces—with estimates that the virus can remain active between two hours and nine days, depending on the surface type and air conditioning. We know that there are experienced and well-respected people in their fields of study who were not surprised by the emergence of this disease. The Prime Minister said, speaking last Tuesday in the context of the budget, 'Hands up those who thought there was going to be a coronavirus epidemic when the budget was released last May.' Of course, no-one did. On behalf of those in the infectious disease field, who have been saying for some time 'When, not if,' in relation particularly to zoonotic disease—those passed from animals to humans—I would hazard a guess that those in that community would have raised a few hands in response to this comment. The Australian Medical Association has been calling for the establishment—and I would support this—of a Australian national centre for disease control for a number of years, highlighting the need for a national body that, amongst other roles, can provide trusted, authoritative and accurate medical information in response to health emergencies such as epidemics and pandemics. This call was backed by the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases. Their president, Josh Davies, explained in a recent news article that a model similar to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control would be preferable to a model styled on the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which is a much larger and more expensive institution. Speaking of a potential model, Professor Davies describes one that would be far less expensive with our existing infrastructure but act as an umbrella body overlaying it. Currently, there's a federal government and eight state and territory governments providing advice in relation to this outbreak. The situation has been causing some confusion. For example, we've seen differing advice from federal and state education departments about students returning to school from overseas. We have seen diving advice to GPs about which face masks should be worn and differing advice about testing for coronavirus depending on the country of origin. Now, I don't want to be alarmist about what we might confront, but we should be prepared for it. I do believe that, particularly in the age of disinformation and fake news, we need an authoritative body in the short term and the long term, and I think a centre for disease control established in Australia would be a body to be able to deal with that issue. Moore-Gilbert, Dr Kylie 96 19:35 Mr SHARMA 274506 Wentworth I rise to draw attention to the plight of Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian national and an academic by profession who has been held in Iranian state custody since September 2018. Dr Moore-Gilbert, who grew up in Bathurst, New South Wales, is an expert on Middle Eastern politics. She was educated at the University of Cambridge and has taught at Melbourne University. According to media reports, Kylie travelled to Iran in 2018 to the holy city of Qom to participate in a conference about Shia Islam at one of Qom's universities. Apparently she had travelled to the conference as an invited guest. After attending this academic conference, Dr Moore-Gilbert was detained at Tehran Airport upon leaving and has since endured what could only be described as a nightmare for herself and for her concerned family. In late 2019 Dr Moore-Gilbert was tried and convicted of espionage and sentenced to 10 years in prison. It was a trial that was held in secret, at which she did not appear to receive independent legal representation and which was on the basis of allegations that could only be said to be lacking in supporting evidence. A subsequent appeal against Dr Moore-Gilbert's sentence failed. She's currently being held, according to letters from her smuggled out, in an isolated wing run by the Revolutionary Guard at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. As Dr Moore-Gilbert wrote in one of her smuggled letters: Over the past nine months I have been completely banned from any contact with my family, with the exception of a three-minute phone call (with my father), which was only granted after I took desperate measures which put my own life at risk. There are many Australians held overseas at any given time, but I think this case does demand our special attention. A young woman is being held far from home in very trying conditions. The Australian government does not accept the charges that have been made against her. Her future is bleak. As her letters make clear, she is rapidly losing hope, and her health is in danger. In addition to the trying nature of what appears to be solitary confinement, I also draw attention to media reports of a possible outbreak of coronavirus at Evin Prison and the shortage of treatment medicines available for prisoners at that prison. I'm pleased that the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Payne, has taken up this issue and this case regularly with her Iranian counterpart, most recently in January in India. It's important that all of us here in this building support these efforts. As Senator Payne has stated: Our view is that we don’t accept the charges upon which she was detained, held, charged and convicted, and we want to ensure the conditions in which she is held are appropriate. I myself met with the Iranian ambassador today to convey my concerns for the fate of Dr Moore-Gilbert in very similar terms. I know many in Australia are following the case of Julian Assange closely. This includes several members of parliament who have taken a particular interest in this case. I wish them well in doing so, but my own view is that I have faith in the rule of law, due process and the independence of the judiciary in the United Kingdom. Mr Assange has strong legal representation in an open trial and before an impartial judiciary. The charges he faces are known, and he has a spirited defence team acting object he behalf. He will get a fair hearing in court, and justice will ultimately be served. I wish, however, very much that a comparable number of Australians would show the same level of commitment and interest in the case of Dr Moore-Gilbert. In my view, her circumstances are far more compelling of our national sympathy and attention. In of Dr Moore-Gilbert's letters, smuggled out of Evin prison quite recently, she wrote, 'I feel like I am abandoned and forgotten.' Let us all do everything we can to let Dr Moore-Gilbert and her family know that we will not abandon her, that we will not forget her and we will advocate ceaselessly on her behalf to secure her release. Economy 97 19:40 Dr CHALMERS 37998 Rankin There is a lot of concern and anxiety in our community about the coronavirus outbreak. We understand that anxiety. That's why we have extended a bipartisan hand when it comes to listening to and acting on the advice of the medical profession and especially the chief medical officers of the Commonwealth and the states. According to our Department of Health, the virus has spread to 65 countries and regions outside mainland China, and it's already impacted more than 88,000 people. Clearly this, along with the actions of governments imposing travel bans and taking other measures in response, will have a substantial impact on the economy here and around the world. We don't yet know how substantial, but it has already damaged global confidence and it's making stock markets jumpy. It's forcing the Reserve Bank to contemplate another rate cut, despite the cash rate already sitting at a record low 0.75 per cent. I know from my own detailed discussions with employers in the tourism, aquiculture, retail and education sectors in North Queensland and Far North Queensland in recent weeks that the impact has already been felt in communities there and right around Australia. It's not that hard to imagine the devastation of losing access to the Chinese seafood market during New Year celebrations, or tens of thousands of hotel room cancellations or the impact of thousands of students missing the start of the first Australian semester. But the businesses I met with in Cairns and Townsville also know that conditions were weak before the fires hit large swathes of Australia and before most of us had even heard of coronavirus. We need to maintain this perspective. We need to recognise that seven or so weeks of coronavirus fallout doesn't on its own explain or excuse seven years of economic mismanagement and underperformance. We know that the virus and the fires which preceded it exacerbate already existing weaknesses in the economy, which have been obvious and also, unfortunately, unattended for some time now. Before the virus and the fires economic growth had already deteriorated substantially to well below trend and below budget forecasts as well. The government downgraded its own forecasts for growth in December's midyear update. The Reserve Bank downgraded growth three times last year and the OECD and the IMF downgraded Australia's growth more than they have for other advanced economies. That was before the fires and before the virus. A big part of the problem here in Australia has been stagnant wages growth, which has been at record lows for the past six years and continued to stall in the December quarter just gone. Weak wages growth combined with record high household debt has fed weak consumption growth, which fell to its lowest pace since the global financial crisis. At the same time, private business investment has been in decline, and it's now at the lowest level as a proportion of the economy since the early 1990s recession. Profits fell again in the data today. As we learned last week, capital expenditure and construction work experienced large declines in the December quarter as well. The domestic private economy contracted for the past two quarters over the year as well, and is the weakest it's been since the global financial crisis. Again, this was before the worst of the fires and certainly well before the coronavirus. Our economy has become less dynamic. Measures of productivity have declined. For example, annual labour productivity in the market sector fell for the very first time ever in 2018-19. The longstanding weakness in the economy is also compounding some of the challenges we face when it comes to the budget. Over the past six years the government has delivered six budget deficits and has overseen more than a doubling of net debt, which, as we learned on Friday, reached a new record high of $430 billion. So these are challenging times. They cry out for national leadership. They demand a national plan to support our employers and their workers through a difficult period, to deal with weakness in the economy now, and to attend to challenges which have been obvious to all but those opposite for some time now. Herbert Electorate: Infrastructure 98 19:45 Mr THOMPSON 281826 Herbert One of the gems of the electorate of Herbert is Great Palm Island, a community with a rich Indigenous heritage and history. Recently I had the great pleasure of heading over once again for a visit, to inspect a brand new building which is going to improve the life of people who live there. Just across from the ferry terminal and across the road from the general store stands a brand new retail and business precinct which I had the privilege of officially opening for business. The community has been crying out for this $10 million facility for many, many years, and with the help of the Building Better Regions Fund it's finally become a reality. One of the major problems that the Palm Island community faces is the inability to easily access basic supplies without having to make a 1½ hour ferry trip to the mainland and Townsville. While there are basic groceries and other necessities available at the small supermarket, other things are nearly impossible to get on the island, not just physical products but services, as well. There's no hairdresser, no coffee shop and no nail salon—many things that we take for granted in our everyday lives—so this brand new retail and business precinct is going to change all that. There are 570 square metres of retail space on the ground floor and 560 square metres of commercial office space on the first floor. What I love about this project is that it's an empty shell. Why would I love an empty shell? Because it's now up to the people of Palm Island to fill the facility with what they want. It's not about people from the mainland coming across and telling the locals what they want; it's about the locals putting in what they need. It's about the locals getting involved and engaged. During my visit I spoke to one local who runs a coffee van business. Now he's looking at renting a permanent shop in the facility so he can grow and develop his business and provide a service for locals. This was a view shared by a lot of the other locals who turned up to the ribbon cutting and traditional smoking ceremony community event. They all told me that this project would be delivering many great things for this community. In fact, it's already made a huge difference in the short period of construction. During that time, with the help of A. Gabrielli Constructions, the contracted company, 12 jobs have been created. That's 12 people who can say they were involved in one of the biggest projects the island has ever seen. Not only that, but Gabrielli were so impressed with the work of some of the apprentices they had that they've put on apprentices. They've offered full-time contracts to continue their training and launch themselves into the workforce. Of course, the impact of jobs will be ongoing. It's estimated that, once the fitout is done and the tenants have moved in, there'll be 40 ongoing jobs based at the centre. But there's a wider economic impact, too. The precinct will provide enhanced employment opportunities for local community members, will enable community members to direct more of their spending to local businesses rather than having to travel to the mainland and will provide a safe and inviting environment for the expansion of tourism and events. So this will benefit not only members of the Palm Island community but visitors to the island as well, and we know tourism is an area we want to see grow and thrive. It'll make life easier for locals who will be able to access this one-stop shop for a number of different activities all in the one place— retail, hospitality and health—and it will reduce the cost of living by making more local retail opportunities available. This is just one of many ways we're investing in the community of Palm Island. I've been working closely with the Minister for Indigenous Australians and the National Indigenous Australians Agency. The agency currently funds nearly $50 million worth of programs and infrastructure projects in the electorate of Herbert—that's supporting 43 different organisations. A lot of that work is directed at Palm Island. We've also invested $2 million in improving the quality of drinking water for the community. Some of that work is out to tender. This is a time when I'm not going to lay the boot into the Queensland state government, because this is a time when we must be working together, because people need to be put ahead of politics. As my mother-in-law, who was born on Palm Island and who's probably eagerly streaming this live at her house back in Cairns, knows and we in this whole place know, regardless of where you sit, people must come before politics. This isn't a time for jousting; this is a time for the people. Defence Procurement 98 19:50 Mr CHAMPION HW9 Spence In 2007, when I was elected here, there were a number of problems with the Collins class submarine. They centred around politics, because the Howard government had decided to blackguard that very good submarine for political purposes, but they also related to the sustainment programs related to the Collins class and to crewing. The crewing of the Collins class was mainly subject to the strength of the Western Australian economy at the time, and so that obviously has got better over time, but not without a lot of work. In 2011, the Coles report, which was the base for fixing the sustainment problems, was the subject of a number of news reports. One by David Wroe in the Sydney Morning Herald was 'Our sub fleet world's worst: report'. That report on 12 December 2012 said: … the Coles report, released this morning, concluded that "the availability performance of the Collins Class has been slightly over half that achieved by comparable international programs". We weren't going to allow that situation to occur, because it gave us a gap in our defences. There were a number of measures we put in place, which were continued by the current governments of Mr Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison. What we learnt was that sustainment was absolutely critical. That's why it's so disturbing to hear that the Morrison government has been considering—since, it would seem, before Christmas—and we've been waiting on this decision about whether or not the Collins class sustainment will be lifted up and shifted to Western Australia. This is a crazy proposal. Anybody who knows anything about shipbuilding knows that when you've got white-collar managers and blue-collar workers, whether they be electricians, welders, highly technical riggers or the like—you can't just get those people off the street. Even if you could get them off the street and assemble them, you can't get them to work together just like that. You can't get them to work together overnight. These are sophisticated, industrial organisations. They can't simply be shifted willy-nilly across the country. Of course, there was a report by ASC itself which said: "The greatest risk to the enterprise in considering the potential transition … to WA is the loss of skill, knowledge and capability that ensures the [Collins class submarines] are safe and capable of performing the operational requirements," That's from ASC. What does that tell you? It tells you that, if this harebrained scheme of the current defence minister is allowed to proceed, our Collins class submarines will not be safe and won't be in the water—that is, we might get a submarine gap. At a critical time—I don't need to tell the House—in the history of our region, we might have this hole in our defences because someone decided that it would be a good idea to shift a bunch of jobs to Western Australia. I'm not against Western Australians, I'm not against the Western Australian shipbuilding industry—I think they do a terrific job at what they do—and I'm not saying that they shouldn't have a future, but surely destroying what we do well now is not in the interests of the country. Surely, taking those 700 workers—and most of them won't go to Western Australia; most of them will attempt to stay in South Australia. We've already had 1,000 shipbuilding jobs go in that state. The unions—the CEPU, the AWU and the AMWU—have seen this close hand. Why would we, on top of that ridiculous de-skilling of the South Australian shipbuilding industry, add to their woes by putting out these other 700 workers? If the government wants to send work to Western Australia, let them build two new LHDs, because God knows we will need them. Let them build other ships—corvettes with long-range antiship missiles—because that would be useful for our defence. The idea that we should take what we do very, very well now—a problem that has been fixed—and then suddenly, for pretty pedestrian political purposes, shift it across the country or split the jobs between white-collar and blue-collar is madness. It should not be entertained by any right-thinking government. Forde Electorate 99 19:55 Mr VAN MANEN 188315 Forde It's my pleasure to take this opportunity to recognise the efforts of some great individuals across my electorate of Forde. On the weekend a number of locals in many of our electorates would have celebrated their birthday on 29 February. One such young man in my electorate, Isiah Stone, did exactly that. Eight-year-old Isiah, who goes to Calvary Christian College in Carbrook, had a wonderful second birthday party, with lots of big balloons and plenty of cake. When asked by ABC Radio in Brisbane what he wanted for his big day, the cheeky little fellow said, 'Lego Ninjago,' which I am pleased to inform the House he did receive. I have to admit that I had to look that up, because my boys are somewhat older! I also had the pleasure over the weekend of attending a number of great events and award nights across the electorate run by the community for the community, in particular one last Friday night when I had the privilege of attending the annual Eagleby Achiever Awards held in honour of the extraordinary members of the Eagleby community. Eagleby is a small suburb in Forde, with just over 14,000 people. Sadly, this community is often overlooked by passers-by, which is why nights like the Eagleby Achiever Awards are so important. They're an opportunity to recognise the work of all the great people, businesses and community organisations that make up the beating heart and soul of Eagleby. This year 55 nominees were celebrated across nine award categories celebrating all things Eagleby, and at the night's end the winner of the coveted Spirit of Eagleby award was announced. We enjoyed the entertainment from local talent, including the aptly named Eagleby State School choir, EagleRocks, who sang the national anthem to get the evening started. Later on in the evening the Pelite family wowed the audience with their contributions. End Time Harvest Ministries took out the Community Organisation of the Year award, being recognised for their work in building thriving communities and providing youth with a meaningful purpose to make their marks on the world. Kassandra Cole won the Young Person of the Year award. This is testament to Kassandra's many achievements, some of which are: recipient of the Australian Airforce Cadets gliding scholarships; school swimming champion; and Queensland state winner of Wakakirri, one of Australia's largest performing arts event—and too many more to mention. The Sports Achiever of the Year was awarded to Zechariah Tuialii. Zechariah is a devoted and passionate rugby league player and was recently recognised as the 2019 Sportsperson of the Year at Crestmead State School. Nathan Hamon and Morning Rose Tofilau were the joint winners of the Arts Achiever of the Year. Nathan is a passionate supporter of the arts, and Morning Rose has been singing since she was six years old, delighting the community during her regular performances at church, community events, award ceremonies, and school art expos. Gwen Robinson was recognised with the Senior of the Year award for her dedication to helping others and improving the community of Eagleby. She has a long history of volunteering at school fetes, sporting events and tuckshops, and the award is very well deserved—not least because her son, Wayne Robinson, is the president of the Australian Budgerigar Society. She deserves the award just for that! Our early childhood educators play a key role in the growth and development of our children, and it's important that we acknowledge their role in the community. Simone Giles, from Natural Elements Early Learning Centre, was awarded the Educator of the Year, and the centre also took out the Business of the Year award, which I was also proud to sponsor. Natural Elements has been operating in Eagleby for over eight years and continues to provide quality early childhood education whilst contributing to and supporting our local community. John Porter was recognised as the Volunteer of the Year for his work with Nightlight, a local not-for-profit that helps the homeless and those around our community who are struggling to make ends meet. Finally, the Spirit of Eagleby award was presented to Jeff Barnes, who has made an outstanding contribution to the Eagleby community over the past 15 years. Jeff was the facilitator of Man-Up, a program that helps men become better husbands and fathers, and was instrumental in the establishment of Boredom Busters, a program that gives children between four and 12 years of age a safe environment to spend time and have fun after school. I wish to thank everybody involved with the Eagleby Community Association for once again organising these awards. Well done to all the nominees and all the award winners. House adjourned at 20:00 NOTICES 100 NOTICES

Monday, 2 March 2020

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr R Mitchell) took the chair at 10:30.

CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS 104 CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS Corangamite Electorate 104 10:30 Ms COKER 263547 Corangamite In 1868, something extraordinary took place in the maritime village of Queenscliff: our nation's first international sporting team sailed from the Queenscliff harbour to complete a tour of England. What was even more groundbreaking and inspirational was the fact this team was entirely Indigenous. From all accounts, the team of 13 cricketers, who were mostly from a Victoria's western district, were warmly welcomed in England, playing 99 games of high-quality cricket over 125 days. Back in Australia, the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority had told the team that they could not sail, so the team decided they would 'go fishing'. They're fishing trip began in Queenscliff aboard a steamship then made its way to Botany Bay and then on to England. On the weekend, I attended Queenscliff's commemorative cricket match between the home team of Anglesea and the Queenscliff team. It was a fascinating moment in our history, a time when inclusivity, acceptance and sporting endeavours overrode racism, division, violence and the tyranny of distance. Thank you to Borough of Queenscliff and the mayor, Ross Ebbels, for hosting this historic cricket match. It really was splendid. I would also like to acknowledge the Mullagh Wills Foundation, which has worked over many years to increase community awareness of this exciting story. The foundation's title is derived from the lead member of the Indigenous team, Johnny Mullagh, and coach, Tom Wills. A leather-bound message book recording and celebrating the tour was presented by the foundation's Ian Coutts to the mayor of Queenscliff on the occasion. The book has retraced the tour's path with signatures and commemorative statements provided by the Queen and Aboriginal elders. Overall, it was a fantastic event, and I congratulate all involved. Yesterday I attended the Wallington Strawberry Fair. What an amazing event. With the event celebrating its 40th anniversary, who would have thought that this small fundraiser at the Wallington Primary School would become a region's signature event for homegrown produce, arts and culture attracting tens of thousands of visitors and contributing much to the local economy. It was a pleasure to catch up with school principal, Glen Lauder, who gave me some really fascinating facts. This fair is run by hundreds of parents and volunteers, and all funds go to the school, upgrading the sporting facilities and learning environments. I'd like to commend the school community for its efforts and urge this federal government to do more to fund our fantastic public schools, because we want every child to have the best start in life. Climate Change 104 10:33 Mr PASIN 240756 Barker I rise to address the Labor Party's recently announced policy of net zero emissions by 2050. Let's be clear: that's a policy that would cripple the Australian agriculture industry. Opposition members: Is this a constituency statement? Mr PASIN 240756 I'll take the interjection. The members opposite say, 'Is this a constituency statement?' I'm here to fight for Australian farmers; I don't know about you. CSIRO's Australia National Outlook 2019, the report that those opposite keep pointing to back up their policy, actually shows that to achieve a target of net zero emissions by 2050, sheep, cropping and cattle production would fall drastically, devastating our agriculture sectors right across the supply chain, decimating regional towns and hurting Aussie farmers and the businesses that rely on them. Even our friends across the ditch have recognised the detrimental impacts on agriculture a target like this would have, which is why the Ardern government has exempted agriculture from its target. I remind members of this place that that's a government whose majority is supported in coalition by the New Zealand Greens. Even the New Zealand Greens know this is bad for agriculture. In fact, none of the world's largest emitters—China, the United States, India—have made any zero carbon commitments. The EU is committed to net zero emissions, but they've exempted Europe's largest coal-generating country, Poland, where around 60 per cent of the country's energy comes from burning coal. Labor's net zero emissions target by 2050 is a target without a plan to get there. It will hurt agricultural industries, which will be at a massive disadvantage. Aussie farmers won't be able to compete with their New Zealand cousins. We wouldn't send the Wallabies to compete against the All Blacks with each player having one hand tied behind their backs, but that's what you're asking of Aussie farmers. You're asking them to get on the field and fight against the All Blacks with one hand tied behind their back. Now, I held out some hope a couple of weeks ago when some sensible people, including the member for Spence, got together at a restaurant here in Canberra—I understand it was the second of such meetings; the first meeting was at the Coco restaurant, and more recently at the Otis restaurant—but my hopes were crushed. Hoping that it was a resurgence of the once great Labor Party, it was an exercise in waving the white flag. The member for Hunter and his sensible supporters signed the surrender document. They're being marched to the Left, further Left than the New Zealand Greens. Payten, Mr David (Dick), OAM 105 10:36 Mr CLARE HWL Blaxland A few years ago I was asked to represent the Australian government and the Australian people at the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Kokoda. I took that trip, along with Scott Morrison, representing the then opposition. We flew out from here in Canberra on a VIP jet to Port Moresby. With us in that jet was a stowaway, an old fellow named Dick Payten, a good mate of mine. He had originally intended to be part of the group of veterans brought along on that trip by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, but he failed the medical. I knew Dick was so desperate to be part of that journey that we secretly put him on board the plane, and I'm sure the Prime Minister won't mind me telling this story. We took Dick to Bomana cemetery, where there are fields of tombstones. We went to visit one in particular, the tombstone of Arnold Darling, Dick's best mate. Dick had never been there before. He lost his mate when a plane crashed at the airport in Port Moresby and Arnold was killed. A US plane crashed into a fuel depot, which exploded and killed many men, including Arnold. To see a man in his 90s cry at the tombstone of his best friend who he had hadn't seen in 70 years is a very moving thing. Dick was part of the 'silent 7th', that great generation of Australians who fought in the Middle East, came home and were then sent to Papua New Guinea to defend Australia. After the war he got married, he had kids and he set up his own business, but he never forgot his mates. I first met Dick when he was setting up a memorial for the 7th on the Hume Highway at Bass Hill. I remember him complaining that he was being frustrated in his attempts to do that because he had to go into hospital to get a pacemaker. As he got older, more of Dick's mates passed away and left us. In recent years, Dick has been the face of Anzac Day in the local papers. In the past few months he's been quite sick; he was in hospital recently. He told me that it was just a little illness. I saw Dick on Saturday night at Georges Manor. He was very, very ill. He said to me then—he was still talking about Legacy and veterans—'I've still got a long way to go.' About 10 minutes ago I got a message that Dick had passed away. I love you very much, Dick, and I miss you very much, but you're on your way now to see your mates, to see your lovely wife and you're back with Arnold Darling. Braddon Electorate: Mr Peter Brown 105 10:39 Mr PEARCE 282306 Braddon Lest we forget. There is absolutely no doubt that we live in the best country in the world, and that our country needs defending. Our borders and our interests, now more than ever, require young men and women to stand in defence of Australia every day. I'm grateful for the work that they do and I'm grateful that not all Australians have to feel the rigours of what they go through, and the scars that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. The word 'invictus' means unconquered, and in May this year a team of 32 defence personnel and veterans will head to The Hague to represent Australia in the Invictus Games 2020. Today I rise to congratulate Mr Peter Brown on being selected in the Australian team. Peter lives in my electorate of Braddon. He is a father of five and the principal of Boat Harbour Primary School. Peter joined the Australian Regular Army in 1996 as an infantryman, and served until 2002. During his time in the ADF, he thrived on training, discipline and routine, and on discharge he knew that his service had provided him with the skill set that would stay with him for the rest of his life. Peter's personal assessment of his military service is a message that I've spoken about many times in this place. If you're a business out there in Australia, then consider employing a veteran; they're good for your business. They bring with them a diversity of skills and qualities which are difficult to match. Ten months ago Peter had his left leg amputated below the knee. He sees this, however, as a big step forward—to quote him, 'A move that will let him get on with the rest of his life.' After years of battling his injuries, the journey of having his leg amputated was not one that he protected his students at Boat Harbour Primary School from. His hope is that they will realise that life goes on, that you can live a happy life even when faced with significant challenges. This week, students from Mr David Groenewege's grade 5 and 6 class from Boat Harbour Primary School are spending the week in Canberra, and will be in Parliament House on Friday. I visited these kids recently in their classroom, and spent the afternoon with them. They're a great bunch of kids and I can see that they're very pumped on parliament. Mr Champion HW9 Pumped on parliament? Mr PEARCE 282306 Pumped on parliament! Peter will continue to compete in athletics, wheelchair basketball, indoor rowing, wheelchair rugby and sitting volleyball in the Invictus Games. I wish him and the entire Australian team the very best of luck. I know you will do yourselves and your country proud. Newstart Allowance 106 10:42 Mr CHAMPION HW9 Spence This March—this month—marks the 20th anniversary since Newstart last had an over-the-inflation-rate increase. That of course was done by the Keating government at the time, and now we find that across the country economists and groups likes of St Vincent de Paul and ACOSS are all rallying for another increase to Newstart. Even John Howard believes that the pause he put in place to increases in Newstart has gone on for too long and that it's probably time to look again at this payment. Over that 20 years many things have changed in the economy, but of course one of the most brutal things that has changed in the economy is the treatment of older workers. It used to be that people would be able to work at least reasonably close to their retirement age. But now there is an increasing group of workers who, despite having been employed, paid their taxes and been good employees—that is, that they rocked up to work every day on time and held reasonably stable jobs—now find themselves made unemployed by the big structural changes that have gone on in the economy. Often those people struggle to get back into employment. I've seen this time and time again in my electorate: these workers who have done the right thing by the country but then later found themselves—often with an injury, but not always—on Newstart. In 2013 41 per cent of Newstart recipients were aged between 45 and 65, and now half of Newstart recipients are aged 45 to 65. Now, we've got a bragging, arrogant government who insist that everything's going super well, that they're back in black and that they can afford to do other things. One of the things they could afford to do, as a stimulus measure, is to increase the rate of Newstart. Even if they insist on rolling out these myths that people get extra payments and that there's a job out there for everyone if only they tried hard enough, they could at least look at this group of mature-age workers who are struggling every day not just in Labor electorates but in National Party electorates and other electorates across the country. A government member interjecting— Mr CHAMPION HW9 I hear my friend objecting. He should look at his own electorate, look at the country and look at helping mature-age workers. (Time expired) Domestic and Family Violence 106 10:45 Mr SHARMA 274506 Wentworth The tragic events of the past month have been a horrific reminder that the scourge of domestic violence, and in particular violence by men against women and often their own children, continues to afflict Australia. This is a social ill of grave and serious proportions. Every Australian had their conscience shocked, I'm certain, by the brutal and cruel murder of Hannah Baxter and her three young children by Hannah's estranged husband and the father of their three children. It was a shocking and savage crime on any measure, but to take place in a family context and to perpetrate such violence upon people whom you should love is nigh incomprehensible. Like everyone here, my thoughts are with the friends and family of Hannah and her neighbours, each of whom will be forever scarred by this. It is manifestly clear that as a society and as a nation we have to do more to combat and eliminate domestic violence in Australia not just because of the awful murder of Hannah Baxter and her three children but because of the one woman murdered every week by a current or former partner or the one in six women or one in 20 men who have experienced violence from a current or former partner, and because of the 3½ million-odd Australians who have experienced emotional abuse from a partner, carrying a hidden burden as they go about their day. Domestic violence is a stealthy destroyer of lives, homes and families. It is blighting the lives of far too many Australians and far too many Australian women and children in particular, causing them to live in fear and terror. This government will continue to treat the combat of domestic violence as a national priority. Since 2013 we have invested $852 million in programs to support women and children who are victims of or at risk of domestic violence. We are improving frontline services, with new funding to train police, health workers and other service providers to recognise signs of domestic violence and respond. We are providing more funding for specialist domestic violence providers that deliver essential services for women and children who have experienced and are escaping domestic violence. In my own electorate of Wentworth, where domestic violence is a surprisingly big issue and higher incidence than you might expect, this includes organisations such as the Lokahi Foundation and Bondi Cottage. The Lokahi Foundation focuses on case management to ensure domestic abuse survivors are offered ongoing support without time limit to regain their independence. Bondi Cottage provides direct case management for women in need. This is an issue that affects literally millions of Australians. It rips families apart and holds people back from achieving their true potential. I applaud the work of organisations all over the country, my own electorate included, in continuing to support victims on the frontlines, working to bring an end, as we all should, to this scourge of domestic violence. Organ Donation 107 10:48 Ms MURPHY 133646 Dunkley Today I want to talk about a subject that is quite difficult for some people and some families but is really important—organ donation and donating your body to science when you pass. It can be a really difficult conversation to have with your loved ones, to ask them what they want done with their body when they die. For people who have a chronic disease or who are facing a shortened life span, it can be really challenging to think about what they want to happen to their body and to their organs when they die. But it is something that you can do that can benefit so many other people outside of yourself. For many people—and I'm one of them—it can give them a sense that their death can contribute to other people not having to go through what they've gone through. So I have registered as an organ donor. No-one wants my organs anymore, because of the illness that I have, but I've made it clear to my husband and my family that I would like my body donated to science when I die. I heard on the radio this morning as I was walking into Parliament House about a project that is happening in New South Wales where first responders and medical professionals are having training about how to deal with a mass casualty—if, forbid, that ever happens—and they are using real human bodies of people who have died as part of that training. That seems to me a terrific way to be able to contribute to protecting our community. About a week and a half ago, I went to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute. Most people will know that, because of her own personal battle with breast cancer, twice now, Olivia Newton-John has invested a lot of money into a wellness centre and a research institute. The absolutely amazing practitioners and researchers there are looking at ways to have better, more targeted treatment, particularly for breast cancer, and scientists and oncologists are collaborating and sharing information. One of the things they are doing is getting permission from people who are being treated for breast cancer to take samples of their tumours and look at them before and after their treatment to try and isolate the particular cells that might be the ones that have caused malignancy or the ones that might break off and travel and make the malignancy spread. I would urge anyone who feels they can donate their tissue to register when they are going through treatment—I have told them they can use anything from me that they would like—to help that research go ahead, and to have the difficult conversation with your loved ones, your significant others, about what you want done with your body when you pass away. Grey Electorate: Infrastructure 107 10:51 Mr RAMSEY HWS Grey Yesterday I had the great pleasure of attending a press conference just north of Gepps Cross in Adelaide with the Premier, Steven Marshall, the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Stephan Knoll, and the member for Narungga, Fraser Ellis, where we announced the winning tenders for the duplication of the Joy Baluch Bridge at Port Augusta and the Port Wakefield overpass, both very significant and important projects in my electorate. CPB contractors are the headline contractors. Aurecon, GHD and, most importantly, McMahon Services, a South Australian based construction company, will be doing the bulk of the work under an almost unique agreement with CPB. They will also be assisted by Intract, an Indigenous employment agency run by John Briggs. We will be hoping to make sure that we provide some jobs for Indigenous people, long-term training and a skills path through to permanent work through the project. The Port Augusta bridge, the Great Western Bridge, was closed in 2017. It is an old, wooden bridge across the top of the gulf and the Joy Baluch Bridge sits alongside of it. The Great Western Bridge had been used for pedestrian traffic for many years when it was decommissioned. That put foot traffic onto the Joy Baluch Bridge. It's a 1970s or 1980s design. It only has a narrow walkway on it that is not protected from traffic. I have been worried incessantly about kids going over there on pushbikes. If two gophers meet on this walkway, one of them has to back up. Clearly, that's not sustainable. The speed limits have been dropped on the bridge. And I might point out that all the emergency services in Port Augusta are on the east side and periodically the bridge gets cut through an accident or whatever. That means a 30-kilometre round-trip for the emergency services to get to the other side of Port Augusta—and you can't use that alternative road if it has been raining. This is a very important second link for Port Augusta. It is on the national highway and it gives us two bridges over the gulf. Two hundred kilometres to the south of that is Port Wakefield, which is the point where the road peels off to Yorke Peninsula. We have traffic jams there every holiday season; people line up for two, three or four hours. There is an intersection there called 'crash corner'. There have been fatalities there again in the last six months. It has been a hot spot for many years. I pointed out at the press conference that I actually took to the 2007 election a commitment from the coalition to fix up this corner. Unfortunately, we didn't win that one—and, in their defence, the Labor Party never offered to do it. It has taken 12 years to get it back on the agenda—to get a government in Canberra aligned with a government in South Australia and bring off these great projects. (Time expired) Newcastle Electorate: Coastal Erosion 108 10:54 Ms CLAYDON 248181 Newcastle The weekend before last I stood shoulder to shoulder with Stockton residents. Stockton is a tight-knit community that is under massive pressure as it faces the full force of unchecked coastal erosion. In less than a year the people of Stockton have seen the forced closure of their early childhood education centre and the temporary, albeit extended, closure of their beach. More than a metre of beach is now being lost each year, even more in large weather events. Earlier this month the situation deteriorated further after massive storms. The popular Lexie's on the Beach cafe had to be shut down with very little notice. Additionally, 16 cabins had to be moved from the publicly owned Stockton caravan park, and Stockton was declared a natural disaster zone. The speed of the catastrophic erosion has shocked even the most hardened observers, and it has devastated community members. The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated. Regretfully, while the state Labor opposition has pledged unconditional bipartisan support to fix the erosion, the New South Wales Liberal government has been very slow to act, leaving the City of Newcastle to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to the emergency response. But the state member for Newcastle, Tim Crakanthorp, has done a great job forcing the Berejiklian government to listen to the people of Stockton—to their needs and their profound sense of anxiety for what lies ahead. However, I believe the federal government also has a role to play. While it has a legislated responsibility to support disaster declared areas, I believe the Morrison government also needs to take national leadership when it comes to coastal erosion. Stockton isn't the only community facing existential threats from the sea. There are nearly 39,000 buildings and hundreds of coastal communities located within 100 metres of soft shorelines, which are at risk from accelerated erosion. Last year I called on the Morrison government to develop a national plan to respond to coastal erosion. This call was vindicated by the release of Infrastructure Australia's Infrastructure Priority List, which, for the first time ever, called for the development of a coastal inundation protection strategy. Coastal erosion is clearly an issue that doesn't respect state borders, and we need a truly national plan if we're going to respond to it effectively. It's time for the federal government to stop shirking its responsibilities and deliver the national leadership that is expected. I note that the Stockton Surf Life Saving Club wrote to the Prime Minister in September last year. The assistant minister responded on the Prime Minister's behalf. I followed with my own letter, reaffirming the dire urgency of the situation and formally inviting him to visit Stockton as a matter of urgency. My invitation, Assistant Minister, still stands. Clean Up Australia Day 108 10:57 Mr SIMMONDS 282983 Ryan I rise to congratulate my community on a very successful Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday. This is a tremendous event that allows locals to get out there and, with the support of all levels of government, help keep their area clean and green. We know that Australians produce 540 kilograms of household rubbish per person every year. Each year Australia generates approximately 67 million tonnes of waste amongst us. So it is so important not only that we recycle and ensure the waste goes to the appropriate mechanisms but also that we are out there as a community keeping our local waterways and green spaces clean, and Clean Up Australia Day is a tremendous opportunity to do just that. It started 30 years ago in 1990, and since then over 35 million hours of volunteer time have been donated to the cause across Australia and almost 18 million Australians have donated their time to help clean up their local area. Of course, we don't have this year's results just yet, but in 2019 there were over 7,700 sites registered across Australia with over 17,000 ute loads of rubbish cleaned up and taken out of our green spaces. I'm sure that we have done better than that this year; although I would hope that, even though we got more volunteers at more sites, the rubbish we collected is actually down as people are heeding the message to make sure that they recycle and send their waste to the appropriate mechanisms. This year I participated in quite a number of Clean Up Australia Day events right across the electorate. Firstly, I volunteered with the Cubberla Witton Catchments Network, who do a tremendous job and who had a lot of volunteers turn out. I did that with the local state member, Christian Rowan; local candidate Greg Adermann; and local councillor James MacKay. Thank you for your support as part of that. We were then in Kennewell Park at Chapel Hill with Lauren Day, the local candidate there, in attendance as well. She is committed to her local community. We went down to Brian Hallinan Bikeway at The Gap with Councillor Peter Matic and Councillor Steve Toomey in attendance, along with the kids from The Gap State School. Isn't it tremendous to see young kids getting involved in cleaning up their local environment? I think that shows the particular focus that Brisbane City Council have on keeping our green spaces clean. The lord mayor there, Adrian Schrinner, is committed to reducing waste, and he's got a tremendous campaign going with the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, which is incredibly successful. I'm sure you'll see the Brisbane City Council rolling out more recycling initiatives going forward. Then, of course, at the federal level we have our own plastic summit going on right now. I'd like to congratulate Trevor Evans, who is our very first Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management. We know that there are jobs in this for the Australian community—nine jobs for every 10,000 tonnes of waste generated. The DEPUTY SPEAKER M3E In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded. PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS 109 PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS National Disability Insurance Scheme 109 11:01 Mr SHORTEN 00ATG Maribyrnong I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) on 20 January 2020 the final report from the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 was handed down by Mr David Tune AO PSM; and (b) the report made 29 recommendations that have been endorsed by the disability sector, including people with disability, service providers and carers; and (2) calls on the Government to act on the recommendations of the review as soon as possible. The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a very worthy undertaking. It is an excellent idea, and it's one which Labor remains fundamentally very committed to. But, after $4.6 billion has been taken from the NDIS to prop up this government's dodgy budget, with reports that 1,200 people have died waiting for their NDIS packages, and with ridiculous staff caps which pretend that somehow you can increase the scheme fourfold but keep the number of staff at a certain number, it is true to say that the National Disability Insurance Scheme is not working as it should be. I acknowledge the new CEO, Mr Martin Hoffman, and maybe he will be a breath of fresh air in the organisation, but that doesn't change the fact that there is a pathology within the organisation. This is not the fault of the staff who work in the organisation—they work hard, and I have the privilege to know plenty of them—but in the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the agency there is a pathology or a sickness which exists regardless of the government's inattention. The fact of the matter is that since the election, and while I have been re-immersing myself in how the NDIS and the world of disability are going, everything that happens in the NDIS seems to be about protecting the corporate backside of the organisation but has very little to do with empathy. Everything seems to be about capping some costs but not looking at the correct areas in which to cap costs. There is a pathology in the organisation in the NDIS which needs to be dealt with. The government's excuse for the last seven years is that it's required brute force to get the expansion of the scheme from trial to a scheme which now covers over 300,000 people and is heading towards half a million. The expression that's been used is that it has required brute force to get it to this size, and now, the brute force having been used, sensitivity will emerge in the conduct of the scheme. But, seven years on, it is highly unsatisfactory to have a scheme which, when it works well, works very well but, when it works poorly, works very poorly. The response of the government has been to do a review. In fact, there have been 21 reviews of the scheme in the last six or seven years. This motion today, though, recommends that the government address the Tune review, the latest provided to the government. The Tune review makes many recommendations which I think are worthy of support, but at the core of the reform required for the NDIS is empathy. There is a requirement, I believe, on the NDIS and the NDIA to start putting people back into the scheme. What is required here, rather than unrealistic deadlines set for participants, is that realistic deadlines now be set for the organisation to make decisions. It is not right that the government can say to the people, 'Well, you've got a certain time period and you have to jump through certain hoops,' yet, when the shoe is on the other foot and the participant requires the scheme to be responsive in time, nothing happens. So we are most supportive of many of the recommendations of the Tune review being implemented—in particular, but not exclusively, the proposition that there should be a participant service guarantee. The idea is that the agency and the insurance scheme work for the people and not the other way round. There are specific proposals which I think are worthy of being implemented by the government now, not later, including extending the time frame for participants to provide information to support an access decision from 28 days to 90 days. A participant's first plan should be put in place within 10 weeks of an access decision, which should be reduced to eight weeks from 1 July 2021. A plan implementation meeting should be offered and scheduled no more than four weeks after the approval of a plan. A scheduled plan review should commence no later than eight weeks before the scheduled plan review date. We need to ensure that there is certainty and accountability on time lines, as to the provision of assistive technology and the consideration of specialist reports. The internal review process should be completed within 90 days, reducing to 60 days from 1 July 2021. Labor is very committed to the NDIS, but we need to ensure that the organisation demonstrates empathy to the people who are participants in the scheme. We think this is possible. This doesn't require an election to change. Instead, what we need is the NDIA and the NDIS to respond to the needs of the participants, their families and carers. The DEPUTY SPEAKER M3E I thank the member for Maribyrnong. Is the motion seconded? Mr Hayes ECV I second the motion and reserve my right to speak. The DEPUTY SPEAKER M3E The question is that the motion be agreed to. 11:06 Ms FLINT 245550 Boothby The National Disability Insurance Scheme is transforming the lives of people who live with disability and of their families and carers. Through the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the Morrison government is committed to providing individual choice. We are committed to providing individuals with control over the decisions about the support and care that they want to access, and we are committed to fully funding the NDIS so that people are able to do so. The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a world-first system of disability support. It's supporting Australians with permanent and significant disabilities. By July 2020, the National Disability Insurance Scheme will be available across Australia and will grow to support more than 500,000 Australians with a disability by 2023. The National Disability Insurance Scheme will also be fully funded. The NDIS budget funding is growing strongly, from $13.3 billion in budget year 2018-19 to almost $18 billion in budget year 2019-20 to more than $22 billion in the budget year 2020-21. The recent review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act, conducted by David Tune AO, PSM, heard about the experiences of people living with disability, their family members, carers, advocates and providers from around Australia. The review found that, while there was a need for faster processes, better service and more flexibility for some participants, the NDIS is improving social and economic outcomes for many of its participants while increasing their ability to achieve their goals and aspirations. Our government is dedicated to getting the settings right. The government will use the findings of the Tune review to update and clarify the legislation and remove barriers to an even better NDIS. The government response to the Tune review will be released shortly, along with an exposure draft of the legislative changes so that NDIS participants, their families, carers and other stakeholders can provide feedback, prior to the finalising of a bill for passage through parliament. There are a range of things our government is already doing. In November 2019, the Minister for the NDIS released the Australian government's plan for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The plan has six focus areas with specific activities under each area. The focus areas are: quicker access and quality decision making; increased engagement and collaboration; market innovation and improved technology; a financially sustainable NDIS; equitable and consistent decisions; and we will look to improve long-term outcomes for people with disability, their families and carers. The government asked the NDIA what they needed, to deliver, and we listened. The NDIA is currently filling an additional 800 APS positions capable of exercising delegations under the NDIS legislation, bringing the total NDIA workforce to more than 11,000 people. Empowering people with disability with a voice is critical to guaranteeing ongoing improvements to the NDIS. Last year I was delighted to host Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Minister for Government Services, Stuart Robert, in my electorate of Boothby to meet with my constituents and hear firsthand about their experiences with the NDIS. Together with Vicki Rundle PSM, the former acting CEO of the NDIA, and Simon Edwards, the state manager of the NDIA in SA, the Prime Minister and the minister met with staff at the NDIS office in St Mary's in my electorate. The opportunity to discuss the experience of the NDIS with participants was absolutely invaluable. I know that my local residents appreciated the opportunity to speak directly with the Prime Minister and the minister. In common with the Tune review, some participants felt there needed to be greater flexibility and speed, while others were really, really happy with their experience and how it had helped them to take greater control over their lives and decisions and the support provided to them in their day-to-day lives. The Prime Minister and the Minister have held these meetings all over Australia. This is the level of personal care and attention they are giving to Australians who are reliant on the NDIS to achieve independence and control over their lives and their quality of life. Underpinning all of this, of course, is our plan for a stronger economy, because we need a strong economy to be able to afford to pay for and properly support the NDIS, which is going to empower so many Australians to live the lives that they want to lead. 11:11 Mr HAYES ECV Fowler It's an honour to second this motion and to follow the Member for Maribyrnong, who was the driving force behind the establishment of the NDIS. However, the implementation of the NDIS has not been smooth and it is evident that the pressure of rolling the scheme out across Australia has directly impacted the NDIA's ability to provide a consistent, effective and high quality service delivery offering. They are the words of David Tune in summing up his findings as part of the independent review of the NDIS Act. I believe it succinctly puts in perspective what we've long been hearing from participants, their families and carers, and the disability sector generally about the operations of the NDIS. The report into the NDIS Act made 29 recommendations for legislative change in order to improve the operation and efficiency of the NDIS itself. Among the many recommendations, the report calls for legislative time frames for decision-making as part of the participant service guarantee. The report also made recommendations for more flexibility in how the NDIS funds are used by participants, calling for a trial that would allow NDIS planners to also be able to approve participant plans and call for additional funding to support people with disability to understand and navigate the NDIS. Furthermore, the report made recommendations clarifying the test used by the NDIA in its decision-making as to whether support is reasonable and necessary. This crucial aspect of it is certainly driven by the lack of definition and the ambiguity and confusion surrounding what constitutes reasonable and necessary support. Another very welcome recommendation, which I know has often been raised at NDIS forums in my electorate, is the need to provide clearer guidance as to whether a psychological condition is permanent. It's imperative that guidance is provided recognising that some conditions, while they may be episodic and fluctuating, are nevertheless permanent conditions. When the Labor government established the National Disability Insurance Scheme, it was built on the belief that each person in our community, including those who live with disabilities, deserves to know that their country is committed to building a society of inclusion and acceptance. This is why I find it extremely offensive to those individuals living with disabilities, and their families and carers, that this government oversaw a $4.6 billion underspend on the NDIS. This is not because the funding was not required, as it's clearly been highlighted in the findings of the review into the act; rather it was an opportunity for the government, while attacking the most vulnerable people in our society, to simply prop up a failing budget. This decision effectively denied people with disabilities the services, treatment and equipment that they so desperately need. Labor will continue to hold this government to account on its promises, because Australians living with disabilities, their families and carers simply deserve better. They deserve support and meaningful inclusion in a society like ours. My office has been inundated with inquiries from parents and carers who are experiencing difficulty in navigating the NDIS and also in the associated waiting times for decisions to be made by the NDIA. Recently, a young woman came to my office—a constituent named Levina Pham. She is 21 years old and recently graduated from the University of New South Wales. Remarkably, she's a carer for her 15-year-old brother Kerry, who is living with stage 3 autism. She shed light on the issue by drawing on real-life experiences of families who care for those who live with disability—autism in this case. She said that the NDIS is extremely complex and that it lacks education and community awareness for families and carers living with a person with disability as to how to get the necessary support they need. This is particularly so for individuals coming from a culturally and linguistically diverse background. That said, I call on the government to act promptly on recommendations from the review into this act. People living with disabilities, their families and carers simply deserve better. And we can do better. 11:16 Dr HAINES 282335 Indi The Tune review into the NDIS was an important moment for people with disabilities in this country. The original aim of the NDIS was to enhance the lives of people with disabilities, to give them choice and control over what they need to live their lives to the fullest. For some, it has delivered. But for many, it hasn't yet lived up to this aim. To give one devastating example: in January it was revealed that since 2016 more than 1,200 Australians have died waiting for their NDIS packages. Clearly, this is not acceptable. The Tune review was an opportunity for people who access, supply or encounter the NDIS to voice their views on how to improve this system, which so substantially impacts upon their lives. This is important to me, because it is important to so many of my constituents. The NDIS is one of the issues people speak to me about most often, and my office has told me that since I was elected we've received an average of eight calls per week. Many people contact my office to express frustration at issues they've been dealing with for months, and sometimes for years. These systemic problems require urgent remedy. There are around 2,100 NDIS in the Ovens-Murray NDIS district, which covers almost all of my electorate of Indi. This represents 1.6 per cent of the population of Indi, which is higher than the national average of 1.1 per cent. It's also important to me because I believe it should be important to all Australians. We all have a stake in a properly functioning NDIS, not only because we all might need it one day but because a society should be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable—and I believe Australia is a big society. I was proud to make a submission to the Tune review—apparently, and surprisingly, the only MP who did—on behalf of the many people whose stories I have heard in my time as the member for Indi. The things I heard from people, which became the eight recommendations I made to the Tune review, made a lot of sense to those people who told them to me. They were things like requiring all plans to be approved by the participant before being agreed. Currently, it's the NDIA planners, and not the participants themselves, who are ultimately responsible for determining which supports are reasonable and necessary for an individual NDIS participant. The participant can put their requests forward, but has no say over the final decision about required supports. Many participants feel that enabling the NDIA to make an exclusive determination of the supports they need denies them the self-determination to make choices about how they can function to the best possible level. One constituent told me: My son is in a second-hand wheelchair that was suitable when he was 13. He is now 21 and the chair is having serious detrimental effects on his body. His request for a new chair was refused and he was offered a service instead. His request for a motorised chair was also refused. He cannot walk. I also recommended improved training for NDIA planners. The level of staffing and staff qualifications are regularly raised with my office as ongoing problems. Concerns have been raised about the ability of staff to deal with the complex and emotional nature of cases in a respectful, sensitive and compassionate way. One mother of a child with Down's syndrome was asked if her son would grow out of his condition. I'm sure the NDIA planners are hardworking people, no doubt stretched because of the staffing cap at the NDIA, but we need a better standard from staff that are making huge decisions about other people's lives. We must lift that cap to get enough people to do the job and we must give those people the right training to make sure they can do their job properly. I'm pleased that the Tune review picked up on many of my recommendations. The participants' service guarantee, set down to be legislated by July, will empower participants to sign off on their own plans. This is a good step and celebrated by the people who told me it was so necessary. But the government must act on all of the recommendations of the Tune review and not stop there. It must lift the NDIA staffing cap and ensure those staff are properly trained to do the job. The NDIS is something all Australians should be proud of not just as a symbol but as a functioning real-life commitment to the type of nation we want to be. The Tune review lays out a path towards this better Australia that I know we all want to become, and the government must move swiftly to take us there. 11:21 Ms RYAN 249224 Lalor The NDIS, as you are well aware, Deputy Speaker, was to be a game-changer for those living with profound and severe disability, for the people who care for them and for those of us who love them. As the former Prime Minister behind this scheme, Julia Gillard, said, the NDIS would finally bring the security and dignity to those who would benefit from the scheme. At the time, it was a bipartisan scheme due to the advocacy and action of those campaigning for it, including of course the mover of today's motion, the member for Maribyrnong. But what we've seen since the change of government in 2013—a bit under seven years ago—are some beautiful words from those opposite, but their words do not match their actions. In an area that was the last in the rollout for the NDIS, I was absolutely appalled to find that, time and time again, when I raised an issue about people in my community working with the NDIS and interacting with it, that there was nothing new to be learned in our electorate, just a failure to systemically address things that had come up four years previously so that, wherever it was rolled out, the same issues arose time and time again. We have to look at this in the context that we're here to talk about the Tune review. It's the 21st review into the NDIS in seven years, so I join today with the member for Maribyrnong, the member for Fowler and the member for Adelaide on this side of the chamber to say: 'Please act on all 29 recommendations of this review.' I say this, having had the member for Maribyrnong in my electorate for a forum, where we heard from many people who have concerns about the processes, and we've heard a lot about that today. I also attended a state-wide forum, where we heard from all of the stakeholders, all of whom went on to make submissions to the Tune review, and all had concerns about this government's record on the NDIS, because they delayed the rollout, because they capped the number of staff, because they kept the price of services too low, because they failed to invest in the workforce needed for such a profound reform in Australia, because they said the NDIS wasn't fully funded and misled the public to believe they needed an increase in tax before backing off that plan, because they built their own hopes of a surplus on the back of an underspend of $4.6 billion in the NDIS—I can't tell you how disappointed the families in my electorate who are getting NDIS support are about that last one—and now they're failing to implement all of the recommendations made by David Tune. In fact, many of the recommendations that were in the NDIS joint standing committee's interim report, published in December 2019. Like everyone here, we're all meeting with people in our offices, and our offices are assisting people with a disability or their carers or people who care about them. We're all hearing the same concerns over and over again, and it is only in enacting, through legislation, the 29 recommendations that these will be addressed. We had feedback given to the review that showed the participants found the transition to the NDIS confusing and frustrating, with some people saying they missed the supports offered under state and territory systems, particularly active case management; that they're frustrated about delays and a lack of transparency around how the NDIA makes decisions; that they want to have more support and become informed and effective consumers; that they feel the NDIS is too complex and difficult to navigate; and they feel they're not recognised as the experts in their disability. More, they feel the NDIA staff do not understand disability or appreciate the challenges people with a disability face as part of everyday life. In my electorate, I know about the work done by our local Warringa Park special school. I know that an assistant principal was working pretty much full time on supporting the families in their engagement with the NDIS. Schools aren't funded to do this work, but it was necessary the help the young people at that school so as to ensure that they ended up with the support they need. So I join colleagues today in calling for a properly funded NDIS to deliver security and dignity to Australians living with a disability, their carers and family. Deliver the things that they need. Deliver the NDIS that was promised in this place prior to your election. 11:26 Dr ALLEN 282986 Higgins I rise to speak against the motion proposed by the member for Maribyrnong. As the largest social policy reform since Medicare, the government recognise that the NDIS will require work to ensure we get the balance right and guarantee the future success of this scheme. We need to have a considered and proportionate response to the Tune review, not a hasty and poorly-thought-out kneejerk response. The government is well attuned to NDIS participants' concerns and is committed to supporting people with disability to achieve their goals. In line with our promise at the last election, in January 2020 the minister for the NDIS, Stuart Robert, announced the independent review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 and introduction of a participant service guarantee by Mr David Tune AO. This shows a government committed to continual improvement. The government welcomed the review, which identified the varied experience of NDIS participants. Many participants have had excellent experiences and are benefitting from the scheme; however, there are some frustrations with wait times and complexity of processes. In my electorate of Higgins, the community response to the NDIS has been overwhelmingly positive. Some have shared the aforementioned concerns, which I have duly relayed to the minister. As a government which prides itself on clear and open communication, I am confidently working to alleviate these teething issues. Notably, the government has committed to legislating the participant service guarantee to ensure faster processes and better service for participants by 1 July 2020. The minister for NDIS is on to this. The government will release a fully considered response to the Tune review shortly, along with our exposure draft of the legislative changes to allow for community consultation. This review builds on the government's NDIS plan announced in November 2019 by the minister for the NDIS. The NDIS plan reaffirms our government's commitment to deliver a world-leading NDIS to the estimated 500,000 participants over the next three to four years. The plan is about ensuring the sustained success of the NDIS and has six focus areas, with specific activities under each area. The focus areas are: quicker access and quality decision-making, increased engagement and collaboration, market innovation and improved technology, a financially sustainable NDIS, equitable and consistent decisions, and the improved long-term outcomes for people with disability, their families and their carers. The government is working hand in hand with the NDIA to ensure they are equipped to deliver these goals. I am happy to report that the NDIA is currently filling an additional 800 APS positions, bringing the total NDIA workforce to more than 11,000. This is an unprecedented investment in helping Australians with disabilities. The government has already implemented a number of changes to the NDIS plan as part of this. These include longer plan duration for participants and families, increased and more transparent pricing for providers and a new NDIS employment strategy. We should also be proud of the fact that there are now 338,000 Australians benefitting from this scheme. This notably includes 134,000 people receiving disability support for the first time. This figure represents 40 per cent of the total number of participants. Of the 28,000 participants who joined the NDIS in the December quarter, there was already a huge increase in the diversity of participants. This includes a greater proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, culturally and linguistically diverse individuals, and those with a psychosocial disability entering the scheme. Importantly, the backlog for children accessing support through the NDIS has been slashed over the last six months from an average wait time of 104 to 44 days. This is a minister who is listening and acting. The findings of the review the government has asked for will be used by the government to update and clarify the legislation and remove barriers in order to develop a better NDIS. This can only be achieved by a strong economy and by managing the budget. As Australians we should all be proud of the commitment we have made to supporting Australians with disabilities and we should celebrate this new initiative and all it is delivering. (Time expired) 11:31 Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Gilmore Thank you to the member for Maribyrnong for moving this important motion. The National Disability Insurance Scheme has been plagued by mismanagement and maladministration for too long. But is it any wonder, with an arbitrary cap of staffing at the agency, no coherent strategy and, worst of all, $4.6 billion in cuts? In the absence of proper support, people living with disability, and their carers, are forced to fight for their rights and for adequate funding to let them live a full and engaged life in our community. I have heard their stories and I have been appalled. Krystal is a young mum with vision impairment, but she doesn't let that stop her from achieving anything. She has numerous qualifications in community services and she uses them to help and support others in our community. She is a mum and she is determined, capable and can achieve anything she sets her mind to. I had the pleasure of meeting Krystal recently and I was blown away by all that she has achieved, but I was heartbroken to hear about Krystal's experience with the National Disability Insurance Agency. Under the scheme, Krystal has received support for both work and home. Her workplace support workers have helped her minimise risk by conducting site orientations at the many and varied places she travels to for work. She also received help with her children and for things like grocery shopping. Nothing too out of the ordinary there. But one day the NDIS reviewed her plan and decided that she was receiving too much support—that she didn't need this additional help. It wasn't necessary. She had, after all, decided to have children. And, outrageously, she has a guide dog, so why should she need a transport allowance? This started Krystal down a long and extremely upsetting path, fighting to have the support she needs and should be entitled to under a system that has been botched by those opposite. Because Krystal has taken the matter to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, she has been told that they won't give her the normal yearly review. She will have to cope with the money left in her plan, which just won't be enough. Krystal's hearing has continually been pushed back. She has had to get lawyers and seek help from advocates, all because she wants to maintain her current levels of support. This is just not good enough and should not be happening. But I guess that is what happens with a $1.6 billion underspend that even their Liberal colleagues in New South Wales are calling out. Tyson is a young man with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, which means he requires the use of a wheelchair. Tyson is studying at TAFE and his hobbies are information technology, such as web design and blogging. Tyson's main form of transport is a sedan that requires him to be lifted into the car by his father—lifted! The wheelchair is then pulled in a trailer. Tyson has applied for funding under his NDIS plan for a wheelchair-accessible van. However, he has been told that the scheme can only fund modifications to cars under two years old. At $40,000 Tyson just cannot afford this. I'm sure that is the case for so many; it is a huge ask. In Tyson's own words, the restrictions on his movements have left him unable to feel as though he is included in civic and community events and his capacity building moving forward is very limited. Heartbreaking. Cruel. Unnecessary. I wrote to the minister and was assured that the NDIA were working with Tyson on this issue, but Tyson has said this is simply not the case. The whole situation has been a terrible stress for Tyson and his father, who cares for him. And why? Why, when this government has cut so much, when we know there is money left over, are people like Tyson and Krystal having to fight a system that should be there to help them? The government wanted this review of the legislation and now they have it. They need to act quickly to lift the staffing cap on the NDIA. They need to properly fund the scheme and make sure it is working for those who need it. We need a kinder, caring system, or people like Krystal and Tyson will continue to be left behind and we will all lose the amazing contribution they can make in our communities. The cost of inaction is simply too high. 11:36 Mr ALEXANDER M3M Bennelong The NDIS is one of the great pieces of bipartisan legislation. Disability funding had never been properly envisaged or sustainably managed before the NDIS. But, from the day this came into force, the 2,129 people in Bennelong on the scheme have been able to look forward to certainty of funding, no matter who sits on the government benches. It is important to note that the system is not yet perfect and that we must always monitor the scheme to ensure it remains fit for purpose, is accessible to everyone who needs it and is able to fund the needs of participants. That is why the Tune review was so important and why this motion from the member for Maribyrnong is also timely. An independent review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act was promised at the last election. In January 2020 the minister for the NDIS, Stuart Robert MP, announced the release of the independent review of the NDIS Act by Mr David Tune AO PSM. The review's findings reaffirmed what many of us know: that while many participants have had excellent experiences and are benefiting from the scheme, others have had frustrations with wait times, complexity of process and a lack of understanding of their needs. The government will use the findings to update and clarify the legislation and remove barriers to a better NDIS. The response to the Tune review will be released shortly, along with an exposure draft of the legislation changes, so that NDIS participants and their families, carers and other stakeholders can provide feedback prior to finalising a bill for passage through the parliament. Furthermore, as part of the consultation phase of the Tune review, discussions were had across the country between late July 2019 and early November 2019. Mr Tune met with 17 national peak and representative organisations for people with disability, carers and disability service providers to hear issues of concern from their perspective. The NDIS Act review team received a total of 201 submissions—of which 152 were authorised to be made public—and 1,740 usable responses to the survey, and 15 community workshops were held across every state and territory. Across all engagement platforms, responses to the review were materially consistent, with attendees expressing a desire for faster processes and better service for participants. This is consistent with the terms of reference for the review, which were designed to examine issues driving negative experiences with the NDIS. Following the release of the report, the disability advocacy sector has welcomed the recommendations to provide more flexibility for participants. It's great to see that we are already making some progress on this. The latest quarterly report also demonstrates the backlog of children with disability accessing early intervention has been slashed over the last six months. As at 31 December 2019, the average wait time for children under six to get access has gone from 43 days last June to three days last December, while the wait time for children waiting for a plan has gone from 104 days in June to 44 days in December. These are excellent gains that mean more kids are getting help sooner. I was honoured to welcome the Minister for the NDIS, Stuart Robert, to Bennelong towards the end of last year. I was delighted to take him to one of Bennelong's organisations that we are most proud of—the great Royal Rehab in Ryde. This rehabilitation hospital, which, incredibly, turned 120 last year, has helped thousands of people every year to get a sense of normality back following a catastrophic accident. Getting Alex McKinnon back on his feet was one of the most public miracles, but he is just one of tens of thousands they have helped. It was a delight to be able to show off to the minister the cutting edge of rehabilitation and their wonderful facility and, more importantly, to be able to give them a voice directly to the minister so they can work out their concerns and give the minister firsthand demonstrations about how the scheme works within their supported independent living arrangements. As always, I would like to thank the CEO, Matt Mackay, and the chair, Tony Staveley, for their incredible work, as well as everybody who works in this amazing facility. 11:41 Mr GEORGANAS DZY Adelaide I welcome this private member's motion from the member for Maribyrnong because it is such an important issue. All of us are dealing with NDIS cases in our electorate offices every single day. When this program was first put to the parliament—Mr Deputy Speaker, you were there and you would remember the joy and the great hope we had that this would give people with disabilities the dignity that they deserve, give them the services we all take for granted every single day of our lives and give them perhaps some form of level playing field when it came to applying for jobs, caring for themselves and living their lives the best they can. But, unfortunately, that's not the case. Every single day of the week, we are contacted by constituents continuously telling us how frustrated they are about the delays and about the lack of transparency when they are asking questions about their plans. They need more support and they want more information. They feel that the NDIS is far too complex and difficult to navigate. These are the things that we hear every day. They also feel that they are not recognised as the experts in their own disability—after all, they are the experts when it comes to their disability. So the NDIA needs to work out plans that are best for those people and listen to the people who are seeking the services. We heard earlier that there have been 21 whole reviews, and we know that is because it is not working properly. Of course it won't work properly: when you pull $4.6 million out of its budget, how can it work properly? There was $4.6 billion ripped out of the guts of the NDIA to prop up the so-called future surplus of this government. So we ripped out $4.6 million from some of the most vulnerable people in our society—people who need the services more than anyone else. As I said, the NDIS was meant to give people with disability the assistance that is required, which we all take for granted. This is what it was meant to do. Here we have a government that just rips out $4.6 billion and hopes no-one notices. And it wasn't a good decision. At the same time, the government continues to keep programs that are costing billions of dollars for those who are in very different classes of the population such as multinationals that have shelf companies all around the place—''We won't touch them, but we'll rip $4.6 billion out of the most vulnerable budget that exists.' I have many examples of people contacting me and saying that they're waiting for days and months on end. For example, and just for a bit of background: Susan from my electorate contacted me. Her family is experiencing grave difficulties in acquiring a review for her son's plan. Whilst the family has the opportunity to discuss his needs at the annual review, that is a long way off—a long way off! Their circumstances are changing continually. They're speaking to coordinators and being told one thing and then they're being advised of something else. This child has severe autism and needs assistance. They know the assistance they're getting is nowhere near what's required. In another case, the family did their own independent review with their clinicians and therapists of how much would be required to look after their child with autism. It was in the vicinity of $70,000 a year. The NDIS was funding less than $15,000 for this particular child. That is a shortfall which is massive—it's nowhere near the services required for this particular person. I remember very clearly that I had a disability forum in my electorate back very early on in 2007, when Bill Shorten was the shadow minister for disability services. That was before anyone had even spoken about the NDIS, and people at that forum were telling us about an insurance scheme that could actually solve some of their issues for care. So we had great hope for this wonderful program—and it is a wonderful program. It is one of those programs that will assist people, but it won't do it when you rip out $4.6 billion from it. (Time expired) The DEPUTY SPEAKER DZP The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. National Disability Insurance Scheme 116 11:47 Dr MARTIN 282982 Reid I rise to speak on the motion moved by the member for Hughes on the health supports provided under the NDIS. The National Disability Insurance Scheme aims to see people with disabilities live life to their full potential. The scheme is a world first that is improving the quality of life for its participants. However, the Morrison government has acknowledged that there is still work to be done to make sure that the NDIS is functioning as intended to meet the needs of participants. Since the introduction of the NDIS, the Council of Australian Governments' Disability Reform Council has been committed to resolving outstanding challenges in the interaction between the NDIS and other service providers so that Australians with a disability receive the supports they need. Since last year, the Disability Reform Council has resolved a number of longstanding issues between the NDIS and the health system. The council agreed that the NDIS will fund disability related health supports where the support is required as a result of the participant's disability and will assist the participant to undertake activities of daily living. As a member of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, I have participated in public hearings where valuable feedback from the community will help to shape improvements to the scheme. Part of the function of the NDIS is to provide supports for people with a disability, and these new health supports have been introduced to assist participants to manage a range of needs. These include needs associated with continence; respiratory care; nutrition; wound and pressure care; dysphagia, diabetes, podiatry and epilepsy. Additional supports have been available from October last year. For an NDIS participant with dysphagia this means access to swallowing therapy and an oral eating-and-drinking-care plan to make mealtimes just that little bit easier. Those needing respiratory supports can now have access to a ventilator, air humidifier or cough assist machine to assist with breathing. The list of refundable supports is not exhaustive, and supports may be delivered in a range of ways. Disability related health supports can be delivered by suitably qualified and competent workers, which may include nurses and allied health professionals. The NDIA is working closely with the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to ensure participants who may be eligible for these supports have been included in their NDIS plans. The NDIA is also prioritising urgent and complex cases for plan reviews and has commenced working with known participants to ensure they have disability related health supports included in their plans. The NDIA has also been making proactive outbound calls to participants assessed as likely to require disability related health supports to inform them of the opportunity to include these supports in their NDIS plans. This has included contacting all urgent and complex cases that have been identified by the states and territories. Since January this year, approximately 5,145 of these calls have been made. Many participants have welcomed the call, as they were unaware of these changes. By embracing disability related health supports, the NDIS is upholding the principles of choice and control. This means the NDIS participants are at the centre of all decisions made about their plan. It will provide greater independence for participants in their everyday lives. Our government is continually reviewing the ways we can improve the NDIS. We want all participants to be able to access the services they need for quality and meaningful life. Since the election, the Morrison government has improved the NDIS, implementing longer plan durations for participants and their families, increased and more transparent pricing for providers and a new NDIS employment strategy. In our communities, the supports I have discussed today are complementary to the work of thousands of NDIS supporters. I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Aspire Early Intervention in Newington and the Differently Abled People Association in Homebush West, two organisations in my electorate of Reid who have each received $20,000 under the Transition Assistance Funding initiative. The NDIS has revolutionised how we are, as a nation, able to support Australians who are living with a disability, ensuring that they and their families have the resources they need to thrive. We will continue to improve the NDIS to ensure that all participants can have access to the supports and services that they need. 11:52 Dr FREELANDER 265979 Macarthur I rise to speak on the motion put forward by my electoral neighbour the member for Hughes. I know that, whilst he does have his faults, he has a deep and abiding interest and a personal involvement in disability, and I congratulate him on the work that he's done with disability organisations. I recently had the privilege of co-hosting an NDIS forum with the shadow minister for the NDIS, Bill Shorten; the shadow minister for carers, Emma McBride; and another neighbour of mine, the member for Werriwa, the inestimably good Anne Stanley. I would like to, first of all, thank my colleagues for coming to south-west Sydney and listening to the concerns of NDIS participants in my electorate of Macarthur. I'd also like to thank those participants and carers for attending the forum and giving us the privilege of listening to their personal stories. Hearing from participants themselves is invaluable and really is the only way in which we can identify how to make the NDIS better. As many in this place know, I've been involved in the care of children with disabilities for over 40 years. The NDIS, as already noted, is a revolutionary scheme and is to the credit of former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. We now have one of the most comprehensive systems for helping people with disability in the world. Credit goes to Julia Gillard and to many others. In June of last year, the Australian government's Disability Reform Council agreed to fund a range of disability related health supports in participants' plans. This was a long overdue reform and recommendation. My view about the NDIS is that it fails in many points because planners have not been trained in how to care for people with disabilities and, in particular, some of their medical needs. This includes things like incontinence aids such as nappies for children who are now teenagers or adults, and incontinence equipment; equipment required for gastrostomy feeding of people who can't feed themselves or swallow properly; other nutritional aids for people on special diets; and a whole range of medical things that are required for the care and, indeed, for the lives of many people with disabilities that I've been caring for. I commend the council's decision to fund these supports through the NDIS, but it is long, long overdue. Many of the participants I've spoken to in my electorate have found it very difficult to navigate gaining access to these supports through the health system in the past, and it became even worse with the advent of the NDIS. This is welcome reform, but long overdue. I do fear that the red tape and bureaucracy of the NDIS will hinder participants benefitting completely from some of these medical supports. Time and time again, constituents approach me about the ridiculous wait times to access decisions, reviews and plan implementation for things like wheelchairs or vehicles that are able to take wheelchairs and move participants from place to place. There are huge waits for this. We've heard of children with muscular dystrophy waiting years to get access to motorised wheelchairs. These are children who will die of their disease. It's just unfair to make them wait. Participants need to be the centre of all decisions in the NDIS, especially the funding of health supports that are required to provide them with a decent life. The NDIS was made for supporting people living with disabilities, but unfortunately the government has underspent by a large amount, and this is great shame, denying some of these much-needed aids to people with some of the most horrific disabilities that children can suffer from. The NDIS, in some ways, is taking away from the most vulnerable just to give the government a surplus. There are also concerns about how the NDIS is coping with organisations that are defrauding it. We know that there's poor oversight of this, and again this needs to be improved. The NDIS is a life-changing scheme and was designed to lift people up and provide essential support to those most in need. In many circumstances, it's failing its main objective. 11:57 Dr WEBSTER 281688 Mallee Since its introduction, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, NDIS, has been supporting people with disability to achieve their goals and live life to their full potential. I rise to support this motion and congratulate the Morrison-McCormack government and the Council of Australian Governments Disability Reform Council for working together to improve the NDIS so that Australians are able to access the support that they need. Since 1 October 2019, additional disability related health supports have been made available to purchase using NDIS funding. The NDIS is now funding specific disability related health supports where the supports are a regular part of the participant's daily life and the need for support results from a participant's disability. These supports are for participants who need help to manage a range of health matters, including those associated with continence, diabetes, dysphasia, epilepsy, podiatry, respiratory, nutrition, as well as wound and pressure care. The approach agreed to by the Disability Reform Council to fund these additional health related supports recognises that NDIS participants and their needs are at the centre of all government decisions. We are committed to getting this right for Australians who live with disability. The government is ensuring a process of continual improvement for the NDIS, which is why Minister Robert commissioned a review of the NDIS Act 2013. The independent review, commissioned by Minister Robert and undertaken by David Tune, reaffirmed that, while many participants have had excellent experiences and are benefitting from the scheme, others have had frustrations with wait times, complexity of processes, and a lack of understanding of their needs. This review has assisted the government in developing the participant service guarantee. The review identified opportunities to make NDIS processes simpler and more straightforward, and to remove legislative barriers to positive participant and provider experiences with the NDIS. The introduction of additional disability related health supports is another step toward delivering the government's plan for the NDIS. I'm committed to assisting Minister Robert in implementing the government's plan, which will ensure quicker access and quality decision-making, improved technology, equitable and consistent decisions, a financially stable NDIS and improved long-term outcomes for people who live with disability and for their families and carers. These changes will be instrumental to many people who are reliant on the disability related health services in their daily lives. By December 2019, there were close to 340,000 active participants in the NDIS across the country and over 130,000 people receiving disability supports for the first time—evidence that uptake of the program is strong. Another promising sign is that the diversity of participants in the NDIS is increasing. Of the 28,225 participants who joined the NDIS in the December quarter, there were more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, more culturally and linguistically diverse people and more people with psychosocial disability who entered the scheme than in previous quarters. This is a positive indication that the NDIS is working for all Australians, including those from disadvantaged or minority backgrounds. There are also over 2,600 participants in my electorate of Mallee and 210 registered NDIS providers. I've been speaking with participants and providers across my electorate, gaining an appreciation for the operation of the scheme and how it is benefiting regional Australians. I understand that the NDIS has been transformative for many people living with disability in my electorate, and I'm thankful that these people will now be able to purchase additional disability related health supports—for example, the development and review of clinical care and daily maintenance for respiratory support; the implementation of a nutritional meal plan; epilepsy seizure monitoring; or even consumables related to wound and pressure care, such as dressings, gauze and bandages. The NDIS is working for many thousands of people across the country, and these reforms will deliver outstanding benefits for many people. There are still challenges within the scheme that we have a duty to resolve, and I'm committed to working with the people of my electorate of Mallee to hear their stories, suggestions and feedback and to help in any way I can. 12:02 Ms SWANSON 264170 Paterson I welcome the opportunity to speak on the NDIS today, and I thank the member for Hughes for shining a light on the NDIS in this chamber, but I note the hypocrisy in a member of the Liberal-National coalition spruiking this scheme. I also want to pay tribute to my colleagues the member for Macarthur, who has just spoken on the NDIS, and the member for Oxley, who will be contributing on this private member's bill today. The NDIS provides packages of support to profoundly and severely impaired Australians, and it helps them to have some control over their lives, which was what this scheme was always about. It was an insurance scheme, insuring all of us, in fact, who might face some kind of disability. That was the key: to have choice and control—they were the two words coming from our peak bodies for the disability groups around Australia. For this to be achieved, the scheme needs to be funded appropriately. Last year, the Morrison government 'underspent'—it used that word—$4.6 billion on the NDIS, calling it an underspend by participants. I know that, in my electorate of Paterson alone, people have been crying out to have their plans adequately funded. They are certainly not saying that they can't spend the money and it is an outrageous claim to say that they are, especially for people who are desperate for packages and for their existing packages to be adequately funded. Chris Walker is an extraordinary human being. He is a grandfather from Raymond Terrace who is a tireless advocate for his two grandsons, Jordan and Logan Weir. These little boys have an extraordinarily complex and rare disease—in fact, they have an incredibly rare genetic condition—and, until October last year, under the scheme Jordan received $100,000 a year more than his brother, who has the identical condition. How is this possible? It took years and countless appeals for Logan to receive the same funding as his brother, though they have that same rare genetic condition. Indeed, the condition is so acute that they both require parenteral feeding. They don't have intestines. Their little bodies are just so incredibly complex. If it weren't for the love of their grandfather in particular and their broader family, their lives would be just indescribably difficult. In fact, they are now. My office has worked with Chris throughout this incredibly long and difficult journey to see justice for these really brave and inspirational little men. They're phenomenal. But it has been so frustrating, and at times the injustice has been palpable. Chris tells me it was almost a full-time job, as you can imagine—he's been constantly grinding away, working to advocate for his grandsons. Chris says: The boys both have the same condition – it's a rare disease and that adds to the problem because the planners don't understand the rare diseases. He's not the only one who's been working full time on this. I met Rachel Threadgate, from Abermain, a great little town, at an NDIS roundtable that I hosted with the shadow minister for regional services, Jason Clare, last year. Rachel's daughter, Ela, has been diagnosed with several disorders including autism spectrum disorder, hypermobility, anxiety and speech and language delay. Ela's NDIS plan has been reviewed several times and the results have been constantly disappointing. Rachel has followed the appropriate channels to have these reviews changed but has described the process as lengthy and ridiculous considering the review took as long as the new NDIS plan. In a recent email, Rachel wrote: I feel like we have jumped through every hoop they have asked us to, but it seems like we are getting nowhere. We even got a functional assessment done but it seems that it has made no difference to her funding … We have had to cut her psychologist visits and speech therapy and currently she is only doing occupational therapy, but not as often as we used to. We were informed by our LAC that we got a tough assessor and we just had to take what we were given. Bill Shorten also came and did a fantastic roundtable and forum with me, and we heard countless examples of this. But it gets down to the bottom line: the government needs to put their money where their mouth is and fund this scheme properly. (Time expired) 12:07 Mr THOMPSON 281826 Herbert I really want to take this opportunity to speak on this motion this morning because the NDIS is a very important issue in my electorate and around the country. I thank all members on both sides of the house for speaking on the NDIS, especially on this motion. Whilst there can be robust discussion from everyone on this issue, I think it is important that we work together to help our most vulnerable people around the nation, and I look forward to working with everyone to help these people. We know that there have been issues as this major initiative has been slowly but surely implemented, giving people with disabilities options. Let's remember that this has been about putting people's care in their own hands. No-one knows what someone needs better than themselves. While we can always do better and we will continue to improve, I want to highlight a couple of things that have been happening in this space in my electorate of Herbert. It was three years ago now that the permanent home of the NDIS was officially opened in Townsville. This was a major step forward in helping locals get the assistance they need to transition onto the scheme. At the time, the National Disability Insurance Agency regional manager for North Queensland said the Townsville office would play a vital role in supporting North Queenslanders to access the NDIS, and this has definitely been the case. The new office allows participants to come in and meet face-to-face during the planning and plan review, and members of the community have the opportunity to come in and talk about any general inquiries they may have. In addition to the service delivery, they also run provider and participant engagement activities in corporate services out of the new office to support the NDIS rollout across Queensland's northern region. There are 80 NDIA staff and the centre provides support to NDIS service centres across Queensland's northern region in Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Mt Isa and Cairns. I'd like to acknowledge local providers Feros Care and Uniting Care for their work with the Townsville community. Feros Care recently advised my office that they'll be working with local health professionals, including GPs, to ensure they achieve the best possible outcomes for participants and their families. On the numbers, the NDIS supports about 18,000 people with disability across North Queensland, injecting up to $840 million into local economy and creating additional 3,150 full-time equivalent jobs for the region. More importantly than that, the NDIS assists the most vulnerable people in our community to live their best life and allows carers to access support services and provide hope to those who most need it. Our aim with this scheme is to provide support for people with disability, their families and carers, throughout Australia. All Australians under the age of 65 with a permanent and significant disability will have the reasonable and necessary support they need to live their lives. I want to acknowledge the work of the Council of Australian Governments Disability Reform Council, which has been helping shape the improvements as we work towards making the scheme deliver on its goals as best possible. The NDIS is such an important mechanism to help support people. Like I said at the start, it's good we have robust discussion but we should all be working together to help our most vulnerable people. Honourable members interjecting— Mr THOMPSON 281826 And it's great to see the members interjections, but I really do stand here with an open heart going, 'We should work together and we should discuss it.' An honourable member: And open your wallet. Mr THOMPSON 281826 The member opposite interjects: 'And open your wallet.' While it might be funny for the other side to interject, I find the NDIS something extremely serious that we should be discussing and we should be working together on, not just interjecting with comments like, 'open your wallet' and 'just go fund it'. That doesn't help the people who need it; all it does is just divide people once again. But that's what we see countless times from the other side. I'd like to finish by saying that anyone who has found difficulty with the NDIS and the NDIA in my electorate of Herbert, please contact my office and I'll work closely with them and the minister's office to help out where we can. 12:12 Mr DICK 53517 Oxley We just heard a lot of rubbish from the member of Herbert saying the NDIS is important; the NDIS should be treated with respect. What he should be doing in this chamber is apologising to the tens of thousands of Australians who are being short-changed by his government. Enough of the platitudes, enough of the wishy-washy language and hushed tones, how about you start apologising to the tens of thousands of Australians who are being ripped off by this LNP government? It is not good enough. We know when he says, 'It's not about money,' he's kind of right because we know there is a $4.1 billion underspend. An honourable member: It is a $4.6 billion underspend. Mr DICK 53517 We have a $4.6 billion underspend for some of the most vulnerable Australians. So don't come in here, member for Herbert—through you, Madam Deputy Speaker—and start saying 'it's important' and 'we value the NDIS' and 'it's the Australians who need it'. Yes, they do, so just start funding it. The federal government underspend on NDIS has been commented on a lot. I want to read a couple of quotes into the record. This is from the Liberal minister for New South Wales on disabilities: I want to make sure that money doesn't sit in a bank account offsetting the Commonwealth's budget, which is what it's doing. … I want to see it improving the lives of people. In an extraordinary attack, the New South Wales government has argued the $1.6 billion underspend on the National Disability Insurance Scheme was being used to prop up a budget surplus. So all those coffee cups you see with 'Back in Black'—which have now been hidden away—is this rotten government not spending the money. Don't take it from me; don't take from the shadow minister; take it from the New South Wales Liberal Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services. If you're not going to start listening to the clients, the tens of thousands of Australians who have been ripped off, how about you talk to your Liberal colleagues? Because they're blowing the whistle on this. The last budget revealed a $1.6 billion underspend in the NDIS, which boosted the federal government's bottom line for the 2019-20 financial year. How dare those opposite come in here and say they're funding the NDIS. How dare you come in here wanting to be complimented and patted on the back for the shameful job that you're doing! Mr Thompson interjecting— Mr DICK 53517 Look, they're now feigning innocence and saying, 'No, I didn't say anything at all.' I will attack every single member of this rotten government that is holding to ransom some of the most vulnerable Australians—and he's laughing now, Madam Deputy Speaker. Mr Thompson interjecting— Mr DICK 53517 Now he's interjecting, saying that this should go on social media. I'll tell you what I will put on social media: the record of my local residents that the member for Maribyrnong has come to my electorate—I'll tell you how good your minister is: I've written to him three times—three times—and guess how many times he's responded to me? Zero. How about you put that in your pipe and smoke it and take it back there. And if the minister or his minions are watching today, please answer the correspondence on behalf of my residents. The member for Maribyrnong came to my electorate, one of the first things he did after the election, and met with dozens and dozens of parents who are struggling under your scheme. So we followed that up, but time after time it has been ignored by this government. Well, I'm sick of it and so are the residents in my electorate. I want to read into the record the story of Ethan Boyd. Ethan is an 18-year-old who suffers from muscular dystrophy and requires a wheelchair full time. He required a repair to his wheelchair in January 2018 and was funded an emergency payment. He had issues uploading the paperwork—don't get me started on the paperwork today, Madam Deputy Speaker—onto the online portal, and once he made contact he didn't hear back from them. So this is a young man who requires a pretty significant wheelchair to move around in the community so that he can attend sport and so that he can go on outings with his other brothers and his mum, who does a fantastic job looking after Ethan and her family. He made contact with my office in May 2018 and we began the long process of helping Ethan get his all-terrain wheelchair so that he wasn't immobile. He was entitled to this wheelchair. He was funded for the wheelchair. He was denied the wheelchair because of the incompetence of this government and the NDIA. The long drawn-out process took over 12 months to finally come through, leaving a distressed family and a young member of my community unable to have independence and support to live with his disability. Now, I've met his mum, I've met Ethan; they are great people. All they wanted was a fair go, just as every single person with a disability in this country wants a fair go under the NDIS. Built by Labor; being destroyed by the Morrison government. (Time expired) The DEPUTY SPEAKER DZP The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. CONDOLENCES 121 CONDOLENCES Cain, Hon. John 121 12:17 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin I move: That this House expresses its sincere sorrow at the death of the Honourable John Cain, and acknowledges his extraordinary contribution to public life and to the State of Victoria, in particular as Premier from 1982 to 1990. On 3 February, St Paul's Cathedral was overflowing with people united in grief and in gratitude for the life of John Cain—a big life well lived. As Daniel Andrews, one of his successors as Victorian Premier, has said, 'Grief for the passing of a great man, dear friend and beloved family member, a familiar presence to so many Victorians still—especially to those of us who spent time around String Street where he continued to work, to serve right until the very end—and in gratitude for all that he did and how he went about it.' John Cain remade both Victorian Labor and Victoria, and his influence of course extends further than this. Without John Cain, I believe there would not, could not, have been a Hawke government. His confidence in and passionate commitment to the Labor cause should not be overlooked in paying tribute to his work. For more than 60 years he fought for a party that was as good in itself as in its great mission to secure a more just society. Michael Duffy, in his eulogy made this clear, and his words resonated with me. In almost every conversation I enjoyed with John, he pressed me on what I was doing to carry on this vital work. John Cain was elected to the Victorian parliament as the member for Bundoora in 1976 and as Premier in 1982. He won three successive elections before resigning as Premier in 1990. The Cain government broke open a stale society and economy in Victoria, and in particular its work laid the foundations for the vibrant, exciting world city that Melbourne is today. He fought for equality, democracy, equity and progress, and won the argument for each of these. He fought for the rights of workers, of women, to protect our natural environment, for citizens to access government information and to have confidence in the independent administration of justice and of elections. He fought for a more open economy, as well as society, and for everyone to get to share in the benefits of both. He fought for us to look confidently out to the world and to present ourselves to it. That included, of course, every January at the tennis centre, at the centre of Melbourne's sporting precinct. This remains a fitting monument to John Cain's ambition and to his vision. These things—these achievements—can be reduced to a list, but the whole of the achievements has been proven to be so much more than the sum of the individual parts. That's because it is simply impossible to think of Victoria today without paying tribute to John Cain. It's that simple and that stark. When he stepped down as Premier, John Cain didn't leave the parliament immediately. He continued to represent the people of Bundoora right up to the 1992 election. And from then he continued in his understated way to make his contribution. This was when I first met John. It's said that you shouldn't meet your heroes, and John Cain was one of mine, but I am so deeply grateful for every minute I spent with John—often over coffee at Old Treasury, in his office. To feel that I was worth his time was an honour, and to have the chance to listen to him, whether through pointed but very polite questions or carefully framed advice, was a peerless political education. Today, when we lament the decline in trust in politics we generally look to the circumstances driving the changes in society, media and so on. But we should think more about standard setting and follow the example that John set—or seek to, at least. I suspect that very few possess his qualities of selflessness, devotion to duty and unbending rectitude, and kindness too. John Cain's example shows that kindness and decency aren't synonyms for weakness; indeed, quite the reverse. Many people disagreed with John Cain's politics, of course, but I've not encountered anyone who wasn't impressed with his integrity, his work ethic and his deep and unending commitment to public service. He's a Labor hero, but a role model for all in public life. He lived his values every day. If we were all a little more like John Cain in how we conducted ourselves, our politics and our nation too would be in much, much better shape. So it is fitting that he should be remembered in this place, our national parliament, as well as in Victoria. In reflecting on the friendship, the generosity and the encouragement that I was so privileged to enjoy through my brief relationship with John Cain, my thoughts turn to those who always mattered most—to John's family. To his wife, Nancye, and their children, Joanne, John and James, I say thank you for sharing with Victoria and Australia this great and wonderful man. I extend to you all of my sympathies. Vale, John Cain. The DEPUTY SPEAKER DZP Is the motion seconded? 12:22 Mr SHORTEN 00ATG Maribyrnong I second the motion. With the passing of John Cain we lost a great Victorian and a great Australian. I was privileged to attend his funeral in Melbourne last month with my wife Chloe. It was at St Paul's Cathedral in the heart of Melbourne. You could hear the trams ringing their bells outside, and there was a full congregation who came to say farewell. It got me thinking: what did Australians think of when they heard of John's passing? It may be the case, perhaps, that some young people and people outside of Victoria may never have heard much about John Cain. When a person dies, the complexity of their life is often lost to simplicity: big, complicated lives and moments get reduced to a handful of lines. I think that people likely know two facts about John Cain: that his father, also John Cain, had also been Premier; and that when John, in 1982, brought the Labor Party in Victoria back to government after 27 years in the wilderness, his was the first Victorian Labor government since the one led by his father. I remember that his election in 1982 created a sense of change. I was in year 10, walking to school on the Monday afterwards, and I got a sense that things were going to happen in Victoria. Indeed, the Victoria of my childhood, the one that I grew up in, was very different to the one of today. It's a matter of record that in the year I was born my home state was still hanging criminals and that in my school years the Victoria Racing Club had male-only memberships and lines painted on the ground that women were not allowed to cross. Today the Victorian capital is a modern cosmopolitan metropolis. It's a cultural and sporting destination—the envy of all other cities in the nation. Demographers tell us Melbourne's population will soon exceed Sydney's, if it hasn't already; by that, I mean the Australian Bureau of Statistics includes the Central Coast in its definition of Greater Sydney but leaves Geelong out of its definition of Greater Melbourne. If you remove the Central Coast, Melbourne already has 75,000 more people than Sydney. But this wasn't inevitable. The Victorian capital and broader state were transformed from a place of shuttered-in conservatism that closed down on the weekend to a vibrant and eclectic world city. Much of the success was due to the work of John Cain and his formidable team, including Rob Jolly, Steve Crabb, Evan Walker, David White and many more—Kay Setches and Joan Kirner. During the first term of his government, Cain introduced educational and environmental law reforms. He extended Saturday shop trading hours, nightclub hours and hotel hours. He even allowed VFL to be played on Sundays. We tend to get two types of premiers in Victoria: the settlers and the pioneers. John Cain was certainly in the latter category. I had the privilege of seeing his style of government up close as a young adviser to another talented member of his third ministry, Neil Pope. Cain was kindly and mild mannered to all comers. His style, though, hid from public view not only his razor sharp intellect and wicked sense of humour but also a toughness. He forced the Melbourne Cricket Club and the VRC to accept women as full members and told the VRC to remove their notorious lines on the ground if they ever wanted to see another dollar of support from the state government. He was re-elected in 1985, becoming the first Labor government to win that honour—though not the last, because he won again in 1988. We know that third term to be the toughest: the economy turned, and Pyramid and the Victorian Economic Development Corporation collapsed. When Cain couldn't get the caucus to back him on what he saw as the necessary economic measures, he stood down on principle. The summary of his government was characteristically pithy: 'We appointed a few dills but we weren't crook.' Today Labor enjoys government in Victoria. Premier Daniel Andrews is very much in that John Cain mold of a pioneer, quietly progressing the state's to-do list. The state has been the beneficiary of the Bracks-Brumby years, and, without seeking to tempt fate, it is fair to say that Labor is now the pioneering party of government in the garden state. This is John Cain's legacy: turning Labor, after 27 years in the wilderness, the sectarian issues of the dispute and the fears of obsolescence, into the pioneering party of government through sheer hard work, sheer determination and a fair dose of cunning. He was a husband to Nancye, a father to John, James and Joanne and of great support to me in my time as Labor leader. Thank you, John, for making Victoria the state it is today. Rest in peace. 12:28 Ms THWAITES 282212 Jagajaga The people of Melbourne's north-east have carried heavy hearts since the passing of Victoria's 41st Premier, the Hon. John Cain. Jagajaga was his home, and since his passing locals have been keen to pay their respects, share their memories and show their love and support for John's wife, Nancye, and his family. The thing locals always loved about John Cain was that his leadership always reflected his thorough decency and his integrity. He was never one for pomp and ceremony or perks of the office. The thing that made John Cain so remarkable to locals in Jagajaga and to local Labor branch members was just how accessible and down to earth he always was. They would often say that, considering the man had a bronze statue in Treasury Place, his keenness to offer his time was remarkably selfless. He would do his letterboxing during election campaigns for the local member and he'd talk to other campaign workers and offer words of advice. His commitment to our local area never waned. Everyone seems to have a story or a recollection of talking to him. My John Cain story is of being a young girl growing up in the area. One Saturday afternoon our phone rang and I answered it. The voice on the other end announced himself as John Cain and asked to speak to my father, who at that time was a local councillor. I had great trouble trying to convince my father that it really was the Premier on the phone and not me having mucked it up. John Cain was calling to follow up on a discussion they'd been having about some local bike paths—again, a demonstration of his dedication to his work at all levels. Our local state members will tell you that having John Cain on your booth on election day was a vote magnet, as people lined up to take a how-to-vote card from him, and our opponents were always happy when John left the polling booth. He had such a great regard for those long-term local party members who had worked on past campaigns for him—and Brian and Ellen Smiddy certainly come to mind when I think of this. He was there to provide frank and fearless advice to me as the new federal member for Jagajaga, as he'd done for Jenny Macklin before me and all of our state members over the years. John Cain was always quick to let us know when he thought we needed to lift our game. He spoke strongly always of loyalty to party, to our members, to the cause and above all to the voters that we're elected to serve, and his advice had to be respected. After all, he revolutionised Victorian Labor. He thrust the party into a new age after decades on the opposition benches. He set us up as a credible party of government in Victoria, and it's fair to say that his successors paved the way for the success that Victorian Labor has had ever since. His legacy to the people of Victoria will stand the test of time, and it's been well canvassed by many on both sides of politics and by my colleagues today. But his local legacy to people in Jagajaga is something that I'd like to further reflect on. He was a driving force behind the establishment of the West Heidelberg Community Legal Service, which he was patron of for many years. The legal service is now part of the Banyule Community Health service, and it continues to be there for those who need it most: people who would often otherwise face further debts, alienation or trouble in their lives. John was a strong advocate of the need to protect neighbourhood character across our community. His long-term work with our state members of parliament and the Victorian Minister for Planning ultimately led to the securing of mandatory height controls in Banyule, and this had the effect of ensuring integrity, accountability and transparency of planning decisions in our community, attributes that John Cain stood for across his work. In recent times, John also expressed a strong desire to see a renewed purpose for the John Cain Memorial Park, which is named after his father, as a sport and recreational centrepiece in the northern suburbs. John was always around the traps on these matters, talking to me, to other local members and to members of our community. On behalf of the Ivanhoe ALP branch, of which John was a member for so many years, and the communities across Jagajaga, I once again express my deepest condolences to John's wife, Nancy, and their children, John, James and Joanne, and their families. Vale, John Cain. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 198084 There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS 124 PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Medicare 124 12:33 Mr CONNELLY 282984 Stirling It's a real pleasure to rise today and just provide a little reminder of something that I sense that many Australians, at times, can take for granted. Of course, I'm speaking about the wonderful system of Medicare. In our wallets, we carry around with us a little green card, and on that Medicare card are listed our names and the names of those who are dearest to us. Should we need any medical assistance, it's wonderful to know that we have that safety net available. I was one of six children, so, when I first got my name on a Medicare card, there were eight members of the family in total. I was roughly in the middle, so you can imagine, Mr Deputy Speaker, my excitement when I had a wife and a family of my own and I thought, 'This is great; I'm finally going to move up the card.' So I sat there with my wife and we were doing the paperwork for the card, and of course my wife said, 'No, honey, I'm going to be No. 1 on the card.' I should have noted that as a sign of things to come in our relationship, but of course my lovely wife Peta is No. 1. I know we can't really use props, but there's the wife at No. 1 and the rest of us further down the card. It's wonderful, as I said, to know that this safety net exists. People right across Australia, including all of the families and individuals in the wonderful electorate of Stirling in Western Australia, where I'm from, take comfort in this system. More Australians are now seeing doctors without having to pay them than ever before. In fact, nine out of 10 visits to a GP are free. The Liberal-National government has guaranteed the long-term future of Medicare. Our Medicare Guarantee Act guarantees Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme via legislation. The Medicare Guarantee Fund, established in 2017-18, ensures Medicare has the first call on income taxes each and every year. We're increasing the Medicare funding every year—up from $19½ billion in 2012-13 to $26.1 billion in the current financial year and up to $30.7 billion in 2022-23. That is funding to ensure we can continue to provide individuals and families the great comfort that comes with knowing Medicare is a safety net that is there for all of us. This government has also increased the Medicare rebate for important diagnostic services like X-ray imaging and ultrasounds. This ultimately reduces the cost to patients. Patients made 136½ million bulk billed GP visits in 2018-19. This is up by more than three million GP visits on the previous financial year. I have found some particularly interesting statistics which demonstrate just how heavily Australians rely on the Medicare system. In a report released in August 2018 the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that more than half of all patients—11 million people—incurred no out-of-pocket expenses for non-hospital Medicare services in 2015-17. That is an impressive statistic indeed. In that same financial year, the vast majority of patients—18 million, or 82.4 per cent—were bulk billed for more than half of their visits to their GP. I am also pleased that this government has really taken steps to recover a lot of the elements of Medicare that fell along the wayside under Labor's previous record. In fact, Labor had started a freeze that we ended. Labor had stopped listing medicines whereas we guaranteed the listing of medicines. The indexation of the Medicare Benefits Schedule, which this government introduced, is delivering an additional $1.7 billion, including 90 per cent of diagnostic imaging items, for Medicare services. Medicare funding is up—from $19 billion under Labor to $25 billion per year in 2018-19, $26 billion in 2019-20 and expanding out to $29 billion in 2021-22 under the coalition government. 12:38 Mr GORMAN 74519 Perth I love Medicare. When you are facing a global pandemic, I think every Australian would recognise just how lucky we are to have a public health system that allows all Australians to access health care regardless of their income or station in life. It is something we are truly lucky to have. As we are talking about current health challenges, I want to take this opportunity to thank all the health professionals who are protecting and helping people suffering from the coronavirus. Thank you to the doctors and nurses, the orderlies and the cleaners. Cleaners are the unsung heroes of our health system. Without cleaners you don't have a hospital, you just have a disease factory. Thank you to everyone in our hospitals who works to makes sure everyone in our hospitals is fed and thank you to everyone who works in hospital administration. My grandmother Pat worked in hospital admin at the Charlie Gairdner hospital in Perth for many, many years. It takes a village to run a hospital, and I want to thank every single person who is probably working a little more than they would have expected as a result of some of the health challenges our nation and the world faces. As a child, I was a chronic asthmatic. I was in and out of hospital more times than my parents can count. They probably broke most of the traffic codes rushing me to and from hospital at different times. I'm so grateful that as a child I grew up under Medicare, that I grew up in Bob Hawke's Australia. I believe that Medicare is one of Australia's greatest public policy achievements. It is, in my view, more Australian that Vegemite. It's something that didn't have an easy start in life—poor Medicare—and it is something that we have had to fight to defend, time and time again. I'm going to go through some of the history of Medicare. In 1975, the Whitlam government introduced Medibank, described by then health minister Bill Hayden as 'the most equitable and efficient means of providing health insurance coverage for all Australians'. But then from 1976 till 1983 we saw systematic destruction of the Medibank system by the Fraser government. In 1978 they made health insurance optional, effectively ending universal health care. Medibank Private was set up. Hospital agreements with the states and territories were ripped up and bulk-billing was restricted to just pension card holders. Thankfully, in 1983 the Hawke Labor government, as one of its first acts, began rebuilding the Medicare system and on 1 February 1984 restored Australia's universal healthcare system. This motion has some interesting facts in it. The member for Stirling earlier mentioned facts and how important they are. I note that the member for Stirling failed to mention the five-year Medicare freeze that his government instituted. We also know that, while the member for Lyne has told us that 86.2 per cent of GP services are bulk-billed, the Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners have themselves told us that these figures are misleading. They're calculated on services rather than on patients. A more honest figure is the one provided by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners suggesting closer to 66 per cent of GP patient consultations are bulk-billed. The Department of Health's own data shows that in 2018-19 just 52.7 per cent of patients in the Perth electorate were bulk-billed when they visited their GP. Surveys show that only 23 per cent of GPs bulk-bill all their patients and that figure is going down and down and down. When we think about the sorts of things that happen when people can't afford to visit their GP, it might mean that they actually end up costing our health system more, something that could have really catastrophic effects as we face global pandemics like the coronavirus. I will never let this government forget that in the 2014 budget of cuts and charges of the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government—and I'll give Joe Hockey an honourable mention as well—they attempted to introduce a $7 co-payment for GP visits. That was a terrible idea. It wasn't means-tested; it would have captured all patients. It would have captured children, pensioners, the chronically ill and people on Newstart. It was a terrible idea, all because of an ideological obsession with sending a price signal. We know that the privatisation agenda of this government doesn't stop when it comes to sending price signals, to Medicare freezes, or to co-payments. We've just recently seen the government thankfully back down on their plans to privatise the Aged Care Assessment Team process— (Time expired) 12:43 Ms FLINT 245550 Boothby I want to thank and acknowledge my colleague the member for Lyne for moving this motion. I'm very pleased to speak in support of it today. The Morrison government has an unwavering commitment to Medicare and has demonstrated this commitment by guaranteeing its long-term future through legislation. Through the Medicare Guarantee Act, providing funding for Medicare, along with the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, will now be the top priority for any government into the future. We know why this is necessary. It is because, under those opposite, Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, our hospitals funding and bulk-billing really did not keep up with the expectations of the Australian people. That's why we have acted to make sure that all of these services are properly funded. We are increasing Medicare funding every year, up from $19.5 billion in 2012-13, to $26.1 billion in 2019-20, to $30.7 billion in 2022-23. Increased funding has turned into better health outcomes for patients. More Australians than ever are visiting the GP, with no out-of-pocket expense. Over 136 million free GP services were delivered last year, an astonishing figure, and 30 million more services than when the Labor Party were in government. This translates to a bulk billing rate of 86.2 per cent, up from Labor's 82.1 per cent when in government. The rate of bulk-billing for specialist attendances has also increased. Important diagnostic services, including ultrasound and X-ray imaging have seen Medicare rebates increased under the Morrison government, bringing down costs to patients. Reducing the payment required for these essential services helps in bringing down the cost of living for all Australians. Despite what you may hear from those opposite, Medicare has no better friend than the Morrison government. An important part of our Medicare system is the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The PBS plays a significant role in the treatment patients receive following their visit to a GP, specialist or hospital. It allows affordable medicines to be accessed by every single Australian, the costs of which would otherwise be astronomical and completely unaffordable for so many people. Since we on this side came to government, nearly 2,300 medicine listings worth around $10.9 billion have been added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme—that is, 2,300 medicines which may have been out of reach for most Australians otherwise. These recently added medicines help people suffering from cancer, heart disease, epilepsy, spinal muscular atrophy and severe asthma. Through these additions, we have provided 3,000 women, for example, with breast cancer access to the drugs Ibrance and Kisqali, which, without the PBS, would have incurred an annual cost of $55,000 and $71,820 respectively. By subsidising Spinraza, Australian families are being spared having to spend $367,850 per year to care for their children with spinal muscular atrophy. This is genuinely life-changing stuff. In stark contrast, unfortunately, during the last Labor government, we witnessed the unprecedented deferral of medicines, and the government at the time said: 'The listing of some medicines would be deferred until fiscal circumstances permit.' The Morrison government, in comparison, understands that funding the PBS is vital for all Australians and that the only way for us to do this is through a strong economy. Only a coalition government can deliver an economy that allows us to not only fund medicines currently on the PBS but to continue to grow the scheme into the future. There is also under the Morrison government record funding for public hospital services, which will see an increase from $13.3 billion in 2012-13 to more than $29 billion in 2024-25. Our new five-year national health reform agreement will deliver $31 billion in additional public hospital funding from 2021 to 2024-25. This means more hospital services, more doctors and more nurses. We know that the most pressing health concerns for Australians change over time. As new technologies and treatments are brought into the system, issues that were once seen as a top health priority may no longer have such an impact on local communities and this is why we have developed the Medicare Benefits Schedule review. We want to make sure that taxpayers' hard-earned money is being spent exactly where it needs to be to deliver the most benefit for those most in need. I just want to say again that the Medicare system provides all Australians with world-class health care and I'm very proud that the Morrison government is supporting. 12:48 Ms CLAYDON 248181 Newcastle Labor is the party of Medicare. We created it and we will fight to the death to protect it. But on the other side, there has been equal and opposite vehemence against public investment in health. In 1975, the Whitlam government made the historic introduction of universal health care to ensure that your access to health care was never to be determined by your postcode or your bank account. Since then, whenever we've had a coalition government in power, the principle of universal health care has always been under siege. The Fraser government axed Medibank in 1981, only to have it restored as Medicare by the Hawke Labor government. Then opposition leader John Howard went to the 1987 election promising to continue the Liberals' attacks and a return to the user-pay system, only to be cowed into submission by the clear message that voters sent. However, the next Liberal government, the Abbott government, returned to form with the ongoing Medicare freeze and any number of short-sighted plans to impose a co-payment on patients. The next Prime Minister was Malcolm Turnbull, who removed incentives for bulk-billing in pathology and radiology. And he continued the Medicare freeze on top of $57 million worth of cuts to hospitals, which brings us to today. The Morrison government, like every other Liberal government that preceded it, is no friend of Medicare. Indeed, Scott Morrison decided to kick off 2020 with a fresh round of cuts to Medicare's bulk-billing. Newcastle is one of the 14 areas he has targeted. The government encourages GPs to bulk-bill vulnerable patients by paying them for each time they bulk-bill. It's called a bulk-billing incentive payment. In my home city, of Newcastle, and in the neighbouring towns of Maitland and Kurri Kurri, Scott Morrison has slashed this payment, which is estimated to cost our region as much as $7 million. I have met with a number of local GPs and Hunter primary care representatives to discuss the impacts of these cuts. They warned me that some GPs will have to stop bulk-billing children, pensioners and other concession payments, or close their doors entirely. I have also received extensive correspondence from my constituents, and I'd like to put some of their concerns on the record today. Firstly, I heard from Dr W, who, as a GP, knows better than most just how damaging these cuts will be. In her email to me, Dr W summed up the problem perfectly when she said: Having access to primary care without cost to a patient who would otherwise be unable to afford care is one of the pillars of a sound and well-functioning health system. This aspect of the rural health strategy is robbing Peter to pay Paul, at a time when General Practice is already under substantial funding pressures. These sentiments were echoed by Dr G, who said: Our business is a local employer, and provides a vital function to the community. We also ease the congestion experienced at our hospitals by providing the first line triage. This latest change will significantly reduce our capacity to perform this role as we will have to reduce our staff numbers to keep the doors open. Or there was Mr C from New Lambton, who also wrote to me to say: There will be new sneaky cuts to Doctors in 2020 that will in effect, cut most if not all Bulk Billing in the Hunter and Newcastle areas. Surely this is about an attack on the Medicare system to reduce it bit by bit, and finally achieve what they set out to do a few years back. I hope that you and the Labor Party can do something to stop these cuts along with keeping the Liberal Party to account. Well, Mr C, I will do my absolute best. I have written to the minister about this on many occasions. I have repeatedly urged him to reverse this damaging change and to stop disadvantaging my community. Soon, I will launch a broader community campaign against these cuts. In the meantime, I've set up a petition on my website, and I encourage anyone who is concerned about the Liberals' ongoing attacks on Medicare to register their opposition by signing it. Labor will always fight to protect vulnerable Australians and will always fight to protect Medicare. 12:53 Ms LIU 282918 Chisholm I rise to support the motion put to this House that the coalition government's commitment to a strong Medicare is unwavering. This is truly reflected in this year's record funding levels. There is much to celebrate when discussing the government's health achievements, and I will briefly outline some of this government's achievements. We can celebrate that the Medicare bulk-billing rate remained high in 2018-19. This can be seen firsthand in my electorate of Chisholm, with the GP bulk-billing rate at 84 per cent. In fact, 833,759 GP visits were bulk-billed in Chisholm. This is staggering when we realise there were 145,000 more bulk-billed GP visits in Chisholm than in Labor's last year in government. I would like to note that all this simply would not have been possible without the record level of funding given to Medicare in 2018-19. The coalition committed $24.1 billion in 2018-19, which was an increase of 3.5 per cent in benefits paid. There have been increases in the specialist attendances bulk-billing rate, up to 31.4 per cent. This is a great achievement and should be celebrated. The GP non-referred attendance bulk-billing rate is also up. It is currently sitting at 86 per cent. However, best of all, there has also been a total improvement in the Medicare bulk-billing rate, which now sits at 79 per cent. This is a great credit to the coalition government and reflects our commitment to Medicare. I would like to take this opportunity to speak about a report released in August 2018 by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. This report found that more than half of all patients incurred no out-of-pocket expenses in 2016-17. This is a fantastic achievement and is tangibly making a real difference to the communities in Chisholm. I am fortunate that my electorate office is located in the same building as a medical centre that bulk-bills. Regularly, I bump into my constituents when walking in and out of the office. I am often told of the high-quality care that they receive at the SIA Burwood Medical Centre. I have personally visited this centre and can attest to their professionalism. Bulk-billing facilities like these ensure that my constituents can receive prompt medical treatment with little to no out-of-pocket expenses. Let me also take this opportunity to mention the opening hours of the SIA Burwood Medical Centre. They are open from 8.30 in the morning to 11 at night every weekday, and slightly shorter hours on Saturday and Sunday. This is truly amazing and means that, no matter when, there is a GP available. These incredible achievements are made possible by a coalition government. They are made possible because we are the only party that can balance the budget and make sure the money is there to fund Medicare. Let us not forget that, when in government, Labor refused to list life-saving drugs because, put simply, they did not have the money. Labor will always claim the moral high ground when it comes to health care, but, when push comes to shove, it is the coalition that backs Medicare and makes sure the money is there. I want to thank the member for Lyne for bringing this motion to the House. I wholeheartedly support it. Making sure Australians have access to affordable health care is a commitment of this government, and we are delivering on that commitment. 12:58 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland It is utter hypocrisy from the Liberals to move this motion, and the last contribution from the member for Chisholm was mendacity incarnate. It was a mendacious contribution that bore little resemblance to reality. The truth is that the health of Australians is the No. 1 priority for Labor members of parliament, and the health of my community in Shortland is at risk due to the changes to Medicare that came into effect earlier this year. The Liberal Party abolished Medicare when it came to power in 1975 and took, to three separate collections in the eighties and nineties, a policy to abolish Medicare. The only change now is that they do it by slices rather than outright abolition. The GP tax was one example of their attempts to kill Medicare. We saw it only this year. On 1 January, the Morrison government cut bulk-billing incentives to doctors in the Hunter region and 13 other regions throughout Australia, making it harder for doctors to bulk-bill even those who need it most. Notices have gone up in doctors' surgeries saying they'll no longer be able to bulk-bill, and others have put up their fees. This isn't the fault of doctors or medical centres; this cut is simply one of many to Medicare by Liberal governments over the years. The electorate of Shortland already has low bulk-billing rates. Less than 60 per cent of people are routinely bulk-billed, meaning two in five people in Shortland must pay every time they see a doctor. When they do pay, they are $37, on average, out of pocket for every visit, an increase of 38 per cent since 2013. If you have the misfortune of having to visit a specialist, it's even worse. Four out of five people aren't bulk-billed when they see a specialist, and the average out-of-pocket expense is $80. The cuts to Medicare bulk-billing centres will only make matters worse for my region. Unfortunately, the Lower Hunter combines some of the lowest bulk-billing rates with some of the highest rates of disadvantage. Windale and Mount Hutton are amongst the most disadvantaged communities in Australia, with particularly high levels of children living in poverty. People living in these communities cannot afford to pay to see a doctor. Those who are already paying to see a doctor cannot afford to pay more. When people can't afford to go to the doctor, they do one of two things: they go home and suffer in silence, or they go to the hospital room and clog up our emergency departments, which is a much more expensive form of treatment. For those who go home, if their illness gets worse and they then present to hospital, that is much more expensive than seeing a primary healthcare provider, a GP. I've been inundated with calls on this issue from people in my electorate—constituents such as an age pensioner who is a retired registered nurse. He was forced into retirement due to a chronic back injury. He needs to see his GP every month and says that, if his doctor did not bulk-bill him, he would no longer be able to afford to visit him. These appointments are crucial, as this is when this pensioner is provided with the prescriptions for his medication to help with his pain. Another pensioner, Cal, has rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes, and she's told me that her GP no longer bulk-bills. She can no longer afford to see a GP, so she will now have to find another doctor or medical centre who bulk-bills, which will be a challenge in my electorate, where 40 per cent of people do not have bulk-billing. This pensioner is extremely stressed about her situation, particularly if it means she must see different doctors at a medical centre and constantly explain her condition to someone new. It's not just pensioners who are worried. Families are struggling too. I heard from Karen, who says her family of five rarely visits a doctor due to the high cost and difficulties in finding a doctor that will bulk-bill. Even then, the out-of-pocket costs are too high for them. I also heard from a mother of two young children who lives off a single income. She said that, while seeing a GP is a must, it is currently a luxury due to the high cost. These cuts to bulk-billing centres are unconscionable and are hurting the most vulnerable in our community. I have written three times to the health minister and am again asking him today: please restore the bulk-billing incentives to doctors in the Hunter. For the coalition to move a resolution bragging about their support for Medicare is hypocrisy. This party abolished Medicare when they came into power in 1975, they took policies to abolish it to three separate elections in the eighties and nineties, and we've seen attack after attack while they've been in power, whether it's the GP tax or the cuts to bulk-billing incentives that are going on right now in my region. Medicare is the most popular institution in this country. It's the bedrock of public health in this country. It is essential to communities like mine that rely on Medicare access to get good health care. They rely on bulk-billing to see a doctor when they need it most. This is a vile attack on my community, and I will stand up to defend my community against these attacks. 13:03 Ms BELL 282981 Moncrieff I welcome this opportunity to speak in support of the motion from the member for Lyne in relation to the LNP government's commitment to Medicare. I also defend the member for Chisholm and her delivery of her speech today in this place. The Morrison government is committed to Medicare and to ensuring that Australians are able to access the medical services they require. Under our government, Medicare bulk-billing rates for GPs and for Medicare as a whole continue to grow. The bulk-billing rates for GPs and for Medicare as a whole remained high in the 2018-19 July to March period. The GP non-referred attendance bulk-billing rate was 86 per cent, up from 85.8 per cent last year. The specialist attendances bulk-billing rate was 31.4 per cent, up from 30.9 last year. The total Medicare bulk-billing rate was 79 per cent, up from 78.7 last year. In my electorate of Moncrieff, it's a very different story to the picture that the member for Shortland paints. The GP bulk-billing rate is 89 per cent. Last year, over 1,046,678 GP visits were bulk-billed in Moncrieff, 212,725 more than in Labor's last year in government. Australia has one of the best health systems in the world, founded on Medicare. These figures show that Medicare, under the Liberal-National government, supports the health and wellbeing of all Australians. The Minister for Health has spoken about how the Medicare Benefits Schedule, the MBS, and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the PBS, form a key component of primary health for patients. Beyond Medicare, the government is investing in hospitals to ensure that private health insurance remains affordable and continues to play an important part in our health system. Gold Coast University Hospital now receives record funding under our Liberal-National government. The government's hospital funding contribution to Queensland is growing 2½ times more, from 2.66 million under Labor to an estimated 6.79 million in 2024-25 under the Liberal-National government. It's not good enough that the wait times for surgery have ballooned under Queensland Labor from 20 days to 80 days. When the new LNP state government under Deb Frecklington is elected on 31 October this year, her government has pledged to refocus on the health system, prioritise patient care and reduce the patient waiting list. Our federal health minister, Greg Hunt, who is to be commended for his work on the PBS, is also committed to preventive health measures, particularly in the area of mental health. Sadly between 2013 and 2017 the suicide death rate on the Gold Coast was 14 lives per 100,000. This was higher than the national rate over the same period of 12 lives per 100,000 people. These numbers sadden me greatly, but I, along with Gold Coasters, should be buoyed that our government is making mental health a priority. More than $60 million will be delivered to the Gold Coast in the five-year period of 2016-17 to 2021-22 for various programs for mental health and suicide prevention. I take this opportunity to recognise Southport headspace, who do an outstanding job to improve services for our youth with mental health illnesses. The Morrison government is delivering over $1.1 million in this financial year to headspace for the services they provide to those in our community in need of assistance. Unlike Labor, the LNP government list all medicines on the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee that are recommended by medical experts. In 2011, Labor stopped listening—listing, and listening, medicines on the PBS. Why? Because they could not manage the economy. They simply couldn't afford to support it. Since 2013, the Australian government has listed more than 2,300 new or amended listings on the PBS. This represents an average of around 30 listings or amendments per month—that's one per day—at an overall investment by the government of 10.9 billion. Many medicines that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars are now available for around $40, or if you're a concession cardholder, like my dad, $6.50 per script. Ninety-one per cent of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme scripts are dispensed to concession cardholders. It's an amazing system that works for all Australians. Australians who live with advanced breast cancer will have access to an important new treatment option, Verzenio, which will assist around 3,000 patients. For those suffering from ovarian cancer, the government has subsidised patient costs by spending around $25 million through the PBS health system each year, and also invested 1.6 million to trial psychosocial support. Our strong budget management means we can give Australian patients access to life-saving and life-changing medicines quicker than ever before without raising taxes. This stands in stark contrast to Labor, who failed budget management and drove the budget into deep deficit, forcing them to stop listing the life-saving and life-changing medicines that our government has on the PBS and continues to save lives under Medicare. 13:08 Ms COKER 263547 Corangamite Medicare is sacred to Labor. We initiated it in 1975, and then reinstated it after the coalition had abolished it in the Fraser-Howard years. We have defended Medicare from attacks by those on the other side for over 50 years, so it's somewhat ironic that this self-congratulatory motion notes the government's commitment to Medicare. It's a bit like Count Dracula reaffirming his commitment to not interfere with the blood bank. It may well be that after 50 years of trying to sabotage or abolish Medicare that those on the other side have seen how loved and entrenched Medicare is in the Australian psyche, but somehow I doubt this new-found commitment. Like superannuation, there are those in the coalition right wing and think tanks like the IPA who continue to fantasise about dismantling what they see as a social experiment. You don't have to look far back to see examples: only July last year, a business mate of the coalition, Mark Fitzgibbon, CEO of nib, proposed Medicare be abolished and private health insurance be made compulsory. Minister Hunt shot the proposal down pretty quickly with a commitment to Medicare for life forever, but just say we get yet another ideological shift in the Liberal Party, how safe will their commitment to Medicare be? The self-congratulations in this motion tells us only part of the story. It hides the truth about what is going on with Medicare and the health system. It hides the enormous pressure on our public health system and emergency departments across the country. It hides the developing crisis in the private health insurance industry, with thousands of people choosing to vote with their feet each year, especially young people. Over 9,400 people dropped out of private health insurance in the last quarter of last year alone. It hides the fact that the changes in rural and remote boundaries have reduced bulk-billing subsidies from GP practises, forcing the restriction or abandonment of bulk-billing all over regional Australia. And, lastly, it hides the fact the cost to visit a GP or a specialist is increasing, not reducing, in most federal electorates. Take Corangamite, a seat of over 5,000 square kilometres, with a mix of rural, semi-rural and urban fringe. Data released in January shows that, for my constituents, since 2013, the percentage being bulk-billed has increased marginally from 45.6 per cent to 48.4 per cent, but that still leaves 51.6 per cent of constituents who have to pay to see a GP. That's a very unflattering figure for this government. And then there is specialist bulk-billing. If you can actually get in to see a specialist in Geelong, that has gone from a woeful 13.7 per cent of patients bulk-billed to the slightly less woeful percentage of 17.2. Indeed, almost 87 per cent of people with cancer and worse aren't thanking this government at all as they fork out for specialist visits. The average out-of-pocket expense to see a GP in Corangamite has risen by 36 per cent, or six per cent a year, between 2013 and 2019. Lastly, under this government, in my seat, the average out-of-pocket expense for specialist visits has gone up 59 per cent, or 7.5 per cent a year. From 1 January this year, the government cut bulk-billing incentives in around 13 regions across the country, including around Geelong. A number of these areas like Bannockburn, Lethbridge and Meredith in the Golden Plains Shire include high numbers of retirees and people on fairly moderate means. Lethbridge and Meredith are isolated hamlets; they are by no means metropolitan, and they are hurting under this coalition policy. The end result of these policy decisions is that services will not be bulk-billed, and many people are faced with either paying or not going to a doctor. My message with respect to this motion is that this government needs less complacency and a lot more action and investment. Until then, the coalition's history of undermining Medicare will continue to haunt them. 13:13 Mr TIM WILSON IMW Goldstein I think everybody in this chamber believes fundamentally that we want a country that is prosperous, that is safe and that is healthy. And the government plays a critical role in creating the structures and framework for a free society. As part of that, we also have the ambition of a healthy population with a just system that addresses issues of equity to make sure that people can get access to critical and basic health services so they can live out the fullness of their lives. That point has been debated at different time about how best to achieve that. At present, we have the Medicare system, and the Medicare system has never had a better friend than the Morrison government. We have consistently delivered year-on-year funding, year-on-year increases in the number of GPs who bulk-bill and year-on-year better access to the healthcare services that Australians need. Let's not misunderstand, in this place there are people who feel they have a monopoly on compassion and believe that everything they do can never be questioned—they're called the Australian Labor Party. They sit on the opposition benches because their disinterest in outcomes for Australians always comes second to their own ambition to claim credit for their own relevance. But the reality is and the numbers show that we have seen consistent increases in Medicare funding and consistent outcomes in bulk-billing rates. They're the hard numbers. Compared to last period, the same time last year, the GP non-referred attendance bulk-billing rate was 86 per cent this year, up from 85.5 per cent last year. The specialist attendances bulk-billing rate was 31.4 per cent, up from 30.9 per cent the previous year. And the total Medicare bulk-billing rate was 79 per cent, up from 78.7 per cent last year. We know there are those people who need extra assistance and support, who need to be able to go to the doctor and not experience a co-payment. We can trust the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, which found that more than half of all patients, about 11 million Australians, incurred no out-of-pocket cost for non-hospital Medicare services in 2016-17, according to the most recent data, and from what we know and have seen on the ground in our communities. Labor members come into this chamber and talk about why only they can be the solution, even though they have never been the solution to these issues. In Goldstein, we got no additional commitments of support or funding to Medicare or essential health services at the last election from the Australian Labor Party. In fact, we didn't even appear on their radar; all they wanted was to harvest the electorate of Goldstein for votes hoping they would get a third Senate candidate—they failed that but that's a separate issue. The coalition has taken a very proactive step in making sure that Medicare services are provided to the communities based on need. What we saw in the lead-up to the last election was new MRI licences for Cabrini Hospital in Brighton as well for Holmesglen in Moorabbin. That meant, for the first time, residents of the City of Bayside who have cancer, stroke, heart and other medical conditions could get scans locally rather than having to travel. The licence is expected to deliver approximately 5,900 Medicare subsidised services annually at a cost of $2.24 million per annum. This, of course, will save lives, decrease cost for patients and increase access. On my very first visit to Cabrini, Brighton, when I was first elected as member shortly after 2016 election, they had one request, which was a Medicare-funded licensed MRI. We were able to deliver it not only through strong and effective advocacy but also because this government understands that the foundation of a strong health system is a strong economy. Get a strong economy where people are paying taxes and contributing to standing on their own two feet and they will in the best position to turn around and help those who are not. We on this side have the resources to deliver record Medicare funding, record health outcomes for Australians and, of course, deliver essential local services like the Medicare-licensed MRI in Goldstein. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 198084 This debate is now adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. Sitting suspended from 13:18 to 16:00 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 131 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS Indi Electorate: Tastes of Rutherglen 131 16:00 Dr HAINES 282335 Indi Grape and wine production is a major industry in Indi. From the King Valley's Prosecco Road to the full-bodied reds of Glenrowan and Rutherglen, our magnificent vineyards draw crowds, win awards and contribute to many a merry dinner party across Australia. As the famous saying goes: Sydney may have a nice harbour, but Rutherglen has a great port. The Rutherglen wine region, established in the 1850s, is one of the premier winemaking regions of Victoria and is famous for its world-class fortified wines. Tastes of Rutherglen is a gourmet food and wine festival being held this March Labor Day long weekend. It showcases 19 wineries; there will be wine tastings, live music, markets and kids activities. I congratulate the winemakers of Rutherglen for their organisation of this outstanding annual event, and I encourage people from all over to come and enjoy the Tastes of Rutherglen. Why not extend your stay and take the opportunity to visit the many fantastic local tourist attractions and businesses right across the north-east of Victoria. Bring your empty esky and take away more than terrific memories. From frose to rose, full-bodied reds, a fine wine or a sparking shiraz, your weekend away in Rutherglen will be a little taste of wonderful. Boothby Electorate: Road Infrastructure 131 16:01 Ms FLINT 245550 Boothby On 28 January this year I called on the South Australian Liberal government to urgently commission a planning study to find a heavy-vehicle bypass route to get trucks off the South Eastern Freeway and out of our suburbs. Today, we were again reminded why this is not just necessary, but also urgent. Around 3.30 this morning a truck rolled near the Crafers exit, blocking all three lanes until well after peak hour. This is the fourth time since October there has been a dangerous major incident like this on the freeway. Enough is enough. We need to get trucks off the South Eastern Freeway and out of our suburbs. This is something the previous state Labor government failed to do. They failed to spend a cent investigating this issue, planning for change or fixing the problem. State Labor left Adelaide with the slowest overall road travel times and worst traffic slow speeds compared to any other capital city. It left Adelaide as the only capital city where half of its major urban freight routes operate along ordinary suburban roads. And, indeed, state Labor planned to make the problem worse by sending heavy trucks not just down Portrush Road but also Cross Road. As I said, enough is enough. All of this has come at a huge cost to our truckies and our community. The South Australian Liberal government must urgently commission a planning study to fix yet another problem left by 16 long and disastrous years of state Labor governments in South Australia. Macnamara Electorate: Community Events 132 16:04 Mr BURNS 278522 Macnamara Elwood is so nice that even members of the National Party like to go there! On the weekend I spent time at a number of different community events at Elwood. On Saturday afternoon I attended the 'Heat, Fire and Flood' event at the Phoenix Theatre at Elwood secondary school, put on by the Port Phillip Emergency Climate Action Network. It was a wonderful gathering, a full house—a packed house—at the Phoenix Theatre in Elwood, put on and chaired by the force of Jack Halliday. One of the speakers, Rob Gell, the director at ReThink Sustainability and a good friend of mine, did an outstanding job talking about the way in which the planet is changing. On Saturday night I was very pleased to join 400 locals in Elwood at the new Elsternwick Park, the former golf course, to watch the 2040 film. We were delighted when the film was powered by cyclists, and the young Wilderness Society did a wonderful job working the bar. We even had a special guest: Damon Gameau, the director of the 2040 film, joined us for the night as well. The weekend was topped off with a wonderful Sunday afternoon in Elwood, at the Elwood Toy Library where we had the Messy Play Day. There were a number of families there, including my own. We brought my beautiful daughter and my nephew to come and play with all of the messy toys at the Elwood Toy Library. It was a wonderful weekend and I encourage everyone to come and visit all the things that make Elwood wonderful. Lyne Electorate: Barrington Coast Region 132 16:04 Dr GILLESPIE 72184 Lyne I'd like to take this opportunity to promote a beautiful region in my electorate called the Barrington coast. It's governed by the MidCoast Council. Not only has the whole area been hard-hit by fires, but also the region has been battling the drought. Whilst some welcome rain has changed the landscape, the community would greatly benefit from the injection of tourism dollars. So if you'd like to come to the tourism area known as the Barrington coast, it spans 10,000 square kilometres from the World Heritage-listed Barrington Tops to the Pacific Ocean of the mid-north coast. It's an area where volcanic flows shaped the incredible wilderness millions of years ago. In the upper Manning, you can enjoy the scenery of the Ellenborough Falls or experience great bushwalks, kayaking and mountain-biking trails. You can kayak all the way down to the lower Manning and sit by the banks of the Manning and enjoy an ale in the Harrington Hotel or Harrigan's Irish Pub in Harrington. You can camp by other parts of the beautiful Barrington coast, visit the Tinshed Brewery in Dungog or the Roundabout Inn in Gloucester or the Plough Inn Hotel in Bulahdelah. Foodies, try our food trail where you can taste tender pasture-fed beef and lamb produced by Great Lakes Paddocks and Long Table Farm, through to buffalo mozzarella at Burraduc Farm, or try our famous oysters from Hamiltons or Barclays. History lives on in towns like Paterson, where you can visit the historic courthouse or stop in at the Rail Motor Society and rekindle the nostalgia of yesteryear's travel. I encourage you all to visit the amazing Barrington coast. Defence Facilities: Chemical Contamination 132 16:06 Ms SWANSON 264170 Paterson In early September 2015, my community was faced with a terrible shock. Splashed across the front page of the Newcastle Herald was: 'red zone'; 'contamination'. Commercial fisheries were closed down. Residents in Williamtown, Salt Ash and Fullerton Cove were told: 'Don't eat your eggs. Don't drink the water. Don't eat your fruit and vegetables.' It was the most awful time. They had been infiltrated by PFASs—perfluorinated alkyl substances from the Williamtown RAAF base had leached into their land, their water and their bodies. Fast-forward through 4½ long years of speeches, committees, two Senate inquiries, a joint standing committee inquiry, tears, long-drawn-out articles—it was just the most traumatic experience for these people. But they would not be held back by their own government. They launched a class action—the first one of its kind in Australia—and last Tuesday-Wednesday, after a cancelled trial and failed mediation, they had a victory. A presettlement agreement had been made by the lawyers from Defence and the lawyers from our class action. I just want to say a heartfelt thanks to my community. You have fought so hard. I am so proud to be your local member. I have used every tactic, strategy and tool at my disposal to walk this journey with you. And we have won. Well done, Williamtown! I wanted you to have options, and now you do. British Pensions 133 16:07 Mr ZIMMERMAN 203092 North Sydney At every level, Australia's relationship with the United Kingdom is deep and enduring. We share so much in terms of our people-to-people contacts, our values and our history. It therefore saddens me to have to raise a dark blot on that relationship. I refer to the treatment of the 234,000 people who have migrated to Australia and receive a British state pension. For reasons which ignore any sense of fairness or equity, British pension recipients in Australia are treated differently from those resident in the United Kingdom, or indeed in some other parts of the world. For those living in the UK, the pension is indexed. For those living in Australia, it is frozen in time from the moment they left or leave the UK. This is despite the fact that British pensioners in Australia have all contributed to the United Kingdom's National Insurance scheme. Unlike our own pension, it is a scheme based on the contributory principle. This policy is manifestly unfair. I know this is a matter our government has pursued with our British counterparts and the cause has the support of the Prime Minister. We should redouble those efforts to ensure that those who are effectively being ripped off by the UK government are no longer disadvantaged so harshly. It is a matter I hope we continue to raise at the most senior levels of the British government, so that the many residents in my electorate, and indeed across Australia, eligible for a British pension are supported, rather than forgotten in a way that is unjust and unfair. Aged Care 133 16:09 Ms COLLINS HWM Franklin Late last week we saw an extraordinary backflip by this government. It finally backflipped on its decision to privatise the aged-care assessment teams. After trying to pretend that it hadn't, two days before Christmas it put on its website that it was going to tender to private companies for the aged-care assessments. But it took a meeting of the states' and territories' ministers with the health minister on Friday for the minister to hear directly from all the states and territories just how unhappy they were on behalf of older Australians about the government's plans to privatise aged-care assessments. We told the government immediately after Christmas that this was the wrong decision. We have been talking about this for weeks. It's taken two months for the government's extraordinary backflip. We're glad they finally made it but it's only under duress and under pressure from states and territories, from people on this side of the House telling stories of the aged care crisis in this country today along with all those service providers and those workers in aged care, particularly the workers in the ACAT teams, health professionals—the registered nurses, the occupational therapists and the physiotherapists—who are doing these assessments every day in local communities and in our hospitals. Older Australians deserve better than this government treating with them contempt, making decisions it pretended it didn't make and then having to come out and backflip on its own decision. It was a disgraceful decision in the beginning, and I'm glad they have finally come to their senses when it comes to aged care assessments. Business 133 16:10 Ms HAMMOND 80072 Curtin Today is Labour Day in my home state of Western Australia, a day which commemorates the achievements of organised labour to implement the eight-hour working day many the middle of the 19th century. On this day, I want to give a shoutout to the more than three million small- and medium-sized business owners in Australia, who are both workers and bosses and who provide employment to over seven million people across this country. In my patch, there are 26,000 of them employing tens of thousands of people. I won't refute that there are some horrible bosses out there—I know there are—but the overwhelming majority of bosses in small and medium-sized businesses are hardworking. They only dream of eight-hour days. They are decent, fair-minded and good people who are trying to make a good life for themselves, for their families and for wider Australia. We need to encourage and support our small- and medium-sized businesses to remove unnecessary blockages and hurdles so that they can get on with their jobs and in so doing ensure that the people that they employ can get on with theirs. I congratulate the Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, and the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service and Cabinet for the vital work they are doing in deregulation and with the Deregulation Taskforce; for example, the regtech platform, the simplification of business registers and the online platform for employment help. Deregulation is essential for our small- and medium-sized businesses. Our government knows there's more to do in this space, and I'm happy to say is committed to doing it. King, Ms Vicky 134 16:12 Mr STEPHEN JONES A9B Whitlam This Thursday in Wollongong we will pay our final farewell to a friend, a local city councillor, a local community leader—Vicky King. Vicky is the sort of person who I feel like I have known all of my life. I can't remember when I first met her but I have certainly known her since I was a young man growing up in Wollongong. She never served in this place but she's well represented in the annals of the federal parliament, recognised many times for her contribution to the people who have and given thanks in Hansard. Vicky was a life member of the Australian Labor Party, a loyal member of the socialist left, one of its key leaders in the Illawarra for many, many decades. She was a small-business woman who ran a small accountancy business, where she literally helped thousands and thousands of people get their financial affairs in order, often referring them over to my office as well when she could no longer help them. She served as the Chair of the Illawarra Housing Trust, and she was the deputy mayor of Wollongong. She served the city as a councillor for almost 20 years. She fought for a more inclusive community, a greener Illawarra, for equal rights for women and she loved to build things. She was involved in the Fowlers Road bridge, the Dapto Library, Heininger House and the Ribonwood Centre. She's going to be sorely missed. Vale Vicky. And all the best to you, Charlie, to your children and grandchildren. Lindsay Electorate 134 16:14 Mrs McINTOSH 281513 Lindsay Like so many people in my community of Lindsay, my family and I enjoy spending time on the Nepean River. Our river has been there for generations for people in Western Sydney to enjoy. That's why I fought so hard to secure funding to keep the river healthy so more young families in our community are able to have more time outside, enjoy our natural environment and stay active. I was joined at the Nepean River by the Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley, to finalise the $511,000 that was invested in our river's health and native vegetation. Standing on the riverbank to finalise this project, I was proud to be there once again after fighting for this funding last year. I was at the riverbank again yesterday for Clean Up Australia Day with people from across Western Sydney, doing our bit to clean up the rubbish in our community and to keep our river beautiful, as we all enjoy it. I talk a lot about our community spirit in Lindsay, and the turnout and enthusiasm we had to clean up our river shows just how strong it is. I want to make sure that our river is at its best when we have Penrith's very own City to Lakes fun run and walk, which I'm currently campaigning for in our community, just like the City to Surf. The Morrison government's responsible budget management means we can fund the projects that are important to local people, like keeping the Nepean River healthy. Climate Change 134 16:15 Mr GORMAN 74519 Perth Climate change is real. The opportunities of acting on climate change are real—secure jobs, cheaper energy and a cleaner world. I spoke to a range of people on Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday who said, 'It's great that we're doing our bit to keep our environment clean, but why can't you do your bit in the parliament?' The reality is that Labor is the only party who can deliver a net zero emissions target by 2050. It's the same target as that of the Business Council, Woodside Energy—who are based in my electorate—Telstra and Qantas. It would help organisations like the RACWA deliver on their goal for a more friendly environment for zero-emissions vehicles. CSIRO tells us it would result in higher wages and an effective 64 per cent reduction in electricity spend. There is so much we can do to act on climate change. I've had Girl Guides, bakers and start-up incubators all come to talk to me, on top of hundreds of emails saying, 'We want to see more action.' So I'm inviting my entire electorate to the Perth Future Forum to discuss climate change. It is on 18 March at the Bayswater community hub. A government member: Can I come? Mr GORMAN 74519 You are more than welcome. Anyone on the coalition side is more than welcome to join us, as is every person who lives in the electorate of Perth, to talk about how we build the consensus to act on climate change and actually get something done. Coronavirus 134 16:16 Mr JOYCE E5D New England The welfare of the people is to be the highest law—anyway, that's what Cicero said, or 'Kikkero', as my Latin teacher would correct me—and obviously the welfare of the people is best represented at this point in time by a studious approach to how we deal with COVID-19—coronavirus. I want to make sure we do everything in planning, not to basically hyperventilate or make it sensationalist but to make sure we plan. In planning we must keep in mind Indigenous communities and how we are going to manage COVID-19 if it gets into Indigenous communities and also small regional towns and villages that are without medical support. Many of these villages don't even have a policeman, let alone a hospital or a doctor. We have to plan for this, and we must also in this building be an example of some of the minor protection mechanisms to deal with the spread of the virus. I believe that in this building we need to have sanitary dispensers so that people, as they do in the hospitals, can keep cleaning their hands so we don't spread it by touch. I believe that in this building we have to make sure that we get some of the protocols right—even how you sneeze. You don't sneeze into your hands; you sneeze into the corner of your elbow so you don't spread the disease by touching. We have to make sure that our capacity to sanitise and disinfect balustrades is picked up. We in this building must be an example of some of the protection mechanisms for other people in other buildings. Queensland: Bundamba By-Election 135 16:18 Mr DICK 53517 Oxley I rise to place on record my thanks and support for Jo-Ann Miller, the outgoing state member for Bundamba. Jo-Ann's been a fierce fighter for the people of Bundamba for over 20 years. Jo-Ann has been the people's voice. On behalf of the Oxley community, I say thank you to Jo-Ann for her service to our community, for her record and for all she has achieved. I'd like to wish Jo-Ann, her husband, Neil, and her family all the very best for her well-earned retirement. On 28 March, the people of Bundamba have an opportunity to vote for Lance McCallum, somebody who will ensure that the community is represented. Lance has had a terrific record of standing up to the LNP cuts, the LNP sackings and also the LNP's plans to sell off our essential assets. He stood up to Campbell Newman and he'll stand up for the people of Bundamba. The choice is very clear: a vote for Lance McCallum for a strong Labor voice, or a vote for One Nation, a voice in the wilderness. I want to assure the people of Bundamba that they will have strong representation with Lance McCallum. As they know, a vote for One Nation is a vote for the LNP's plans to cut, sack and sell. On 28 March, I'm asking the people of Bundamba to support Lance McCallum. NSW TrainLink 135 16:20 Mr CRAIG KELLY 99931 Hughes Most members of parliament travel to and from Canberra by plane, and a few of us are lucky enough to drive. Last week I decided to make the journey by train, which is operated by NSW TrainLink. The trip from Kingston station here in Canberra takes around 3.5 hours to Campbelltown and another four hours and 10 minutes to Sydney Central Station with stops on the way at Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Tarago, Goulburn, Bundanoon, Moss Vale and Mittagong. Although it took about an hour longer than driving, travelling by train is a much more interesting scenic route and gives you a different look at the countryside. The cost of a one-way ticket was $40.67, and for the princely extra sum of $16.60 I could have upgraded to first class. The seats in economy were comfortable, more comfortable than an aircraft or a bus, and the train has the additional advantage that you're able to get up and walk around. On board the train, there's a cafeteria where you could buy a coffee, albeit instant, lunch and drinks, including wine or beer. The NSW TrainLine staff were professional and courteous, and I congratulate them on their efforts. Although I wouldn't swap it for driving to Canberra, it's definitely an option to try even though the train runs on diesel fuel. Defence Facilities: Chemical Contamination 135 16:21 Ms TEMPLEMAN 181810 Macquarie Along with many colleagues, I welcome the in-principle agreements reached in the class action over PFAS contamination in Williamtown, Katherine and Oakey. They are a win for these brave communities, and I thank my colleague the member for Paterson for sticking with her community throughout the long and torturous process. I hope this sets a precedent for people living in my electorate of Macquarie, who've been dealing with PFAS contamination from RAAF Base Richmond. Investigations found PFAS in soil, surface water, groundwater and produce both on and off site. There's a two by five kilometre plume of the chemical sitting in groundwater under the base with more than 25 water test sites showing PFAS levels above what's safe to drink. That includes Rickabys Creek and Bakers Lagoon. As a result, Alastair and Kellie-Ann McLaren organic Paddock to Plate beef business was stopped in its tracks. Nearby residents like Joanna Pickford have been told not to eat their chooks' eggs. People living in the immediate area have so far been refused government funded blood tests to see if they've accumulated PFAS. They want to be treated fairly. I note the statement by the government last week that this won't be the end of engagement. I call on them now to address the concerns of my community, who've been forced to live with a PFAS plume for many years, and it will be there for many years to come. British Commonwealth Occupation Force, Royal Papua and New Guinea Constabulary 136 16:22 Mr LAMING E0H Bowman Deputy Speaker Claydon, I want to remember two unique forms of national security: the British Commonwealth Occupation Force from 1945 and 1952 and the kiap patrol officers from 1949 to 1973, who were the administrative touchstone for much of Papua New Guinea as it was opened up to democracy. The Commonwealth occupational force, I'm sure we'd both agreed, performed this incredibly important role—45,000 people at the end of a war when almost nothing were left deployed into Japan with no knowledge of what would happen next and to basically perform demilitarisation and disposal but, ultimately, guard roles around Japan as we ensured a transition back into a free and fair democracy. Of those Australians, 90 passed away in the service, and I don't think they have been recognised. They don't claim to have a war-like service, but it is unique national service. They've paid for their own memorial in Kings Park across the lake. Those names deserve to be remembered. For the patrol officers, of course, they're one step further back. They don't even have a national memorial yet. They were working in remote conditions, many of them in 1973 were still disarming coast watches from World War II, as my own father was. We need to remember those kisap. They were an administrative element of our foreign affairs that we may never see again. They're still alive as are some from the British occupational force. We need to do our bit as both sides of parliament to make sure they're remembered. Moreton Electorate: Meals on Wheels 136 16:24 Mr PERRETT HVP Moreton There are several wonderful Meals on Wheels services in my electorate of Moreton. Before I had kids and entered parliament I used to volunteer weekly, but I still try to get out and help them whenever I can. I recently helped the Sunnybank/Salisbury Meals on Wheels do their regular run delivering meals to locals. It was a very busy morning. The volunteers: their time is short but they work hard. It's an important service that is so much more than delivering delicious and nutritional and sometimes dietary-specific food. The volunteers are a critical part of the lives of the locals who receive Meals on Wheels. They provide wellbeing checks, which improve health and reduce the social isolation of the elderly. Meals on Wheels provides crucial early intervention, reduces malnutrition and reduces social isolation, which is a risk to one in four older Australians who live alone. This service is important right across the country. There are 592 services across Australia, covering almost every metropolitan and rural community. Older Australians who use the Meals on Wheels service are asked to contribute to the cost of the service. Meals on Wheels are calling on the Morrison government to lift the threshold government contribution per meal service output to make the payments fair and affordable. It's important that older Australians who require a service such as Meals on Wheels are able to access it. It keeps them in their homes. The small cost to government of a service like Meals on Wheels is value for money. Not having the service would drive up health and aged care costs. I thank all the Meals on Wheels volunteers in Moreton. You are doing a wonderful job, and I look forward to coming up with you again soon. Berowra Electorate: Inala 136 16:25 Mr LEESER 109556 Berowra Inala is an outstanding organisation in my electorate which reflects so much of our community that makes me proud. It was founded in 1958 to provide the highest quality support to individuals living with disability, allowing each client or resident to reach their maximum potential. Inala has always been an organisation that values each person and believes that everyone should be enabled to live a life of purpose and meaning. They celebrate the unique contribution of each human being regardless of their disability, gender, race or background. Today Inala provides accommodation, specialised day programs, therapy services, life skills training and community participation programs. The age of the organisation means that Inala now has clients who've been part of its community for many years and have changing needs as they age. Inala's longest term client is Russell, who has benefited from Inala's work for 62 years. Inala was one of our successful applicants in the Stronger Communities grants program, receiving $15,000 towards the renovation and refurbishment of one of their older buildings. This renovation will include the provision of accessible bathrooms to allow the use of hoists and wheelchairs, and the refurbishment of rooms will enable Inala to provide a new day service to support maturing clients. I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Inala and the important work they do for people living with disability and their families. From their CEOs Martin Porteous and Rebecca van Bilsen and their executive team, to the many support workers who make a difference to the lives of their clients and families on a daily basis: your work and dedication is greatly appreciated. Calare Electorate: School Grants 137 16:27 Ms VAMVAKINOU 00AMT Calwell I want to congratulate our 13 local schools who received funding under the Local Schools Community Fund. The successful schools in this round of funding are: Aitken Hill Primary School, to build a landscaped sandpit; Campbellfield Heights Primary School, to purchase classroom iPads; Gladstone Park Secondary College, to install air-conditioning in the gym; the Holy Child Primary School in Dallas, to complete a master plan; Hume Central Secondary College, to install air-conditioning at two of its campuses; Jacana School For Autism, to purchase STEM teaching resources; Meadows Primary School, to build a sensory garden; Newbury Primary School, for a refugee student learning enrichment program; Oscar Romero Catholic Primary School in Craigieburn, for a junior playground; Our Lady's Catholic Primary School in Craigieburn, to help refurbish an old tram as an additional learning and student welfare space; Penola Catholic College in Broadmeadows, to purchase outdoor furniture for student use; Tullamarine Primary School, to install shade sails over the playground; and Westmeadows Primary School, to purchase musical instruments for the Drumbeat Program. All these schools are deserving of the funding they have received. We received a large number of applications, and I want to thank the local committee that was formed, which in the end had to make decisions based largely on need; we prioritised the neediest schools. I congratulate them and I look forward to visiting their programs. Heart Health Check 137 16:28 Ms LIU 282918 Chisholm Last Wednesday, along with many of my colleagues, I took an annual heart health check. Qualified health professionals measured my blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels. I can happily report that I am in fighting shape. However, sadly, cardiovascular disease remains one of Australia's biggest killers and effects one in six Australians. In 2017 alone, we lost more than 18,000 Australians to heart disease. The good news is that, for people 45 years or older, Medicare will provide a heart health check. This takes 20 minutes and could save your life. It is very well known that regular physical activity can reduce the risk of heart disease. With that in mind, I would encourage my constituents to get involved in some of the many organisations in Chisholm. This Saturday—like every Saturday—at eight in the morning I will be heading down to Gardiners Creek Reserve in Burwood. I will join with many members of my community and run for five kilometres. Parkrun is a free event organised by volunteers. You can run or walk at your own pace. I look forward to seeing you there. Shipping: Aurora Australis 137 16:30 Mr JOSH WILSON 265970 Fremantle It should be a no-brainer for a government that has otherwise ignored the serious decline in Australian shipping to look closely at the opportunity to secure the ongoing service of the Aurora Australis. As an island that is extraordinarily dependent on shipping capacity, it would be derelict to give up a ship that has the proven capability for the serious challenges we face. This summer we've seen the value of shipping assets, an essential part of disaster relief efforts. We've seen people rescued out of coastal communities marooned by fire. We know, because we've been warned and because the science tells us, that such disasters—whether they're fires, storms or tidal events—are going to increase and become more savage both in Australia and in our region. So, as we transition from the Aurora Australis to the new RSV Nuyina, why wouldn't we take the opportunity to purchase and operate the Aurora for its proven all-around utility as a general service and disaster response vessel? The Aurora can transport one million litres of fuel, carry 40 sea containers and accommodate 100 passengers in addition to the crew and launch helicopters, and it features an on-board hospital. If you wanted to build such a vessel from scratch it would cost $100 million plus. Yet the government could take on this proven ship for a tiny fraction of that, which is why it makes a huge amount of sense for the Australian government to look at purchasing the Aurora Australis as a first step in the direction of creating a national strategic fleet. Reid Electorate: Schools 137 16:31 Dr MARTIN 282982 Reid I rise today to commend the schools across Reid who are being supported by funding from the Morrison government for their fantastic environmental initiatives. There is $48,000 being delivered to three schools in Reid through the Local Schools Community Fund to install solar energy schemes. Marie Bashir Public School in Strathfield, Abbotsford Public School and Strathfield North Public School will each receive $16,000 of federal funding for this initiative. The new solar panels will decrease the schools' electricity costs while also reducing their carbon footprint. Meanwhile, Santa Sabina College at Strathfield has received $20,000 through the Communities Environment Program for its conservation of the endangered green and golden bell frog. Residents of Reid feel strongly about preserving our natural environment and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Our school students are incredible agents of change, bringing together education and practical action to model environmental responsibility. I am proud that our government is empowering students and school communities to lead on environmental action projects, and I look forward to supporting more projects of this nature in the future. Cootes, Mr John, OAM 138 16:33 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland John Cootes is an Australian legend, and his legendary status was recognised on Australia Day when he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia. Many people know John as a champion rugby league player; in fact, he was the last country player to be directly selected in the New South Wales Origin team and the Kangaroos, and, dare I say, the last Catholic priest to be selected for the Kangaroos. He represented Australia in the late sixties and the seventies, and he was the Rugby League World Cup's top try-scorer in 1970. Others will know him as the head of the hugely successful John Cootes furniture store chain and for his high-profile media career in the 1970s and 1980s. However, John's medal is for outstanding services to the community, particularly with the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Speers Point Amateur Sailing Club. These two volunteer groups are wonderful examples of the tremendous contribution that volunteers make in our community, and I take this opportunity to pay tribute to them as well. As an aside I've had the privilege of witnessing John's prowess on the keyboard, singing both country and western at the Speers Point Amateur Sailing Club presentation nights. John, on behalf of the people of Shortland, who I have the great privilege of representing in parliament, I thank you and pay tribute to you for all your service-giving over many decades—and thank you again to St Vincent de Paul for being so strong in their support of both John and our broader community. National Security 138 16:34 Mr HASTIE 260805 Canning Most of us will never see the work that ASIO does in the shadows to keep us safe, that's why the Director-General's annual threat assessment speech is so important. I attended the speech last week at ASIO headquarters with the member for Holt, where the Director-General outlined the two main threats to our country. The first is terrorism. There is credible intelligence that individuals and groups have the capability and intent to conduct terrorism onshore. Violent Islamic extremism of the type embodied by Islamic State and al-Qaeda remain the chief concern. Extreme right-wing groups are also a growing problem. The DG warned: In suburbs around Australia, small cells regularly meet to salute Nazi flags, inspect weapons, train in combat and share their hateful ideology. Australia has fought and defeated both Islamic militants and Nazis in the past, and neither have a place in our country. The second threat to Australia is the unprecedented rise in espionage and foreign interference. The DG warned: … the intent is to engineer fundamental shifts in Australia’s position in the world, not just to collect intelligence or use us as a potential 'back-door' into our allies and partners. The threats are significant, the security landscape is evolving and Australia's adversaries are more determined and sophisticated than ever before. So are ASIO and its partners. They strive to outwit and out-imagine our adversaries. Parliament must continue to work closely with our agencies to ensure they have the tools and resources to keep Australians safe. This parliament must be vigilant to ensure that the laws governing them continue to be fit for purpose in the digital age. Blair Electorate: Act For Kids 138 16:36 Mr NEUMANN HVO Blair Today I wish to acknowledge and congratulate Act For Kids, doing great work in Ipswich in my electorate of Blair. Act For Kids is a charity providing integrated life-changing therapy to kids who have suffered abuse and neglect, or who are at risk of harm. The charity facilitates these services across its 26 centres based right across the country, with over 400 staff from Adelaide to Cape York. The organisation recently celebrated five years of operation in Ipswich, and last Friday I was delighted to join my friend in the organisation's chair, David Hamill, as well as CEO, Dr Neil Carrington, at the celebratory morning tea, along with corporate sponsors and also the Queensland Minister for Child Safety, Di Farmer and local state MPs, Charis Mullen and Jen Howard. The Ipswich service has developed an important program and partnership with the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, known as the Walk Tall program. The program provides counselling and emotional support to children and adolescents who have either experienced or who are at risk of experiencing physical, emotional or sexual harm. It's crucial to support organisations and programs fighting the scourge of domestic and family violence. Act For Kids has expanded its work to facilitate special workshops to empower kids in safe houses in remote Aboriginal communities. I congratulate them and I urge the Darling Downs-West Moreton PHN to explore funding options to fund this important organisation. Groom Electorate: Rotary Wing Aircraft Maintenance School 139 16:37 Dr McVEIGH 125865 Groom On Friday night my wife, Anita, and I were honoured to be guests at the Rotary Wing Aircraft Maintenance School, or RAMS, official dining-in night at the Swartz Barracks, Oakey, Army Aviation Centre. Held at the Australian Army Flying Museum, this was a tremendous opportunity to catch up with trainees, staff, their families and to welcome many first-time and some returning visitors to the Toowoomba and Darling Downs region. RAMS trains all Army helicopter aircraft mechanic and avionic trades, as well as Navy personnel on the multirole helicopter. They also train the unmanned aerial vehicle trade. Their mission is to graduate operationally focused, technically competent and certified personnel, ready to serve with a focus on developing the whole soldier or sailor in technical trades, demanding military training and professional education. It was a pleasure to speak of our proud military history in the Darling Downs, including Swartz Barracks and Cabarlah's Borneo Barracks. On behalf of all of us here in this parliament, I expressed our appreciation of the ADF Parliamentary Program that we get to engage in. My sincere thanks go to Lieutenant Colonel Miles Irving, the commanding officer, and his wife for their hospitality. My very best wishes to them, to all involved and to all trainees in particular. Treasurer 139 16:39 Dr LEIGH BU8 Fenner According to its latest annual report, outcome 1 of the Australian Treasury is 'to improve the wellbeing of the Australian people'. Treasury has included 'wellbeing' in its mission statement since John Howard's era. As the shadow Treasurer has noted, measuring wellbeing is now an accepted part of how many countries do their budgets, taking account of indicators such as child poverty or mental health. As we teach our students in first-year economics, economics isn't about maximising money, it's about maximising wellbeing. But instead, the Treasurer has decided to attack Treasury's wellbeing approach. On the way through, he's managed to offend New Zealanders, he's offended the millions of Australians who practice meditation, and he's offended the Hindu-Australian community, with the Hindu Council of Australia describing his comments as 'brazen, racist and Hindu-phobic'. New South Wales Liberal Party member Dhanya Mani said the Treasurer 'turned a key part of my identity into a racist punchline'. Here's the bizarre thing. Since 2013, growth has slowed, wages growth is the worst on record, and household spending is at the slowest pace since the global financial crisis. The Liberals' promise of surpluses every year has turned into six deficits. So, you would think the Treasurer would be happy to add alternative metrics. It just goes to show that if the Liberals have a choice between policy and point-scoring they'll choose point-scoring every time. Veterans 139 16:41 Mr LLEW O'BRIEN 265991 Wide Bay Australian veterans deserve the best care. The allied health professionals and occupational therapists delivering that care deserve to be fairly compensated. But the Department of Veterans' Affairs fails to recognise this. It operates an archaic fee structure that fails to properly compensate OTs for their work, which enables veterans to live safely at home. The DVA fee structure for OTs compares very poorly to the NDIS OT fee structure. OTs who care for veterans have an indicative hourly rate of approximately half those who work in the NDIS framework. The NDIS fee structure permits billable hours for all client related time, whereas the DVA fee structure only compensates direct client contact. DVA OTs are unable to claim administrative time. For each client contact hour, there is approximately one to two hours of administration time, which is not reimbursed by DVA. As a result, many experienced OTs are choosing to work in other sectors, where their work is appropriately remunerated. If this continues, client care for veterans will decline, which will be a serious issue in rural areas, where there are fewer OTs. If the government—my government—is truly thankful for the service of our veterans, it must immediately improve DVA fee schedules for OTs and allied health professionals. Climate Change 139 16:42 Mr KHALIL 101351 Wills I spent most of my Sunday at the Sydney Road Street Party, chatting to the people of my electorate of Wills. I put up a board near the stall, with issues of importance marked on it, and invited people to place a little red sticker next to the issue that they were most concerned about. At the end of the day the board was covered with stickers and, overwhelmingly, climate change was the top issue of concern, because in Wills people are doing their bit. They are conscious of their impact. My electorate has one of the highest uptakes for solar panels for residences. Some businesses are powered entirely by solar power, like Impact Digital, a printing company in Brunswick. People cycle, they use public transport and they try to limit using plastic or disposable products. Every little bit counts—the one-percenters matter. But climate change is a challenge that goes far beyond individual or community efforts. It requires a committed national approach. People who are admirably making changes to their daily lives are being let down by the Liberal-National government. In contrast, Labor is committed to net zero emissions by 2050, a target rejected by the Liberal-National government. Labor is committed to a clean energy future, investing in wind and solar power. But, unbelievably, the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction announced just last week that the Liberal-National government would not fund solar or wind as part of their so-called technology plan. If we are to have any moral authority on the international stage to ask the big emitters to reduce their emissions, Australia needs to lead. We need a government with a plan to reduce emissions. A future Labor government will deliver real action on climate change. Fairfax Electorate: Coolum Beach Surf Life Saving Club 140 16:44 Mr TED O'BRIEN 138932 Fairfax I'd like to think that my deep suntan and my thick dreadlocks and chiselled physique might make it very clear that I represent some of Australia's finest surfing beaches, up on the 'Sunny Coast' in Queensland. I proudly rise today to give credit to Coolum Beach, which has been ranked as Queensland's No. 1 beach by Surf Life Saving Queensland. This iconic beach is spectacular. It is patrolled 365 days a year. Last summer alone, there would have been over a quarter of a million people swimming between those flags, and they do so safely thanks to a wonderful group of surf lifesavers. That surf lifesaving club is the Coolum Beach Surf Life Saving Club. What a club! This club is not just a social hub and a lifesaving club. It not only trains the volunteers but also opens its hearts, its wallets and its place. Last year alone, it raised money for drought victims, for firefighters and for victims of the Townsville floods. When the bushfires hit the areas of Peregian Beach and Peregian Springs last year, this club opened its doors. Its volunteers sprang into action. So I rise today to give them thanks. Thanks for your service. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has now concluded. PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS 140 PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Australian Broadcasting Corporation 140 16:45 Ms SHARKIE 265980 Mayo I move: That this House: (1) thanks the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for its service in delivering vital emergency broadcasts and comprehensive coverage during the catastrophic fires; (2) acknowledges the dramatic rise in emergency broadcasts—from 256 in 2017 to 371 in 2018-19 and 673 so far this year, which have been delivered without additional funding to cover the resources which have been poured into the emergency broadcast effort; (3) recognises that since Boxing Day, as bushfires raged across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, the ABC handled more than 100 emergency broadcasts in a single week, receiving widespread praise for the practical, life‑saving information and the professionalism on display; (4) notes the heavy damage sustained to ABC radio and television network infrastructure during the bushfires, particularly at Bateman's Bay in New South Wales and East Gippsland in Victoria; (5) commends the ABC for mobilising to restore local radio stations as a priority because of their critical role in providing information to communities during disasters; (6) acknowledges that the ABC should not be put into a position of having to economise on its emergency broadcasting due to Government funding cuts; and (7) calls on the Government to reverse the $83.7 million paused in indexation funding as a matter of urgency. This motion mirrors a recent motion put forward by my Senate colleague Stirling Griff demonstrating, once again, that Centre Alliance have been long-time defenders of the ABC. It is a source of frustration that we have to continue defending our national broadcaster as successive coalition governments have slashed the budget. Two years ago, I became Australia's first politician to receive the Defenders Badge from the Friends of the ABC National. I wear it with pride today because I want to remind the House just how much Australia values the ABC, particularly in times of crisis. I acknowledge that we have ABC Friends of the ACT in the chamber here today, with the chair, Peter Lindenmayer. They are a very passionate group that needs to be here, because they are supporting the ABC against cuts. They know the value of the ABC. My community experienced crisis in the fire season, with deadly bushfires in the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island. During these events, all warnings were heeded. We lost power. Our telecommunications networks failed. Key infrastructure was burnt for critical periods of time. We had no internet, no mobile coverage and no landlines, but we did have the ABC on battery operated radios and on car radios, and it was the trusted voice of the ABC, delivering emergency broadcasts and sharing important local information, that assisted my community greatly. In the weeks following Boxing Day, as bushfires raged across our nation, the ABC handled more than 100 emergency broadcasts in a single week, taking the financial year tally to 673 broadcasts as of 4 January this year. As of last Friday, I'm advised that that figure is now 933 emergency broadcasts. This compares to 375 in the previous financial year and 256 the year before. In South Australia, the ABC covered all fire events across the state, including the major blazes on Kangaroo Island, in the Adelaide Hills and in the south-east. During these major incidents, the local ABC provided 14 hours of rolling emergency coverage across the fire season. The ABC has provided continual information on bushfire activity. Christmas holidays are normally when organisations operate on skeleton staff, and the ABC is no exception, particularly given its budget constraints. However, at the height of the bushfires in my electorate, ABC Radio presenters, producers, journalists, managers and technicians returned from leave to provide special emergency broadcasts. Some other ABC staff who were on leave reported while they were on holidays in fire affected regions. Many staff worked through the night to ensure communities continued to receive up-to-date information. In times of crisis, the ABC is a trusted friend, and we shouldn't short-change our friends. The ABC should not be put in a position of having to economise on its emergency broadcasting due to government funding cuts. It should not be put in a position of having to economise to restore fire damaged radio and television network infrastructure in New South Wales and Victoria. The ABC should not be put in a position of having to economise core programming because it's trying to juggle savage funding cuts. The federal government has slashed $338 million from the ABC budget since 2014, including approximately $84 million in paused indexation from the 2018 budget. I'd just like to bring back to everyone's attention: I remember Tony Abbott, the then Leader of the Opposition, saying there would be no cuts to the ABC. He said that in September 2013. Well, that has proven not to be true. These future potential redundancies, on top of a thousand jobs shed in 2014—we're now looking at another 200 redundancies—are plainly unacceptable. A strong and independent Australian broadcaster is important to our nation's culture, and to the quality of our democracy. As demonstrated in the bushfire crisis, having a well-resourced ABC is also essential for the safety of our community. The ABC broadcasts from 46 regional and peri-urban areas. We support its vision to expand regional services. At the very least, I call on the government to reverse the $84 million paused indexation funding as a matter of urgency. The ongoing funding cuts to our national treasure, our national broadcaster, are savage and they are hurting regional Australia. I can tell you, Madam Deputy Speaker Claydon, I do not know what my community would have done if it wasn't for the ABC over the Christmas period when we experienced the worst bushfires that we've had in living memory. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 Is there a seconder for the motion? I believe the member for Indi jumped in. Dr Haines 282335 I second the motion and reserve my right to speak. 16:51 Mr BROADBENT MT4 Monash It would've been my pleasure to second the motion. However, I've been jumped by the member for Indi, which I'm now crushed about. I've already told the story to the parliament of going to a dear friend's funeral in Bairnsdale. Outside of that funeral centre was a massive electronic sign. In the middle or just after the crucial days of the fire, that sign didn't say 'look after yourself' or 'drive with your lights on' or 'bushfire area—be careful', none of that. That massive sign said one thing: 'Fires and storms—tune to the ABC.' An honourable member interjecting— Mr BROADBENT MT4 You're right, there were too many telecommunications that went down. There were too many situations where nobody could communicate anywhere with anybody except for one thing—the ABC. So I'm here to praise Laura Poole and her team out at Gippsland and of course, the member for Gippsland, Darren Chester, Minister Chester, who was also extremely effective in his use of the ABC to get the general messages across from the government as to what needed to be done on a daily basis and about what was happening at Mallacoota. But we know that this enormous tragedy affected everybody from Queensland through New South Wales down into East Gippsland, across to the Adelaide Hills and some parts of Western Australia. So it was erupting around us but there were Laura Poole and her team, all of them—I'm not going to name them individually because the list is that long. I'll name Gerard Callinan, because he left the ABC some years ago and came back as a volunteer presenter to support his old team. They were a magnificent team that went virtually 24 hours a day non-stop on behalf of the people of Gippsland, and everybody was tuned to the ABC. They were so important in this time of crisis. The ABC, for me, have been a way in our rural area to communicate messages that local members need to get out in any situations that we face, so they're always there in times of trouble. They are the reporting agency. They are the people who take the responsibility to get the messages out when no-one else can get the messages out. So, Laura, I say thank you to you and your team at the ABC Gippsland, and to Gerard Callinan for coming back and giving his time and expertise. They have to be very effective communications as to what's happening. We're best off if we have presenters who can actually pronounce the names of the areas, know where the roads are, and are not challenged by the fact that they are tired and exhausted, but rather would relish the opportunity to be part of the community response to what has been a tragedy in this area, and a national tragedy around the country. I'm not saying for one minute that my ABC was better than your ABC—I wouldn't dare do that—but I have supported my ABC forever in this place. I have supported Friends of the ABC. I have supported very clearly and forthrightly how important the ABC is to regional Australia and regional Victoria. It doesn't matter where you go; it doesn't matter how remote you are; it doesn't matter how far away from city centres you are: you get an opportunity to tune into the ABC in one way or another. When the nation's under threat, we have the ABC to communicate to us. We must preserve that. We must look after that. And we must say, 'How can we best do this job with the ABC?' An honourable member interjecting— Mr BROADBENT MT4 I know it all comes down to money. There was a $1.1 billion outlay by government, and what I do know is that every government—and I've been here from the Hawke government through, but not consistently, sadly—has had problems with the ABC. Every government has been through this. But I really thank them for the work they did during this bushfire season. Thank you. 16:56 Dr HAINES 282335 Indi I commend the member for Mayo for this motion, and I endorse the words of the member for Monash. The ABC is a highly efficient and greatly trusted community service. Both a 2018 Roy Morgan survey and a 2019 study by the University of Canberra found the ABC is Australia's most trusted media brand. As a former university academic, I can say: you don't need a university to tell you that. We just know it. There were three major fires in Indi: the Green Valley, or Walwa fire; the fire around Dinner Plain and Falls Creek; and the fire which started near Abbeyard. Collectively, these fires burnt nearly 600,000 hectares of my electorate of Indi. In what was a tense and frightening summer, it was the ABC's emergency broadcasts that calmly and clearly kept us all up to date on what was an ever-evolving and terribly frightening situation. On behalf of my constituents, I would like to thank all of those at ABC Goulburn-Murray who worked tirelessly for weeks to keep us informed. I'd also like to thank the emergency services communications personnel working across the various incident control centres who liaised with the ABC to ensure the broadcast information was current, concise, accurate. So in times of trouble we know that, come what may, keep calm and tune in to the ABC. We all know the importance of maintaining a radio and fresh batteries in our emergency kit, because when the power goes down and the phones stop working, we have the ABC to keep us up to date. It's just there. Always. Right? During the peak times of this summer's fires, the people of the Upper Murray recently experienced what life is like when the ABC is not there. Shortly after the Walwa fire began on New Year's Eve, power and mobile phone reception was lost. Soon, the local ABC radio transmitter was also damaged by fire. This left most of the surrounding area—including the Corryong and Walwa valleys—without their local ABC station. No fire updates. No communication of evacuation orders. No localised road closure information. No phone. No reception. No power. No ABC. Silence, stillness, disquiet. Eventually, ABC Radio broadcasting was restored, and for the people of the Upper Murray it was like emerging from the jungle after the war. It was restored thanks to the efforts of our New South Wales neighbours at ABC Riverina, who picked up the mantle. ABC Riverina, your ABC became our ABC. Pronunciation of Victorian town names by ABC Riverina left some residents scratching their heads. And while many found this initially pretty humorous, it also underscored, as the member for Monash pointed out, the importance of local knowledge in emergency broadcasting. Many people listen to emergency broadcasts out of the corner of their ear, tuning in only when they hear the name of their town or towns nearby. Without local broadcasters and their knowledge of the area, crucial information can be lost in translation. The outage demonstrated the precarious nature of the reliance of our most important infrastructure on mains power—infrastructure such as the ABC transmission tower and mobile phone base stations. It highlights the vulnerability of the most fundamental services in rural and regional areas; a vulnerability that is made all the more obvious now by the warnings of longer, hotter and drier summers, and more intense and frequent bushfires. That was vulnerability brought home with a knockout punch this summer. Adaptation to what is now an inevitable 1.5 degrees of global warming means we must prioritise and fund additional transmission distribution services, services which can ensure the ABC transmitter can operate with renewable energy technology. The technology is there; it can be done immediately. There would be no need for backup diesel fuel generators, with all the problems they entail, and no need to wait for mains power to be restored. It's undeniable that the ABC has been successful in achieving the efficiencies governments have demanded of it since the 1980s. But the ABC receives no additional funding for emergency broadcasts. Maybe that was okay in times when emergency announcements were a rare event. But situation abnormal is now a new normal, and we must not expect the ABC to divert funds intended for regular programming to cover these costs. The ABC emergency services broadcasting must receive specific funding as part of our national disaster framework. But, more than that, the role that our ABC plays in the very fabric of our culture is of such importance to our very way of life as we recover from the hideous black summer of 2019 that the time is long overdue for the reversal of the three-year $83.8 million indexation freeze. As the people of the upper Murray know, we are literally lost without the ABC. 17:01 Mrs ARCHER 282237 Bass This is not the first time that I have stated my commitment in this place for the ABC and the services it provides. As I've stated before, I am foremost, like those who I represent in my electorate, a community member in a regional area. I understand the crucial role that the ABC plays in informing and entertaining regional and rural communities. Certainly, having grown up in Northern Tasmania and having now spent the last 13 years or so on a farm, I can personally attest to the importance of the ABC and, in particular, its Country Hour radio program, which does an incredible job in representing the issues that matter to rural communities. It's a way of providing a connection for a somewhat isolated profession. The Morrison government has demonstrated its commitment to rural and regional communities like mine by amending the Australian Broadcasting Act 1983 to ensure that the ABC is broadcasting programs that contribute to a sense of regional, as well as national, identity and to reflect the geographic and cultural diversity of the Australian community. Today, I join with the members for Mayo, Monash and Indi in commending the ABC for the invaluable role that they played in the recent bushfires that ravaged Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia over the summer—particularly their handling of more than 100 emergency broadcasts in a single week. The ABC and many commercial television and radio broadcasters, particularly those based in regional towns across fire affected areas, worked tirelessly over the summer to provide Australians with up-to-date news and information about the bushfires. In areas where infrastructure literally melted, commercial enterprises jumped in, offering their towers to the ABC so it could continue its transmissions. This was a wonderful show of industry cooperation through adversity, and, once again, a show of how so many did their part to help those in need during the recent crisis. Though Tasmania was incredibly fortunate to be spared from the devastation of the fires which spread through so many of our mainland rural and regional communities this summer, we did experience a small number of fires in which emergency broadcasting by the ABC played an important role. In the Northern Tasmania communities of Glengarry and Winkleigh, a fire at the end of January spread quickly. Residents were advised either to evacuate or to enact their bushfire survival plans. Thankfully, no lives were lost, and I believe that emergency broadcasting played a crucial role in ensuring the safety of our community. Likewise, in my neighbouring electorate of Lyons, where some fires burned intensely for weeks and caused loss of property in Fingal and the surrounding areas, access to emergency broadcasting was essential for residents and visitors alike. It is important to highlight that over this triennium the ABC will receive $3.2 billion of taxpayer funds and a further $43.7 million to continue the enhanced news-gathering measures supporting local and regional news. Whilst over $1 billion is allocated to the ABC each year by the government, decisions as to how that funding is allocated are a matter for the ABC Board and management, just as they would be for any other television or radio broadcaster or newspaper company in this country. In a rapidly changing media environment, the ABC has greater funding certainty than any other media organisation in the nation. I understand that the ABC has prioritised emergency broadcasting at this time, which is commendable, and much has been made of the cost that this involves. As the government has stated, if the ABC has incurred any specific additional costs in providing emergency information to the Australian people as part of this summer's bushfires, it is open to the ABC to bring forward detailed information about those costs for consideration by government. In a perfect world, were we not faced with any economic challenges, it would be wonderful to continuously increase the budget of our national broadcaster along with many other important services. Under the strong economic management of this government, we have taken many necessary measures for budget repair, and now, sitting in the aftermath of the recent bushfires and with our commitment to assisting rural Australia, which has been affected by the drought and the as-yet-unknown impact of the coronavirus, we are placed strongly to response to the financial impacts that they have and will continue to have. I am committed to the ABC, and I'm also committed to a strong and resilient ABC operating efficiently and delivering the best possible outcomes with the substantial funding that it receives 17:06 Ms WELLS 264121 Lilley In the nine short months since I was elected to this place, I have made no secret of the fact that I am one of the most ardent and dedicated fans of our national broadcaster. I say that now as the proudly elected representative for the people of Lilley, who—when I was doorknocking the streets during the election campaign, and in the mobile offices on the north side that I've held since then as the MP—have also made very clear to me that they love our national broadcaster and want to see it properly resourced. They want to see it properly resourced because 7.30 provides informed and unbiased news and reporting that keeps Australians up to date with current events in our backyard and across the globe; Q+A and Insiders give a platform to a cross-section of voices for diverse debate on important issues like the impending religious freedom bill and climate change; Triple J provides the best playlist for Australia Day weekend parties across the country; Bluey and Playschool teach our children about imagination, caring, leadership and problem-solving; and Four Corners brings Australian stories into our lounge rooms, shining a light on heroes like Rosie Batty and investigating injustice that would otherwise have been swept under the rug, as we saw with St Kevin's in Toorak and the George Pell story. The ABC challenges the Australian media landscape when it is often swamped by disinformation sprayed by commercial media and broadcasters for power, for profit or to encourage division and disharmony among Australians. Over the last six months, with the catastrophic bushfires, the importance of independent and accountable public broadcasters like the ABC has become undeniably evident. The ABC's extensive coverage of the bushfires across television, radio and online services is a testament to the network's position as Australia's No. 1 emergency broadcaster. Australians trust the ABC in times of crisis. We know we can turn the TV or the radio to the ABC to keep informed and to stay safe. There is no doubt that the ABC's coverage of the bushfires this summer saved lives. Reporters, presenters, producers, staff and crew across the country worked around the clock to provide fire warnings, road closure updates and evacuation plans. They broadcast accurate, reliable, continuous coverage under incredible pressure and sometimes in very dangerous conditions. An example of this was when the ABC team in Canberra had to host an impromptu outdoor broadcast because they were evacuated from their own studios because the bushfire smoke triggered the fire alarms. They stood outside in that smoke, which made it too dangerous to be in their studios, and they persevered with the broadcast. When the ABC's emergency broadcasting policy was delivered in 2011, the emergency division ran for around six months of the year. It now runs year-round. The number of ABC emergency broadcasts has risen from 256 in 2017 to 900 so far this financial year. The ABC topped the Nielsen digital content ratings for digital views in January 2020 both in unique visitors and average time on site, with Australians going online to their ABC to keep up-to-date with the bushfires. The cost of the ABC's emergency broadcasting coverage comes out of base funding. There is no specific federal funding for emergency broadcasting. The cost of reporting teams on the ground and keeping regional TV and radio running during crises has to be found from somewhere. With the predicted rise in natural disasters, we also have to factor in the cost of replacing or fixing infrastructure after natural disasters. Broadcast towers are vulnerable to fire, which we saw in Batemans Bay and Gippsland. In 2019 the Morrison government imposed $84 million in cuts to ABC funding through a three-year freeze. The ABC themselves have estimated that they will have to cut 200 jobs to meet the 2020 budget. According to budget forecasts the ABC stands to lose $783 million in funding by 2022 unless steps are taken to remedy the situation. That's why we're here today. Cutting ABC funding doesn't help Australians living in rural and regional Australia. In emergency broadcasts we need experienced local reporters to guide the coverage. The ABC cannot fly city staff into regional areas during a crisis and expect them to know all of the local areas, the back roads or the correct pronunciation of names. Knowing the area can be the difference between life and death if an accident were to happen because a reporter was giving the wrong pronunciation to names because they were unfamiliar with the area; they could send evacuees into immediate danger. They didn't because they were local, and it should stay that way. I call on the Morrison government to put its money where its mouth is for rural and regional Australians so that the ABC can continue to provide vital emergency broadcasting during natural disasters. 17:11 Ms HAMMOND 80072 Curtin I thank the member for Mayo for her motion. By way of declaration, I am a member of Parliamentary Friends of the ABC. But like all good friends I am not an uncritical one. ABC emergency broadcasting brings warnings and coverage of emergencies to one place. It helps people find information during, before and after times of crisis and disaster wherever they may be in Australia. The service alerts people to what the emergency is and where it's located, what essential information is available that will help people make decisions and where they can find more information. It is a reliable, accurate and vital service to and for Australians. Although other broadcasters also provide emergency information, many across this country see the ABC as the national emergency broadcaster. While it's not explicitly within the ABC's charter, it is clearly something that both the ABC and the country consider to be an integral or core part of the ABC service. I want to pay tribute to the incredible work that the ABC did in delivering vital emergency broadcasts and coverage during the devastating bushfires of this summer. ABC staff, particularly those based in regional towns, worked tirelessly over the summer to provide Australians with up-to-date news and information about the bushfires. I think it's also worthwhile noting here that this is not the first time the ABC has stepped up in times of emergency in Australia; it played a vital role in Cyclone Tracy, Cyclone Alby and the Black Saturday bushfires. The ABC is our national broadcaster and has been since it was officially launched in 1932. It is above all else a service provider. The service it is mandated to provide Australians is an innovative and comprehensive broadcasting service of a high standard which informs, entertains, educates, encourages and promotes the musical, dramatic and other performing arts in Australia. It is to contribute to and reflect a sense of national identity. The ABC, our national broadcaster, is funded by every taxpayer in the country. Over this triennium the ABC will receive $3.2 billion, which is just over $1 billion per year. Over and above this amount, in the last budget the Morrison government committed a further $43.7 million over three years to support the ABC's enhanced news-gathering in regional areas. In the context of this motion, it has to be noted that this level of funding gives the ABC more financial certainty than any other media organisation in the nation. Further, and again in the context of this motion, the ABC has full operational independence. This means that the board and the executive of the ABC have the power and the responsibility to determine what they spend the money on. I have no doubt that the ABC, in providing its invaluable emergency service broadcasting during the devastating fires this year, has faced some costs that it did not anticipate or budget to spend this year. There are many individuals, businesses, NGOs and other service providers who are facing exactly the same situation. Just like those other organisations facing this issue, the resolution of it will not be easy. I do, however, stress once again that, in accordance with its charter and its operational independence, resolving this issue for the ABC is a matter for the board and the executive of the ABC. The fiscally and responsible response to this is not, with all respect to the member for Mayo, to simply reverse the indexation pause for the ABC. Rather, it is for the board and executive to undertake a detailed examination of the financial impact of the service it has provided over this summer on its planned activities, to reprioritise and rebudget for the year ahead. If, following that exercise, the board is of the view that there is a compelling case for some of these additional and unexpected expenses to be offset by additional funding, it should bring forward detailed information about those costs for consideration to the government. I am, and the government is, committed to a strong and resilient ABC operating efficiently and delivering the best possible outcomes for all communities. The work it did over the summer was exemplary, and the ABC deserves huge commendation for that. I agree that the ABC should not be financially punished for undertaking this role, but at the very same time, as an organisation which is funded by taxpayers to provide a service to all Australians and which has full operational independence as to how it spends its money, it must also take full responsibility for establishing a compelling case if it requires additional financial support. The Australian taxpayers who pay for this deserve no less. 17:17 Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Gilmore I am delighted to rise to speak on this motion about the amazing job of our local ABC during the recent bushfire crisis. The ABC, as our official national emergency broadcaster, played an instrumental role in keeping our community informed, updated and, most importantly, safe. ABC South East and ABC Illawarra in my electorate provided rolling coverage of the bushfires. Their regular emergency broadcasts were a familiar, if anxious, sound that immediately put you to attention. When the power went out across the New South Wales south coast, it was the handy battery-powered radio that so many people were forced to rely on. In a fast-moving and chaotic crisis like our community experienced, a reliable and trusted source of information cannot be overstated. During the height of the bushfires, both of these stations received hourly updates from our local Rural Fire Service district managers. This gave people a direct line to what was happening on the ground, where the dangers were and what to do. The ABC also gave important information on what to do in the event of a bushfire, how to prepare to evacuate and where to go—life-saving information, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind. It wasn't just important for people on the ground. Family members and friends from near and far were also tuned in on their radios to their ABC news channel, glued to the latest updates. Again, without telecommunications or power, for so many this was their only way to know what was happening in the towns and cities of people we loved. While the ABC did an absolutely astounding job—no question—there are many, many other media outlets which also provided this vital service to our community. I would just like to take a quick moment to acknowledge the work of all of our local media outlets for the way they supported our community through this extremely trying time. So many of our local journalists worked non-stop through the bushfire crisis. They were there when our community needed them, and they were unwavering. Many of these journalists were dealing with threats to their own homes. None of us were immune from that over this long summer. They are part of our community and they mourned with us. They fought to make sure our community was informed, safe and supported, and they are all champions in my mind. I would like to thank each and every one of them for their contribution—2ST, Power FM, 2EC, Wave FM, i98FM, Shoalhaven Community Radio, Bay and Basin Community Radio, Eurobodalla Access Radio, the South Coast Register, the Bay Post-Moruya Examiner, the Milton Ulladulla Times, The Bugle Kiama, the Kiama Independent, About Regional, The Beagle, Ulladulla.info, the Illawarra Mercury, the Illawarra Star, WIN TV, Channel 9, SBS, the UOWTV. All these media outlets and more deserve our eternal gratitude for all they have done and continue to do. Social media also played a huge part in keeping the community informed. It would not be possible for me to list all the community Facebook pages that became a key source of information here but each of them deserves our thanks. In regional communities like mine, the other essential part of our media landscape are our community newsletters. In an electorate the size of Gilmore, I cannot name them all here but they are so important and have also done the most incredible job of keeping us all informed, being by our side every step of the way. I would also like to acknowledge the vital work of my local councils—Shoalhaven City Council, Eurobodalla Shire Council and Kiama Municipal Council. Like the media outlets, they performed an essential role in making sure our community was informed while also working to respond to this crisis. So many people in our councils worked around the clock in the emergency operation centres and beyond. Thank you to everyone involved in this mammoth operation. Our ABC, along with everyone else I have mentioned here, has been there every day for our community. The headlines may have gone, the national and international media may have moved on, but it's our local media that will always be there with us. We have a shared experience that has bonded us all forever. This has been the fire season we sometimes thought would never end. We feel the exhaustion together; we feel the heartache and loss together. I thank them all for what they have done now and every day. Honourable members: Hear, hear. 17:22 Mr RAMSEY HWS Grey It gives me pleasure to rise on this motion by the member for Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie. I think the motion is structured in two parts in so much the first half deals with congratulations to the ABC for the fine work they have done over the summer, and the second half, of course, asks for more funding. To deal with the first half—it has been a tough summer. Mercifully, in my electorate, we were spared the worst of the fires—we had some issues—but we did have some very bad fires in South Australia on Kangaroo Island. I did take some time to go down to the island and help a friend there with the mopping-up process and talked to farmers about what should be done to the future and what we can do on a whole lot of issues. I have given speeches in the House on that previously, so I won't go back over that. But certainly the most important thing the ABC does during the fire season is transmit the warnings in South Australia issued by the CFS. This is a cut-and-dried approach—the CFS posts the notices and the ABC presenters read them out. Now that is the most important thing because this is the information that warns people not to drive up a certain road, to either head home or it is time to evacuate or whatever it might be. It is one of those things, though, I must say—and a slight criticism here, not of the ABC—is that in South Australia it seems that those warnings are not always current. I think that fault probably lies with the CFS because often we know that grounds are safe and they're still saying to evacuate and all those kinds of things. That is another issue that I'll try to chase up in the future. The second thing the ABC do, of course, is put reporters on to the fire grounds. This is probably not an essential service but it is one that is greatly appreciated by the communities that are affected. I think when you are facing that kind of challenge, you like to know that others can actually share your plight and understand what you're going through, so it is a very important service they provide, and I congratulate them for that. In terms of resources, these are reporters that are already employed, even though they may well be doing longer hours than what they would normally do. All of that is good. But then the motion goes to asking for extra resources for the ABC. I checked my figures: the ABC, this budget year, is receiving $1,062 million from the taxpayer and it's raising another $68 million through other sources for a total budget of $1,130 million. They employ 4,180 full-time equivalent staff. I must say: they are a fairly secretive organisation when it comes to understanding where all those staff are, and certainly how they're paid, but I don't think there could be any more than a hundred of those in South Australia. We have the regional radio network and then we have the city radio network. I'm not too sure what the ABC does in television in Adelaide anymore—not too much, I don't think. The member for Curtin talked about how the ABC is at arm's length from government and they make their own decisions. They operate four television platforms nationwide. They run, I think, 10 different radio frequencies. They're not all original shows. And they certainly run a 24-hour television news service, which uses a lot of resources and is actually competing in the space where already there was a commercial service. But those are decisions for the ABC board to make. When they're making their decisions, one of the incontrovertible obligations they have is to maintain the services in the regions that actually warn people about these fire set-ups. So I don't think that you can really make that justification for them needing extra resources. They have been major beneficiaries of the advances of technology. If we're making fridges—though we don't make many of those in Australia anymore—or putting together farm machinery or whatever it is, and we have changes in technology which mean that we don't actually use as many people to do it as we used to do, that is one of the efficiency gains that industry needs to capitalise on. So it is in the media. If you look at the newspapers, for instance, there's a fraction of the number of people in the newspapers that there used to be. Maybe they're not as good as they used to be. But there is certainly room for this productivity increase. I think that's where the ABC really is. They have to look at the services they provide across a wide range and who they compete with, and stick to those essentials which are the underlying strength of the ABC. 17:27 Mr GOSLING 245392 Solomon I thank the member for Mayo for moving the motion and all those who spoke in support of it. All reasonable people agree that the ABC is one of our most important institutions and part of the fabric of our nation. It adds to media diversity and Australian content and it plays a vital role in our regional and remote communities, providing news and, importantly, emergency information. This summer's bushfires have reminded us all once again of the vital role that the ABC plays. It's unfortunate, but it is at times like these when the importance of independent and accountable public broadcasters like the ABC becomes most evident. We need the ABC, to protect not only our democracy but our very lives. That's very apparent to us from time to time up in the Northern Territory. With the bushfires, the ABC handled 371 emergency broadcast events in the 2018-19 year, an increase of around 120 emergency events compared to 2017-18. During the recent bushfires, the ABC handled more than 100 emergency broadcasts in a single week. It was an extraordinary effort, and everyone at the ABC deservedly received widespread praise, some of which we're hearing today, for the practical and life-saving information they broadcast and for their professionalism and bravery while doing it. No doubt it would have been heartbreaking for the people on the ground that the ABC journalists, camos and soundies were talking with, but it was because of them that we got the word out. The emergency broadcasts are especially important, as I've said, in the Northern Territory during our cyclone season. On average, there are about eight days a year, though there can be more, where a cyclone has formed off the coast. So, in the days leading up to it, and as the cyclone actually is tearing down on us in the Territory, tens of thousands of Territorians are relying on the ABC to stay up to date on developments and actions that they need to take. In the lead-up to the cyclone season, the ABC reminds us about getting our cyclone kits and plans ready. And the ABC does this without any additional resources. It is unfortunate that the important work of the ABC is periodically undermined by those opposite. I'm not reflecting on the member for Wentworth here—he probably thinks the ABC is not a bad organisation—but you'd have to agree that many on that side of politics continually undercut it. And it's not helpful. Remember Tony Abbott's promises that there would be no cuts to the ABC? That was back in 2013. Next minute, $631 million was cut from the national broadcaster. If that's what 'no cuts to the ABC' looks like, I'd hate to see what it would look like if the government was honest about its policy in relation to the ABC. The ABC board is meeting in Darwin in June of this year. We'll be looking after them and we'll also be explaining to them the incredibly important role that the ABC plays not only in our jurisdiction but as we saw over the break. During those cuts, we saw the cut to short-wave radio. That was very unfortunate not only for Indigenous communities throughout the Northern Territory but also for people out in commercial fishing off the coast. And we actually beam Australia's news into the Pacific. So it would be good if that short-wave radio came back—and it was a disgrace that it was ever cut. In the time I have left, I want to acknowledge the work done by the ABC in the Northern Territory keeping Territorians up-to-date with emergencies that might affect them. In particular, I want to thank the ABC for bringing their board to Darwin. If they were in Darwin right now, they would learn that there is a severe weather warning in the Tanami district. There is a flood watch for the Tanami, Central Desert and MacDonnell Ranges and there is a flood watch for Bonaparte and North West Coastal Rivers. That is vital information for people in the Territory. Whether they be fishing recreationally or commercially, whether they be on a road train getting our cattle to market or whether they be on a station, it is vital information that is incredibly important; and the way it gets to those Territorians out on the ground is via the ABC. ABC services are vital. I call on the government to put its culture of cuts to the ABC aside and start backing in our national broadcaster. You saw it during the fires. The ABC journos were out there on the fireground when others were not. So backing the ABC is vital for our nation. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. Online Safety 148 17:32 Dr WEBSTER 281688 Mallee I rise to support this motion and to acknowledge the government's efforts to keep Australians safe online. In particular, I support the integration and expansion of the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, a world-first initiative that was originally established under the Enhancing Online Safety for Children Act 2015 to promote online safety for children. In 2017 the scope of the commissioner's role was extended to help all Australians but with a distinct focus on the safety and privacy of women and children. As the world becomes global, yet more local, through increasingly interconnected technology and digital services, it is crucial that government policy keeps pace with these changes in order to respond to the prevailing conditions and risks in society. The eSafety Commissioner helps achieve this by safeguarding Australians at risk from online harm and by promoting safer, more positive online experiences. The commissioner's work focuses on building strong partnerships between relevant organisations and stakeholders, promoting online safety using media and marketing strategies, protecting Australians through reporting, investigations and notification schemes, and anticipating how new technologies might be used or misused in order to inform systemic change. Since its establishment the Office of the eSafety Commissioner has reached over 475,000 parents and community groups through eSafety outreach and, 11,000 working teachers through online programs, and has trained over 9,500 frontline workers to assist women who are experiencing online abuse. The commissioner has also finalised 43,000 investigations, 70 per cent of which concerned child sexual abuse material, and in 2019 made 8,500 reports of child sexual abuse material to the Australian Federal Police and a global organisation called INHOPE, which is leading the fight against these materials. These statistics demonstrate the need to support the role of the eSafety Commissioner, which is why the government is providing over $100 million to support the commissioner's vital initiatives over the next four years, $10 million to support an Online Safety Grants Program for four years for non-government organisations, administered by eSafety, as well as $9.3 million to extend the Be Connected program for another year, which helps older Australians navigate the world of online safely. As a member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, I was pleased to hear firsthand from the eSafety Commissioner on the committee's Inquiry into Age Verification for Online Wagering and Online Pornography. This committee has been investigating the effectiveness of age verification systems and ways in which these mechanisms might be strengthened to protect minors more effectively. The committee held two public hearings with this inquiry and received over 300 submissions. According to research from the eSafety Commissioner, Australian children are regularly exposed to harmful online experiences, with 28 per cent of parents reporting that their child has had a negative experience online. It was encouraging to learn that the eSafety Commissioner supports the implementation of age verification technology and is willing to assist in the development of any such mechanisms. Australians want and have a right to expect that our children and grandchildren will be protected from predatory behaviour and accidental connections to inappropriate material online. It is for this reason I'm pleased that the government is developing new legislation to bring together separate components of the existing online safety regulatory framework in a single place, providing clarity and assurance to users and related industries. The proposed new act would establish a set of basic online safety expectations for industry and build on the strengths of existing schemes regulating cyberbullying and image based abuse. It would also consolidate the powers and responsibilities at the eSafety Commissioner and establish a clear and unambiguous power for the commissioner to protect Australians during an online crisis event by directing internet service providers to block access to sites hosting terrorist or violent material. Whether it's combating cyberbullying, guarding privacy, preventing the publication of violent terror content, or protecting against online predators, the government is committed to helping keep Australians safe online, and the eSafety Commissioner is crucial to achieving this aim. 17:37 Ms SWANSON 264170 Paterson When I was first elected, I would arrive in Canberra on a Sunday afternoon and head straight to the supermarket to get the groceries for the week. And if you've ever been down to Woolies on a Sunday afternoon, it can often be a chaotic place, with everyone getting school lunches and things organised for Monday morning. So, this year we've started ordering online the night before. That means we can jump on the app and add all the usual things we'd use in our office over the week. It usually takes a lot longer than that to pick them up at the grocery store on a Sunday. Then, instead of spending all that time, spend just five minutes on a Sunday and then run in and grab the bags. It is that simple. This isn't a how-to for online grocery shopping. It's an example of how technology is truly making mundane tasks much simpler and easier. Australians are becoming more connected than ever, and with this rapid growth comes the necessity to keep safe online. When I head out for mobile offices around my electorate, I take the eSafety Commissioner's Little Black Book of Scams, because I rarely speak to someone who hasn't been a victim or come close, or who knows someone who has. In 2020 alone, Australians have lost over $7 million through online scams. That's $7 million down the drain to a criminal on the end of a computer. The most common scams are for dodgy investments, followed by dating and romance, and then scams involving threats to life. Shockingly, Australians over 55 are falling victim to financial scams more than any other age group in Australia, accounting for more than half of the financial loss. That's a $7 million figure this year alone—and I don't need to remind you that we've just kicked off March, so it's a lot of money that Australians are losing to these criminal scammers. They are so professional these days. I have to tell you I often get a text and I think, 'Is that real?' If you're in doubt, just delete it. They're becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to get our money or, more importantly, our personal details. Honestly, we need to be so alert to protect ourselves by knowing the signs and knowing what to do about them. Here are a few tips. Don't open suspicious texts. If you get a text that looks really suspicious, just delete it. Don't even open it. This includes pop-up windows, click-on links or attachments in emails. Delete them. If you're unsure, verify the identity of the contact through an independent source such as an online search or even a phone book, if you've still got one. Don't respond to phone calls about your computer asking for remote access. Hang up, even if they mention a well-known company such as Telstra. Scammers will often ask you to turn on your computer to fix a problem or install a free upgrade, which is actually a virus which will give them access to your passwords and your personal details. Please choose your passwords carefully. I know passwords can be tricky to remember, but new technology allows scammers to scan through thousands of passwords in a minute. If your password is '123456', I would strongly urge you to change it. E-safety week has recently been upon us. Of course, one of the most concerning things about our connected community is the risk that it poses to our children. We all know kids are more connected than ever. As I'm sure my colleague the member for Hindmarsh will attest—he's got some grandchildren— Mr Georganas DZY Adelaide. Ms SWANSON 264170 Adelaide—I've got to get that through my head. Young people are some of the most switched-on and connected, but they are still vulnerable. Last month, on 11 February, we celebrated Safer Internet Day, which was promoted by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. This was a day to talk about how to stay safe online in our communities and how to help protect our kids in this new digital world. As the parent of a 16-year-old, of course I'm always worried about her and her digital reputation. She's so savvy. Thankfully, she's very switched-on. But there are just so many traps and pitfalls for young people these days. So my advice to any parent or young person is: just be cautious and, if you don't want your grandmother to find out about it or you don't want it on the front page of a newspaper, don't put it online. That's my advice, Adelaide Swanson, from your mother. In conclusion, as we race to grab the newest technologies with the fastest download speeds, we must do our bit to educate our children, ourselves and our older Australians so that we can stay safe. Stay safe online, Australia. 17:43 Dr MARTIN 282982 Reid I rise today to speak on the motion put forward by the member for Stirling regarding the work of the eSafety Commissioner and the work the government is doing to lead the world on online safety. The online world brings with it the ability to connect with people all over the world but also poses new challenges to some of the most vulnerable in our community. Our government has led the world in its approach to online safety. In 2015 we established the Children's eSafety Commissioner, and we have since expanded the role to cover all Australians. This was a world first. The Office of the eSafety Commissioner enjoys bipartisan support, and I can confidently speak for all members of the House when I say that the work of the commissioner is extremely valuable for the safety and education of all Australians. The commissioner's work has allowed us to take national leadership on issues relating to cybersecurity, cyberbullying and online harassment. These are issues that can affect any Australian regardless of age, cultural background, gender, socioeconomic status and technological literacy. Over the next four years, the government is providing over $100 million to support vital online safety initiatives of the eSafety Commissioner. As a developmental and educational psychologist, and as a mum of four, I have seen just how difficult it can be for a parent to grapple with the challenges and risks that technology poses when trying to keep our kids safe online. Research conducted by the eSafety Commissioner found that 25 per cent of young people had been contacted by strangers online. Last year, the eSafety Commissioner received 638 complaints about serious cyberbullying targeting Australian children, and 1,500 reports of image based abuse. In my electorate of Reid, I know that many families and school communities are concerned with the increase they're seeing in cyberbullying and about how to keep children safe online. Oftentimes, bullying begins offline at school and then follows the child home through online harassment, making it difficult for children to escape the influence of a bully. We've had a high level of cooperation from social media services in the rapid removal of cyberbullying material—in certain cases as quickly as within 30 minutes. And the Office of the eSafety Commissioner has created valuable resources for parents, carers and teachers to help support victims of cyberbullying, and to help teach all children the value of being responsible, resilient and respectful online as well as offline. I spoke in this place last month about the 'start the chat' initiative, which helps parents to talk to their kids, as young as five years, about how to create a safe environment online. Similar resources are available for a broad range of groups, from schoolchildren to older Australians. Last year, our government released a consultation paper outlining proposals for the new online safety act. The online safety act will further strengthen the penalties for online abuse and harassment, especially to support women's safety online. The consultation process recently concluded, and engaged with industry groups, individuals and all levels of government. Online safety is really a shared responsibility, and I look forward to hearing the results of the consultation period in coming months. The proposals include introducing a new adult cyberabuse take-down scheme, reducing the time for abusive material to be removed to under 24 hours and expanding the scope of the eSafety Commissioner's powers to capture relevant platforms not previously included, such as gaming platforms, app stores and search engines. This is building on legislation that imposes new tough penalties for online platforms that fail to remove violent material in a reasonable period of time. This legislation was a swift response to the Christchurch attacks in March last year, which were streamed on social media. Our new penalties provide protection for Australians, particularly children, from seeing violent crimes online. Our proposals for reform of online safety include a new measure to quickly block access to terrorism material in the event of future online crisis events. In 2018, the government passed legislation which gives the eSafety Commissioner additional powers to combat image based abuse, including revenge porn, by issuing removal notices to websites, content hosts and social media providers. There are civil and criminal penalties, including fines of up to $5,000 for platforms and $105,000 for individuals, and jail time for up to seven years for an aggravated offence. We know how important it is for Australians of all ages to be safe online. The Morrison government has been leading the way in online safety regulation. Thank you. 17:48 Mr GEORGANAS DZY Adelaide I too rise today in support of this private member's motion, to do with online safety. Our society, our youth, our children and mums and dads—every single Australian—should be concerned about online safety. We heard earlier in the speeches that other members have made here about areas of fraud, and we see that regularly. I certainly have many people who come to see me and to talk about how they've been done online. That is through a whole range of things. There are official tax notices coming in an email and saying that you owe a certain percentage of tax, so call this number and give your details over the phone or send your payment to this address. This is an area where I suppose the internet and social media are rapidly changing, and these things have come into our lives at a faster pace than any other technology. Being a grandfather with grandchildren, I'm really concerned when I see my two-year-old toddler granddaughter going up to the TV screen and trying to scroll it across with her finger because she's so used to looking at my iPhone or the iPad and is thinking that the TV's a screen. So you can see how it affects everyone's lives from a very, very early age. The internet is a positive thing. It's given us a whole new world to do research, to hear different views from different perspectives from around the world. But at the same time, the dark elements of the internet are there, and we should always be vigilant and ensure that we, as governments, do everything to combat these dark elements. They range from child predators to fraudsters to a whole range of other things to whether they're just looking at how they can extract money from you. In 2015, as we've heard, the government established the world's first Children's eSafety Commissioner and then expanded this role to cover all Australians, regardless of whether they're young or old. Some of our old people are also very vulnerable to fraud. We've seen many, many examples. I pointed one out which was an email from the tax department saying 'You owe X amount of dollars and, if you don't pay it immediately, we'll be coming around to your house to collect the money,'—in those words, not so blunt. But they use very elaborate language. They get the person who's received the email to call a particular number and ask them to put a small amount of money—sometimes a large amount of money—into a particular account; otherwise they're coming around and they would be arrested immediately. If you're a person in your late 80s, not too savvy on the internet, receiving these emails, not only might you fall for the con but it traumatises people. I've had people ring me saying, 'I've just received this email or this text from a particular government agency asking for X amount of dollars.' They're not quite sure. They don't know and that's why they've rung us in the office. You can see them being traumatised just by the thought that they owe money. During the last election campaign, the Labor opposition announced it would work to protect a whole new generation of Australian children from cyber-risk by creating a new eSmart Digital Licence that was set to begin its rollout in 2020. This was to protect our children. The eSmart licence would better equip Australian children with critical digital skills, educate them and, in turn, promote critical thinking and open discussion about online safety between young people, their parents, carers, and teachers. One of the other things that has troubled me and many other members in this place immensely, and people have raised this issue, is online gambling, where it's made so easy to gamble without any verification of age or anything. I attend the football regularly—AFL football, of course, unlike my friends in the northern states—and see the promotion that's taking place by the betting agencies outside the gates with skimpily dressed women targeting young men, giving them promotional material to have bets during the game. This is something that we should be very wary of. Online gambling has created a new gambler with millions of dollars being lost every single year. What we need is good education, for people to know what their rights are online, and to ensure that we protect the Australian citizens from online harm. 17:53 Mr VASTA E0D Bonner When it comes to online safety, the Morrison government has a strong record of protecting Australians from online harms. We are world beaters on this issue and that's something we can all be proud of. As our everyday reliance on the internet grows so too does the danger for our safety. From online scams to online bullying, trolling and spam, for all the reliance and great things we can do on the internet, the risk of these negative aspects if higher than ever before. With Safer Internet Day marked last month, I organised a safer internet forum for seniors in my electorate of Bonner. Sadly, some of our older Australians have become easy targets for online scammers, who come across as legitimate. It can be easy to see why people are being caught out. Federally, the Morrison government is funding $9.3 million to continue the Be Connected program to help older Australians navigate the online world safely. This is a fantastic initiative. However, with the number of calls my office receives questioning whether certain emails and calls are legitimate, I was keen to organise a local event with guest speakers from the Bonner community. I was very pleased to have more than 50 seniors in my electorate come along to learn about how to avoid common online scams. I would like to thank Bob from the Office of Fair Trading and Senior Sergeant Kylie Doyle from Holland Park Police Station for coming along and running presentations on some of the latest scams and frauds catching out unaware internet users. As the online world gets craftier with their scams, it's so important that we stay informed of their latest attempts. It's also important that we don't take requests to verify information or pay unsuspecting fines on face value, and instead question the legitimacy of such requests. The bottom line is: if your gut says there's something wrong, it usually is right. Locally, I'm always working to support my constituents in Bonner to help them and inform them on matters such as avoiding online scams. From a national point of view, I'm proud to be part of a government that established the world's first eSafety Commissioner to improve online safety for all Australians. The Morrison government is supporting the eSafety Commissioner to the tune of $100 million to support vital online safety initiatives over the next four years. Such initiatives include takedown mechanisms to remove cyberbullying material, intimate images shared without consent, and prohibited and illegal material. Working towards building a safe online community has never been more important. In 2019, eSafety received more than 1,500 reports of image based abuse, and more than 600 complaints of serious cyberbullying targeting Australian children. Whilst scamming unsuspecting victims is a horrible crime, cyberbullying is abhorrent, and we have zero tolerance for such acts. The eSafety Commissioner has received a lot since its establishment to improve online safety and, with the proposed online safety act currently under consultation, we will be able to implement wider takedown schemes. The Morrison government is at the forefront of protecting Australians from online harm and holding tech industries to account. As a government, we must work together to keep Australians safe in their homes, in the community, and online. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. Home Care Packages 152 17:57 Ms TEMPLEMAN 181810 Macquarie I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) there are 120,000 older Australians waiting for their approved home care package, with many waiting more than two years for the care they have been approved for; (b) more than 16,000 older Australians died waiting for their approved home care package they were assessed for in 2017-18—sadly, that was around 300 older Australians that died each week in that year waiting for care; (c) there are around 14,000 older Australians who entered residential aged care prematurely because they couldn't get the care they were assessed and approved for in 2017-18—sadly, that was around 200 older Australians each week having no other choice but to enter residential aged care; and (d) the number of older Australians waiting for home care grew from 88,000 to 120,000 since 2017; and (2) condemns the Government for its inadequate response to the Royal Commission's interim report and not providing the home care older Australians need. When Meryl from Glenbrook put up a post on Facebook looking for suggestions on garden help for her ageing parents, she didn't expect the torrent of comments about delays for aged-care in-home help that it triggered. Meryl's parents in Blaxland have been assessed for an aged-care in-home package. They were approved for a low level of care but have found out that, even though they don't need a lot of support, they could be on a waiting list for three years before a package becomes available. So she's trying to source private help that will ensure her parents are able to maintain their independence with dignity. Of course, they realise there are many others with much, much greater needs, but, as Meryl said to me, 'You don't know about these things until it suddenly hits your family.' Sadly, it's hitting lots of families. We don't have the December quarter figures yet for some reason, but the most recent ones showed that there are 120,000 older Australians waiting for their approved home care package, with many waiting more than two years for the care that they have been approved for. This has occurred on this government's watch. This isn't anybody else's legacy. It's not anyone else's fault. It's the direct result of this government's failure to have any plan for aged care to support people in a practical way and fund it appropriately. The number of older Australians waiting for in-home care has grown from 88,000 to 120,000 since 2017. More than 16,000 older Australians have died waiting for their approved home care package that they were assessed for in 2017-18. I want you to think about those numbers; that's around 300 older Australians who died each week over that period waiting for care, having been told, 'Yes, you should have some help,' but then just left waiting. There are also the 14,000 older Australians who had no choice but to enter residential aged care prematurely because they couldn't get, in their home, care that they were assessed and approved for in 2017-18. Sadly, that's around 200 older Australians each week having no other choice but to enter residential aged care. These are huge numbers, and it's an indictment on the funding and the packages that are available. They're damning numbers. The Prime Minister claims that there has been: … unprecedented aged care improvements to help ensure older Australians receive the care they want and deserve, where and when they need it. Well, his words just do not match the facts on the ground. It feels more like the Prime Minister has sacrificed everything to the surplus dragon, pre-emptively claiming victory and squeezing the funds out of every vulnerable group he can, including older people who want to stay in their homes. Alan, from Blaxland, has also been approved for low-level support—enough to make a difference for him and his wife, for whom he's the primary carer. But now he faces a long wait for the service to be delivered. To add insult to injury, the funding might eventually become available but the providers in our region don't have the capacity to deliver it. That's another issue—the workforce. This government has failed to invest in the people who will deliver services. Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury residents on the edge of Sydney have low access to services based locally. Those that are local tend to be snapped up fast, so people are all too often reliant on services outside the area, which have to agree to travel to us. Now the government is pushing to change the way it pays the providers of in-home care. Instead of paying upfront and allowing them to draw down on that, it wants to pay them after the service has been delivered—a complete reverse of model. It doesn't sound like much of a switch but it makes a massive difference to cash flow, especially for the smaller services; it puts them at a real cash-flow risk. It's just the opposite of what our local economy needs as we're trying to recover from bushfires and with the threat of the coronavirus ahead of us, on top of what was already a pretty flat economic situation. It also comes on the back of attempts to privatise ACAT assessments for in-home aged care. Those assessments are done by the states. From the feedback I receive, that is pretty much the only step of the process that goes smoothly. It's timely, it's respectful and it meets the needs of older people and their families. After hitting a brick wall of disapproval, I am relieved that the government has backed down from that plan. Fancy the royal commissioner feeling the need to refute the claim that he had somehow endorsed the move. Clearly, the government isn't really interested in the royal commission findings or what's best for elderly people. Its response is inadequate and it has put the budget first. (Time expired) The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 Is there a seconder for the motion? Mr Thistlethwaite 182468 I second the motion and reserve my right to speak. 18:03 Dr HAINES 282335 Indi I thank the member for Macquarie for moving this motion. Young people may be our lifeblood but older people are the heart of the electorate of Indi. Twenty-one per cent of our population is aged 65 or older, higher than the Australian average of 16.5 per cent. With their children raising families of their own and a lifetime of experience behind them, older people, freed from the strictures of work, make an enormous contribution to our social, cultural and economic life. It's in no small part thanks to them that Indi holds the title of Australia's most neighbourly electorate. We look out for and after each other. I saw this during the recent bushfire crisis, with older people volunteering in their hundreds in relief centres and in the recovery effort. It's no surprise that older people prefer to grow old where they belong. I hear time and time again from my constituents that they want to age in place in their own home, surrounded by things they love, working in their own garden, being with their pets and being close to their community and their family, with support when they need it. Home care packages allow them to do just that, while relieving pressure on residential aged-care facilities and costing the taxpayer less. Given these benefits, it's a mystery to me why we continue to have such extraordinarily long wait times for home care packages. While the waitlist for level 4 packages has shrunk recently, the official wait time is still more than 12 months between approval and assignment of the package. The actual wait time is likely to be higher. According to Department of Health data in the aged-care royal commission interim report, the average wait time in 2017-18 was 22 months for a level 4 package. Forcing people to wait more than 12 months for the highest level of support is nothing short of a cruel dashing of hope. My constituents and their families are growing frustrated and despairing as they continue to wait. Let me tell you about Phyllis Davidson. She's a 95-year-old woman from Wangaratta. Phyllis has lived for 16 years independently post the death of her husband in 2004, and she cared for him for years when he suffered from dementia. Until recently, she has cared for and supported 10 war widow legatees in her community as they aged and subsequently died in care. Phyllis was a matron at Morwell hospital for more than 13 years and she tells me that she doesn't recognise today's health system. Phyllis, as I said, is independent and committed to ageing in place with the support of her family and the excellent aged and community care team in the Rural City of Wangaratta. In December 2018 she was assessed and approved for a level 4 package. Then she began the waiting game. In February 2020, after a 14-month wait, her family was told she was still on a nine-to-12-month waiting list. Phyllis is 95, don't forget. After intervention from my office, Phyllis was approved for a level 2 package as an interim measure while she waits for the appropriate package—and waits. She waits. Her family are increasingly frustrated at the opaque waiting list, the one-way communication with My Aged Care and problems accessing online updates. Phyllis doesn't want to be a burden on the system, but in keeping her waiting the government may be giving her no choice. We know that longer wait times for healthcare packages have been associated with higher risk of mortality and entry into permanent residential care after two years. How much longer will she have to wait to get the support she is entitled to? The saddest thing about the waitlist is that the government controls the levers and has decided to cap packages significantly below demand. It could fund more packages tomorrow and reduce the waiting list to something resembling a humane compromise. Another constituent who is caring for his 97-year-old mother while she awaits a level 3 package told me, 'The prioritising of balancing a budget over that the necessary care of our elderly in their own homes is a priority that I cannot and will not reconcile with an Australia that takes care of our people as a first priority.' The Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians says that the government is committed to improving the aged-care sector and points to its unprecedented investment in aged care. Well, this shouldn't be newsworthy! We've got more senior Australians than at any time in our history; the problem is that the investment is nowhere near enough. I congratulated the government when it announced 10,000 more packages in response to the interim report's recommendations but the problems continue to persist and more must be done. I encourage the government to increase their rate of releasing new packages to clear the backlog, and if the government cannot solve the problem then we need to legislate maximum waiting times so that in the future older people can be certain of getting the right amount of care at the time that they need it and before they die waiting. 18:08 Dr GILLESPIE 72184 Lyne It's my pleasure to speak on this motion, because for all Australians aged care is incredibly important. But in the beautiful Lyne electorate that I look after we have one of the oldest demographics in the country—it's even older than in the electorates of people who represent those on the Gold or Sunshine coasts, or in rural Victoria! The median age is actually 50, which is quite old, and 35.7 per cent, over one-third of the people, are over the age of 65. And we have three and a third per cent of our constituents over the age of 85. The Australian average is 2.2 per cent, so we have 50 per cent more than in most parts of the country. Aged care has had an exceptional expansion in the Lyne electorate during the years I've had the honour of representing the people of the Lyne electorate. We've grown $90 million of annual funding up to $140 million of annual funding, and that is in the high-care residential space. But there's also been an explosion of funding for home care. We are trying to keep people ageing in their homes as best we can. It's much more favourable if we can keep people in their own environment, independence with assistance, independence with safety, independence with honour, and then they age better. The phenomenon is we are an ageing nation. With the wonders of our health system, most of us will live into our mid-80s, even me, for goodness sake, who's had all the challenges that my genetic pool has delivered me by the fickle finger of fate! You cannot change your genes; you can choose your friends, but you can't change your genes. And one of the best decisions you can make is to have parents and grandparents that live for a long time. We live in the golden age compared to generations and civilisations past. We have modern health, we have incredible nutrition, we have too much food, which is one of our other many problems, but ageing with dignity is the aspiration of everyone. This government, former governments, even the opposition when they're in government: we're all united in what we want to achieve. But the facts of the matter are, with the ageing demographic, we are playing catch-up. To put things in perspective, people on the other side have called for more funding, while we have put bucketloads more funding into aged care. We have delivered record investment across the aged-care system. When I first entered this building in the 2012-13 financial year, it was resting at a $13.3 billion annual budget. Do you know what it's grown to now? I can tell you, Deputy Speaker. It's grown to $21.4 billion in 2019-20. By my arithmetic, that's more than seven and a bit billion dollars. That's an awfully big increase, but, because we have an ageing demographic, the demand is there and more people want to stay at home. That's why we've got this disconnect between the increase in funding in home care as opposed to the shorter time people are spending in residential care. We also committed in this budget, as former speakers have mentioned, 44,000 new home care packages at a total of $2.7 billion. That's an enormous increase. At that same time, in 2012-13, before I entered the building, home care packages were numbered at 60,308. One would think we hadn't increased anything, but it will be 158,030 by the time this parliament ends in 2022-23, which is an increase of over 160 per cent. You'd have to be hiding under a rock to not know that there's a problem with getting these home care packages actually delivered. That's where the disconnect is. It's not because this government is not funding it; it's because we need to grow better efficiencies and get more people working in the home care space so these packages can be delivered and rolled out. There were also comments on the other side about the aged-care royal commission. The reality is that we started the royal commission. It's delivering what we want, and that is a better aged-care system. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 Order. Before I give the call to the member for Kingsford Smith, I apologise because I should have given you that call. The way I'll deal with it is, once you've given your speech, I'll then go to the member for Cunningham. I give the call to the member for Kingsford Smith. 18:14 Mr THISTLETHWAITE 182468 Kingsford Smith More than 120,000 older Australians are waiting. They're waiting for something that should be their right, and that's their right to an adequate home care package after a lifetime of paying taxes, hard work and service to our nation. Now, in the latter years of their lives, they've been left in limbo by the Morrison government. Many are waiting more than two years for the care they have already been approved for. Our elderly citizens are amongst society's most vulnerable in our population, and many depend on others for care. Many of our senior Australians who are needing support can and want to stay in their homes, yet more than 16,000 older Australians died waiting for their home-care packages that were assessed and approved in 2017-18. That's completely unacceptable. What will it take for the Prime Minister to finally wake up and fix this crisis? These really have been lost years for older Australians waiting for care. There are around 14,000 older Australians who entered residential care prematurely as a result of the lack of adequate home-care packages. That's because they couldn't get the care they were assessed for when it was approved in 2017-18. Bad government translates to bad outcomes for our vulnerable older Australians, their families and carers. The number of older Australians waiting for home care has grown from 88,000 to 120,000 since 2017. There has been a lack of reform and investment in aged care, both in the home-care sector and in the residential aged-care sector, and we condemn the Morrison government for its inadequate response to the royal commission's interim report and for not providing home care for our older Australians in need. At the royal commission, we heard stories of degradation, suffering, abuse, neglect and systemic failure. We heard that up to half of older Australians in residential aged care are malnourished. The Morrison government's own interim report for the royal commission said it needed to do more on home care. It simply is not good enough that this government has said the recommendations from the interim report are now done and dusted, and it awaits the full report. Talking with older Australians, their families and carers puts this crisis into perspective. They're genuinely feeling the impact of the government's inaction. I've spoken to a 92-year-old in my electorate who has been waiting for more than 12 months for an aged-care package that she has been assessed for. Ninety-two years old: surely someone in that situation should be prioritised and given access to an aged-care package urgently! We regularly hear from older Australians who are desperate, because they can't get through the My Aged Care service. New figures show that an average of 118 calls a day to the government's aged-care helpline went unanswered in the past year, and yet access to information is critical for older Australians or loved ones calling on their behalf. People shouldn't have to come to a member of parliament's office to be able to navigate the aged-care system. The fact is that the government have cut aged-care funding, they've slashed it, and they did it while this Prime Minister was the then Treasurer. The consequences are now being felt. The Productivity Commission's figures around wait times for aged care in Australia show just how much more the Morrison government has to do to fix the aged-care system in this country. With wait times blowing out almost 300 per cent for residential aged care and with home-care wait lists continuing to grow, the government clearly hasn't done enough. More than one million older Australians are receiving aged-care services, and they deserve better now. Particularly, those who have been assessed for home-care packages and are now waiting for them. We've seen over recent weeks how this government tried to privatise the assessment teams. This is one of the most important and fundamental roles of government, going into people's homes and assessing them for aged-care packages, so it says everything about this government that it tried to privatise that service. It was only after Labor shone a spotlight on this and pressured the government that they backed down last week. Older Australians deserve our respect, but, under the Liberals, all they're getting are growing waiting times for care that they have been approved for. It says everything about a society in terms of how well you treat your vulnerable. Whether it goes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme or this government's treatment of older Australians, they have failed dismally when it comes to protecting the vulnerable in Australia. 18:19 Ms BIRD DZP Cunningham I thank the member for Macquarie for putting this issue on the debate list today. It's not new for me, in speaking in this parliament, to talk about the experiences of constituents in my area waiting for home-care packages. It is a persistent issue and a persistent problem in electorates right across this country. It is indeed an issue that was raised in the interim report of the royal commission, to which the government responded by releasing, I will acknowledge, an additional 10,000 home-care packages. The problem is: that's less than 10 per cent of those who are actually on the waiting list, and, when you consider the way our community is ageing, there are as many people coming onto the waiting list as the bandaid of a small percentage of new packages addresses. So the problem we've got now is that the waiting list is just not being tackled. The repercussions of that are not just numbers and figures. They are people who are making really difficult decisions in their homes and their families. Many people have, very sadly, as we've heard from other speakers, died before they got the package that they were assessed as needing. We can only imagine what that meant for the last period of their life where they were struggling in their home, having been assessed as needing support and not being able to access it. We know, in our constituency offices, what that means for the families, because it is the families who are picking up that work. I've talked to women who are in tears because they've had to give up their job to look after their elderly relative, to families torn by guilt about the fact that they can't do what their elderly relatives need, and, very often, to people going into residential care who would not have had to do that if they'd got the support they needed. Those are the true stories behind those figures. The government really needs a serious strategy to tackle those waiting lists. I just want to take this opportunity, because I have spoken on a number of occasions about this, to report to the chamber the views of an amazing constituent of mine, an amazing advocate in the aged-care sector—indeed, the Senior Citizen of the Year in Wollongong in the Australia Day awards, Val Fell. Val recently turned 91. Happy birthday, Val! I'm not here to talk about Val's application for a home-care package. I'm here to read Val's words on the work she's doing to help the elderly in our community. This is what Val has to say: Although Australians are living longer, many of them begin 'the Waiting Game' as soon as they are diagnosed with an illness, such as heart complaint, stroke, physical disability mental health problem or dementia. In the dementia field, because of the lack of face-to-face discussions with an advisor, people with dementia and their carers 'wait' to access services because they are often unaware of their existence. (there is A Dementia Advisory Service but the staff numbers cannot cover the number of people involved ie (one adviser to over 6000 people with a diagnosis in one area). Arranging an ACAT under the current system is usually without problems and carers are confident with the result because they know that the assessors are part of a trained, multi-disciplinary team. And Val was making that point because of our concerns about the privatisation of that service, so I'm very pleased the government has backflipped on that today. Val continues: If you are computer literate (not all aged people are in that category) accessing 'Finding a Provider' for HOME HELP under CHSP on the MY AGED CARE website can be time-consuming and frustrating. Many people are initially looking for domestic assistance, personal care, gardening and transport although there are other services listed. This means going through the process 4 times (difficult if you are caring for someone 24/7 who is constantly shadowing you. The result of trawling through the system at the moment in many areas is— 1. Domestic Assistance - currently not available but you may go on a waiting list … 2. Personal Care offered by 1 organisation … Who say 'currently not available'. 3. Gardening—only available from 2 organisations on a 'one-off' … basis … 4, Transport depends on your postcode. Val has done a lot of work advocating tirelessly for people who ring her seeking assistance. She's an amazing 91-year-old. But, on her behalf, as an advocate in my community who lives this day in and day out, I call on the government to take more immediate action to address this matter. 18:24 Mr PERRETT HVP Moreton I'm very pleased to speak on the motion moved by the member for Macquarie, which notes the Morrison government's appalling response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The royal commission handed down its interim report on 31 October 2019. The report was titled, quite simply, Neglect. A simple word at the top of a massive iceberg. The commissioner made three recommendations in that report requiring urgent action. One of the urgent recommendations was to ensure older Australians are getting the care at home when they need it most. The government's response to that recommendation was to allocate 10,000 home care packages and only 5,500 for the first year. This limp-lettuce response was despite there being more than 100,000 older Australians waiting for their already approved home care packages. Merely 5,500 in the first year is worse than woeful. It's actually a disgrace. Sadly, almost 30,000 older Australians died over the past two years while waiting for their approved home care packages and 25,000 older Australians entered residential aged care prematurely over the past two years because they could not access their approved home care packages. The Productivity Commission's report on government services released in January this year revealed that older Australians are waiting almost three years for their approved high-level home care packages. The Liberals have been asleep at the wheel for six years and now they're well into their seventh year. There have been four different aged care ministers in that time and billions of dollars has been ripped out of the system, while Australia's aged care has lurched from one deep crisis to another. The current Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians let slip in the Senate a couple of weeks ago that he had not actually read the royal commission's interim report. He admitted he hadn't seen a statistic that appeared on page 7 of the interim report's foreword—that's the responsible minister. Older Australians desperate for care are being forced to abandon calls for help to the My Aged Care portal. This supposed golden gateway has turned out to be more like a black hole. Over the last three years, more than 110,000 calls for help went unanswered by the My Aged Care call centre. This is a massive failure on the part of the Morrison government. The My Aged Care portal is the key entry point for older Australians waiting to access aged care at home or in permanent care. It is totally unacceptable that older Australians can't use My Aged Care. The Morrison government is asleep at the wheel and older Australians are again paying the price. The only plan this hapless government actually had for aged care was to privatise the assessment of aged care services, an ill-conceived idea right from the beginning that I would suggest involved winding down services so they could sell it off and actually stop the flow of people going into aged care and the hit on the budget. In January, the aged care royal commissioners issued an extraordinary public correction in response to the false assertion of the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians that the commission supported the plan to privatise aged care assessments. What a slap down. Last week, one of the government's own MPs, in a speech in parliament, rubbished their plan to privatise aged care assessments. After state and territory governments also panned the plan, the government finally walked away from their ill-thought-out privatisation plan. The Morrison government needs to reassure older Australians that the important work of assessment in aged care will continue to be done by experienced and well-qualified assessors, in conjunction with the states and territories. This is what older Australians deserve. The Morrison government is just not committed to looking after vulnerable older Australians. Forget the spin. Look at what they have actually done, look at their actions and look at their funding. In June 2017, the Australian Law Reform Commission released a landmark report into elder abuse. None of the 14 recommendations from that report that related to aged care have been fully implemented. This is another shocking failure. Figures released last year showed that there were 5,233 assaults in residential aged care in just one year. That was an 80 per cent increase over the last two years, on the coalition's watch. Recommendations such as introducing a register of aged care staff have been left sitting on the minister's shelf collecting dust. So, an aged care worker could be dismissed at one nursing home and then go down the street and mistreat another older Australian, but the employer wouldn't know. Acting on the ALRC recommendations would make vulnerable Australians in aged care safer. The Morrison government must do its day job. It must stop the scourge of elder abuse. Older Australians and their families cannot afford the wait any longer. How can we trust the Morrison government to respond to the royal commission into aged care when they still haven't implemented important recommendations from an ALRC report from almost three years ago? The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265967 There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next day of sitting. Vocational Education and Training 157 18:29 Mrs McINTOSH 281513 Lindsay In my electorate of Lindsay, the pathways to education are creating bright, positive futures for our young people. It's all about ensuring that we're creating local jobs for local people; backing small business and emerging industries to create and sustain generations of local jobs; and thinking about the future, particularly in Western Sydney, with the development of the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport. The construction of this airport will create many thousands of local jobs. We are looking at future jobs for our young people who are currently in school, particularly in science, technology, engineering and maths, and ensuring our kids are educated for those jobs of the future. This very much starts at school. I want to ensure I'm working really hard, both in my community and also from a policy perspective, to make sure that the 300,000 people who currently commute out of Western Sydney every single day for a good job don't have to do that anymore. I did that commute into Sydney for over 10 years, and I know many people are still doing it today. I want to make sure that our young people in the future, particularly with the creation of Western Sydney airport, don't have to do that commute. I want to make sure we have a vibrant local economy and are backing our small businesses to create more jobs, because people in Western Sydney—including, I know, in my community of Lindsay—very much want to live, work and stay in the community that we all love. We don't want our kids to have to do that commute that we've all done for many years for a good job. Our investment in skills, training and education is absolutely key to this. Many people in the jobs of the future will start getting their apprenticeships now, and there are over 2,000 apprenticeships right now in Lindsay. The additional identified skills shortage payment launched by the Morrison government last year will support up to 80,000 more apprenticeships across Australia over five years, and we want these apprentices to be supported along the way. I know I surely do in Lindsay. The Australian Apprenticeship Support Network is helping 270,000 Australian apprentices in training and their employers. In my electorate of Lindsay, employers like Shane, who owns Emu Plains Automotive Repairs, are really keen to employ apprentices. Shane has recently taken on a young female apprentice. This particular young apprentice at Emu Plains Automotive Repairs has had her interest in mechanics unlocked, and she has strong potential for a career in mechanics in the future. This is because we are backing local small and medium-sized businesses so they can support apprentices. We're creating jobs and, importantly, changing lives. As part of the Morrison government's considered and responsible approach, the Skills Expert Panel established last year will provide independent strategic expert advice on the implementation of the government's skill reform priorities. Our $10 million investment in the development of the Jobs and Education Data Infrastructure project will change the way we see the supply and demand of skills. Our targeted approach means that we can support the development of skills, apprenticeships and jobs where they are needed most, and we're implementing better processes and gathering better data and expert strategic advice so we can deliver more opportunities for Australians. We're making sure in Western Sydney, including my electorate of Lindsay, that we are at the front line of these opportunities. We are creating, as I said, more jobs in Western Sydney and unlocking our potential through the biggest infrastructure project that we have going on, a once-in-a-generation project: the airport. This is just one of the things that we are doing locally to back small businesses and to back our local people looking for jobs. I'm really proud that a few weeks ago I hosted a jobs fair, Penrith Jobs Fair, with over 2,300 local jobseekers. Minister Cash came out to Penrith, and we connected with over 40 employers from across Western Sydney. One of the great things about this is that I met with a young man who's 18 and is looking for a job, and he's really interested in computer science, so we were able, at that jobs forum, to connect him with potential employers. That's what it's all about: seeing our young people having those opportunities, tapping their potential, seeing what their interest is and, most importantly, making sure that, whatever they choose to do, they have the opportunity to do that not by commuting out of the area for many years but by accessing a really good local job. 18:35 Dr MULINO 132880 Fraser When I first saw this motion, I thought to myself: with only five minutes, it's going to be very difficult to speak to a motion that is fairly difficult to keep within one page in nine point given how many sub-parts it has. It's a motion with three parts, and part 2 has nine sub-parts. One would think we are living through a golden era of reform when it comes to vocational education and training—there is so much that this government has to fit on one page to spell out its achievements. But this motion, more than anything else, is a classic case of 'spin over reality'. Vocational education and training is more important than ever given the challenges our economy is facing and the huge transition our economy is going through. Young people today are going to face more careers than ever, and they're going to face the need for lifelong training in a way that earlier generations did not. What we see, however, is that vocational education and training is being gutted. The irony of this motion is that it refers to a program that, in the last budget, had its funding topped up, and this government will now continue to pat itself on the back; it cites $525 million of funding in the last budget when in fact only $70 million of that was new money. We have a government that should be placing a greater emphasis on vocational education and training; rather, it is cutting funding and spinning the existing programs that it has. Let's look at the facts. The Australian Industry Group, an independent observer of the state of the economy in this space, says 75 per cent of businesses report that they are struggling to find the qualified workers they need. This is a parlour situation. This is a disaster for young people, who should be connected to jobs that are in existence. What that says is that there are jobs out there but young people are not being connected to them. It's a huge lost opportunity. That is not the fault of the young people; that is the fault of a training and education system that is not connecting them to existing opportunities. We also have an economy in which two million people are underutilised. We know that the underemployment rate has been rising throughout the term of this government. It is now at over eight per cent; it is over 10 per cent in many areas. In fact, when one looks at under-utilisation—those who are unemployed and those who are underemployed—in some regional areas it is approaching 20 per cent, or one in five. This is a disaster for many people in these areas in terms of their capacity to earn a living and have a financially secure future. What have we seen from this government? Let's look at the big picture. It's not about this government adding $70 million as a small top-up to a scheme in the last budget. Let's look in a holistic way at this government's commitment to vocational education and training. This government has cut around $3 billion from TAFE since it took office. So let's not look at one program, let's not cherry pick and let's not misrepresent through the funding allocated to one specific program. Overall, when it comes to this government, TAFE has had its investments slashed. And not only has TAFE had its investment slashed in budgets; this government doesn't even have the confidence to spend the money it has allocated. A total of $5.27 billion was budgeted for a series of apprenticeship skills and training initiatives between the 2014-15 and 2018-19 budgets but this government spent only $4.35 billion of that. That is almost $1 billion in underspends. The government will come in here and explain that 'it was so difficult, this or that was unforeseen, it's the fault of a demand driven system'. They'll always try and blame those on the other end. But we should be holding this government to account for the fact that, on its own budgeted investments, it has failed to spend almost 20 per cent of the money it has allocated. As I've indicated, our economy is going through a transition. Young people today will need to be given skills to face a workplace in the future that we can't even envisage. This is a huge challenge and our VET system needs investments at much higher levels than this government has budgeted for. And not only that; this VET system needs money actually spent where it is budgeted for, rather than having $1 billion sitting on the table. This motion is a classic case of this government being far more about spin than reality. When you look at the VET system, it doesn't warrant a motion that takes more than five minutes to read out; it warrants real investment in budgets that reaches the kids that need training to fill the jobs they're not able to fill at the moment. 18:40 Ms FLINT 245550 Boothby I'm pleased to be speaking after the member for Fraser to inject some reality into this debate, because the Morrison government is investing record amounts in our education, skills and training unlike the Labor Party, who presided over the greatest fall in apprenticeship numbers on record in 2012-13. When they were in government, the number of apprenticeships and trainee commencements fell by 85,000 in a single year. That is extraordinary. It's a terrible indictment on the previous Labor governments. In comparison, our government is working hard to fix the disarray caused by Labor. For the past six years, the Liberal government has been working to repair the damage inflicted by Labor's cuts to Australia's vocational education and training sector. Labor's cuts included: cuts to the apprenticeship training fee voucher program and the shared completion incentive, cuts to the Commonwealth trade learning scholarship and apprenticeship wage top-up, cuts to incentives for employers of Australian apprentices undertaking their apprenticeships or traineeships at the certificate II level, cuts to the commencement and recommencement payments for Australian apprentices undertaking their apprenticeship at the diploma and advanced diploma level, and cuts to the completion payment for employers of existing Australian apprentices in non-skills-shortage areas. This was a cumulative $241.6 million cut to Australian apprenticeship incentives. The good news, though, is that supporting apprenticeships and especially getting more young people into apprenticeships is an integral part of our government's plan to grow the economy and to grow jobs. Our government are getting more young Australians into jobs because we're investing in new initiatives targeted towards increasing participation in apprenticeships, including: $156.3 million for new additional identified skills shortage payments to provide incentives for employers and apprentices in areas of national skills shortage, $44 million for new streamlined incentives for Australian apprenticeships program to make it simpler and easier for employers to take on an apprentice or a trainee, another $60 million investment for a further 1,630 places by expanding the Australian apprentice wage subsidy trial—this is on top of the $393 million investment already provided every year to employers under the Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Program. Additionally—it doesn't end there—our government have made available up to $1.5 billion in the Skilling Australians Fund over five years to help create many thousands of extra apprenticeships so Australians can get the skills they need to secure a good job and a good career. The measures I've just outlined illustrate just some of the ways our government is restoring confidence in apprenticeships. Of course, helping Australian workers, especially our young people, develop skills makes good economic sense. The Morrison government understands that enhanced labour market productivity and increased economic investment and all of the associated benefits that come with that can only be achieved if we have a skilled workforce. For this reason, I'm so pleased our government is investing $525 million to upgrade and modernise the vocational education and training sector with our Delivering Skills for Today and Tomorrow package. This package delivers new measures supporting Australians to skill, reskill and upskill, and the additional identified skills shortage payment will boost existing incentives for areas of identified skills needs to support up to 80,000 new apprenticeships over five years. Around this time last year, I was delighted to visit a wonderful local family business in my electorate, Claridge Crash, with the David Pisoni, South Australian Minister for Innovation and Skills, and the Honourable Michaelia Cash, Minister for Employment Skills, Small and Family Business, to talk about our plans to grow apprenticeships in South Australia. Thanks to the Morrison and Marshall Liberal governments' joint commitment to extend the Skilling Australians Fund, an additional 20,800 apprenticeships and traineeships will be created in South Australia over the next four years, helping more South Australians get the skills that they need and helping them to gain and retain a job. Similarly, I was delighted to host Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in my electorate, where we met with local builder Dave, his apprentices and Master Builders SA to discuss how our apprenticeships are helping the building industry as well. I'm delighted that we are investing so heavily in apprenticeships around the nation. 18:45 Mr GORMAN 74519 Perth There are 1.9 million Australians looking for more work—1.9 million Australians who are saying very clearly, 'This economy is not working for me.' And all we hear from the Liberal Party is that somehow that's Labor's fault. We deserve a higher-quality debate than that. Particularly, young Australians who are struggling to get a job in 2020 deserve a hell of a lot better than that. We hear a lot in this place about someone called Scotty from marketing. I don't know who Scotty from marketing is, but I can tell you I'm a huge fan of Scott Cam. I love watching The Block. But as much as I love watching The Block, Channel Nine can pay Mr Cam whatever they like, but I don't know that it was smart money for this government to pay Scotty from The Block $345,000 for 15 months work. The numbers show that, despite his best efforts, the government's policy agenda did not deliver the increase in trainees and apprentices that this country desperately needs. Scotty Cam has done a lot better than me. We know that tradies are some of the best-paid people in Australia. We also know Scotty is an author. He has published a book—something that I have not achieved. His book was called Home Maintenance For Knuckleheads. When you think about training policy, you'd have to think that under this government, it's training policy for knuckleheads, because the Prime Minister has created a tradie crisis. But when you cut $3 billion from TAFE apprenticeships and traineeships, what do you expect? There are fewer apprentices and trainees today than when the Liberals first came into office. I'll say that again: there are fewer apprentices and fewer trainees today than when the Liberals came to office more than six years ago. In fact, it's not just a few; it's 140,000 fewer apprentices and trainees than there were when they first came to office. In my state of Western Australia alone, it's 30,000. Almost 20 per cent of the drop has happened in Western Australia. That means we now have a shortage of bricklayers, a shortage of plumbers, a shortage of hairdressers, a shortage of bakers, a shortage of electricians, a shortage of mechanics, a shortage of panel beaters and, here in Australia, one of the hottest countries in the world—sadly the temperature is ever-increasing—we have a shortage of air-conditioning mechanics. We have to import air-conditioning mechanics into this country because we're not training enough of our own. I hope that this government does more on climate change and I hope that they start to take it seriously, but I think we're going to need air-conditioning mechanics for a few more years. Maybe it's time that we actually start training up more Australians to do that because, as I said, 1.9 million Australians are looking for work or looking for more work. I love TAFE. TAFE is one of the great transformational things in our education and training system. In my electorate alone, some 14,566 students go to TAFE on a regular basis: 3,010 students go to Leederville; 1,356 students go to Mount Lawley; 1,221 students go to East Perth; and there are 8,979 enrolments at Northbridge TAFE, the biggest TAFE in Western Australia. Every single person who works at those TAFEs does an amazing job, transforming people, getting them ready to do the jobs of the future and the jobs that we need people to do right now. But not everyone has the same approach when it comes to TAFE and making TAFE more accessible. Someone who would like to be Premier of Western Australia, Lisa Harvey, the Liberal leader in Western Australia—her singular achievement, after five years in office as a minister, was to send TAFE fees up 510 per cent for some courses. That means that young people can't even afford to get the skills they need so they can pay taxes and participate in our economy. In fact the data shows that because of Liza Harvey's policies, along with those of Colin Barnett and the WA Liberal Party, clapped on by many people in this place, there was a 24.5 per cent drop in the number of people going to TAFE—terrible! I want to commend Premier Mark McGowan for his initiative to slash TAFE fees for a range of priority courses. Fees in cybersecurity—slashed. Fees in engineering—slashed. This means that more young people in Western Australia can access the training they desperately need. 18:50 Mr JOSH WILSON 265970 Fremantle I'm glad to speak about the importance of vocational training in Australia and about TAFE in particular. I have to say that the motion itself seems at odds with what's actually going on in Australia. It seeks to superimpose a cheery picture over what in reality is a fairly bleak set of circumstances. When it refers to how the government wants to 'reform the vocational sector to meet the demands of the modern Australian economy', we can only decode that as meaning the government thinks that squeezing our TAFE system and drastically reducing the number of apprentices is just what this economy needs. That would seem bizarre, but this is the same government that reckons the way to respond to stagnant real wages, falling living standards and weak consumption is to cut penalty rates, cap public sector wages, cut public sector jobs and wage a constant war against the union movement. So, if that's your assessment of what the economy needs, then the attack on TAFE and apprenticeships starts to make perfect sense. As the Australian Bureau of Statistics makes clear, this Liberal-National coalition is presiding over the worst wages growth on record, with wages growing at one-fifth the rate of profits. Its economic policies have doubled the national debt and lifted household debt to record levels, and there are nearly two million Australians looking for work or for more work even though in some areas there are significant skills shortages. A properly supported vocational framework would connect those two areas of need—businesses who want skilled workers and Australians who would love to be trained in the skills that would enable them to take on those jobs. What this motion doesn't acknowledge, in talking about the government's new-found enthusiasm for vocational sector reform, is that for seven years the government has actively run down the sector itself. Reform in this case is code for, 'How the hell do we glue the system back together after we have already smashed it into several pieces?' Consider that under Labor there were never fewer than 400,000 apprentices and trainees under Labor. Today there are maybe 170,000. After seven years of so-called stable and certain government, the number of apprentices and trainees in Australia has been chopped in half. At a time of high youth unemployment, and with a government that constantly says the best support it can provide is a job, we find ourselves in a situation where Australia has a shortage of plumbers, carpenters, hairdressers and motor mechanics—and air-conditioning mechanics, apparently. It's no great mystery as to why. The biggest reason we have shortages in such basic and critical skill areas is that the government has cut $3 billion out of the TAFE system—three thousand million dollars out of our TAFE system. You can't take that much money out of TAFE and then blame young people for not being adequately trained. I want to acknowledge the vital role that TAFE plays across the nation, including those who serve my electorate of Fremantle like the WA Maritime Centre and the Murdoch TAFE campus. At the end of last year I visited the WA Maritime Centre with Labor's deputy leader, the shadow minister for defence. Thanks to TAFE, WA is home to world-class training facilities for people seeking careers as seafarers or in the defence industry or in shipbuilding and sophisticated manufacturing. Last February I was proud to sign the pledge calling for guaranteed funding for TAFE, and I want to pay tribute to the Stop TAFE Cuts campaign and to the State Schools Teachers Union of WA for their important work in this area. While the Morrison government has turned its back on TAFE, I want to acknowledge the supportive work of state governments in this area. The Victorian, Queensland and Western Australian governments have all realised that there's a crisis, and they've taken steps to address it. As the member for Perth pointed out, the McGowan Labor government put a freeze on all TAFE fees in 2017. This year they've cut TAFE fees in half for 34 priority courses. That's having an impact, with a 20 per cent increase in TAFE enrolments across those courses. In some areas, like cybersecurity, enrolments have increased by 85 per cent. That's what good governments do; they identify problems and they take practical action. After seven years of this Liberal-National government, our vocational education system has taken an absolute hammering. It's sad but understandable that some Australians have lost confidence in the system or are finding themselves locked out through higher fees, course closures and even the closure of some TAFE campuses. That's what billions of dollars in cuts does, and that's why we've got a skills crisis that makes life hard for businesses and leads businesses to call for more access to temporary foreign workers. And yet, with almost two million people out of work or looking for more work, it shouldn't come to that. The truth is that TAFE can and should be an engine for opportunity and productivity in this country. Well-structured, properly resourced and high-quality vocational education helps to create jobs, boost wages and grow small business, and lets Australians of all ages, but particularly young people, to get on the path for a productive and fulfilling work life. 18:55 Mr BRIAN MITCHELL 129164 Lyons I rise to speak on this motion by the member for Braddon, a motion which includes a list of boastful figures which self-congratulate the coalition government on its record in the vocational education sector, but the reality is that there is very little to celebrate. How can the Liberals have the hide to pat themselves on the back when over the past seven years they have stripped $3 billion—$3 billion!—from skills training, and the country has 140,000 fewer apprentices and trainees than when they came to office? That is not a record to be proud of. In Tasmania from 2013 to 2018, a period overseen entirely by Liberal state and federal governments, 689 fewer apprentices were trained in the high-value skills that our state desperately needs. That's a 7.24 per cent drop in five years. In five years it went down. We have a chronic shortage of critical trades: carpenters, plumbers, air conditioner repairers, mechanics, chefs and hairdressers, and unacceptable unemployment and underemployment rates, especially among young people and especially in our regions. We've seen the results of these skill shortages on several major projects recently, such as the Royal Hobart Hospital upgrades—much delayed and overexpensive—and Cattle Hill Wind Farm, where interstate and overseas plasterers, plumbers and electricians have been brought in to meet the demand, too often with substandard results. Just today, we saw reports in the Tasmania media that the Gutwein Liberal state government is testing the waters on funding a privately registered training organisation. Here we go again! That's in direct competition with TAFE Tasmania's hospitality and tourism training institution at Drysdale. Instead of providing Drysdale with the resources it needs, it's going to undermine it. I share the concerns of Tasmanian Labor leader, Rebecca White: there are too many stories of private RTOs that do not provide good-quality training or which go belly up and leave students in the lurch without getting the qualification they have been working towards. Rebecca White has free TAFE training in construction, hospitality, aged-care and disability services at the centre of the state Labor policy program. That is a state leader doing her job for young people and for jobs in Tasmania. Employers are crying out for skilled workers in the trades, retail and hospitality sectors but simply cannot find them, leading to pressure to bring in the overseas workers. At the same time, Tasmania has the highest unemployment rate in our nation. In September last year, Tasmania's jobless rate was 6.7 per cent. And we keep talking about underemployment; it's critical. If you're working one or two days a week you can't pay your bills, and our underemployment rate was 10.6 per cent. Youth unemployment is 14.3 per cent, and it is harder for young people to find a job in Tasmania than in any other state—let alone pay the rent. Figures released by the Productivity Commission this month show that the number of students in vocational training in Tasmania has declined overall in recent years. Government investment has been stagnant for a decade, with real growth of just three per cent since 2009. That's three per cent growth over 11 years; that is practically zero. Zero growth in 11 years: it is an absolute disgrace! Our failing TAFE system and the poor quality of our VET courses means young people are unable to explore the pathways that could provide them with a foundation on which to build their skills and help them to find new jobs in a changing economy that is resulting in the disappearance of low-skill jobs. Sadly, the parlous situation of our national TAFE system should not be a surprise. What other result could we expect, knowing that the Liberal federal government has failed to spend $919 million of its own training budget—money that it put in its own budget it failed to spend over the past five years! The money was there in the budget, ready to be spent, and they didn't spend $919 million. They banked it, instead of providing young people with the pathways to skills and training that they need to take part in this economy—an absolute disgrace. That's in addition to the $3 billion they cut from the system overall. It's typical behaviour. We've seen it with the NDIS: underspending on essential services and programs and leaving Australians, particularly vulnerable Australians, worse off. It's hardly a coincidence that Australia's productivity growth, the driver of improved living standards and a key source of long-term economic and income growth, has virtually stalled under this government. They stand condemned. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265991 There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:00