2021-10-21 1 1 0 House of Reps 0 1

Thursday, 21 October 2021

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

 

MOTIONS -1 MOTIONS National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse -1 Reference to Federation Chamber -1 09:56 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson by leave—I move: That the order of the day be referred to the Federation Chamber for debate. Question agreed to. BILLS -1 BILLS Telstra Corporation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 -1

Telstra Corporation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021

First Reading -1 Second Reading -1 09:58 Mr FLETCHER L6B Bradfield I move: That this bill be now read a second time. The Telstra Corporation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 proposes to amend legislation to maintain regulatory obligations that protect consumers and promote competition in response to Telstra's proposed restructure. The coalition government's priority is to ensure that all Australians benefit from a competitive telecommunications industry and have access to the internet and telephone services that they need. Telstra plays, an important role in the Australian telecommunications market, particularly in the provision of services to regional and rural Australians. The continuity of services and Telstra's obligations are critical to Australian communities and businesses, particularly in the economic recovery from COVID-19. Telstra has announced its intention to undertake a corporate restructure that will be the most significant change to the company since it passed into private ownership. While Telstra is free to restructure its business as it sees fit, successive parliaments have placed and maintained a range of regulatory obligations on that business, and it is important that these remain effective. These obligations cover core parts of Telstra's regulatory arrangements, including the universal service obligation and the requirement for Telstra to provide other carriers with access to its infrastructure to promote competition. If Telstra's restructure were to weaken the application of these obligations, that would not be acceptable to the Morrison government. We have a strong commitment to protecting consumers, promoting competition and supporting Telstra's public interest roles in Australia's telecommunications market. Without legislative amendment there is a risk that Telstra's obligations would become less effective or cease to apply to its successor entities following the restructure or future resales. Therefore, there is a compelling need for the legislative amendments set out in this bill. Their effect will be to maintain Telstra-specific obligations and to address related policy issues that arise from Telstra's proposed restructure. There are two key sets of provisions in the bill: The first creates a concept in the Telecommunications Act 1997 to re-point Telstra-specific obligations that would otherwise cease to apply to new Telstra entities; and The second closes a loophole that allows carriers, including Telstra, to avoid facilities access obligations by transferring assets such as towers, into subsidiaries or other related entities. The bill does so by providing that if a group of companies includes a carrier, a company (other than a carrier) that is in the group must provide all carriers with access to the tower infrastructure that it owns. This will apply to all carriers, not just Telstra. The bill establishes a requirement for Telstra to notify the Australian Communications and Media Authority when Telstra transfers a telecommunications business or asset to another company. This will provide visibility to the government to respond to any future restructure. The bill also recognises the importance of continuity of service is critical and the bill ensures obligations associated with carrier licences continue between the passage of the bill and the commencement of the restructure. This legislation will uphold Telstra's current obligations to the Australian community and businesses, by maintaining regulatory equivalency for Telstra's successor entities. In doing so, it will protect consumers, promote competition and support Telstra's public interest roles in Australia's telecommunications market. I commend this bill to the House. Debate adjourned. Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (Exempting Disability Payments from Income Testing and Other Measures) Bill 2021 -1

Veterans’ Affairs Legislation Amendment (Exempting Disability Payments from Income Testing and Other Measures) Bill 2021

First Reading -1 Second Reading -1 10:04 Mr GEE 261393 Calare I move: That this bill be now read a second time. The Australian government's commitment to supporting our veterans is unceasing. Today I introduce legislation that will cut red tape and streamline assistance to veterans and improve their wellbeing. The Australian government's reforms address recommendations made by Mr David Tune AO PSM in his Independent Review into the TPI Payment and the Productivity Commission's report A Better Way to Support Veterans. The Australian government has listened to the needs of the veteran community and announced through the 2021-22 budget its intention to bring forward these important changes to 1 January 2022—more than eight months earlier than first announced. These reforms will simplify the administration of some payments for veterans and their dependants. This will be done by exempting disability payments from income testing under the Social Security Act 1991, simplifying payment arrangements for 14,000 veterans and dependants. The Australian government will also increase access to rent assistance for our most disabled veterans. This will benefit approximately 6,900 veterans and their dependants. Specifically, the first schedule will implement the government's commitment to exempt the adjusted disability pension—defined in the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986—from the income test under the Social Security Act. This will remove the need for the Defence Force Income Support Allowance, known as DFISA. Introduced in 2004, DFISA was paid as a top-up to ensure that veterans who received an age pension under the Social Security Actwere not financially disadvantaged. Changes in this schedule will ensure that veterans will receive the same payment as before, but the administrative process will be much simpler. While an administrative change, this will make DFISA redundant and this bill will remove all relevant references to DFISA from the Veterans' Entitlements Act. The second schedule will remove the disability income rent test from the Veterans' Entitlements Act. This will mean that disabled veterans will now have access to the same rent assistance as those who receive it from Centrelink. It will increase rent assistance payable to veterans or enable some disabled veterans to receive rent assistance for the first time. The disability income rent test results in severely disabled veterans receiving less rent assistance than those with a lower level of disability. In particular, this measure will benefit totally and permanently incapacitated (TPI) veterans, who presently do not receive any rent assistance due to the amount of compensation they receive. The third schedule will remove references to the term 'disability pension' in the Veterans' Entitlements Act. In future, this payment will be referred to as the 'disability compensation payment'. This change will clarify that these payments are compensation and will reduce the potential for the payment to be confused with Department of Social Services disability support pensions. The measures contained in these first three schedules will commence on 1 January 2022. The bill's fourth schedule relates to the simplification of pension indexation. Currently the Extreme Disablement Adjustment, Intermediate Rate and Special Rate pensions—colloquially known as the TPI payment—are split into two components for indexation purposes. Each is indexed separately. The fourth schedule will remove this anomaly so that the whole amount is indexed as one. This measure will commence on 20 September 2022. This will simplify DVA's legislation, policy and procedures. It will also help avoid confusion for veterans about the purpose and structure of the Extreme Disablement Adjustment, Intermediate and Special rates of disability pension. The fifth schedule in the bill introduces a pilot program for earlier access to rehabilitation. This non-liability rehabilitation pilot will enable individuals to commence DVA-funded rehabilitation before a liability decision has been made under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 or the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988. The government introduced this measure in the 2021-22 budget in response to recommendation 6.3 of the Productivity Commission's Report A better way to support veterans. This report had noted that existing legislative requirements made it challenging to provide timely rehabilitation services. Under these amendments, a two-year pilot will be established to bridge that gap to enable veterans to start their rehabilitation program sooner. This measure aims to encourage and enable access to voluntary rehabilitation for 100 veterans for each of the two years of the pilot. As the Australian Defence Veterans' Covenant states: 'For what they have done, this we will do.' Australia owes a great debt of gratitude to all our veterans. This bill provides new measures to better support their wellbeing and that of their families. We want our veterans to know that Australia is proud of them and that our country will always be there for them. I commend the bill to the House. Debate adjourned. Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021 -1

Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021

First Reading -1 Second Reading -1 10:11 Mr TIM WILSON IMW Goldstein I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I am pleased to introduce the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021 to the House. This bill is part of a package of three bills, including the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021 and the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Regulatory Levies) Bill 2021, which were introduced into the House on 2 September 2021. Together these bills establish a regulatory framework to enable offshore electricity infrastructure projects, including transmission and generation projects, in Commonwealth waters. The main bill supports investment in large-scale offshore electricity infrastructure through a new licensing regime administered and regulated by the Offshore Infrastructure Registrar and the Offshore Infrastructure Regulator. The regulatory levies bill ensures the Offshore Infrastructure Registrar and the Offshore Infrastructure Regulator are fully cost recovered to undertake the functions required to facilitate the life cycle of offshore electricity infrastructure projects. This bill, the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021, updates five Commonwealth acts to clarify the operation of those acts with the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill. The consequential amendments bill amends the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (known as the OPGGS Act) to clarify how it is intended to work alongside the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill. The OPGGS Act is amended to ensure regulated entities under the OPGGS Act do not unduly interfere with the activities of regulated entities under the offshore electricity infrastructure framework. Amendments are also made to reflect NOPSEMA's dual role in regulating the OPGGS Act and the OEI framework, and to clarify that NOPTA may be appointed as the registrar of the OEI framework. This bill also make minor amendments to other acts to allow the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill to operate as intended. This includes updating definitions for offshore electricity infrastructure and to provide for similar arrangements to the offshore electricity sector that are provided to the offshore resources sector. Supporting the development of large projects in a new offshore industry represents an exciting new opportunity for Australia. Together the three bills comprising the offshore electricity infrastructure package will enable the development of a new industry that will create jobs, strengthen our economy and facilitate a more affordable and secure energy system. I commend this bill to the House. Debate adjourned. Health Legislation Amendment (Medicare Compliance and Other Measures) Bill 2021 -1

Health Legislation Amendment (Medicare Compliance and Other Measures) Bill 2021

First Reading -1 Second Reading -1 10:14 Mr TUDGE M2Y Aston I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Australians have access to a world-class health system, and this has never been more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our health system's response has been second to none. The commitment and dedication of our healthcare practitioners to protecting the lives and health of all Australians has been unwavering. And for this I thank them. Medicare, including the Medicare Benefits Schedule, or MBS, and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, or PBS, continue to provide Australians access to free hospital care, and more affordable health care and medicines, and the Child Dental Benefits Scheme, or CDBS, provides access to dental services to children. Australian government expenditure on the MBS, PBS and CDBS is projected to be nearly $44 billion in 2021-22. As stewards of this investment in the health of Australians, the government is committed to protecting the integrity and financial viability of Medicare, ensuring that Australians may continue to have access to our world-class health system. While the vast majority of healthcare providers do the right thing when claiming Medicare benefits, there is unfortunately a small number that don't. In most cases, these are a result of mistakes and administrative errors, but in some cases it is as a result of incorrect or inappropriate claiming and, at worst, fraud. The department supports practitioners, healthcare organisations and peak bodies to correctly claim health payments with a clear focus on education, engagement and consultation. However, rigorous, effective health practitioner compliance is vital to protecting the financial integrity of Medicare and identifying healthcare practitioners that are not doing the right thing. Historically, compliance activities have been concentrated on the behaviour of individual practitioners, on the principle that practitioners are ultimately responsible for what is billed under their Medicare provider numbers. While this principle remains critical, the government seeks to adapt its compliance arrangements to an environment where corporate entities employing or otherwise engaging practitioners are increasingly involved in, and influence the provision of, healthcare services. The primary intent of the bill is to both strengthen the compliance powers of the Professional Services Review, or the PSR, and add a degree of flexibility to the PSR's ability to address the inappropriate practice of corporate entities. This bill is in four parts: part 1 amends the PSR scheme; part 2 certain debt recovery decisions; part 3 miscellaneous debt recovery arrangements; and part 4 the giving of false or misleading information. The PSR addresses the behaviour of practitioners that may have engaged in inappropriate practice through review by the director or by committees comprised of professional peers of the person under review. As an alternative to lengthy, resource-intensive review by a committee, the director may enter into written agreements with practitioners who are prepared to acknowledge their inappropriate practice and agree to specified actions. The PSR may also review the practice of corporate entities that have knowingly, recklessly or negligently caused or permitted their practitioners to engage in inappropriate practice. Currently, such conduct by a corporate entity may be reviewed only by a PSR committee. The bill amends section 92, which authorises the making of agreements with the director, to ensure all persons under review have the opportunity to negotiate an agreement. There can be significant consequences for a company referred to a PSR committee, including publication of findings. However, agreements made under section 92 are confidential and this encourages cooperation. In essence, the bill extends provisions for written agreements, currently applicable only to individual practitioners, to include: (a) a practitioner who personally renders or initiates services; (b) an individual (who may be a practitioner) who employs or otherwise engages practitioners; (c) an officer (who may be a practitioner) of a body corporate which employs or otherwise engages practitioners; or (d) a body corporate which employs or otherwise engages practitioners. The new provisions allow the director to come to agreement with a person under review, including a corporate entity, who acknowledges inappropriate practice and agrees to specified actions, including reprimand by the director and repayment of Medicare or dental benefits. The specified actions for corporate entities may include: repayment of benefits paid for services that were rendered or initiated during the review period; reprimand by the director; counselling by the director; and a requirement for the person under review to provide remediating education to persons employed or engaged. To be clear, a corporate entity's acknowledgment of inappropriate practice has no bearing on the practitioners it employs or otherwise engages. Individual practitioners will not be named in agreements with corporations or other persons who employ or otherwise engage practitioners (and such agreements are themselves confidential). In entering into an agreement with the director, a corporate entity or other person who employs or otherwise engages practitioners would merely acknowledge that they are engaged in inappropriate practice by knowingly, recklessly or negligently causing or permitting one or more of the practitioners to engage in inappropriate practice. That acknowledgement is not binding on any individual practitioner nor are any findings made in relation to individual practitioners. If an individual practitioner was the subject of a separate referral, the practitioner would have the option to seek an agreement with the director or to proceed to review by a committee. The acknowledgement by the person who employed or otherwise engaged the practitioner would not be put before the committee and a finding of inappropriate practice could be made only following an examination of an appropriate sample of clinical records and evidence from the practitioner and any other witnesses. As a consequence of the new provisions relating to corporate entities, and to maintain its peer-review function, the bill adjusts the composition of the PSR Determining Authority so that it may include additional members of the same profession as the relevant practitioners engaged or employed by the same person under review. The government's commitment to improved compliance is embodied in new sanctions against behaviour that stymies the government's ability to review inappropriate practice and to recover Commonwealth debts created by agreements between persons under review and the director of the PSR. The bill creates an exception to the general rule that section 92 agreements are confidential by giving the director the discretion to publish details of an agreement, where the person under review has not fulfilled their obligations. The person under review will have an opportunity to make submissions about the issue of their compliance or otherwise before the director is notified. To further protect the integrity of the scheme against persons, particularly corporate entities, reneging on agreed terms, the government will have the power to garnishee bank accounts, bringing repayments under section 92 agreements in line with other debt recovery provisions currently permitted under the Health Insurance Act 1973. Garnishee notices will only be issued if persons under review do not promptly engage with the department on repayments o breach an agreement to pay by instalments. Access to information is essential for the PSR to carry out reviews. The bill introduces offences for persons under review that fail to appear at committee hearings or fail to give evidence or answer questions where required by committees. Maximum penalties for noncompliance will be fines of 150 penalty units, or $33,300 at current rates, for corporate entities and 30 units ($6,660) for non-practitioner individuals. The bill also provides for offences where a person fails to respond to a notice to provide documents to the director or to a PSR committee, with fines of up to 30 penalty units. The PSR will also be able to take court action seeking a civil penalty of up to 30 penalty units (currently $6,660) for each day that a corporate entity contravenes the act by failing to respond to a notice to provide documents. Further, the director will be able to apply for court orders to comply with notices. Following recent observations of the Federal Court regarding jurisdictional fact, the bill also clarifies that a referral to the PSR may be made where it merely appears that there is the possibility that a person may have engaged in inappropriate practice in the provision of services. Under the PSR scheme, it is ultimately up to the PSR to investigate whether a person has provided services, and whether the conduct of the person under review in relation to the rendering or initiation of those services amounted to inappropriate practice. The bill also addresses inconsistencies arising from the introduction of legislation in 2018 to improve debt recovery powers under the Health Insurance Act 1973, National Health Act 1953 and Dental Benefits Act 2008. The bill introduces amendments clarifying, as follows: the application of debt recovery provisions; that interest on Commonwealth debt is recoverable; use of financial information powers; recovery from estates; and that administrative penalties for debts under the Shared Debt Recovery Scheme arise if the total debt, whether comprised of one or more services, exceeds $2,500, rather than when a service exceeds $2,500. Finally, the bill amends the National Health Act and the Dental Benefits Act to mirror recent changes to the Health Insurance Act. The December 2020 amendments made clear that the Commonwealth can recover incorrect payments made as a result of the giving of false or misleading information. I commend this bill to the House. Debate adjourned. COMMITTEES -1 COMMITTEES Public Works Joint Committee -1 Approval of Work -1 10:25 Mr TAYLOR 231027 Hume On behalf of the Minister for the Public Service, I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to parliament: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation—Construction of an intermediate level solid waste storage facility, Lucas Heights, NSW. Question agreed to. Approval of Work -1 10:26 Mr TAYLOR 231027 Hume On behalf of the Minister for the Public Service, I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to parliament: Expansion of the National Sea Simulator at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland. Question agreed to. Reference -1 10:27 Mr TAYLOR 231027 Hume On behalf of the Minister for the Public Service, I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, the following proposed work be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works for consideration and report: Department of Health—Fit-out of existing leased premises, Sirius Building, Woden, ACT. The Department of Health is proposing to undertake fit-out works to the Sirius Building in Woden, ACT. The proposed works will enable Health to relocate staff from it's Woden tenancy, Scarborough House, into the Sirius Building prior to the lease expiring in 2025. The updating fit-out will also cater for a range of operating models and enable Health to meet their whole-of-government occupational density of 14 square metres. The estimated cost is $64.1 million, excluding GST. The works must be referred to, considered by and reported on to both houses of parliament by the Public Works Committee before work may commence. Subject to parliamentary approval, fit-out works are expected to commence in March 2022 and are scheduled to complete in November 2024. I commend the motion to the House. Question agreed to. DOCUMENTS -1 DOCUMENTS Office of the Australian Information Commissioner -1 Presentation -1 10:28 Mr TAYLOR 231027 Hume I present the following document: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner—annual report 2020-21. COMMITTEES -1 COMMITTEES Law Enforcement Joint Committee -1 Report -1 10:29 Mr CONAGHAN 279991 Cowper On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement, I present the committee's report entitled Examination of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission annual report 2019-20. Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). Mr CONAGHAN 279991 by leave—The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement has a statutory duty to monitor and review the performance of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, or the ACIC, by examining each of its annual reports. The committee is pleased to present its latest report on the ACIC annual report 2019-20. The committee acknowledges the work undertaken by the ACIC through the year to make Australia safer and its continued high standards in intelligence-gathering and analysis to disrupt criminal threats. Through analysis of collected criminal intelligence from partner agencies, the ACIC improves the understanding of crimes that are impacting on Australia to influence a better response. In the 2019-20 reporting period, the ACIC has increased the amount of finalised intelligence products from the previous reporting period, keeping Australia safer. The committee acknowledges that the ACIC, like all law enforcement agencies, experienced a performance impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee notes, however, that the ACIC overcame much of this to perform well under the limiting circumstances. In particular, the committee thanks the ACIC for its research and findings on illicit drugs, particularly on how COVID-19 has impacted drug related crime in Australia. The ACIC annual report highlights a number of ACIC activities and priorities in the 2019-20 reporting year. These highlights include the discovery of 208 previously unknown targets; the finalisation of 139 intelligence products containing examination material and 153 analytical intelligence products; the listing of six potential new Australian priority organisation targets, or APOTs, and the successful disruption of five APOTs to the point that they are no longer considered APOT-level threats; the disruption of 34 criminal entities; and, finally, the seizure of $3.1 billion in street value of drugs and precursors. The committee, however, is disappointed that some of the jurisdictions have yet to progress the legislative changes required to implement the working with children checks national reference system, and the committee encourages the ACIC, the Minister for Home Affairs and the Department of Home Affairs to take this up directly with the relevant state ministers. As always, the committee commends the ACIC on its National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program. The wastewater program provides critical insight into drug consumption across Australia and has directly assisted operational and policy responses to drug related crime. The committee is pleased that the wastewater program has received additional funding from the Australian government. I commend the report. BUSINESS -1 BUSINESS Rearrangement -1 10:33 Ms STEGGALL 175696 Warringah by leave—I move: That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the private Members' business order of the day relating to the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Stopping PEP11) Bill 2021 standing in the name of the Member for Warringah being called on immediately and given priority over all other business for final determination of the House. This motion must be debated today because it deals with vital issues: climate change, environmental destruction and the fate of the economy for a significant portion of the east coast of Australia. Petroleum exploration permit 11, known as PEP-11, is a work permit granted under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006. PEP-11 covers some 4,575 square kilometres of ocean from Newcastle through the Central Coast to the iconic Manly Beach. PEP-11 comes as close as five kilometres to the shore in places. Human line of sight on the horizon is over five kilometres, so gas rigs may well be seen from our headlands and beaches. The titleholders, Advent Energy and Bounty NL, are permitted to explore for gas and oil in this area, with the aim of mining it and drilling it at a future date. Let's be clear: oil is often found alongside gas, so it is a very real prospect. This licence has been hanging over the heads of our local communities for too long. I presented a petition to this parliament in February 2020 and have spoken numerous times in this place about the project. I have met with the Minister for Resources and Water, Minister Pitt. The community has written to and met with local MPs from both sides of the House. The New South Wales government rejected the licence last February—over a year ago. Yet Advent Energy called for tenders in June this year, issuing a tender for drilling and management services on 20 July and a letter of intent to award tenders on 14 October. As recently as 20 October, comments in the media by David Breeze, the executive director of Advent Energy, indicated that Advent has every intention to proceed with the project, dismissing concerns of local communities. So here we are: PEP-11 is still on foot, and Minister Pitt, a Queensland Liberal-National MP, is still giving enough assurance to Advent Energy that they are seeking tenders for equipment to drill the works on PEP-11. In recent interviews it has been made clear that Advent Energy believe that the licence will be granted and extended. This raises serious concerns about who is making the decisions in this government. This is the government's gas obsession taken to the extreme of endangering our local economies and coastline. Our local environment sustains our local economy, from coastal ecosystems, fishing, tourism and hospitality, our welfare and our health. We have seen, through the last 18 months with COVID, how important our local environment is. It has sustained us and we have been grateful, and now we urgently need to protect it. The area in and adjacent to PEP-11 is home to millions of people, a whale migration path and significant marine biodiversity. It's therefore absolutely in the public interest that this be dealt with without delay today. With only 10 days before the conference of the parties at COP26, where global leaders will meet in Glasgow to discuss how we will mitigate the issue of our time—climate change and global warming—it is urgent that we debate a motion on a bill that will stop a major fossil fuel project. The Bureau of Meteorology has projected that on the current emissions trajectory Australia will surpass 4.4 degrees of warming in this century. We are set to reach 1.5 degrees of warming in the early 2030s. Australia will warm faster than the rest of the globe and will experience many more impacts—floods, fires, droughts and, for coastal communities, coastal erosion and cyclones. We are exposed. This is our greatest national security risk, and we are falling behind our allies in addressing it. To avert this catastrophe, the International Energy Agency—one of the most conservative institutions—has stated that no new fossil fuel projects can be developed from this year. Yet here we are with a licence to open up gas off our coast. Oil and gas exploration risks contamination and pollution of the ocean. Our ocean is fragile and already under increasing threat from climate change and plastics pollution. We cannot and should not risk an oil spill from a drilling rig wrecking our ocean and waterways, which are some of the most unique in the world. Many will not forget the Deepwater Horizon spill that occurred in April 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. Over a period of weeks it released almost 4.9 million barrels of oil into the ocean, making it the biggest oil calamity the world had ever seen. The spill extensively impacted the marine environment and did incalculable damage to the fishing and tourism industries that relied on the spill area. The areas adjacent to PEP-11 are just as exposed. Just two months ago, the world stood aghast when we saw an undersea gas pipeline leak and catch fire in the gulf yet again, literally setting the ocean alight. This is what can go wrong. Make no mistake: undertaking oil and gas exploration risks disaster off our pristine coast. PEP-11 could devastate the environment and the economy of all areas adjacent to it. This is why this motion must be debated today, without delay, and this bill should be passed. We simply cannot allow it to proceed. The community is united in objecting to this project. We do not want it to proceed. Over 60,000 people lent their names to a petition calling for PEP-11 to be stopped. The community's wish is that PEP-11 be stopped today. I've had hundreds of emails from Warringah constituents and people up and down the coast. They're appalled that this project might still get the green light. PEP-11 expired in February 2021, and yet it is still in force, pending the decision of Minister Pitt, as part of the joint authority, in relation to the application by the current titleholder. The first application for the suspension, extension and variation of PEP-11 was made to the joint authority some 289 days ago, and yet the New South Wales government was able to decline it in February 2020—and we are still here, waiting for a decision from the federal government. The delay in decision-making is causing considerable anxiety and distress in the communities affected by PEP-11. This motion is to enable the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Stopping PEP11) Bill 2021 to be debated without further delay—and we should do this today. We need to act to remove the uncertainty and preclude any current and future development in the PEP-11 area. It is so important for our local communities. These communities have been battered and locked down under COVID. They need to rebuild. Our ecotourism, our tourism, our hospitality all need confidence and certainty, and having this risk hanging over them is impacting their confidence in the rebuild. It's vital that this licence be cancelled without further delay, and we must rule out any further licence being granted off our coast. There are those who are claiming that some of the benefits of this licence will be to provide carbon capture and storage opportunities. Let's be really clear about what that is: it is a unicorn fantasy of this government that we can continue to emit and that somehow it won't matter because those rising emissions can be offset. It ignores the fact that we actually need to reduce emissions first. We can't continue the way we are. If carbon capture and storage can be developed to work then it might assist in capturing the excess that we have already put into the atmosphere, but it cannot be used to justify our continued dependence on fossil fuel. It doesn't replace the need to reduce emissions. It's already received substantial amounts of public funding to date, but let's be clear: it has failed to deliver. We cannot continue emitting in the hope that, magically, CCS will solve this problem—and I know the minister for energy is really attached to the idea that this unicorn solution will permit emissions to continue to rise. But, to protect our oceans and coastal economies and address climate change, we should deal with this bill today and we should pass this legislation. To all those members in this place who have said that they are for climate action and who tell their constituents as much, will you now vote to debate this bill? Will you vote with your conscience? It is really important, because the time has come when communities are looking to their members of parliament for action. The actions you take on behalf of a collective, with impunity, do not excuse your personal actions. Your personal vote matters. The member for Wentworth, the member for Mackellar, the member for North Sydney and the member for Robertson have said to their communities that they oppose this project, and yet here we are: we are still in the hands of Minister Pitt. It's time to allow debate on this bill so that we can vote on it. This is a test for the government, and it's a test for those MPs. It is a test of their commitment to their communities up and down our coast. The Prime Minister himself came to Collaroy Beach and said he opposes the project, and yet here we are: a project is still on foot, a permit holder is still proceeding, decisions are still being made and the licence is still going ahead. It begs the question: who is calling the shots in this government? If the Prime Minister has said he doesn't support this project, and yet Minister Pitt is still proceeding with it, it really begs the question: exactly who decides what is happening in this government? Who is deciding Australia's climate policy? Is there any genuine commitment to reducing emissions? These are the questions the Australian public is asking this parliament to understand how real the commitment is. Today, this motion is a test. It is a test to see if there is a genuine desire to debate and to take action on legislation that will stop this project. We need to save our coast. The DEPUTY SPEAKER M3E Is the motion seconded? 10:44 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland I proudly second this motion to suspend the standing orders. Standing orders must be suspended because my community and every community in the Hunter, Central Coast and northern Sydney regions needs certainty about this project. The licence for PEP-11 expired on 12 February. At that time Minister Pitt said that he would make a decision soon. Since that expiration my community has had 251 days of uncertainty. My community have been in agony for 251 days waiting to know whether they're going to see oil and gas rigs off their coast. We continue to have this delay and Advent Energy continue to work on the project while this uncertainty continues. What are we talking about? We're talking about offshore oil and gas drilling rigs as close as five kilometres to our pristine coastline and five kilometres to some of the beautiful beaches in my electorate, such as Redhead Beach, endangering our environment and the tens of thousands of jobs that rely on that environment. This project risks the thousands of jobs in our tourism and hospitality industries that rely upon our coastal lifestyle. It risks the thousands of jobs in the commercial and recreational fishing industries that rely on our pristine maritime environment. It risks the beautiful beaches that we all enjoy. Nipper season is around the corner. As thousands of kids go back into the water, including my own, I don't want them to be worried about whether this will be the last year they get to enjoy our beautiful beaches. That's why the standing orders must be suspended and why everyone in this chamber must vote in support of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Stopping PEP11) Bill 2021. Everyone in this chamber must vote in support of this bill. The members for Robertson, Mackellar, North Sydney and Wentworth profess to oppose PEP-11 but have gone missing. They say they oppose PEP-11. They need to demonstrate it by not just talking about it but by voting for the suspension of the standing orders and by forcing the government and the Prime Minister to deliver at least 26 members of their party room to allow the suspension to succeed. It's easy for them to get up and say, 'We oppose it and we'll vote for the suspension,' knowing that it will fail unless they bring 26 members of their party room with them. That's the truth. The member for Robertson said on 24 April: Under a Morrison Government PEP-11 will not go ahead. The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison … said it himself while he was on the Coast this week, and he is rock solid on that decision. I am saying no to PEP-11. The Prime Minister is saying no to PEP-11. I look forward to the member for Robertson's remarks. Hopefully, she will get up and say that the project is dead. Unless she votes for the suspension, unless she votes for the Steggall bill and unless she brings 26 members of the government with her, they are just hollow words—hollow words from a member of the government that so far is allowing offshore oil and gas drilling off our coast. That is the truth of it. We'll see some charades here—do they support this or do they support that? The government and Minister Pitt could kill this with the stroke of a pen. Failing that, 26 members of the government could cross the floor and vote for the suspension and then the actual bill. I hope they do. I will say to them, 'Well done,' if they do. If they don't, they will be accused of utter mendacity and hypocrisy, because there will be empty words where action is needed. This is about the future of our coastline. This is about the future of tens of thousands of jobs in our community. I hope Minister Hawke gets up and says something positive about it. I hope Minister Hawke says that the project is now dead. Hopefully, he will kill it. Hopefully, he will convince the Nationals, who are really running this government on climate and energy policy, to do the right thing and kill the project. I'm looking for good words from him. But let's be honest about it. If they do fold, it will only be because of the pressure of members of the Labor Party and Independents and the huge community opposition to this project. That is what has delivered this opposition. That is what has delivered this campaign. That is why we are even debating this bill. I have never seen a project more opposed to by the entire community than this project. If the government does fold, if the government does surrender, that will be great. I will certainly appreciate that. I congratulate every Labor member of parliament who has been involved in this campaign—and some of them are behind me—the member for Newcastle, the member for Paterson, the member for Dobell, the member for Kingsford Smith and the leader of the Labor Party, Anthony Albanese, who said, 'If this project is still going ahead when Labor is in government, we will kill it.' I cede the remaining five minutes of my time to the member for Dobell. 10:50 Mr HAWKE HWO Mitchell The government will oppose the suspension of standing orders, for the following reasons. Obviously we have many members here, and I've got two of my colleagues here, the member for Robertson and the member for Mackellar, who are going to speak about their serious concern about and opposition to this. There is concern about an individual project from local communities on the North Shore of Sydney and the Central Coast among members here, and the member for Warringah as well. It's quite appropriate that that be discussed and be the subject of representations to government—and it has been. But I say to the member for Warringah: if you're serious about legislating and if you are serious about doing something or changing a law, it would be incumbent upon you to go to other affected communities and local members on the North Shore. This isn't a political matter; this is a community matter, an environmental matter, and you're not in a political party, as we understand. What you should do is approach the member for Mackellar and the member for Robertson and discuss your concerns with them and seek to get some consensus about what you might want to do. So, for today, of course the government won't proceed with the proposal by the member for Warringah to suspend standing orders. That doesn't mean that this important conversation can't continue. It will. In fact, the advocacy from the member for Mackellar and the member for Robertson is very strong. And we've heard a very significant statement of intent from the Prime Minister—the strongest statement you could get on a matter such as this—which gives the community that certainty that members here are seeking. In balancing our environmental commitments, while protecting our marine environment and communities on coasts , we also have to recognise that we have offshore petroleum interests across the country which create jobs and wealth. They help local communities in many parts of our country. All governments have to strike balances between these things. It's appropriate for this conversation to continue. It's appropriate for us to legally look at those questions and at what can be done within the frameworks of the law. The government will continue to balance those things. It will continue to work with communities across Australia. By using activism to do something in a hasty way such as the member for Warringah is proposing today—these things can have consequences for the sovereign investment framework for Australia, for the stability of our investment profile for very important projects that we might want to continue, all around Australia, that are appropriate for those communities, that are environmentally welcomed and that are safe. The government's got a very strong statement of intention here. The Prime Minister couldn't have been more clear. The member for Mackellar is very clear about his community, and the member for Robertson is very clear about hers, as is the member for Shortland. There is more to discuss. But I say to the member for Warringah—and I have spoken to the minister—do seek a meeting with the minister and discuss it with him if you have these concerns. Go to your local neighbours and friends in the North Shore communities. This isn't just an issue that affects the community of Warringah; it effects the entire coastline of Sydney. I do think there's a time for you to have a collegiate approach on this. So, the government doesn't support the suspension of standing orders. I look forward to the contributions of the member for Robertson and obviously the member for Mackellar, and the government welcomes the ongoing assessment of these processes and the statement of intent that the government's put forward. 10:53 Ms McBRIDE 248353 Dobell My community on the Central Coast of New South Wales is against PEP-11. People living up and down the coast, from Newcastle to Sydney, and across Australia are against PEP-11. Yet Minister Pitt still hasn't made a decision—eight months after his original deadline—and today we're told not to be hasty, and the government is gagging debate. This is a project that will devastate our coastline, our local marine life and our local economy. That's why I stand against PEP-11. That's why all my colleagues on this side of the House stand against PEP-11. Last year, with colleagues and with members of the government as well, we met with the Surfrider Foundation to save our coast on the lawns of Parliament House, calling on this government to stop PEP-11. In February I stood with my Labor colleagues, many of whom are in the House today—the member for Newcastle, the member for Kingsford Smith, the member for Paterson and all of my colleagues up and down the coast. We stood together with Labor leader Anthony Albanese as we announced Labor's united opposition to PEP-11. In April, with Liesel Tesch, the state member for Gosford, I joined the Surfrider Foundation to save our coast, paddling out against PEP-11, with Ace Buchan, international surfing champion. Then in August I joined a virtual town hall with advocacy groups to reaffirm my opposition to PEP-11. And I'm not the only one. In my community over 1,800 people have signed a petition to stop PEP-11 and thousands more from Newcastle, Sydney and across Australia. We know Save Our Coast has collected 77,000 signatures to stop this flawed project and this risky plan to drill for fossil fuels within PEP-11. The opposition is across the community. Glen from Bateau Bay wrote to me: 'I have been able to raise my children here on the Central Coast, passing onto them a love for our ocean, coastline and marine life. The excitement of dolphins swimming close to them, their looks of amazement at the sight of whales fully breaching, still gives me a feeling of happiness.' Kathy from Berkeley Vale said, 'The beach is our happy place. We moved up from Sydney a few years ago and have a quieter and more relaxed life here on the coast. We love it here. For our family of five we love going to the beach. It's our way to reset.' She has echoed the views of hundreds of locals across the Central Coast. According to the Environmental Defenders Office the PEP-11 project could see drilling commence in a world renowned whale migration route and dolphin habitat, risking devastating the marine ecosystem and exposing locals from Newcastle to Manly to the Central Coast to the prospect of petroleum spills or gas rigs just kilometres from the coastline. Locals are acutely aware of this risk. Even Ben & Jerry's have spoken against this project, making it clear they do not want this project to go ahead. The minister has still not made a decision. The New South Wales government is opposed to PEP-11. They declared this earlier this year. The New South Wales government said they were opposed to PEP-11. As part of the joint authority Minister Pitt can make this decision with a stroke of a pen today and he's failing to do so. Minister Pitt could do this with a stroke of a pen today but he still hasn't made a decision. And now we're being told by the government that this is too hasty, that we're trying to move too quickly. This is why they're suspending debate today—more than a decade and opposition up and down the coast. This will devastate our communities, our marine life and our way of life. We're told that this is hasty, that we're moving too quickly. Do you know what the government has? A complete lack of urgency. There's a complete lack of urgency from the government. Either they don't get it or they don't care. Members opposite can stand and speak in support of the private members' bill today but do you know what they could do? They could advocate strongly in their caucus. They could advocate for the government to make a decision today. They could call on Minister Pitt to do the right thing by our community, to do the right thing by our environment, to do the right thing by our economy and make this decision today. Members opposite, speak today, but I urge you, do the right thing. Don't say one thing in your electorate and another thing in this House. Do the right thing by our community. Make Minister Pitt make the decision that our community needs and deserves and is long overdue. You can speak up in this House and you can say another thing in your electorate. You need to do the right thing on PEP-11 for all of us and call on the minister to make a decision today. This is with the stroke of a pen. We don't need this private members' bill—although we fully support it because the government won't act. Now we're preparing for this push and we will vote for this if we get the chance to vote for it but the minister said they won't. It will be suspended. We won't get the opportunity. We will support a private members' bill to stop PEP-11. I am prepared to support this bill and so are my colleagues. But you've already adjourned the debate and now you are suspending standing orders, that's why I am urging the minister to put an end to the uncertainty for my community. He has the power to stop PEP-11 with the stroke of a pen today. Do what's right, minister. This has dragged on for too long. 10:59 Mrs WICKS 241590 Robertson In rising to speak against the suspension of standing orders, I firstly want to say very loudly that I remain firmly opposed to PEP-11. However, the member for Warringah's motion, supported by members of the opposition, this morning to suspend standing orders is not the best way to achieve this outcome that they seek. Indeed, it only adds to the cacophony of confusion and misinformation that has been surrounding this issue and we all know there has been plenty of that. My colleague the minister for immigration is absolutely right. This is a community issue. It is not a political issue. Let's all work together to achieve the outcome that so many of us support. This permit has been around for five decades, and it's been a long-running issue for communities from Manly through to the Central Coast and right up to Newcastle. Our community on the Central Coast is a sea based community, and our local beaches and our oceans are part of our way of life. That's why the Central Coast is so firmly opposed to anything that could harm our beaches or waterways, as the member for Dobell said. Our Central Coast community has spoken very loudly, and I have consulted with a wide range of local action groups. I've received countless emails, letters and messages from thousands of local residents and I joined with hundreds of them, including the member for Dobell, at a protest rally of a paddle-out at Terrigal Haven. But, as I would remind the member for Dobell, this is not a political issue; this is a community issue. I have taken these concerns directly to the minister for resources. I have taken them directly to the Prime Minister, and the message that I got back from the Prime Minister was loud and clear—and the member for Shortland referred to it: 'Under a Morrison government, PEP-11 will not go ahead. That is a rock-solid guarantee.' That is why the motion before the House this morning really achieves nothing for communities up and down the New South Wales coast. The Prime Minister has said he thinks the right decision is to oppose the extension of the PEP-11 licence. He's clear on what his view is. I am clear on what my view is and our what our community's view is. Under a Morrison government, PEP-11 will not go ahead. Although I acknowledge the member for Warringah's interest in PEP-11 and the support of the opposition for this motion, the decision by the Prime Minister of Australia is resolute. This issue is too important to our region to get wrong. The Prime Minister has said no to PEP-11, my community has said no to PEP-11 and I'm saying no to PEP-11. But I would remind the member for Warringah and members opposite that the best way to achieve the outcome that all of you and indeed many of us in this chamber seek is through the proper processes of government, not political stunts. 11:02 Mr THISTLETHWAITE 182468 Kingsford Smith I support the motion to suspend standing orders moved by the member for Warringah, so as to debate her bill and to vote on it to kill PEP-11. This parliament can kill PEP-11 today, and we should. Petroleum export permit 11 would grant Advent Energy the option to continue to explore for gas and oil off the coast of New South Wales, all the way from the Mid North Coast to the Newcastle region. It's a ridiculous proposal. It would have a detrimental effect on our environment, and, when the economy is beginning to open again, we're potentially going to kill one of the great benefits to the New South Wales economy, our tourism industry and all of the jobs that are created by tourism. The whale migration highway is up and down this coast, and a proposal like this would absolutely destroy that region's tourism industry, which is so important for Australia. It's environmental vandalism at its worst and it should be put to bed today. The parliament has the opportunity to put it to bed. How long do we have to debate this issue? The permit expired well over 10 months ago, so the government should have made a decision on this permit by now. But the minister, Mr Pitt, won't make a decision. The member for Warringah's bill says the people of Australia want a decision made, and they want that decision made now. This parliament has the opportunity to do that now, so we don't need weasel words from the member for Robertson, the member for Mackellar, the member for Wentworth and the minister. They're trying to get out of this by saying, 'Well, we don't support PEP-11 and we also want to kill it.' We have got the opportunity, so let's do it today. Let's finish this debate and move on to debating the member for Warringah's bill and killing PEP-11 once and for all. 11:04 Mr BANDT M3C Melbourne The Greens support this move from the member for Warringah. The Greens oppose PEP-11. We're in a climate crisis. Everyone—from the United Nations to Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and the conservative International Energy Agency—has said there is no room for new coal, oil and gas projects. On climate grounds alone we should stop the expansion of new fossil fuel projects because we're going to end up with stranded infrastructure when the rest of the world shifts to a zero-pollution economy. As has been pointed out by our New South Wales senator, Mehreen Faruqi, who has worked side by side with the very strong community, which is speaking very loudly, we are going to damage some of the most pristine and valuable area of our coast. Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, our spokesperson for healthy oceans who has also been part of this campaign, has made the point that the damage that is going to be done to oceans is significant, not just from the drilling but also from the seismic testing. We've seen that in areas around Tasmania. So if we're concerned about our climate, about our oceans and about all the people whose livelihood is dependent on healthy oceans and a beautiful coastline, then we must stop PEP-11. The government should support this. There's no reason for the government to oppose this. Politicians giving weasel words, saying, 'Oh, we're going to stop it,' but then not actually stopping it is part of the reason that communities have so much distrust in politics in the first place. The government comes here and says this is a community issue—well, the community has spoken loud and clear and said, 'Stop PEP-11.' I say to all those Liberal MPs who are saying, 'Don't proceed with action in parliament because it's a community issue,' that the community have spoken. They're after the government to do something very simple, that the government can do and that is within its power to do, which is to say it is not going to proceed and it is going to make that law, make it legally binding. Until the government does, people are right to be suspicious. People are right to say, 'Why do the Prime Minister and the local member say one thing but then refuse to put it into law?' If the government is not going to do it, then the parliament should. That's why we support the member for Warringah's suspension motion today. It is putting into law what the community is asking. I hope that the government supports this today. The Greens will be proceeding with our bill in the Senate to stop offshore oil and gas drilling because that is what we need to do. I welcome the broad range of support for this motion today, and I hope it translates into other areas, like stopping the fracking of the Beetaloo and stopping new coal, oil and gas projects elsewhere. That would be only logical. But right here, today, the Greens throw our support behind this move. We will continue to fight side by side with the community. Now the government has the chance to not just have the odd member say something or even have the odd member cross the floor. It has the chance to stop PEP-11. And if the government are not going to do it, the parliament should make them. 11:08 Mr FALINSKI G86 Mackellar I stand here today as someone who is implacably opposed to PEP-11 and offshore drilling off the coast of Sydney, Newcastle and elsewhere. Late last year I moved a motion in this chamber calling on the government to do that. I was supported at that time by the member for Robertson, the member for Wentworth and the member for North Sydney. It is important to note that since that time the New South Wales government, a joint signatory to the joint authority, has come out opposed to this project. It is important to note that since that time the Prime Minister went to the Central Coast—more than Anthony Albanese has ever done or the member for wherever— Honourable members interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER DZP The member for Mackellar will ignore the interjections because they're about to stop. Mr FALINSKI G86 He said to the communities that he was opposed to this licence. Why I am opposed to us suspending the standing orders and bringing on a debate on the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Stopping PEP11) Bill 2021 is that there has been no consultation with this side of the parliament over this. I have a note— Honourable members interjecting— Mr FALINSKI G86 The opposition leader may be interested in this, because I know he doesn't mind spending other people's money on things. I have a note from a constitutional lawyer in the Parliamentary Library that says that, if we pass this bill, it opens the taxpayers of Australia to a claim on just terms to potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to Advent Energy. I'm surprised those opposite are suddenly in favour of subsidising fossil fuel companies to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. Now, do I want Minister Pitt to have made a decision not today but yesterday on this? Absolutely. This has dragged on too long. Let us not forget how all this started. This all started when the Carr Labor government in New South Wales decided to grant a licence to fossil fuel companies to poke, prod and blast the oceans off Newcastle with sonar and disturb the sea life in those areas for 25 years. That has happened. The Labor Party did that, not the Liberal Party. Now at the end of it, when we are trying to clean up the mess that they created, they now want to bring a bill to this parliament, without due process, without looking at it, without people examining the impacts of it, potentially opening the taxpayers of Australia to a compensation claim of hundreds of millions of dollars because they can't even be bothered consulting with us, they can't be bothered reading it and they can't be bothered taking advice on it. What would we expect from the Labor Party? They can't work with anyone to get anything done. I'm surprised that the member for Melbourne, who apparently is the Leader of the Greens, now wants to give hundreds of millions of dollars to fossil fuel companies. Instead of working through the process—which I concur has taken far too long for Minister Pitt to reach a decision, but such is the nature of NOPSEMA and these regulatory authorities. At least he's going through the process and he is not seeking to use other people's money to compensate energy companies that should never have been given by the Labor Party in New South Wales a licence worth hundreds of millions of dollars. As they go through the process of trying to prove that, after 25 years of looking for gas and oil where there is no gas and oil, they should continue to hold this licence for no good reason, it is just extraordinary. For this to occur just as we are getting to the end of the process reminds me of the old Chinese proverb that it's like the rooster trying to take credit for the sun coming up. We have gone through this process. We have diligently worked our way through it. I'm opposed to PEP-11. I'm opposed to the environmental damage it could do. I have stood up in this parliament. I have taken on my own government over this. I have fronted Keith Pitt and told him that a decision needs to be made. However, I don't see that on the other side. All I see is political stunts that never seem to know any end. 11:13 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler What an extraordinary contribution from a government member. You would think that he was in no position to actually make a decision. This is a decision of this government. The New South Wales government have come out with a good position on PEP-11. Those opposite, including Keith Pitt, the minister, are in a position to rule this out today, to make a decision today, which would be not as good as making a decision yesterday, not nearly as good as making a decision last month and nowhere near as good as making a decision last year, but at least it would be a decision. The fact is that I've travelled up with the member for Dobell. We stood at Terrigal and made it very clear that we were opposed to PEP-11. That was a process that went through our processes of shadow cabinet and through our caucus unanimously because this is a bad proposal. It is no wonder that the member for Warringah now sits on the crossbench rather than as a Liberal Party member; the truth is that the people of the northern beaches have been abandoned by this government. The people of the Central Coast have been abandoned by this government. The people of Newcastle and the Hunter have been abandoned by this government. The people of Sydney around the Kingsford Smith and, indeed, Wentworth electorates have been abandoned by this government as well. Keith Pitt, of course, has given various interviews where he has said that there is a whole lot of investment, that investment comes from shareholders, and therefore we need to take that into account. The PEP-11 proposal is for offshore drilling off some of the most pristine beaches in the most densely populated communities of our nation. The idea that you would have oil drilling off those beaches, be it Manly, Maroubra, Bondi, Terrigal, Avoca or Newcastle's Merewether Beach, is an extraordinary proposition. This is a complete no-brainer. But from a government led by a man whose attitude towards the environment is one of ridiculing renewable energy, ridiculing electric vehicles—ridiculing anything to do with protecting the pristine natural environment in this country by taking action on climate change and other environmental issues—it's not surprising. It's not surprising that we have in the position of Minister for Resources and Water a man who never sees anything he doesn't want to dig up. So, rather than having a strong environmental position to balance up the need for extraction of resources against protection of our natural environment, what we have from this government is a let-it-rip approach that has complete disregard for these issues. It's interesting that the member for Mackellar, in his rather bizarre contribution here today, spoken as if he really had no influence over the government, spoke about his lobbying of Minister Pitt. He didn't speak about his lobbying of the Minister for the Environment—no, not a word. The environment minister just sits there, does nothing, doesn't take any action, doesn't take environmental protection seriously at all. It's no wonder that the member for Mackellar is under siege from local community organisations in his own electorate, because he's shown himself to be impotent. He was okay at taking action to remove the former member for Mackellar from this parliament—and I say to the member for Mackellar that I congratulate him on that effort—but since he arrived here he hasn't troubled the scorers. We all have responsibility for our electorates. There was a proposal a few years ago for coal seam gas drilling in St Peters, in my electorate—a rather interesting proposition that was put forward!—and I joined with the community in opposing that proposal because it simply wasn't appropriate. There is a role for resources extraction in this country, but let me just say this as well: the resources sector is undermined as a whole by proposals like this. This damages the resource sector's reputation. That is why legitimate resource businesses are horrified by this proposal, because they all get tarred with this brush. The resources sector is very important for employment. We have a proposition before this parliament for the suspension of standing orders, which the member for Mackellar has said he's going to vote against. Let's be clear about what he's voting against if he votes against this proposition: he's voting against the member for Warringah having a debate on her bill. He's not voting against the bill; he's voting against the bill being debated and determined by this parliament. This is a parliament that used to be able to debate issues. We used to have suspensions of standing orders. Leave used to be granted to have discussion. I've sat in this parliament, under the Howard government as well as under the Rudd government and under the Gillard government, and had debates about private members' bills. I've moved private members' bills in this parliament. We have had debates about significant issues, both here and in the Federation Chamber, and had those issues determined by the parliament. That's called democracy. The way this government approaches these issues is just to shut down debate. It's only because this motion's been moved by an independent member that I've been able to contribute to this debate, which is why I didn't want to miss the opportunity to make a contribution consistent with my stance on this issue. To be very clear: this is a suspension of standing orders to allow the member for Warringah to have a debate about an issue which, quite clearly, is of interest to a range of members in this House, not least of which are the member for Shortland, the member for Dobell, the member for Newcastle and the member for Kingsford Smith, as well as the member for Mackellar, the member for Robertson, the member for Melbourne and the member for Warringah. It seems to me to be quite extraordinary that you would not then have a debate allowed, which is why this suspension should just go through on the voices if those opposite are fair dinkum at all. But, if the member for Mackellar and the member for North Sydney and the member for Robertson vote against this motion, let me tell you, it won't just be the member for Warringah telling her constituents about it; it will be others as well. This PEP-11 project should be consigned to the dustbin of history, where it belongs. Here we have a government that has been in office until towards the end of its third term. They're in pre-caretaker mode already, struggling as they are to get to 2022 as they fall apart, with chaos on the opposite over climate change. They've got a conference in 10 days time, and they don't have a government position, as of today, on net zero by 2050. It is just extraordinary. They don't have a position on this either, and this is not a big call. This is a complete no-brainer. Minister Pitt could make a decision immediately which would mean that the member for Warringah wouldn't have to proceed with her bill, and that's the preferred action. The minister should just do his job and say no to this proposal. 11:23 Mr HAWKE HWO Mitchell I move: That the question be now put. Question agreed to. The SPEAKER 00APG The question is that the motion be disagreed to.     Question agreed to.

The House divided. [11:28]
(The Speaker—Hon. Tony Smith)

 52 AYES Allen, K. J. Andrews, K. J. Andrews, K. L. Bell, A. M. Chester, D. J. Conaghan, P. J. Connelly, V. G. Coulton, M. M. Drum, D. K. (Teller) Dutton, P. C. Entsch, W. G. Falinski, J. G. Fletcher, P. W. Frydenberg, J. A. Gee, A. R. Gillespie, D. A. Goodenough, I. R. Hamilton, G. R. Hammond, C. M. Hawke, A. G. Howarth, L. R. Hunt, G. A. Joyce, B. T. G. Leeser, J. Ley, S. P. Littleproud, D. Liu, G. Martin, F. B. McCormack, M. F. McIntosh, M. I. Morrison, S. J. Morton, B O'Brien, L. S. O'Dowd, K. D. Pasin, A. Pitt, K. J. Price, M. L. Ramsey, R. E. (Teller) Robert, S. R. Sharma, D. N. Stevens, J. Sukkar, M. S. Taylor, A. J. Tudge, A. E. van Manen, A. J. Vasta, R. X. Wallace, A. B. Webster, A. E. Wicks, L. E. Wilson, R. J. Wyatt, K. G. Zimmerman, T. M. 48 NOES Albanese, A. N. Bandt, A. P. Bird, S. L. Bowen, C. E. Burke, A. S. Burney, L. J. Chesters, L. M. Claydon, S. C. Conroy, P. M. Dick, D. M. Dreyfus, M. A. Elliot, M. J. Fitzgibbon, J. A. Freelander, M. R. Giles, A. J. Gorman, P. Haines, H. M. Hayes, C. P. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Jones, S. P. Kearney, G. M. Khalil, P. King, M. M. H. Leigh, A. K. McBain, K. L. McBride, E. M. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. Murphy, P. J. Owens, J. A. Payne, A. E. Plibersek, T. J. Rowland, M. A. Ryan, J. C. (Teller) Sharkie, R. C. C. Shorten, W. R. Smith, D. P. B. Snowdon, W. E. Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Steggall, Z. Swanson, M. J. Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Watts, T. G. Wells, A. S. Wilson, J. H. 0 PAIRS

Question agreed to.

COMMITTEES -1 COMMITTEES Membership -1 11:30 The SPEAKER 00APG I have received advice from the Chief Government Whip nominating members to be members of certain committees. 11:31 Mr HOGAN 218019 Page I ask leave of the House to move a motion for the appointment of members to certain committees. Leave not granted. BILLS -1 BILLS Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021 -1

Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021

Second Reading -1 11:32 Dr WEBSTER 281688 Mallee Yesterday, when the debate on the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021 was interrupted, I was speaking about the Princes Court aged-care facility. Through the Commonwealth government's aged-care approval rounds, I was pleased to announce $4.5 million for Princes Court Homes to support their redevelopment plans. This was wonderful news for Lyn and Jenny who had worked on those plans for over three years. But this kind of investment is about more than just bricks and mortar; it is about reinforcing the future of care for senior Australians across Australia. This investment in Mallee will mean that our older residents have access to facilities that are truly the home environment they deserve. It provides dignity and independent living and security in a supportive community. I also secured over $4.6 million for Oasis Aged Care in Irymple, $350,000 for Cohuna Village and a further $4.9 million to enhance the wonderful work of Havilah aged care in Maryborough, bringing our commitments to $14.47 million in Mallee alone. This Liberal-Nationals government is investing over $338 million over three years to grow, train and upskill the aged-care workforce and drive improvements in the safety and quality of care. I have always enjoyed visiting our aged-care facilities. Of course, COVID has stymied those visits with our seniors across Mallee. Over the past year and a half, it has been exceptionally difficult for families and loved ones of those in aged-care homes. Families have been cut off from their loved ones for extended periods of time. This has resulted in many missing out on invaluable quality time at the end of life. My heart goes out to those who have not been able to share these moments face to face with their loved ones. One of the wonderful initiatives that has taken place in recent times is the transgenerational connection of playgroups and child care with aged-care homes. In my former life, the not-for-profit I founded, Zoe Support, began this work in Mildura. They were the first community group in Mallee to take playgroups into aged-care homes. The organisation still does so, depending on COVID health orders, of course. Bupa Aged Care Mildura have benefited from the initiative of Zoe Support's playgroup program. This community program brings life and joy to the residents of Bupa. It is wonderful to see the faces of residents light up when meeting with the little people that come into their facility. All the while, the young mums and their children also richly benefit. I know that both Zoe Support and Bupa Aged Care Mildura will be eagerly awaiting the easing of restrictions to allow the program to continue this great work that they have been doing for years. This kind of initiative is what makes me especially proud to represent Mallee. Another notable initiative is run by Chaffey Aged Care in Mildura. I also secured $500,000 for Chaffey Aged Care for the construction of an early learning centre. Darren Midgley, the CEO of Chaffey Aged Care, told me of the enhanced quality of life for residents as a result of this recent infrastructure development. I was pleased to open the early learning centre with Senator Bridget McKenzie. The centre has been strategically located alongside the Chaffey Aged Care facility. It is wonderful to see interaction between children and seniors clearly bringing joy, and it is evidence of the innovation and collaboration of Mildura educational and aged-care agencies. The Morrison-Joyce government has invested in aged care across Australia and is committed to seeing our aged population thrive. This bill establishes a legislated authority for nationally consistent pre-employment screening. Importantly, this will prevent unsuitable workers from entering or returning to the aged-care sector. This will provide comfort to those with loved ones in aged care or those beginning the journey of finding a suitable aged-care facility, that safeguards are in place to ensure their wellbeing and safety. This bill will also see the fundamental extension of the Serious Incident Response Scheme to go beyond residential care and into home care as well. These measures are indeed crucial to ensuring that our elderly and their families have peace of mind and the assurance that they will be looked after and afforded respectful, dignified and personalised care. I endorse these legislative amendments, as I believe that investing in our aged-care sector is the right response and an imperative to ensuring improvement in services and care for our seniors. We all want Australia to be a global leader in aged care into the future. Our senior Australians deserve nothing less. 11:37 Mr ROB MITCHELL M3E McEwen A lack of care for older Australians and aged-care residents is endemic in this Morrison government. We have seen time and time again throughout the pandemic the sheer disregard for the lives and wellbeing of aged-care residents. The botched vaccine rollout for aged-care residents and staff and the ongoing lack of support for those in the aged-care sector send a clear message from the Morrison government that the needs of older Australians are not a priority. Older Australians built this country. They worked hard, they paid their taxes and they raised their families. They are the people to whom we owe all the things that make our country what it is: a place of freedom and a place of opportunity. These people and their families who have worked and contributed to our country throughout their lives deserve so much better than the chaotic, unsafe system that has come about as a result of eight long years of this Liberal-National government's ignoring their needs. Let there be no mistake: the aged-care system as it currently stands is broken. Aged care is an issue that impacts all of us. Australians and their families deserve compassion, safety and adequate care as they move through the later stages of their life. Labor supports the bill, as any changes with the capacity to even slightly improve the failing aged-care system are long overdue, but this bill falls well short of what is needed to achieve long-term, lasting change in an industry that is in so much need of reform. The Morrison government has failed aged-care residents again and again and again. This bill is just their latest attempt to launder their image. It's not the broad, transformative reform necessary to ensure the safety and security of older Australians and those who are in the aged-care system. Over the eight long years this government has been in power, they have repeatedly neglected the needs of those within the aged-care system. It's a national disgrace, and it requires more than the half-baked policies put forward in this bill. The Morrison government are responsible for the aged-care system. They are responsible for the funding cuts. They are responsible for the terrible and heartbreaking neglect that has been identified in the royal commission, a royal commission which they have literally thumbed their noses at. This is an issue of utmost national importance, particularly considering the horrific neglect which the government has continued to demonstrate towards aged-care homes, their residents and the workers, particularly, throughout the course of this pandemic. This is an industry that is in need of immense reform and oversight, and, in this task, the Morrison government is categorically failing. The royal commission highlighted the tragic outcomes of the Morrison government's neglect, including the stories of maggots in the wounds of residents and the horrifying statistics about malnourishment that we saw. These failures—the neglect, the pain of those experiencing neglect within the aged-care system and the pain of their families—are the result of the government's past ongoing neglect of our older communities. I have seen it for myself, personally, when going through aged-care facilities during the pandemic. There were 170 cases. Twenty-two lives were lost, and there wasn't a peep from the government about how they could help and what they could do. The aged-care workers in these places busted their guts—day in, day out—in horrific conditions, trying to work through a pandemic. The government couldn't even respond to the most basic of needs—the most basic support they asked for assistance with. It is a true tragedy to see that happen. Twenty-two lives were lost. There were 170 cases, and staff were overworked to the hilt. The government sat by and literally did nothing. It's terrible. The government owes an apology to those people for leaving them out the way they did. The royal commission concluded that almost one in three older people had experienced some form of substandard care while in residential facilities. It specifically heard about the excessive use of physical and chemical restraints in aged care, which rob older Australians of their dignity and autonomy as they go through the later stages of their lives. Older people with mental health issues, particularly those suffering from later stages of dementia, are often heavily medicated or physically restrained. For too many people, their experience in the aged-care system is uncaring, unkind and even inhumane. We need to respond to their needs. The government has failed to listen to the stories and the experiences of Australians in aged care, their families and workers. They failed to listen to the 22 expert reports. Now, they are failing to listen to the responses of their own royal commission. The Morrison government wants to claim to have put forward a plan that reforms the aged-care sector, but, beyond the smoke and mirrors, the government's response to the royal commission and to the current crisis within the aged-care system doesn't just fall short; it fails completely. The government's proposed policies fail to deliver the enduring reforms and the improvements necessary to address the crises in the short, medium and long run. Labor's criticism of the Morrison government's response is not politics. It's not political mudslinging. It is fact. It is an undisputable fact that the Morrison government has delayed or outright rejected many of the crucial recommendations of the royal commission and the necessary changes that can reform this industry. The Morrison government's plan includes none of the recommended workforce and workplace changes which the royal commission outlined as necessary aspects to addressing the growing crisis within the industry. There is absolutely nothing the government is doing to improve wages for the overstretched, undervalued aged-care workers in the aged-care industry. The government ignored seven of the recommendations that were put forth to address standards of care within residential facilities. The government ignored the recommendations to require a nurse to be on 24/7 duty within residential aged-care facilities. They just glossed over the recommendations regarding staff-to-patient ratios, something the industry knows must be done. You would think a government would take the time to listen to aged-care workers but it is pretty clear that, like its approach to a lot of people in this country, the government just does not care. It is very, very sad. They shirked their primary increase to mandatory care minutes for residents in aged care. Their proposals do not meet the recommendations made by the royal commission, and they include cleaning and admin work as part of the care minutes. Again, you've got to look at what this Prime Minister says. Everything is about the headline—but never with the delivery. This needs to be done and needs to be mandated. It is just not good enough that we see these things happening. Staffing levels are central to many of the quality of care problems in residential aged care, and these reforms are crucial to increasing standards of care and ensuring that the horrific stories of neglect which we heard throughout the course of the royal commission do not continue into the future. The Morrison government have fallen short on their responsibility to address this issue. And if all of that wasn't enough, the Morrison government have failed to clear the home care package wait list for over 100,000 people, ignoring the wishes of Australians who want to age at home and giving them little option other than to go to the overworked, understaffed facilities which the government refuses to reform. Despite allocating $3.2 billion to providers, the government are demanding no assurances that this money goes towards actual care, increased staff and better food. The commitment of this money to supplement the basic daily fee by $10 per resident per day was recommended by the royal commission and they laid out strict reporting requirements to ensure that these funds went to addressing the malnourishment crisis and on better care. The government didn't follow the recommendations for the reporting requirements. Instead, they are providing a $3.2 billion cheque to providers with no assurances on how it is to be spent. The government don't care if the money goes towards management bonuses or new staff offices, as long as they say it is fixing the crisis. We have seen the issue in Victoria in aged-care facilities, where people were starving and treated poorly, but the owners of the aged-care facility were out there on their superyachts and driving their European sports cars. That is why you need to have the checks and balances in place. The people who pay their taxes here in Australia want to see better aged-care facilities. We have respect for our elderly people and we want to see them get good care. No-one needs to see Instagram photos of aged-care providers running around on superyachts and driving sports cars. That is not what it is about. The money should be there for all Australians and for people in aged care. The lack of transparency and accountability which defines the eight years of this Liberal-National government is present throughout the entirety of this bill. It really concerns us that $17.7 billion will be spent on aged care without transparency and accountability measures in place. As far as Labor is concerned, every dollar spent on aged care should be going to care, not to provider profits. We know that there are many aged-care providers who do amazing work and are dedicated to the health and wellbeing of those in their care, but we also know that there are far too many who aren't. Australia's aged-care system is currently in a state of crisis. That is not an opinion; that is a fact—an actual fact. No person in our country should be subject to mistreatment or should experience malnourishment or be forced to suffer without adequate medical care; least of all, older Australians, who built this country and to whom we owe so much. We welcome any changes which have the capacity to improve the aged-care system. But let there be no mistake: the bill proposed by the Morrison government does not do enough to reform the fundamentally broken system which has been created under their watch. Changes to staffing regulations and conditions and real accountability with regards to where funding on aged care is actually being spent are necessary in order to increase the standard of care in residential aged-care facilities and to prevent mistreatment. Neither of these were included to any substantial degree in the government's bill. So, while we're not going to stop the passage of this bill, we strongly urge the Morrison government to consider implementing all of the recommendations put forth by the royal commission, to stop the arrogance and to work with Labor to implement the standards and the regulations necessary to reform this broken system. Older Australians deserve respect, compassion and care—and, once again, the Morrison government, with this bill, is failing to provide it to them. It has really never been more clear that Australia needs an Albanese Labor government, someone who is on their side, someone who is going to help those Australians who have built this country and made it the great place that it is. (Quorum formed) 11:52 Mr RAMSEY HWS Grey Let me start off by thanking those who work in aged care. We've had a royal commission. It was necessary. But there is no doubt it's a two-edged sword, and it has attacked the morale and confidence of those who work in aged care. As I move around my electorate, I drop in to aged-care facilities quite regularly and meet with these people. Sure—I fully accept that there have been some bad operators and some bad people operating in the system, but by and large we are overwhelmed by people of good intent, with a good heart, who give their absolute best to the care of our elderly. I think the fact that 99.1 per cent of residential aged-care workers nationally have been vaccinated is a pretty clear indication of how much they value their job and their clients. Thank you to each and every one of them, and I'm sorry if adverse publicity has detracted from your pride in your job. We need to do everything we can to reverse that. Aged care is a fast-changing field. I first came onto a hospital board in the 1980s, in my small town of Kimba. A decision had been made in the past to amalgamate the hospital and aged-care hostel boards and so the aged-care hostel became the responsibility of that particular board. At that time, a lady came in—I think she was about 65 or 66 when she came in. She was a resident for almost 30 years, and she used to check out for a couple of weeks every year to go home to cook for the shearers, to help the boys out. Boy, things have changed when it comes to getting into aged care now! The point I make about that is that the facilities that we built 30 years ago are no longer, in many cases, appropriate for the clientele who are coming into aged care now. That's a figure that I think is worth dwelling on. When we came to government in 2013 there were fewer than 60,000 home-care packages in Australia. There has been plenty of criticism of the government along the way: 'Why don't you have more home-care packages?' We are now closing in on 200,000 packages. So, we can talk about why there were only 60,000 when we came to government, but it is changing. And of course those home-care packages are part of why people are coming into aged care now. I think the expectancy of the time someone will live in residential care is around 13 months. That is because when they're coming into residential care they are more needy of more care; they are further along the ageing process, if you like. And the home-care packages are a great thing; they are fantastic. They are good for the taxpayer, of course, but they are particularly good for the clients. If I live long enough to contemplate getting old, I certainly hope that I can do it in my own house, but there may come a time when I can't. It's also worth noting that funding in aged care is a remarkable figure. In real terms, federal funding for aged care has more than doubled since 2013, and that was before the $17 billion that was put in at the last budget. That's an astonishing figure. Whether or not we're getting full value for money is I guess a fair argument, when there's been that kind of increase in funding. But there's certainly been no lack of commitment from the federal government to divert resources into this sector. In my electorate, we've been through a particularly difficult time in Whyalla in regard to residential care. All the residential care in Whyalla comes from an organisation called Kindred Living, which is a community based aged-care system. They also deliver a lot of the home-care packages. They have three facilities: Yeltana, Copperhouse Court and Annie Lockwood Court. They were recently forced to close Annie Lockwood. It's been a really tough pill for the community. We're short of beds in Whyalla now as a result. There was accommodation for a little over 50 there. That facility was closed because they could not get enough registered nurses to staff it safely. They just could not with clear mind keep it open, and neither could they continue to be licensed. So, the crunch has really come, with a shortage— (Quorum formed) Owing to the fairly childish and disruptive tactics of those opposite, I shall not be able to finish the story of Annie Lockwood and the particular difficulties facing the Whyalla community at the time, and I think that is a bit sad. But I shall move on, because of that lost time. There are six sections to the second tranche of this legislation, addressing the recommendations of the royal commission. One of the major complaints I hear when I go to these aged-care facilities is the complexity and time taken in filling out the ACFI, or the Aged Care Funding Instrument. Last year, in April, we introduced a new assessment tool and, now that assessment tool has been embedded, this bill links that tool to the payment system. The general advice I'm getting back is that after the teething issues it will work better. It includes an extra $10 a day to the basic subsidy, which is costing the Australian taxpayers $3.2 billion over the next five years. There is another $3.9 billion to increase direct care to residents. That has been welcomed and should take the pressure off a number of organisations and allow them to have a longer-term planning phase, particularly when it comes to capital investments. I applaud those moves. The second piece of legislation, or the second standard within it, sets up an assessment scheme which facilitates the screening of prospective workers and will eventually allow for the registration of approved workers. This will replace the police assessment. I think that is entirely appropriate. Obviously, we need to keep bad people, who don't have the right attitudes, out of aged care. One of the things I often say is that, while we have 700,000 or so people in Australia on working age payments, aged care is not for everyone. I think you need a particular personality—you certainly need to be caring, loving and understanding. I don't know that all of us are well adapted for that. It's very important. I praised the aged-care workers when I started this contribution. To work in aged care, you need a vocational commitment. You need a commitment to people. You need a commitment to outcomes. You need to love people, as the fallback position. They are the kinds of people we want. Tranche 3 takes the next obvious step of banning bad workers. Those who have offended in the past will have a black mark put against their name and they will be deregistered. I bring to the House's attention a case that has been discussed here before. It's to do with a home-care disability worker. I allow that this is disability and not aged care, but there is a correlation, which I will refer to later in this speech. It's the story of Ann-Marie Smith in South Australia, whose in-home care worker completely neglected her. She has been found guilty of manslaughter. The DSP provider has been fined and banned. That is right and appropriate. It's just sad that it's in retrospect rather than in prospect. The banning of bad people is a given. That will be allowed for in this legislation. This legislation also extends serious incident reporting to home care. That's where Ann-Marie Smith was—in home care. Serious incident reporting was introduced in April for residential care; we are now extending it to home care, for obvious reasons. There are 200,000 people in Australia that are receiving home care at the moment. As a comparison, there are 335,000 in residential care. These are good and appropriate moves. This strengthens provider governance, ensuring primary obligations are to the customer, to transparency and to accountability—a superior culture, if you like—and it involves providers making an annual statement. Tranche 6 is about information sharing, and that comes back to the case I referred to previously, that of Ann-Marie Smith. Those organisations who are working in aged care, in veterans care and in disability care will share their information, because we certainly don't want disreputable, deregistered workers moving from one sphere of caregiving to another. We want them right out of the system, thank you very much. That's what this legislation will allow for, and it is right and appropriate. Tranche 7 allows for greater prudential supervision. It is no secret that aged care can be expensive. Firstly, it's expensive, full stop, but, secondly, it's expensive to the individual, particularly those with assets. People put up consumer bonds or resident bonds when they move into these residential places, and it's absolutely right that they should know the bonds are being managed correctly and, when they leave, either by their own good judgement or by the will of the Lord, the bonds are able to be retained or returned to the family. This will also ensure that the bonds can be returned to them if they choose to shift residence. These rules will make sure there is greater supervision, and it will also tip off the department in an earlier fashion when an organisation is heading for trouble. Every warning sign we can have in this area has to be an advantage. To come back to my final points: as we approach the time when we're reopening Australian borders—I talked about that pool of unemployed people in Australia and how, maybe, they're not so adaptable to aged care—I think we've got to seriously look at bringing a great number of aged-care workers into Australia. If we're going to look after our aged properly, we need to make sure we've got the staff available, so we don't see any more closures of places like Annie Lockwood across the nation simply because they can't find the staff. 12:07 Ms CHESTERS 249710 Bendigo I want to pick up where the previous member finished and say there's something else that the government can do to encourage people—domestic, local workers—into the aged-care workforce. That's to pay them properly—to actually pay them a decent wage. One of the real reasons why we struggle to attract people with the skills and the experience into or back into aged care is that they are paid minimum wage. The solution to the aged-care staffing crisis is not simply importing workers. It's not simply opening up our borders and attracting overseas workers to work and care for our elderly Australians. That is not enough. We will probably always require some element of skilled overseas workers in our care sector, until we skill up our own, but it is not the only solution. That solution also fails to address that we have a skills crisis in this country across the board. As the demand in the health sector under the COVID crisis has sucked a lot of workers into it—as it should; it is a pandemic and the demand for health workers and community workers continues to increase—it has left the aged-care sector vulnerable. There is no plan in this legislation to properly pay our aged-care workers, and without a plan this trend will continue. It is unsettling to hear government members speak about importing these workers—knowing that they'll be a second-class workforce who are paid low wages and do the work that Australians won't do—without recognising that we need to upskill the sector, that we need to properly fund the sector and that we need to properly pay our aged-care workers. I agree that our aged-care workers are angels. They do their work because of their love for older people and because they genuinely want to see our older Australians live in dignity and have a wonderful exit. However, that doesn't pay the bills. However, that's not recognition of the skills they have and of the compassion they have. For far too long our aged-care workers have been left to work in the sector for the love of their work, and it's simply not good enough. Years ago Labor in government with the agreement of the states moved reform to introduce ratios to our early childhood education sector. My children are beneficiaries of this reform. Young Daisy is in child care in Parliament House and she gets the benefit of having extra educators with her. We don't have something similar for our aged-care sector. One of the complaints that's raised with me so often in this space is the fact that we don't have ratios in our aged-care facilities, which means that, if somebody is sick, people aren't called in, even if those people are available. The ratios vary from facility to facility. A state government owned facility or a community not-for-profit aged-care home will have better ratios than those of the for-profits. But because there are no rules in place and no mandated safe staffing levels, we see ridiculous ratios where you may have one aged-care worker to 50 or 60 residents. How can they possibly do their job adequately if we don't have decent aged-care ratios? I raise that because it's not being dealt with in this bill. Whilst Labor supports what's before us, we're arguing that it doesn't go far enough. We held a huge aged-care royal commission in this country. It travelled to Bendigo and it met with over 300 people in a community forum, where local people got to share their experiences. Yet the bill that's before us doesn't deal with a number of the key recommendations in the commission's report. The government has yet again fobbed off, delayed and outright rejected key recommendations from the aged-care royal commission. Of the 148 recommendations, over half are not being implemented or aren't being implemented properly—over half. We have all heard the heartbreaking stories about aged-care residents. It could have been a moment of bipartisanship, it could have been a moment of recognition and healing, but, most importantly, it could have led to practical reform that would give our older Australians the dignity, support and care that they need. It's concerning that, as we stand here today, the bill that's before us not only is inadequate and does not deal with what is necessary to help our older Australians but also hasn't had the proper consultation that's required. Stakeholders, peak bodies, providers and workers are saying that they haven't been consulted in relation to this bill, despite it dealing with workforce screening, despite it dealing with provider governance and despite it dealing with banning orders and code of conduct. We know this government is so quick to implement something without consultation that there are going to be issues. I just hope that they're ready to reform where needed when we run into those mistakes. These small changes are necessary and needed, but don't rush them, don't implement them without consultation, because we'll hit more problems in a sector that is already exhausted. Last year aged-care workers were at the front line and they were exposed to the COVID-19 outbreak. We are aware of the impact that COVID has had on the aged-care sector, and it has been twofold. First, we knew that COVID had a greater impact on the health of older Australians and those in aged care were vulnerable. It's disappointing that the vaccine rollout was so delayed, because we know that the vaccine saves lives. As the vaccine was rolled out in aged-care facilities, there was a problem because the government didn't have the vaccines available for the workforce. In my part of the world, when a contractor turned up to vaccinate older residents, which was welcomed, they didn't have enough vaccine to vaccinate the staff. It fell to Bendigo Health to vaccinate the staff in our aged-care facilities, and we thank them for doing so. After and during last year and after the vaccine rollout, whilst we've been in and out of lockdown, our aged-care facilities have for health reasons been the first to be locked down, so we've now had long periods where aged-care residents have not been able to see their loved ones. That's because we are in a pandemic. So our workforce have had to step up, and they have not only been the carers and the healthcare workers in these facilities but also the companions for many in these facilities. Residents are frustrated and heartbroken and they are lonely. There have been long stints between seeing loved ones. Some may say it's the nature of a pandemic and there was nothing we could do, but we need to recognise that, during this difficult period, the workers in these facilities became their loved ones, their family members, the comforters, the people that residents could have a face-to-face conversation with. This is where we need to be doing more to support this workforce. Older Australians have helped build this country. They've worked hard. They've paid their taxes. At a time when we promised them, 'If you payor taxes now, we'll be there to care for you in later life.' They've raised their families and now in their later years deserve respect and support from their government. They rightly expect the government to support them in their frailing years, yet what we've seen from this government time and again is that they've consistently let this age group down. After 21 expert reports, they knew that older people were suffering in aged care, but they did very little to fix the problem. It took an aged-care commission to bring these reforms before us, yet, as I've already staged, of the 148 aged-care royal commission recommendations, over half have not been implemented or aren't being properly. The government has proven that they're incapable of fixing the aged-care crisis. Hopefully, in the months ahead they will been listen to the sector, the workers, the unions and the providers and finally do something about the crisis that we're facing. I held my own inquiry into the aged-care crisis that we're experiencing in my electorate. I asked people what they thought of the reforms that Labor had put forward and whether they agreed with some of the suggestions we were making. Ninety per cent agreed that there needed to be minimum staffing levels in aged care. This is what they're saying in my part of the world, a regional electorate where we have multiple aged-care providers, from our small towns to the big regional centre. Ninety per cent of people who responded to my survey said they agreed with minimum staffing levels, a Labor commitment, a recommendation from the royal commission into aged care, yet no reform is before us in this House. Ninety-seven per cent agreed that staff should be trained properly for aged care, recognising that not all people in aged care have had the opportunity for skills, have had the opportunity to train, have had the opportunity to get the education required to be aged-care providers. Again, this is something that Labor did in government for our early childhood education sector, but we have not yet seen it rolled out in aged care, though it is something that's required. If COVID has taught us anything about aged care, it's that, if you train the staff, the staff will have the skills that' are required. Seventy per cent in this survey agreed that aged-care facilities in our area did not have the appropriate or proper PPE required. We asked the staff, and many reported having to go the whole day in the one mask or the whole day in the one PPE, which is not good infection control, as we know. Ninety-two per cent agreed that we need a better surge workforce strategy, highlighting the problems that we'd experienced in our region. Staff are exhausted. Many haven't been able to take any leave over the last 18 months to try to get through this pandemic. They deserve the support right now, and yet many don't know when they will be able to take a day's leave or a week's leave or even go on a holiday with their family. Ninety-four per cent say that their home-care waiting lists are still far too long. The government and government MPs come in here and crow about what they've achieved but there are still people on the waiting list. I've had people in my electorate die waiting for the appropriate aged-care package and it's simply not good enough. A level 2 package isn't the care that somebody on a level 4 pack package needs. When the government crows about their packages—what people in my electorate have told me is: 'I've been offered a level 2 but it nowhere near covers or satisfies what I need.' Children are frustrated that their parents aren't getting the support that they require. In the few moments I have left, I'd like to share what people have said about what it's like to work in aged care in my electorate and what some of the children have said. A daughter of a woman who was in aged care, now deceased, said to me, 'At the time there was one registered nurse per floor of 50 to 70 residents. There was one enrolled nurse and a personal carer. On the night shift: one. How can they possibly do the work that's required?' Another person who worked in the sector said, 'Inadequate staffing ratios led to inadequate service provision. I felt like I couldn't do my job. I went home tired, exhausted and heartbroken that I couldn't do the job required.' Another aged-care worker said to me: 'The things you see and experience in the sector are just heartbreaking. The wages do not reflect what we do or what we go through. I don't think many workers in aged care are here for the long-term. Many are thinking of the exit strategy and that's just heartbreaking. We can only deliver the basics and not the emotional support that many in our care need. We can't wait for the findings of the royal commission. We need action now.' The heartbreaking thing is we have been forced to wait for the royal commission findings. We've got the findings and yet still the bill before us doesn't deliver the reform that these workers and these children are seeking. We have an opportunity to fix this once and for all and to really move the sector forward. What's needed is not just the minor reforms that the government have put forward. What's needed is strong reform. If we want to stop what is occurring in aged care, to fix the aged-care crisis, then we need to tackle the issue of wages. We need to fund the sector properly. We need to make sure that we have the skill mix right. ( Quorum formed) 12:25 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina We live in an aging society. We all know that. Former senator John Williams once said to me that no-one should complain about getting old, because some don't get the choice. Of course, he was very right. As we have an aging population, we need to make sure that we provide care, dignity and respect to those Australians who've contributed so mightily to our nation and its interests, to give them the very best care available, whether it's independent living or whether it's in acute care. That is why, on 11 May this year, the Treasurer and member for Kooyong stood at the dispatch box and delivered a budget which provided a once-in-a-generation aged-care package to help our older Australians, with $17.7 billion of support to boost the aged-care sector. I listened very closely to both of the previous speakers—the member for Bendigo, just before me, and the member for Grey, just before her. Yes, they both have regional electorates, but they're very different regional electorates. The member for Bendigo has a very large regional hub in a division which is only about 5½ thousand square kilometres, whereas the member for Grey represents an electorate which encompasses much of the size of South Australia—indeed, 904,000 square kilometres. I note that the electorate of the member for Farrer, the minister at the table, is 126½ thousand square kilometres, and the electorate I represent, Riverina, is nearly 50,000 square kilometres. Our large electorates are made up of disparate and very scattered small towns. The Parkes electorate is 393,000 square kilometres, and the Durack electorate is 1.6 million square kilometres. Throughout those huge country electorates are a lot of little aged-care providers, and they are doing their level best to provide care and support. They were appreciative of the opportunity to give their submissions, their feedback and their input to the aged-care royal commission, and they were appreciative of $17.7 billion of support. The member for Bendigo talks about higher wages for those in the sector, and, yes, I understand where she's coming from. But I also concur very much with the member for Grey, who calls on the fact that we're going to require a lot more people to come in from overseas to be able to take those positions, which Australians will not. Even in some of the larger regional towns I represent, it is very, very difficult to find staff willing to live there and provide their services, their employment, to those providers. That is one of the great difficulties. No amount of financial support by way of higher wages will, sometimes, attract the sort of labour that we need to some of those regional providers, let alone the remote providers that may be in the electorates of Farrer, Durack or Grey. Whilst I appreciate where the member for Bendigo is coming from in her argument, it's very difficult for those country providers to find the necessary workers. Whilst I get that higher wages will attract more workers into the sector, it's not going to be the whole and sole panacea for the labour shortage in aged care. I have a very large aged-care concern in my electorate of Riverina at Harden-Murrumburrah. It's not a huge community. It's in the Hilltops shire. In February I wrote a letter by hand to every person in that community—more than 1,000 people—after the St Lawrence Residential Aged Care facility closed. Southern Cross Care withdrew its services. It wanted to centralise its services. One of the biggest concerns that Southern Cross Care put to me was that they just couldn't find people, irrespective of the situation, to be able to continue to run that facility. It had 45 beds. I was very fortunate to be able to, as part of the round of aged-care services, provide and guarantee those 45 beds to, hopefully, a future provider. Hopefully, somebody will come in. We had great support from Cowra. A wonderful provider in that community—a wonderful volunteer group, ably led by Ian Donges—was going to take up the Harden-Murrumburrah facility, but for various reasons it decided not to. Local pharmacist Mark Douglass was a Labor candidate at the last election. He contacted me in the days following the announcement of the closure to inform me that his mother-in-law passed away between the closure of the facility and getting some sort of surety of an ongoing provider so that we could reopen Harden-Murrumburrah. It was a very heartrending text that Mark sent to me. He said: 'She was a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Born in 1927 to a Gallipoli veteran, originally from Jerilderie. Until nine days ago she was safely living in the St Lawrence aged-care facility in Harden. The forced eviction from her home caused such distress and disruptions she fell into disrepair, was disorientated and subsequently refused to eat or participate. Old people are worthy of our care and respect. They are not a commodity to be carelessly disregarded or traded as entries on a balance sheet.' Mark was very right. That is a very heart-wrenching and very personal letter. There were as many as three deaths of former residents reported from that rehoming. I'm working very hard to make sure that we get some surety going forward. It's a microcosm of what is happening across the nation. Aged care is needing our support. That's why as a government we're trying to fill in those gaps. That is why we had the royal commission. In responding to the 148 recommendations—of which 123 were joint and 25 were specific to the individual commissioners—requiring a decision by government, this government has accepted or accepted in principle 126 of those recommendations. In addition, the government supports instead an alternative on four of the recommendations, 12 recommendations were subject to further consideration or noted in the government response, and six were not accepted, including four that noted the incongruous views of the commissioners—Tony Pagone QC, Lynelle Briggs AO and the late Hon. Richard Tracey AM, RFD, QC. The government does thank those commissioners for their diligence and input into that very important process. The royal commission has a five-year five-pillar aged-care reform plan. It addresses home care, at-home support and care based on assessed needs; residential aged-care services and sustainability, improving service suitability that ensures individual care needs and preferences are met; residential aged-care quality and safety to improve access to and quality of residential care; and growing a larger, more highly skilled caring and values based workforce, which is such an important issue. We thank those people who are working in the aged-care sector now because they do a mighty job, particularly in regional Australia and especially in remote Australia. Of course, the fifth pillar is governance—new legislation and stronger governance to avoid some of those heart-wrenching, very real and distressing stories that we heard out of the royal commission, which no-one wants to see recurring. I'm very pleased to see, in the 2020 aged-care approval round announced in July this year, that those 45 aged-care places for a new provider in Harden and Murrumburrah and four aged-care places for the Murrumburrah-Harden District Hospital were assured. There was $197,560 for capital works at Uralba Hostel in Gundagai. I visited there. It's a great facility and continues to provide those services in Gundagai. Gundagai, like a lot of other towns in my electorate, has an ageing population. Many people who were born in the town have worked decades in the town to make Gundagai and those other little communities throughout the Riverina the best they can be. In their retirement years and twilight years those people deserve the very best care, and Uralba is one of those facilities providing just that. I was also pleased that 36 aged-care places for Signature Care were assured for a new aged-care facility in Wagga Wagga, to be located on the ground which used to be Charles Sturt University's southern campus. The dream of Cliff Blake and the late Wal Fife was to have that facility on the northern side of town, and it is very much a growing residential, teaching and learning area in the north of Wagga Wagga. In the 2018-19 aged-care approval round there were a number of funding arrangements put in place elsewhere in the Riverina, including $400,000 and eight aged-care places at Cooinda Court in Junee. I remember visiting there when they were talking about redoing their showers in the individual units. It mightn't sound much and it mightn't seem much, but it makes the world of difference to those elderly residents who deserve the very best of care. Cootamundra Nursing Home benefited, as did Goodwin Aged Care Services based in Wagga Wagga. There were 26 aged-care places for Gumleigh Gardens, also in Wagga Wagga, on top of the 84 for Goodwin. There were three aged-care places for the Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village, west of Forbes. I've spoken to Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller, and she is a great advocate for aged care. She listened very closely to the royal commission's determinations and findings, and we speak regularly about what needs to happen at Forbes. Forbes is just like those other communities in my electorate with an ageing population, and I commend Councillor Miller for her advocacy for and on behalf of those vulnerable people. They want the very best care. There were 50 aged-care places as part of that 2018-19 funding for Wagga Wagga Community Aged Care, 32 aged-care places for Weeroona Aged Care Residence in Cowra, and a considerable amount of money—$3.8 million and six aged-care places—for Woodhaven Aged Care at Lockhart, a community I visited just the other day. For the retiring mayor there, Rodger Schirmer, like all my other 11 mayors throughout the Riverina, aged care is a focus. They want to make sure that their communities are getting the funding and the support that they need, but they all understand and appreciate that finding the labour and the workers is not just a matter of making the wages higher. It is an issue and it has been exacerbated by COVID because we haven't been able to get backpackers in. We haven't been able to get workers in. Immigration has been very, very difficult—nigh on impossible—and that makes the situation so much the worse. We'll continue to provide support. I was at Allawah Lodge at Coolamon the other day, and the assistance we've provided there is paving around the actual centre, as well as other things, such as refurbishing their kitchen and laundry facilities. The pavement around the facility and a new fence completely surrounding the facility make such a difference to the aesthetics of this wonderful facility. Coolamon is a beaut town, not far from Wagga Wagga, and, of course, it's providing the very best care for those in their twilight years. We will continue, as a government, to also provide the dignity, the respect and the care through the funding that we've provided in the budget and beyond. 12:40 Mr GEORGANAS DZY Adelaide [by video link] I too rise to speak on the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021. The royal commission's final report was released earlier this year, and, since then, it has become abundantly clear that the government's response continues to fall short of the recommendations on so many levels. I make it clear that my colleagues and I on this side of the House want the aged-care system fixed. It's been broken for a long time. We need it fixed, as a holistic approach, whether it be aged care at home or aged care in a facility. What needs to be done is real reform that addresses those recommendations from the royal commission and the feedback from the experts. There are so many key recommendations that haven't even been touched on, that haven't been spoken about by the minister or that have been either ignored or only partially implemented. Just to give you an idea, of the 148 recommendations, over half fall into that category. The changes proposed in these areas through this bill are significant and need proper consultation. Proper consultation is an absolute must if we're serious about getting the reforms right. There is no doubt that our aged-care system is in disarray. We've seen, through the royal commission, some of those horror stories that came out that absolutely horrified our nation. We've seen on TV reports and in news reports horrendous things that are just abhorrent and should not be happening to our older citizens. The royal commission's report would make anyone hesitant to entrust their loved ones to a system where people are neglected and where two-thirds of residents were found to be malnourished or at risk of malnourishment. How can we justify that in a nation like Australia—a First World nation? We are one of the wealthiest nations in the world. We have one of the best lifestyles in the world. How can that be justifiable in this country? Why have we got this area so wrong? We need to act now. The Prime Minister needs to act now. He needs to act decisively and correct this atrocious situation. We as a parliament need to properly fund aged care. We heard other speakers touch on wages, the workforce, training and, basically, remunerating people in an appropriate way. They're looking after our most precious, precious people—our older Australians. These are people who worked all their lives. They paid their taxes. They built the foundations that we now stand upon. We benefit from the fruits of this wonderful country that we call Australia because of those people before us. Nothing will change without reform to the workforce. That is a given. This is a big area where the government must step in and ensure that we have the appropriate training and ensure that people are remunerated properly for the very special work they do. It is special. It's special; it's delicate. They are right up there with brain surgeons, cardio surgeons et cetera. These people look after our greatest asset: the people who delivered the life we have in this country. And we have a pretty good life in Australia, when you compare it with that in other places, because of the foresight of the generations that came before us. We need to fix that workforce. Staff are overworked and underpaid—I speak to lots of staff from aged-care facilities who tell me that—yet we expect them to deliver high-quality care to the most precious asset we have, our elderly. Aged-care workers are exhausted, they tell me, by doing long shifts, odd hours et cetera. They're overstretched and underresourced. At night sometimes there may be one or two staff members for 50 beds. If one drama takes place, all you need is another one and the whole night is thrown into chaos. Not only do these people come home exhausted but, because they care about their work, they come home despondent as well. Most of the people I speak to are caring aged-care workers—they care for their patients, the people they look after—and they want to see improvements as well. We saw during the pandemic the lack of resources needed to take care of our frail older Australians. I believe these workers should be paid more and that there should be more of them with the appropriate training, because a lack of qualified staff is contributing to this crisis in aged care. We need more training to qualify staff—more places at TAFE and through training agencies. We need to ensure that we have the workforce for today but also look to the future as well. In August this year, the Advertiser, my state's News Corp paper, reported on aged-care providers in South Australia that had failed to provide adequate care to their residents. Of the 15 that were listed, the majority were in regional South Australia—country South Australia. The Chief Executive of the Council on the Ageing SA, Jane Mussared, said at the time: While there is no excuse for poor quality aged care, there is no doubt that finding a quality aged-care workforce outside metropolitan Adelaide is getting harder and harder. …   …   … This needs a concerted focus from our federal and state governments with aged care providers. I'd say it would be the same across Australia, in every regional area and throughout all the different states, yet the government has delivered nothing that will improve wages and conditions for these overstretched, undervalued aged-care workers. No wonder Australians have completely lost faith in the government's ability to run a safe and appropriate aged-care system. This is nothing short of a national disaster. The royal commission demanded transparency, yet the government is just handing over $3.2 billion to providers with no requirement about how it should be spent. We know there are many aged-care providers doing some amazing work, some incredible work. I visit many of them throughout my electorate of Adelaide. One I went to recently is Eldercare's The Lodge, where Eldercare's wonderful CEO, Jane Pickering, and Daniel Fleming, The Lodge's Site Operations Manager, are doing such great work. They gave me a tour of the place. Speaking to some of the staff, I heard they were very happy and loved their work, but they were also saying that it is hard to cope at times. But, Mr Deputy Speaker, we know that there are far too many other providers that aren't up to scratch. We saw 15 named in South Australia. It also remains a real concern that $17.7 billion will be spent on aged care without appropriate transparency and accountability measures. We saw reports in the papers, after the COVID lockdown in Victoria last year, of directors and owners of nursing homes who were driving around in $400,000 sports cars, travelling overseas and living in mansions. The money that the government provides to aged care is for the provision of aged care—caring for the aged—not for lining the pockets of millionaires. As far as Labor is concerned, every extra dollar spent on aged care should be going to care, not to the providers' profits or to their souped-up cars, luxury holidays et cetera, as was reported in the papers in Victoria and other places after the tragic deaths of people in aged-care homes. There is one line that I have spouted more than any other in this place since I came to be a member of parliament, in 2004. At the time, I represented one of the oldest seats in the country. I would call it the wisest seat in the country, because the senior Australians that I represented and still represent are wise people. They've had their experiences. They know much more than most people. They are a real valuable asset to us. Older Australians helped build this country. They fought in world wars. They protected this nation. They paid their taxes, and, as I said, they virtually built the foundations that we stand on today. We reap all the fruits of their hard labour. The foresight that those people had for us means we have a good country to live in. They worked hard, they paid taxes and they raised their families. They rightly expect this government to support them in their frailer years. We have a duty, as a nation, to do all that we can for those people to give them the best services possible. That's what they deserve. That's what they've earned after a life of contributing to their communities and to Australia. We all know that thousands of Australians are dying while waiting for home-care packages. This is another area that's been an absolute shambles. On one hand, the government says that they're providing new places; on the other hand, that list is doubling just about every quarter. Yet this government has failed to clear those home-care packages. The waiting list is approximately 100,000. Only 80,000 packages were included in the budget over the next three years, and thousands will be joining that waiting list—bumping it over 100,000. Really, we have done nothing in that area. The government should hang its head in shame. Again, it has let down older Australians—the people who have worked all their lives, paid their taxes, protected this country and built the nation that we reap the fruits of today. The royal commission recommended that nurses be on duty 24/7 in residential care. This is core to improving clinical care for frail Australians. Yet this has also been ignored. They've done the same with the commission's recommendation to increase the mandatory care minutes in residential aged care. Their promise of mandatory care minutes for each resident is full of holes. It doesn't meet the royal commission's recommendations. We know that cleaning and some admin, maybe, will be included in care minutes. How can this be good enough? How can this be part of the actual care that a senior person requires in a facility? Time and time again I've stood in this place calling for more respect and dignity for older Australians. They built this country. They've contributed all their lives to our economy and our society. It is now our turn to give back to those people. They deserve to know that the government will support them in their final years. As long as I'm in this place, I'll keep on repeating those words. We have a duty to look after senior Australians. This government has overseen a system in which around 30 per cent of older people in aged care, almost one in three, experience some form of substandard care, for example, excessive use of physical and chemical restraints. That absolutely robs older Australians of their dignity and autonomy in their final months. Older people with mental health issues, particularly those suffering from the later stages of dementia, are often heavily medicated or physically restrained. In fact, in the final three months of 2019-20, residential aged-care services made 24,681 reports of intent to restrain and 62,800 reports of physical-restraint devices. To me, that sounds like a system that is strained and understaffed, with employees who are worked way too hard—to the bone—and are not paid enough. As a result, staff cannot adequately respond to residents' complex needs. The Morrison government has consistently let us down and failed senior Australians. As Treasurer, Scott Morrison—the Prime Minister today—actually cut funding, so the record proves that he can't be trusted to fix the aged-care system. We've neglected older Australians. This government has neglected them, and the aged-care system has neglected them, for eight long years. It's a national disgrace. This government has failed to listen to Australians in aged care, to their families and to the system's workforce, and they've failed to deliver proper reform. The government's response to the royal commission hasn't fixed aged care, and it must be fixed. It's certain that another three years of this government won't fix it. This is an issue that impacts all of us. We will all be old one day, and we will all be facing these same disasters. Labor deeply believes that those who have built this country and earned our respect deserve so much better from the system, and not just in lip service. But this government never hesitates to hurt our most vulnerable citizens, whether it's robodebt and the merciless way they went after people with often-fictitious debts or whether it's pensioners who are hurting from cuts to their concessions or cuts to Medicare. It's always the most vulnerable citizens who cop it from this government. It's pretty clear who this government cares about. It's certainly not about the lower end of town. 12:56 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I rise to speak in support of the amendment to the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021 that is before the House. I want to begin with a couple of quotes from the final report of the royal commission, from commissioners. The first is from Commissioner Pagone: The extent of substandard care in the current aged-care system is unacceptable, deeply concerning, and has been known for many years. And Commissioner Briggs: At times in this inquiry, it has felt like the government’s main consideration was what was the minimum commitment it could get away with, rather than what should be done to sustain the aged care system so that it is enabled to deliver high quality and safe care. This must change. Indeed, this legislation that's before the parliament reflects that. It reflects an inadequate response from a government that has presided over a crisis in aged care. It implements eight measures of the government's response to the royal commission's final recommendations. However, a number of the measures in this bill don't fully implement the recommendations of the royal commission. To give just one example, the government is choosing to implement pre-employment screening for aged-care workers, instead of the royal commission's recommendation for a national registration scheme. The government is implementing weaker governance standards that are less prescriptive than those in the royal commission's recommendations. And the bill excludes the royal commission's recommendations on removing freedom of information exemptions for aged-care providers, with the government claiming that this is still under consideration. Sound familiar? Is there any area whatsoever where this government supports transparency? Here we have the royal commission making clear recommendations on removing freedom of information exemptions for aged-care providers. Now, why would you want to do that? You'd want to do that so that families with loved ones in aged care can find out what's going on in the aged-care system. The idea that you have exemptions from freedom of information legislation in aged care is absolutely extraordinary. I find it beyond my comprehension that this government could come in here, with this legislation, and not deal with this, saying that it's still under consideration, that this is another thing they'll get to in their fourth term. This government have been in office for three full terms. They're in the pre-caretaker period of their third term, and here they are, saying, 'We'll get to it down the track.' They said that when they were dragged, kicking and screaming, towards calling the royal commission that Labor consistently called for under my predecessor, the member for Maribyrnong. It is little wonder that the government resisted the royal commission for so long, because the interim report of the royal commission said it all in the title: one word—Neglect. It's a one-word title that's an indictment of a rich country like Australia and our care for the very people who made this country rich—the very people whose shoulders we stand on—who are deserving of dignity and respect in their later years. Here's what that interim report found: We have found that the aged care system fails to meet the needs of our older, often very vulnerable, citizens. It does not deliver uniformly safe and quality care for older people. It is unkind and uncaring towards them. In too many instances, it simply neglects them. It's just extraordinary. The interim report of the royal commission said this—not the Labor Party, not any political analysis, but objective royal commissioners appointed by this government. It said also: We have been told about people who have walked into an aged care residence, frail but in relatively good spirits and mentally alert, only to die a few months later after suffering from falls, serious pressure injuries and significant pain and distress. We have seen images of people with maggots feeding in open sores and we have seen video and photographic evidence of outright abuse. …   …   … … the combined impact of the evidence, submissions and stories provided to the Royal Commission leads us to conclude that substandard care is much more widespread and more serious than we had anticipated. These are the words of royal commissioners who were appointed on the basis of an acknowledgement that there was a crisis in the aged-care sector. They went into it and, when they examined it, found that it was far worse than they had anticipated. They said in the interim report that the following issues had been brought to the attention of the royal commission: inadequate prevention and management of wounds, sometimes leading to septicaemia and death poor continence management—many aged care residences don't encourage toilet use or strictly ration continence pads, often leaving distressed residents sitting or lying in urine or faeces dreadful food, nutrition and hydration, and insufficient attention to oral health, leading to widespread malnutrition, excruciating dental and other pain, and secondary conditions They went on to say: The Royal Commission has heard compelling evidence that the system designed to care for older Australians is woefully inadequate. Many people receiving aged care services have their basic human rights denied. Their dignity is not respected and their identity is ignored. It most certainly is not a full life. It is a shocking tale of neglect. Just think about that: 'Their dignity is not respected and their identity is ignored.' That is a powerful clarion call to action, and what do we get from this government? At this time last year, the government were saying that aged care, as we knew from overseas experience, was particularly vulnerable to the COVID pandemic, and yet we still don't have all of our aged-care workers properly vaccinated. We still don't have all of our aged-care residents being looked after. In my electorate, in one nursing home in Summer Hill, there have been at least five deaths in recent months, as part of the 500 people who lost their lives to COVID between the parliament's last sitting and this one, because an aged-care worker brought COVID into that nursing home, having worked in multiple facilities and not having been fully vaccinated. Every resident of that nursing home ended up in hospital, and many of them lost their lives. I'm not quite sure how this government, which is so triumphant, reconciles itself to the fact that we knew what needed to happen and yet it just failed to deliver. In general, this is a government that just does not respect aged-care workers and the contribution that they make. They've failed in their response and, in developing this legislation, they failed to sit down with aged-care workers and talk through the issues. There's been little to no consultation during the drafting of this bill. That's why one of the big weaknesses of this legislation is that there's no reform to workforce conditions. The government has done nothing to improve wages for overstretched and undervalued aged-care workers. Aged-care workers look after our loved ones and they should be properly paid and respected. The government has also ignored the recommendation to have a registered nurse on duty 24/7 in residential aged care. We used to call aged-care homes 'nursing homes'. The hint's in the title. The idea that you should have a nurse in a nursing home is not a radical proposition to me. The fact that it's a recommendation of the aged-care royal commission and that is not resolved in this legislation says it all about this government. They've chosen to implement fewer hours of care for each resident than the royal commission recommended and delivered later than the royal commission recommended. The government hasn't fully implemented recommendations around transparency and accountability. The royal commission made a recommendation to increase the basic daily fee by $10 per bed per day. But, despite the royal commission's recommendation for strict reporting conditions, the government is gifting this $3.2 billion to providers with no strings attached to ensure this money goes to actual care or better food. When I gave my budget reply this year, I made it very clear that you need to tie the increase in funding to actual outcomes. We're not about improving the bottom line of aged-care providers, some of whom do fantastic work. But we know that there are some driving around in his and her Lamborghinis, whilst the aged-care residents that are the source of that profit haven't got enough food. Some aged-care residents are literally starving. It's just not good enough. But it's not surprising, given that this Prime Minister presided over cuts to aged care and that for eight years the government ignored the warnings and still cut that funding. In that time we've seen 21 expert reports released, detailing more and more of the shocking neglect and substandard conditions. When it comes to older Australians, this government has just two settings: carelessness and callousness. This is a generation that has given so much. Older Australians built this country. They deserve to be supported and looked after. What they've got from this Prime Minister and this government are contempt and neglect, because the government have turned their back on them. They've had eight years to fix this, and it's just got worse: aged-care residents with maggots crawling in their wounds and residents left malnourished. Giving them another three years won't fix aged care. Older Australians cannot afford another three years of neglect. We have an alternative plan, consistent with our approach to provide for a better life for Australians, a better life that gives a move towards universal provision of child care for our youngest Australians and dignity and respect for our oldest Australians. They deserve nothing less. But we have a government that denies a problem until there is an absolute crisis and then always acts too little, too late. It's the same pattern. It doesn't matter whether it's bushfires, the supply of vaccines or the response to climate change, it's always same pattern: deny there's a problem, blame someone else and then eventually, once there is an absolute crisis, have an inadequate response that is too little, too late. It's very clear that it will take a Labor government to actually have a look at the recommendations of the royal commission report and set about changing things for the better. As Commissioner Pagone said in the final report: The current aged care system and its weak and ineffective regulatory arrangements did not arise by accident. It did not arise by accident; it's a result of policy failure. That's why it needs a better policy and a better government to fix this crisis. 13:11 Mr HAYES ECV Fowler I too would like to make a contribution to this debate on the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021. I would just note that this bill is the second response to the royal commission's recommendations. Those of us who were in the parliament will recall the way that the minister treated call after call from Labor for a royal commission into aged care. The minister of the day actually said that that would effectively be elder abuse. Since then a litany of issues have been explored and evidence given—some hair-raising stuff for anyone who might care to put their loved ones into aged care. There are 151 electorates represented in this chamber. Every one of us has a concern about looking after aged care. We all have a concern about looking after the vulnerable. Yet, of the 148 recommendations made by the royal commission, just a little over half were actually addressed by this government. The royal commission cost $200 million—not an insignificant amount—and the government, who were dragged kicking and screaming to have a royal commission and then wanted to try to take credit for it, are only partially dealing with the recommendations of that royal commission. I would have thought that the alarm bells would have been ringing once the commission delivered their interim report, with the one-word title of Neglect. But, with respect, the royal commission had a bit of a head start on this. After the government, under then Treasurer Morrison, took up to $2 billion out of the system, there have been 21 reports into aged care, all of which have been ignored. But, getting back to the fact that what we in this place are supposed to be doing here is looking after our people and that in all of our electorates—and I don't think that mine is different to anyone else's—there is an ageing population, this should be front and centre to what we are doing here as elected members of this place in looking after the vulnerable in our community. But I want to be balanced and say that Labor will support the passage of this bill. Any improvement to aged care will always get our support. But this is, once again, a missed opportunity. Looking at the way that the government have gone about proposing this bill, I don't know whether they're trying to convince Australians that they really don't care about aged care. I understand that they really care about some of the aged-care providers. I understand that, particularly when you can give them $3.2 billion without strings attached to it and particularly when we've heard evidence—not from the Labor Party but in the royal commission—of some of the excesses that are occurring in aged care. Healthcare workers gave evidence of the fact that some of them were given one set of gloves per shift to look after people in aged care. So apart from looking after multiple clients they were given one set of gloves, that's for doing everything from getting people to be suited for their food and such to addressing other issues—which you can well imagine, Deputy Speaker, for people that are in aged care, particularly those, unfortunately, suffering with incontinence and other issues. But that wasn't evidence from the Labor Party about putting on one pair of gloves per shift, that was sworn evidence from workers to the royal commission. The royal commission found that one in five people in aged care were suffering from substandard care. They're things that should have rung alarm bells for everybody here. It's not a matter of trying to point the finger and playing catch-up on all this. We have a responsibility, as those who are privileged enough to serve in this place, to look after the vulnerable and there can't be many more vulnerable than those who are requiring aged care. As I said, we will certainly support many of the recommendations made. Some sensible amendments are made relating to residential aged-care funding. There are others in terms of the screening of aged-care workers and also governing persons employed in approved providers. Other sensible amendments include a code of practice allowing the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to make and enforce a code of conduct, extensions to the way reports are made in terms of incidents and critical reporting of in-home care, governance approvals for providers, information sharing between Commonwealth bodies and disability and veteran sectors in relation to non-compliance, misuse of refundable accommodation and deposit bonds. They're good things. There are also amendments relating to the independent health-care pricing authority. Labor will be supporting any decent, well thought out improvement to aged care—that's what we do. While we're not opposing the passage of the bill in that respect, the fact that the government has fobbed off, delayed or outrightly rejected almost half the recommendations of the 148 made by the royal commission is a missed opportunity to do something of decency for the people that we purport to represent. This bill is no different, with its alterations from the original royal commission recommendations. I want to deal with some of the evidence that we should be taking into account in the formation of the legislation. As I said, this royal commission cost taxpayers $200 million. It unearthed evidence of abuse, neglect, poor hygiene practices, ongoing workplace issues, labour shortages, poor wages, overworked carers and malnutrition. These are things that we have a responsibility to look at. The royal commission found that the workforce was undervalued, understaffed, under-resourced and the workforce needed critical reform in the aged-care sector. It recommended better wages to ensure that workers are properly valued and to attract and retain new employees to the sector—and that is something the government has not only not responded to but completely ignored. Fortunately my mother is not in aged care—she lives with us—but, if she were, I'm not sure that I would want her being looked after by someone whose only interest in the job was making a bare minimum, where maybe they couldn't get a job at McDonald's at the time, so 'I'll work in aged care.' If you compare the wages of both, there's probably less care needed and less responsibility required to work in fast food than to look after someone in aged care. Yet the aged-care workers I've met, while, sure, they don't get paid much, actually care about people. This is what the royal commission found when it took its evidence—that, yes, they did care about people, that they were undervalued and that they were certainly underpaid. They weren't valued for what they're required to do. It's little wonder there's such a turnover in staff. Then, with the advent of COVID, we discovered that, to make a living, these people are working at more than one aged-care facility. They'll do shifts at some and half-shifts at others. We found out that we have a system that is dependent on people moving from one facility to another. It's not like you have carers whose fulltime responsibility is caring for people in one facility. As I said, this bill is a missed opportunity to address those issues. The royal commission made comments and recommendations about staffing levels, but there has been no effort by the government to address the issue of staffing levels at all. If anything, our staffing structures don't even meet a three-star level of aged care. The royal commission took it upon itself to recommend investment in professional development and career paths for workers in that industry. Again, you won't find anything in this bill about any of that. It's just being left to those who run private aged-care facilities—the ones who are receiving the government's no-strings-attached $3.2 billion. So we're going to have hope, and probably pray a little, that they are going to do the right thing and look after people, rather than simply profit from this. There are no strings attached to that. We have not valued the aged-care workers and home-care workers, who have been on the front line of this pandemic for the last 18 months. We have not shown them any care or treated them decently for what they have been through. We have a situation where not all of our aged-care workers are fully vaccinated yet. The Leader of the Opposition referred to aged-care facilities in his electorate and how a worker, in working in multiple facilities, brought COVID into aged-care facilities in his electorate and five people subsequently died. Surely we can do better than this. We can't be so penny-pinching in trying to cut back on everything, as the government was previously when it took $2 billion out of aged care and then had to face the ignominy of 21 reports. They could have avoided a royal commission if they had picked up some of the recommendations from those reports—the royal commissioners actually had a bit of a head start in looking at the issues in the sector—but none of that occurred. Those on the other side shouldn't think they can leave here, patting themselves on the back and saying: 'Haven't we done well. We've looked after aged care.' We will always support anything that you opposite do to improve the sector, to improve the standard of aged care. But, if you're really serious about aged care, you've got to think about the people who are on the front line of aged care: the workers. I have a bit of an interest in this. My little brother happens to run one of the biggest unions in this space. He has a very clear view on this: if we are going to put our most vulnerable—those that we love—in the hands of others, shouldn't we value the ones we entrust them to for what they're going to do for us? That's a reflection on us. This is, regrettably, a missed opportunity. I think the government should have done a lot better. As a matter of fact, I think there should have been more people in this chamber listening to these debates if they cared about aged care. In that respect, Deputy Speaker, I call your attention to the state of the house. (Quorum formed) 13:28 Ms THWAITES 282212 Jagajaga The Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021 is, as the member for Fowler has just said, such an important bill that we are speaking about right now. There is absolutely no doubt that our aged-care system here in Australia is broken and that that is a serious concern with a serious impact on so many lives in my electorate and in electorates around the country. It is a fact that for eight years this government has neglected older Australians, that they have cut $1.7 billion from the sector, that there have been nearly 11,000 deaths while people were waiting for home-care packages. There were 685 deaths in the last year from the coronavirus pandemic. Our aged-care homes continually face the problems of chronic understaffing, of people in their care being malnourished and, of course, neglect in those facilities. People in my electorate have very often told me of the suffering this has caused for them and for their loved ones during the lockdowns in Melbourne, when they haven't been able to see their loved ones, because the system is so stretched, and when last year people died because the system wasn't up to it. That just should never have happened. People are unsure about what the future is for their loved ones. They are unsure and scared about having to enter our aged-care system, because they know it's broken. They are concerned that this government, like with so much it does, will not get it right. That's why it's important for me to be speaking on this bill today. I very much fear that what is going to happen in this space is that we'll have some announcements from this government. We'll even have a royal commission—and that was a very important royal commission. But what we won't have— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265991 Order! The debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 43. The debate may be resumed at a later hour. The member will have leave to continue speaking when the debate is resumed. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS -1 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS Prime Minister -1 13:30 Mr GEORGANAS DZY Adelaide [by video link] For the Prime Minister, every problem is someone else's problem; every crisis is someone else's responsibility. When he's called out on his failures—and he has been many times—the Prime Minister's response is always the same. He'll say, 'It's not my job,' 'It's a matter for the states,' or, 'I don't hold a hose.' We've seen examples of that continuously throughout his leadership. We saw it over and over during COVID. We saw it over and over during the bushfires. We've seen it continuously. Australia is one of the greatest countries in the world, but it's also very isolated. It's away from Europe and away from the US at the bottom of the earth. And through this Prime Minister's inaction we've become even more isolated. The Prime Minister said that COVID isn't a race. This is what we were told by the Prime Minister, when it really was a race. The reality is that the Prime Minister was Australia's handicap in the race. Those of you who know about thoroughbred racing know we put weights on the horses to handicap them. That's what he did. He was the weight on Australia in that particular race. We're seeing the same thing on climate change. That is also a race that we need to work on very quickly, but even here we're starting with a very hefty handicap in the form of the Prime Minister, the member for New England, the member for Hughes and Clive Palmer. They're our handicaps in this race. Instead of going missing and passing the buck, the Prime Minister needs to step up and be a leader. (Time expired) Childhood Cancer -1 13:32 Mr YOUNG 201906 Longman [by video link] According to the Children's Cancer Institute, in Australia more than 1,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer each year. Cancer kills more children than any other disease in Australia. Approximately three children and adolescents per week die from cancer in Australia. Two-thirds of children who survive cancer suffer serious long-term effects. Worldwide, about 300,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year in children and adolescents. Let's let the figures sink in for a moment. This is the devastating reality that many Australian families face when a child is diagnosed with cancer. There are many different cancers a child can get, but some of the most common childhood cancers are leukaemia, brain cancer, neuroblastoma, sarcoma and lymphoma. Last month was International Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, when people were urged to wear gold ribbons, the international awareness symbol for childhood cancer, to shine a light on the devastating diseases and the impacts they have on families going through them in the local community. I'm calling on all Australians and the government to join the fight to beat childhood cancer, not just every year in September during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month but also throughout the year. The Children's Cancer Institute states that the overall survival rate for childhood cancer has now risen, thankfully, to more than 80 per cent thanks to medical research. This figure alone shows us why it's so important to spread awareness, to support children and families battling cancer, to fundraise and to continue to invest in medical research. (Time expired) Defence Procurement -1 13:33 Mr KEOGH 249147 Burt [by video link] Alongside the member for Fremantle, I recently spent 24 hours off the Western Australian coast on HMAS Collins, living, overnight, the life of our submariners. It gave us a frontline appreciation of how they live for months on end and of our submarine's strategic capabilities. This was about a week before the AUKUS announcement, and as is my habit I was keen to glean our submariners' view on nuclear propulsion. It was unanimous for the submariners—they want nuclear-powered submarines because they are safer and harder to detect as they don't have to come to the surface as frequently as a submarine on a diesel engine. There is no doubt the government's decision that Australia has a nuclear-powered submarine fleet will improve our defence capability in an increasingly challenging environment. This decision, made possible because of a change of policy by our closest allies, is supported by Labor. We must not forget, in the politics of the AUKUS decision, that this decision has a major impact not only on our geostrategic position and capability but also, importantly, on those whose lives depend on us getting this procurement right and on time—our submariners. We must ensure that the Morrison government's record of completely and utterly mishandling our Future Submarine Program to date does not continue with this critical new nuclear-powered project. Our security and so many Australian jobs also depend on getting this right. It's vital that the acquisition of this new defence capability is done on time, on budget and, as much as possible, using Australians for our sovereign defence industry. (Time expired) Victoria: Forestry -1 13:35 Mr CHESTER IPZ Gippsland Victoria is home to a world-class, environmentally sustainable and highly regulated native timber industry. It's an industry which is innovative. It has invested in technology to maximise yield and reduce its environmental impacts, and it's a major employer in regions like Gippsland. So it defies logic that the Victorian Labor government wants to ban the harvesting of all native hardwood timber by 2030. The Victorian timber industry uses just four trees out of every 10,000 trees in Victoria each year. We have an advanced network of reserves and national parks to protect areas of high conservation value, so a properly regulated timber industry in Victoria is a far better option than importing timber from countries with poorer environmental protocols. I urge the Premier to reconsider the bloody-minded decision and to listen to the union leaders in the CFMMEU, to small-business owners and to families. There are 2½ thousand jobs at stake. CFMMEU secretary Michael O'Connor says of Labor's approach to the timber industry, 'This chaotic approach to making laws is leaving out the voices of those most impacted.' It's good to see that Mr O'Connor has the guts and the integrity to stand up for blue-collar workers. I urge those opposite to join us in fighting for the jobs of the Victorian timber workers. I support a sustainable native hardwood timber industry in Victoria as part of a well-managed system that protects local jobs and the environment. Aged Care -1 13:36 Mr DAVID SMITH 276714 Bean Today I wish to raise the issue of massive management and administration fees eroding the value of aged-care packages in my electorate and across the country. A constituent has written to me, stating that his wife's care provider had been charging care and package management fees totalling $510 a fortnight, or over $13,000 per year. This is just over a quarter of the total funding available under her package. Assuming that these managers cost $50 an hour, including on-costs, that amount is sufficient to pay for five hours a week of management. The balance of her package will be enough to pay for only eight hours a week of actual personal care, at the provider's current hourly rates. The provider has now, from 1 September, increased these management fees by 15 per cent, or almost $1,900 extra a year. This will further reduce—by half an hour a week—the amount of care that can be purchased. As the aged-care royal commission revealed, this level of administration fees is common across the home-care sector. It means that the government is paying providers about $1 billion a year to manage care worth $3 billion. This needs to change. It's just another example of why we need reform of our aged-care sector, reform that only an Albanese Labor government can deliver. Youth Voice in Parliament Week: Australia -1 13:38 Mr FALINSKI G86 Mackellar I would like to present a speech by Edward Sethaphanich, a 15-year-old at Narrabeen Sports High School who lives in Dee Why, in my electorate. This is his speech for Raise Our Voice in Parliament. 'Mr Speaker, the honourable Prime Minister and honourable members of this House, 20 years into the future I envision Australia to be a much more influential and greater nation than what it is today, one which guarantees a sustainable future, provides our children with an advanced education system and creates vast opportunities through innovation. Twenty years into the future of Australia, I have a clear vision of a growing digital economy where businesses are able to perform freely, without the risk of government intervention, while workers are able to work in a safe and diverse environment, filled with different experiences and visions for this nation. Twenty years into the future, I have a clear vision of Australia being a nation which doesn't join wars but rather helps others in times of need and becomes the pure representation of unity and peace, to save tears for another day. But, more importantly, 20 years into the future, I envision Australia to be a nation which ventures into the vast stretches of the unknown, the unfinished and the unanswered, in order to be the guiding light as to what can be achieved if we all work together.' COVID-19: Rapid Antigen Testing -1 13:39 Ms TEMPLEMAN 181810 Macquarie Why is the Morrison government so slow to act and so mute on a tool that can help us get back to some sort of normality? I'm talking about rapid antigen testing, an extra tool the world has in its toolkit to give people an additional way to protect others as we open up, but you wouldn't know much about it if you're in Australia. While self-testing kits are allowed from 1 November, they're not on Medicare and there's no information or education campaign happening about how these kits can help build confidence in people—confidence to go from work to the pub or from home to work—with a pretty reliable result to say whether or not they're COVID positive. They show up a high viral load, they're as easy as a pregnancy test and they should be made available to people either free or subsidised. In Canada, they're distributed free to small businesses and community organisations. In the UK, you can have self-test kits sent free to your home or you can pick up two packs of seven from the pharmacy. In Germany, people with disabilities and elderly people living in residential care or receiving in-home care, and their staff and visitors, are given free tests, and, since March, all citizens are entitled to at least one rapid antigen test a week. We've been too slow to adopt these. The Morrison government needs to step up and lead so that we can effectively use this tool to help us get out and stay out of lockdowns. Working Spirit -1 13:41 Mr CONNELLY 282984 Stirling Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of speaking with my good friend Karyn Hinder, who's the founder of Working Spirit. I congratulated Karen on receiving a Prime Minister's Veterans' Employment Award for excellence in supporting veterans' employment. Since founding Working Spirit in 2016, Karen has been working tirelessly, drawing from her own experience in the ADF to help veterans find employment and readjust to mainstream life. Each week, she sends job opportunities to around 700 veterans, 30 of whom she engages with and puts in touch with employers—some of them small businesses, others high-profile companies—looking for experienced workers. In fact, companies from right around the country are engaging with Working Spirit because they hope to get veterans on board their own teams. While I was speaking to Karen, she mentioned how she was working closely with engineering firm Monadelphous, who have recently taken on new employees through Working Spirit. Monadelphous, along with Karyn and other veterans, visited HMAS Stirling in Western Australia for an extensive tour of the base to showcase the roles that ADF personnel fill and the skill sets that they can bring as veterans within businesses. It's organisations like Working Spirit who are helping veterans to reconnect with civilian work opportunities in this next stage of their lives and also helping employers to access the wonderful skills, knowledge and attitudes that veterans bring to workplaces. Petition: Afghanistan -1 13:42 Ms SHARKIE 265980 Mayo Almost 20 years ago, Australia was one of the first nations to join the US-led intervention in Afghanistan that removed the Taliban. My community and others around Australia are deeply concerned about the plight of the Afghan people and the recent exodus of refugees following the coalition withdrawal and subsequent Taliban takeover, particularly about those who helped Australian forces to gain intelligence as interpreters. Last week, I hosted an event in McLaren Vale, where we heard from Kon and Jana from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and Kate and Fida from Welcoming Australia. My constituents want to know how they can help. One practical response is for this government to increase our refugee intake. A petition led by Change.org and the Afghanistan-Australian Advocacy Network was signed by over 160,000 Australians and is calling on the government to help at-risk groups. To ease the suffering of the people in Afghanistan, urgent action is required. I now table this petition. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265991 The document will be forwarded to the Standing Committee on Petitions for its consideration and will be accepted subject to confirmation by the committee that it conforms with the standing orders. Cowper Electorate: Hailstorms -1 13:44 Mr CONAGHAN 279991 Cowper Yesterday, parts of my electorate in Coffs Harbour, Sawtell and Toormina were hammered by a ferocious hailstorm, which caused major damage to Toormina Gardens Shopping Centre as well as nursing homes in the area and a lot of private properties. As at midday today, the SES had had 911 requests for assistance. I have been advised that an additional 23 SES units from around the electorate have been dispatched to assist with the clean-up. I'm very relieved to say that there were no injuries reported. I thank all of the SES and RFS volunteers, as well as the police and rescue units, which immediately responded after the storm. I can advise that I have spoken to Bridget McKenzie, the Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience, who in turn contacted her counterpart in the New South Wales state government, Minister David Elliott, to offer federal assistance if it is required. I've conveyed that also to the member for Coffs Harbour, Gurmesh Singh, and Mayor Denise Knight. I say to all the residents: 'If you are having trouble getting assistance, there is currently an SES command centre at Toormina soccer fields on Toormina Road, so reach out to them. You can reach out to my office.' I say to the insurance companies: 'Please treat your customers well. We'll be watching.' (Time expired) Social Media -1 13:45 Mr WATTS 193430 Gellibrand Labor recently wrote to YouTube highlighting a number of videos posted by the member for Hughes that violated its COVID-19 misinformation policy. Responding to this letter, Google agreed that these videos violated its misinformation policy and removed them, but strangely, of the seven other videos on the member for Hughes's channel that we reported directly on the YouTube platform at the same time, only one has been removed. During the last federal election the UAP spent more than $8 million on YouTube ads, and the UAP has spent more than $1 million on YouTube ads in the last month. It has spent up to $100,000 promoting a new video citing incomplete extracts of a Therapeutic Goods Administration adverse event report on COVID-19 vaccinations that the TGA has previously said could be 'seriously misleading'. That video has been viewed more than 1.3 million times in the last three weeks, but it still hasn't been taken down. All these UAP ads are authorised and voiced by the member for Hughes. YouTube has a three-strikes policy governing the banning of individuals on its platform for policy violations. The member for Hughes told the House that he has previously received at least one strike from YouTube for posting COVID-19 misinformation. He has had further videos removed in response to Labor's letter. The question is: why is the member for Hughes and the UAP's YouTube page still operating after repeatedly violating YouTube's policies, let alone spending millions of dollars promoting medical misinformation during a pandemic? Given the member for Hughes's record of spreading misinformation and his intent to match the 2019 election spend of the UAP, the potential for harm is obvious and Google must act in a transparent and proactive way. (Time expired) Parkes Electorate -1 13:47 Mr COULTON HWN Parkes At the moment there is a terrific air of optimism across the Parkes electorate. On just under 400,000 square kilometres of New South Wales on the eastern side of Parkes the harvest of one of the biggest grain crops has commenced. Those farmers have come out of years of drought they had. Apart from that, there are enormous construction projects, like the Inland Rail, and all of the work that the 18 councils and the unincorporated area in my electorate are doing through the drought communities fund and the local roads and community infrastructure fund, which was brought about during the COVID pandemic. On an individual basis there are enormous opportunities for employment. There is a lot of talk about some of the agricultural jobs. There are enormous opportunities in all professions—from education to health, law and trades. There are enormous opportunities for people who want to move west to the fabulous communities that make up the Parkes electorate. There are enormous opportunities in the building industry as towns like Dubbo are growing at an exponential rate. The only thing holding them back is the amount of people to build the houses that are required. If we struggle to get Australian people to move there, I'm all for and support a migration program that brings skilled people with aptitude and courage into my electorate. Climate Change -1 13:49 Mr HILL 86256 Bruce I want to thank Adele. She lives in a regional community in Victoria in the electorate of Indi. She knitted me this beautiful scarf as part of the Common Grace Knit for Climate Action project. Christians across Australia are knitting these scarfs to show their deep care and concern and to call for real action on climate change. I promised her that I would wear this scarf in parliament today to make this statement. Today is the last joint sitting day before the Glasgow conference, and this scarf represents the truth of climate change. These scarves map the climate data for 101 years, starting from the cooler years to the later part of this century—red hot. I'm humbled by the efforts of Common Grace and, especially, Adele. We had a lovely Zoom, and she did confess to me that she's 'not much of a knitter'. People in her regional community felt incredible ownership over this project. They dropped off wool and yarn and supported her along the way. She even told me that she broke the design. She's a bit of a rebel, Adele. She put tassels on the end, because she didn't want anything to go to waste, and—hear this—four tiny green dots representing the years in which each of her children were born. I discovered later in the Zoom that she's the mother to one of my university friends, who attended my 21st—we didn't speak about that. This is a beautiful visual way to start a conversation about climate change. We've had a wasted decade of inaction under the Liberal-National government. We should be leaping ahead and seizing the jobs that come. Instead, the right-wing nut jobs in the National Party are holding the country's economy to ransom— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265991 The member will pause, and the member will withdraw the comment that was just made. Mr Hill 86256 'Right-wing nut jobs'? The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265991 Yes. Mr Hill 86256 I didn't mean you, Deputy Speaker Llew O'Brien, but I'll withdraw. Youth Voice In Parliament Week -1 13:50 Mr DRUM 56430 Nicholls As part of Raise Our Voice's Youth Voice in Parliament Week, today I want to read to the House a speech written by 12-year-old Poppy Broomhall, who attends school at St Mary's College Seymour, which is in the southern part of my electorate of Nicholls. By way of background, young people across Australia were asked to detail where they would like to see Australia in 20 years. Poppy wrote: My vision for Australia in 20 years is there is support readily available for those suffering from mental health issues. The uprising in mental health issues during COVID and the associated lockdowns has been significant, especially amongst the youth of Australia. The issue is that there has most definitely not been enough support for those struggling and the Government needs to step in and fix this. The Government needs to encourage more people to study psychology to become therapists and or counsellors, so that when people are struggling, they have that opportunity to go and receive the help and support that they need. To conclude, I think it is important that the Government prioritises the quality and quantity of help and support for those struggling from mental health issues. If the focus isn't placed on this today, when will it ever be? This government, I know, has made significant investments in mental health during the COVID pandemic, but, like Poppy, I agree that more can always be done. I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank Poppy and the hundreds of kids who also contributed their messages as to where they want Australia to be in 20 years time. Building Better Regions Fund -1 13:52 Mr CHESTER IPZ Gippsland Well, we've heard a lot in the House this week about the Building Better Regions Fund. I'm here to say that I am very disappointed in the announcement that was made just last week about who the winners, the recipients of the fund, were. My electorate, again, has missed out. Yes, we did receive about $40,000—$20,000 for a leadership program and another $20,000 for food-fossickers event. That is welcomed, but it wasn't the billions that the Prime Minister has been boasting about, and it wasn't the millions that many other electorates have received. This isn't the first time my electorate has missed out. The City of Greater Bendigo put forward the Bendigo Airport terminal upgrade in three previous rounds and was not successful. We thought we had a chance this time. The focus was tourism. You can't get more tourism focused than an upgrade of an airport terminal. The state government is on board. The local government is on board. Qantas is on board and wants to bring more flights to Bendigo. Yet this government, yet again, has not prioritised this project. In fact, 72.7 per cent of this round of BBR funding has gone to Liberal-National government electorates. Maybe it needs to be renamed the 'Building Better Rorts Fund', because that's what we're seeing. Funding is only going to their electorates, not all regional electorates. I urge the government to reconsider and to prioritise all the regions, not just their own. (Time expired) 2021 North Queensland and Northern Territory Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence -1 13:53 Mr ENTSCH 7K6 Leichhardt Last Wednesday evening, my beautiful wife and I had the pleasure of attending the 2021 North Queensland and Northern Territory Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence, at the Reef Casino in Cairns. It was a sold-out event, with some 190 guests, in what everyone in the tourism and hospitality business feels has been the hardest year that we've had in business. The trials and tribulations were reflected upon, but the determination and passion for food and creating mouth-watering dishes overshone the past 18 months. I'd like to congratulate the winners in their specialist categories: the Temple of Tastes restaurant, in Palm Cove; Guyala Cafe; Cbar Restaurant and Bar, which won two awards; Bridgewater Q; Salsa Bar & Grill; Wolf One Food & Wine; Wild Thyme restaurant; Il Chiosco; CC's Bar and Grill by Crystalbrook, which won two awards; Match Restaurant & Grill, Cowboys Leagues Club; Tha Fish; Seabean Tapas Bar and Restaurant; Chrisco, which was named the Personal Chef and Caterer of the Year; Civeo Village; and Phat Mango, which also took out two awards. It was the first time that these awards have been held in North Queensland in 10 years, and the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association was really excited to reunite the industry in our region. Congratulations and well done to everybody involved. Covid-19: Vaccination -1 13:55 Ms RYAN 249224 Lalor Today, Victoria hit 70 per cent vaccinated for those aged 16-plus, which will trigger the easing of restrictions after our second COVID winter. Wyndham, my home town, hit 70 per cent earlier this week, and if the rate from last week continues we'll reach 80 per cent double-vaccinated some time next week. But imagine my shock this morning when I woke to read an op-ed by the Prime Minister and my shock yesterday at the Prime Minister wanting to wrap himself in the glory of what the Victorian public have done—what the people in my electorate have done and people across this country have done. Make no mistake: we had a second COVID winter because this Prime Minister failed to do his job. He failed to order the vaccines that we needed and that would have meant that we were vaccinated before this winter hit. He failed to build quarantine facilities to ensure the leaks didn't occur. Make no mistake: he failed and that failure has meant, according to today's COVID LIVE statistics, that 125,000 people across this country caught COVID this year and, tragically, 681 Australians have lost their lives. The Leader of the Opposition has acknowledged these statistics in this chamber; it's time that the Prime Minister did. To my locals at home, enjoy coming out of lockdown. You've earned it; the Prime Minister hasn't. Moore Electorate: Junior Baseball -1 13:57 Mr GOODENOUGH 74046 Moore The Carine Cats Ball Club Incorporated is the second-largest junior baseball club in Western Australia, fielding 19 junior teams registered for the 2021-22 season. The club has a growing rate of female participation and will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this season. I recently met on site with the chairperson, Simon Stanton, to help resolve a major obstacle to the construction commencing on the new clubhouse. I understand that $600,000 has been secured jointly through the City of Stirling and from the federal government as part of a 2019 election commitment. The project has gone to tender. However, as a result of an escalation in building costs, there is a shortfall of approximately $100,000 in the funding required to complete the building. I call upon the Minister for Sport to work with the City of Stirling to address the funding shortfall with a view to enabling the construction of the clubhouse in a timely manner. Currently, the facilities are inadequate with very limited storage in an very old building, which does not meet current occupational health and safety standards, and equipment is being stored in a fenced yard outside the building. The nearby ablution facilities are no longer being maintained by the local authority and there are no proper change room facilities. Covid-19: Health Care -1 13:58 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler Among all the big things we have in Australia, nothing is as huge as the debt of gratitude that we owe our healthcare workers. As we start to see glimmers of life beyond the pandemic, I want to thank those who have got us this far: nurses, doctors, paramedics, carers, orderlies, the receptionists whose faces are the first we see as we walk into a clinic, the cleaners who make others' work possible, everyone who has wielded swabs at a testing station and everyone who has analysed them, everyone who has ensured that vaccination hubs run efficiently, everyone who has given us a vaccine that is our ticket out of this. The same spirit we saw among firefighters during the Black Summer, we see among you. When families couldn't visit, you were there, holding hands, giving comfort. This long season of COVID has taken its toll, with some of you falling sick with the very virus that you have protected us from. Yet, you keep putting yourselves on the line for your fellow Australians, sometimes friends, but mostly strangers. All of us are united in our thanks to you. We owe you a great debt. We also owe you to recognise this debt when we think about the wages and conditions that many of you work under, because you deserve much better than you're currently getting. The SPEAKER 00APG In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE -1 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Member For Pearce -1 14:00 Mr BURKE DYW Watson My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday, for the first time since Federation and at the Prime Minister's direction, the government voted down a referral to the Privileges Committee given precedence by the Speaker. Why is the Prime Minister running a protection racket for the member for Pearce? 14:00 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook Page 771 of Practice makes very clear that the opinion by the Speaker 'does not imply a conclusion that a breach of privilege or a contempt has occurred, or even that the matter should necessarily be investigated'. That's what Practice says, very clearly. The House determined this matter yesterday, and the government took a position that in the broader issue of members of this place and the other place who are faced with pursuing defamation proceedings there should be clearer rules and clearer guidelines to members of this place so that they can take decisions. That is what we have referred to the Privileges Committee. The suggestion that somehow things are not being looked into, that things have not been referred to, is not the case. We have referred these matters directly to the chair of the Privileges Committee to consider these issues, because this has implications for members of this House on both sides, as it has implications for members who sit in the other place. We want to ensure that the rules are very clear. We're not going to play politics with this. If those opposite want to use the procedures of this House to smear, they will do so, but that will reflect on them. Covid-19: Vaccination -1 14:02 Ms LIU 282918 Chisholm My question is to the Prime Minister. Tonight, Melbourne's lockdown will end, owing to the efforts of our citizens, like those in my community of Chisholm, to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated. Will the Prime Minister please inform the House of how the national plan is working to reopen Melbourne and the rest of Australia so we can safely live with the virus and recover from the pandemic? 14:02 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook I thank the member for Chisholm for her question and for being here in this chamber. As she knows, it is an important day for Victoria and particularly for Melbourne. Victoria has reached a 70.51 per cent rate of double-dose vaccination. That is an extraordinary achievement, and I indeed join with the Leader of the Opposition in thanking all those who've played such a critical role, particularly our health workers but also our mental health workers and all those who've played such a critical role in ensuring that we could achieve that rate. In Victoria the single-dose rate is now approaching 90 per cent, and in the members' own electorate these figures are reflected in her own local government area. In Victoria, if they were a country, they would have a single-dose vaccination rate greater than that of Finland, the Netherlands, France or the United Kingdom and a double-dose rate higher than that of the United States. This is an extraordinary achievement for the people of Victoria, under the national plan. I will never forget the incredible role played by the member for Chisholm and the Chinese-Australian community at the outset of the pandemic. When I look back to February 2020, as people were returning from China, I was with the member for Chisholm in Box Hill at the time, and they were observing social distancing, they were wearing masks, they were taking precautions. I believe that that community in Box Hill played a central role in saving thousands and thousands and thousands of lives here in Australia, and I commend the member for Chisholm for her leadership in that community, which has taken us forward. So, I thank all those who've been involved. Victoria has had the longest, hardest and most difficult road through this pandemic. They have endured more lockdowns than any other part of the country and they have endured and they have shown great character and great patience. So tonight at 11:59, it will indeed be a time in Victoria for them to truly celebrate what they have been able to achieve as they claim their lives back through these higher rates of vaccination with borders coming down and ensuring children are going back to school, that people are going back to work, that families are being reconnected and that businesses are being back in business. Our government has stood by those Victorians, with some 10.8 million vaccines delivered in Victoria and 685,000 brought forward; and $51 billion worth of economic supports—higher per capita support to Victoria than any other state or territory in the Commonwealth—and some $6 billion and more just in the most recent delta outbreak. Victoria is opening safely, it will stay safely open under the national plan. Victoria is opening safety and it will safely open under the national plan. Commonwealth Integrity Commission -1 14:05 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. It has been more than 1,000 days since the Prime Minister stood next to the member for Pearce and announced that he would create a national anticorruption commission. Why hasn't the Prime Minister done his job and delivered on the national anticorruption commission that he announced with the member for Pearce? 14:06 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook There have been a number of consultation drafts on the government's proposal. We will be moving to finalise legislation in relation to this matter, and I look forward to the opposition supporting it. Water Infrastructure -1 14:06 Dr WEBSTER 281688 Mallee My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on how the Morrison-Joyce government is getting on with the job of building essential water infrastructure that is creating jobs and supporting a strong economic recovery for Australians living in regional communities? 14:07 Mr JOYCE e5d New England I thank the honourable member for Mallee for her question and note the marvellous work, especially on things such as the South West Loddon Pipeline, which has been a vital piece of infrastructure for her area. I note that, even in the local media, it was dubbed the best development in the region since electricity. That is quite a statement. The reason that this coalition government has provided that infrastructure is that it has made peoples' lives so much better—in feeding stock and providing water for domestic uses. But it doesn't stop there. The member for Mallee and the previous member for Mallee managed to get well in excess of $100 million for projects such as the Sunraysia Modernisation Project. On the Sunraysia Modernisation Project, the member for Mallee recently was responsible for a $7.8 million upgrade—with 60 jobs in the construction. Before that, the coalition was involved with a $120 million investment in that Sunraysia project. But the member for Mallee's work doesn't stop there. There was $29 million for the Mitiamo and District Reticulated Water Supply Project, which provides a secure pressurised water supply to sustain a viable regional economy with improved service delivery and reliability. The coalition continues with its work in water infrastructure. Scottsdale irrigation in Tasmania was completed in May 2020. I know that the members for Braddon and Bass have strongly support that and what it has done to drive and secure the economy of central Tasmania. In Queensland, the members for Capricornia and Flynn—it is in the electorate of Flynn—have provided strong support for Rookwood Weir, which will provide millions and millions of dollars annually in returns and also a vast increase in employment in that area. It only happened because of the continual support for that project from people such as the members for Capricornia and Flynn, the coalition government and also the senator in Central Queensland, Senator Canavan. In my electorate, work is continuing on Dungowan dam. That's an important piece of infrastructure. As an anecdote, usually they sell, at best, about 10 industrial blocks—maybe six to 10—but, after they announced that dam, they sold in excess of 60. One organisation, Baiada, which is owned by the Camilleri family, are moving a $600 million investment there that will employ over 1,100 people. That is a clear example, and there are many, many more, of how the coalition government, in the construction of its infrastructure, brings jobs to regional areas and makes our whole nation a stronger place. Commonwealth Integrity Commission -1 14:10 Mr JOSH WILSON 265970 Fremantle My question is to the Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister's proposed national anticorruption body had reason to believe there was evidence of serious and systemic corruption would it have the power to investigate the member for Pearce's secret donations? 14:10 Mr FLETCHER L6B Bradfield I do thank the member for his question. We've been extremely clear in relation to the Commonwealth Integrity Commission. We have been extremely clear that the Commonwealth Integrity Commission will have the power to examine serious criminally corrupt conduct and it will have the same powers as a royal commission to investigate criminal corruption in the public sector. We have been very clear about our model. We have been consulting extensively on it and, as the Prime Minister says, we look to the opposition to join with us in developing and implementing this model. Refugee and Humanitarian Program -1 14:11 Ms SHARKIE 265980 Mayo My question is to the Prime Minister. Given the horrendous events now taking place in Afghanistan will the government reconsider this year's budget cut to the humanitarian program that reduced refugee intake places from 18,750 to just 13,750 places? 14:11 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook I thank the member for her question. As the member will know, the government has been involved in significant efforts to bring people out of Afghanistan and, in particular, during the evacuation, some 4,100 people were brought out of Afghanistan, over 3,000 of them coming to Australia. The majority of those were those who were seeking refuge here in Australia. The majority of those were those who had been locally engaged employees and their families. What the government has committed to do is to bring at least 3,000 people in under our Refugee and Humanitarian Program this year, and if there are more that we can take this year we will take them. I am not putting a cap on how many we can potentially take this year. I see the 3,000 as the minimum that we would hope to take. Through the work of the National Security Committee, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the minister for immigration we have been diligently seeking to identify additional people who have been able to take themselves to a place where they have also been able to leave Afghanistan and we've been able to bring them here to Australia as well, subsequent to the evacuation. We will continue to do this and we will not be restrained by what the current cap is on the Refugee and Humanitarian Program. This has been a topic that I have been engaged in directly. We recently had a G20 leaders meeting that I participated in, where not only were we able to make reference to the work that we are already doing but we are working with the special envoy in Qatar to ensure that we are working with other like-minded countries, with Canada, the United Kington, Great Britain, the United States and others to ensure that we are providing safe channels to be able to come from Afghanistan and to be able to make their way into the various refugee and humanitarian programs that are being run by countries such as Australia. Australia has the second highest per capita refugee and humanitarian program in the world. It is a generous program. We run the best settlement services in the world. We have a proud reputation for doing that. We will continue to provide that support to those who are seeking our assistance through that program. It has the highest priority of our Refugee and Humanitarian Program. We are working closely, through all of our offices and through all of our partners, to provide as much support as we possibly can. COVID-19: Economy -1 14:14 Mr ANDREWS HK5 Menzies I ask the Treasurer: how is the Morrison government's strong economic management and the importance of sticking to our national plan ensuring our economy recovers strongly when restrictions ease, especially in my state of Victoria? Is the Treasurer aware of any alternative policies? 14:14 Mr FRYDENBERG FKL Kooyong I thank the member for Menzies for his question and acknowledge his three decades of distinguished service in this place, including as a minister for defence and in the national security space. Today marks a significant milestone in Australia's road to recovery, with Victoria reopening. After 77 days of delta lockdown, restrictions are easing in Victoria. This is the day millions of Victorians have been waiting for. Kids are getting back to school, businesses are reopening and families are being reunited. Victorians have done the right thing by going to get the jab in record numbers. Seventy per cent are fully vaccinated, with 80 per cent in sight, and 90 per cent per cent have had their first dose, which is higher than the United Kingdom. Today, we say thank you to the health workers of Victoria who have kept our community safe, thank you to the teachers who have helped support our students, thank you to the mums and dads who have supported their kids, and thank you to the small-business owners who have supported their staff. Today is Victoria's day, as we move to the next phase with the reopening of the great state of Victoria. I was asked if I am aware of any alternative policies. We know that the Leader of the Opposition has come up with two big ideas in that role in the last few years. First, there was the national drivers licence, which was going to turbocharge our economy. Second, there was a $6 billion conversation starter to pay Australians who have already had the jab. The SPEAKER 00APG The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order. Mr Burke DYW Yes, on the standing order barrier to tedious repetition. The SPEAKER 00APG I'd just say to the Manager of Opposition Business that that doesn't apply to question time. I'll say no more. Mr FRYDENBERG FKL I know the Leader of the Opposition doesn't want to be reminded that he had a $6 billion conversation starter to spend money to pay people who have already had the jab. The Leader of the Opposition wanted our government to run with his policy. The only problem was that the shadow cabinet was running away from his policy. But there's one set of policies that the Labor Party will never run away from, and that's their plans for higher taxes. That's why we weren't surprised to see on the front page of the Australian there were plans that the shadow Treasurer took to the strategic policy review for a $27 billion tax on 300,000 family and small businesses. We're getting on with the job of growing the economy. Those opposite, if they ever got the chance, would put higher taxes on all Australians. Commonwealth Integrity Commission -1 14:18 Ms KEARNEY LTU Cooper My question is to the Prime Minister. Would the government's proposed national anticorruption body have the power to investigate the now Minister for Energy and Environment for securing meetings with the environment department about an investigation into the illegal poisoning of endangered grass on land in which he had an undeclared financial interest? 14:18 Mr FLETCHER L6B Bradfield I thank the member for her question and I again make the point to the House that our government has considered very carefully the appropriate design considerations in developing the Commonwealth Integrity Commission, which will receive referrals from existing integrity agencies such as the Australian Federal Police and the Ombudsman. There are important design considerations here because we need to make sure that Commonwealth resources are not wasted on referrals which are used for purely political purposes, like the member for Isaacs' nine failed referrals to the Australian Federal Police. Nine times he's engaged in a political stunt. The SPEAKER 00APG The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order. Mr Burke DYW The point of order is on direct relevance, Mr Speaker. The question is really specific. It refers to the government's proposed anticorruption body, and it refers to a specific instance from a minister and asked whether it would have the power to do it. It does nothing more. There are no alternatives, and there is no opportunity to go where the minister is now going. The SPEAKER 00APG I appreciate the point the Manager of Opposition Business is making, but I do consider, with these questions—I haven't really said so before—that I do give a little bit more tolerance because, on a strict reading of the standing orders, I could rule the question out in asking for a legal opinion, but I don't want to do that because I think a strict reading of the standing orders would rule most questions out and we'd be out of here within about 15 minutes. I'll listen to the minister. He needs to be relevant to the question which referred to one minister in particular. Mr FLETCHER L6B I was going to the issue of the design considerations which obviously bear on the question the member has asked about the particular hypothetical factual circumstances she's addressed. But the real and sensible risk of frivolous referrals is an important, relevant design consideration because we've seen a pattern of frivolous referrals from the member for Isaacs. There have been nine failed referrals to the Australian Federal Police. I strongly suspect that it's more than the number of times he has been to his own electorate in this term. The answer to the question is clearly that, under the model that we've extensively consulted on, the Commonwealth Integrity Commission will be able to receive referrals relating to allegations involving parliamentarians via two channels: referral by an integrity agency which has become aware of the matter and where there's a reasonable suspicion of a relevant criminal offence, and self-referral by the parliamentarian to whom the issue relates. So we have built this into our model. We have. COVID-19: Vaccination -1 14:21 Mrs McINTOSH 281513 Lindsay My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. Will the minister please update the House on Australia's vaccine rollout, as well as how the Morrison government is prepared to provide any booster vaccines, if they are required? 14:22 Mr HUNT 00AMV Flinders I want to thank the member for Lindsay. Her electorate, in particular the Penrith LGA, is at 94 per cent first doses. It has helped lead the nation and it has played a very important part in Australia achieving now an 85.8 per cent rate for first doses and a 70.8 per cent rate for second doses. This happens at a time when we've seen that the pandemic continues worldwide. Over 450,000 cases were diagnosed in the last 24 hours, and 8,800 souls were lost. There were 8,800 lives lost worldwide. So the scale and the scope of the pandemic continues in a way which is wreaking havoc on lives and communities around the world. Sometimes that is lost in terms of what is occurring on a continuing basis. Against that background, what we've seen with Australia's vaccination program is another 277,000 vaccinations in the last 24 hours. Over 33 million doses—now almost 33.5 million doses—have been administered. This has led to the achievements that the Prime Minister and the Treasurer have talked about, with Victoria now passing 70 per cent double vaccination rate and about to achieve, in the next 24 hours, a 90 per cent first dose vaccination rate, joining New South Wales and the ACT. The ACT is now at over 98 per cent in terms of its first vaccination rate. But, perhaps most critically, our over-70s—the most vulnerable group—have a 98 per cent vaccination rate. In order to strengthen that, we have a booster program with 151 million vaccinations. The TGA will next week consider the final advice with regard to the Pfizer vaccine—the first of those vaccines to submit a booster application. If that is approved, we are ready to go immediately. We have, this year, 40 million Pfizer vaccination doses; next year, 60 million Pfizer vaccination doses; the following year, 25 million Pfizer vaccination doses, an additional 15 million Moderna and an additional 51 million Novavax. So we are in a position to continue that process immediately if there is medical advice to do that. What all of this has done is save lives and protect lives. It has saved over 30,000 lives in Australia compared with the OECD average and saved over 45,000 lives compared with the terrible tragedies we've seen in the UK and the US, and for that I want to say thank you to every Australian for coming forward to be vaccinated and to urge others to— (Time expired) Commonwealth Integrity Commission -1 14:25 Mr DREYFUS HWG Isaacs My question is to the Prime Minister. Would the government's proposed national anticorruption body have the power to investigate the now minister for regionalisation giving a grant to a shooting club of which she was a member? Mr Dutton 00AKI Mr Speaker, I refer to your earlier comments. It is clear that in the construct of that question the honourable member is asking for a legal opinion of the Prime Minister, which is out of order. The SPEAKER 00APG I said—before I even call the Manager of Opposition Business—that on a strict ruling I could do that. I have not done that. This question certainly does do that, but there's a long history of these sorts of questions being asked. It's just that those asking them need to know that the answer can be rather broader than they anticipate. The minister has the call. 14:26 Mr FLETCHER L6B Bradfield I do thank the shadow Attorney-General for his question. The shadow Attorney-General, of course, is very keen on a model where QCs and SCs get to put on the robe and the wig. He's quite keen on the wig, is the shadow Attorney-General, and he's quite keen on trousering five or six or seven grand a day as well, Mr Speaker. The SPEAKER 00APG No, you can withdraw that term. That term has—you can just withdraw it. Mr FLETCHER L6B I withdraw. I don't criticise the shadow Attorney-General for speaking up strongly for the interests of Senior Counsel and Queen's Counsel. I once made the mistake, actually, of referring to him as a Senior Counsel. He corrected me. He's a Queen's Counsel. I respect that. The SPEAKER 00APG I'd just say to the minister: his preamble is now over. He's taking rather too literally what I've said. Mr FLETCHER L6B I am surprised that a respected Queen's Counsel would seek to use this forum to invite, as it were, anticipatory legal opinions from a minister. That's quite inappropriate and I won't be doing it. Australian Curriculum -1 14:27 Mr STEVENS 176304 Sturt My question is to the Minister for Education and Youth. Will the minister outline how the new draft national school curriculum proposes to teach Australian children about our rich history and our successful democracy? 14:28 Mr TUDGE M2Y Aston I thank the member for Sturt for his question and for his incredible commitment to his electorate, to South Australia and to our great nation. As we come out of COVID and as kids go back to school, in line with our national plan, we need a curriculum that lifts standards, that is less cluttered and that embeds evidence based practices. But, critically, we also need a curriculum that instils a love in our students of our great country, that teaches them about our rich history and about our democracy, because we all know, certainly on this side of the chamber, that we live in the greatest country in the world, bar none. We're one of the wealthiest, most free, most egalitarian, most tolerant countries not just today but in the history of all of humankind, and millions of people have migrated to this country precisely for those reasons. You think about some of the fundamental freedoms which underpin those core things, which make us so attractive for millions of people. They're one person, one vote, equality before the law, freedom of association and speech, universal education, strong human rights and the ability to start a business and keep what you earn—reward for effort. And these freedoms didn't happen by accident. They came about because of hard-fought gains over centuries. We inherited such great institutions from the UK, and then generation upon generation, particularly in the 20th century, fought and, in many cases, died for those great freedoms. That's why it's so important that those key principles, that key understanding, is embedded in our national curriculum—so that students understand where our great democracy came from, so that they will defend it just as previous generations have. I am not satisfied with the current draft which has been presented, because some of those core things which underpin our democracy are not there. It has a negative view of our history. It has a negative view of Australia. It omits some of the great people in Australia's history. It omits even things such as Christianity, more or less, even though it's one of the great influences on modern Australia. Opposition members interjecting— Mr TUDGE M2Y Again I speak about this desire to instil love of country into the national curriculum and into students, and again the Labor Party get so upset when we dare to suggest that kids should learn about our democracy, should have pride in our country, should absolutely celebrate our democracy and should make a contribution to it. I don't understand why. The only reason I can suggest is that they share that miserable view of our nation and want our kids to equally have that miserable view of our nation. We won't stand for it. Gas Industry -1 14:31 Ms McBRIDE 248353 Dobell My question is for the Minister for Resources and Water. The people of the Central Coast are opposed to an extension of petroleum export permit 11, or PEP-11. PEP-11 will allow oil and gas exploration off the Central Coast, risk our precious marine environment and destroy local jobs. Will the minister support our coastal communities and reject this disastrous proposal today? 14:31 Mr PITT 148150 Hinkler For a little bit of context and some facts, for those who might be listening, PEP-11 stands for 'petroleum exploration permit No. 11'. It has actually been in place since 1999. We are, of course, considering an application right now. I'll be taking advice from the regulator, which is NOPTA. But I have to say I'm a bit surprised. This is not an application for a rig. It's not an application for an exploration well. It's not an application to go drilling holes looking for oil and gas. The only people so far who have approved that in this area are those opposite when they were last in government—the member for Watson in 2010—not this side, and yet you are here saying that what you did then is wrong now. I'll say very clearly that we are considering this on balance in regard to the law and in regard to the national interest, and, of course, we'll take into consideration the views of the community. We'll make a decision in due course. Online Safety Act 2021 -1 14:32 Dr MARTIN 282982 Reid My question is to the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts. Will the minister please update the House on how the Morrison government's world-leading Online Safety Act will hold platforms to account for harmful abuse online? 14:33 Mr FLETCHER L6B Bradfield I thank the member for Reid for her question. Of course, she has a longstanding interest in the question of the safety of children, bringing to bear her expertise as an extremely well qualified psychologist with a distinguished record of private practice. She has been a very strong advocate for the Morrison government's tough new Online Safety Act, which passed the parliament just recently. The act will come into effect in January and will give Australians who are using the internet new protections that do not exist in any other country—the world's first adult cyberabuse scheme. Adults who are the victim of online abuse, if it is abuse that is intended to cause serious harm and that's menacing, harassing or offensive, will be in a position to report that to the eSafety Commissioner if the platform does not act on their complaint. Our eSafety Commissioner—Julie Inman Grant, a highly regarded former tech executive, doing such a great job—and her officials will have the power to issue a takedown notice. If a takedown notice is issued against a platform where the eSafety Commissioner has concluded that the material meets the statutory test, then the material must be removed within 24 hours. This is a powerful means of dealing with the problem of trolls online, and if the platform does not act to remove the material within 24 hours then the eSafety Commissioner has the power to issue fines of up to $555,000 for companies and $111,000 for individuals. If that troll thinks that hiding behind anonymity is going to protect them, what they need to know is that the eSafety Commissioner will have the power under this act to direct the social media company to hand over all identifying information they have in relation to that account, and the commissioner will be able to use that power against the troll who posted this material. What we've also done as part of this legislation is we've increased the maximum criminal penalty for offences when people use a carriage service—that's to say, the internet—to menace, harass or offend. We've increased the maximum criminal penalty from three years imprisonment to five years imprisonment. We're committing a record $125 million in funding to online safety over the next four years and we expect the platforms to lift their standards across the board. Our government has been clear about that. From the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, we are united in our expectation that we need to see better standards from the platforms and we are standing up to provide those protections to Australians. The rule of law must apply online, and we're making sure it does. Climate Change -1 14:36 Ms MADELEINE KING 102376 Brand My question is to the minister for resources. The minister told Phil Coorey of the Australian Financial Review that a $250 billion loan facility for the resources sector is the price of the National Party's support for net zero emissions by 2050. Can the minister outline his proposal for a $250 billion loan facility for the resources sector? 14:36 Mr PITT 148150 Hinkler I absolutely reject that. I did not say at any stage that there is a price. We are having a collegiate discussion with our colleagues and we are having a collegiate discussion in the Nationals party room. We are having a collegiate discussion, as our constituents expect, on a serious matter. It is only those opposite who show their hypocrisy. I can't tell from here, but I see a lot of scarves. If they're made out of acyclic, they come from the resources sector. They come from a sector that is delivering $346 billion into our economy over the next 12 months. I say again: we will continue to work on serious policy and we will continue to deliver for this sector. A sector that was forecast in the midst of the pandemic to be down to $246 billion has put on over a hundred billion dollars that will flow into this economy in the next 12 months. We should celebrate the fact that it exists, not continue to talk it down and talk down our country. National Security -1 14:38 Mr WALLACE 265967 Fisher My question goes to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister please update the House on how Australia's national security remains under threat of foreign interference and espionage? What action is the Morrison government taking to ensure that we stay vigilant to this pervasive threat in order to keep all Australians safe and protect our national interest? 14:38 Mrs ANDREWS 230886 McPherson I thank the member for his question and I acknowledge and thank him for his longstanding interest in defence and national security matters. Our government has never lost sight of the fact that there are many challenges to our safety and security in a changing world. It's without doubt that the threat environment is changing, and it's changing very rapidly. I think it would shock most Australians to know that levels of espionage and foreign interference are higher now than during the Cold War. We know that there are foreign agents working with intent to damage our society and to undermine our security. We face threats from multiple countries. Their purpose is to influence the work of our democratic government to further their own interests and world view. In ASIO's annual report, which was tabled this week, director-general Mike Burgess said that espionage could well overtake terrorism as the principal security concern over the next five years. And that is not to downplay the serious terrorist threat that we face here. He said: Foreign spies are attempting to obtain classified information about Australia's trade relationships, defence and intelligence capabilities. They are seeking to develop targeted relationships with current and former politicians, and current and former security clearance holders. They are monitoring diaspora communities in Australia and, in some cases, threatening to physically harm members of these communities. We cannot let this pervasive activity undermine the social cohesion and unity that keeps our Australian community safe. Every one of us in this parliament, in our daily activities, must remain aware of and alert to this threat, and we should be very careful not to underplay the danger. We cannot afford to be cavalier about the intentions of these characters should our paths cross with them as we go about our duties. The government is certainly taking these threats very seriously. That's why we are boosting ASIO's capability with record funding of $1.3 billion to enhance its operations into the future and to help keep us safe. We've legislated a range of new powers to help our law enforcement agencies to detect and act on foreign interference threats, and we're working with the University Foreign Interference Taskforce to ensure that Australian universities have robust mechanisms to safeguard them against foreign interference. Australians can be assured that the Morrison government takes very seriously issues of national security. Climate Change -1 14:41 Mr STEPHEN JONES A9B Whitlam My question is for the Minister for Resources and Water. What does the government's modelling show is the economic impact of a commitment to net zero by 2050 for the resources sector? 14:41 Mr PITT 148150 Hinkler I thank the honourable member for the question, and can I say to the honourable member, I've seen lots of modelling. That's what my department does. As the minister for resources, that's what you would expect . I've seen modelling from the International Energy Agency that says that demand for Australia's coal will continue to go up until 2030. They expect that it will be off-peak by about 20 per cent in 2050. I've seen modelling that says that our gas exports also continue to grow. I've seen presentations where they continue to talk about critical minerals. The SPEAKER 00APG The member for Whitlam on a point of order? Mr Stephen Jones A9B Yes. I hate to interrupt that long run-off, but it is on relevance. I didn't ask about international modelling. I asked about government modelling. The SPEAKER 00APG Yes, I understand that, but I'm not in a position to reach a conclusion when the minister says his department shows him lots of modelling. It's a government department. I'm going to listen to the minister. Mr PITT 148150 Thank you, Mr Speaker—25 seconds in! Now, my department has also shown me modelling about how we've got a shortfall of workers in the resources sector right now, because it's going so well. The policies of this government continue to ensure that the sector gets stronger. The policies of this government continue to ensure that there are opportunities into the future. The policies of this government ensure that right through the pandemic Australia maintained its reputation, maintained its delivery in terms of logistics and supply chains, maintained contracts into those critical locations like Japan, South Korea and right across South-East Asia. So we continue to strongly support the sector. There is a range of modelling all over the place about all sorts of things but, in terms of my department and modelling that I have been provided by my department, it is about strengthening the sector; it's about growing opportunities. That is why we're out there committing funds to ensure that the critical minerals sector continues to grow. We know there are growth opportunities around the world for what results from critical minerals. We have an incredible resource in this area in this country, right across the spectrum, whether it's rare earths, lithium or a range of others. I had a discussion in recent weeks in Queensland with people who are looking to get out there and look at what could potentially be taken from previous coalmines in terms of overburden and extract further critical minerals from what previously were coalmines but are no longer in use. We are looking at every opportunity. We are looking to ensure that we continue to deliver for our country, to act in our national interest, to strengthen our economy, and the modelling I've seen says we will continue to do just that. Climate Change -1 14:44 Ms BELL 282981 Moncrieff My question is to the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government's technology-led approach will reduce our emissions while at the same time strengthening the economy? And is the minister aware of any alternative approaches? 14:44 Mr TAYLOR 231027 Hume I thank the member for Moncrieff for her question and I acknowledge her role in small business before she came into this place, including advising small businesses. Indeed, she knows from that experience how important technology is to the success of businesses in this great country and to bringing down emissions, as we strengthen our economy. Of course, we're positioning Australia for success by investing in technologies that allow us to bring down emissions and strengthen our economy at the same time. There is $20 billion in our Technology Investment Roadmap over the coming decade. We're partnering with countries around the world—Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom and Germany—to make clean energy technologies more affordable, more reliable and, therefore, more widely used, and that's exactly what's happening in this country right now. This is about technology, not taxes. The member knows that it's actions and outcomes that matter at the end of the day. The runs are on the scoreboard. Emissions are down more than 20 per cent since 2005. One in four houses in Australia has solar on the roof. That's world-beating stuff. More renewables were rolled out in the last year than the entire time when those opposite were in power. The House might be interested to know that the lowest level of renewables in the history of this country was during the Rudd-Gillard government. That's the lowest level of renewables in the history of this country. We're delivering on Snowy 2.0 and, despite the rubbish the Leader of the Opposition was peddling earlier today, every dam and every tunnel in Snowy 1 was delivered under a coalition government and we're delivering Snowy 2.0. We've seen 10 consecutive quarters of electricity price reductions in the wholesale market, and, in contrast, when those opposite were in power, we saw electricity wholesale prices rising every single quarter. We have a strong track record of bringing down emissions and delivering affordable, reliable power. There is an alternative approach. It's to talk about grand plans and dreams, but deliver nothing. Those opposite are all concept and no concrete. They don't even have a 2030 target. They have no plan to get to net zero. They never lay out how they're going to do things because we know what they always have in their back pocket is just another tax. Climate Change -1 14:47 Ms SWANSON 264170 Paterson My question is to the Minister for Resources and Water. BHP, Rio Tinto, Santos, BP and the Minerals Council of Australia all back a commitment to net zero emissions. Does the minister for resources back a commitment to net zero by 2050? 14:48 Mr PITT 148150 Hinkler I thank the honourable member for her question. I had a text exchange with the head of the Minerals Council just yesterday and I did have a discussion with the head of the Minerals Council in regard to their announcement. I would note that they have an ambition for 2050. They have an ambition. As I said in my previous answer, we are having a collegiate discussion in the Nationals party room. I am absolutely respectful of my colleagues, as I'm respectful of those opposite. We will continue to have that discussion. We will listen respectfully. We of course will consider in detail what is being put forward, as our constituents would expect. As the minister for resources, I will continue to support the sector. I will continue to do everything I can to get a job into that location, because that is what we are about. I will give you an example while I'm on my feet. I have a contact here from Kenzy Gillespie. He contacted me. I was at Moranbah North mine just a few weeks ago where he works. He says: … I can assure you as a 22 year old I have been setup for life with this golden opportunity that is at our feet here in the resources sector. Because of this I was able to buy my first house at 19, I went on to hold that for 2.5 years and have recently sold that and am looking for acreage around the Mackay region to start primary producing on my days off … It couldn't have been done without the resources sector, and there are hundreds of thousands of Australians in exactly the same position, and we will continue to support them. Agriculture Industry -1 14:49 Mr DRUM 56430 Nicholls My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison-Joyce government has responded to the significant labour challenges faced by our agricultural industries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it is securing the industry's future by providing long-term access to a reliable workforce? 14:50 Mr LITTLEPROUD 265585 Maranoa I thank the member for Nicholls for his question and for his fierce and passionate support for his producers in the Shepparton area in particular, which is a rich agricultural area. Historically, Australian agriculture has relied heavily on overseas workers to undertake seasonal work. That has been done through the Working Holiday Maker program, and before COVID hit there were around 160,000 of them. It has gone down to fewer than 30,000—we're losing about 2,000 a month. We've also instituted the Pacific Labour Scheme and the Seasonal Worker Program, which have brought Pacific workers into this country to take up the slack. As we faced the challenges that COVID presented to agriculture in March last year, we proudly told those who were here via the Working Holiday Maker program and those Pacific schemes that, if they worked in agriculture, they could stay another 12 months. We made agriculture an essential service and ensured that those people that were committed to working in our agriculture sector could stay longer. We also worked with the states. When they asked us to have a nationally coordinated approach, we responded. We created the Agriculture Workers Code. It was great to have all these people here, but we needed to move them across state borders as the seasons changed from north to south, and back up as the seasons changed. Unfortunately, only three states wouldn't sign up to that. Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania were not prepared to sign up to it, but the rest were, and that provided some continuity. Then, as we became aware of how to tackle COVID with vaccination and isolation, we worked with our Pacific family to continue to reopen the PLS and SWP. We were able to pre-vet 25,000 men and women from 10 Pacific nations so they were ready to come into this country. In December the Prime Minister, through national cabinet, cut the red tape. He said to the premiers that we would stamp the visas once the premiers and chief health officers in each individual jurisdiction gave the health orders in which those workers should quarantine. We said: 'This was your remit. We will get out of your way. We will stamp the visas and we will let them in.' To date, 12½ thousand of those have come in, and we are continuing to work with the states around quarantine arrangements to make sure that they prioritise agriculture workers along with bringing our Australians home. This year, proudly, as a core principle of the National Party, we were able to secure an agricultural visa. That's about not just seasonal workers but also skilled and semi-skilled workers. This is the biggest structural change to the agriculture workforce in our nation's history. This is about bringing the next generation of migrants to regional Australia and to agriculture to grow it. This is about giving them a pathway to permanent residency. This is about making sure that we have not a transient labour force but one that wants to live in regional Australia and be part of it. Today, the Indonesian government announced that it is one of the four nations that we are working with around that process. One of our nearest and dearest neighbours is working with us to make sure it is part of our solution and part of regional Australia's future. To the member for Nicholls and Mallee and all those who have fought so hard, I thank you for your hard work. Renewable Energy -1 14:53 Mrs ELLIOT DZW Richmond My question is to the Minister for Resources and Water. Does the minister still believe wind, solar and battery technology don't work and that investment in renewable energy delivers little more than a warm and fuzzy feeling? 14:53 Mr PITT 148150 Hinkler I thank the honourable member for that question and say to them: find me a solar panel that works in the dark! This is just a statement of fact. It absolutely is. It is that simple. I say to those opposite: are you seriously suggesting that, when there is no sun, solar works? This is just a fundamental fact. On this side of the House, we will continue to deliver, from my portfolio, the things that actually make those products. I'm not sure where those opposite think they come from—they don't fall out of the sky. They're made from Australian resources. We will be out there looking to continue to drive forward in our sector, to provide more jobs and opportunities, and to expand into new and emerging roles, because the market demands it. I think the line of questioning is quite incredible. I say to the honourable member: please, step forward and ask a question about the resources sector. I'm happy to answer it. Ask me a question about water and I'm happy to answer it. But questions about these things, which very clearly are fundamental facts of physics—well, I'm happy to answer those, too. But I'll come back to what they're made out of. We deliver aluminium from this country. We deliver critical minerals and rare earths from this country. We deliver the things that make steel from this country. There is so much— The SPEAKER 00APG I just say to the minister: he's made that point. This was a very specific question about whether he still had beliefs about statements he'd made. I have given some latitude. You've had that. You're not required to spend the entire three minutes on aspects outside what you were asked. Mr PITT 148150 This is why this side of the House backs reliable, affordable, dispatchable energy. There are any number of energy systems across the country. They all have their place. If we look at what happens in remote communities, it is incredibly helpful for them to be able to build things which utilise solar panels and wind, along with the diesel they already had, in terms of generation. This is just a fact, in terms of electricity systems. I can't get away from my back ground. I'm an electrician by trade and an electrical engineer by profession. I get 'based on facts' and 'based on physics'. I say to those opposite: we do things that work; we provide affordable, reliable, dispatchable opportunities, as the minister for emissions reduction says every single day. Once again, I say to those opposite: we work on things that work; we deliver things based on fact; and we will continue to deliver affordable, reliable, dispatchable energy right across the country. National Security -1 14:56 Mr ENTSCH 7K6 Leichhardt My question is to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs. Will the minister inform the House on the progress of the Morrison government's plan to keep Australians safe from foreign criminals who flout our laws? More importantly, is the minister aware of any contrary approaches? 14:56 Mr HAWKE HWO Mitchell I thank the member for Leichhardt for his question. He's a longstanding and long-serving member of this House, and he knows and has always taken seriously his responsibility to protect community safety, to protect Australians and to protect his electorate and people from serious criminal and national security threats. I want to say that we have had a problem in the Senate with the passage of the government's plan to protect Australians from people who commit serious crimes against them. Yesterday the Labor Party joined the Australian Greens in voting down the government's latest laws to protect Australians from foreign criminals. Twenty-six Labor senators and nine Greens combined to defeat this government's plans to protect people from the most serious offences and the most serious crimes committed by non-citizens, by people who are guests of our country—or to prevent them from ever coming here in the first place. It is hard to understand. I want to take the House through some examples and situations of why the government feel this is important, why we're going to progress this plan absolutely, and why we're going to continue to pursue this, as we have for the past three years. This is a very serious matter. Let's look at one example. A permanent visa holder in Melbourne a few years ago, after 2 am, was driving around and saw a car being driven by a 22-year-old young female Australian woman. He followed her to her destination, climbed into her car and held a knife to her throat. He whispered, 'Be quiet, or I will cut you.' Thankfully, this Australian was able to grab the knife and stop the perpetrator from assaulting her, and her boyfriend was able to turn up and save her as well. The perpetrator was initially charged with serious offences. As part of the plea deal, of course, that perpetrator under our system was able to get eight months under the 12-month current threshold for cancellation. But this government pursued the character test and said we would cancel that perpetrator's visa. When the government tried to cancel this perpetrator's visa, it was overturned on appeal. That's why this government has put forward legislation for the last three years to deal with women's safety across our country from people who are not Australian citizens; they are guests in our country. If it was up to this government, this perpetrator would have already been gone from Australia. Opposition members interjecting— The SPEAKER 00APG Members on my left! Mr HAWKE HWO Again, this is not an isolated example. This is not one example. There are dozens of examples. There are hundreds of examples. The SPEAKER 00APG The member for Lalor will cease interjecting. Mr HAWKE HWO We need to act. The Australian parliament needs to act. The Labor Party needs to join us. Leave the Greens behind. Join the government and support these laws to protect Australians from these sorts of crimes. Resources Sector -1 15:00 Ms MADELEINE KING 102376 Brand My question is to the Minister for Resources and Water. Does the minister support the government providing a $250 billion loan and insurance facility for the resources sector? 15:00 Mr PITT 148150 Hinkler I thank the honourable member for her question. I say to the honourable member that the government provides support right across a number of sectors through a number of different facilities, whether it is the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, the national interest account or the RIC. The Commonwealth continues to provide support where it is needed right across the country. Housing Affordability -1 15:00 Mr PASIN 240756 Barker My question is to the Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness, Social and Community Housing. Will the minister inform the House of the progress of the Morrison government's home guarantee schemes and how they're accelerating the dream for Australians of owning their own home? Minister, are you aware of any alternative approaches? 15:01 Mr SUKKAR 242515 Deakin I thank very much the member for Barker for asking that question. He has been an extraordinary advocate for first home buyers in his regional electorate in South Australia. I can again report to the House that the Morrison government's First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and Family Home Guarantee for single parents has been an extraordinary success. Counterintuitively, in the middle of a pandemic we have seen first home buyers at their highest levels for nearly 15 years. It's not just the home guarantee schemes that help first home buyers purchase a property with a deposit as little as five per cent, because we know the barrier to homeownership for so many first home buyers is getting that deposit together, or single parents purchase a home with a deposit as little as two per cent supported by the government. We have also put in place the HomeBuilder program. The HomeBuilder program was opposed by the Labor Party. I've some bad news for the Labor Party. The program they opposed has been taken up by 135,000 Australian families. More than 200,000 Australians today are in a home because of the support of the Morrison government's HomeBuilder program. Each and every one of them knows that, if the Labor Party had its way, they would not be in their home. That is an absolute indictment of the Labor Party. We know they don't support helping first home buyers get into the market, but what a decision in the middle of a pandemic. Of all the policies to oppose, they opposed the HomeBuilder program—a $25,000 grant for people to purchase a new home. The Prime Minister in my time in politics has been more dedicated to first home buyers than almost any other, and there are many on this side. The Prime Minister is a prime minister for first home buyers. In this term alone between our Home Guarantee Scheme, the HomeBuilder program and the First Home Super Saver Scheme—another program that helps first home buyers save for a deposit—300,000 Australians today are in a home with the support of the Morrison government. Some 300,000 Australians are in their own home today because of a Morrison government policy—HomeBuilder, the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, the Family Home Guarantee or the First Home Super Saver Scheme. Each and every one of those 300,000 Australians know that the Labor Party opposed the policy that helped them get into their home. Shame on the Labor Party. (Time expired) Prime Minister -1 15:04 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler My question is to the Prime Minister. The government has been in office for nearly a decade. The Prime Minister is leaving for Glasgow a week from now but still has no climate policy. Why does the Prime Minister always delay and always blame others and then when he does act why is it always too little too late? 15:04 Mr MORRISON E3L Cook Under our government's policies when we were first elected in 2013, we said at that election that we would beat those Kyoto targets, and we did. We beat Kyoto I, we beat Kyoto II and, as we go forward to 2030, our policy on 2030 is very clear: 26-28 per cent. That is the policy that as Prime Minister I took to the last election. That was endorsed by the Australian people at the last election. It is a policy that we will not just meet but beat for 2030. There was another policy. It was put forward by the Labor Party. It was for a 45 per cent reduction in emissions, and the Labor Party have walked away from that policy. They say that's no longer their policy. So there's an obvious question: what is the Labor Party's commitment on 2030? Nobody knows. Nobody knows what their commitment is for 2030. They know what the government's commitment is and they know that, under our policies, emissions have fallen by more than 20 per cent on 2005 levels, which is more than the United States, more than Japan, more than Canada and more than New Zealand—comparable economies to Australia's. Australia's track record on this issue speaks volumes about the achievement of Australians. Under our policies Australia has one of the highest, if not the highest, rates of rooftop solar in the world. In 2020, Australia installed seven gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity. As the minister for energy has reminded the House, in one year under our government's policies, we exceeded the renewable investment of six years under the Labor Party. Our investment is nearly eight times faster per capita than the global average in renewables. It's around eight times faster than New Zealand and Japan and around three times faster than the United States, China, Germany and the European Union. Under our policies, emissions are coming down and jobs are going up. Under our policy, emissions are coming down and there are a million people now working in manufacturing. Under the Labor Party, one in eight manufacturing jobs were gone. That's what a carbon tax does. That's what punishing taxes do. Under our policies, we're getting emissions down. They're falling, and we're putting employment up. We're seeing exports go up. We're seeing the resources industry, the natural gas industry, the LNG industry—all of these sectors— critical minerals, clean energy supply chains being established under the policies of our government. Under those opposite there is no plan, no idea. (Time expired) Space Industry -1 15:07 Mr CONNELLY 282984 Stirling My question is to the Minister for Defence Industry and the Minister for Science and Technology. Will the minister please outline for the House how the Morrison government is supporting our emerging space industry, building a stronger Australia and creating more jobs, particularly as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic? 15:08 Ms PRICE 249308 Durack I thank the member for Stirling for his question and acknowledge his outstanding former service in our ADF. I want to thank him for his support for our local industries in our home state of Western Australia. When most people think about space, they might reflect on the Apollo missions, The Dish, Star Trek or, for those who are a bit older, maybe My Favorite Martian. But today and into the future, space is a part of our everyday lives. Space technology enables the GPS in the car and on that phone that never leaves our side. It's used by our farmers to monitor the health of our crops and, most importantly, it's used by our emergency workers to help them plan and respond to bushfires and floods. The Morrison government understands the profound benefits of space technologies on the lives of all Australians. Space is also the new jobs frontier, launching opportunities across a whole range of industries, and Australia must be a part of this global movement. Our national mission is to triple the size of the space sector in Australia to $12 billion and create up to 20,000 new jobs by 2030. That's why the Morrison government invested $700 million in the civil space sector when we established the Australian Space Agency back in 2018. That doesn't include the specific investment by our government in the defence space capabilities announced as part of the 2020 strategic update. It genuinely was a thrill to announce recently that the Morrison government has reached an agreement with NASA, and I was very proud that the Prime Minister and I were announcing that Australia is going to the moon. This is supported with $50 million as part of the Moon to Mars initiative. An Australian manned rover will be included in a future NASA mission, and it is going happen this decade—even as early 2026. We are giving Australia's best and brightest scientists, entrepreneurs and researchers an opportunity to be a big part of that. So, for the very first time, Australian designed and built technology will land on the moon. This is significant. I have no doubt that the Aussie rover—or red dog, which is just my working title at the moment—is going to inspire the next generation of scientists who are sitting at home at the moment planning their own mission into space. We are already a world leader when it comes to autonomous vehicles. They play an important role in our resources sector, as seen at the different mine sites in my electorate of Durack. I very much look forward to working with our space sector to grow it so that we can have many more announcements when we say 'Australia's going to the moon'. Mr Morrison E3L I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper. MOTIONS -1 MOTIONS Member for Pearce, Commonwealth Integrity Commission -1 15:11 Mr BURKE DYW Watson I move: That so much of standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Manager of Opposition Business from moving the following motion immediately: That the House: (1) notes that: (a) yesterday the Prime Minister protected the member for Pearce by blocking a reference to the Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests relating to secret donations received by the member for Pearce; (b) the decision by the Prime Minister and his government to block a reference to the Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests which had been granted precedence by the Speaker has never occurred in the 120 years of this parliament; and (c) it has been more than 1,000 days since the Prime Minister and the member for Pearce promised to introduce a national anticorruption commission; and (2) calls on the Prime Minister to immediately: (a) end his protection racket for the member for Pearce; (b) support a referral of the member for Pearce to the Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests; and (c) introduce a bill to establish a national anticorruption commission with the powers of a standing royal commission. Yesterday the government abolished the key protection against bribery in this parliament. That's what the Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests is there to do, and yesterday they decided that it's just— 15:12 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson I move: That the Member be no longer heard. The SPEAKER 00APG The question is that the Manager of Opposition Business be no further heard.    

The House divided. [15:17]
(The Speaker—Hon. Tony Smith)

 52 AYES Allen, K. J. Andrews, K. J. Andrews, K. L. Bell, A. M. Chester, D. J. Conaghan, P. J. Connelly, V. G. Coulton, M. M. Drum, D. K. (Teller) Dutton, P. C. Entsch, W. G. Falinski, J. G. Fletcher, P. W. Frydenberg, J. A. Gee, A. R. Gillespie, D. A. Goodenough, I. R. Hamilton, G. R. Hammond, C. M. Hawke, A. G. Howarth, L. R. Hunt, G. A. Joyce, B. T. G. Leeser, J. Ley, S. P. Littleproud, D. Liu, G. Martin, F. B. McCormack, M. F. McIntosh, M. I. Morrison, S. J. Morton, B O'Brien, L. S. O'Dowd, K. D. Pasin, A. Pitt, K. J. Price, M. L. Ramsey, R. E. (Teller) Robert, S. R. Sharma, D. N. Stevens, J. Sukkar, M. S. Taylor, A. J. Tudge, A. E. van Manen, A. J. Vasta, R. X. Wallace, A. B. Webster, A. E. Wicks, L. E. Wilson, R. J. Wyatt, K. G. Zimmerman, T. M. 47 NOES Albanese, A. N. Bandt, A. P. Bird, S. L. Bowen, C. E. Burke, A. S. Burney, L. J. Chesters, L. M. Claydon, S. C. Conroy, P. M. Dick, D. M. Elliot, M. J. Fitzgibbon, J. A. Freelander, M. R. Giles, A. J. Gorman, P. Haines, H. M. Hayes, C. P. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Jones, S. P. Kearney, G. M. Khalil, P. King, M. M. H. Leigh, A. K. McBain, K. L. McBride, E. M. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. O'Connor, B. P. J. Owens, J. A. Payne, A. E. Plibersek, T. J. Rowland, M. A. Ryan, J. C. (Teller) Sharkie, R. C. C. Shorten, W. R. Smith, D. P. B. Snowdon, W. E. Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Steggall, Z. Swanson, M. J. Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Watts, T. G. Wells, A. S. Wilson, J. H. 0 PAIRS

Question agreed to.

15:18 The SPEAKER 00APG Is the motion seconded? 15:18 Ms PLIBERSEK 83M Sydney It is seconded. This is a government addicted to secrecy and committed to protecting every dodgy— The SPEAKER 00APG The member for Sydney will resume her seat. The Leader of the House has the call. 15:18 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson I move: That the member be no longer heard. The SPEAKER 00APG The question is that the member for Sydney be no longer heard.    

The House divided. [15:19]
(The Speaker—Hon. Tony Smith)

52 AYES Allen, K. J. Andrews, K. J. Andrews, K. L. Bell, A. M. Chester, D. J. Conaghan, P. J. Connelly, V. G. Coulton, M. M. Drum, D. K. (Teller) Dutton, P. C. Entsch, W. G. Falinski, J. G. Fletcher, P. W. Frydenberg, J. A. Gee, A. R. Gillespie, D. A. Goodenough, I. R. Hamilton, G. R. Hammond, C. M. Hawke, A. G. Howarth, L. R. Hunt, G. A. Joyce, B. T. G. Leeser, J. Ley, S. P. Littleproud, D. Liu, G. Martin, F. B. McCormack, M. F. McIntosh, M. I. Morrison, S. J. Morton, B O'Brien, L. S. O'Dowd, K. D. Pasin, A. Pitt, K. J. Price, M. L. Ramsey, R. E. (Teller) Robert, S. R. Sharma, D. N. Stevens, J. Sukkar, M. S. Taylor, A. J. Tudge, A. E. van Manen, A. J. Vasta, R. X. Wallace, A. B. Webster, A. E. Wicks, L. E. Wilson, R. J. Wyatt, K. G. Zimmerman, T. M. 47 NOES Albanese, A. N. Bandt, A. P. Bird, S. L. Bowen, C. E. Burke, A. S. Burney, L. J. Chesters, L. M. Claydon, S. C. Conroy, P. M. Dick, D. M. Elliot, M. J. Fitzgibbon, J. A. Freelander, M. R. Giles, A. J. Gorman, P. Haines, H. M. Hayes, C. P. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Jones, S. P. Kearney, G. M. Khalil, P. King, M. M. H. Leigh, A. K. McBain, K. L. McBride, E. M. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. O'Connor, B. P. J. Owens, J. A. Payne, A. E. Plibersek, T. J. Rowland, M. A. Ryan, J. C. (Teller) Sharkie, R. C. C. Shorten, W. R. Smith, D. P. B. Snowdon, W. E. Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Steggall, Z. Swanson, M. J. Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Watts, T. G. Wells, A. S. Wilson, J. H. 0 PAIRS

Question agreed to.

 15:20 The SPEAKER 00APG The question now is that the motion moved by the Manager of Opposition Business be disagreed to.    

The House divided. [15:21]
(The Speaker—Hon. Tony Smith)

52 AYES Allen, K. J. Andrews, K. J. Andrews, K. L. Bell, A. M. Chester, D. J. Conaghan, P. J. Connelly, V. G. Coulton, M. M. Drum, D. K. (Teller) Dutton, P. C. Entsch, W. G. Falinski, J. G. Fletcher, P. W. Frydenberg, J. A. Gee, A. R. Gillespie, D. A. Goodenough, I. R. Hamilton, G. R. Hammond, C. M. Hawke, A. G. Howarth, L. R. Hunt, G. A. Joyce, B. T. G. Leeser, J. Ley, S. P. Littleproud, D. Liu, G. Martin, F. B. McCormack, M. F. McIntosh, M. I. Morrison, S. J. Morton, B O'Brien, L. S. O'Dowd, K. D. Pasin, A. Pitt, K. J. Price, M. L. Ramsey, R. E. (Teller) Robert, S. R. Sharma, D. N. Stevens, J. Sukkar, M. S. Taylor, A. J. Tudge, A. E. van Manen, A. J. Vasta, R. X. Wallace, A. B. Webster, A. E. Wicks, L. E. Wilson, R. J. Wyatt, K. G. Zimmerman, T. M. 47 NOES Albanese, A. N. Bandt, A. P. Bird, S. L. Bowen, C. E. Burke, A. S. Burney, L. J. Chesters, L. M. Claydon, S. C. Conroy, P. M. Dick, D. M. Elliot, M. J. Fitzgibbon, J. A. Freelander, M. R. Giles, A. J. Gorman, P. Haines, H. M. Hayes, C. P. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Jones, S. P. Kearney, G. M. Khalil, P. King, M. M. H. Leigh, A. K. McBain, K. L. McBride, E. M. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. O'Connor, B. P. J. Owens, J. A. Payne, A. E. Plibersek, T. J. Rowland, M. A. Ryan, J. C. (Teller) Sharkie, R. C. C. Shorten, W. R. Smith, D. P. B. Snowdon, W. E. Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Steggall, Z. Swanson, M. J. Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Watts, T. G. Wells, A. S. Wilson, J. H. 0 PAIRS

Question agreed to.

 DOCUMENTS -1 DOCUMENTS Presentation -1 15:22 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson Documents are tabled in accordance with the list circulated to honourable members earlier today. Full details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes andProceedings. STATEMENTS -1 STATEMENTS Personal Explanation -1 15:22 Mr WATTS 193430 Gellibrand I rise to make a personal explanation. The SPEAKER 00APG Does the member for Gellibrand claim to have been misrepresented? Mr WATTS 193430 I do. It involves the member for Hughes. The SPEAKER 00APG It doesn't matter who it involves. You may proceed. Mr WATTS 193430 I thought it was implied. On Wednesday 20 October, the member for Hughes made a personal explanation stating that I had falsely asserted that he had been 'banned from Facebook for spreading COVID-19 misinformation'. There are two misrepresentations in this statement. Firstly, in a recent letter to me from Facebook, the company told me: As a matter of public record, under our harmful health misinformation policy, we have removed the Facebook and Instagram accounts representing Mr Craig Kelly MP for repeated violations of our community standards. The second misrepresentation in the member for Hughes's statement is that, despite his own Facebook page being banned, the member for Hughes remains active on Facebook, authorising all of the content on the United Australia Facebook page and featuring in the overwhelming majority of the videos on that page. Facebook should proactively and transparently apply its community standards and stop the member for Hughes from continuing to spread medical misinformation about COVID-19 during this pandemic. MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE -1 MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE Resources Industry -1 15:24 The SPEAKER 00APG I have received a letter from the honourable member for Brand proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely: The Government's abandonment of the Australian resources industry and jobs, by denying the need for net zero emissions. I call upon all those honourable members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places. More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places— 15:24 Ms MADELEINE KING 102376 Brand This government has wasted eight years on energy and emissions policy, and, even when the resources industry is implementing its own net zero emissions targets, the minister for resources still refuses to listen to reason. In question time today he failed to take the chance to support the net zero emission ambitions of the whole sector that he purports to represent. He has also, I might add, crab walked away from something he said, a report that he made to the Australian Financial Review that he wanted a $250 billion loan facility for the resources industry in addition to the finance that the government already provides that industry—which, I might add, Labor supports. The loans that are granted through Export Finance Australia and other provisions of government are things Labor has put in place in the past and will continue to support. The resources minister actually suggested a separate $250 billion loan facility for the resources industry in recent press but now he's crab walked away from that. Australian resources sector exports are worth $283 billion per year. It is by far Australia's largest export sector. Iron ore is Australia's largest export product worth around $80 billion per year. Coal is our second largest export at $40 billion. The third largest is liquefied natural gas at around $30 billion. There are 238,000 people directly employed by the resources industry, including around 8½ thousand apprentices and trainees. The mining and METS sector supports an additional 900,000 Australian jobs indirectly. Moreover, the resources sector contributes tens of billions of dollars in taxes and royalties to Commonwealth and state treasuries each and every year. Australian miners are world leading. They are serious companies run by serious people, financed by serious investors, operated by hard-working Australians. It is incomprehensible that the likes of the member for Hinkler, the minister for resources, thinks he knows better than the entire resources sector about their emissions and economic prospects. Yesterday Rio Tinto announced it will switch its iron ore mines to run on renewables as part of its acceleration towards decarbonising. Today we read Rio will commit $10 billion to halve its carbon footprint by 2030. The Deputy Prime Minister might be entirely dismissive of Rio Tinto's efforts—as he was yesterday in question time deriding the fact that its CEO lives in London. Well, I can tell you where thousands of Rio Tinto workers live. They live in regions, towns, cities and suburbs right across this country. I remind the Leader of the Nationals that their head office sits just down the road in Barton in Canberra, so don't have a go at the CEO of Rio Tinto. Earlier this week Mitsubishi Australia, a key investor in energy assets, including natural gas and metallurgical coal, announced a commitment to net zero by 2050 and a 50 per cent reduction by 2030. Last month BHP set a net zero emissions goal by 2050 and is working with its steel producing consumers to cut emissions as Western Australian iron ore becomes steel. In August the WA chamber of commerce Chief Economist, Aaron Morey, said, 'net zero emissions targets must be set at the national level'. In October the Minerals Council of Australia confirmed the industry's ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and its support of the Paris Agreement. The QLD Resources Council, under the leadership of the Hon. Ian McFarlane—Australia's longest serving resources and energy minister—also came out in support of this goal on the same day. We know Ian is a great conservative and maybe the minister might want to turn to him for advice. WA's chamber of minerals and energy has also announced its support for reducing emissions to net zero as soon as possible and no later than 2050. A couple of weeks ago, as we all know, the Business Council of Australia released a blueprint for Australia to reach net zero emissions, while growing our economy by $189 billion and creating 195,000 new jobs. But in the lead-up to Glasgow and COP26, as the prime ministerial jet has been fuelled to take him back to the UK, what do we hear from the minister for resources? The minister for resources flatly refuses to support the climate ambitions of the industry he is supposed to represent. Worse, the minister openly stands against the resources sector's efforts to decarbonise their operations and their products. How can it be allowed to stand that the minister for resources of the Commonwealth of Australia is not in the cabinet? He refuses to support and he actively opposes the ambitions, efforts and investments of the industry he purports to represent. It is extraordinary, and it is an untenable position for this government and this minister to maintain. Every time I visit a mine site and meet with an extractor company I am told about the efforts they are making to reduce emissions. I visit a lot of mine sites and resources operations, from iron ore mines in the Pilbara to coalmines in the Hunter Valley to gold and rare earth mines to the WA goldfields to LNG off the coast of Darwin and Karratha to lithium mines in the south-west of Western Australia to the nickel mine in Kambalda that feeds the BHP refinery in Kwinana in my electorate of Brand. Barely a day goes by between commitments to net zero or announcements of strategies to get there or the new renewable energy projects that will power mines, camps and refineries. The Australian resources industry is heading to net zero emissions by 2050, with ambitious targets by 2030. The road to decarbonisation will create jobs and economic opportunities throughout the whole value chain. But, under this do-nothing Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister is holding our nation to ransom—ably aided, I might add, by the resources minister and the former minister for resources, Senator Canavan. Despite the massive contribution of the resources sector to Australia's economic wellbeing, the resources portfolio has been excluded from cabinet because the Deputy Prime Minister doesn't like the member for Hinkley—or was it because the member did not vote for the member for New England to lead the Nationals? This is childish and petulant, and it shows enormous disregard for Australia's largest export industry, which is the backbone of this nation's economy. It is playing politics with the backbone of this nation's economy. It is ridiculous, it's obscene and it must stop. We have a real opportunity now for the Australian resources industry to help the world decarbonise. WA is home to the largest hard rock lithium mine in the world, in Greenbushes, which I visited. A lithium processing plant is being built in Kwinana, which will create 200 ongoing jobs. Where does lithium go? It goes to batteries—that's right; we like to ignore them! Tesla is buying them from BHP. And it goes to other electric vehicles, to build the kind of car that the Prime Minister claimed would 'destroy the weekend'. You can see, as I have, that the Mount Weld Lynas rare earths mine in Laverton in WA's northern Goldfields is one of the world's highest-grade rare earth deposits. At Mount Weld they mine minerals that go into electric vehicle batteries, including Toyota's hybrid range, as well as minerals that are critical for producing small powerful magnets that make your mobile phone vibrate. So, next time the minister's phone vibrates from a call from a mining executive asking him to get his act together on net zero, thank Lynas and Mount Weld. The most-sustainable and lowest-carbon nickel producer in the world is BHP Nickel West in Kwinana. It produced the first nickel sulphate crystals just this month and will produce 100,000 tonnes of nickel sulphate this year. That's enough nickel to make 700,000 electric vehicle batteries. And 50 per cent of BHP Nickel West's power is generated by the Merredin solar farm, and they hope to achieve more. BHP are actually doing it, while this government and minister sit on their collective hands. Nickel West represents 80 jobs permanently and 400 jobs indirectly just from the nickel sulphate plant. Across their entire operation, 2½ thousand people are employed in this vertically integrated mine-to-metal business. Every senator and every MP will be glad to know that they have a little bit of Kambalda and a little bit of Kwinana right in their pocket or in their hands when they carry their mobile phones around with them. Labor will always stand up for the resources industry. We will support the ambition of the resources industry, which creates thousands of good jobs for workers right around the nation and is, as our biggest exporter, literally the backbone of our economy. Labor will ensure that Australia's minister for resources will have a seat at the cabinet table and not be relegated because of a childish spat. Labor acknowledges the work of the resources industry and is seeking to achieve net zero emissions, and if the current minister for resources doesn't want to get behind them he should get out of the way and resign. Mr PITT 148150 Hinkler (15:34) Just to be clear, I won't be resigning, even though it's been suggested by the opposition. I get on very well with the shadow minister. She's actually got her head screwed on, and she understands the industry. She's across a lot of the brief, and of course there are many things on which we work collegially and we certainly get some good outcomes. In terms of this MPI, I'll go through the issues, particularly the ones that have been raised, but I do want to bring the focus back to the individuals that work in the sector. As I said in question time, I've been contacted by a gentleman called Kenzy Gillespie. Kenzy is an apprentice electrician. He works at the Moranbah North mine, which I visited in recent weeks. Kenzy was on the opposite shift, so I didn't get a chance to see him. He says to me in his email that he thought I might remember him because he had contacted me earlier in the year. He went on to say: I was not fortunate enough to be rostered on here at Moranbah north mine today as I would have loved to have met you. Although myself, and all of our Anglo employees are very fortunate to have secured our positions throughout this mine, I can assure you as a 22 year old I have been setup for life with this golden opportunity that is at our feet here in the resources sector. Because of this I was able to buy my first house at 19, I went on to hold that for 2.5 years and have recently sold that and am looking for acreage around the Mackay region to start primary producing on my days off, all of this would be to no avail without these incredible opportunities in front of us. Kenzy goes on to say he wants to acknowledge the consistent hard work of all the men and women in the industry and thank me personally for the visit to Moranbah North mine, an Anglo operation. So, every time I consider a policy, every time I consider the sector and every time I look at what we need to do, I keep people like Kenzy front and centre in my mind. Fundamentally, our job is to deliver for the people of Australia and to ensure that they have opportunities into the future, and that is absolutely what I intend to continue to do. Those opposite talk about the government's abandonment of the Australian resource industry. Let's just have a look at what that abandonment looks like right now. There's never been a better time to be in the sector—there has not. Thermal coal prices are absolutely through the roof. They are at record levels. The spot price today is over US$240, given an exchange rate of roughly 75c—I haven't looked at today's current update. They're out there putting these things in wheelbarrows and running them down the road to get them into a ship so they can get them out for sale. Not many of those opposite will understand what a wheelbarrow is—it's something you do hard work with! Fundamentally, there are opportunities right across the sector. We know that there's been an early winter snap, particularly in parts of Asia. That has driven up a demand for gas, so gas prices are also up. I'll say categorically that Australia's coal sector, regardless of what some opposite may say, has an incredibly strong and important future. Demand will continue. The forecast that I have is that demand will actually increase from now out to 2030. By 2050, there's an expectation that that market will still be just under 20 per cent off that peak, and Australia will look to fill that market. We will fill that market at every opportunity. If buyers want it, we're selling it. If they want our resources, we'll be delivering them, because it is good for our economy. It's good for the people that I represent. It's good for every single Australian that is looking for an opportunity. Briefly, while I've got the opportunity, I do want to acknowledge the very, very good work of the sector. One of the things I raised with all of the major companies on appointment was my expectation that they hire and train more young Australians. I'm advised that roughly 5,700 apprentices and trainees have been put on in the sector in the last 12 months. That is more than they've put on altogether for some years. This is a very, very good result. I do want to acknowledge and thank the sector for the work that they are doing with young Australians to give them not only opportunity but also skills—skills that are transferable, skills that people like Kenzy use to go and pay for a house to set themselves up for their future life and future opportunities. Coal will continue to be a strong part of the economy right throughout Australia, whether it's Newcastle or whether it's Queensland and whether it's thermal coal or whether it's met coal. In fact, we export enough iron ore, for example, to build 10,000 Sydney Harbour Bridges a year. Our met coal sector is incredibly strong. It's rough and ready. Met and thermal are worth about $50 billion to the economy. It's around 50,000 direct jobs and around 300,000 indirect jobs. Practically all of those are in regional areas, and we want to make sure that the sector continues to be strong. In terms of gas, we're one of the world's largest exporters of gas. All of the forecasts that I've seen expect gas demand to increase. This is why we are driving forward with the gas-led recovery. This is why I've announced a strategic basin plans program. This is why we've gone to areas like the Beetaloo, looking to get that development brought forward by some two to three years on previous expectations. Without that gas, who fills the market? Our competitors do. Without that gas, how do we keep our domestic prices low? Unless we continue to fill not only the east coast market but the whole country with affordable, reliable energy, our manufacturers can't be competitive. This is why we continue to support the sector. As those opposite outlined, the 'abandonment' of the sector looks pretty good: the forecast is that we'll do a record year. We're going to do $346 billion. That's the estimate, in terms of exports, for resources and energy. That sounds alright to me—up almost $100 million out of the midst of the pandemic. There is no other sector in this country that can turn around $100 billion in economic activity other than the resources sector. I've been to a number of sites in recent weeks—as you know, Deputy Speaker Llew O'Brien, we've been caught up in Queensland by border restrictions and everything else—including the Bravus mine. Bravus were previously known as Adani. We went in recent weeks. They are at first coal. They're starting to build their stockpile. They've got an expectation that they'll have first deliveries sometime before Christmas. What has that mine done? It's provided jobs for more than 2,000 Australians—2,000 individuals. It's delivered over $1 billion worth of contracts into, in particular, regional cities and regional contractors. I was up in Townsville when the new trains arrived. They've arrived in Townsville. I was fortunate to be there with Andrew Wilcox, the mayor of the Whitsunday Regional Council. The local member for Dawson and other local members in the area came along. The member for Dawson had a great quote. These trains were big and bright and orange, and the member for Dawson said, 'These are giant orange job-making machines,' and I think that that is exactly right. The Bowen Rail Company has been set up by Bravus as part of their operations based out of Bowen, a small regional centre, delivering jobs for regional towns and regional economies. I was in Gladstone at the QCLNG plant with Col Boyce, the member for Callide, where we saw firsthand just how important the gas sector is. This is a sector that's grown in just a decade. It's worth tens of billions of dollars. This is Australia's resources sector at work, delivering to markets where, right now, there is some very significant demand. As the shadow minister outlined, we know that exports totalled $30 billion in 2021, and get this: they are forecast to climb to $56 billion in 2021-22—$30 billion to $56 billion in a year. That is incredibly good for the Australian economy. This is how, when we talk about royalties from things like coal, governments, particularly state governments, pay for the essential services that Australians rely on. This is how they pay for hospitals and roads and schools. This is how they pay for police forces and health workers—along with support from the Commonwealth. The taxation from the sector helps the Commonwealth to deliver our facilities and our policies across Australia. Can you imagine where we would be without it? This is a significant contributor to the Australian economy, and right now they are going incredibly well. Whether you're in Moranbah North, whether you're at Bravus, formerly known as Adani, whether you're in Townsville, whether you're in Newcastle, whether you're across the Hunter, whether you're in the Pilbara, whether you're in any of those regional areas in the Northern Territory—many of them rely, in terms of their jobs, on the resources sector being strong and successful. It is this government that intends to continue that success. It is this government that intends to continue providing those opportunities. I want to come back once again to the work that's been done by the sector on apprentices and trainees. It's something that I look at, personally, as a former apprentice and as someone that did start by sweeping the floor in a workshop. That opportunity was given to me by heavy industry. I was very fortunate as a 17-year-old kid to get a start. The skills that I learnt took me through a trade. I now find myself here, and I want as many kids as possible in Australia to have those opportunities. Those opportunities are available in the resources sector right now. They are there right now. There are almost 40,000 vacancies. Everyone is looking for workforce. Everyone is looking to try and fill those slots, because right now the market is hot, whether it's gas or whether it's coal—even iron ore is still incredibly strong. I want to give a shout-out to the sector, whether they're in the west, whether they're in the east, whether they're in coal, whether they're in met coal, whether they're in gas, whether they're in iron ore or any of the critical minerals facilities. We need to train more kids. We need to grow our own timber. They are the ones who are available. I want to see every single Australian kid that wants a job in the sector get that job, learn those skills and go on to be as successful as they choose to be. 15:44 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland It's a pleasure to follow the Minister for Resources and Water—I say that honestly—because he is enthusiastic about the sector. There are many problems with his contribution, but the one I want to pick up is the fact that he spent 10 minutes talking about the resources sector in the context of a commitment to net zero by 2050 and he didn't once mention any of the economic opportunities the transition will bring. He didn't mention battery manufacturing and inputs like lithium mining. He didn't mention hydrogen or the opportunities there. He concentrated on the staples of coal, gas and iron ore, which are all very important and have a great role into the future according to different time frames, but he didn't the mention future opportunities once. That shows the poverty of thinking from those opposite on this issue. The truth is that Australia is blessed with the greatest reserves of iron and titanium in the world. We've got the second-greatest reserves of rare earths, copper and lithium and the third-greatest reserves of silver. We have all the critical inputs into batteries, electric vehicle manufacturing and the broader clean-energy industries. We've got the highest amount of solar radiation per square metre in the entire world, and we've got great wind and wave resources. All this, when you put it together with a government with a vision and a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, means we could have a supercharged resources industry. We'd be the home of clean-tech manufacturing for the world. We'd be the home of energy-intensive manufacturing fuelled by cheap and plentiful renewable energy. Tomago Aluminium, for example, would be powered by renewable energy. We'd have clean steel centred in the Hunter again. Newcastle would be the real steel city again, unlike pretenders. We'd be the centre of hydrogen production for the world. All these are the potential that we have if we have a government that embraces net zero, embraces action on climate change and is not held hostage by the troglodytes in the National Party room. We're backed up in that opinion by many leading corporates, none of them renowned as left-wing communists, none of them renowned as Balmain basketweavers. We've got Rio Tinto, who's committed $10 billion to halving emissions by 2030, including looking at one gigawatt of renewable energy. BHP is aiming for net zero emissions by 2050; as is the Minerals Council. The BCA has found that reaching net zero emissions by 2050 will boost economic growth by $890 billion and create an additional 195,000 jobs. An economic study by Accenture, supported by BCA and the ACTU, called Sunshot, found that Australia could be a clean energy export superpower by 2040, which would produce 395,000 additional jobs and an extra $89 billion in new exports. That is the potential if we embrace it, if we're not scared of the future, like those opposite. Instead, under this woeful government that is tearing itself apart over climate right now, we are faced with being the rust belt of the Asia-Pacific. We'll face carbon border tariffs hitting Australian farm products, Australian resources and Australian manufactured goods. This is all because of the climate wars that they're perpetuating, because we have a Deputy Prime Minister who rejects the stance of BCA, BHP and Rio because they don't live in his electorate. He says he would rather represent the miners of Muswellbrook, not corporates. But I would contemplate that for a minute. Is he really representing the interests of the miners of Muswellbrook and the engineers of Emerald? I don't think he is. I actually think he's representing one particular mining industry figure, a person who lives a bit further afield than Muswellbrook or Emerald. Let's just call that person 'Gina from Perth'. Gina from Perth wants Australian workers to earn $2 a day. She's a person who gave a speech at her old school denying climate change. This is the person the Deputy Prime Minister gets his policy advice from. It's not a surprise, since only four months ago she put on a $10,000-a-head fundraiser for the Deputy Prime Minister in her own home. She tried to give the Deputy Prime Minister $40,000 in cash through a made-up agricultural award. She's a woman who flew the Deputy Prime Minister on a private jet for a holiday in India in 2011. This is the one person in the mining industry that the Deputy Prime Minister listens to. For this person he is sacrificing the future of our country, the economic potential of our country, the hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs that we could create, all at the sacrifice of the zero per cent of billionaires that live in his electorate. This is the sad fate of climate policy and energy policy under this government. Those opposite listen to the wrong people. They don't listen to the science. They're guided by narrow sectional interests rather than embracing the true economic future that this country could have if only we had a government with vision, commitment and rational common sense. 15:49 Dr GILLESPIE 72184 Lyne I always enjoy these Thursday afternoon MPIs, because they always come up with some crazy hypothesis at the basis of their question or statement. It's so ironic that they're criticising us, when we have actually delivered what we said we would do. We have walked the talk. Many nations and whole sections of the body politic around the world prophesied that they were going to reach amazing targets, but what Australia has achieved is that we have the lowest emissions since records started—in fact, 20.8 per cent less. Our emissions are 20.8 per cent lower than they were in 2005, and down by 639 million tonnes in the last year alone. That's enough to take millions of cars off the road for more than a decade, yet at the same time we are protecting jobs in the resources sector. Employment is up in both the resources sector and the manufacturing sector. What happened when they were last in charge of the Treasury benches and governing this nation? One in eight jobs manufacturing jobs went overseas because of their policies. But in the last manufacturing figures we have demonstrated a growth of more than 100,000 jobs to reach more than a million people involved in manufacturing. We use technology to reach our targets and we have good economic policies to match our environmental policies. We have been supporting solar uptake, which in this country is quite staggering with 7,000 megawatts of new solar generating capacity in both the large-scale and small-scale solar rollout. That is really quite amazing. Everyone will know that New Zealand has criticised us for not doing enough to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, yet when you look at the figures you'll see that we are way in front of New Zealand, Canada, America and Japan. The OECD average was a reduction of seven per cent, and we are already nudging 21 per cent. Like I said, we have walked the talk. We are promoting soil carbon measurement so that farmers that are already doing it and can get recognition. We want more of that happening because soil organic carbon is a huge sink, and good farming techniques marry with good environmental outcomes. We have been supporting the resources sector and research. We have mentioned carbon capture and storage. We've put $263 million on top of the existing $50 million in a carbon capture and storage technology hub. The revenue from coal, which is the backbone of energy generation in this country, is up despite the prophecy from the other side that no-one is using it any more and everyone is getting out of coal. China itself is building 37 coal fired power stations. India is building new ones, Japan is building new ones, Indonesia is building new ones. They last for 40 or 50 years, so the demand, as outlined by the minister for resources, is predicted to grow between now and 2030. My electorate of Lyne includes the Hunter Valley, where there are about 20,000 people in direct and indirect employment that depend on the mining and resources industry. We on this side realise where our fertiliser comes from. It comes from gas. Gas is ubiquitous in manufacturing in so many processes, including in plastics and also in fertiliser. The whole fertiliser production process is centred on Newcastle in New South Wales, and these resources deliver revenue for state budgets that fund hospitals, roads and schools. There are also thousands of wage earners that depend on the resources and energy sectors. We're doing good things for the economy as well as good things for the environment. We are also growing employment, as I've outlined and as the minister outlined. The whole premise of their argument is false and very hard to justify—in fact, it's made up. It's a Thursday afternoon special, yet again. 15:54 Ms SWANSON 264170 Paterson Speaking of Thursday afternoon specials, I think we've just heard one! On the eve of the Glasgow conference, according to the Australian Coal Report, the price of export coal out of Newcastle—and this is for the Minister for Resources and Water, who was fetching around for it earlier—has hit another high. It's selling for US$230 a tonne, which is equivalent to A$307 a tonne or 4½ times the amount it was being sold for just one year ago. This seems at odds with a world trying to reduce global emissions, but it isn't. It's clear that coal will have a place in our energy mix going forward. There is no doubt about that, but it's not going to be forever. The use of coal by some nations is not, and should not be considered to be, at odds with Australia's goal of net zero by 2050. Coal-fired power stations in Australia are closing. They already have, and they're giving us dates for more. Domestic demand for thermal coal will drop. There is no doubt about that. But international demand for Australian thermal coal is likely to continue to be strong in the short term and on to 2050. Decisions about the future of Australian coal exports—Hunter coal exports—won't be made in the Australian parliament; they'll be made in the boardrooms of international companies throughout the world. That's why we have to provide a solid basis for the Australian economy moving forward. This is not a statement of ideology or wishful thinking; it's just a statement of fact. Coal from Newcastle and Port Kembla is exported to 18 countries, most of them to our near north in Asia. That's why we're seen as the growth engine of the world. Many of these countries are using our coal in coal-fired power stations to generate electricity, so that millions of people across those regions of Asia can flick on a light switch, as we have the privilege to do, and have the things that we take for granted here in Australia today. Newer plants—high-energy, low-emissions plants—have greater efficiencies than Australia's ageing plants and can make the most of the carbon capture used in storage technologies that are now becoming more and more widely used. Our coal is in demand because of these plants. Our coal is fetching high prices because of these plants. I'm not for one minute suggesting that more coal-fired plants should be built in Australia or should be paid for with taxpayers' money. They won't be, and they shouldn't be. There is no appetite for it, despite what a small minority of those on the other side might have us believe. But that does not mean we should cut off our nose to spite our face. For the time being, our coal is in demand. Our coal is being used to generate electricity in Asia, in countries such as Japan, where the world's fifth-largest economy is being fuelled by Hunter coal, as well as South Korea, Taiwan and China. That market will continue. All of those countries will need to factor in their emissions in their efforts to address climate change, just as we will, and must, in Australia. According to the Australian department of resources and energy, there will continue to be increases in the tonnage of coal we export both for steaming and coking coal, until at least 2026. After that, markets may decline. Markets are likely to decline. We have to be ready, and it doesn't give us much time. Fortunately, Labor has been thinking about this and planning for this and working on this, unlike those opposite, who are burying their heads in the sand. They are not a coalition; they're a rabble of infighting, Hunger Game alarmists. My community and the community of the Hunter Valley depend on coal, and we won't stand for it. An honourable member: Squid Game! Ms Swanson 264170 That's right. They are living Squid Game; we are not. We won't squib you, but they might squid you—not all of the community, that is true. There are many, many other industries that thrive in the Hunter Valley, and we know that that's important too. It is true that not all in my community support the continued mining of coal. I hear that regularly from people and I understand, but I want to say to all of those people: 'We can't switch off coal overnight. We need to think about our communities. Please think about the workers in these industries who've worked with coal and relied on coal to put food on the table, to keep local businesses afloat and to keep their communities vibrant.' I want to say to those people who work in the coal industry: 'We want to protect you and your jobs. If you want to protect your jobs and our planet, vote Labor and do not trust this rabble of a government.' 15:59 Mr TIM WILSON IMW Goldstein I really don't know what it is we're hearing in this chamber today. We have got a mixture of the odd couple, or maybe there are multiples of them. Normally we'd have in the back the member for Isaacs shouting down the member for Paterson for the speech she just provided. The member for Macnamara would be in here condemning her commitment to the minerals industry and the creation of energy and jobs. The member for Brand, the member for Paterson and the member for Shortland would be spruiking coal in front of the chamber. There is complete confusion on the part of the Labor Party, which reflects their fundamental lack of understanding of the minerals sector, mining and how they contribute to the Australian economy. Don't go anywhere, Member for Shortland. We know you're going somewhere. You're off to Glasgow as part of the odd couple with the member for Isaacs. This is going to be one of the most entertaining examples. The member for Isaacs runs around mocking other members of the Labor Party for daring to consider that we have to have jobs in the mining sector. You are going to go together and patch together a coherent narrative about how the Labor Party has a solution to the challenges of climate change. I wish you well. The member for Shortland has a long history of being abusive to people he disagrees with or who disagree with his view on climate change. I know that's going to be a challenge. I am sure you will find solace and comfort in Glasgow by going with him. Hopefully you'll be able to come back a new man. Let's face it, members on the other side of this chamber simply want to distract from some fundamental realities. They don't have a solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while making sure we back Australian industries and jobs. We saw this at the last election. They took a policy position on their 2030 target. What is their 2030 target today? I'm listening. I'm waiting to hear an answer, and there is none. There's silence. They go for the long haul but they won't go for the short-term target on which they can be measured and backed, because they have no plan. Everything the Labor Party stands for is based on intentions, not outcomes. That compares to this side of the chamber. We're focused on what we need to do to build the industries of the future to maintain jobs and opportunities for Australians. We also understand that we have to support and back our primary industries. This side of the chamber has always understood that, if you don't have wealth-creating primary industries, you will not create the wealth of the nation to support the manufacturing sector and of course the services sector across the nation. It does not matter where you are in this nation. You are dependent on the wealth that is created from primary industries to back you, your job and your livelihood. We understand—and we've seen this under the current minister and the Prime Minister—the importance and opportunity of the critical minerals sector. So many technologies to decarbonise globally—whether it's EVs, solar PV cells or new innovative technologies—are dependent on critical minerals like lithium, nickel and copper and rare-earth elements. We are going to make sure that we have the necessary ingredients. We are going to back Aussie jobs to achieve their extraction. That is part of the story of building the next generation of Australian jobs. That will never be enough for Labor. The old saying is: if you hold a hammer, everything looks like a nail. In Labor it doesn't matter what they're holding—everything should be solved with a tax. This is the party that spectacularly turned around support from the mining sector for a restructuring of the mining tax. They managed to turn not just the mining industry against them, who initially put forward the idea, but the whole nation against them, and that led to the loss of government. This is the party that went to an election and said, 'There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead.' When they did a seedy deal with the Greens to form government that went away straightaway. It was hilarious to hear the member for Paterson talk about her love for coal and how Labor want to embrace CCS when only a few weeks ago they came into this chamber and tried to make sure there was no investment in reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions through CCS. Every time, they talk big. Every time, they make their case. But it's always policy that is based on intent and not outcomes. On this side of the chamber we're for outcomes and Aussie jobs. (Time expired) 16:04 Dr ALY 13050 Cowan [by video link] This morning I was thinking about what I will tell my grandchildren—when I eventually get them—about my time in parliament. I thought to myself that there would be many moments I could share with them, like the time the former Attorney-General and the Prime Minister backed in a billionaire who tried to bankrupt Western Australia. Or the time the government voted against referring the member for Pearce to the privileges committee for the first time in the history of parliament. Or the time that the Prime Minister cuddled a precious lump of coal in the chamber. Or, indeed, the moment that we're having right now with a government that has dithered and dathered on an energy emissions policy for eight long years, even in the face of mounting evidence of the economic benefits of net zero emissions and an industry that is increasingly more frustrated by a lack of political action. The Prime Minister might rely on miracles, but the WA resources sector does not. Just this week, Rio Tinto announced it would accelerate its transition to decarbonisation by moving its iron ore mines to run on renewables, and they've invested $10 billion to get there. Mitsubishi Australia has committed to net zero by 2050, as has BHP. The WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy have called for net zero emissions by 2050. The resources industry is racing towards net zero, but the PM and the Minister for Resources and Water are distracted by internal party politics. Australia, particularly Western Australia, has a lot to offer the world in renewables, in hydrogen, in lithium and in rare minerals. We've got Greenbushes, in the south-west, the largest hard-rock lithium mine in the world. Mount Weld in Laverton has the highest-grade rare earth deposits. Nickel processing in Kwinana by BHP Nickel West produces enough nickel to make 700,000 electric-vehicle batteries. And, right here in the northern suburbs, ClearVue Technologies has developed solar-panelled glass that has the capacity to revolutionise the building industry. But every time I speak to anyone in the resources sector, or anyone conducting world-leading research into renewables, I hear the same story. Their ability to capitalise on Australia's technical expertise, our natural deposits and our ingenuity is stymied by the failure of this government to deliver a national policy on energy and emissions. Yet the Clean Energy Council has just said that we as a nation have the capability and capacity to reach 44.5 per cent cuts to emissions by 2030. This isn't a matter of ideology. What members opposite believe or don't believe about climate change is beside the point. This is about Australia's future prosperity for our children, for our grandchildren—when we eventually get them—and for generations to come. This is about the blind denial of a reality that is staring us all right in the face, a reality where the market and the industry is taking the lead on decarbonisation and emissions reductions because this government and this minister for resources refuse to. I dream about grandchildren, but now is not the time to dream about miracles. It's not the time to procrastinate. Now is the time for quite a harsh reality check. That means getting on board the renewables train and acting with conviction. That's what the resources sector is doing. They're not just getting on that train—they have had to build the tracks. They have had to build the train and the signals, and now they're having to drive that train as well. They're having to do all the heavy lifting and the hard yards in the absence of political will, stymied by this government that could pave the way for a prosperous Australia and a prosperous future. The minister for resources refuses to hop on that train. He refuses to get on board. The Prime Minister refuses to hop on that train. I say that, if they're refusing to hop on that train, they should get out of the way, because the train's coming. 16:10 Mr PASIN 240756 Barker It's an honour to follow the member for Cowan for what I suggest sounded a lot like a valedictory speech, but it is time for us to have a reality check. An opposition member interjecting— Mr PASIN 240756 I think I've scratched an itch! When I read this motion, I thought to myself, 'Pinch yourself, Tony; you're still dreaming.' The suggestion of those opposite is that our government has abandoned the Australian resources industry and jobs. I am pretty clear that that hasn't happened, but I will tell you what did happen. It's not something I determined; the people of Australia determined it in 2019. The blue collar workers in the Australian resources industry in 2019 had a decision to make, and they made it pretty clear. They made it in Western Australia in droves. They made it in Queensland in droves. We had one proposal where our government said we'd reduce emissions by 26 to 28 per cent, meet Kyoto I and II and ultimately put ourselves on a path to meet and beat our targets in Paris. We had the member for Maribyrnong leading the Australian Labor Party with a target to reduce emissions by 45 per cent. Ultimately, those in the Australian resources sector said, 'No, thank you,' because the Australian resources sector and the blue collar workers that work within it are incredibly intelligent people. They knew what rushing to that kind of reduction target meant. This debate isn't about emissions reductions. It's actually about the speed at which we get there. Those opposite at the last election wanted to rush to that outcome. If you want to rush to that outcome, the only tool you've got in your toolbox is a tax. If, on the other hand, you want to put yourself on a sensible trajectory, you give yourself more time to adopt technology based solutions. I suggest to those opposite that, whenever mankind has been faced with a challenge over its history, we have solved that problem using technology because, every time we try to solve that problem with a tax, it fails. The reality here is that this is a technology based solution or nothing, and we need to adopt that approach. Those opposite bemoan us for achieving our Kyoto I target, achieving our Kyoto II target—and, by the way, those opposite don't even have a 2030 policy. They don't have a target for 2030. In fairness, this motion should say, 'We congratulate the government for being about actions and outcome, as opposed to those opposite, who are about froth and bubble.' But that's the point, isn't it? They've always been about froth and bubble. They didn't care that the mining resources rent tax didn't raise a cracker, because it sounded good in the pages of the Age and the Guardian. They weren't focused on outcomes. We are focused on outcomes. I can tell you who else is focused on outcomes: the blue collar workers of this country, not just in the Australian resources sector but right across the spectrum. They have got an incredibly attuned radar for froth and bubble and, when they hear it in the lead-up to an election, they say, 'No, thank you'. I'm really pleased that those opposite have decided that they are for the Australian resources industry once again. It's a quantum change. We've been away from this place for some time, but you might recall that, the last time we were here, there were discussions about the Leader of the Opposition slinking his way very privately and confidentially into a coalmine. They weren't that proud about that situation then. The people of Australia get this. They don't judge people on what people say. People in my electorate say, 'Tony, we will judge you on what you do, not what you say.' Those opposite need to realise that the people of Australia are making those judgements right now. It's what you do; not what you say. It's not what target you'd like to achieve—or, for those opposite, what target you don't have. It's what target is set and you beat—what target you meet and beat. Those opposite don't even have a target, and they want to come in here and lecture us about our achievements—Kyoto 1, Kyoto 2 and on the trajectory for Paris. (Time expired) 16:15 Ms CLAYDON 248181 Newcastle What an extraordinary debate this afternoon! I barely know where to begin. But I do know that the last few weeks in the House—this week and before we came back to Canberra—my observation of this government is that it has been kind of reminiscent of watching the season finale of Dallas. It's like the worst US soap opera imaginable that revolves around this kind of affluent, feuding family that makes itself wealthy from oil and cattle industries, but they're at each other and undermining the bejeezus out of one another all the time. Well, that's the coalition party room. It is like one loop of Dallas, after Dallas, after Dallas. We have had eight years of this now—eight years of this ramshackle government, trying to get its act together on climate change, on energy or, frankly, any other number of important key policy issues for this nation. But finding its way to net zero emissions has been the most painful birth of all, and they still haven't got there; they are still in labour. They should actually let the real Labor take over and make sure that this country gets to net zero emissions by 2050. This has been the longest soap opera ever. Of course, we have had a few funny twists and turns on the way. They sent that senator, the old accountant from Queensland, down to the Hunter Valley to spread a bit of coal on his face to pretend he is at one with the people down there. As if any of our coalminers would take that bloke seriously! The government must not have understood just how disrespectful that looked to all of the hardworking men and women in that sector. We in Newcastle know a thing or two about when big companies and global capitals start making decisions, because we had a thing called a steelworks that operated in Newcastle. My dad was a rigger at BHP. I grew up with BHP pumping jobs, energy and steel out of that factory my whole life. Like every kid, I loved the tapping of the blast furnace and seeing those flames go everywhere. But you know what? BHP made an economic decision to leave us—to leave us hanging out to dry, quite frankly. But we didn't, because the people of Newcastle are a very resilient bunch. There was a shocking effort by the then Howard Liberal government to cobble together a restructure package, but Newcastle has gone on to diversify its economic base. We are now smart manufacturers of so many things, and we're turning ourselves to the opportunities of new energy sources. We want to be sitting at the table when those decisions get made, because we have a lot of skin in the game. We have a lot of people tied up in jobs that have a finite future. We know that when global capital make a big decision, they don't bother turning around and asking all the workers how they're going to get on. You have to be ready. You have to have some plans on the table. That is why I have pleaded with this government, for eight years now, to get their climate change policy sorted out and to stop the arguing. Seriously; there are still people there arguing about the basic science of climate change. You have to have a plan on the table that is going to take advantage of green hydrogen and that's going to take advantage of offshore wind. Finally, this week, we've seen a piece of legislation in this parliament. It has taken this government eight years to figure out that it needs some legislation to enable offshore wind to actually occur in this country. We want to take advantage of the opportunities for high-end manufacturing. I don't want us just to have offshore wind farms; I want us to be manufacturing the towers and the blades that we currently have to buy from overseas. They are good, real, permanent jobs that we need. We've got to diversify our economic base; otherwise you leave carbon-intensive regions like mine hanging out to dry. 16:20 Mr DRUM 56430 Nicholls It's an interesting topic for this debate—that apparently this government has somehow or other abandoned the Australian resources industry. Looking at the facts, it couldn't be anything further from the truth. Our resources are demanding record prices. Thermal coal prices are soaring and gas prices are soaring. Quantities are up, so our exports are increasing. Employment numbers in the sector are high. Yet somehow or other the opposition thinks that we as a government have abandoned this sector. It is quite amazing, really. When you listen to most of the opposition talk about this, you find it's not about the sector at all; it's about net zero 2050. Therefore, you look at the record of the government in relation to reducing emissions, and it is a fantastic record by any account. Our commitments under Kyoto 1 have been met and those under Kyoto 2 have been met. We were criticised relentlessly throughout all of those programs and told we were never going to meet those targets, but we did. We were criticised relentlessly and told we were never going to meet our Paris targets. They were saying, 'The only way you're ever going to meet those Paris targets is by some clever accounting, when you take over the surplus that you accumulated with Kyoto.' But that's not true either. We're going to meet our Paris commitments. Now I'll look forward to some of the other things we're doing in relation to reducing emissions. Why doesn't anybody ever give this government credit for Australia being a nation that leads the world in rooftop solar, ahead of Germany and Japan? You can add those two together and they just equal the amount of rooftop solar that we have in Australia, on a per capita basis. The things that we are doing in agriculture, with additives and supplements to reduce the methane being emitted by stock, are, again, leading the world. There are the policies put in place by the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia in relation to sequestering carbon within the soil, putting together some reserves on less productive farmland to ensure that we can sequester carbon within those timber reserves. As the previous speaker from the coalition said, there are two ways that we can get to the place where we all want to be—that is, a clean environment. We could try to do it with taxes, and we know that that's the Labor way. But, Mr Deputy Speaker, look at the recent technology advancements in solar panels. Over the last five years the cost of solar panels has effectively halved, and their efficiency has doubled. We would be reasonably confident that we will get similar advancements in technology surrounding batteries and the technology surrounding hydrogen, but at the moment they're just not there. The advancements that we are yearning for simply do not exist. We're confident that that's where we're going. We're confident we'll get to where we want to be. If you want to just jump in with a blindfold on, good luck! But we don't want regional Australia to take on the same risk. It's only reasonable that the National Party, in looking after people in the most energy intensive areas and in looking after the poorest people in Australia, who have the most trouble paying their energy bills and who will be at risk if we put in place policies that force the cost of energy up, want to put in place safeguards. It is something that we feel very comfortable with. Yes, I think there's every chance that we will be in a situation where we do get the technology that we need. But, right at the moment, industry is charging ahead, and industry needs dispatchable power, and we simply don't have dispatchable power in our renewables at the moment. We haven't got Snowy Hydro 2.0 built. We haven't got enough battery within our solar farms. Our large scale-wind—we still don't have enough battery there. And effectively we haven't got hydrogen to where we need to get it. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265991 The time for the discussion has concluded. BILLS -1 BILLS National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Improving Supports for At Risk Participants) Bill 2021 -1

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Improving Supports for At Risk Participants) Bill 2021

Returned from Senate -1 COMMITTEES -1 COMMITTEES Treaties Joint Committee -1 Appointment -1 16:25 The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265991 I have received a message from the Senate informing the House that Senator Van has been appointed a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties. BILLS -1 BILLS Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021 -1

Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021

Second Reading -1 16:26 Ms THWAITES 282212 Jagajaga I'll pick up where I left off in speaking on the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021—I seem destined to give this speech in small increments. But it is a really important topic and, as I was saying before, what really concerns me is that this important topic will go the way of all these things in terms of how this government will treat it. We have a royal commission that sets out the way we should go, but what we'll get from this government will be spin and announcements but no substance. It is important to note that the royal commission made 148 recommendations and that the response to these recommendations is so far disappointing. The government has delayed and rejected key recommendations. We know there's not enough reform around workforce issues—not improving wages. This is something I hear time and time again from people who work in the sector and people who rely on those who work in the sector. We are not going to fix this until we properly pay the people we are relying on to work in our aged-care sector. Regarding funding commitments, we know that this government is handing over $3.2 billion to providers with no strings attached, nothing to say that the funding actually has to go towards providing the better food and the better care that the aged-care royal commission said is needed. And the home-care package waitlist of 100,000 is still not cleared. Importantly, the government has also ignored the recommendation to require a nurse to be on duty 24/7 in residential care. What a disgrace—such a core recommendation from the royal commission, and this government can't even pick it up. The government also hasn't implemented the main increase in the number of mandatory care minutes in residential aged care. Again, I say that we know staffing levels, staffing conditions and pay are core to so many of the problems we see in our aged-care sector. It was picked up through the commission and it's picked up in the conversations that I have in my community. It is neglect, that this government isn't picking up those recommendations and implementing them. While there are many good parts to this bill, it is important that the bill receive further scrutiny. That's why I support the recommendation that it goes to a Senate committee inquiry for further investigation. It is concerning that this bill hasn't had the level of stakeholder consultation that it should have. From our side, the stakeholders we've consulted with have all expressed concern that they haven't had the chance to really provide input into and shape this bill. The government is choosing to implement worker screening instead of the royal commission recommendation for a national registration scheme. I note that Commissioner Briggs noted how this scheme would take time to set up. So, on something that we need time to set up, this government has decided to not even deal with it yet. That is, again, concerning, when we think about the quality of what's provided in our aged care. There will be weaker governance standards. The governance standards proposed in this bill are less prescriptive than those recommended by the royal commission. Regarding the clarity and the insight that we have into what's going on in our aged-care homes—the freedom of information exemption: currently providers are exempt from certain FOI requests. The royal commission recommended that this exemption be removed, but that has been left out of this bill. There are a couple of other issues that should also be addressed. As I said, the core of this issue, the core of this debate, must be about the government following through on the recommendations of the aged-care royal commission. We deserve an aged-care system that is funded properly, that is staffed properly and that works for all older Australians. ADJOURNMENT -1 ADJOURNMENT Australian Bushfires -1 16:30 Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Gilmore [by video link] When the 2019-20 bushfires were raging in my electorate on the New South Wales South Coast it truly was an extraordinary time. The selfless efforts of our rural fire service volunteers and all our emergency services volunteers and workers were simply outstanding and something I know we are all incredibly proud of. The bushfires raged for months, lives were tragically lost and people were injured. Homes and businesses were gutted, roads and highways cut off and loved ones separated. I remember that time clearly, a highway cut off, the feeling of desperation and despair as everyone banded together. The immediate need for a joint emergency services precinct was again highlighted during those catastrophic events of the 2019-20 Black Summer fires. In a small, much-loved community hall, the Moruya RSL Hall, you would find the makeshift Eurobodalla emergency operations centre, the place where emergency services would meet to coordinate the emergency response. Complete with Bunnings fold-up tables and extension power leads, the vital Moruya RFS incident management centre was in a different location, making communications and an integrated response more difficult. The Eurobodalla council and emergency services agencies have been advocating for more than eight years for a modern co-located facility for emergency services agencies and their operations to be based in Moruya. It's worth noting here that there have been previous reviews of emergency operation centres across New South Wales and on each occasion the conclusion has been that a purpose made emergency services precinct is required in Moruya. The Eurobodalla, more specifically Moruya, remains without a satisfactory emergency operations centre. New South Wales RFS, New South Wales Ambulance and New South Wales fire and rescue facilities each have standalone facilities in Moruya that are no longer fit for purpose and are located on flood prone land. New South Wales SES is currently located within council's Moruya depot and will need to relocate in the future. It's a huge problem. That's why I'm calling on the federal government to help fund a new, dedicated emergency operations centre at Moruya as part of a regional co-located emergency services precinct. Today I have launched a petition on my website asking people to join the fight for the emergency operations centre to be built. I know that Eurobodalla council is working in collaboration with the following state agencies in the development of the regional co-located emergency services precinct: New South Wales RFS, state planning office, regional planning office, local planning office, Moruya station, the incident management centre, the New South Wales SES, Moruya station training facilities and office, New South Wales Ambulance, Moruya station and office, the existing Eurobodalla emergency operations centre, local emergency management centres, agencies and non-government organisations. The precinct aims to house these stakeholders though the central emergency operations centre and training facility, providing a centre of excellence for emergency management. The new emergency operations centre and emergency precinct is needed urgently. As soon as government funding is made available an agreed service provider can be engaged to commence delivery of the project. All emergency services agencies and councils support this project. It's worth noting that 95 per cent of Eurobodalla citizens placed emergency services as the No. 1 issue for government to address. This proposal meets that need. Co-location of key emergency service agencies in high-tech, fit-for-purpose facilities will ensure supporting a contemporary future emergency response. Combined with the new Eurobodalla hospital and the existing Moruya TAFE, this precinct will also create a central employment hub, aligned with the proposed Moruya bypass. It will also boost local jobs. The federal government has a $4 billion emergency disaster-mitigation fund for this very purpose. The fund has earned the government over $700 million in interest, with only $50 million spent. Now is the time for the federal government to release those funds to help build the new emergency operations centre and precinct at Moruya. Sapien Cyber -1 16:35 Mr GOODENOUGH 74046 Moore Cybersecurity is a critical element of our national security. The Australian Cyber Security Centre, within the Australian Signals Directorate, leads the Australian government's efforts on national cybersecurity. According to the statistics contained in the latest ACSC threat report, cyberattacks are now occurring every eight minutes, compared to one every ten minutes last financial year. Malicious cyberactivity is on the rise. We need to face the reality that cybercriminals are getting smarter and hungrier for money and that they're looking to attack infrastructure providers in the higher education, medical and health, transport and telecommunications sectors. All of these major industries are situated within the electorate of Moore. I recently visited Sapien Cyber, based in the new science building at the Joondalup campus of Edith Cowan University. Chief Executive Officer Glenn Murray and Chief Operating Officer Rochelle Fleming briefed me on contemporary cybersecurity issues and the ways in which the federal government can better enable our local business community to effectively prepare for and defend and respond against cyberincursions; protect against losses to business continuity; and safeguard against reputational and financial loss. Sapien Cyber had its inception in research at Edith Cowan University. It is a collaboration of academics and industry experienced practitioners in the form of a new commercial-entity model, building upon the university's 20 years of world-leading research in cybersecurity. It is the only Australian owned and operated cybersecurity company focused on protecting critical infrastructure and working on operational technology. I look forward to supporting the work of Sapien Cyber in the digital sphere by promoting public awareness of cybersecurity threats and advocating for greater funding in investment in order to better safeguard our IT infrastructure, which the economy of the future will be built upon. Infrastructure security is a focus area for Sapien Cyber, as the federal government works to expand the number of defined critical infrastructure sectors, from the current four to 11, under the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2021. One particular area of expertise for Sapien is in the security of building-management systems, focusing on the medical and health sector in particular. Joondalup Health Campus is a major hospital within my electorate, and with the highest percentage of cyberattacks targeting the medical sector, we need to be more vigilant in protecting both the hospital itself and the patients within it from interference with building-management systems. Building-management systems centrally control access to buildings, the electrical supply, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, fire systems, telecommunications and other key services within the building. Tampering with these systems can cause chaos, leading to potential loss of life. One of my priorities is to constantly promote job opportunities for local residents. There is a huge deficit in skills in the cybersecurity space. With the City of Joondalup promoting itself as an emerging hub for cybersecurity, the necessary funding and investment for research and education needs to be attracted in order to develop nation-leading capabilities, which will drive long-term benefits for the industry and for the protection of our constituents and fellow Australians. Grassroots cybersecurity education is something we need to invest in to help fill the skills gap across Australia in this critical sector. With Sapien Cyber being a local Western Australian startup company with global reach, it's the perfect example of the type of business that requires further government funding and support for growth. In order for the Joondalup Learning Precinct to develop into a centre of excellence for innovation, technology, research and development, it is essential to attract greater levels of government funding and private sector investment. It is essential that graduates from cybersecurity courses are job ready and prepared to enter the workforce. Westside Christian College, Jindalee Districts Australian Football and Netball Club, Family Support Centre Inala -1 16:40 Mr DICK 53517 Oxley I rise to give credit and thanks, congratulating Westside Christian College Principal Mr Barry Leverton on his retirement. He leaves service of this wonderful school after 24 years of faithful service. Barry's tenure as principal has seen the school go from strength to strength, and I'm sure his legacy will continue within the school community for many years to come. His tenure as principal was marked with compassion, faith and an overriding commitment to serving the Christian values of the college and the educational wellbeing of every single student. I wish Barry and his wife all the best for their retirement and I look forward to continuing to support Westside Christian College as they enter a new chapter with a new school leadership team in place. I'd also like to extend my congratulations to the Jindalee Districts Australian Football and Netball Club, also known as the JAGs, on their 50th anniversary. While I will be quarantined while they celebrate this significant milestone and, sadly, won't be able to join them, I have had the honour of joining them for many presentation nights over my time as their local federal member. What stands out for me is their culture of inclusion and support, where kids are celebrated for their enthusiasm and effort along with their achievements. Congratulations to Wayne, Michael, Corey, Bill, Rob, David and so many volunteers in a fantastic year for the club even amongst the challenges we faced. This club is consistently growing its ranks for many years, increasing the membership from 150 members just six years ago to 620 players today. They're particularly proud that 45 per cent of their players are now women and girls. Congratulations to the Jindalee JAGs on 50 years of success. I wish you luck for 50 more. Another community group celebrating an anniversary recently is the Family Support Centre Inala. I was privileged to celebrate this milestone with many volunteers earlier this month alongside the great Queensland boxer Jeff Horn, who came along to support his wonderful mum, Lisa, who has worked at the centre for almost 18 years. For over 20 years the centre has provided almost $3 million worth of support to over 50,000 in need. They provide financial assistance as well as things like food, furniture, emergency bill payments, education expenses, Christmas hampers, gifts, vouchers and so much more to our wider Inala community. I know from speaking to our local state member, to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and to her father, the Hon. Henry Palaszczuk, who helped establish the Inala Family Support Centre, just how valuable this centre is to our local community. These services make a real difference in the lives of people in our community, who are struggling, those who find themselves in times of crisis. The motto of the centre is, 'We turn nobody away.' The impact of their support upon the Inala community cannot be underestimated or understated. I particularly want to acknowledge all of the hardworking volunteers who for so many years have served our community, particularly the conference President, Monica Tupicoff and her wonderful team of volunteers, who turn up each week, day in and day out, to support so many in our community, in particular many from non-English-speaking backgrounds who have come to Inala as their first home. They're always made to feel welcome and completely included. I recognise the dedicated work of all the volunteers past and present. I wish them a happy anniversary, and long may they continue the good work of the St Vincent de Paul Society in our community. COVID-19: Western Australia -1 16:44 Ms HAMMOND 80072 Curtin Johan, who is in his late sixties, has lived in the electorate of Curtin for years and, like so many others, Johan has family living overseas. During COVID, his sister's husband was diagnosed with and ultimately passed away from stage 4 cancer. They lived in South Africa. Unfortunately, due to travel restrictions, Johan was unable to travel to South Africa to attend his brother-in-law's funeral or to be by the side of his sister to give her support in her time of grief. Her grief was overwhelming and, tragically, Johan's glamorous, talented and devoted sister ended her own life soon after her husband's death. In speaking with me, Johan was quite matter of fact in saying that his sister was sacrificed for the greater good. However, in his own words, he also told me: 'I believe that the COVID situation has changed and, while the government has done a very good job in the past, and that intervention was sound philosophically and ethically, the change in situation puts a question as to the continuation of the ethical rightness. I call for a return of personal liberties that is no longer morally, philosophically and ethically acceptable to take away people's personal freedoms.' Jo, in her fifties, has also lived in the electorate for decades. In her words: 'I've been cut off from my only child for too long. He has battled through life in New York without family, without hugs and without the support of Australia he should have got as a citizen. He is one of those who has been forgotten and vilified in the press here. The hate directed at Australians living overseas has been hard to take. The effect on my mental health and physical health has been substantially worse than I would have imagined, but the government doesn't care. Our family is just collateral damage and we are not listed in any numbers anywhere. We want our family reunited. We have done all the right things throughout—vaccinated as soon as possible and quarantined as required. We don't get any money from the government and my son gets nothing. We just want to be together.' Ted, in his sixties, wrote me this, in part: 'A ship in the harbour is safe, but that's not what ships are for. Being denied the freedom to travel, even in your own country, when double vaccinated is not what life is for. The values of this government seem to be that a normal life is being able to have a beer at the pub or go to the footy, rather than being able to be with your family even in our own country at the end of life or other significant events. My father passed away last week and my brother, who is double vaccinated, could not be at his end of life. This is now affecting thousands of families. For many of us, the window to travel is a joy and this joy for many seniors is closing down. Seniors are being robbed of time. This virus is not going away. We need to learn to live with it and the price we pay for kicking that can down the road is enormous and it's particularly enormous for seniors.' Pamela, born in Cottesloe, told me this: 'COVID-19 is not the only killer out there. Separation from family and friends during any of life's emotional crises and celebrations, things we once said we valued, delivers long-term psychological damage and immense distress. My very elderly mother lives in Perth. I live and have businesses in London. I stayed in Perth for 18 months to care for her during the pandemic at a cost to my business and personal life. I returned to England in late August to pick up the pieces against the then promised international border openings in time for Christmas family reunions. Now my mother has had a stroke and I'm desperate to be back but the premier has extended the state's hibernation from the world and soon probably the rest of Australia again. My 95-year-old mother cannot keep waiting for new conditions to arise and promised reunions to be broken'. These are real Western Australians and real stories. These are our friends, neighbours and colleagues. Yes, we have been living a free life in Western Australia in many respects and it's been wonderful, but it has not been without cost. These stories are just the tip of the iceberg of those in WA who have been impacted by the border closures. We need our vaccination rates to increase. We need to ask for and be given a clear time frame as to when our borders will open. We need to ask for and be given a clear plan out. We need clarity, because there are so many of us who need hope. Covid-19: International Travel -1 16:49 Mr KHALIL 101351 Wills Australia's closed international border has been so hard on many Australians, with families being separated. Australia is a very diverse multicultural nation, and Australians have family all over the world. I do. I've supported Australia's border measures as a health measure during this pandemic, but in many cases of family being separated I've been shocked by the lack of compassion, consistency and common sense. Hundreds if not thousands of people have reached out to me over the past 18 months since Australia's border closed, because they're unable to secure an exemption despite very compelling circumstances. One case that is particularly shocking is that of the Kenny family in my electorate whose seven-year-old son, Oliver, has been undergoing treatment for medulloblastoma. It started with vomiting, and for two months his parents shunted him between GPs and hospital trying to find the answers. Doctors found a 32 millimetre tumour on his brain, which had produced two small pea-like tumours on his spine. Medulloblastoma, a word most seven-year-olds can't pronounce, is life-threatening and requires intensive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. It is a fast-growing and aggressive cancer. About 25 kids are diagnosed each year. Without medical intervention, Oliver could have had as little as two weeks to live. This is every parent's worst nightmare, and it was made much more difficult with Melbourne's lockdowns. While we complain about not seeing friends and family, not being able to go out, for the Kennys this has meant separation from their support systems, both friends and family, and the worry of the devastating implications of catching COVID and what that would do to Oliver. Despite all this, Oliver's grandparents, who live in the UK, have been knocked back four times in the last year trying to get to Australia to support the family and Oliver—four times. They are both double-vaccinated with booster shots and are willing to comply with all quarantine requirements and costs. If Oliver's case doesn't qualify for compassionate circumstances, what is the point of even having these exemptions? It's mind-boggling. This is despite his family and his social worker at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne pleading with Border Force and saying that the emotional and practical support that his grandparents would provide to Oliver and the family would be critical. Thankfully, Oliver's medical team believe he may now be in remission. However, his grandparents are still hoping to travel to Australia to provide that support to the family. I've written, at the Kenny family's request, to the Australian Border Force and so has Oliver's medical team. Oliver's father, Kirk, has recently started a petition that has attracted thousands of supporters. This is just one story of probably many thousands of stories, and hopefully we'll hear fewer and fewer such stories with our borders opening up and our high vaccination rates. I hope that, as our international border reopens, we also reopen to each other. Australia is one federated nation. We are no longer separate colonies. This Christmas, despite Australia being projected to meet the 80 per cent vaccination threshold, there will still be many families who are still stuck overseas and locked out from returning home, locked out from seeing their relatives and their loved ones. I feel for these families. People will be flying overseas, but someone in Melbourne won't be allowed to go to Perth. It speaks to the failure of national leadership in this place. We're all at fault: state premiers and territory chief ministers but also this place and the national leadership in here, our Prime Minister, our ministers, our government. I can't imagine Prime Minister Hawke or Prime Minister Keating or Prime Minister Howard vacating the field the way that this Prime Minister has done during this pandemic. I can't imagine any of those great prime ministers letting the state premiers dictate Australia's response to a global pandemic and standing for inconsistent state border rules: looking after their own people, yes, but not thinking about the bigger picture of the nation. I ask: how long will our Prime Minister let this go on for? Fisher Electorate: Infrastructure -1 16:54 Mr WALLACE 265967 Fisher On Sunday more than 4,500 residents in my electorate of Fisher gathered for a protest rally along the route of Sunshine Coast Council's proposed light rail project. Led by dedicated local campaign groups Mass Transit Action Group and the Beach Matters Group, they held signs that said, 'No light rail', 'Tell the council now' and 'Don't make us the Gold Coast'. I could not agree more with the thousands of my community and like-minded residents that spoke up so very clearly on the weekend. I thank Tracey Goodwin-McDonald and Rachael Bermingham for their roles in mounting this important protest. I also thank my state colleagues Jarrod Bleijie and Fiona Simpson. I was very disappointed not to be there—unfortunately, I had to travel down here, and was on a plane at the time of the rally, otherwise I would have been there with them. Unfortunately, Sunshine Coast Council has totally ignored the voices of the many residents in my community who rightly oppose this ill-considered idea. Yesterday, council voted in majority to send their mass transit options paper to the Queensland state government, recommending light rail as a high-scoring option for consideration. Council clearly do not care what our community thinks. They are determined to blindly progress this project, whatever the views of the people that they are supposed to represent. I am just as determined to oppose this. No-one could deny that public transport on the Sunshine Coast is in a parlous state. Thanks to decades of neglect from successive Queensland Labor state governments, our bus service is woefully inadequate and our century-old single-track rail line does not come within 20 kilometres of the coast's major population centres. However, in my view, and that of the many thousands of my constituents who rallied on Sunday, Sunshine Coast Council's $1.5 billion proposal for light rail is absolutely the wrong answer. One of council's light rail proposals would run from Caloundra along Nicklin Way, through Kawana and along Alexandra Parade, finishing after 22 kilometres in the new Maroochydore city centre. That route continues to change throughout the years—now they're talking about maybe having it from Kawana to Maroochydore. In any event, Nicklin Way and Alexandra Parade are already heavily congested roads, and light rail would remove a lane each way for traffic. Light rail would not significantly reduce the number of cars using these roads when our population is so heavily decentralised throughout the region, yet it would halve the network's capacity to take cars. The consequences for our already heavily congested roads would, in my view, be disastrous. Our community instead needs heavy rail on the CAMCOS corridor, and a significantly upgraded road and public transport network across the entire region which benefits all local residents. Servicing only a narrow strip of some 22 kilometres on one fixed light rail would do nothing for the vast bulk of Sunshine Coast residents. Most would be required to make the congested journey to drive to a light rail station in order to use it. Even those residents who lived along the rail would continue to require a car to reach the bulk of our community services and amenities, which are not located within walking distance of a proposed light rail station. Most importantly, light rail would also have disastrous consequences for the lifestyle along the Sunshine Coast's famous coastal strip. Our community is differentiated from others by its low density, natural coastline and family-friendly living. Council's design for light rail includes proposals to significantly increase the permitted density of residences along the coastline between Caloundra and Maroochydore. This is expected to increase the population of this area, and my community is saying: 'No, Mayor. No, Sunshine Coast Council. This is not what we want.' Please listen to them. House adjourned at 16:59 NOTICES -1 NOTICES

Thursday, 21 October 2021

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Dr Freelander ) took the chair at 10:01.

CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS -1 CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS Youth Voice in Parliament Week -1 10:01 Ms BIRD DZP Cunningham It's a great pleasure and indeed an honour for me to be able to make this contribution to the parliament today. Like so many of my colleagues, I took up the invitation to participate in the Youth Voice in Parliament program, which encouraged young people to write very short essays on where they would like to see Australia in 20 years time. I think this is a great initiative. Obviously, as a former high school teacher, I'm always very keen to see young people contributing their ideas to the national debate. It's sadly too often the case that people are encouraged to be cynical, which really doesn't get you anywhere at the end of the day; it's participation and being involved that makes a difference. I want to acknowledge all the young people in my area who made submissions to this campaign. They were all excellent short speeches that were contributed for my consideration, and that made the choice very difficult. So I do want to individually thank all of the local young people who submitted their ideas to me. That included Bethany Hopkins, Ella Lee, Katrina Beretov, Liam Galloway, Hayley van Duin, Nia Fleury, Poppy Treloar, Kate L, Erin Tucker, Charlotte McIntyre, Zoie Carruthers, Zoe Simpson and Adrielle Palmer. Thank you to each and every one of you. I have chosen to read the short speech submitted by Tegan Ware because I was so impressed with the range of challenges facing our nation that she managed to canvas in such a short speech. Here is Tegan's speech: 'In 20 years, I hope a lot of things are different. I want the traditional custodians of this land to get their land back and their history taught. I want women to be believed instead of dismissed. In 20 years, I want gorgeous places like the Great Barrier Reef to exist for the next generation to see, instead of a story we will just tell our children that they won't ever quite believe. I want there to be stricter and more impactful policies about climate change to ensure the protection of these beauties. I hope, in 20 years, it's not too late. But, more than anything, I hope we can look to our government and see people that truly reflect us—all cultures, all genders, all sexualities, all disabilities and all social and economic standings. I hope we don't accept a room full of white men who do not understand the experience of women, of immigrants, of people living with disabilities, of Indigenous people. The list goes on and on. I hope we are above accepting the bare minimum from our governments. I hope a token minority is not the gold standard. I hope, in 20 years, I won't have to still be asking for these things.' So do I. Thank you very much, Tegan. Domestic and Family Violence -1 10:04 Mr SHARMA 274506 Wentworth Almost one in six women will experience domestic violence at some point during their life, and, unfortunately, through this pandemic, we've seen anecdotal evidence at least that this has been on the rise. I've spoken to a number of domestic violence support organisations in my own electorate in recent weeks, and I arranged a Zoom meeting with the Minister for Women's Safety, Anne Ruston, a number of weeks ago, to hear directly from some of these domestic violence organisations. The Lokahi Foundation was one of them; Bondi Cottage, another; the Wayside Chapel, which also supports women fleeing domestic violence; and the Run for Good Project, which is run by a good friend of mine, which has helped women fleeing situations of domestic violence. What you hear from these organisations—and certainly through the pandemic—is that often women have a hard time fleeing these relationships because they don't have the means to support themselves when they do. Frequently, they're taking their children with them; frequently, they've lost access to the bank accounts that they might share with their partner; frequently, they obviously don't want to have any more contact with their partner or be found by that partner, which means they need to find ways to support themselves. A number of the organisations in my electorate help women with this. They help find them temporary housing; they help find them work; they help clothe their children; they provide them with clothing, food and other essential items. What we saw with the trial of the early access to super scheme last year, and, anecdotally, at least, what I saw in my electorate, was that women were accessing that scheme in order to access liquid assets—cash—to support them and their children in the first few weeks and months after they'd fled a domestic violence relationship. So that's why I'm very pleased that this week the measure that was announced in the recent budget has come into effect. This is the $5,000 one-off payment for fleeing domestic violence. That will provide women fleeing violent or abusive relationships $1½ thousand in cash and $3½ thousand in in-kind payments to pay things like school fees, rental fees, utilities and what not. Whilst this won't be a cure-all, it will hopefully provide, for some women who are trapped in abusive and violent relationships, the means and some support for their decision to leave those relationships, which is obviously not only good for them but also good for their children. It will hopefully provide a means for organisations such as those in my electorate to support these women as well. Surprisingly, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, in my own seat of Wentworth, which does have a high socioeconomic index and what not, I frequently hear from police that, in fact, domestic violence is disproportionately prevalent in those suburbs and there's a high incidence—often, masked by seemingly comfortable, happy and secure lives. There is a lot of violent and abusive behaviour that goes on behind closed doors. So I'm very pleased that we've got this policy in effect from this week, to help women find a safer and more secure future. Medicare -1 10:07 Ms RISHWORTH HWA Kingston [by video link] In my 14 years in parliament I have talked about many issues, but one of the issues I've regularly raised is the importance of affordable health care in this country, and, unfortunately, over the years—in the last eight years, under this Liberal coalition government—we've seen that access really be eroded away. This has been further impacted, for people in my electorate, by the most recent Medicare changes that came in on 1 July, cutting back the rebate that doctors get for so many procedures. That is having, now, a real impact on constituents in my electorate. The government rushed these changes through without proper consultation and really without the ability for doctors and patients to get their heads around them. So we're now seeing the consequences, and I've been contacted by many constituents who have been affected. One family contacted me—one father of a 25-year-old son who had a serious back injury. His surgeon had advised him that a discectomy was needed to correct the injury and reduce the risk of permanent, lifelong, spinal-cord injury. The family were rightly shocked when the surgeon told them that the out-of-pocket costs would be $4,700. The father said that they had no choice but to try and find the money for their son for his out-of-pocket costs because the surgeon had said it could not be delayed as that could result in permanent spinal-cord injury. The family were further shocked to find out that if this injury and surgery had happened before 1 July this year then the out-of-pocket costs would have been between $500 and $1,000. Like many families, they just don't have a spare $4,700 sitting around to pay for this urgent health care. I was also contacted by Paul from Woodcroft. He has also been impacted. He also contacted my office about seeing his surgeon for significant back injury. Paul had back surgery in the past and his out-of-pocket costs had been for the anaesthetic, which it only cost $500 to $1,000. When Paul saw his surgeon after 1 July, he was told he would be out of pocket by $6,000 to $8,000 for this essential operation. Health care should not break the bank in this country. Getting essential surgery and getting essential health care are imperative. I urge the government to revisit this and look at this carefully. Reid Electorate: Small Business -1 10:10 Dr MARTIN 282982 Reid Over the past few months I've been hosting a number of community forums in Reid. I have held forums with our Chinese community, talking about COVID vaccines. Local GP Dr Stephen Zhang and local pharmacist Claudia Nguyen spoke about the importance of vaccine uptake. I also had the privilege of hosting an online forum with the human rights commissioner for children and also an online forum on mental health, where I was fortunate to have Professor Ian Hickie talk about the importance of looking after yourself in lockdown. We also had a local community forum on small business. Small business is so important to the people of Reid. There are over 26,000 small- to-medium-sized enterprises in Reid; many of them are family owned as well and they've gone true a very different time. I thought the time to host the forum was a few weeks ago, before we all opened up. We were very fortunate to be joined by the Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, the Hon. Stuart Robert. He outlined the government's pathway to recovery. We were also joined by Jade Angelopoulos, the marketing extraordinaire for a local business, Schibello Caffe, located at Rhodes, and also Paul Zahra, the CEO of the Australian Retailers Association. He gave an incredible insight into what lies ahead. After what has been a really difficult time, this was an opportunity for local constituents, businesses and the chambers of commerce to come together to ask questions, and also to instil a sense of optimism about trading in the next couple of months. It was also about ideas to stimulate buying. It was a fantastic opportunity and I was very fortunate to have so many constituents on the line. After the harsh lockdowns and unfair curfews in Reid, I think, my constituents from Drummoyne through to Rhodes answered the call to get involved in community events. That was whether that meant getting vaccinated or participating in online forums to talk about mental health and how they can help their families during lockdown, or participating in an online forum on small business. Because we have now reached 80 per cent double-dose in New South Wales, a wonderful milestone for us, we're open. I'm so excited and optimistic about the future of small business in Reid. Whether it's the small villages in Homebush, Five Dock or Croydon, or the big shopping centres, like Westfield at Burwood, the Birkenhead shopping centre at Drummoyne or the DFO at Homebush, I'm very excited about the future of small business in Reid. Youth Voice in Parliament Week -1 10:13 Mr GORMAN 74519 Perth One of the most important things we can do to get decisions right in this place is to listen to the voice of young Australians. As part of the Youth Voice in Parliament Week, I'm pleased to be speaking and sharing the words of some of those young Australians from my electorate of Perth. Before I do so, I want to say thank you to the Raise Our Voice Australia team who pulled this initiative together, making sure there's a coordinated effort to make sure that young people's voices are heard more often in this place. That's a reminder to all of us that we need to listen to young people more than we sometimes do in making our policy deliberations. The person who I'm speaking on behalf of today is my constituent Emilia Cuske, who is 11 years old. I know that I couldn't have written something this comprehensive or thoughtful when I was 11 years old. Thank you, Emilia, for sharing your thoughts with me. It's my honour to share them now with the parliament. Emilia was asked, 'What do you want Australia to look like in 20 years?' This is her answer: 'That question takes many forms, but the answer always remains the same. In 20 years from now, I see a country where every living thing is born equal, where people are not judged by their covers but by what lies within, where everyone comes together to form a united Australia. In 20 years from now, I see a country that does not send people to war, to their death, but stops fighting wars altogether, a country where innocent people's lives will be spared. In 20 years from now, I see lush green grass, beautiful flowers and big trees that lend shade to people, an Australia that has stopped burning things and creating the gases that poison our planet. In 20 years from now, I see a country that is perfect—no, not perfect, nothing can truly be perfect, but as close to perfect as can be. A country that is a role model for others. We will have equality, peace, and a beautiful land. Other countries will follow in our footsteps. We will be the change this world needs. We won't only shape Australia's future but the world's. That's what I see in 20 years.' They were the words of Emilia from my electorate. In some of the other speeches that were shared with me, it really struck me that they were speeches of young people who are hopeful and optimistic about the work that we do in this place and what can be achieved. Sarah, who is 18, wrote, 'Australia is known worldwide as a fair dinkum country, a land of adventure, a land of prosperity, a land of promise.' Gemma, who is 13, said, 'Hopefully, in 20 years there will be no such thing as gender discrimination in Australia.' Meleva, who is 21 and lives in my electorate, is equally passionate about gender equality. She said, 'I want to live in an Australia where violence against women is no more: not in the home, not on the street, not anywhere at all.' I want to thank everyone who participated in this program, and I hope there are even more participants in 2022. Parkes Electorate: Brewarrina, McHughes, Mr Christopher (Burra) -1 10:16 Mr COULTON HWN Parkes Today I'd like to recognise the community of Brewarrina in my electorate. Brewarrina is on the banks of the Darling River in north-western New South Wales. It's the home of one of the oldest man-made structures on earth: the fish traps, which have incredible cultural significance to the local people. Bradley Hardy, a local man, undertakes the tours and does a wonderful job in explaining to visitors the importance and the history, both the good and the bad, of the area and the significance of the fish traps. Brewarrina Shire Council, led by mayor Philip 'Ocker' O'Connor, now have a workforce that matches the local population: 80 per cent of the workforce of the Brewarrina shire are Aboriginal folk, including directors, and they've just been successful in some grants to do major roadworks. I was at Goodooga in the Brewarrina shire a few weeks ago to see local people on heavy earthmoving equipment building absolutely first-class roads that will help not only their connectivity back to Brewarrina and other places but also the links through to Queensland. We were able to give the Brewarrina bore baths a grant through the Drought Communities Program. They were upgraded by a local workforce. During the start of the pandemic, up to 80 caravans were camped out at these bore baths. They are so well done. I'd like to finish up and mention a young lad who's a friend of mine. I first met Christopher McHughes, otherwise known as Burra, when he was a student, probably about 15 or 16, at Brewarrina Central School some years ago. He's really stepped up in the role of local leadership. He's in charge of the team of firefighters under the mitigation unit for the NSW Rural Fire Service. During the pandemic, he led his team to support their local community. They delivered food parcels to the elders, and while they were there they helped allay some of their fears about vaccination, and they supported the young folk. As a result, the level of illness in what could be a very vulnerable community was incredibly low up until now in the pandemic. There's been a big effort from the local community and a big effort from Burra and the leadership he's shown. Sometimes these western towns get portrayed in the city media as disadvantaged, but quite often the heart, and the soul, and the strength and the beauty of these areas don't get mentioned. I wanted to do that today. COVID-19: Manufacturing -1 10:19 Mr HILL 86256 Bruce One of the many things that COVID-19 has revealed about our country is the crisis in manufacturing. We discovered, to our horror and shame, really, that we couldn't even make basic medical supplies. We're not talking advanced pharmaceuticals or nuclear submarines, we're talking face masks and hand sanitiser. But this crisis didn't just happen overnight. We're in the ninth year of this failing Liberal government—the wasted Morrison decade. Australia now is dead-last out of every developed nation in the world—every OECD nation—we're dead-last in manufacturing self-sufficiency. We only make about 68 per cent of the stuff that we need for our own economy. In terms of total economic output—that is, the whole of the Australian economy—manufacturing is now only about six per cent. Yet in the 1970s, it was about 30 per cent. Now, I know we've grown other industries, sure. But manufacturing is not like any other industry. It's the most innovation-intensive sector. It's critical to our national security and prosperity. Overall, the jobs in manufacturing are high-quality, they're usually full-time, they're usually secure and permanent, and they pay above-average wages. They're good jobs. And they anchor hundreds of thousands of other jobs in the broader economy through the supply chains. It's hugely important in my electorate of Bruce, which includes the great Dandenong manufacturing precinct. Yet, under the Liberals, manufacturing's share of our total economy in south-east Melbourne has fallen every year for the last eight years, and we're now in our ninth year. The government pretend to care. They talk about it when they think it's useful for them, but it's all fake. We saw last year the Prime Minister's record on job creation. Remember the centrepiece of his budget, the JobMaker scheme? It was going to make 450,000 jobs, he told us. He ran around the country announcing the 450,000 jobs. And what happened? Well, when the cameras were gone, they scrapped the scheme and it created barely one per cent of what they promised. Their job creation record is a fraud. They chased the car industry out of Australia—that's how much they cared about manufacturing—destroying a valuable industry and the supply chain that sat behind it. But the challenge for Australia now, as we come out of the COVID recession and out of Morrison's lockdowns, is how to boost manufacturing. The Prime Minister doesn't have a plan. He talks about snapback: 'Let's make things how they were.' That's a low-wages, weak-manufacturing economy. We deserve and need better. A Labor government will deliver a future made in Australia and a plan to build back stronger. We will deliver a $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund to revive Australian manufacturing, partnering with the private sector—smart policy. The Australian Skills Guarantee will give apprentices, trainees and cadets a chance on government projects, to give them a start. The Defence Industry Development Strategy, the National Rail Manufacturing Plan and, now, our 10-point Buy Australian plan. The Commonwealth spends $200 billion on procurement. We can squeeze more value out of that for small and medium-sized businesses and we can create more jobs in Australia with a smart, Buy Australian policy. Contrast that with the government's laissez-faire, let-it-rip, she'll-be-right approach. Petrie Electorate: Redcliffe Dolphins, Petrie Electorate: Moreton Daily Stadium -1 10:23 Mr HOWARTH 247742 Petrie I want to chat today about the Redcliffe Dolphins. We've had some really exciting news in my federal seat of Petrie, with the Redcliffe Dolphins being announced as the 17th team to enter the National Rugby League. It makes it the first Queensland club carried on a wave of community support into the NRL. It's really exciting for our community back at home in Redcliffe. Back in 2015, I asked the people of Petrie to support a petition for the federal government to build a new stadium at the Dolphins sports precinct in Redcliffe, and they didn't disappoint. I want to thank all of those people and everyone involved in the community that supported this bid. It has seen world-class facilities built for the rugby league community, to be shared also with other sports. We have the Brisbane Roar FC playing their A-League games in Redcliffe as well. I know the Chief Government Whip is a big supporter of the Brisbane Roar, and he often comes out, and that exemplifies what this new stadium, Moreton Daily Stadium, has done for Redcliffe. Like the member here, the Chief Government Whip, people come out to games regularly. It's brought tourism to our community. It's also brought women's sport and it's also brought community groups. The federal government's $8 million investment on behalf of Australians towards the redevelopment of the club facilities, improving seating capacity, and new female amenities and change rooms was the beginning of a fantastic partnership that will, importantly, lead to more local jobs and local opportunities. We've also seen films being highlighted out here at the stadium, with the US hit show YoungRock, the story of Dwayne Johnson, filmed earlier this year. It's hard not to get excited by the uplift that will come locally from this announcement. It was a well deserved win, too, with the club's 74 years of proud rugby league history, producing 32 Queensland reps and 23 Kangaroos. The club boasts over 800 juniors, and, if you consider the catchment of Moreton Bay up into Central Queensland's Capricornia region, that equates to one-third of rugby league juniors. Redcliffe will be to the Dolphins what Red Hill is to the Broncos, and with one million visits annually to the Dolphins' precinct, and major redevelopment plans in the works, this is brilliant for jobs and tourism within the Moreton Bay region. If we can make our Queensland State of Origin team a bit stronger as well, that will be great. I'm proud to call the Dolphins my team; and with Wayne Bennett, the super coach, officially being announced as the inaugural coach it's going to be a great first season. What started as a whisper will end in a roar from a crowd of new Dolphins supporters in 2023. COVID-19: Morrison Government -1 10:26 Ms THWAITES 282212 Jagajaga Today my thoughts are all with the people in my community, who are in their last day of what has been a very long and a very difficult lockdown. Because of all of their efforts we have officially hit 70 per cent fully vaccinated in Victoria. Because of everything they have done we are able to get back to being with friends and family. I am so thankful and I am so proud of everyone in our community who has helped us to achieve this. Thank you to everyone for doing your part to get vaccinated. Thank you to all our health professionals who've delivered those vaccinations at Austin Health, at Banyule Community Health, at our GPs and at our pharmacies. Thanks to our small businesses. I know you have pivoted so many times, but you have kept us caffeinated, you've kept us fed, you've kept us going. Thanks to all the remote learners, the parents, the teachers and the early educators. It has been so hard. It has been so difficult in so many ways, and we have got through this by coming together, by sticking it out together and by together making the sacrifices that have kept our community safe. That's why it's particularly galling for me to sit in this place and hear the Prime Minister for Sydney—who was not there for this effort by Melburnians, by Victorians—pat himself on the back for what he apparently thinks was his effort to get us through this pandemic. The Prime Minister who was not there at the start of the year when COVID started circulating again and we had to once again worry about older people in our community, and in our aged care homes, who hadn't yet been vaccinated. The Prime Minister who wasn't there when the delta strain came to Melbourne via Sydney, when we were not vaccinated, because he hadn't ordered the vaccines early enough. He'd told us it wasn't a race and then diverted vaccines to Sydney. The Prime Minister whose government was slow to provide COVID disaster relief payments to Victoria when we needed them because we had to lock down because we weren't vaccinated. The Prime Minister who, even now, oversees concerningly low rates of vaccination in the disability community and for First Nations people. Prime Minister, don't turn up now with your self-praise and your op-ed in our papers. You weren't there when it counted. There are absolutely lessons we have to learn from what's happened in Victoria. It's a global pandemic. We haven't been through anything like this in our lifetimes. We need to learn those lessons, but the Victorian government showed up every day and showed the leadership that kept us safe. Congratulations, again, to everyone in my community, to everyone in Melbourne. I am so proud. Get a haircut, hug a loved one, go to a restaurant. And go gently on yourself and on others. It will be different. Remember the doctors and nurses and others still on the front line. Keep safe and thank you. Lockhart -1 10:29 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina Nice words at the end of the member for Jagajaga's speech there. My daughter, Georgina, who's from Melbourne and a schoolteacher—we thank them all, particularly our teachers, who were at the front line teaching kids via telepresence. It's very difficult, so I understand, and I concur with those final few remarks by the member opposite. I recently visited Lockhart, a town in my area, a fantastic little community that was originally known as Greens Gunyah. It kept its verandahs in its main street, Green Street, when every other town was ripping theirs out. It's now known as the 'verandah town'. I urge and encourage people to visit Lockhart. It has been the recipient of a few grants recently. I was there to speak with the mayor, Roger Schumer, and others about the grants and they were very, very pleased. One of them was Valmar Support Services, which has a place in the main street. They welcome people with disabilities and employ a number of people but they are growing, as the NDIS is even further rolled out. Valmar originally started in Tumut. It is even in Canberra now. For 50 years it has been providing important disability services for people, the most vulnerable people in our community. Certainly, right around the Riverina, we very much appreciate what they do. They're going to get solar panels on the roof of the valuable support network in Green Street, the main street of Lockhart. The mighty Lockhart Football Netball Club last won a first grade football premiership in 2003, prior to that, 1982, so it will have been a few years between drinks since they joined the Hume league in 1982. The club received a Building Better Regions Fund in the order of $200,000 with which it is going to provide a new community hub. It already has a great industrial kitchen and previously received netball courts, courtesy of the federal government. This community hub is going to be so important. The football netball club is not just a sports club; it's an area where people from right throughout the community will come to celebrate various personal events such as weddings—indeed, even wakes. Whatever the case might be, they will now have a facility which will be second to none in the region and they're very much looking forward to that. Of course, the Lockhart Shire is also putting money towards it. I know that the New South Wales state coalition government has as well put money into the shire. I want to give a special shout-out to the long-serving mayor, Roger Schumer. He has been a fantastic mayor. He's retiring at the 4 December elections. I wish him all the very best in his future endeavours. I know that he's still going to be a great community voice. Lockhart is one of those go-ahead communities which would, but for the regional funding we're providing, be much the poorer. I commend the Lockhart Shire for getting behind the community and for being its best self. Moreton Electorate: Manufacturing -1 10:32 Mr PERRETT HVP Moreton [by video link] This COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world. It's changed the way we live and will have a lasting impact on all of us. In particular, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of manufacturing to our nation. It's crucial that Australia eliminate weak supply chain links and nurture domestic production capacity. Before the pandemic, only five per cent of PPE used in Australia was made here because we didn't have the manufacturing capacity to meet demand. Ninety-five per cent of personal protective equipment used in Australia was imported. The Queensland Palaszczuk government reacted quickly, mobilising manufacturing to deliver PPE and COVID-19 related equipment for frontline health and essential workers. Local manufacturing businesses quickly pivoted, stepping up to the challenge, such as Belgotex at Acacia Ridge, one of Queensland's only textile manufacturers. They purchased special looms, upskilled their workforce and commenced making special-grade fabrics for local PPE production. The lightweight tight-weave fabric was used to make medical scrubs, uniforms, hospital linen, sheeting, privacy screens, reusable face masks and gowns for frontline health workers. Well done, Belgotex. Also, AnteoTech at Eight Mile Plains recently launched its 15-minute COVID-19 rapid antigen test platform called EuGeni. This project has created five new highly skilled jobs and protected 20 existing jobs. EGR, a 46-year-old car accessories manufacturer in Salisbury pivoted early last year to produce protective face shields for frontline workers. Their 800 staff were set up to mass produce equipment at the rate of hundreds of thousands a day. Thank you EGR. I congratulate all manufacturers and local businesses that pivoted when Australia needed them most. Sadly, for some local manufacturers, the Morrison government did not support their initiatives and, instead, awarded contracts for PPE to offshore companies when they could have been filled by local manufacturing businesses. I know that manufacturing is important. I'm a proud member of the AMWU. Labor knows that manufacturing is important. An Albanese Labor government will rebuild the nation's manufacturing industry with a comprehensive plan to create jobs, boost vital skills, bring industry expertise back onshore and supercharge national productivity. Labor has a plan: we will boost local manufacturing jobs via national rail manufacturing so more trains are built in Australia by local workers, particularly Queensland. We will develop a defence industry development strategy and also an Australian skills guarantee that will put more apprentices on major Commonwealth projects. These will build on the jobs that will flow from Labor's plans—from the Australian Centre for Disease Control to a social housing repair program—and will keep tradie on the tools. I'm so proud of all the businesses in Moreton that have stepped up for Australia when we needed them most. Let's keep this going and keep investing in Australian manufacturing. Hyperdome Early Education Centre -1 10:35 Mr VAN MANEN 188315 Forde The Queensland Childcare Services has set a new standard of inclusive play environments following the official opening of the newly refurbished outdoor play area at the Hyperdome Early Education Centre in my electorate of Forde. The inclusive playground is designed by pioneering play experts Wearthy and is a local first in design. The playground features a connecting ramp, which the surrounding architecture is linked to, allowing children of all physical abilities to play together. Unlike other inclusive playgrounds in the region, the key feature of this playground is it's a natural environment. It's not made of rubber and soft floor materials. It provides all of the fun of natural boulders, direct pulley systems, a tree house and water play, therefore creating authentic childhood adventure for all abilities. It's estimated that more than 260,000 Queenslanders have a profound or severe disability. Just 3.4 per cent of the Queensland population under the age of five has a disability, and this rises to 10.4 per cent of children aged five to 15 years. Wearthy founder, playground designer and outdoor educator, Lukas Ritson, believes that every child, no matter their capabilities, has the right to a limitless childhood through play. Their design is built to nurture the developmental needs of children, to ignite creativity, curiosity and connectedness no matter their abilities. The outdoor play relieves anxiety and creates wellbeing in the children, and Wearthy are advocating the right to a healthy, thriving childhood, because play has the power to change the world. The Hyperdome Early Education Centre is proud to offer this in addition to their talented team of educators and resources to nurture the next generation of our community. The early childhood learning experience truly provides our children with the building blocks they need to shape who they are. The addition of this inclusive playground to the centre only builds on the range of activities they offer to help develop children's skills across all areas, activities such as bush kindy, swimming lessons and engaging programs such as music, yoga, fitness and drama. Parents also have the ability to order nourishing meals through QCCS's own catering company, the Healthy Cooking Company, and each one is dietitian and nutritionist designed and tailored for dietary needs. This allows the children to fuel their bodies with the essentials they need to support their play and development. I want to take this opportunity to commend the ongoing efforts of the staff and the team at the Hyperdome Early Education Centre and QCCS for the clear passion they show towards teaching our youth and children of today. Gilmore Electorate: Hospitals -1 10:38 Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Gilmore [by video link] If there's one thing to get people's blood boiling in the Batemans Bay and Moruya area, just mention the word 'hospital'. Let me start by saying, we love our nurses, our doctors and all our hospital and health workers. They are absolute champions working in the most difficult conditions. But people in Batemans Bay and Moruya just want to have their hospital services improved. At present, around two-thirds of patients have to travel outside of the area for hospital and cancer care treatment. That often means a long trip to Canberra. The existing Batemans Bay hospital is a level 2 hospital. The Moruya hospital is a level 3 hospital. The plan was for a brand new Eurobodalla hospital to provide the higher level 4 services and include intensive care and mental health wards. An announcement was made by the state member and the New South Wales government, and everyone thought that we would finally be getting the hospital services— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 203092 Sorry to interrupt. Stop the clock. We're getting some interference. If anyone on videoconference is not on mute—I think it might be the member for Moreton because I can't see the member for Adelaide talking—could you just make sure that you are on mute, because we are getting some type of background interference noise. I'm sorry to have interrupted you. You may proceed. Would the member for Gilmore like to recommence, or are you happy to continue from where you were? Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 It would be great if I could start again. That was very confusing. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 203092 Sorry about that; we were getting background noise. I call the member for Gilmore. Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Thank you, Deputy Speaker. If there's one thing to get people's blood boiling in the Batemans Bay and Moruya area, just mention the word 'hospital'. Let me start by saying, we love our nurses, our doctors and all our hospital and health workers. They are absolute champions working in the most difficult conditions. But people in Batemans Bay and Moruya just want to have their hospital services improved. At present, around two-thirds of patients have to travel outside of the area for hospital and cancer care treatment. That often means a long trip to Canberra. The existing Batemans Bay hospital is a level 2 hospital. The Moruya hospital is a level 3 hospital. The plan was for a brand new Eurobodalla hospital to provide the higher level 4 services and include intensive care and mental health beds. An announcement was made by the state member and the New South Wales government, and everyone thought that we would finally be getting the hospital services that were promised. But no, it's turned out to be another flashy announcement, where the government is good on announcement and poor on delivery. Let's take a look at what constituents are telling me this will mean for the new Eurobodalla hospital: no intensive care unit, fewer emergency beds, no acute mental health services, no dedicated paediatric and neonatal supports, and no orthopaedics. I was contacted recently by a GP aghast that the state government tried to rip out the high-dependency monitors from the hospital. They still want the monitors gone before the end of the year. So locals are at the stage where they have no new Eurobodalla hospital at all; the new hospital, when it's built, will have fewer services; and in the meantime the government is axing services from Batemans Bay Hospital. Constituents tell me the state government is also axing security and staffing at Batemans Bay Hospital. It's left people asking, 'What in the blazes is going on?' Where are the state member and the state government? Missing in action. During the 2019 federal election, the Morrison government promised a radiation therapy treatment centre for the Eurobodalla so cancer patients could have treatment close to home. But the Morrison government has reneged on that, too. Good on announcement, poor on delivery. I stand with my constituents in the Batemans Bay and Moruya areas, calling on the government at both the state and federal levels to deliver the hospital services that people so desperately need. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 203092 Apologies again for the interruption, but at least you got a practice run! Goldstein Electorate: Condolences -1 10:43 Mr TIM WILSON IMW Goldstein It's with sadness that I advise this chamber that our community recently lost some of its most treasured local and civic minded residents. It's with sadness that I report the death of Sandra Ellmore. Sandra was a local party stalwart and always an enthusiastic participant and supporter. Sometimes her support transcended the polling booth and extended to the home. I still remember her inviting my husband, Ryan, and I around to gift special rocks from her Highett garden to place in ours in Sandringham. We weren't looking for rocks, which was a secondary consideration to her generosity, but it shows the extent to which she thought of others and how she could gift and give to others. She'll be sorely missed. Similar is the loss of Sue Hardiman. Sue was honoured by the President of the Black Rock branch recently as a much-loved stalwart and someone who quietly got on with the job without fuss. She was certainly a reliable seller of raffle tickets, and she made sure she missed out on nobody. Sue's passion was also greater than herself, and she became an active volunteer for Very Special Kids for children with life-threatening conditions. In encouraging others to support the charity, she said: 'Very Special Kids is very special to me. I'm a great believer that people should give back, and, when you make a will, you leave it to people who can benefit. It just warms the cockles of your heart.' Behind her seeming sternness was always a lively mind with a forward-looking heart. We also honour the very liberally minded Shirley Turrell, who moved to Beaumaris when it was still bushland. She understood the critical importance of community life as the foundation for enjoying it, and that was anchored around becoming full participants in community clubs like the RSL and schools. Always rolling up with their beloved Mercedes, she was an active party member, and particularly in the women's section. Shirley, Sue and Sandra represent what I love about Bayside Liberals—a liberalism that is nonjudgemental, youthful and fun and, frankly, sometimes a little bit cheeky. We also honour the memory of Bob Whiteway OAM. Bob was a dedicated geography teacher and energetic environmentalist. He taught at Beaumaris high school for 37 years and is remembered by former student Melissa Treverton as one of those teachers who changed lives by believing in and valuing the ideas brewing within the young minds of his students. Bob's years of advocacy saw Ricketts Point declared a marine sanctuary by the state government in 2002. He subsequently founded the volunteer group Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary and served as inaugural president to steward the new marine sanctuary. He was recognised as Bayside Citizen of the Year in 2003 for his environmental leadership. The last time I saw Bob was when he was handing out how-to-vote cards at a polling station—and I won't mention for which candidate—but I also saw him regularly at Beaumaris Secondary School events. To all the family and friends who have lost Sandra, Sue, Shirley and Bob, we extend our heartfelt condolences and wish them the best with their loss. Adelaide Electorate: Afghan Community -1 10:46 Mr GEORGANAS DZY Adelaide [by video link] I have a wonderful Afghan community in my electorate. In fact, I have one of the largest populations of Afghans in South Australia in the electorate of Adelaide. It's a very close-knit community and it's been rocked these past few months by the unfolding crisis that's taking place in Kabul and in other parts of Afghanistan. They are all extremely worried for their family members and relatives. The wider Adelaide community and, indeed, all of Australia are concerned and have rallied behind the Afghan community in the last couple of months. A fundraiser was held in Adelaide in early September, which was basically organised by Durkhanai Ayubi, who runs the Parwana restaurant, to raise funds to assist some of these people. It was a very successful fundraiser. The demand to attend this fundraiser was so great that it had to be extended over two nights. There was an overwhelming feeling that we all stand behind the Afghan community in South Australia. My electorate office has tried to help many of them. We've been inundated by requests to help relatives who are in danger. We've managed to help some through the minister's office, and I must say that the minister's office has been magnificent in assisting us. There are so many people who are desperate to get their relatives and loved ones out of a country that is so much in crisis. We're doing all we can do to push the government to process urgent family reunion applications for relatives who are particularly at risk. The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is devastating on many levels—in particular, the current and future welfare of women and girls in Afghanistan, who now face the prospect of a cruel, brutal regime. Durkhanai Ayubi and the Australian Local Government Women's Association of South Australia have approached me with a sense of helplessness. They're doing all that they can. I wrote to Prime Minister to call for an intervention to ensure the safe evacuation of Afghan women and children. As I said, the minister's office has been very, very receptive in assisting where they can. According to the UN refugee agency, 80 per cent of the thousands of people fleeing to safety are women and children. So, today, in these uncertain times, we must do more. Australians are a compassionate and understanding nation. In this situation, there is no time for politics on tough borders. This is a time it help, and we should open our arms up to people fleeing Afghanistan, to people who helped Australians during the war over there. I have to say that Australians know when they need to step up; we've done it in the past with the Syrian refugee crisis and we've done it in the past with many other things. So I'm calling on the ministers and the Prime Minister to do everything they can to assist the people of Afghanistan: we haven't got time to waste. Overseas Students -1 10:50 Ms LIU 282918 Chisholm I was walking in my electorate of Chisholm the other day, an electorate lucky enough to have two world-class universities: Monash University and Deakin University. The students in my electorate were in high spirits, with their bars opening and their exams finishing. However, there was something missing—a part of the student community that we have been missing. We are missing the international students that are such a vital part of our university community. International students improve the uni experience for our students. They give Australian students an opportunity to work with, learn with and interact with people from all around the world. We know that the international student community contributes so much to the education sector and we also know that they do more than that. It is international students that keep the cafes, bars, restaurants and student accommodation around universities alive, not only by supporting the hospitality industry but, very often, by making up their staff as well. Most international students have made the difficult decision to leave their friends and family to come alone and study here in Australia. I know it can be tough, because I was one of those who came as an international student. These students have put their faith in our country and our government, and we must support them. The Liberal Morrison government is working very hard to get international students back here safely, in an orderly way, as soon as possible. I would especially like to thank the federal education minister, Alan Tudge, for leading this important work. Minister Tudge has been working tirelessly to put the building blocks in place to ensure a smooth return for our international students. Our government is paving the way for these students to come from countries which may have different kinds of vaccines. Through very careful research and investigation, we are recognising vaccines such as Sinovac and Covishield, which have received TGA approval. So I want to assure international students and the communities that rely on them, that I am fighting each and every day to make sure that you can return to study in Australia as soon as possible. Afghanistan -1 10:53 Mr HAYES ECV Fowler Over the past few months, the situation in Kabul and across Afghanistan has been deteriorating rapidly. While the Taliban promised stability and security, what we've seen is the dismantling of our efforts over a 20-year fight against terrorism. Our support for freedom and democracy and a better future for all Afghans, particularly women and children. Our priority must be to ensure the safe departure of visa holders and the resettlement of those Afghans who have supported Australian and allied forces' efforts in the conflict. This is not only a moral obligation but a legal obligation in terms of adhering to the various human rights commitments that we have in international law. Following the resurgence of the Taliban, I was contacted by Brad Parker, CEO of MATES in Construction, on behalf of a constituent regarding the Salehi family, whose father and brother provided support to the allied forces throughout the Afghan conflict. The situation was grave for this family, following a formal directive from the Taliban ordering their deaths—not only of the two men but of their families. Fortunately, the family were granted a humanitarian 449 visa and has now arrived safely in Australia. This would not have been possible without the efforts of Minister Alex Hawke and his staff. I'll mention particularly Ross MacDonald, and Grace Le in my office. As a matter of urgency, we all convened in Parliament House at 11 pm one night to help secure visas for this family. I also acknowledge the ongoing efforts from the minister's office to arrange flights to Australia for this family. As it turned out, this was particularly challenging given the issues at Kabul airport, as well as the fact that this family was caught in the middle of the ISIS bombing that occurred. Luckily, the Salehi family were able to cross the border into Pakistan and flew to Australia on a military flight from Islamabad. Sadly, however, this is only one of many cases, but it nevertheless highlights the real need of pressing the case for these individuals who are facing such dire situations in Afghanistan. While we welcome the government's announcement of 3,000 extra places for Afghans' settlement, we can do more and we must do more. We owe it to the Australian Afghan community and to our military veterans who fought on our behalf to restore hope for these people who are suffering under the harsh and radical leadership of the Taliban. NSW State Emergency Service -1 10:56 Mr GEE 261393 Calare Today I rise to pay tribute to the selfless members of four Central West NSW SES units who went above and beyond the call of duty after a freak tornado ripped through rural properties three weeks ago today. The twister formed north-east of Bathurst, before decimating everything in its path in Peel, Clear Creek and Meadow Flat. A 450-kilogram trailer vanished. The brute force shifted a 40-foot shipping container. Hundreds of trees were uprooted. Cattle and silos were sucked into the vortex. Scott McKinnon was almost dragged out of his kitchen window and his small Pomeranian, Pom Pom, was pulled up in the twister and dropped 400 metres away. Miraculously, no-one was killed or seriously injured, and I'm pleased to report that, after a week at the vet's, Pom Pom is also in great spirits and great health. I visited many of those affected the following day, and I was struck by the heartbreaking scenes no homeowner should ever have to face. At each property, tarps were secured where roofs had been only hours before, valuable possessions had been removed for safekeeping, and the back-breaking clean-up had started. The work of our generous SES volunteers shone through. Today I'd like to acknowledge those members of the NSW SES Portland Unit who rushed to the worst-hit property, the Meadow Flat home of Scott McKinnon and Anne Beecroft, and also Pom Pom. I'd like to thank Commander Kim Phillips, Deputy Commander Anthony Menchin, Team Leader Kenneth McDonagh and members Ebony Partridge, Wilma Frank, and brothers Rylan and Connor Gennari. These volunteers spent 23 hours tarping and securing Scott and Anne's home, salvaging valuable possessions and removing debris. The unit called in help from the Lithgow unit, and I'd like to thank and acknowledge Duty Officer Linda Garland, her 17-year-old son Samuel, Phillip Turner and Augustine Thien. In nearby Peel and Clear Creek, the Bathurst and Sofala units worked their magic on 11 properties. I'd like to recognise, from Bathurst: Callum Carson, Hannah Madden, John Petrich, Lochlain Kelly, Heulwen Spencer-Goodsir, Joshua Clark, Joshua Besterwitch, Krystal Jauja, Jason Schnepf, Zeak Smith, Andrew McDonough, Matthew Molyneux, Rochelle Dawes, Carmen Beard, Carol Deans, Dave Rankin, Caroline Forest and Dr Meredith Brainwood. I'd like to also recognise, from the Sofala unit: the Cole family, Michael, Natalie and Rebecca; Rob Hancock; and Kathy Chapman. These outstanding individuals from Portland, Lithgow, Bathurst and Sofala NSW SES units exemplify the community spirit that makes Australia such a wonderful country. On behalf of this parliament, I formally recognise them today and I thank these volunteers for their dedication and service. Lalor Electorate: Wyndham Westlink -1 10:58 Ms RYAN 249224 Lalor I'm using this constituency statement today to speak about a vital infrastructure project for many in my growing community. In the last eight long years, my community has been neglected by a government focused on holding seats, rather than delivering for all Australians and I ask in this place: are we missing out because, on government spreadsheets, we're marked in red and not blue? The growth in Wyndham has been phenomenal. The fastest-growing area of Melbourne and the third highest growth area in Australia. The growth is sustained and dramatic. It is also challenging. Pre-pandemic forecasts said Wyndham would reach 300,000 people this year, and half a million residents by 2041, and 70 per cent of this growth is in Wyndham Vale, Tarneit, Werribee and Truganina. But this growth is failing to be met with infrastructure funding from the Morrison government. This means locals are spending longer in traffic and less time at home with their families. In contrast, the state Labor government has been investing in better public transport options, removing level crossings and improving intersections, and building the West Gate Bridge tunnel, giving people from the west alternatives to that bridge. When federal Labor was last in government, they invested $4 billion in major infrastructure projects benefiting our community. This was led by now opposition leader Anthony Albanese as minister for infrastructure. That's because only Labor invests in the west. The growing communities in the north and west of Wyndham deserve more than they're getting from this tired Morrison government. That's why, today, I'm renewing my calls for federal funding for the Wyndham West Link. The project provides links between growing communities and connects them to the freeway. The first stage of the project will link the new communities around Werribee and Wyndham Vale with a bridge over the railway lines and connection to the freeway. This will save precious time for those commuting to Melbourne and Geelong, by connecting them to the freeway. It will ease congestion on suburban streets, because commuters will not travel through the heart of Wyndham to access the freeway. The project will also link Tarneit and Wyndham Vale, with a fourth and more direct bridge over the Werribee River, meaning Wyndham's major growth corridors will be connected by both rail and road. It will save time and ease congestion by avoiding travel into Werribee, only to head back out. A trip on the Labor-funded Regional Rail Link takes seven minutes to travel between Tarneit and Wyndham Vale stations. This same commute in a car yesterday, in a quiet lockdown period, took 25 minutes. On completion, this piece of congestion-busting infrastructure will also ease traffic on roads in the heart of our city. This project is vital for our growing community. That's why I promised the project, should Labor have been elected at the last election, and that's why I'm encouraging the community to join my campaign to fight for this vital infrastructure. We pay our taxes to Canberra. We deserve to see some of that returned to our community, rather than being used to shore up marginal and safe Liberal seats. Apprenticeships -1 11:01 Mrs McINTOSH 281513 Lindsay Whether in the manufacturing sector or the construction sector, if you ask businesses across Western Sydney what one of the most difficult things is for them right now, emerging out of the pandemic, they'll tell you: it is finding and retaining apprentices. The skills shortage is something we must address, as the apprentices of today will become the industry leaders of tomorrow. Western Sydney is home to one of the largest infrastructure projects, as you know, Mr Deputy Speaker Freelander: Western Sydney international airport. And, through the construction phase, over half the workforce has been people from Western Sydney. There are hundreds of apprentices working on the airport site and transport connection projects. Each one of them should be proud they are working on this nation-building project. The contributions of apprentices span far and wide, from building our nation to defending it. Apprentices are playing a major role within Australia's investment in our sovereign capability. On the manufacturing front, as we reopen from the pandemic, domestic manufacturing will be critical to both our economic recovery and our national sovereignty. Over 900,000 people are employed in Australian manufacturing, and New South Wales holds over 28 per cent of these jobs. In my electorate of Lindsay alone, there are over 600 manufacturers employing over 6,000 people. In an unassuming factory in St Marys, the apprentices of Baker & Provan are working on state-of-the-art defence assets, from Navy vessels to Army vehicles. Baker & Provan have trained over 70 apprentices. They see them as the future of their business. There is no greater responsibility than keeping Australians safe and secure, and our apprentices are an integral part of maintaining Australia's national security through these capabilities. Across Western Sydney, businesses are eager for apprentices to contribute to the projects that build and defend our nation. As we move into an era of modern and advanced manufacturing, our region is poised to be at the forefront of emerging industries: agribusiness, space, medicine, advanced manufacturing and more. These are the industries whose jobs used to be considered the jobs of the future, but they are very fast becoming the jobs of tomorrow. There will be jobs in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing, robotics and automation. To generate and sustain these emerging industries, we must fill them with a skilled workforce. We will continue to back more young Australians into these exciting careers, but right now, more than ever, we need more apprentices. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265979 In accordance with standing order 193, the time for constituency statements has concluded. ADJOURNMENT -1 ADJOURNMENT Bendigo Electorate: COVID-19 -1 11:05 Ms CHESTERS 249710 Bendigo Here we are at the end of the sitting week, and I have this morning—and will again tomorrow morning—done a round of media, encouraging people back home in Bendigo and in central Victoria to be kind to one another and be patient this weekend. We've all looked forward to the reopening in Victoria, and in regional Victoria we've had a little bit of a taste of what that looks like. We've been out of lockdown for a few weeks now, and with that has come the coronavirus. We've had a few cases, which we haven't seen for quite some time. That has caused a number of people to be infected and a number of businesses to be closed. I did want to give a shout-out to those businesses and those workers currently in isolation and say thank you: thank you for doing the right thing by being in isolation and thank you for getting tested. Thank you for closing your doors to keep the rest of us safe. Whilst we have very high vaccination rates in Bendigo—we're above 95 per cent for first dose—there are some in our community who can't get vaccinated. They could be children under 12 and, as mother of two under two, I am a bit nervous about what the next few months mean for our children who at the moment are not eligible to get vaccinated. There are also people in our community who cannot get vaccinated for health reasons. Bendigo health and local GPs tell me that's about one per cent. We also have a group of people who, for whatever reason, really just aren't engaged. Then we have our people who are antivaxxers, people who have chosen not to get vaccinated. Businesses, schools and organisations tell me that's about two per cent: two per cent of volunteers, two per cent of workers. It's a very small minority of people who have chosen not to get vaccinate, but they're vocal. What I would say to all the businesses who are opening this weekend—to all our retail businesses and hospitality venues which are reopening for the first time, or that are increasing their capacity—is that if you do get angry people, they're a very, very small minority. They may not be from our town; they may have snuck out of Melbourne, but they're not the majority. The majority of us have chosen to get vaccinated. The majority of us—the vast, overwhelming group of us—believe in the health advice and believe in the science. We have done the right thing and gone out there to get vaccinated. I am frustrated it has taken so long. What we've demonstrated in regional areas like Bendigo and central Victoria is that if we had had the supply earlier, we would have got vaccinated earlier—and we could have opened up earlier. I also want to acknowledge and thank the Victorian government for the road map. It is the right road map, as we have seen. We need to reopen slowly so that we can stay on top of the virus. Just the numbers of businesses alone that have had to close because they've become exposure sites in my part of the world are extraordinary. Schools have closed and businesses have closed because staff are in isolation and they can't fill shifts. This is the reality of opening up; it's not being alarmist, it's just being practical. What really disappoints as we go into this stage of re-opening is that these businesses have no federal government support. These workers have no federal government support. JobKeeper ended in March. We are now reopening, but businesses are having to close because of COVID related reasons and yet they have no financial support. Last year, in 2020, there was some support from the federal government; this year, there's none. And that's so disappointing when we have businesses and workers trying to do the right thing. It's not going to be this glorious freedom day that the Prime Minister is pretending that we're going to have; we're going to be living with this virus, and living with this virus is scary for a lot of people and for a lot of businesses. It is scary for people who are worried about cash flow. They are exhausted in my part of the world. I know that Sydney has been through their own COVID scare, and I understand and appreciate what's going on in the ACT, because we are here. But in Victoria, and in particular, in regional Victoria, we've been going through this for 18 months. It has been a yo-yo, in and out, in and out, and we are exhausted. Workers are exhausted and businesses are exhausted, but they are following the health advice, and we're almost there. I put a call-out to the federal government again: in the few months that we have until we're into next year, help every job be saved. Help every worker get the support that they need. Help these businesses get through. I also ask everyone to be your best self this week and next week and every week. Be your best self and respect each other. Whyalla -1 11:10 Mr RAMSEY HWS Grey It would come as no surprise to anyone in this place that there's been a lot of focus on GFG Alliance, Mr Sanjeev Gupta and the collapse of Greensill and the effect it had on his global empire. Citibank, here in Australia, had lodged an application to wind up the operations of OneSteel Manufacturing, which was a major concern in Whyalla, with the Whyalla Steelworks and the Tahmoor coal mine operations. There are 1,200 workers employed by Liberty Primary Steel at the Whyalla Steelworks. There is that many again employed in the community as a result of contracting and another 600 in the iron ore mines there, in a city of 22,000. But the darkest hour is the hour before dawn, and I feel that dawn has risen over Whyalla. I had great confidence that Mr Gupta would land new finance for his operations. He's been around a while and he's a survivor and he's a confident operator. So, it was with great joy that I took a call about 10 days ago to announce Liberty Primary Steel Australia had reached an arrangement with Credit Suisse, who were the one's who were disadvantaged by the fall of Greensill, to refinance, and I think the most interesting thing of this refinancing deal is that it's been done on the back of the outstanding performance of his Australian operations, and in amongst that are the Whyalla Steelworks. It's a great credit to the workers of Whyalla steel, who have taken a pay cut and buckled down. The new management there, particularly the last change, has seemed to have made an enormous difference. This operation, which was losing tens of millions of dollars a year, is now back in the black and making good profits. It's on the back of a buoyant steel market. The whole of the GFG Alliance empire has basically been rejuvenated by the profits of the Australian arm. It just shows how good these businesses are in the long term. It's a bit like farming. Sometimes you've got to have faith in the future; you've got to have long-term focus before the pay-off comes. That is of great credit to those people: the GFG and the workers and the management, as I said. It dovetails into a few other things happening in Whyalla. In Whyalla we, of course, had put on the table finance available for a movement to green steel, and Mr Gupta has expressed great interest in this in the past. There's been the sale of the Whyalla Foreshore Motor Inn. Many thanks to Barbara and Tom Derham, who have been part of the Whyalla business community for many years and who managed to sell this operation and, hopefully, get into retirement. They feel as though they're about ready for it, and they deserve it. It's gone to a consortium that's planning to build a $100 million hotel down on the foreshore at Whyalla and spend money building Whyalla as a tourism destination, rather than just the kind of place you pass through. And a lot of people do pass through Whyalla, and they don't appreciate what's there, particularly down on the beach. The highway doesn't go along the beach; you have to drive a little way to find it. I think that's a real tick up. At the same time, the federal government has announced that the Eyre Peninsula is to be designated one of the hydrogen hubs in Australia. The state government has already named Whyalla as its prime site of interest, and there is commercial interest in developing the operations there. There are solar and wind farms being built in the vicinity, and there's a large wind farm under planning and financing. My understanding is that GFG Alliance have sold it to another operator, and they will complete that operation now. We've seen Clean Seas kingfish farmers come back to Whyalla, where they'd been some years previously. The industry faced some problems here some time ago, but they've got on top of it now. They're now producing 3,000 tonne of kingfish a year, and it's going into Europe and other places. They've got fantastic marketing, and demand is knocking down their door. To put that in perspective, the Australian tuna quota is somewhere a little north of 6,000 tonnes. So it's basically half the size of the tuna quota. They were recipients of some assistance from the federal government through the Regional Jobs and Investment package. The actual deal took a little while to land, but it's so good to see it go ahead. The Whyalla City Council has announced a whole new redevelopment of the foreshore area. They've built a new jetty that people are coming to see in droves. There are a lot of positives. A town like Whyalla can be a bit of a roller-coaster, but I reckon we're over the top and we're going down the hill. Sunshine Coast: Mass Transit Project -1 11:15 Mr WALLACE 265967 Fisher by leave—On Sunday just gone, more than 4,500 residents in my electorate of Fisher and the broader Sunshine Coast gathered for a protest rally along the route of Sunshine Coast Council's proposed Mass Transit Project. Led by dedicated local campaign groups the Mass Transit Action Group and Beach Matters, they held signs that said: 'No light rail, tell the council now' and 'Don't make us the Gold Coast.' I couldn't agree with those thousands of community-minded residents more. I want to thank Tracey Goodwin-McDonald and Rachael Bermingham for their roles in mounting this important protest and my own state LNP colleagues Fiona Simpson and Jarrod Bleijie. I was very disappointed not to be there myself. Unfortunately I was on a plane coming down to Canberra to represent the residents of Fisher, so I simply could not be there at that rally. Unfortunately, Sunshine Coast Council yesterday voted to send the mass transit plan to state government. One of those versions, one of those options, was light rail. Light rail was the least preferred option from my community. And my community were pressing the Sunshine Coast Council to remove light rail from those five options to be sent to state government. But they didn't do it. To give them some credit, Councillor Winston Johnston moved an amendment to state that light rail was the least preferred option of the Sunshine Coast community. And I thank him for doing that. But it remains a blight on Sunshine Coast Council that they did not, in the first instance, when they were doing their consultation, put to the community as one of the options the CAMCOS corridor heavy rail link from Beerwah to Maroochydore. Every person I speak to on the Sunshine Coast wants to see a heavy rail spur line put in from Beerwah to Maroochydore, up the CAMCOS corridor—every person I speak to. But, for some unbelievably unknown reason, council did not put that as an option in their consultation paper. And people of the Sunshine Coast are very angry. In the consultation where council went out to the community, everybody I have spoken to that went to these community meetings said that council officers just pushed light rail onto them. Mayor Jamieson, the Sunshine Coast community is absolutely ropeable; they are fearful that you have going to push light rail onto the Sunshine Coast community and destroy our quality of life that we have, destroy what we have that thousands of people want to move to the Sunshine Coast to enjoy. You want to put a light rail system along Nicklin Way and Alexandra Parade. Mayor, you may have your sights set on other things—namely, the Olympics Committee—but, let me tell you, if you are still Mayor at the next council election, as many of your councillors will be, if you continue to push light rail on the community, and if you fail to listen to the will and the desires of your constituents, they will speak very, very strongly at the next council election. Councillors and the mayor, listen to what your community is saying. I'll be the first person to say that we are not simply, as elected representatives, the mouthpiece of our electorate. Ultimately, sometimes we have to make decisions that our communities don't want. But, on this particular issue, your community is screaming out to you: they do not want light rail. Please, listen to them. (Extension of time granted) Light rail is an issue that the Sunshine Coast community has been grappling with for some time— Ms Chesters 249710 Since I was a girl. Mr WALLACE 265967 Since the member for Bendigo was a girl, which was not that long ago. For the CAMCOS corridor heavy rail option, which I am absolutely pushing for in this place amongst my colleagues, the federal government funded three feasibility studies for heavy rail. One went to Melbourne, one went to New South Wales and one came to Queensland. We were very fortunate to get that funding for a heavy rail, or fast rail, feasibility study. I am constantly hounding the Treasurer and the Prime Minister to give us funding for that project. Public transport is the sole responsibility of the state government, so the state government needs to work with us, particularly as we lead into the 2032 Olympic Games. Our time on the Sunshine Coast is now. In order for us to host many of these great events for the 2032 games, we need to have a much better public transport system. So I'm appealing to the Prime Minister and the Treasurer: we need to fund heavy rail in conjunction with the state. Mark Bailey, I'm asking you as well, as the state transport minister, to put your very long arms in your short pockets and give us some money for heavy rail on the Sunshine Coast. Robertson Electorate: Infrastructure -1 11:23 Mrs WICKS 241590 Robertson I rise to update the House on two very important projects in my electorate of Robertson: the Peninsula Recreation Precinct at Umina Beach and the funding for commuter car parks in Woy Woy and Gosford. A number of local Labor representatives have been spreading a whole lot of misinformation in my community recently, and I want to set the record straight. After all, political point scoring by the opposition delivers nothing for the community; it just delivers points to the opposition. I'm committed to an even better future for local residents and to make the Central Coast an even better place to live and work, not to advance personal political interests or personal attacks. I think that locals expect more of their representatives— A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 11 : 24 to 11:34 Mrs WICKS 241590 I think that locals expect more of their local representatives than name-calling, misinformation and downright misleading commentary on projects that have taken time to get right so that they do meet the needs of our region. The Morrison government is absolutely committed to seeing the $8.25 million upgrade of the Peninsula Recreation Precinct become a reality. I've had a number of meetings with the Central Coast Council, including when it was dominated by Labor councillors. Since then, it has come under administration. I've met with the Deputy Prime Minister's office and the department of infrastructure to seek to reach a funding agreement that will deliver what the Umina Beach community needs. This year alone I've met with Central Coast Council 10 times regarding the delivery of this commitment and to advocate on behalf of local sporting groups, including the Umina United Eagles Soccer Club, Umina Bunnies Junior Rugby League Club and the Southern Spirit Cricket Club. These clubs have made it clear that they want two separate facilities, each with a club room, storage, change rooms, toilets and a canteen. That's exactly what I intend to help deliver. Many of the initial designs we received from council didn't meet these requirements and simply weren't good enough. I've also been advised that the Central Coast Council's project manager for this development has actually changed a number of times, causing further delays in getting an agreement signed. This is one of the many results of the council's economic challenges, which have been well known and published; they're well known in our community. They've resulted in an inability to deliver local infrastructure projects like these. After numerous changes to the scope of this development, we're now at a stage of getting what our community wants and deserves. I'm advised that the funding agreement is almost complete and funding should be able to be made available to the council shortly. These buildings are much more than simple amenities. They're places where the local community can gather and belong. That is what this project is about. That is why I have fought so hard to get this project right, and I'll continue to advocate until it is delivered and used by all in our community. The Morrison government is also committed to delivering on more commuter car parking in Gosford and Woy Woy. In the 2019-20 budget the Australian government committed $5 million towards the Woy Woy commuter car park under the Urban Congestion Fund, and $30 million to fully fund the 600 commuter car spots in Gosford. The Woy Woy car parking is 100 per cent funded through the government and will be delivered through Transport for NSW. But I'm incredibly disappointed and frustrated by the delays that we've seen to this project. Currently, the car parking is in the design and planning phases, and some engineering issues have been identified across possible sites. These include all of the potential sites being flood prone due to their proximity to Brisbane Water, the requirements for extended retaining walls and the need to relocate rail assets. It's a big project. The car parking at Gosford will also be funded by the Australian government and will now be delivered with Transport for NSW, which is undertaking scoping activities to identify a suitable side. I do thank Transport for NSW, because the project was delayed, as scoping that was initially being undertaken by Central Coast Council was not able to be completed by them when they went into administration last year. Council advised they could no longer undertake the delivery of the project, so the New South Wales government is now helping to deliver this commitment to my community, and I thank them. I do assure local commuters that I will continue to work with the New South Wales government on the scope of these projects and ensure that they are delivered as soon and safely as possible. I'm advised that, by the end of next year, the government expects around 75 per cent of the projects under the Urban Congestion Fund to be completed or to be under construction. I will be fighting and advocating every single day, as I have since the project was announced, to see the Gosford and Woy Woy projects delivered as part of this number. The Morrison government recognises the importance of delivering on crucial infrastructure initiatives like this. This car parking for our hardworking commuters here on the Central Coast not only means that commuters can get home sooner and safer, and perhaps leave home a little later to be able to get to the station; it means that they can spend more time with the people who they care about and less time stressing about whether they're going to be able to get a car park, whether it's going to be a suitable walking distance to the station or whether they're going to miss their train and have to wait for the next one. In a commuter belt like the Central Coast, car parking is incredibly important. In an area like the Peninsula, we have so many young families who play sport and soccer and all the other sports that are available down at the Peninsula Recreation Precinct, and there is a need for the skate park to be upgraded. These infrastructure projects are really important and I will advocate every day until they are delivered. Covid-19: Morrison Government, Daly, Mr Paul -1 11:39 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland It's good to provide the House with an update on what's been happening in Shortland over the last few months—probably the most trying few months many of us have lived through. Although it's fantastic that we're making real progress with vaccinations, I want to draw to the attention of the House the experience of one of my younger constituents as a direct result of the policy failures from both the Commonwealth and state governments. The regional vaccination hub for the Hunter region is a few blocks from my electorate office in Belmont. It's been an integral part of the rollout, and I thank all the workers at the hub for their tireless efforts. I've received my jabs at the hub, and all the feedback I've received from constituents has been very positive. However, at the height of the Sydney lockdown, the New South Wales government diverted 5,500 Pfizer doses from the Belmont hub to greater Sydney. The government stole my region's vaccines because of their incompetence in not locking down Sydney soon enough. No-one in my area begrudged HSC students in Sydney having access to vaccines, but the key point is, because the Morrison Government failed to do their job of getting enough vaccine doses, the New South Wales government felt that they were forced to make a decision to steal vaccines from my region to divert them to Sydney. This had a huge impact on my constituents. For example, Lauren is 18 and is about to start her HSC exams. She had her appointment at the Belmont hub cancelled because her doses were sent to Sydney. Because of the Delta outbreak and her imminent exam, Lauren, like many of her cohort, elected to proceed with getting vaccinated as soon as possible and had AstraZeneca. Her vaccination experience was made worse when she went to get her second dose, as she was accidentally given Pfizer. The diversion of the Hunter's vaccines to Sydney and its impact on my community, as well as this shocking mix-up with Laura's vaccines, should not have happened at all. But because of the Morrison government's clear failure to plan last year for the vaccine rollout, my constituents have been living through months of chaos. Another constituent emailed me about his daughter's experiences. He wrote, 'My daughter was booked in at Belmont for the vaccination and was advised that her vaccination had been cancelled and given to high school students in Sydney at a private school. Her original appointment was the day after the vaccines were sent to Sydney. The government's decision to give the vaccine to the wealthier Liberal Party seats is a disgrace and un-Australian and something that should be exposed and not forgotten.' Remember the Prime Minister's 'it's not a race' joke? Well, the vaccination rollout is a race, Prime Minister, and because you and your government have spectacularly failed to organise the most basic things such as securing enough vaccines for the population, vulnerable Australians like Lauren, a HSC student under immense pressure already, have suffered. The vaccine rollout has been labelled as the greatest policy disaster since World War II, and I and many of my constituents agree. I want to use the remainder of my time to pay tribute to a comrade from Shortland who has recently passed away. Paul Daly was a true believer in every sense of the word and a life member of the Labor Party. Paul won the ultimate accolade from former member for Shortland Jill Hall, who described him as one of the hardest-working party workers and volunteers she had ever come across. Paul helped Jill in many elections, and I'm proud and humbled that he campaigned for me in 2016 and 2019. Given his Irish background, he was a committed republican and worked tirelessly on the Yes campaign for the 1999 referendum. Unfortunately, we didn't achieve this important step in our progress as a nation then, but his passion for an Australian republic, especially with an Australian as our head of state, not a foreign monarch, lives on in all of us in the Labor Party. Paul is survived by his beautiful wife, Carmel, and his children and grandchildren. Carmel has asked that I especially acknowledge Whiddon Gardens at Redhead for the care provided to Paul in the final part of his life. My sincere condolences go to Carmel and all his family on the passing of a true gentleman and a true servant of the Australian Labor Party. Rest in peace, Paul. Question agreed to. Federation Chamber adjourned at 11:4 4