2023-05-11 2 1 0 House of Reps 0 1

Thursday, 11 May 2023

The SPEAKER ( Hon. Milton Dick ) took the chair at 12:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.

 

GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH 1 GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH Address-in-Reply 1 12:01 The SPEAKER 53517 I inform the House that, accompanied by honourable members, I waited today upon His Excellency the Governor-General at Government House and presented to him the address-in-reply to His Excellency’s speech on the opening of the first session of the 47th Parliament, agreed to by the House on 9 May 2023. His Excellency was pleased to make the following reply: Mr Speaker: Thank you for your address-in-reply. It will be my pleasure and my duty to convey to His Majesty the King the Message of Loyalty from the House Representatives, to which the address gives expression. BILLS 1 BILLS Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023 1

Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023

Second Reading 1 12:02 The SPEAKER 53517 In accordance with standing order 133(b), I shall now proceed to put the question on the motion moved by the Minister for Skills and Training on which a division was called for and deferred in accordance with standing orders. No further debate is allowed. The question is that the bill be read a second time.    

The House divided. [12:06]
(The Speaker—(Milton Dick)

90 AYES Albanese, A. N. Aly, A. Ananda-Rajah, M. Bandt, A. P. Bates, S. J. Bowen, C. E. Burke, A. S. Burnell, M. P. Burney, L. J. Burns, J. Butler, M. C. Byrnes, A. J. Chalmers, J. E. Chandler-Mather, M. Chaney, K. E. Charlton, A. H. G. Chesters, L. M. Clare J. D. Claydon, S. C. Coker, E. A. Collins, J. M. Conroy, P. M. Daniel, Z. Doyle, M. J. J. Elliot, M. J. Fernando, C. Freelander, M. R. Garland, C. M. L. Gee, A. R. Georganas, S. Giles, A. J. Gorman, P. Gosling, L. J. Haines, H. M. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Jones, S. P. Kearney, G. M. Keogh, M. J. Khalil, P. King, C. F. King, M. M. H. Lawrence, T. N. Laxale, J. A. A. Le, D. Leigh, A. K. Lim, S. B. C. Marles, R. D. Mascarenhas, Z. F. A. McBain, K. L. McBride, E. M. Miller-Frost, L. J. Mitchell, B. K. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. Murphy, P. J. Neumann, S. K. O'Connor, B. P. J. O'Neil, C. E. Payne, A. E. Perrett, G. D. Phillips, F. E. Plibersek, T. J. Rae, S. T. Reid, G. J. Rishworth, A. L. Roberts, T. G. Rowland, M. A. Ryan, J. C. Ryan, M. M. Scamps, S. A. Scrymgour, M. R. Sharkie, R. C. C. Shorten, W. R. Sitou, S. Smith, D. P. B. (Teller) Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Steggall, Z. Swanson, M. J. Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Tink, K. J. Vamvakinou, M. Watson-Brown, E. Watts, T. G. Wells, A. S. Wilkie, A. D. Wilson, J. H. Zappia, A. 53 NOES Andrews, K. L. Archer, B. K. Bell, A. M. Birrell, S. J. Boyce, C. E. Broadbent, R. E. Buchholz, S. Chester, D. J. Coleman, D. B. Conaghan, P. J. Coulton, M. M. (Teller) Entsch, W. G. Fletcher, P. W. Gillespie, D. A. Goodenough, I. R. Hamilton, G. R. Hastie, A. W. Hawke, A. G. Hogan, K. J. Howarth, L. R. Joyce, B. T. G. Landry, M. L. Leeser, J. Ley, S. P. Littleproud, D. Marino, N. B. McCormack, M. F. McIntosh, M. I. Morrison, S. J. O'Brien, E. L. O'Brien, L. S. Pasin, A. Pearce, G. B. Pike, H. J. Pitt, K. J. Price, M. L. Ramsey, R. E. (Teller) Stevens, J. Sukkar, M. S. Taylor, A. J. Tehan, D. T. Thompson, P. van Manen, A. J. Vasta, R. X. Violi, A. A. Wallace, A. B. Ware, J. L. Webster, A. E. Willcox, A. J. Wilson, R. J. Wolahan, K. Wood, J. P. Young, T. J. 0 PAIRS

Question agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Message from the Governor General recommending appropriation announced, and message from the Administrator recommending appropriation for the proposed amendments, announced.

12:11 Mr BURKE DYW Watson I move: That further consideration of the bill be made an order of the day for a later hour this day. Question agreed to. BUSINESS 2 BUSINESS Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders 2 12:12 Mr DYW Watson BURKE (—) (): I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the resolution agreed to by the House on 9 May 2023 relating to the time and order of business for 9 and 11 May 2023 be varied as follows: Paragraph (2)(b)—omit 'not meeting' and substitute 'meeting and considering government business from 12.30 to 1.30 pm and from 4 to 6 pm, and there to be no constituency statements or adjournment debate'. And I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for the discussion on this one. Question agreed to. Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders 2 12:13 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Aston making a statement immediately and that the Member speak without limitation of time. Question agreed to. The SPEAKER 53517 Before I call the honourable member for Aston, I remind the House that this is the honourable member's first speech and I ask the House to extend her the usual courtesies. I give the call to the honourable member for Aston. 12:13 Ms DOYLE 299962 Aston I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet today, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people of this region. I acknowledge the Wurundjeri and Bunurong peoples of the Kulin nation, which is the place I've made my home for the past 35 years. I also acknowledge the Yorta Yorta people, the custodians of the land where I was born. I pay my respect to all First Nations people of this land and their elders past, present and emerging who have cared and still care for this land, sea, rivers and waterways for time immemorial, and I look forward to the time when the Uluru Statement from the Heart is implemented in full. Voice. Treaty. Truth. I am here now in this chamber as the new member for Aston—the first woman to be elected in this seat's history and the second ever Labor representative for this seat. I acknowledge, with respect, the previous elected members for Aston and their good work in the community over the years: John Saunderson, the late Peter Nugent, Chris Pearce and Alan Tudge. I am proud to have been chosen by the electors of Aston, and I make the commitment to represent you to the best of my ability and listen to your concerns and ideas, whether you voted for me or not. The electorate of Aston is named for a most remarkable woman: Matilda 'Tilly' Aston. Tilly Aston is one of the most important disability activists in Australia's history. Tilly was the youngest of eight children, born in 1873 with partial vision and losing her eyesight completely before she turned seven. She went on to become a teacher, a poet, a celebrated author and a fierce advocate for vision impaired people, setting up a braille library along the way. There are advocacy organisations that exist today because of Tilly Aston's tireless work. She faced much prejudice, but, like all amazing activists, she persisted. I hope to embody some of her spirit, courage and persistence and bring these qualities to my role as the member for the electorate named in her honour. The electorate of Aston lies in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, with the foothills of the beautiful Dandenong and Yarra Ranges at its very eastern reaches. Aston is home to a diverse range of people. The people I call friends and family, who live in suburbs like Ferntree Gully, Boronia, Wantirna, Bayswater, Knoxfield and Rowville, are among the hardest-working and most compassionate and goodhearted people I know. These are the CFA volunteers; the community organisation volunteers who help disadvantaged people in the community; and the sporting and theatre club volunteers who show up without fail to bring some excitement and life-affirming qualities to people's lives. They make a difference in people's lives every day. I want to say to Patrina, Alan, Hugo and Stephen from Foothills Community Care as well as to Anne, Penny and Peter from Knox Infolink: the work you do means so much to people in the community. To Shan and others from the Sri Vakrathunda Vinayagar Hindu temple and community centre in The Basin as well as to Deepak and Atul from Shree Swaminarayan Hindu temple in Boronia, who've all been incredibly welcoming to me: thank you. Thank you also to William Wai and other members from the Knox Chinese Elderly Citizens Club, who've welcomed me so warmly into the fold. I have met the most warm and welcoming people in the suburbs of Aston during both campaigns, not to mention during my first month as MP. On Anzac Day, following the dawn service at Boronia RSL, a lovely couple approached me. The woman, Penny, hugged me and said how she and her partner were so happy that there was now someone in federal parliament who they felt better represented them. As we talked about our family lives, I understood what they meant. I was born in late June 1970 to a big Catholic family—the Doyles in Echuca—the youngest and ninth child of Edmund 'Ted' and Mary. Ted and Mary were in their early 40s when I came along, a 'late in life baby' as the term was back then. My mum was from Melbourne, having been born in Coburg before moving around Melbourne's northern and eastern suburbs with her family before eventually settling in the small town of Elmore with her parents, Tom and Lil Duggan, and her younger sister, Lily, in 1947. It was there, not long after the move, that the pretty young Mary Duggan met a handsome young shearer, Ted Doyle, at a dance. They began a romance and were married in June 1951 and settled in Elmore for the first eight years of their married life. The first five of their children were born here. Sadly, however, in early 1957 they lost their infant son at six months of age—Edmund Jr, No. 4 in the family—due to sudden infant death syndrome. The tragedy of this loss never left them. In 1959, my mum and dad moved their growing family to Echuca, when my dad got a new job as a farm machinery salesman, and the last four of us were born here. The eldest of my family, my sister Therese, had turned 18 earlier in the year that I was born and had already left home to take up her nursing career. A year later, Therese was married and had a baby of her own, my niece, Jo. Yes, I first became an aunty at scarcely a year old. When you're the youngest daughter of a large family, you will be a young aunty. Classic Irish Catholics, right? In September 1977, I became an aunty for the second time when another of my sisters, Carmel, who had married in 1976, became mum to her only child, Melanie, my niece. I vividly remember becoming an aunty that time. Melanie was placed in my arms by Carmel at Healesville Hospital, and I looked into her little face excitedly. Tragically, both my sister Carmel and my niece Melanie are no longer with us, having both passed in 2009 and 2020 respectively. My family and I miss them both terribly. I am now guardian of my great-niece, 16-year-old Jamilah—Melanie's daughter and Carmel's granddaughter—and I am so proud to be caring for her and to see the bright and talented young woman she's becoming. I'm so happy that she's here today. In the early 1970s, my dad, Ted, lost his job and succumbed to depression and alcoholism and never returned to work. He always liked to drink, but his alcoholism wreaked havoc following this job loss. I was very young when this happened—maybe two or three—so I don't remember a lot, but I do remember the sadness that set in and its impact on our family in the ensuing years. My dad was a complicated individual, and, whilst he had his fair share of demons, he was also a very good judge of character and had many funny sayings and told hilarious yarns. He loved the bush poets and good country music, like Johnny Cash, Slim Dusty and Marty Robbins, and, though he couldn't really hold a tune, he gave it a go anyway. It was our mum, Mary Sr, who taught us kids how to sing. She always had a very lovely singing voice, and we learned many songs, especially by the Seekers, from her while young. Family gatherings would often see a brother or two on guitar while the rest of us sang along and then had a barney about which song to sing next. It was a lot of fun. In the early seventies, because of my dad's alcoholism and mental health issues, he had to apply for what they called back then the 'invalid pension', the married couple's one. Both payments had initially been paid directly to my dad and then the Whitlam government changed that, and Mum was very happy to be receiving her own cheque paid to her, not to Dad. This policy change had a profoundly positive effect on the way Mum handled household finances. She could now have a bit here and there for things that we needed. She saved a bit. My big brother Kevin, a huge Gough Whitlam fan, pointed out to me years later, when I was a teenager, how changes like these introduced by the Whitlam Labor government helped families like ours. This is what Labor governments do. As a child growing up in public housing, like some other very senior people sitting in the House right now, I didn't always have some of the things that other kids at school took for granted. I understood from an early age that my family was not one with a lot of money. I went to both the local Catholic schools, where most families paid fees, but my family, like some others, were an exception to this rule. When I went on a school camp in grade 6—to a camp in The Basin, in my electorate, incidentally—it was through the generosity of the school's committee. Social justice was a concept I learned from a very early age from my Catholic schooling in Echuca. They lived by it. If there were kids in the school that came from struggling families, the school helped discreetly. There were nuns and teachers at both St Mary's Primary and St Joseph's College who were exceptional in imparting the tenets of social justice. These lessons have stayed with me. Leaving school, I moved to Melbourne, where three of my older sisters, Carmel, Kathleen and Elizabeth, lived and worked with their own families in the outer eastern suburbs. I'd always visited their homes during the school holidays as a kid, so I knew the area very well. For the next decade or so, I moved around these suburbs, making many friends, especially during my time at Box Hill TAFE and while working as a casual at a Box Hill call centre. In late 1995, when I was 25, living in a share house and working at that call centre, I found a lump in my right breast quite by accident. It was high up in my right breast, near the armpit. I thought, 'How strange,' and I made an appointment with my GP that morning. The GP said, 'It's probably nothing, but, look, we don't like letting these things go undiagnosed,' and, lucky for me, she sent me off for a mammogram and an ultrasound. The results stated that the lump was atypical, so the GP sent me to see a breast specialist, who did a fine needle aspiration. The next day the results confirmed I had breast cancer—at 25, with no family history. I felt like someone had punched me: 'How can I have cancer? I'm too young. This can't be real.' I'd just returned from a three-month trip overseas to visit friends and cousins in the UK and Ireland and was desperately trying to save money up again. Plus my boyfriend of three years had just proposed to me, and we had started planning a wedding. It was an incredibly stressful and emotional time in my young life. I didn't know what the broader future held in terms of life and death, and, more immediately, I didn't know how I was going to pay my rent and bills, let alone save up for a wedding, if I couldn't work. I'd proudly supported myself financially since my first after-school job at 15. Cancer treatment meant being off work for at least two months while I recovered, and, as a casual worker, that meant zero pay. Fortunately, I live in a country where there's Medicare, so I could get the many diagnostic tests and treatments that I needed, have a qualified surgeon cut the cancer out and cut out the lymph nodes to see if the cancer had spread, then have more tests, scans and x-rays et cetera, without having to pay a king's ransom. Following that, I could access the necessary welfare payments whilst recovering. Caring for the unwell through Medicare is what Labor governments do. There is a very good reason terms like 'social security' and 'welfare' exist. These are not dirty words. We need to remember what they mean and re-embrace them—for the security of society, for the welfare of people, to help people get back on their feet and ensure they're not left behind. I had several jobs for the next 14 years of my working life—including, yes, as a bit part actor on occasion, on Neighbours even. I believe Erinsborough was a part of Aston at one time! Maybe before the boundaries changed? I can't be sure; I'll have to check that. Anyway, for the majority of my career, I worked for the union movement: for a decade or so as a union organiser, then later at the ACTU, in a couple of different roles, and then back to organising again. The job of an organiser is both rewarding and very challenging. You can find yourself doing all kinds of work for union members. You are their advocate, their negotiator, their researcher and, at times, their counsellor and confidante. I enjoyed my work as an organiser, and I still have many friendships with the great people I worked alongside, the delegates and the members. I learned valuable skills over these years—terrific training for work as an MP. From 2009 to 2021, I worked for the Australian Council of Trade Unions, as the marketing officer for the first 10 years and then as the partnerships manager for the last two. In my capacity as marketing officer, I promoted the member benefits side of union membership—the added benefits that unifying as working people brings in terms of purchasing power. It was such a rewarding role. I met many union members around the country at delegates conferences, made many friends and, hopefully, helped to save union members thousands of dollars on life's essentials. My years at the ACTU were very special, and I cherish the ongoing friendships with the many good people I worked with there. My most recent workplace,    which I said goodbye to in mid-February, was HESTA. I thank the good people there, who last year welcomed me on board with such warmth. It's a truly wonderful and supportive place to work, with such amazing people. Now, as I said on the night of 1 April, I guess I'm the next member for Aston! Thank you to some very special people—to both my campaign teams, last year and this year—and, in particular, to Pamela Anderson and James Gan in 2022 and Alfonso Silva and Jake Carns in 2023. Thank you so much for all your hard work and for pushing me when I needed it. We chipped away in 2022, and in 2023 we made it. It was through such enormous efforts on all your parts that we were able to achieve this incredible feat of history. To Chris Ford, Paul Erickson, Louise Magee and Josh Lloyd, I give my heartfelt thanks for the incredible support I received during the intense 2023 campaign. Thank you as well for the tremendous support shown to me from Senator Linda White, Julian Hill, Carina Garland, Michelle Ananda-Rajah, Ged Kearney, Cassandra Fernando and state MPs Jackson Taylor and Daniela De Martino as well as every MP who turned out to doorknock for me on that stinking hot day in mid-March. To the wonderful women of Emily's List, I also want to extend my thanks for the incredible support I received during both campaigns. And, of course, I give my thanks to the amazing volunteers who worked incredibly hard on both campaigns: Ken and Pat; Katie and her daughter Leah; Rudy; Russell; Jacqui; Lance; Sal; and Louise, just to name a few. My utmost thanks go to you all. And there is the bloke who, just like me, grew up in public housing and grew up Catholic. I can't thank you enough for backing me all the way. In between the many national and international commitments that you had during February and March, you also managed to visit Aston four times and then hand out how-to-votes at Bayswater Primary on election day. And then come and say hello for a cuppa the following day! Thank you, Prime Minister. I am so proud to be part of the team that you lead. Having my two children, Clancy and Lily, and my great niece, Jamilah, here today, I am so happy to see the adults they have become and are becoming. Watching them flourish as they embark on their own lives gives me such joy. They are compassionate, caring and loving humans, and I am so thankful for their support, love and patience, especially as I campaigned so hard in Aston. To my partner, Anthony, my most trusted advisor, I thank you as well. It appears true love really does travel on a gravel road. I am also extremely grateful for the support I have received from my close friends and extended family members over the past few months. You are all my darlings. Thank you for the home-cooked meals, the chats and the love you have shown me. I want to thank my mum, Mary senior, too. She turns 93 next week, but because she has dementia and is an aged-care home now, she can't be here today. But I know she would have been so proud of me and would have loved to have witnessed all of this. She went through so much in her life, and I have her to thank for being there for me when I needed her. Most importantly, to the wonderful people of Aston: I confessed at the start of my campaign in 2023 that I'm not a seasoned politician, and I still don't think of myself as a politician. I'm a regular type of a person who's lived the kind of life which mirrors that of many of my constituents. My backstory is one riddled with challenges. Families doing it tough in Aston, families like mine growing up, don't need a pat on the head and a pitying look. What we need is good policy and to be taken seriously. We are not a political football to be kicked around at election time. Those on the other side talk about opportunity while denying families like mine any assistance to grasp those opportunities. Labor governments understand this, and the one I am now part of is no different. No-one held back, no one left behind. This brings me back to Penny and her partner, who both hugged me so warmly on that crisp Anzac Day morning at Boronia RSL. They told me they reckoned I am more representative of them because I've lived a life like they have. And that is at the heart of my role as a member of parliament—to represent all the people I now have the great honour of calling my constituents, to listen to them, to speak up for them and to deliver their share of the better future Labor is building for Australia. My message to them is: I will always put you first, as your member for Aston. COMMITTEES 6 COMMITTEES Appropriations and Administration Committee 6 Report 6 12:39 The DEPUTY SPEAKER 74046 On behalf of the Standing Committee on Appropriations and Administration, I present the committee's report No. 26, Budget estimates 2023-24. PARLIAMENTARY ZONE 6 PARLIAMENTARY ZONE Proposed Works 6 12:39 Ms McBAIN 281988 Eden-Monaro I move: That, in accordance with section 5 of the Parliament Act 1974, the House approves the following proposal for works in the Parliamentary Zone which were presented to the House on 9 May 2023, namely: the John Gorton campus car park. The National Capital Authority has received a works approval application for the construction of a new building within the Parliamentary Triangle for a new car park and child-care facilities. The building is to be cited east of the John Gorton Building at the intersection of King Edward Terrace and Kings Avenue in Parkes. The work comprises the construction of 1,070 car-parking spaces; a child-care centre and outdoor play area; landscaping; and roadworks which include upgrades to the Blackall Street and Kings Avenue intersection. The Parliament Act 1974 requires that both houses of parliament approve works within the Parliamentary Zone. Question agreed to. COMMITTEES 6 COMMITTEES Public Works Joint Committee 6 Approval of Work 6 12:41 Dr LEIGH BU8 Fenner I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade—Proposed Construction and Decommissioning of the Australian Pavilion at the World Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. As part of Australia's participation in the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is proposing to construct a temporary pavilion. The proposed three-storey pavilion will accommodate public exhibitions, visitor experience areas, functions and representational areas, commercial retail, food and beverage, administrative areas and external landscaping. The estimated total cost of the works is $60 million, excluding GST. The project was referred to the Public Works Committee on 22 March 2023. Following its inquiry, the committee has recommended that the House of Representatives resolve, pursuant to section 18(7) of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, that it is expedient to carry out the project. Subject to parliamentary approval of the project, works are expected to commence shortly and be completed before the commencement of the Expo in April 2025. At the conclusion of the Expo in October 2025, DFAT will also undertake works to decommission the pavilion. On behalf of the government I would like to thank the committee, ably chaired by the member for Moreton, for undertaking a timely inquiry. I commend the motion to the House. Question agreed to. Approval of Work 6 12:43 Dr LEIGH BU8 Fenner I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Australian Taxation Office—Proposed Fit-out of Existing Premises at 200 Collins Street, Hobart, Tasmania. The Australian Taxation Office is proposing to undertake fit-out works at its existing lease premises at 200 Collins Street, Hobart, Tasmania. The estimated total fit-out cost to the works is $24.5 million, excluding GST. The project was referred to the Public Works Committee on 7 February 2023. Following its inquiry, the committee has recommended that the House of Representatives resolve, pursuant to section 18(7) of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, that it is expedient to carry out the project. The committee has also recommended that, for future projects, the Australian Taxation Office conduct broader staff consultation during the design phase. Subject to parliamentary approval, the fit-out works are expected to commence in September 2023 and be completed by February 2025. On behalf of the government I would like to thank the committee, ably chaired by the member for Moreton, for undertaking a timely inquiry. I commend the motion to the House. Question agreed to. Approval of Work 7 12:45 Dr LEIGH BU8 Fenner I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts—Cocos (Keeling) Islands—West Island, Seawater Reverse Osmosis Plant Project. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts is proposing to undertake essential works on the West Island of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The works will protect the community's water supply into the future and support future economic development on the West Island. The works will involve the construction of a new seawater reverse osmosis plant. The estimated cost of the works is $19.6 million, excluding GST. The project was referred to the Public Works Committee on 7 March 2023. Following its inquiry, the committee has recommended that the House of Representatives resolve, pursuant to section 18(7) of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, that it is expedient to carry out the project. Subject to parliamentary approval, works will commence shortly and be completed by late 2024. On behalf of the government, I'd like to thank the committee, ably chaired by the member for Moreton, for undertaking a timely inquiry. I commend the motion to the House. Question agreed to. Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Joint Committee 7 Report 7 12:46 Mr HILL 86256 Bruce On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, I present the committee's report, incorporating a dissenting report, entitled Inquiry into international armed conflict decision making. Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). Mr HILL 86256 by leave—On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, as the Chair of the Defence Subcommittee, I present the committee's report entitled Inquiry into international armed conflict decision making. This report examined how Australia makes decisions to send service personnel into international armed conflict. I asked leave of the House to make a 'shortish' statement, because this report was tabled out of session but the nature of the report and the topic and the recommendations, committee members felt, warrant the courtesy and the formality of the presentation to parliament in person, and I think, with the exception of one member who made a dissenting report, these comments reflect the sincere and unanimous views of the committee. The power to declare war and send military personnel into conflict is arguably the most significant and serious institutional power, and the gravest decision that any government can ever make. The committee carefully considered fundamental questions regarding decision-making in relation to international armed conflict and parliamentary oversight, both preceding and during the commitment of the Australian Defence Force. The committee made seven carefully considered and crafted recommendations, inclusive of the role of the government and the requisite level of appropriate parliamentary oversight; that proposed amendments be made to the Cabinet Handbook;and the opportunity to introduce legislation to establish a joint statutory committee on defence. The committee recommended that the government reaffirm that decisions regarding armed conflict, including war or warlike operations, are fundamentally a prerogative of the executive, while acknowledging the key role of the parliament in considering such decisions and the value of improving the transparency and accountability of such decisions. The committee recommended in particular: … that the Cabinet Handbook be amended to clarify that: Executive power in relation to armed conflict and the deployment of military force flows from section 61 of the Constitution— and also that— In the modern era, Executive power is in practice exercised collectively via the National Security Committee of the Cabinet, whose decisions can be given effect via section 8 of the Defence Act or by advice to the Governor-General as Commander in Chief under section 68 of the Constitution. In the event of war or warlike operations the committee noted it is preferable—this is a shift—that section 68 of the Constitution be utilised, particularly in relation to any conflicts that are not supported by resolutions of the United Nations Security Council or by the invitation of a sovereign nation, given that complex matters of legality may arise in public international law. The committee further recommended that a written statement be published and tabled in the parliament, setting out the objectives of such major military operations, the orders made and their legal basis. The committee further recommended that the government include a new section in the Cabinet Handbook outlining expectations for practices to be followed in the event of a decision to engage in international armed conflict, including war or warlike operations. This should include, firstly, a requirement for parliament to be recalled as soon as possible to be advised, unless this was not possible due to extenuating or inappropriate circumstances; secondly, a requirement that the executive then facilitate a debate in both houses of parliament at the earliest opportunity, either prior to the deployment of the Australian Defence Force or within 30 days of such deployment; and, thirdly, that a debate should occur in the parliament after a formal ministerial statement is made which explains the reasons for the operation as well as a statement of compliance with international law and advice as to the legality of the operation. In practical terms, that draws on precedents that we identified from Prime Minister Howard's time but also from Prime Minister Gillard's time. Also, they should be codified. The committee maintained that these practices should contain the caveat that the Governor-General is able to approve deferral of any of these requirements in specific circumstances such as high risk to national security or imminent threat to Australian territories or civilian lives. The committee made further recommendations to keep the parliament advised of war or warlike operations, including, firstly, that the government introduce standing resolutions of both houses of parliament to establish parliament's expectations in relation to accountability for decisions in relation to international armed conflict; secondly, that a statement to both houses of parliament be made at least annually from the Prime Minister and government Senate leader and a debate facilitated, the Gillard precedent; and, thirdly, that an update to both houses of parliament be provided at least twice during the year from the Minister for Defence and the Minister Representing the Minister for Defence in the other chamber and, again, debate facilitated. The committee noted that these practices, which, as I said, we suggest be embedded through standing resolutions of both houses, also be replicated in the Cabinet Handbook. Further, it was recommended that the government revert to a traditional approach whereby defence white papers and national security or strategy updates should be tabled in both houses of parliament within 30 days of their presentation to the minister. We also recommended that the government consider and apply mechanisms to codify this practice such as embedding them in the Cabinet Handbook or by standing resolutions of both houses of parliament. Finally, an important recommendation of the committee was to establish via legislation a new joint statutory defence committee modelled on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. The proposed new defence committee would be able to receive classified information to improve parliamentary scrutiny of defence strategy, policy, capability, development, acquisition and sustainment, contingency planning and major operations. Our report sets out thoughtful and very detailed proposed design parameters for such a committee to ensure the protection of classified information while improving parliamentary scrutiny of defence and national security matters. In closing, this was a very complex inquiry. It certainly challenged my brain in the understanding of constitutional law, and the committee examined historical precedent going back centuries. Some have said that some of these executive prerogative really flow from the days of monarchs but in our exercise collectively in a democratic context. On behalf of the committee, I extend my thanks and my personal thanks to the many stakeholders and submitters who contributed incredibly thoughtfully to the inquiry and whose carefully formed expert views are acknowledged with respect and were drawn upon in this report. I pay particular tribute to veterans of past conflicts who took the time to come to Canberra and share their thoughts. I know that many of those submitters may not agree in full with where we landed, but, again, we heard them very respectively and have done our best to manage the competing considerations. I also thank colleagues on the committee, who took this inquiry seriously and engaged in the matters of principle as well as the detail. The final observation I'd make is that there has been some stakeholder and media commentary that somehow the committee was 'leant' on by the executive, or this is a foregone conclusion. I just want to put on the record that we took this seriously. We looked at the evidence, and the report we're tabling represents our considered views—not dictated by anyone outside the committee—and we stand by them. I thank the House. BILLS 9 BILLS Family Law Amendment Bill 2023 9

Family Law Amendment Bill 2023

Report from Federation Chamber 9 13:00 The SPEAKER 53517 The question is that the bill be now read a second time.    

The House divided. [13:00]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)

 88 AYES Albanese, A. N. Aly, A. Ananda-Rajah, M. Bandt, A. P. Bates, S. J. Bowen, C. E. Burke, A. S. Burnell, M. P. Burney, L. J. Burns, J. Butler, M. C. Byrnes, A. J. Chalmers, J. E. Chandler-Mather, M. Chaney, K. E. Charlton, A. H. G. Chesters, L. M. Clare J. D. Claydon, S. C. Coker, E. A. Collins, J. M. Conroy, P. M. Daniel, Z. Doyle, M. J. J. Elliot, M. J. Fernando, C. Freelander, M. R. Garland, C. M. L. Georganas, S. Giles, A. J. Gorman, P. Gosling, L. J. Haines, H. M. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Jones, S. P. Kearney, G. M. Keogh, M. J. Khalil, P. King, C. F. King, M. M. H. Lawrence, T. N. Laxale, J. A. A. Leigh, A. K. Lim, S. B. C. Marles, R. D. Mascarenhas, Z. F. A. McBain, K. L. McBride, E. M. Miller-Frost, L. J. Mitchell, B. K. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. Murphy, P. J. Neumann, S. K. O'Connor, B. P. J. O'Neil, C. E. Payne, A. E. Perrett, G. D. Phillips, F. E. Plibersek, T. J. Rae, S. T. Reid, G. J. Rishworth, A. L. Roberts, T. G. Rowland, M. A. Ryan, J. C. Ryan, M. M. Scamps, S. A. Scrymgour, M. R. Sharkie, R. C. C. Shorten, W. R. Sitou, S. Smith, D. P. B. (Teller) Spender, A. M. Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Steggall, Z. Swanson, M. J. Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Tink, K. J. Vamvakinou, M. Watson-Brown, E. Watts, T. G. Wells, A. S. Wilson, J. H. Zappia, A. 55 NOES Andrews, K. L. Bell, A. M. Birrell, S. J. Boyce, C. E. Broadbent, R. E. Buchholz, S. Chester, D. J. Coleman, D. B. Conaghan, P. J. Coulton, M. M. (Teller) Entsch, W. G. Fletcher, P. W. Gee, A. R. Gillespie, D. A. Goodenough, I. R. Hamilton, G. R. Hastie, A. W. Hawke, A. G. Hogan, K. J. Howarth, L. R. Joyce, B. T. G. Landry, M. L. Le, D. Leeser, J. Ley, S. P. Littleproud, D. Marino, N. B. McCormack, M. F. McIntosh, M. I. Morrison, S. J. O'Brien, E. L. O'Brien, L. S. Pasin, A. Pearce, G. B. Pike, H. J. Pitt, K. J. Price, M. L. Ramsey, R. E. (Teller) Robert, S. R. Stevens, J. Sukkar, M. S. Taylor, A. J. Tehan, D. T. Thompson, P. van Manen, A. J. Vasta, R. X. Violi, A. A. Wallace, A. B. Ware, J. L. Webster, A. E. Willcox, A. J. Wilson, R. J. Wolahan, K. Wood, J. P. Young, T. J. 0 PAIRS

Question agreed to.
Bill read a second time.

 Consideration in Detail 10 13:15 Ms STEGGALL 175696 Warringah by leave—I move: (1) Schedule 1, item 14, page 7 (line 10), after "encouraged", insert "to make a reasonable attempt". (2) Schedule 1, item 26, page 10 (after line 15), after subsection 65DAAA(1), insert: (1A) The matters mentioned in subsection (1) must be considered and determined before the commencement of any hearing of a proceeding to reconsider the final parenting order. (3) Schedule 1, item 26, page 11 (line 1), omit "subsection (1)", substitute "subsections (1) and (1A)". (4) Schedule 2, item 21, page 18 (after line 9), after paragraph 70NAD(1)(a), insert: (aa) the person made a reasonable attempt to understand the obligations imposed by the order; and These amendments clarify the intent of the amendments being made by the Family Law Amendment Bill 2023. As we know from many speeches from many members in this House, this is a very difficult and often fraught area of law. It's often the first area in which families have to interact with a system that they don't understand. They feel that it's very expensive, vexatious and very difficult. When parties come to the end of the family law process with an outcome it's important that that outcome stands up and has strength. Amendment (2) relates to the circumstances in which a party may approach the court to reopen or revisit final orders. It's essentially the codification of the test that was established in the case of Rice v Asplund. This is an area that has been omitted from the bill. This amendment is important to make very clear the timing at which those threshold considerations should be made. It's vastly different for parties whether you're going to have to establish that there has been a significant change in circumstances since the making of final orders at the outset before being put to the expense, effort and anxiety of recontesting a final hearing in relation to parenting orders or whether that can be considered as part of a final hearing. This amendment seeks to make it very clear that the threshold elements of subsection (1) must be considered and determined before the commencement of any hearing of a proceeding to reconsider the final parenting orders. Another of my amendments is in relation to the making of long-term decisions. The bill has repealed the section in relation to the presumption of shared parental responsibility. With that comes the requirement for both parties who share parental responsibility to make decisions together in relation to long-term issues—traditionally these have been education, health and religion. The bill is encouraging people to consult in the making of those decisions. We know that, by the time parties attend court to resolve a parenting dispute, those parties are generally not communicating well, so this amendment seeks to add the words 'to make a reasonable attempt' in relation to consulting with one another, because I think in these cases it can be incredibly difficult. My final amendment is in relation to contraventions. I welcome the changes this bill makes to the court's powers in relation to the contravention of orders. It is really frustrating for parties, who have gone to great trouble, emotional toll and expense of obtaining orders, when those orders are then ignored or contravened. It's important that we have a clear system around that. It's also important for people to be aware that the act provides for a defence to a contravention of parenting orders. At the moment there is, basically, a defence to say, 'I don't understand the effect of the orders.' That means a court could say that there is no contravention. In circumstances where orders are obtained at great cost, at great expense and with great anxiety and emotional toll, I think the amendment I proposed, to insert subclause (aa) is important: (aa) the person made a reasonable attempt to understand the obligations imposed by the order: and … I think it's important that the onus is put back on parties, that they make all efforts to understand the effect of the orders. I have met with the Attorney-General in relation to these concerns and raised them, and I understand the bill will be referred to an inquiry. So the important thing for me is that these issues be considered, whether that's in this place or the other place. I think that for people anticipating, or having to go through, the family law system, it's important that we provide as much clarity as possible. I would like to reiterate, through the minister, to the Attorney-General the importance of potentially amending the explanatory memorandum to be very clear as to the intention of the amendments and the intent of these provisions. That's because this is an area of law where clarity makes a very big difference to people's lives. Thank you. 13:21 Ms ROWLAND 159771 Greenway I thank the honourable member for her engagement with this bill. As the member has already said, it is expected that this bill will be referred to a committee and so the government won't be supporting these amendments at this time. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 74046 The question is that the amendments be disagreed to. Question agreed to. 13:21 Ms DANIEL 008CH Goldstein by leave—I move amendments (1) and (2) as circulated in my name together: (1) Schedule 1, item 6, page 5 (after line 22), after paragraph 60CC(2)(d), insert: (da) any family violence involving the child or a member of the child's family; (db) any family violence order that applies, or has applied, to the child or a member of the child's family; (2) Schedule 5, page 41 (before line 6), before item 1, insert: 1A At the end of subsection 4AB(2) Add: ; or (k) repeated and unreasonable commencement of, or participation in, or lack of participation in, legal processes under this Act in a manner that intentionally and maliciously causes emotional or financial harm to the family member. My first amendment goes to the heart of safety. I believe that including a history of family violence in the Family Law Act will better enable consideration of the impact of violence upon children in determining parenting arrangements after separation. An extra provision should be inserted which states: (da) any family violence involving the child or a member of the child's family; (db) any family violence order that applies, or has applied, to the child or a member of the child's family; Talking about safety is talking about the future, talking about violence is talking about the past and talking about the past is critical to women and children being able to tell their stories when they've experienced domestic or family violence, or abuse. There is a great deal of evidence that says women are often advised by family dispute resolution practitioners and lawyers not to raise their concerns about past family violence in relation to future parenting arrangements for fear it will be held against them. At present, this bill reinforces this problem. It suggests that we should ignore information and evidence about past violence and pretend that it's not relevant to the future safety of the victims-survivors at handovers or the children at the heart of these arrangements. Bringing up past violence should not be taboo. It's important information that must weigh into decisions about the safety of future parenting arrangements. This amendment will allow judges, lawyers and parents to understand exactly, and share information about, what kinds of arrangements are safe. If this bill is enacted in its current form, there will be nothing in this section to suggest that a history of family violence is in any way pertinent to decisions about where a child should live or who they should spend time with. This provision will also allow full consideration of the impact of family violence upon children and those who care for them. It is only right that family law should be future-facing. We must consider whether children can or might be able to spend time safely with each parent, but that doesn't mean we should ignore information about the past. Information about family violence is crucial in understanding the recovery needs of those who have experienced violence and how families can function after separation. We must introduce this amendment to ensure that we can truly secure the safety of victims-survivors and children. My second amendment addresses the problem of legal systems abuse. This amendment will strengthen our response to the endemic problem of legal systems abuse. This bill already introduces a revolutionary new power for judges to be able to stop people from bringing court proceedings where it would cause harm to the other family members involved. This is an enormous step forward in our ability to address the problem of legal systems abuse. However, we need to go further. We need to clearly recognise systems abuse as a form of family violence. This amendment does it clearly and simply by including systems abuse as another example of behaviour that may constitute family violence. Research studies from Australia, New Zealand and the UK all demonstrate how family law proceedings are deliberately used by perpetrators to assert continued control and intimidation over their children, their child's other parent and anyone else who cares for that child. As the Australian Law Reform Commission told us, systems abuse can look like refusing to sign legal documents, failing to attend meetings or court dates, prolonging litigation to waste the resources of the other party or lodging multiple sets of proceedings. The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children requires us to address systems abuse as part of our response to the domestic and family violence that plagues our family law system. My amendment is evidence backed. Recently, student research from Monash University's Faculty of Law into family law systems abuse concluded that we must rethink legal systems abuse as a form of family violence. That study recommended the amendment we have proposed here. This amendment is a straightforward and overdue solution. It will reinforce the existing strengths of this bill and ensure that they're truly effective in combating domestic and family violence. I strongly urge the government to accept both of my amendments. I accept the Attorney-General's assurance that they will be given due consideration in the committee process in the other place. 13:26 Ms ROWLAND 159771 Greenway I thank the honourable member for her engagement with this bill. As the member has said, it is expected that this bill will be referred to a committee, so the government won't be supporting these amendments at this time. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 74046 The question is that the amendments be disagreed to. Question agreed to. 13:27 Ms LE 295676 Fowler by leave—I move amendments (1) to (8), as circulated in my name, together: (1) Schedule 1, item 1, page 4 (line 6), omit "paragraph 60CC(3)(a)", substitute "paragraphs 60CC(3)(a) and (3A)(a)". (2) Schedule 1, item 6, page 5 (line 7), at the end of subsection 60CC(1), add: ; and (c) if the child is from a culturally and linguistically diverse background—also consider the matters set out in subsection (3A). (3) Schedule 1, item 6, page 5 (line 12), omit "other", substitute "any other form of". (4) Schedule 1, item 6, page 5 (line 20), before "capacity", insert "ability and". (5) Schedule 1, item 6, page 6 (after line 4), after subsection 60CC(3), insert: Additional considerations — right to enjoy child's culture (3A) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(c), the court must consider the following matters: (a) the child's right to enjoy the child's culture, by having the opportunity to connect with, and maintain their connection with, members of their family and with their community, culture, country and language; (b) the likely impact any proposed parenting order under this Part will have on that right. (6) Schedule 1, item 6, page 6 (line 9), omit "or (3)", substitute ", (3) or (3A)". (7) Schedule 1, item 8, page 6 (line 16), omit "and (3)", substitute ", (3) and (3A)". (8) Schedule 1, page 6 (after line 16), after item 8, insert: 8A Paragraph 63E(3)(b) Omit "and (3)", substitute ", (3) and (3A)". The Family Law Act is already convoluted and, arguably, distressing enough for those involved. I hope that in bringing forward amendments our aim is ultimately to simplify the processes that are currently in place and reduce adversarial harm, especially for children. Family law is often a complex space, having to deal with people and parents and children who are hurt, emotionally fraught and struggling to hold things together for their children's sake while going through separation. I would like to make my position clear that my view on this bill is not to be taken as favouring mums or dads. This is not the point of this conversation. Children are at the centre of these amendments. While there are various proposed amendments, I would like to focus on the changes to section 60CC, which are the factors in determining the child's best interest in considering parenting arrangements. Nearly 14 per cent of my Fowler electorate are reported to have been divorced or separated, which is higher than the national average. Therefore, it's important for me to speak on this bill, in particular for an electorate where more than 50 per cent of our population speaks a language other than English. Proposed subsection 60CC(3) is to be introduced specifically to promote the best interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, including giving them the opportunity to connect with and maintain connection to the child's family community, culture, country and language. These are factors that I strongly resonate with and wholeheartedly support for our Indigenous children. However, I invite the government to give greater consideration to the best interests of children through a multicultural lens. I represent the multicultural heartland of Australia, and many children in my area grow up with a strong sense of cultural identity. However, children who have separated parents from different cultural backgrounds could miss out on this important part of their development. I believe it is in a child's right to grow up knowing their heritage, whether it be learning the language, attending cultural festivities or volunteering with community groups. The court must recognise this as a critical factor. My other amendments seek to broaden the definition of 'harm' towards a child when a court considers their safety. It's my hope that redefining it as 'other such forms of harm' encapsulates certain behaviours that are inconspicuous and yet insidious. Furthermore, amendment (4) will ensure the courts consider both ability and capacity for parents to care for a child, particularly as capacity could be far too broad when assessing the suitability of care for a child. In summary, I believe my amendments will safeguard the child's best interests. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 Sorry, Member for Fowler. The debate is now interrupted in accordance with standing order 43. It will be resumed at a later hour, and you will be granted leave to continue when the debate is resumed. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 13 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS Eurovision Song Contest 13 13:30 Mrs MARINO HWP Forrest I'm asking everyone to get behind WA progressive metal band Voyager as they represent Australia at the Eurovision song contest this week. Eurovision will see Bunbury's Ashley Doodkorte play as Voyager's drummer—and it's worth watching him to see what is described as 'bombastic drumming'. Not only is Voyager the first WA act to represent Australia at the Eurovision song contest; it's also Australia's first band to ever compete. The band members are in Liverpool right now to compete in the second semifinal of the competition, which will take place at 3 am WA time tomorrow. When Ashley isn't playing drums for Voyager, he works at the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre as marketing coordinator, where he has the finger on the pulse of all the various performers and performing arts in the south-west. The Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre will be hosting a 3 am watch party to cheer on Ashley and Voyager. I encourage everyone in and around the south-west, and around Australia, to support them in whatever way they can, whether locally at BREC or by watching them live as they take on the competition. The band themselves described this as 'a wild experience on the global stage'. I wish Ashley and his bandmates all the very best of luck. I know they'll enjoy every minute. They are ambassadors, as they said, for Australian music. Bennelong Electorate: Budget 13 13:31 Mr LAXALE 299174 Bennelong The cost of living is one of the things brought up with me the most in Bennelong. People are struggling not just with big-ticket items like the cost of housing and education but also with the day-to-day expenses we all face, like groceries, medical costs and, of course, electricity bills. That's why I was proud to sit here on Tuesday night as a member of a government that is stepping up to provide support and assistance on the cost of living to the people of Bennelong. About 1.6 million households in New South Wales will receive a $500 rebate on their electricity bills. Because we on this side of the House know the cheapest form of energy is renewable energy, we're also helping families in Bennelong invest in electrifying their homes. There has been $1.3 billion made available to establish the Household Energy Upgrades Fund. This will help households fund energy upgrades such as solar, batteries and heat pumps, which will lower bills. Importantly, small business will not be left out of Bennelong's electrification. Not only will we reduce electricity bills for eligible small businesses by $650; we also have an incentive for small businesses to invest in the electrification of their business—an additional 20 per cent deduction on spending that supports electrification and the more efficient use of energy. A more sustainable and renewable energy future will bring down the cost of bills, and that's what this government is all about. Victoria Government: Lockdowns 13 13:33 Mr BANDT M3C Melbourne When the COVID lockdowns began, we were told we were all in this together. But residents of public housing towers in Flemington and also North Melbourne, in my electorate, quickly found out this wasn't the case when the Victorian government sent in the police to lock them down without notice. People told me they understood that extraordinary measures were necessary but they felt like criminals in their own homes. Around 3,000 people were immediately trapped, unable to leave for a walk, medicine or food for days. The police presence was excessive and it intimidated. For those inside staring out, it was incredibly distressing and a complete disregard for their humanity. But the residents fought back. They took the government to court, and the government reached a $5 million settlement. Divided by the 3,000 residents, it's just over $1,500 each. I congratulate them on what they have achieved, but they deserve more because these people were denied their freedom and are now even being denied an apology. I'm glad they were able to get compensation, and I back those who brought the class action and also those who are seeking other legal options for further compensation. However, it is awful that the Andrews government is still unable to simply say sorry, that a mistake was made and that they regret the harm it caused. During the lockdowns, the community stepped up to help. I would like to acknowledge the incredible role played by the Australian Muslim Social Services Agency as well as countless others who assisted the residents throughout this horrible period. The community did their part, and now the Victorian government should do theirs and apologise. Run for the Voice 14 13:34 Ms ROBERTS 157125 Pearce I rise to speak about a community event that I hosted in my electorate of Pearce last week, which was inspiring and incredibly uplifting due to the commitment of a man who is putting his body on the line by running 14,400 kilometres around Australia. As the sounds of the didgeridoo surrounded the members of my community who had gathered on the steps of the old Yanchep Inn inside the Yanchep National Park, we all cheered heartily as ultramarathon runner Pat Farmer finished his day on the road. Pounding the pavement in his sneakers, he was sweating and exhausted; however, despite it being a challenging and gruelling day, he wore a huge smile for the warm welcome he received. It gave me goosebumps. You'd remember that the Prime Minister launched Pat's Run for the Voice in Hobart last month. It involves completing almost two marathons per day for six months until Pat reaches Uluru. Early the next morning, students from the Yanchep Rise Primary School ran alongside Pat on the start of his journey. We congratulate Pat for what he has achieved and continues to achieve. We were very honoured to have him in Pearce and to hear him speak so passionately about the Voice to Parliament. Maranoa Electorate: Cooladdi 14 13:35 Mr LITTLEPROUD 265585 Maranoa Today I rise to recognise the special achievement of one of the most unique towns in my electorate. Cooladdi, between Quilpie and Charleville in western Queensland, has recently taken out the title of Australia's tiniest town, with a grand population of two. Cooladdi actually wrestled this title from another famous town in my electorate: Betoota. Betoota lost the title after media moguls the Betoota Advocate based their media empire out of the town. The two new locals, Carol Yarrow and Jo Cornel, love everything about Cooladdi and can't imagine ever leaving. In fact, Carol and Jo love Cooladdi so much they purchased the famous Fox Trap Roadhouse. This special buy means the roadhouse will keep functioning as a pub, a general store and a post office, allowing Cooladdi to retain its postcode and therefore maintain its status as a town. But just imagine the enormous burden that Carol and Jo now have. The entire town's existence relies on them, but thankfully they're up for it, and western Queensland is better for it. Thanks to this pair, remote outback stations will keep having access to a mail run, while travellers have a place to stop and meet a new friend or two and have a beer. Congratulations, Carol and Jo, for your efforts in making sure that Cooladdi doesn't get lost to history. These two epitomise the very best of the Aussie spirit. They are what we admire about our rural communities, and I wish them all the best for their exciting future in Cooladdi. Spence Electorate: Immanuel Lutheran School, Mother's Day 14 13:37 Mr BURNELL 300129 Spence I must say that this has been quite a big week, to say the least. It's also safe to say that good things come in twos. This week marks the second budget that's been delivered by the Treasurer and the Albanese Labor government. This week also marks the second school tour from my electorate of Spence that I have had the pleasure of meeting here in Parliament House. It was a privilege to meet these year 6 students from Immanuel Lutheran School who have come all the way from Gawler. I visited their school back in late November last year, representing the Minister for Education, to tour their facilities and officially open four new classrooms. I'm glad such a large group of students from Immanuel Lutheran School got the opportunity to visit me here during a sitting week to observe how we, as their elected representatives, work for them in our nation's capital. I also got to see some of the great work that the Parliamentary Education Office does by observing how they facilitated a mock debate with the students a few hours ago. I must say that I think some of them, despite being in year 6, could certainly give a number of us here a run for our money. The quality of the debate can be attributed in no small part to their teachers and in particular those I got to meet up here a short while ago, Angie Eckermann and Jared Semmler, who put in many long hours to make this trip possible. Finally, I'd like to say to my beautiful mother, Julie: happy Mother's Day this weekend on Sunday. To all the mothers out there: I hope you have a fantastic day. Macquarie Point Stadium 15 13:38 Mr WILKIE C2T Clark The budget confirmed what many Tasmanians feared: that the federal government has fallen for the Tasmanian government's scandalous con job and will indeed go ahead and fund a third AFL stadium in the state. Among other things, it makes a complete mockery of everything the federal government has said about doing things differently and is a slap in the face for the many Tasmanians doing it tough right now, like those waiting years to see a specialist and years more for surgery, and the 4½ thousand people languishing on the housing waiting list. Sure, like many Tasmanians, I'm delighted by the news that Tasmania will finally get an AFL team, but the AFL's condition that we must build another stadium first is, quite frankly, extortion befitting a top Melbourne mobster. No wonder I'll proudly stand alongside my community at a rally this Saturday opposing the stadium, where the community will well know that Tasmania does not need, does not want and cannot afford this stadium. In any case, Macquarie Point is simply too special a place for a development which will look at best like a monument to stupidity and at worst like a giant bedpan. In other words, the stadium is a tribute to political arrogance and will stand forever loudly condemned. Macquarie Electorate: Telecommunications 15 13:40 Ms TEMPLEMAN 181810 Macquarie The Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains have mobile phone black spots which, for the entirety of the nearly 10 years of the previous government's reign, I have been pleading for help with. With the fires, floods and storm risks we face and the isolation of long, lonely roads and the potentially dangerous but wonderful wilderness we live in, in the 21st century we deserve as much mobile coverage as possible, and it's not going too far to say that it can save lives. Then we have a site like Mount Tomah, which the previous government in 2015 promised a mobile phone tower for. It was promised but then secretly relocated hundreds of kilometres away to somewhere in the Central West. We're fixing Mount Tomah under the Regional Connectivity Program round 2, and I'm pleased that Telstra has begun the necessary planning work for a macro tower at the Mount Tomah RFS site. Thank goodness for Labor's Improving Mobile Coverage Round, which is fulfilling other election commitments our government took to the 2022 federal election, including across my electorate of Macquarie. These areas were identified in opposition, as we worked with our communities to advocate for coverage improvements, and were no secret to the Liberals and Nationals. I wrote to them about the black spots. I put in submissions to inquiries. I talked about the problems here, but they didn't listen, and they should be thankful that we are doing everything we can to close those black spots. (Time expired) Capricornia Electorate: Infrastructure 15 13:41 Ms LANDRY 249764 Capricornia This Labor-Greens government is so engrossed by hitting climate targets they are willing to do absolutely anything to meet their goals, even if it means that they flood one of Australia's most pristine rainforest wildernesses and decimate prime agricultural land for a renewable energy scheme. The Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro project will be located 75km west of Mackay, in the stunning Eungella and Pioneer Valley. Plans for this project include the construction of a 60-metre-high wall right across the valley floor for the lower dam and a further two dams at the top of the Eungella range. Rainforests, thriving with unique flora, waterfalls and platypus that swim in the Broken River, will be destroyed. Land which yields some of Australia's finest produce will be completely inundated—decimated in the name of renewable energy. Over 100 people are being forced out of their homes. Families who have lived and worked on their land for generations are being forced to leave. I have visited locals in the Eungella and Pioneer Valley region multiple times since this announcement in September last year. This community is devastated, still in shock that their lives are being uprooted without any consultation prior to the announcement last year so that those in the city can feel warm and fuzzy that they're using renewable energy when they switch on a light. It is hypocritical of those opposite to criticise the mining industry when they are so easily destroying the environment in the name of renewables. Holt Electorate: St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church 15 13:43 Ms FERNANDO 299964 Holt I was honoured to represent the people of Holt at a dedicated mass for the new St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Clyde North. Both local community members and dignitaries attended this dedication. We were fortunate to be joined by senior members of the clergy, including His Excellency Charles Balvo, apostolic nuncio to Australia; the Reverend Gregory Bennett, the Bishop of Sale; the parish priest, Father Denis; and the state member for Cranbourne, Pauline Richards. This was an incredibly special event for me, as this was the first time I had the pleasure of attending the dedication mass for a new church. What made it more special was seeing this in my electorate of Holt. United as one community, we walked together from St Peter's College to the new church. Seeing so many people from various backgrounds together reminded me of the amazing spirit that we have in the south-east parts of Melbourne. This is the spirit in which I approach my role as the member for Holt. I thank the parish for their invitation and for all the work that they do in the community. Lastly, I would like to wish my mother, Bernie Fernando, a happy Mother's Day. To all the mothers in my electorate of Holt and across Australia: have a wonderful Mother's Day. Thank you very much. Berowra Electorate: King's Coronation Family Picnic 16 13:44 Mr LEESER 109556 Berowra Last Saturday over a thousand people from across the Berowra electorate gathered together for the King's Coronation Family Picnic in Fagan Park in my electorate. The sun was shining and the mood was happy and glorious. It was a celebration of King, country, community, service and leadership beyond politics. It was a day of school bands, of fairy floss and of selfies with cardboard cut-outs of the King and Queen. The day reflected a day of celebration of service, which the Crown represents. I want to thank all the community groups involved. The Hornsby Council gave us every assistance. We were joined by the Galston RFS, Hornsby SES and St John Ambulance. The children loved the trucks and displays. The Hornsby Gang Show Scouts and the Berowra Girl Guides ran the sack races and games. The Hornsby Shire Historical Society and the Hills District Historical Society held a display of past local royal visits. There was a fantastic music performance from the Golden Kangaroos Hornsby Concert Band along with Hornsby Heights and Normanhurst West public schools. Local students hosted a Rubik's-cube-solving demonstration. We were also joined by service groups: the Lions and Rotary clubs of West Pennant Hills and Cherrybrook and the Normanhurst Alpha Leos. We were also supported by the Hornsby RSL and Glenorie RSL sub-branches. Australiana Flags had a wonderful display, and I want to give a shout-out to the Original Fairy Floss Company, Ambi's Chai and the Crazy Potato food truck for keeping us well fed and watered. From my own office to the various community groups, I want to thank everyone who made coronation day in Berowra such a resounding success. Fraser Electorate: Community Bike Hub 16 13:46 Dr MULINO 132880 Fraser Behind Footscray's Community Bike Hub is a great story. For more than 10 years, volunteers have been repairing donated bikes for people in need, including refugees and asylum seekers. More than 660 bicycles have been donated, and more than 1,300 bikes have been saved from going to landfill. The bike hub and Footscray High School now deliver a Bike Academy program, whereby all year 9 students complete a two-week workshop at the hub. The program has become extremely popular. For many girls in the program, the practical experience has fostered an interest in STEM subjects. Students interested in a career in the trades have gained valuable experience, and students who were at risk after the long COVID lockdowns have re-engaged with education. The technical skills that have been learned are valuable, but the students also learned amazing life skills: patience, persistence, learning from failure and problem-solving. The students are also responsible for signing off on their work, so they take it very seriously. Last year 320 year 9 students completed the program, and another 320 will complete it this year. A key volunteer at the hub, Tony McCulloch, says he loves being a part of something so important: It is amazing what the kids get up to. They look at things differently, so I often learn from what they are doing. And it is great seeing their confidence and knowledge develop. They feel such a sense of purpose. Thanks to all who make this program possible. Farrer Electorate: Riverina Field Days 16 13:47 Ms LEY 00AMN Farrer After the pressures of another budget week, I rise to invite every member of the House to unwind at this year's Riverina Field Days. The two-day event is staged at Griffith, in the New South Wales Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area each and every May. Those who know anything about Griffith will know that we are the centre of Australia's food bowl, boasting great wines and culinary delights. But one of the things we're equally proud of is our great hospitality. Indeed, it's so good the Prime Minister has visited us twice in the last year, albeit briefly. Drop in again tomorrow or Saturday, and you will find a showcase of the best farming practices and technologies across a wide range of rural industries. The event is also a chance for me to remind the Prime Minister and the House just how important agriculture is to our national economy. It is now getting close to grossing $100 billion annually—money that is absolutely vital to Australia's prosperity in good times and bad. As the show organiser, Jason Torresan, noted recently: Despite the impact of flooding escalating production costs and staff shortages leading to challenging times … It's important to show the strength, vitality and diversity of primary industry. So we are ready to celebrate this weekend, with 200 exhibitors and 12,000 people. There is the motocross show, the real snake pit and even a chance to make your own handmade spaghetti. Buon appetito! Hope to see you there! Bendigo Electorate: Schools 17 13:49 Ms CHESTERS 249710 Bendigo Last week I had the opportunity to visit three schools in my electorate. We can really get an insight into what's being discussed at home and in the classroom when you speak to school students. The first school that I met with, in the lead-up to the budget, was Axedale Primary School. I was asked questions about inflation, which I never expected to get at a primary school, but I did from the good students of Axedale. When I asked them what their priority would be if they were Prime Minister, the key issue they raised was tackling homelessness. They also raised the need to have a fairer water policy. They also raised the need for us to do something about keeping the cost of things down, hence the question about inflation. When I went to Strathfieldsaye Primary School the students there said to me that they really want to see our government do something about vaping. Even primary school students are calling on us to do something about vaping. I was really proud to say that our government is—that our health minister has announced a plan for us to do something about vaping. When I went to Girton Grammar—and their questions went on for quite some time—they said they wanted us to focus on vaping, again, and do something about homelessness. They also want to see the federal government partnering with local and state governments to see funding going to infrastructure and to make sure that the regions get their fair share of infrastructure and don't miss out. Budget 17 13:50 Mr JOYCE e5d New England One of the sad things about being in opposition is that you've a lot of spare time to pore through budget papers. As an accountant, I'm perplexed by some of it. I note that inflation in the coming year is going to go from six per cent, which is pretty high, down to 3.25 per cent, so inflation is going down. However, they also predict that wages are going to go up by four per cent and GDP is going to go down from 3.25 per cent to 1½ per cent. At the same time all this is happening—and inflation is going down because we're so lucky in this nation; we've been slapped on the backside by an economic rainbow of massive coal prices, massive gas prices, massive volumes, big agricultural output and good mums and dads paying their taxes—they're also going to be spending an extra $21 billion in the economy. Apparently this is not inflationary. I can't work this out. This is a new rule of economics. This is like freezing the ice cream and cooking the chook in the same kitchen appliance at the same time. These predictions are remarkable. I predict that they're wrong. I predict that it's going to come unstuck. One of the reasons they're sending $500 cheques to people for power is that their power plan, as Paul Broad has said, is bull manure. It has come unstuck. Get ready for the pain. Australia Post 17 13:52 Ms MILLER-FROST 296272 Boothby My office has received a large number of approaches about the impending closure of the Oaklands Park post office at Westfield Marion Shopping Centre. Of all the post offices in the area, the closure of this one will hit local residents the hardest. It is in a major shopping centre, which is also a public transport hub, so it's very easy for local people to get to. Eighty-nine-year-old Peter, who is legally blind, told me that he goes there to get assistance with paying his bills. He's able to walk to the centre and there's someone at the counter to help him. He will have difficulty getting to another post office because he can't drive and they are less accessible by public transport. He is unable to use online bill-paying services because of his vision impairment. Other constituents have talked to me about access to passport services, as well as postal and parcel collection. This is the one place some of our older residents can still pay their bills in cash, get a hard copy receipt and be helped by someone behind the counter. I spoke today to the Minister for Communications about the concerns raised with me. I'll be writing to her today asking to have this decision reconsidered by Australia Post. I really thank her for her time and her understanding of the issues raised by my constituents. Hummingbird House 17 13:53 Mr HOWARTH 247742 Petrie Hummingbird House is a critical organisation that delivers essential support to families in Queensland. It's Queensland's only children's hospice. It sits just outside my electorate of Petrie. It provides palliative care for sick and dying children up to the age of 21. It is currently running only eight inpatient beds. This essential service sees over 145 families a year facing the nightmare of losing a child. The coalition have been backing Hummingbird House for almost a decade, since it was opened under the Abbott government. To see that this Labor government have decided not to commit funding in this year's budget handed down on Tuesday night is gut wrenching. The Prime Minister and the Treasurer can point fingers all they want about supposed funding cuts to essential programs, but right here on page 23 of this budget paper in my hand—Budget Paper No. 3—there is no funding in the forward estimates for Hummingbird House. I don't think there's a person in this House that could argue that the service for Hummingbird House isn't essential. At a time when services should be increased, $800,000 is all they need to ensure that these services continue. The Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the member for Lilley, whose electorate this is in, have a lot of explaining to do about the pleas from Hummingbird House being ignored by Labor. I urgently call on the Labor government to immediately commit to securing the ongoing funding for Hummingbird House. Battle of the Coral Sea: 81st Anniversary 18 13:55 Mr GOSLING 245392 Solomon On Sunday evening, I attended an event on the Esplanade in Darwin which was to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, which is often referred to as the battle that saved Australia. Fought by the US and the Australian navies, it led to severe losses by the enemy, which then prevented an invasion of Port Moresby, and we know the rest of the story. It's important that we remember these important historical actions with our allies. I want to thank Brad Torgan from the Australian American Association NT branch for putting together a wonderful event that was attended not only by the Australian Defence Force but by members of the US Navy, the Australian Navy, the Australian Army, the Australian Air Force and, of course, the US Marine Corps, who we're proud to host in our northern capital. The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought from 4 to 8 May 1942 and was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia, and it's great looking from the USS Peary Memorial on the Esplanade across Darwin Harbour to the Inpex gas plant, which is providing energy into Japan. Eighty-one years is a lifetime, but it's also remarkable to see how close we are now with our former enemies, the Japanese. Stronger Communities Program 18 13:56 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina The Learmonth Cemetery rotunda construction received $20,000 for a rotunda for the internment of ashes in the electorate of Ballarat. In Rankin, the Stretton State College P&C Association received $18½ thousand for a community sports storage facility and shade shelter. I'm sure the Treasurer would have endorsed that. It's a good project, a good organisation. If we look at Corio, an organisation, the North Geelong Cricket club—a great little cricket club—got $7,868. It's not a lot of money, but it's received that for two hard wicket training nets, to replace the existing netting. In Grayndler, the Prime Minister's electorate, we look at Youth Off The Streets. They received a grant of a little bit more than $18½ thousand, and Leichhardt Women's Community Health Centre received $9,007 for an infrastructure upgrade. Every one of those organisations is now going to miss out, because this mean-spirited government has taken away the Stronger Communities Program—a community program that Mark Coulton, the member for Parkes, put in place. And whether it's Grayndler, Corio, Ballarat or Rankin, every one of those is going to miss out, and it takes a lot of chook raffles at a pub to raise the sorts of funds that those organisations received. You people wouldn't know how to run a chook raffle. (Time expired) Barker Electorate: Health Care 18 13:58 Mr PASIN 240756 Barker I want to take the opportunity to tell the House about a circumstance that's finding itself playing out in Barker. In 2019, the coalition government secured $4.3 million for radiation therapy in Mount Gambier in the south-east of South Australia. That money still sits here in Canberra, pending its expenditure, to deliver radiation therapy for people who would otherwise have to travel to Adelaide or to Warrnambool and spend six weeks in that economy. The minister opposite knows exactly what's happening. The money-hungry Labor government in South Australia has said no to radiation therapy in Mount Gambier but yes to a car park. Can you believe that? They've said no to radiation therapy in Mount Gambier, but they want to spend that same $4.3 million on a car park at the Mount Gambier hospital—car parks, not radiation therapy. Well, the people of Mount Gambier in the south-east stood up. 16,000 people have signed a petition to say: 'Do you know what? We don't want car parks at the Mount Gambier hospital. There are plenty enough. We don't want our people to have to travel to Adelaide and live there for six weeks for radiation therapy. We want what the coalition promised us and what Labor are frustrating us from having, and that's radiation therapy in the south-east of South Australia. The SPEAKER 53517 In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded. CONDOLENCES 19 CONDOLENCES Elstob, Mr Ronald Charles (Ron) 19 14:00 The SPEAKER 53517 I wish to inform the House of the death, on 16 March 2023, of Ronald Charles Elstob, a former senator. Ronald Elstob represented the state of South Australia from 1978 to 1987. As a mark of respect to the memory of Ronald Elstob, I invite all present to rise in their places. Honourable members having stood in their places— The SPEAKER 53517 I thank the House. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 19 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Migration 19 14:01 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, as a great multicultural society, we all support a well-planned migration program. However, given that we are in the middle of a housing and rental crisis, with worsening congestion and growing cost-of-living challenges, why is the Prime Minister adding another 1.5 million people from overseas over the next five years, including an extra 400,000 this year alone, and why was this hidden from the budget speech? Won't the Prime Minister's migration policy just make life harder for the growing number of working poor Australians? Government members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The Minister for Home Affairs will cease interjecting. Members on my right will be warned if they continue to interject during a question. 14:02 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler (—) (): They've had a further 24 hours to consider the magnificent budget brought down by the Treasurer and they've come up with the same first question as yesterday, when they asked just one question of me and the shadow Treasurer asked just one question of the Treasurer. Remarkable! I note the shadow Treasurer can't even get an MPI in budget week. It's just absolutely extraordinary. I am asked about migration. Yesterday, I informed the House—unchallenged—that the numbers were going to be higher under the coalition. The numbers were going to be higher under them. That's just a fact. I'm going to quote my friend the Leader of the National Party again here. He had some advice for the Liberal Party leader about immigration and where policy was. He said this: We'll be constructive with this government in saying that we welcome the changes that they're bringing forward, we believe permanent migration is important … He went on to say this: We've got to acknowledge some of the challenges that we left behind, like the fact that there were nearly a million unprocessed visas is a failure … You've got to put your hand up. … you've got to be honest with people. He's going to be honest! The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The Prime Minister will pause— Honourable members interjecting — The SPEAKER 53517 Order! There is far too much noise. I will hear from the Leader of the Nationals. Mr Littleproud 265585 A point of order on relevance, Mr Speaker: the comment was about 1½ million new immigrants—there was no support of that whatsoever. The SPEAKER 53517 The final part of the question was about the government's migration policy making life harder. The Prime Minister is answering a broad question. At the end of the question, that was added to it. I give the call to the Prime Minister. Mr ALBANESE R36 You don't have to take instructions from the Liberal Party. Stand up for yourself. Back yourself in. Have a bit of confidence! He said this: We didn't get it right in the fact that that backlog was there and I congratulate … Andrew Giles for the work he has done on that in a pragmatic way in making sure we can move forward. But I don't have to go to the Leader of the National Party; I can go to the Leader of the Liberal Party, because this is what he said when we made an announcement in relation to the migration program. He said: 'It's too little, too late.' He wanted more, and sooner! He said this decision, to lift the migration cap, 'should have been made 100 days ago when the government was elected'. He said, 'We do need an increase in the migration numbers,' and, 'These are all grand announcements. I want to see the rubber hit the road,' and, 'It's clear the migration number needs to be higher.' That's what he had to say. The shadow minister at the time, indeed, said this, when asked about an increase in migration—sitting now on the backbench; one of the three people that this leader has lost: three shadow ministers since the last time parliament sat— (Time expired) Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! Order! The minister for infrastructure and members on my left and right will cease interjecting. I want to hear from the member for Robertson. Budget, Medicare 20 14:05 Dr 300126 Robertson REID () (): My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. Why is it so important for the government to make it easier for Australians to see a bulk-bill doctor? What approaches has the government rejected? And what has the reaction been? 14:06 Mr BUTLER HWK Hindmarsh We on the Labor side feel so lucky to have had such a talented young emergency physician with such energy join the Labor caucus. I thank the member for Robertson for his question and for his ongoing advice about health matters. He, like all of us on this side, campaigned so hard at the last election on our promise to strengthen Medicare, and, on Tuesday night, the Treasurer's budget delivered on that promise. The Treasurer delivered a $6 billion package to strengthen Medicare, as well as a $1½ billion boost to indexation across the board of Medicare rebates. This will deliver the biggest increase to Medicare rebates across the board since Paul Keating was Prime Minister, more than 30 years ago—in one year, a bigger increase to Medicare rebates than the former government managed in seven long years; in one year, bigger than seven long years under the former government. Our Strengthening Medicare package delivers more than $2 billion in deep reform, recommended by the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce—reform that will bring Medicare into the 21st century and into line with the needs of patients who tend to be older and tend to have more chronic disease. But the centrepiece of our Strengthening Medicare package is a $3½ billion investment to triple bulk-billing incentives, described by the College of General Practitioners as a 'game changer'. It is a game changer for millions of mums and dads who want the confidence, when their kids get sick, that they can go to a bulk-billing doctor, a game changer for millions of pensioners and concession card holders who rely on bulk-billing and a game changer for general practitioners who now know they have a government in Canberra who values the work that they do. But it's not just the college who have welcomed our package. The AMA said: … this targeted support is much needed and will make a real difference, especially in rural and regional areas. The Consumers Health Forum said: 'This is a win for health consumers.' They said: 'We asked the government to listen to consumers,' and, they said, we have. I also noticed, though, some comments last night from a former health minister, now the Leader of the Opposition. He very usefully added his comments and said: 'More needs to be done in the bulk-billing space'—an intriguing comment, because we know what happened when the Leader of the Opposition last ventured into 'the bulk-billing space'. When he last ventured into the bulk-billing space, he tried to abolish bulk-billing, for every single patient and make sure that every man, woman, child, pensioner and concession card holder would pay a GP tax every single time they visited the doctor. Well, our position on Medicare has been unshakeable for 40 years. And Tuesday night's budget delivered on that position. Housing 20 14:09 Mr TEHAN 210911 Wannon My question is to the Minister for Housing. AMP Chief Economist Dr Shane Oliver has noted 'the resurgence in underlying demand on the back of very high immigration' and that 400,000 arrivals this year equates to demand for an extra 200,000 dwellings. If the AMP could see the link between very high immigration and housing shortage, why didn't the government? Government members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order, members on my right! I'm issuing a general warning to members on my right. There is far too much noise. Questions must be heard in silence. If this continues, people will be removed immediately. I want to make it clear: when someone is asking a question you don't interject. 14:10 Ms COLLINS HWM Franklin I thank the member opposite for that important question. Really, you come in here and you talk about migration when it was going to be higher under those opposite! The SPEAKER 53517 I'm going to ask the minister to direct her comments through the chair. Ms COLLINS HWM They did very little about housing while they were in government, particularly when it comes to social and affordable housing, and they're now blocking the Housing Australia Future Fund Bill in the Senate—the bill that would provide 30,000 additional social and affordable rental homes on top of all the other things we're doing in our broad housing agenda. I would say to the member opposite: you come in here and say we're not doing enough when it comes to migration. The former Leader of the Opposition said we're doing too little, too late. The numbers were going to be higher under you, and now you're actually trying to block the housing we're trying to provide. Seriously! That is what you are doing; you are absolutely trying to stop what we are doing when it comes to more housing. Honourable members int erjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 The minister will pause. The member for Spence will cease interjecting. I'll hear from the member for Wannon. Mr Tehan 210911 This goes to relevance. It was about the link between immigration being high and your lack of housing supply. I'd like to minister to go back to that. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! I want to be able to hear the minister, to make sure she is being relevant to the question regarding immigration and the pressures on housing. I ask her to return to the question. Ms COLLINS HWM Thank you, Mr Speaker. With the Housing Australia Future Fund, we're talking about additional housing here in Australia. The SPEAKER 53517 The member for Deakin will cease interjecting or be warned. Ms COLLINS HWM We're talking about 30,000 social and affordable rental homes that we want to get on the ground as soon as possible and that you're saying no to. You voted no in this House and you're saying no to it in the Senate. Seriously, we've got 4,000 of those homes for women and children fleeing family violence and for older women at risk of homelessness. Some of that housing is for veterans who are at risk of homelessness, and you are saying 'no' when we want to put more houses on the ground. After a decade of little action, we are trying to turn this around. We've invested $575 million immediately, we had the National Housing Accord in our first budget and we have a bill in the Senate, and you're blocking it. We've had more measures in the budget, just two days ago, for build-to-rent—an additional $2 billion for Housing Australia to do more social and affordable housing. We continue to invest in housing. We've got homes on the ground today, which you don't support, and we want to do more with the Housing Australia Future Fund. Instead, we've got you, with the Greens, forming this 'no-alition' of no homes. You don't want any homes on the ground when it comes to social and affordable housing. Seriously! You need to actually get your senators in the Senate to support this bill, allow us to bring on the debate and have a vote. If you were serious about what's going on when it comes to housing and if you were serious about those Australians doing it tough, you would support the bill in the Senate. Budget 21 14:13 Ms FERNANDO 299964 Holt My question is to the Treasurer. How does the Albanese Labor government's second budget address the cost-of-living pressures facing Australian households rather than adding to them? Are there any barriers to the government's efforts? 14:13 Dr CHALMERS 37998 Rankin I thank the wonderful member for Holt for her question about the cost of living. The centrepiece of the Albanese government's second budget is a package of responsible, targeted cost-of-living relief. Our budget was carefully calibrated and designed to take pressure off the cost of living, rather than add to the inflationary pressures in our economy. So 11.6 million Australians are eligible to benefit from the tripling of the bulk-billing incentive. Six million Australians are to benefit from the up to halving of medicine costs. More than five million households and one million small businesses are to receive direct electricity bill relief, and millions more are benefiting from our price caps. There are 1.1 million Australians who will see an increase in payments like JobSeeker, Austudy and youth allowance. Many, many more Australians will benefit from initiatives like home energy upgrade loans, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme, additional TAFE places and the wages growth we're seeing in our economy after a decade of deliberate wage suppression from those opposite. Treasury forecasts our cost-of-living policies will directly lower price pressures and the CPI in 2023-24 and will not add to broader inflationary pressure in the economy. That's because our support is carefully designed to provide effective and meaningful relief to households throughout the year, not in one big hit. This is the sort of approach to targeting cost-of-living relief which is recommended by the key international organisations. Leading economists have supported the government's approach as well. Ben Jarman from JP Morgan says that this may also make the RBA's life a bit easier when it comes to interest rate decisions. Alan Oster says it's 'broadly neutral'. Amy Auster says: The Budget balances investments in health, cost-of-living relief, and aged care with the need to stimulate productivity without adding to our inflationary pressures. Stephen Halmarick says the contraction this year will be helpful in moderating inflation. It goes on and on and on. Market expectations for the path of interest rates has not changed one bit as a result of the budget. So this budget will make life easier for people while not adding to inflationary pressures in the economy. I say this to those opposite who are interjecting: if those opposite don't support a bit of cost-of-living relief for millions of Australians they should get up there and say so. If the Leader of the Opposition doesn't support cost-of-living relief for Australians doing it tough, he should get up there tonight and say so. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 22 DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Snelling, Ms Danielle, Indigenous Marathon Project Squad 22 14:16 The SPEAKER 53517 I'm pleased to inform the House that present in the gallery today is Danielle Snelling, the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Motherless Daughters Australia. Also in the gallery is the 2023 Indigenous Marathon Project squad. On behalf of the House I extend a very warm welcome to you. Good luck in the New York City Marathon later this year. Honourable members: Hear, hear! QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 22 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Higher Education Contribution Scheme 22 14:16 Ms LE 295676 Fowler My question is to the Treasurer. University students across the country will be forced to pay an additional seven per cent on top of their already exorbitant HECS debt. This will impact young people who are already struggling to study, work and pay rent while facing some of the worst economic challenges we've had in a long time. Young people are our future and deserve fair and equitable access to education. What will the government do to ease their debt pressure with your budget surplus? 14:17 Dr CHALMERS 37998 Rankin Thanks very much to the member for Fowler for her question about a really important topic. Obviously, the indexation of student loans has not been changed by this government. These are the usual arrangements that apply. What has changed is the way that we are supporting students in the budget that we handed down on Tuesday night. We are supporting them with Austudy, supporting them with youth allowance and supporting them with Commonwealth rent assistance—all of the different ways that the budget proudly spoke to Australians who are doing it tough, including young people, students and people who are genuinely under the pump. What we tried to do in the budget on Tuesday night was say to all of those Australians who are doing it tough and to all of those Australians under the pump, including young people and including students, that we will do what we can to help you. We'll do that in a responsible and methodical way which weighs up all of the pressures on the budget and in the economy. This side of the House is proud to back in our young people and proud to back in our students. The way that we fund the education system and provide cost-of-living relief where we can is a really important demonstration of our support for young people and students. Budget 22 14:18 Ms TEMPLEMAN 181810 Macquarie My question is to the Prime Minister. The Albanese Labor government is making significant investments in women. How will the budget work to improve the lives of Australian women both now and into the future? 14:18 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for Macquarie for her question and for her advocacy on behalf of her electorate, particularly her advocacy as a very strong voice for women—as part of a caucus in government which has a majority of women for the first time. I think it's no accident that there is a link between that and the budget we produced on Tuesday night, handed down by the Treasurer, with the Minister for Women, Senator Gallagher's, mark all over it. In our first budget, last October, we invested in cheaper child care and in paid parental leave. Cheaper child care was the largest on-budget commitment that we made in the election campaign, something that was in my first reply to the budget as opposition leader and in the era when opposition leaders actually had policies and put forward constructive ideas in budget replies. In this budget we have a 15 per cent rise also for aged-care workers, a sector dominated by women workers and part of our national strategy for the care economy. Tomorrow, I will be talking with workers in the aged-care sector, along with the minister, about the impact that this will have. It was a recommendation of the royal commission that we needed to address, the underpayment of workers in this sector, by and large women, whether they be nurses, orderlies, the cleaners, the people who work in that sector, and $11.3 billion was a substantial commitment to do just that. We expanded the single-parent payment, helping 52,000 single mums. The increase in rent assistance will help single women, who are around half of the recipients. We abolished the ParentsNext program, which punished some of the most vulnerable women, and we provided additional support to people over 55 on JobSeeker, the majority of whom are women. We are working to close the gender pay gap, reforming workplace laws so it's easier to deliver pay rises for women in low-paid, undervalued sectors, and requiring companies to report on their gender pay gap. We have made women's safety a national priority across two budgets. We have invested $2.29 billion to end domestic violence, and, of course, our Housing Australia Future Fund, which remains held up in the Senate by the coalition and the Greens political party, includes 4,000 new homes for women and children escaping domestic violence. We have a comprehensive plan for women because we want to be a government that represents all Australians. (Time expired) Budget 23 14:22 Mr TAYLOR 231027 Hume My question is to the Treasurer. This morning, Westpac chief economist Bill Evans said this when speaking about Labor's budget with Karl Stefanovic: 'Karl: So interest rates will be higher for longer? Bill Evans: That is the risk.' Will the Treasurer finally admit he is alone in saying that this budget will reduce inflation? Mr Sukkar 242515 You quoted Bill Evans yesterday. He corrected the record. The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The member for Deakin will come to order. 14:22 Dr CHALMERS 37998 Rankin This guy is truly the gift that keeps on giving, isn't he? If the shadow Treasurer had watched the whole conversation between Bill Evans and Karl Stefanovic, Karl asked Bill Evans, 'Have you changed your expectations for interest rates?' and he said, 'No.' I mean, seriously, help the guy out. Somebody point out to him that when Karl Stefanovic asked Bill Evans, 'Have you changed your expectations of interest rates into the future?' he said, 'No, I haven't changed them,' which is the point that I've been making ever since the budget was handed down. The other thing that the shadow Treasurer said—it's hard to keep a straight face with this bloke—and I'd just read out all of these economists who say that the impact on the budget, when it comes to inflation, is a good one or is broadly neutral, is that he tried to pretend that we are on our own. I'm happy to read them out again for you. JPMorgan says it may also make the RBA's like a bit easier. Alan Oster says it's predicted to be broadly neutral over coming years. Amy Auster: The budget balances investment in health, cost-of-living relief, and aged care with the need to stimulate productivity without adding to our inflationary pressures. Stephen Halmarick: The move to surplus in 2022/23 represents a fiscal contraction that is helpful in moderating the inflation pulse … The market hasn't moved since Tuesday when it comes to inflation and to interest rate expectations. Most important is something I didn't get the opportunity to mention in the answer before, so I'm pleased that he's very charitably given me the opportunity now. In the strange world that the shadow Treasurer occupies, the budget on Tuesday night that has a net spend over four years of $20 billion is inflationary, but the last budget that they handed down in March 2022 had a net spend of $39 billion. So they had a net spend which was twice the spend as the one on Tuesday night. In their world, $39 billion is not inflationary, as we're heading towards the peak in inflation, but $20 billion on the other side of the peak in inflation is somehow inflationary. This, old son, is why nobody takes you seriously. The SPEAKER 53517 I'll hear from the manager, but I think the Treasurer is going to beat you to the punch there. Mr Fletcher L6B There are standing orders against offensive words and reflections on members. The Treasurer is a serial offender in showing a gross lack of respect. He ought to withdraw. The SPEAKER 53517 Resume your seat. To assist the House, I'm giving the call to the Treasurer. I'm going to ask him to withdraw. Dr CHALMERS 37998 I withdraw. Budget 24 14:26 Mr GOSLING 245392 Solomon My question is to the most excellent Minister for Social Services. The SPEAKER 53517 Order! No. Resume your seat. We've had this before. Questions are asked to ministers directly, without any extras. Mr GOSLING 245392 Understood, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Minister for Social Services. How is the Albanese Labor government supporting people that need it most through the budget as part of its $14.6 billion cost-of-living package? 14:26 Ms RISHWORTH HWA Kingston I'd like to thank the member for Solomon for that question and also for the great work he does representing the families of Darwin and Palmerston. We really appreciate his advocacy. The government, of course, understands that many Australians are doing it tough right now. They are feeling the pinch, and that's why we have delivered a responsible budget that carefully calibrated a balance of competing pressures. It does strike the right balance. We are providing substantial cost-of-living relief that also provides targeted support to people on the lowest incomes without adding to inflation. As well as helping with power bills and a record investment in the bulk-billing incentive and cheaper medicines, our $14.6 billion cost-of-living plan includes responsible and targeted help for people doing it tough. We are strengthening the social safety net which many Australians rely on. The increases to JobSeeker, youth allowance, Abstudy and other eligible working payments will support those who rely on the safety net. We are giving extra support for older JobSeekers over 55, which will take the pressure off them as they face additional barriers to finding work. And we've provided the biggest increase to Commonwealth rent assistance in 30 years. We're recognising the work that single-parent households do by expanding eligibility to the single parent payment. Our package of measures has been described as a 'life changing' by the Brotherhood of St. Laurence and 'taking steps to a fair Australia' by St Vincent de Paul. The ACTU has said these additional payments will be welcome relief to many parents, women and children doing it tough, and, of course, the National Australia Bank's Ross McEwan said: We welcome Government action to lessen rising cost-of-living impacts on the most vulnerable Australians. It is a challenging balancing act to provide financial support without fuelling the inflation you're trying to reduce, which is why targeted measures are critical. While the country comes together and welcomes this Labor government's budget, there is an important question for those opposite: will the Leader of the Opposition stand up tonight and support our cost-of-living relief? We know that those opposite stood in the way of energy relief for households right across the country, but the test tonight will be: will this Leader of the Opposition endorse our cost-of-living package that's targeted, that's well-calibrated and that will be welcomed by so many. What the Australian people want to hear tonight is 'yes' from this Leader of the Opposition, not the constant 'no'. Budget 24 14:29 Ms LEY 00AMN Farrer My question is to the Minister for Aged Care. Economists from Deloitte, Access Economics, UBS, S&P Global Ratings, Betashares and EY have all warned that Labor's high-taxing, big-spending budget will raise inflation, risking further interest rate rises. This morning the minister said, 'This is a budget that will put downward pressure on inflation.' Can the minister explain how the budget will put downward pressure on inflation? 14:30 Ms WELLS 264121 Lilley I thank the member for the question. It's not in my portfolio, but I'm happy to expand on what I discussed this morning. I was asked: how is this a budget that assists middle Australians? And I said, 'This is a budget for middle Australians because middle Australians are facing energy bills, middle Australians have children, middle Australians need to pay for medicines and middle Australians like to go to the doctor, preferably a bulk-billing doctor near where they live'. This is a cost-of-living budget with a $14.6 billion package designed to decrease the price of child care. I've had three kids in child care at the one time. The SPEAKER 53517 The minister will pause. The question was about how the budget puts downward pressure on inflation. The minister is answering that, regarding examples and also regarding government policy. I will hear from the deputy leader, but I hope she was listening to what the minister was saying, otherwise I'll ask her to sit down as well. Ms Ley 00AMN Indeed I was. My point of order is on relevance because it was a tight question and it specifically went to the Minister's own quote that, 'the budget would put downward pressure on inflation'. My question was: how? The SPEAKER 53517 Resume your seat. I do want to hear from the Leader of the House. Mr Burke DYW Just to the point of order, the question does not relate to the minister's portfolio. The minister has taken it anyway. The minister, in answering the question, has been absolutely relevant to every aspect. The only objection from the shadow minister is that her question is being answered and she doesn't like the facts that are coming out. The SPEAKER 53517 I'll hear from the Manager of Opposition Business. Mr Fletcher L6B It was suggested that it's not in the Minister's portfolio. It deals with the budget. The minister has responsibility for a portfolio which involves budgetary expenditure. The SPEAKER 53517 I'm going to keep things moving. The question was about comments the minister made about the budget regarding inflation. She's giving examples in her portfolio and broader government context. She can't really be more relevant than she is already being. I'm going to ask the minister to return to the question. I'm going to listen carefully to make sure she's reflecting what the member asked. I give her the call. Ms WELLS 264121 I was saying that I have three kids who are in child care and that, come 1 July, our decision to reduce the cost of child care for people makes a huge difference to the cost of living. We have made decisions to put downward pressure on the price of child care and downward pressure on the price of electricity bills, rather than the cash-splash bonanza that you lot tried to do when you had the levers of power. We are making decisions to give subsidies to people on things like energy bills and childcare bills because that puts downward pressure on inflation. Opposition members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Members on my left! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition has asked her question. Ms WELLS 264121 We're also giving a pay rise to aged-care workers to the value of $11.3 billion. That's an extra 140 bucks a week for personal carers or 200 bucks a week for registered nurses. Giving pay rises to people assists with their cost of living. That's a $14.6 billion package that I was talking about in my comments on Today this morning. This is a budget for middle Australia. That was the question that I was asked this morning. People who represent middle Australia, in the suburbs of Brisbane, have said to me, since Tuesday night, that they're grateful that they've got a government that is prepared to get the balance right between responsible decisions on spending and responsible decisions on saving. I am grateful for the fact that we have managed to find $36 billion in funding for aged care, an industry that has been neglected for nine long years. Aged-care workers are some of the most vulnerable workers in this country who suffer the cost of living first when inflation goes up—inflation being a tax on the poor, and the poor being the kind of people who are in our care economy, who do the best thing by our care economy and who need their budgets to serve them best. That is why we are making a cost-of-living package which does things like cheaper medicines, which does things like Commonwealth rent assistance, which does things like tripling the bulk billing rates for people so it is affordable for them to take their kids to see a doctor, all of which are downward inflationary pressures. (Time expired) Budget 25 14:35 Mr BURNS 278522 Macnamara My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. How is the Albanese Labor government acting to help families and businesses with the cost of energy bills? What approaches has the government rejected? 14:35 Mr BOWEN DZS McMahon I thank my honourable friend for the question. As the member knows, and the House knows, the budget contained a range of measures to help Australian households and businesses deal with energy prices. We delivered the Household Savings Plan, which provides real support to families and to businesses who want to reduce their emissions and their bills by investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Of course, the budget also delivered on the energy relief package that we announced last year and that was negotiated by the Treasurer and his state and territory colleagues. We have now very real evidence, Treasury analysis, of the impact of the government's intervention last year and in the budget. Those honourable members opposite will be very interested to hear; they're apparently interested in measures which reduce household costs. They want to know what's being done to reduce household costs and inflation. I'm very happy to inform the House what the impact of the government's interventions, both the coal and the gas cap and the rebates to affected families, have meant. For example, in New South Wales—where families were facing a 40 per cent increase in power prices before the government's intervention—for those who are receiving the rebates, now they will receive a seven per cent decrease in their energy bills. In Victoria, the difference is $481 for families across Victoria. In Queensland: the honourable members from Queensland, opposite, will be very interested to hear that they were facing—a matter of interest to you, I know, Mr Speaker—a 43 per cent increase, now a 10 per cent decrease in their energy bills after the intervention. South Australia was facing a 51 per cent increase in their power bills. Due to the Albanese government's intervention it's now a five per cent cut in their energy bills for those who are receiving the rebates. Tasmania was facing a 29 per cent increase but is now facing a 10 per cent decrease. The ACT, with 100 per cent renewables, is a little bit different. It was facing a 3.5 per cent increase, now a 15 per cent decrease. Those members opposite, who voted against the intervention, voted for higher power prices are. I'm asked what policies we rejected. We've rejected doing nothing, which was the opposition's approach. We've rejected inserting the most expensive form of energy: nuclear. But we look forward to tonight, when we'll hear more plans. Perhaps we'll get the costings— Mr Pasin 240756 I'm just happy if the lights are on in South Australia! The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The member for Barker is warned. Mr BOWEN DZS for the small modular nuclear reactors. Perhaps we'll get the locations. Leaders of the opposition love budget replies. It's their chance to shine before the country, to lay out their policies, to lay out the modelling, to lay out the analysis, to lay out the details. I look forward to seeing the Leader of the Opposition doing that with energy tonight, to outline his plans to Australians. We have delivered. They've got nothing. The SPEAKER 53517 The member for Fairfax is continuing to interject. I can hear every word he is saying, trust me. He is warned. The member for Groom is warned. I'm just reminding the member for Barker: he is warned. Budget 26 14:39 Ms PRICE 249308 Durack My question is to the Prime Minister. Corey and Sarah are a hardworking couple with a mortgage and who are from Western Australia. They told the Today Show, 'What this budget has said to all Australians, I believe, is that the government hasn't listened to any of us.' Why has this government brought down a budget which risks middle-class Australians becoming the new working poor? 14:39 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for Durack for her question. This is a budget that is calibrated to support our economy, to support businesses, to support small business, to support people, such as single mums and people on JobSeeker, who are doing it really tough, but also with a range of measures designed to help people in middle Australia. I refer to the fine answer of the member for Lilley, speaking about her personal experience with child care. Don't people in middle Australia use child care? We're going to decrease the cost of child care. As a direct result of this government's budget, five million Australians will pay less on their power bills. Five million Australians will receive bills that are less as a direct result of the energy price relief plan that passed this parliament, with those opposite all voting against it. It is something that, between us and the states and territories, will contribute $3 billion to lower those power bills. Those opposite voted against it, and this week they've been out there saying: 'Oh, we were for it the whole way. We were always for it. We were always with you. We just didn't vote for it.' More than a million families will be paying less for child care, and 11 million Australians will be paying less to see a doctor. We know that, if the Leader of the Opposition had had his way, nobody would have been able to be bulk-billed, because he proposed its abolition by having a fee on everyone who visited a doctor. In the first four months of this year, Australians paid $76 million less for their prescriptions because of our cheaper medicines plan. And because of this budget six million Australians will pay less for their medicines. Tonight, I look forward to finding out if those opposite are in favour of those six million Australians paying less for their medicines or not. As a result of our budget, 480,000 Australians will pay zero for their TAFE courses. Because of us, 250,000 aged-care workers will get paid more. Because of our submissions, the Fair Work Commission has agreed also that those on the minimum wage will get paid more. Under our government, we're looking after people wherever they live, whatever their income, whoever they are. (Time expired) Budget: Defence 26 14:42 Mr BURNELL 300129 Spence My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. How does the budget clean up the mess left in defence and deliver the priorities outlined in the Defence Strategic Review? What has been the response? 14:43 Mr MARLES HWQ Corio I thank the member for his question and acknowledge his service in the Australian Defence Force. Tuesday night's budget laid down a careful, sober, clear plan by which the government would fund the implementation of the AUKUS agreement and the government's response to the Defence Strategic Review. We've done this by increasing the defence budget over the medium term, above the trajectory we inherited from those opposite, and by making really difficult decisions to reprioritise areas within defence, from areas which, frankly, were less important to other areas where resources were needed the most. When the government laid down the Defence Strategic Review, the shadow minister for defence accused us of cannibalising defence to pay for our priorities. But, on Sunday, the shadow Treasurer made clear that it is the position of the coalition that defence spending should stay within the budget envelope which they established. So if you are not going to reprioritise defence spending on the one hand and you're not going to increase defence spending on the other, then the only way those two statements add up is if the Leader of the Opposition has the honesty tonight in his budget reply to make clear that a coalition government would not be funding the AUKUS agreement, that a coalition government would not be funding a new long-range strike capability for this country, that a coalition government would not be resourcing our Defence Force personnel, which this country so badly needs. They cannot have it both ways. But don't expect any outbreak of honesty of that kind tonight, because we saw the way those opposite operated when they were the government, when their guiding philosophy in defence policy was smoke and mirrors. They made $42 billion worth of announcements without a cent behind them, which meant that, for a full quarter of what Defence was expected to purchase, there was not a dollar. They never made a difficult decision. They never engaged in serious defence policy. In fact, the only decision they ever made was on what music they were going to use on the videos they produced, which used Defence Force personnel and asked people to donate to the Liberal Party. That is what Defence actually means to them. Australia faces the most serious circumstances that we've had since the end of the Second World War. We need serious people making serious decisions, and the only party in this country right now doing that is Labor. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 27 DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Giles, Hon. Adam 27 14:46 Mr DICK 53517 Oxley Before I call the member for Griffith, I would like to advise that in the gallery today is the former chief minister of the Northern Territory the Hon. Adam Giles. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 27 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Universities 27 14:46 Mr CHANDLER-MATHER 300121 Griffith My question is to the Treasurer. Angus Shepherd completed his PhD last year with a HECS debt of $48,000. He was set to pay back around $1,500 of his debt in his next tax return. But with Labor's indexation his debt will rise by about $2,700. He will end up about $1,000 further in the red. Can the Treasurer justify why Labor thinks it is good to push students further into debt and raise more by increasing HECS debt than from changes to tax on gas corporations? 14:47 Dr CHALMERS 37998 Rankin It's characteristically dishonest of the member to pretend that there has been some change in the budget on Tuesday night. The SPEAKER 53517 Order. The Treasurer will pause. I'd like to hear from the Leader of the Australian— Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! Who is constantly laughing on my right? If it continues, it is highly disorderly and you'll be asked to leave without warning. I want to hear from the Leader of the Australian Greens. Mr Bandt M3C That was a very clear reflection on a member, and the Treasurer should withdraw. The SPEAKER 53517 The Minister for Home Affairs is getting very close to being removed from the chamber. I'm going to ask the Treasurer to withdraw and continue with his answer. Dr CHALMERS 37998 I withdraw. I say to the member for Griffith that he should not come into this place and pretend that Tuesday's budget had any changes to the repayment arrangements around HECS debts. Ask all the questions you want, important questions, about the cost of living for students and young people, but don't come in here and pretend— The SPEAKER 53517 Order, the Leader of the Opposition. Dr CHALMERS 37998 You're voting with them. You're voting with them in the Senate. The Leader of the Opposition interjects about arrangements between major parties and the Greens. This is not the best day to do it, I say to the Leader of the Opposition. Today is not the best day to point that out. Those opposite are engaged in an unholy alliance with the Greens to knock off social and affordable housing in the Senate. So to bring up, in this typically ham-fisted way, a relationship between a major party and the Greens—today is not the day to do it, my friend. Today is not the day to do it. The SPEAKER 53517 The Treasurer will pause. The SPEAKER 53517 The member for Dunkley will leave the chamber. The SPEAKER 53517 The member for Swan then will withdraw from the chamber. The member for Dunkley may stay; I misheard. The member for Swan will leave the chamber. Somebody's leaving! The member for Swan then left the chamber. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order. There is far too much noise in the chamber. I know everyone is very exercised. I need to be able to hear what the minister is saying in answering the question. I'm going to give the call to the member for Griffith. Mr Chandler-Mather 300121 Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. The question was specifically about indexing student debt and why the government justifies it. Dr CHALMERS 37998 I thank the member. The point that I'm making is that the member for Griffith shouldn't come in here and pretend there has been a policy change in the budget when it comes to the repayment of HECS debt. There hasn't. This is the longstanding arrangement that is applied to the indexation of student debt. His time in this place would be better spent not making up stories about Tuesday night's budget but instead voting for social and affordable housing. The member wanders around his electorate pretending he is for social and affordable housing and then comes down here and votes against it. When it comes to students and young people—and I answered this question when the honourable member for Fowler asked it—this government is backing in students and young people with an increase in Commonwealth rent assistance, Austudy, youth allowance and the base rate of JobSeeker. These are important ways that we demonstrate our support for students and young people, like I told the member for Fowler. I understand that the member for Griffith will get all over his social media feed and pretend that Labor have made some kind of change when it comes to the repaying of HECS debts, but we haven't. Regional Australia 28 14:51 Ms CHESTERS 249710 Bendigo My question is to the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. What approaches has the Albanese Labor government changed in order to better deliver for regional Australians? 14:51 Ms McBAIN 281988 Eden-Monaro I thank the member for her question. She is a proud, regional woman delivering in her regional electorate. Like everyone on this side of the House, I'm incredibly proud of the budget on Tuesday night, which delivers for regional Australians. It's great to see that the government recognises regional Australia for what it is. It's resilient, it's diverse and it's innovative. We on this side of the House see that it's much more than the electorate you live in. We know that regional Australians are the economic drivers of our nation. We've delivered more for regional Australia in one year than those opposite did in 10. Those opposite loved to release a press release and they loved the 30-second media grab, but they actually forgot the bit about delivering. You cannot win votes, you cannot deliver for regional Australia and you cannot build a bridge with a press release. You can't do a new playground with a 30-second media grab. You've actually got to put the hard work in. Just so you know, a shovel helps you get there—or even sometimes a calculator because what you did was add 800 projects to the infrastructure pipeline but forgot to add the extra money. You can't half-deliver a project to people; you actually have to do it. The SPEAKER 53517 The member for Gippsland is warned. Ms McBAIN 281988 The funny thing is regional Australians are awake to you guys. They are sick and tired of having to wait all the time. It's all these announcements and all these media grabs—'We'll do the Rocky ring road'—but it was actually Labor that funded the business case and it will be Labor that delivers the project. On this side of the House, regional Australia is much more than a grants program. It's health, it's housing, it's skills and it's infrastructure, and we're delivering for everyone. You should know how hard it is to see a GP in regional Australia. You had 10 years and didn't do anything about it. We on this side of the House are tripling the bulk-billing incentive and are waiving HECS debts for healthcare workers. That's how you get people to come and work in the bush. We've taken action by expanding the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee and we're incentivising build-to-rent properties because in our communities that's what they're after. We're investing in our people through fee-free TAFE places. We're focused on helping our regions grow with the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund and the $2 billion Hydrogen Headstart fund. We've listened to regional Australia. They've asked for help for mitigation and resilience in natural disasters. You did nothing, and we'll deliver $200 million every year in the Disaster Ready Fund. Just like the bushfire royal commission asked for, we'll deliver a national messaging system to protect people and property. You had a chance. You did nothing. After the BBRF debacle, we'll make sure— (Time expired) The SPEAKER 53517 I didn't want to interrupt the minister during her answer, but I remind all ministers answering questions of standing order 65. It is highly disorderly to use the term 'you'. Please direct all remarks through the chair. Budget 29 14:54 Mr HOGAN 218019 Page My question is to the Treasurer. In April 2022 you told the Australian public that there would be no tax increases under a Labor government. Why have you broken this promise by increasing taxes on Australian and international tourists— Mr Burke DYW Point of order. The SPEAKER 53517 I normally wouldn't do this, but you have to listen to what I'm saying. I give the call to the Leader of the House. Mr Burke DYW Something like 23 seconds ago, Mr Speaker, you gave a ruling asking us to only use the term 'you' when we were referring to you as Speaker. Immediately following, it has not been met. It was given as a direction to ministers, but obviously it applies to the whole House. I thought I should draw it to your attention. The SPEAKER 53517 I'm just going to reset—take 2. I give the call to the member for Page. Mr HOGAN 218019 My question is to the Treasurer. In April 2022 the then shadow Treasurer told the Australian public that there would be no tax increases under a Labor government. Why has the Treasurer broken this promise by increasing taxes on Australian and international tourists, by raising the passenger movement charge, when we have the most globally competitive tourism market we have ever seen? Why do Australians always pay more under Labor? The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The minister for infrastructure and the shadow Treasurer will cease interjecting. The SPEAKER 53517 The minister for the environment and the Assistant Treasurer. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 If anyone interjects, they will be removed from the chamber. I need to hear the Treasurer. 14:56 Dr CHALMERS 37998 Rankin There's a pattern emerging here. Early in the pack the shadow Treasurer got a question. It didn't go so well, so they gave it to someone else. Now we're on to plan B. I thank plan B for his question. The SPEAKER 53517 The member for Groom will leave the chamber. You've been warned. You've had a good go. The member for Groom then left the chamber. The SPEAKER 53517 I call the member for Page on a point of order. Mr Hogan 218019 The point of order is hubris. If it's not a technical point of order, it should be because— The SPEAKER 53517 Resume your seat. I ask the Treasurer to continue with his answer. Dr CHALMERS 37998 The change in the budget that the honourable member is referring to is a change to the passenger movement charge, which hasn't been indexed since I think 2017. Governments from time to time index the passenger movement charge. There's a difference in the budget measure. The payment you make to leave Australia has gone from $60 to $70—a $10 increase, which reflects the indexation since 2017, which seems to me to be a responsible way to go about it. Tourism is obviously a central part of our economy. One of the strengths in our economy is our tourism sector. You can see why—people want to come here. The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The member for Page is on a warning. Dr CHALMERS 37998 Our advice is that a $10 increase to the passenger movement charge—from 60 to 70 bucks, which reflects indexation since 2017—will have no impact on the number of tourists coming here. Those opposite have to decide whether they want more tourists coming here or they want fewer tourists coming here. One of the reasons why the net overseas migration number is a bit high is that more long-time tourists are coming to Australia. The first question that got asked suggested that there are too many tourists coming to Australia. In the first one there were too many tourists coming to Australia. The most recent question suggested that there aren't enough tourists coming to Australia. They have to make their mind up. Tonight the opposition leader gets an opportunity to clean up all of this rubbish—one shadow minister saying one thing and another shadow minister saying another thing. It is his opportunity to get up and say whether or not he supports cost-of-living relief for people. He can do that from the dispatch box at 7.30 pm. Budget 30 14:59 Mr LAXALE 299174 Bennelong My question is to the Minister for Youth. How will the Albanese Labor government's budget support young Australians by providing targeted cost-of-living relief? 14:59 Dr ALY 13050 Cowan I thank the member for Bennelong for his question, and I will just take a moment to acknowledge the interest that he has and the fine work that he is doing in representing the wellbeing and welfare of young people and children in Bennelong. It's fair to say that all of us on this side know that young people are doing it tough. The budget that the Treasurer delivered on Tuesday night, a proudly Labor budget, builds a strong foundation for a better future. It invests in young people from early childhood right through to their adult working lives. The budget delivers powerful, impactful and targeted relief to some of the most vulnerable young Australians. Those young people on income support payments, whether it be Austudy or youth allowance or JobSeeker, will get an increase to those payments. Those young people who are renting will benefit from the largest increase in Commonwealth rent assistance in 30 years. For those struggling to pay their power bills, we're providing responsible and meaningful energy bill relief in partnership with state and territory governments. Our budget also means that young Australians with stable or ongoing health conditions, including mental health conditions, will now only need to visit a GP and a pharmacist half as many times for a repeat script for over 300 medicines on the PBS, halving the cost of essential medicines for those young Australians. We're tripling the bulk-billing incentive. This will benefit 11 million Australians right across Australia, and that will include young Australians, by helping them to gain access to the medical care that they need. We've already delivered cheaper medicines for Australians, and we're also supporting young Australians in different ways. We've supported young Australians to earn a better wage through our IR reforms that were passed last year. We're increasing access to education and training, fee-free TAFE and university places. We're looking after their mental health and wellbeing. For a young person who turns 20 this year, for almost half of their life—almost a decade—under the previous government they were forgotten, at best ignored, and as a result many young people lost faith in the institution of government. The Albanese Labor government want to change that. We will continue to invest in young Australians, we will continue to listen to young Australians, because we know that when young people thrive, so does Australia. National Electric Vehicle Strategy 30 15:02 Ms TINK 300124 North Sydney My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. In the government's recently released National Electric Vehicle Strategy, the government committed to working in consultation with stakeholders to design a fuel efficiency standard for passenger and light commercial vehicles, yet no time line was given. Exactly when can Australians expect to see these standards being announced? 15:03 Mr BOWEN DZS McMahon I thank the honourable member for her question and her interest in the National Electric Vehicle Strategy released by the minister for transport and me in recent weeks. And the honourable member is right: the National Electric Vehicle Strategy commits the government to introducing a fuel efficiency standard, and we're very proud of that. This should have happened years ago. It was always contemplated by some opposite—the former member for Kooyong said he was committed to it—but they just never got around to doing it because they don't actually believe in making manufacturers send fuel-efficient vehicles, electric vehicles and other vehicles, to Australia. We have committed to doing that because Australia and Russia are the only two developed countries without fuel efficiency standards, and that means Australians are missing out on real choice. This is a complicated— Opposition members interjecting— Mr BOWEN DZS Here they go again! Every time they interject against renewable energy and electric cars, they just remind the Australian people they still don't get it. Keep it coming. Keep those interjections coming! The denial and delay, they should just keep it coming! In relation to fuel efficiency standards, they are a complicated piece of work. The minister for transport and I released a consultation paper. We received many submissions calling for fuel efficiency standards. I will be frank with the honourable member: not many of those submissions went to the detail about how they should be designed—hardly any. The minister for transport and I read them all. Many called for fuel efficiency standards, but only one or two actually went to detailed elements of design. And we have to get that right. What we have done is open our consultation for six weeks on the detailed design. Having waited 10 years, it's six weeks to get it right—to get the detail right. That's what the minister for transport and I are doing. That consultation period is well and truly open. We invite all submissions, including from members of the House and the Senate. I know peak groups are looking at their submissions. The minister for transport will be looking at that very carefully, as will I be, because we want to get it right. We said we want ambitious standards, but we want standards that are realistic and we want standards that are achievable. That's what we are committed to delivering, because Australia has had 10 years of delay and now we are getting on with it. Budget: Vocational Education and Training 31 15:05 Ms SWANSON 264170 Paterson My question is to the Minister for Skills and Training. What action is the Albanese Labor government taking through its responsible and practical budget to reduce cost-of-living pressures and to help give Australians the skills and training they need to harness the jobs and opportunities of the future? What has been the response to the government's plans? 15:05 Mr O'CONNOR 00AN3 Gorton I thank the member for Paterson for her question. Recently, I was with her in her electorate, visiting BAE Systems in Williamtown and meeting apprentices who are training to work on the F-35 program, which is so critical for our national security. Tuesday night's responsible and practical budget continues our work to rebuild and modernise our skills sector to give more Australians the opportunity to access well-paid secure employment—now and, of course, into the future—and to give businesses the skilled workers that they're absolutely crying out for. The skill measures include a $3.7 billion investment, upon striking an agreement with the state and territory governments, to ensure that we continue to increase places in the VET sector, with TAFE at its centre; $54 million to improve the completion rates of apprentices, something we really have to attend to; and investing over $400 million in foundation skills. One in five adults have real problems with literacy and numeracy, and we really need to attend to that very significant matter. On top of that, as the Prime Minister said, we have an additional 300,000 fee-free TAFE and VET places that will be delivered from 2024. That's on top of the 180,000 for this year. Fee-free TAFE has already been delivering effective and targeted cost-of-living relief for students, and I've been asked what the response has been to this government's plan. According to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, fee-free TAFE is wasteful spending. That is the view of the opposition—wasteful spending. I'm hoping that the opposition may change its mind on that. Given the fact that the deputy leader managed to speak in favour of the JSA bill but vote against it, maybe they'll flip on this as well. But I would not hold my breath! Of course, the Leader of the Opposition has a chance tonight. He could stand up tonight and say whether he supports students dealing with the cost-of-living pressures that they're enduring, whether he supports fee-free TAFE for hundreds and thousands of students or whether in fact he continues his position to oppose support for students that are really struggling to make ends meet. That's the opportunity he has, because if he chooses not to support this measure by the government then what that would mean is that, under a Liberal government, students in New South Wales who are training in manufacturing technology would be $5,750 worse off and those undertaking an early childhood education care diploma in Victoria would be $8,700 worse off. Students in South Australia training in building and construction would have to pay $10,600 more if this Leader of the Opposition were ever on this side of this House. The opposition has shown a failure to support government measures, including those that support students. (Time expired) Budget: Infrastructure 31 15:09 Mr FLETCHER L6B Bradfield My question is to the Prime Minister. In 2019 the Prime Minister said that population growth driven by migration was causing strain on our big cities, and was a wake-up call to fast-track spending on major road and rail projects. But in this year's budget there is no new spending on major infrastructure projects in our capital cities. If the Prime Minister thought this was an issue in 2019, why has he done nothing about it now he is in power and there will be an extra 1.5 million people who will come to Australia over five years? 15:09 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank whoever suggested that they give me a question on infrastructure! I thank them very much—whoever the member of the tactics committee was who put that forward. We've already said that, on the issue of migration: in 2019, they were in government, and their projections, of course, when they were in government were for higher migration than we have today—higher numbers. That is the fact. One of the things that have happened is—I will go through one example, really clearly, so that somehow they get this—you used to have students arrive in Australia who'd produce an income, and they'd count as part of the NOM. Students were coming for first year; other people would finish their degree and they'd go. What happened? There was a pandemic, and people didn't come, so they weren't there to go. What has happened now is the economy has opened up. Students are coming to start their degrees, but they're not leaving, because they haven't finished their degrees! I mean, it is not hard. Government members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order. The Prime Minister will just pause for a moment. Members on my right will cease interjecting. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order? Mr Fletcher L6B On relevance, Mr Speaker: the question is not about the people who are coming. The question is: why did he say infrastructure was needed in 2019 but he now says it's not needed? The SPEAKER 53517 The question also included the proposition of about 1.5 million people coming to Australia. I think that's what the Prime Minister is referring to in his answer. So I'm just going to ask him to continue. Mr ALBANESE R36 I certainly am. They don't even read their own questions before they ask them, Mr Speaker—and he's in charge of their tactics! The SPEAKER 53517 Order. The Prime Minister will continue with his answer. Mr ALBANESE R36 So, when it comes to infrastructure, indeed, we will be a nation-building infrastructure government, and one of the things that we've done is reassess programs that weren't part of commitments that we made, because of their incompetence when it comes to infrastructure. And we saw that in project after project— The SPEAKER 53517 The Manager of Opposition Business has asked his question. M R36 where projects that were worth hundreds of millions of dollars were promised, with funding attached to them worth $50 million or $40 million, and no state agreement, no partnership agreement and no process to actually deliver them, because they were incompetent when it comes to infrastructure. The best example of that, of course, is Inland Rail, where a project that began in single digits of billions of dollars of cost, has now been costed at $31 billion— The 53517 The member for Riverina! Mr ALBANESE R36 with it literally being 'inland rail' because it doesn't go to a port anywhere! It doesn't go to Brisbane port, it didn't go to Gladstone port and it didn't go to Melbourne port. They had a project riddled by incompetence. So we had to do a review of that. And these projects are important, but you've actually got to get it right. You've got to get it right. And, just as this bloke got Badgerys Creek— (Time expired) The SPEAKER 53517 The Manager of Opposition Business will be warned if he continues to keep interjecting. The SPEAKER 53517 Alright. The member for Riverina is warned. He's had a good go. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! I want to hear from the member for Hasluck. Budget 32 15:13 Ms LAWRENCE 299150 Hasluck My question is to the Minister for Aged Care. How will the Albanese Labor government's historic aged-care investment make the industry better as a whole? 15:14 Ms WEL 264121 Lilley LS (—) (): I thank the member for Hasluck for her question, and I know the member is passionate about aged care and about ensuring that older people in her electorate receive a higher standard of care thanks to the historic reforms that the Albanese Labor government is making. I'm pleased to say that this Labor budget delivers $36 billion worth of funding for the aged-care sector—a historic injection of funds into a much-needed sector—and we will give $11.3 billion to aged-care workers to increase their pay 15 per cent above the award from 1 July. This money will change lives. It will ease cost-of-living pressures for staff, it will improve the care that some of our most vulnerable Australians receive and, because we are fully funding this pay rise, including the on-costs, it will help providers continue on the road of financial improvement after nine years of being left to rot by the coalition. On top of the $11.3 billion worth of wages, we are delivering a total funding uplift, including indexation, of $14.1 billion in residential care. This package includes the new AN-ACC price of $243.10 plus $10.80 hotelling supplement per resident per day, up from $216. This represents a more than 17 per cent increase to annual funding. Compare that to the coalition's 1.7 per cent increase to annual funding, which is what they left the sector with. They left the sector with a 1.7 per cent indexation increase and then spent 12 months feigning great concern—a thin, recently applied veneer of concern—about the viability of the sector when it was the opposition who left it with a 1.7 per cent indexation increase. That was so pitiful that we have had to add a correction in this budget to atone for their sins. We are putting a 17 per cent indexation increase in this budget to clean up their mess. Talk about the arsonist complaining about the price of water. They left the industry with 1.7 per cent and spent 12 months feigning concern about the viability of the sector. Now we're sweeping in with a 17 per cent increase, and they can't even lift their heads to listen to the good news. In the 18 months after the royal commission handed down their final report into the neglect in the sector, the opposition addressed only nine of 148 recommendations. We're three weeks out from our one-year anniversary, and in our one year in government we will have addressed 69 of 148 recommendations. That is reforming aged care. That is taking care seriously. This side of the House is returning optimism to aged care. This side of the House is returning viability and confidence to the sector. (Time expired) Budget 33 15:17 Ms McKENZIE 124514 Flinders My question is to the Prime Minister. Labor's budget provides no funding for new infrastructure investment in our capital cities, so what additional level of congestion does the government expect that the extra 1.5 million people who will come to Australia over five years will cause? 15:17 Mr ALBA R36 Grayndler NESE (—) (): I thank the member for Flinders for her question. The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The member for Deakin is on a warning. Mr ALBANESE R36 What we did when we were last in government will be reflected over our period in government as well. The commitments that we put into the budget include, of course, in Victoria, the Suburban Rail Loop, a project that will make an enormous difference in Victoria. What we didn't do is what happened after our period in office. Compared with the rail funding under the Howard government, which is a really easy number to remember—zero; not a single dollar went into public transport over 12 years—what we did was transform projects, with rail projects like the Regional Rail Link in Victoria. We actually had, as well, in Victoria the Melbourne metro project. The member would be aware of the Melbourne metro project because it is the key to unclogging congestion in the network to enable the entire network across the city of Melbourne to be expanded. We had $3 billion in the budget and we even had a joint board with Commonwealth representatives. What happened when the Liberal Party came to office was they ripped that $3 billion out and pulled the Commonwealth from the board because they didn't believe in funding projects like that—nation-building projects. So they ripped the money out of that, and that led to a delay in that project, which, of course, is now funded thanks to the Andrews government, which is in its third or fourth or fifth term—I've lost count. Now in Brisbane, of course, we have the Cross River Rail project, which will be so important for the Olympics. Of course, there as well, we had $715 million in the budget, as well as an availability payment model of $2.4 billion. Again, they ripped the money out of the Cross River Rail. They ripped it out of that project and said it wasn't good enough. Tony Abbott, when he was prime minister, didn't believe in funding public transport. That's the sort of loss that we saw. What our government has done is not rip out fully funded projects. What we have done, though, is identify the range of projects that are underfunded and can't possibly ever be delivered. It is dishonest to say, as they did for the Rockhampton Ring Road, that you can build a ring road for half of the money that it will actually cost for construction. Honourable members interjecting— Mr ALBANESE R36 I won't go too far into Rockhampton, because it gets him upset about Rockhampton and Yeppoon and Yeppen, as you well remember, in the past. (Time Expired) Wages 34 15:20 Ms RYAN 249224 Lalor My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering on its commitment to get wages moving? How long has this been a policy of the Australian government? 15:21 Mr BURKE DYW Watson I thank the member for Lalor. The member for Lalor might be surprised that 12 months ago the Australian government had a different policy. It has not always been the policy of the Australian government to get wages moving. In fact, in the whole history of the wages price index, ever since the ABS first put it together, there have only been nine quarters—in its whole history!—where it fell below two per cent. Every single one of those quarters had the same side of politics with its fingerprints on those quarters. Which side do you reckon? Every one of those nine quarters had their fingerprints on them. For those people who wanted to get wages moving, for those people who needed to get wages moving, what answer did those opposite provide? For low-paid workers trying to make ends meet, they provided no answer. To the underpaid workers in aged care, those opposite provided no answer. To workers stuck on 20-year-old WorkChoices agreements, those opposite provided no answers. We're familiar with leaders of the opposition providing no answers. Tony Abbott managed it. He gave Mark Riley no answer for 28 seconds. They have managed no answer on wages for their entire political careers—no answer on wages that entire time, and that silence has hurt households, has hurt the economy and has hurt the budget. With the turnaround in the budget figures, as the Treasurer has made clear, 40 per cent of what has changed is because of employment and wages outcomes that have changed since the government changed. Workers on the minimum wage needed a government that would back them, and we did. Aged-care workers needed a government that would back them for a pay rise, and we did. Workers on those 20-year-old WorkChoices agreements, with no hint of improved conditions in sight, needed a government that would cancel those agreements, and we did. Women needed a government that would ban pay secrecy clauses, and we did. Those who miss out on benefits and those who missed out on an enterprise bargaining system that was modern enough to actually deliver for them needed a government that would change the bargaining rules, and we did. And, when we did that, what was the gloom and doom from those opposite about the fear of wages going up? The member for Mallee said it was 'feeding the beast'. The member for Nicholls said it was 'a recipe for chaos and disruption'. The member for Banks described it as 'grotesque'. The member for Longman—and I love this—said that getting wages moving 'was pure socialism'. Senator Cash said that it would 'close down Australia'. (Time expired) Cost Of Living 34 15:24 Dr GILLESPIE 72184 Lyne My question is to the Prime Minister. Stuart from Louth Park says, 'The cost of living is the biggest thing on our minds right now.' Stuart says that his wife had to go back to work sooner after the birth of their daughter because the cost of everything was going up. Why does this budget do nothing structural to help Australians like Stuart and Samantha get ahead, including losing the lower middle income tax offset, under which they would have been $1,500 better off? 15:26 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for his question. With regard to the last element of his question, regarding the LMITO, I hope that he tells Stuart that it was Josh Frydenberg as Treasurer who made the decision— Opposition members interjecting— Mr Sukkar 242515 Did you just hand down a budget or not? Mr 00AKI This is your budget! The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting. Mr ALBANESE R36 If this is going to be the centrepiece of their response—wow. The member asks about Stuart's partner going back to work. One of the things that we've done has been to put in place an extension of paid parental leave. That's why we've done this. Those opposite were in office for nine years. They could have done it during any of that period of time, but of course they didn't. They could also have supported—and I hope that the member for Lyne is honest enough to apologise to Stuart for voting against this—the Energy Price Relief Plan. Mr Sukkar 242515 Apologise for things you're doing? The SPEAKER 53517 The member for Deakin will leave the chamber under 94(a). The member for Deakin then left the chamber. Mr ALBANESE R36 I hope that you also tell Stuart of your opposition to other measures, including our cheaper child care plan. I assume that their child will go into child care if the husband and wife are both working. Well, from July 1, they will get cheaper child care as a result of this government's position—again, like everything else, opposed by those opposite. I hope as well that he tells Stuart about our cheaper medicines. He's probably already had benefit from it, along with so many Australians—six million Australians that will benefit from what we have put forward. I assume, therefore, the member for Lyne is going to vote for that support as well. I hope that this means that the member for Lyne will vote for all of the cost-of-living measures which we have in this budget, and I hope that the member for Lyne counsels members of the coalition about their rhetoric that says that providing any support is somehow damaging the economy. You can't have it both ways. You can't say, 'People are doing it tough, but we'll vote against every single measure that is aimed at assisting them,' but that's what his colleagues in the coalition are doing. I hope also that the member for Lyne says that it's a good thing that the member for Watson is the minister in charge of fixing our industrial relations system so that wages actually rise. Budget 35 15:29 Mr DAVID SMITH 276714 Bean My question is to the Prime Minister. How has the Albanese Labor government developed the policies that were funded in this week's budget? 15:29 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for Bean for his question. Indeed, in our first two budgets we delivered on the commitments that we took to the election. These policies were carefully developed while we were in opposition. At a time when those opposite were racking up $1 trillion of debt, providing $19 billion for companies that were actually increasing their profits, deliberately keeping wages low, denying climate change, refusing to upgrade our energy grid, making cuts to Medicare and hollowing out TAFE—doing all of that—what we were doing was coming up with solutions. That's what good oppositions do; they spend their time developing policies. Back when budget replies had policies, we developed a range of them that we announced on budget reply night. Cheaper child care was a centrepiece of the first budget reply. But we also had our national rail manufacturing plan to lead into the creation of the National Reconstruction Fund. We had our Rewiring the Nation program, our $20 billion program to upgrade the energy grid. We had the announcement of the creation of the Australian Centre for Disease Control. In our second budget reply we had the Housing Australia Future Fund, still stuck in the Senate with the failure of the coalition or the Greens political party to commit to support. We hope that there is a change of heart from some of those on the crossbenches. We had our Startup Year program to support startup companies. We had New Energy Apprenticeships. In our third budget reply we had health and aged care as a focus: strengthening Medicare, more carers with more time to care, putting nurses back into nursing homes, better food for residents and better pay for carers. We've seen $11.3 billion in Tuesday night's budget. That's what we did. The Leader of the Opposition, of course, has contrasted that with what occurred when he was a part of the government. He told Paul Kelly in the Australian that the Liberals haven't had any policies since 2015. This is what he said: From the time Tony Abbott was deposed by Malcolm Turnbull, the Liberal Party hasn't stood for any substantive policy formulation. There was no major policy offering at the 2022 election. This guy wasn't a commentator; he was a cabinet minister during that entire period, and he concedes no policy since 2022. Of course, we shouldn't complain, because, when he did come up with policies, we know it was a tax on GP visits, raising the cost of seeing a GP by $7, raising the cost of prescriptions by $5—a triple threat to people's health care. The SPEAKER 53517 The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will be warned if she continues. The SPEAKER 53517 The member for Page will leave the chamber under 94(a). He was warned. The member for Page then left the chamber. Energy 36 15:32 Dr WEBSTER 281688 Mallee My question is to the Prime Minister. Mildura Fruit Juices Australia in my electorate of Mallee has had to reduce its intake of grapes this season, as the energy cost to evaporate into grape concentrate is now unviable. The company's general manager has reported a $500,000 per year price hike in electricity this year. Why is Mildura Fruit Juices not enjoying the reduction in power prices the Prime Minister promised? 15:33 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for her question. I'll ask the energy minister to supplement here, because I haven't given myself any other portfolios! I make this point to the member about the company in her electorate in Mildura. She asked about the price of gas, but they came in here and voted against a cap on gas prices. They voted against it. They said it would be Armageddon—I quoted some of the things that were said by those opposite—if we dared to put a cap on gas prices, which we did. It was the right thing to do, and it had an impact. In addition to that, the member voted against the $3 billion, combined with the Victorian government along with other state and territory governments— Dr Webster 281688 A point of order on relevance: I was actually talking about electricity, not gas. The SPEAKER 53517 I give the call to the Prime Minister. Mr ALBANESE R36 Thank you very much. They voted against the entire plan, which consisted of a cap on gas prices and a cap on coal prices, implemented through the Liberal Party in the New South Wales government, and they voted against the $3 billion plan. I would ask the minister for energy to continue. 15:35 Mr BOWEN DZS McMahon Well $1,676 is the difference that this government has made to the average Victorian small business because of our intervention, reducing it by $1,676. Mr BOWEN DZS That's the difference! The SPEAKER 53517 The member for Fairfax will cease interjecting. Mr BOWEN DZS They voted for power price rises $1,600 higher than what they are. That's what the opposition, the honourable member, voted for—$1,676 higher increase. The SPEAKER 53517 Order. The Leader of the Nationals and the member for Fairfax will cease interjecting. The SPEAKER 53517 Order! If the member for Fairfax interjects one more time, he will leave the chamber. Mr BOWEN DZS I'll tell you what else we've done. On Tuesday night, we introduced tax treatment of investments for businesses, small- and medium-sized businesses, to invest in more energy efficient operations to reduce their power bills and reduce their emissions. The opposition is probably against that as well, Mr Speaker. They hate tax cuts which are actually good for business and good for the climate, like our electric vehicle tax cut was, like the package that the government released on Tuesday night is. We actually believe in supporting small business through difficult times. The opposition believes in voting for higher power prices. Budget: Veterans 36 15:36 Ms STANLEY 265990 Werriwa My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. How will the Albanese Labor government's budget measures assist Australia's veteran community? 15:36 Mr KEOGH 249147 Burt I thank the member for Werriwa for her question, and for her ongoing support for the more than 1,500 veterans and families in her community. I would also like to congratulate the Treasurer on his budget this week, because there is no doubt that veterans are a key priority for the Albanese Labor government. The Albanese government's budget measures are assisting veterans by dealing with the former government's underfunding and under-resourcing of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and that has had real-world consequences for our veterans. While the former coalition government was trumpeting their affection for the veteran community, they were undercutting their services and supports. The Albanese Labor government is investing in landmark measures to prioritise veterans and families for generations to come. We've now crunched the numbers, and I am so proud that this budget sees that the Department of Veterans' Affairs will be receiving more funding than it has in three decades. This week's budget will ensure veterans can better access services and supports that we're delivering on the recommendation of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. One of our government's top priorities in this is eliminating the claims backlog from under the last government. We invested $233.9 million over four years in the October budget to employ 500 additional staff to process claims. That's already having great results. We're now seeing the backlog is down 20 per cent from its peak. But there's still more work to do and, in this budget, we're investing a further $64.1 million to maintain staffing levels to meet that demand, as well as $254.1 million to modernise and sustain ageing IT systems—systems that the previous government left to degenerate. We know that families look different all over the country. For many kids, grandparents are their primary carers, so we're expanding the Defence, Veterans' and Families' Acute Support Package to make sure that grandcarer veteran families are also supported if experiencing crisis. Veterans have also been concerned about not being able to access a GP. This budget delivers in making it easier to see a doctor by tripling the veteran access payment for GPs. In this budget we're also supporting those who support our veterans, with $2 million towards mental health awareness and suicide intervention training and increasing the wages of the workers who provide in-home care to veterans and families. Australia's Defence Force personnel and veterans made a solemn commitment to serve and defend our nation. The Albanese government is getting on with the job of building stronger foundations of a better future for our veterans and families. Budget 37 15:39 Mr LEESER 109556 Berowra My question is to the Prime Minister. Andrew Boak of Goldman Sachs says that Labor's budget is likely to impact on interest rates: The risks are skewed to more tightening being required and potentially as soon as next month's— Reserve Bank— board meeting. Why does this budget make inflation worse? 15:40 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for Berowra for his question and I also take the opportunity to acknowledge the significant stance that he has taken. I give my respect for the stance that he took on a personal level. On the question, which goes to inflation and the impact of the budget on it: it occurs in a context of the Governor of the Reserve Bank saying, on 2 May, 'Inflation in Australia has passed its peak.' This will be a first, but I'll quote Terry McCrann. Terry McCrann had this to say: 'I don't see the budget as a serious threat to inflation. I certainly don't see the Reserve Bank reacting by raising interest rates.' The Commonwealth Bank said this: The move to surplus in 2022/23 represents a fiscal contraction that is helpful in moderating the inflation pulse through the economy. Bill Evans, of course, said: 'I don't expect them to put upward pressure on interest rates in the near term.' That is what respected economic commentators have said. That shouldn't be surprising, because, when a government does what we did with the budget, which is to bank, over the two budgets, some 87 per cent of revenue gains—compared with what the Abbott, Turnbull, Morrison governments did, of banking just 40 per cent, or the Howard government, just 30 per cent—then that is what responsible fiscal policy looks like. That takes pressure off the area on which the honourable member has asked. But in addition to that, of course—unlike the anticipated deficit projected by those opposite, which was $78 billion when they were in government and handed down their budget, just over one year ago—that fiscal turnaround is the most serious fiscal turnaround in Australian history, from a $78 billion deficit to a projected surplus of $4.2 billion. This comes, of course, off the back of the highest CPI that we've seen this century—2.1 per cent in the March 2022 quarter—that saw vegetables rise by 6.6 per cent, fruit by 4.9 per cent, beef by 7.6 per cent, tertiary education by 6.3 per cent and fuel by 11 per cent. That was the legacy that we inherited when we came into office. The opposition created the mess, but we are busy fixing it. (Time expired) Budget 37 15:43 Dr FREELANDER 265979 Macarthur My question is to the Minister for Industry and Science. What new initiatives is the Albanese Labor government delivering that will grow advanced manufacturing in Australia? 15:43 Mr HUSIC 91219 Chifley I want to thank the member for Macarthur. He is part of a government elected on a commitment to build a future made in Australia, because manufacturing matters. It creates great firms and secure jobs and delivers the products that Australians need. But the manufacturing jobs of the future depend largely on the decisions we make today. That's why we supported and stood up, in the last weeks of March, the National Reconstruction Fund, one of the largest investments in Australian manufacturing capability in living memory. In this week's budget we took the crucial next step, which was: investing more than $500 million to lay the foundations for future economic growth in science and industry. At its heart, we had an investment in the $392 million Industry Growth Program, because we want to turn great ideas into strong businesses, especially if they support advanced manufacturing, growing businesses and jobs. Across the country, you see really great ideas at work. The member for Solomon, for example, showed me SPEE3D up in the Northern Territory. They are the world's fastest 3D metal manufacturers, working across the marine and defence sectors—a very impressive outfit. In Camooweal in Queensland, Bulugudu is using First Nations knowledge of spinifex grass to make medical gels used in the treatment of arthritis. SpeeDx, recognised in the Prime Minister's science and innovation awards, has world-leading diagnostic technology used to detect cancers and infectious diseases. The industry growth program will work with businesses like these to turn those great ideas into something real and support them to grow. It will connect them with a support network of experts, help them find investors and provide grant funding of between $50,000 and $5 million to set them up for potential future support in the National Reconstruction Fund. These are viable, tangible ways to help businesses where they need it, when they need it and in the form that they need it. It's part of our plan to support domestic manufacturing, to grow sovereign capability and to continue to be a country that makes things. The Albanese government is building a stronger foundation for the future, backing Australian manufacturing—focusing on growth was a key pillar of the budget. This isn't just about the $392 million that will be invested in innovators and new firms, and it's not just about the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund: we're backing our people and we're backing their know-how. We want them to build new businesses and new jobs. The money is important, but so is the signal that we are sending to industry—that there's a future for them here and that the government will back them. The budget proves that we will do just that. Budget 38 15:46 Mrs ANDREWS 230886 McPherson My question is to the Prime Minister. PinPoint Macro Analytics chief economist, Michael Blythe, said of Labor's budget Unfortunately, proposed fiscal settings look a little confused. Policymakers cannot claim that fiscal measures are both stimulatory for households and non-inflationary. Why does this budget make inflation worse? 15:47 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for McPherson for the question. I acknowledge her service to this House. As a minister in the former government and as someone who has announced her retirement, I sincerely wish her very well in her future. I do that publicly, as I have privately. To the member: what we have done is put together a responsible budget—a budget that delivers $14.6 billion of cost-of-living relief, assisting people who need that support with modest increases in JobSeeker and rental assistance, and by the changes we have made in parenting payments that will make a difference to the lives of people who are doing it tough. But we've also done measures, such as our Energy Price Relief Plan. When determining that in partnership with the states and territories, instead of doing a cash splash and handing out cheques—as has occurred at various times in the past—what we did was come up with a design that deliberately put downward pressure on inflation. That's why Treasury have found that that measure, together with the gas and coal caps, will reduce inflation by three-quarters of a per cent. So we were responsible. And our fee-free TAFE will mean relief, whilst addressing the supply chain constraints that have been identified by the Reserve Bank governor as the major cause, along with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, of the inflationary pressures in our economy and also in the global economy. So we have put together a budget that is responsible. But we didn't just have expenditure in the budget, we had savings as well. Across this budget and the last budget we had $40 billion of savings. That was hard work at the Expenditure Review Committee, to go through it line by line to make sure that we were delivering for the Australian people. That's the context of the changes that we made, on top of us putting 87 per cent, across the two budgets, of any revenue gains towards the bottom line. That means lower debt repayments in the future, which is so important. It contrasts with the last budget of the former government, who splashed money everywhere. It all ended just as soon as the election was over. But we've dealt with that. We didn't create the mess, but we're fixing it. (Time expired) Medicare, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme 39 15:50 Ms SITOU 298121 Reid My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. How is the Albanese Labor government continuing to build on Medicare and the PBS? How has the government's approach been consistent with the public debate about the development of Medicare and the PBS since their inception? 15:50 Mr BUTLER HWK Hindmarsh I thank the member for Reid for her question. She is an outstanding part of this extraordinary generation of new talent who were elected to the Labor caucus at last year's election. One of the constant themes of postwar politics and one of the enduring differences between our side of politics and that side of politics is the question of universal health coverage—the ability to obtain an essential medicine or to see a doctor, no matter your means and no matter your circumstances in life. Back when Ben Chifley initiated the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in the 1940s, the Liberal Party said no. Back when Gough Whitlam initiated the Medibank system in the 1970s, the Liberal Party said no. They then abolished it. When Bob Hawke initiated Medicare in the 1980s, you guessed it, the Liberal Party said no—time and time again. The godfather of the modern Liberal Party, John Howard, described Medicare as 'a total disaster', as a 'nightmare' and as 'one of the great failures of the Hawke government'. He actually described bulk billing as an 'absolute rort'. While they finally raised the white flag on Medicare in the nineties, they have always viewed it as a basic safety net rather than a system of universal coverage. Echoing John Howard's description of bulk billing as an 'absolute rort', the Leader of the Opposition when he was health minister said there were too many free Medicare services. This side could not be more different. Labor's commitment to Medicare and to the PBS has never wavered. It's always been unshakable. You see it in Tuesday night's budget delivered by the Treasurer: a $6 billion investment in strengthening Medicare and the next chapter in our commitment to cheaper medicines for six million Australians living with chronic disease. After six years of a Medicare rebate freeze initiated by the Leader of the Opposition, you see it in the biggest increase to the Medicare rebate in 30 years, since Prime Minister Paul Keating was still in office. After all of the declines we've seen in bulk billing, you see it in the centrepiece of the budget: a $3.5 billion investment in tripling the bulk-billing incentive. This is a game changer for mums and dads and a game changer for pensioners and concession card holders who rely on bulk billed doctor's services. That's the difference between them and us. John Howard described bulk billing as an 'absolute rort'. The Leader of the Opposition said there were too many free Medicare services. For Labor, bulk billing is the beating heart of Medicare, and that's why it was the centrepiece of Tuesday night's budget. Mr Albanese R36 Mr Speaker, we tried to help the member for Banks. We really did. We hung in there. If he were next, we wouldn't have done this! I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper. STATEMENT BY THE SPEAKER 39 STATEMENT BY THE SPEAKER Budget 39 15:53 The SPEAKER 53517 Before members leave the House, I want to give a short reminder about arrangements for this evening with respect to the Leader of the Opposition's budget reply speech. As I outlined on Tuesday, the usual courtesies apply to the Leader of the Opposition's speech, as they did to the Treasurer's. With respect to this evening, the Leader of the Opposition will have the call and is entitled to speak without interruption. As with the Treasurer's speech on Tuesday, standing order 1 provides that is no time limit for the Leader of the Opposition's speech. The clock is used only as a guide. As I noted on Tuesday, if I'm required to make use of standing order 94(a) the member will be advised by written note. Finally, I ask all members to ensure that their guests comply with the standards of behaviour applying to the galleries, and I remind members they are responsible for their invited guests. I thank the House. STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE 39 STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE Sinking of AHS Centaur: 80th Anniversary 39 15:54 Mr PIKE 300120 Bowman This Sunday marks the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the AHS Centaur, just 30 nautical miles off North Stradbroke Island in my electorate of Bowman. The Centaur remains one of our nation's greatest national tragedies. While sailing to New Guinea and clearly marked and illuminated as a hospital ship, the Centaur was sunk without warning by a Japanese submarine at 4 am on 14 May 1943. Of the 233 people on board only 64 survived. These survivors spent 35 hours on rafts before being rescued. Sister Ellen Savage was one of only 12 nursing sisters on board. She was the only one to survive. Though injured herself, she gave great help to other survivors and was awarded the George Medal for her bravery. I had the pleasure of meeting a constituent of mine, Pamela Gilbert, and her family this week. Pamela lost both her father and her uncle, Frederick and Alan Fortier, in the Centaur tragedy. Eight decades on, the very human tragedy of a little girl who lost her dad still cuts deeply. Pamela's great-granddaughter Lola recently won my Centaur essay competition with a powerful tribute to her forebears. This war crime didn't take place in some foreign sea or old-world battlefield but in our own waters, just out of view of the quiet suburbs where many of these heroic Australians were raised and nurtured. I thank the House for its indulgence in remembering the Centaur and all of those Australians who were killed on that early morning eight decades ago. 15:56 Mr MARLES HWQ Corio I thank the honourable member for reminding us of the story of the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur, which, as the honourable member has said, was sunk 80 years ago this Sunday. The Centaur was on route from Sydney to Cairns and was struck by a Japanese submarine off the coast of Moreton Island at 4 am on that morning. As the member has said, the ship was clearly marked as a hospital ship, and the sinking of it was particularly horrendous. The torpedo struck one of the oil tanks which filled the ship, which meant that there was a very loud explosion, a huge explosion, and a fire, which swept across the ship before it sank. As the member said, all but 64 on board perished either in the explosion, the fire or lost at sea. Most particularly, it was the nurses on board, all of whom died, except for one—Sister Ellen Savage. For those who survived, it was horrific. They were at sea for a day and a half before they were picked up. The story of Sister Ellen Savage is particularly poignant. She was injured and burnt in the explosion, but she covered up her injuries to tend to those who were in the water with her while sharks were surrounding them. She kept them going until they were rescued. For that, she was awarded the George Medal. The sinking of the Centaur at the time was a hugely impactful moment for the Australian public. It really galvanised a sense of resolve to see the war through at that time, and it is a really important moment to remember. If I might, also, on indulgence, Mr Speaker—it brings to mind another sinking which occurred earlier, within 12 months of that, on 1 July 1942, the Montevideo Maru. I mention that now because, since we were last here in March, the Montevideo Maru was found, on 18 April this year. That was the worst maritime disaster in our country's history. More than 1,000 people were on board. It was a Japanese prisoner of war ship which was not marked, and, sadly, it was sunk by an American submarine. More than 850 of those on board were Australian personnel, including relations of Kim Beazley and Peter Garrett, in fact—and many others. It was an astonishing find that was undertaken by the Silentworld Foundation. Defence played a part in funding that. In fact, the wreck was in the South China Sea north-west of Luzon and was at a depth below where the Titanic is, so it was an incredible feat to identify it. The identification of that wreck obviously provides enormous relief to so many families, to this day. When you think about both tragedies occurring within the space of 12 months, with more than 1,000 Australians losing their lives in just those two events, it speaks to an extraordinary time in our history. As we remember, thanks to the member for Bowman, the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur today and those who lost their life on the Montevideo Maru we do so paying absolute acknowledgement to their sacrifice. DOCUMENTS 40 DOCUMENTS Presentation 40 16:00 Mr BURKE DYW Watson Documents are tabled in accordance with the list circulated to honourable members earlier today. Full details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings. MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE 40 MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE Migration 40 16:00 The SPEAKER 53517 I have received a letter from the honourable member for Wannon proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely: This Government's failure to plan for the additional needs in areas such as housing, health and infrastructure that will result from 1.5 million migrants over 5 years. I call upon those honourable members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places. Mor e than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places— 16:00 Mr TEHAN 210911 Wannon Two weeks ago, with much fanfare, the Minister for Home Affairs stood up at the National Press Club to give what she said was a very important speech. It was notable for three things. The first reason it was notable was the fact that, after the government has been in power for nearly a year, she was delivering a review which clearly showed that the government had done no work in opposition. They had no plan to deal with immigration. As a matter of fact, they had to outsource it and wait one year to get the recommendations of that review to know what their policy might look like. The second reason it was notable was that the minister said that she wanted the immigration policy under this government to reflect Labor's values. And it does reflect Labor's values, particularly their value, their want, for a big Australia. That's what their values have always been and that's what the policy that was outlined is all about. The third reason this speech was notable was the fact that there was no mention of numbers in the speech—none whatsoever. It was very curious that there was no mention of numbers because the day before we'd specifically asked the minister to go through the numbers, especially the NOM numbers. There was no mention of this. What happened the next day was very interesting. The Prime Minister had to meet with the state and territory leaders and talk about the migration numbers. One of the state and territory leaders leaked the then NOM number, so the government at five o'clock on the Friday afternoon scurried around to the press gallery and said: 'This isn't anything unusual. This number isn't unusual. This is the normal way this all works.' Yet, once we found out what the number was, it became absolutely apparent that that was a complete and utter porky. As a matter of fact—and you won't believe this—but they were telling the journalists in the gallery that this isn't unusual because it happened during the Spanish flu. Honourable members interjecting— Mr TEHAN 210911 At least we're getting a giggle. I haven't looked at what happened under the Spanish flu, but I have looked at what happened in Labor's October budget. They seem to have forgotten they handed down an October budget. In October they said that the net overseas migration number for 2022-23 would be 235,000. What the minister didn't want to confess to at the Press Club and didn't want to see leaked out of the meeting with the premiers and cabinet was that the net overseas migration number between October and May had gone from 235,000 to 400,000. Also, that 2023-24 number had gone from 235,000 to 315,000, so it has gone to 715,000. Once again it's really, really interesting because in the budget, did we hear the Treasurer mention the net overseas migration number? Just for the Treasurer's sake and the Prime Minister's sake I will mention it again, because when we've asked questions we haven't heard it mentioned either: 1.5 million over five years. Just to give people who might be listening to this as they're driving home in their cars—you never know, they do occasionally listen to the parliamentary network—those people sitting in their cars driving home should think about this: in the next five years a city the size of Adelaide is coming to Australia. And the thing about it is, as we saw at the Press Club two weeks ago, that there is no plan to deal with this. There is no plan to deal with the congestion, which is worse than it was before we went into the pandemic—no plan. As a matter of fact, as has been pointed out by many in this place, infrastructure spending is going down in this budget; it's being cut, so you are bringing in a population the size of Adelaide, and you are reducing your spending on infrastructure. Housing—there is no plan for housing. Where are all these people going to be housed? There is nowhere to house them. As we have seen, the prediction is that we need an additional 200,000 houses. Where is the plan for the additional 200,000 houses? There is none. And what is it doing to rents? There is a rental crisis in this country, and we know that, for every additional 10,000 people that come in, rents will go up. We know 1.5 million will come in. What is that going to do to rents? Universities are saying to professors, to tutors, to lecturers, 'We want you to take international students in as boarders.' Mr Pasin 240756 Billet them! That's a plan! Mr TEHAN 210911 Billet them because they can't deal with the rents, they can't deal with the housing. The Reserve Bank has warned that this is putting upward pressure on interest rates. And yet, what are you doing for these 1.5 million people? Then think about the impact on the public health system. Think about the impact on those emergency departments. There has been no coordination with state and territory governments as to how to deal with the impact on the health sector, so those emergency departments will have more and more pressure on them. What will it mean for the doctor shortage if people won't be able to go in and see a doctor? What we're seeing take place before our eyes is the result of doing no work in opposition. You had nine years to do your work in opposition—nine years to have a plan—but you come in here, and what do you do? I have to say that, sadly, it is typical for Labor. You lose control of the borders. It has happened before, and it is happening again—1.5 million with no plan. I look forward to every member that stands up in response to this MPI mentioning the 1.5 million number. I dare you to mention that 1.5 million number that your budget figures show quite clearly. I've got a feeling that this 1.5 million number is going to be a bit like the $275 that no-one wants to mention. I might be wrong. I see the minister isn't here, and I see the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs isn't here, so maybe someone here will be brave enough to do it. I hope we will see a little bit more coordination between the Minister for Home Affairs and the minister for immigration. The Minister for Home Affairs gave her speech, where she wouldn't mention 1.5 million, while the minister for immigration was overseas. The poor old minister for immigration, when the budget was announced—do you know what? For someone who is normally tweeting about his fundraising with Dan Andrews and all that, there was not one tweet about the budget. He's gone into hiding; I don't know what's happened to him. And the Minister for Home Affairs has been put into hiding as well. Guess who are the two ministers who haven't had a question all week? There are only two of them. They've been through every one but two who haven't—the Minister for Home Affairs and the minister for immigration. Let's see you own up to your 1.5 million. (Time expired) 16:10 Mr KEOGH 249147 Burt It's an amazing opportunity that the opposition have presented here today in their matter of public importance they raise. They raise the issue of a plan for housing. And they are right: having a plan for housing in this country is vitally important. In fact, our government understands how important it is to make sure that Australians have access to safe and affordable housing. In fact, we understand that it's central to the dignity and the security of all Australians. We have had to bring in, as part of our commitments at the last election, legislation to establish the Housing Australia Future Fund—a $10 billion investment in safe and secure housing for the most needy Australians. And yet—have you heard?—despite the fact it is a matter of public importance to the opposition that we need to have a plan for housing in this country, over in the other place the 'noalition' of the Liberals, Nationals and Greens are opposed to the Housing Australia Future Fund. It is a $10 billion fund that will deliver 30,000 new social and affordable homes over only five years. That's exactly what we need to see in Australia. I take the opportunity—I suspect I'll take it a few times over my speaking time—to call on those in the other chamber to look back and see what they've done just in the last 24 hours. They had the opportunity to support the establishment of that fund. But, instead, this 'noalition' of Liberals, Nationals and Greens decided to gang up in the Senate and remove from the Senate the opportunity to even vote on that legislation this week. They are further deferring, further putting off, the opportunity to establish the fund, to start earning interest on the fund, to start generating the revenue in the fund that would deliver $200 million for the repair, maintenance and improvement of housing in remote Indigenous communities and deliver $100 million for crisis and transitional housing options for women and children impacted by family and domestic violence and for older women that are at risk of homelessness. And they are denying the opportunity for $30 million to build housing and fund specialist services for veterans who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. I make this point because there are nearly 6,000 contemporary veterans that can experience homelessness in any one year here in Australia. That is a national tragedy. It's one that, indeed, the opposition have spoken about. It is one they acknowledge we should be doing something about, to fix it. In fact, it might even be one of the things they're suggesting is a failure in housing policy. Yet, when presented with an opportunity to actually fix this problem, they oppose it going through this parliament. It's curious, and I will tell you all why. In last year's budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition said: The job of an opposition is not to oppose for the sake of it. We don't disagree with everything in this budget, and policy must be judged on its merits. If it's good for you, we will support it. If it's bad for you, we will stand against it. So we commend several good measures in Tuesday's budget: the extension of the childcare subsidy to more Australian families; the commitment to reduce the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme co-payment, to lower the cost of medicines; the support for housing for our veterans … At the last budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition stood at that dispatch box and told this chamber, this parliament and the Australian people that that opposition—the Liberal Party and the National Party—would support the funding for housing for veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This is the funding that would be flowing through the Housing Australia Future Fund and this is the funding that would support the programs that are being proposed by organisations—for example, the Royal Australian Air Force Association of Western Australia, Vasey RSL Care in Victoria and the Tasmanian RSL—which all have proposals that this government could consider for funding that would come through the Housing Australia Future Fund. Some of those proposals are based on the very successful and already existing Andrew Russell Veteran Living centre in South Australia, a model for the Scott Palmer Centre, which we are funding as a government and we committed to at the last election, to be built in Darwin. This is also a great example of how we are already moving in this space, but we need to have further funding to support these additional programs. There are organisations waiting in the wings, complaining, and I know they are calling Liberal and National senators and telling them they should be supporting this legislation to establish the fund. We also have the Queensland RSL doing the work they do with the Salvos to support veterans experiencing homelessness as well. We want to be able to support good proposals coming from good organisations. We can't even assess potential proposals because there's no stream of funding because this opposition, in noalition with the Greens, are not supporting it. I want to make a point about that. When it comes to the approach that has been taken here by this noalition of Liberals, Nationals and Greens, we have been hearing this consistent whine in this chamber. Anyone who pays attention on the social media certainly reads the whine that comes out of the Greens about this housing proposal. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 How about you wait until I give you the call and then we'll hear the point of order. Member for Longman. Mr Young 201906 The Speaker has already ruled that you cannot use the term 'noalition'. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 I'm listening very carefully to all the discussion going on here. I will check on that ruling. I think that everybody in this debate should be mindful of being respectful to each other. Mr KEOGH 249147 I would like to inform the member that I used the term advisedly as an adjective to describe a grouping of three parties, not a formal title ascribed to two parties. Coming back to that third party, the Greens, Australia very well knows how the Greens like to try and use an argument about saying that they are going to strive for something better, that things could be better, that we should be doing things better, that we should be doing it the Greens' way. The Greens' way has delivered a decade of inaction on energy policy—that's what they delivered to this country. The Greens' way is now holding up housing funding for women and children fleeing domestic violence, older women who are experiencing homelessness, Indigenous communities that need to have proper housing afforded to them and housing for veterans that are homeless or at risk of homelessness. That is the approach they are taking. If they genuinely held the view that they thought we should be doing more or better—as they would say it—they would support this and continue to push us to do something else. But instead what they do is try and hold all of these people that would benefit from the Housing Australia Future Fund to ransom. How do they get to do that? Because they're in a noalition of the Greens, the National Party and the Liberal Party. It is absolutely shameful. As I mentioned in question time earlier today, for all of the rhetoric you hear out of the Liberal and National parties about supporting our veterans—those people who put themselves on the line for our country—they undermined the Department of Veterans' Affairs, they failed to resource it properly, they talked up the new IT system and they didn't actually give it any funding. When given the opportunity to support funding for veterans experiencing homelessness, the first thing they do is stand at that dispatch box and say, 'We will support funding for housing for our veterans.' Then, in the proceeding nine months, they spend the whole time opposing the legislation that would do that very thing! It is absolutely outrageous and it is hypocritical. You walk in here and try to say that we are the failure when it comes to housing policy. It is your failure! You didn't deliver over nine years, you didn't deliver over your time. You could have done this and then you didn't. We come in to clean up your mess and what do you do? You don't even support it happening! Instead, you try and talk the big talk. You go out and say, 'We're supporting veterans.' But, in reality, when it comes to what you're actually doing in this chamber and in that chamber in the other place, you aren't supporting veterans: you're undermining the support for veterans. And you know it. I know that these organisations are calling you. They're calling their backbenchers and calling their senators. You are the failure for veterans and housing. (Time expired) The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 I might just remind everyone that the microphones are working perfectly well. I can hear you without you yelling at me! 16:20 Dr WEBSTER 281688 Mallee Australia has a proud migration history. Migrants are the thread woven into the very fabric of our nation, blessing us with their variety in culture, belief, cuisine and, indeed, coffee and wine. Migrants have underpinned the economy and workforce in electorates like mine in Mallee, working long and hard to grow the agriculture, construction, research, technology, science, health and education sectors, and the same is true nationwide. Australia's workforce shortage is most dire in the regions. We need migrants in the places where they can deliver the greatest value to our productivity and the Australian success story. That's why the Liberal-National government introduced the agricultural visa, which Labor scrapped. And we introduced the PALM scheme, which has been so valuable for Mallee. These are just two examples of how the coalition delivered targeted, measured policies, built to fix skills shortages and broader labour shortages in the industries that needed them most—and we still need them. Labor's targets are very different. They aren't measured; it's just one big number. Those opposite want 1.5 million migrants over the next five years. I have questions—many questions—about that. As a nation, we are struggling to house the people we have in the country already. The national rental vacancy figure is 1.4 per cent and it's only slightly higher in the regions, at 1.58 per cent. I recently took the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Migration, of which I am the deputy chair, to Robinvale in my electorate of Mallee. We toured the Rocky Lamattina & Sons carrot-processing facility—the largest in the lower hemisphere—as well as the Cordoma Group's great operations. Cordoma Group's general manager, Adrian Cordoma, and his sister Vanessa relayed to me a story about seasonal workers who rented a house while working in Robinvale. When the season changes they move on to other regions for that harvest season but they keep the house in Robinvale for the next season. If they didn't, they would not be able to find one when they returned. Labor's signature housing policy is floundering in the Senate and provides no certainty to alleviate any housing issues, let alone regional housing issues. To have 1.5 million more migrants in the country will put an incredible strain on Australia's already struggling healthcare system, a system that in regional Australia is in crisis already—a crisis the government refuses even to admit is occurring. How many of the 1.5 million more migrants will be doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals who will head out to regional Australia and stay there? Thanks to Minister Butler's radical expansion to the distribution priority areas for doctors, an international medical graduate migrating here is now far more likely to move to periurban settings over a regional practice. Therefore it will not mitigate the dire situation country people face and will add further burden to those periurban areas for housing. Tuesday night's federal budget threw money into Medicare, which made for great headlines but did not give any confidence that Labor has plans to alleviate the workforce issues stressing our health sector. This budget also failed to address other critical infrastructure, pushing projects out with reviews into the long grass, critical infrastructure to build and repair roads, hospitals and other critical infrastructure in the regions to support that 1.5 million new people. In addition, migrant families will have to find their own childcare arrangements, particularly if they migrate to the regions. Why would a migrant choose to settle in a childcare desert? Labor has thrown money at the childcare sector but prioritises urban subsidies over actual services, which create demand but do nothing to fix supply. It's about not just affordability but accessibility. The coalition wants a better Australia, not just a bigger Australia. A better Australia means a sustainable Australia, one that maximises the economic benefits of immigration while managing the negative impacts on housing, congestion, our health system, the environment and communities. Communities in regional Australia, particularly in my electorate of Mallee, are already neglected and groaning under the despair of the health and housing crisis. (Time expired) 16:25 Mr BURNS 278522 Macnamara You have to hand it to the Liberal Party because it does not matter how many messages the Australian people send them; they just keep going back to the old Liberal Party methods. It doesn't matter how unsuccessful the Liberal and National parties are. It doesn't matter how many times the Australian people say, 'Do you know what? We actually don't want climate-change-denying dinosaurs, living in the past, constantly going out for scare campaigns and divisive politics.' It doesn't matter how many times the Australian people tell those opposite that that sort of Australia has no place in 2023. They keep going back to their old ugly playbook. And what have we got today? When the Liberal Party has run out of ideas, they go back to the bottom shelf. They go to the old dog-whistle 'look at all the migrants' playbook, complaining about all of the people coming into this country. It is the old John Howard playbook that we've seen time and time again. Well, let's be clear. The reason that the member for Goldstein, the member for Higgins, the member for Mackellar, the member for North Sydney and, of course, the brand new member for Aston are no longer members of the Liberal Party is these gutter politics that those opposite are playing right now. Gutter politics. Those opposite come into this place and complain about housing, and yet they block the very thing that will get the federal government back into building affordable and social rental properties. Those opposite complain about the economy, but we are bringing workers back. I don't know if any of them spoke to a business after the pandemic, but the labour shortages in this country were extraordinary, so we brought skilled workers back to this country. We've also brought universities back to this country. What we've got is the old Liberal Party gutter politics, going after the other—anyone but the other; that's what they're pointing the finger at. What makes it even worse? Frankly, we can all sit back and watch the Liberal Party's demise—goodness; in Victoria, we've been watching it for a little while now! Just when you thought the Liberal Party couldn't get any crazier, they bring out something new. Anyway, the Liberal Party might be a lost cause. But, if you're coming into this place to preach about caring about the welfare of those people in our society who are struggling with the costs of living and struggling with housing and you want to profess to be doing more for housing and housing affordability in this country, you should do whatever you can to get houses built right now. When the Greens abstained from the housing bill in this place, I thought, 'Do you know what? They're just going to try and negotiate; they're not going to stand in the way of housing.' But, in the other house, they have joined with the coalition, One Nation, Clive Palmer—and no-one else. The Independents, the teals in this place, Senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie, everyone else other than One Nation, Clive Palmer's bloke and the Liberal and National parties are sitting on the other side of the chamber saying, 'We actually want to get on with the job of building social housing.' And the Greens are sitting there with that unholy no-social-housing alliance. You'd think, if you were sitting there, looking around, going, 'I'm here with the Liberal Party, the National Party, One Nation and Clive Palmer,' you'd go, 'Maybe I should get on the other side of the chamber, with the sensible people who actually want to build social housing.' I've heard arguments about tax cuts and all of this sort of stuff that is happening in the years to come, and those are legitimate debates that the country will undergo in the future. We do need to have honest conversations about tax policy. There's been really sensible tax policy implemented in the budget this year. But let's make the facts clear: right now, in this parliament, this week, we could get the construction of social and affordable housing started. Mr Tehan 210911 I thought you were going to mention the 1.5 million. Mr BURNS 278522 I'm not going to take the interjection from the dog whistling from those opposite. We could get the construction of social housing started, which hasn't happened by a federal government in over a decade. The Greens, the Liberal Party and the National Party, together with One Nation and Clive Palmer, need to get out of the way and start building homes for Australians. 16:31 Mrs McINTOSH 281513 Lindsay I rise to speak on this really desperate issue for people in my community. I'm seriously concerned. Just last week, I met with charities and people in the community housing industry, and also local real estate agents, and they only confirmed my worries. One real estate agent told me that investors are pulling out of the housing market, leading to a reduction of rental stock, with a flow-on effect of raising rental prices. But this is only part of the problem. We're seeing things like the middle class homeless, the poor struggling to survive and food banks working on overdrive. The agency's rental stock has gone down 25 per cent. Rentals are tenanted within one week, and there are hundreds queuing to view each property as soon as it's listed. Tenants are becoming increasingly desperate. How on earth are we going to house 1.5 million extra people in this country? We know where they're going to go. Sixty per cent of new migrants come to greater Western Sydney. Our roads are clogged. Congestion is huge. How are these people going to get to work and home again? Our hospitals are clogged. We don't have enough GPs. Where are they going to live? These are the big, very real, very serious questions. Labor is bringing 1.5 million in their big ambition to create a big Australia in just five years, and 60 per cent will probably come to Western Sydney and other places like Western Sydney right across the country. That's close to double the number of enrolled voters in my Lindsay electorate arriving every single year, and it's 321,000 more people than forecast in the October budget. Under Labor, 5,750 people will arrive every week. We know, according to Western Sydney University, as I said, that 60 per cent that come to Australia settle in greater Western Sydney where we don't have the infrastructure, we don't have the public hospital systems in place and we certainly do not have the housing. As a member of parliament, it is my job to represent the views and interests of my constituents in Lindsay. Our community deserves to be considered and consulted. We have not been consulted about big Australia. I often speak about my priorities for the areas of Western Sydney that I represent in this House and our fight for infrastructure, which is at threat of being dumped by this Labor government. The AMP chief economist, Dr Shane Oliver, has noted that the resurgence in underlying demand on the back of very high immigration and that 400,000 arrivals this year equates to demand for an extra 200,000 dwellings. I go back to my local real estate agent, somebody who is on the ground in Western Sydney, who is seeing the impact of a lack of rental stock. He is seeing in his work that people who have two incomes are now lining up at foodbanks to put food on the table for their families, and they are at risk of losing their homes. In addition to that, there are the Australians from my electorate who have been stuck in traffic or crammed onto trains and buses this morning. There are 300,000 people who commute out of Western Sydney every day for a good job. Can you imagine when 60 per cent of new migrants come into Western Sydney—that 1.5 million people that Labor have committed to in their 'big Australia' ambitions. Labor's budget cuts to infrastructure and failure to address congestion, the housing and rental crisis and the liveability of our towns and suburbs in the not too distant future will play out in communities like mine. It's not fair and it's not right, but I will be continuing to fight and continuing to make a noise for people in Western Sydney. 16:36 Ms SITOU 298121 Reid I agree with the member for Lindsay. Her community have been let down. They do not have the infrastructure they need for a growing community. They don't have the schools, the hospitals or the transport. But, instead of blaming migrants, I say to the member for Lindsay: turn to your former state colleagues and the former premier of New South Wales, Dominic Perrottet, and ask them why they couldn't deliver on infrastructure, why they couldn't build schools in these growing suburbs and why they failed to provide public infrastructure to these growing suburbs in your community. Don't blame the migrants; blame the Liberal Party. I am glad to be speaking on this matter of public importance, because it is important. It's just a shame that this is the only tune that those opposite know how to whistle. I've seen this before. It's called 'blame the migrants'. When you need to get a headline before a budget week, blame the migrants. When you are behind in the polls, blame the migrants. When you need to distract from your own incompetencies, blame the migrants. When you've got the member for Dickson as your leader, it's no wonder you return to this tired and terrible tune. When he was home affairs minister he blamed African gangs. When he was immigration minister he said it was a mistake to let Lebanese refugees into Australia. 'Blame the migrants' was a bad tune then, and it's a bad tune now. I'll give you two reasons why. The numbers contradict your stance. If we had stayed with the migration intake numbers that you had when you were in government, today we would have more than half a million people more in this country. Think on that for a minute. Under those opposite, a bigger Australia. The second reason—and this is a reason that all of those sitting opposite should listen to—is that Australia is a multicultural success story. There is no better example of that than my electorate of Reid. We are a community enriched by our diversity and we, on this side of the House, embrace multicultural Australia. You only need to look at the members on this side of the House: the members for Swan, Holt, Tangney, Cowan, Higgins—the member for Higgins is with me today—Wills, Chifley, Hindmarsh and the list goes on. It is a government that truly reflects the diversity of our community. That's not something those opposite can say. That's probably why we have this utterly disgraceful matter of public importance today. I welcome a discussion on infrastructure from those opposite. I'm very happy to take you to the problems in the electorate of Reid. I want to give you one example. Wentworth Point is one of the most densely populated suburbs in Sydney. But, under the Liberals, at the federal, state and local government levels, they were utterly let down. If you ask any resident in Wentworth Point what the major issue is, it's the intersection of Hill Road and Bennelong Parkway. It's dangerous and traffic banks up every day. So, before the last election, I committed $8.5 million to fixing that intersection. I'm happy to report construction has already started to fix that black spot. And that's what governments are supposed to do. They're supposed to make a commitment, then they're supposed to fund it and then they're supposed to deliver on it. That's unlike those opposite, who, when it comes to infrastructure, are very much like the Daily Mail—all headline and no substance. I'm probably being a bit unfair to the Daily Mail there. I welcome, too, a discussion on health. We on this side of the House will always be better on health than those opposite. We created Medicare, we strengthened Medicare and in this budget we have boosted Medicare. We've given it the biggest boost it has seen since Paul Keating was Prime Minister. We have tripled bulk-billing incentives to make it easier and more affordable for people to see a GP. We've halved the cost of medication for people with chronic illness and we're funding the biggest pay rise for aged-care workers to ensure our oldest Australians are well cared for in their final years. Let's compare that to your track record. You tried to trash Medicare, and when the now Leader of the Opposition was the health minister, he wanted to undermine universal access to health care. He was so bad, a poll of doctors said he was the worst health minister in Australia. 16:41 Mr BROADBENT MT4 Monash I'd like to speak to the House about where the rubber hits the road on the issues that have been raised today by the member for Wannon. I have a situation in my electorate where, through domestic violence, a woman and her well-loved boys of the community were displaced from their home. I had some contacts, and I went to the local estate agent in this small town—I won't mention the town—and said: 'Look, can you help me? I have this woman who has had to leave home.' And the best we could offer her was two caravans with a tent over the top. I considered that, and I didn't know what to do. With the help of the local Manna Gum Community House, we wrote to the whole community in that area and said: 'Have you got a house? Have you got a farmhouse? Have you got this? Have you got that?' When I went to the estate agent, they said, 'Russell, we've got one house for rent, and we've got 15 applicants for that house.' Now, are they going to take the woman with her boys who have just been thrown out of a house, or are they going to take someone who's wealthy and who's going to pay their rent? So we went to the community house, and we wrote the letter, and, sure enough, we turned up some people who were prepared to rent this woman a house. She stayed in the town, her boys stayed with all their mates in the community and that was one situation resolved. But there are hundreds of those right across my electorate, and I know it would be the same for the member for Wannon, where we have no housing stock for workers, no housing stock for farmworkers, no housing stock anywhere for anybody. This has been a most difficult issue because of the movement of people from cities to the country during the pandemic. I get asked quite often: 'Where have all the workers gone? Where are they? Where are the workers?' I have to tell you that in one health service in Victoria, they have 18,000 employees and 2,500 of them decided not to be vaccinated, so they all lost their jobs. Out of those 18,000 workers, they are 2,500 down. I don't know how many resigned and I don't know how many took early retirement, but 2,500 are missing out of that one health service. Where are the workers that we need? I'm looking at the proposal before the House and importance of that proposal, but housing has been an issue for a long time—outside of what the pandemic caused—in every electorate, and especially for those who are least able to look after themselves. There are other areas where we're missing workers as well. For instance, I read this week that in the US actuaries and insurance companies have predicted an emerging medical and economic crisis caused by a workforce disabled by the vaccines. It's happening in the US. Talking about workforce constraints, why are Services Australia wasting time writing officious letters to vaccine injured people demanding that they only speak to the one appointed contact? Take Debbie's case—not her real name. Debbie said their contact officer, Bernadette—not her real name—has written to Debbie about new ways to interact with staff in the vaccine claims scheme. I'll share the highlights of the letter: How you can contact us has changed. You now have one person you can contact to do business with us. Your contact person is Bernadette— not her real name. They will help you with referrals and information about our services. That's fine. What this means … You can only contact us by (1) Calling Bernadette or (2) Calling/writing to Services Australia. The letter goes on: You can contact Bernadette and they will explain the decision. They—'they'—will explain the decision. I don't mind what Bernadette is; I just want the public servants to— The DEPUTY SPEAKER E0D Order! I call the honourable member for Bennelong. 16:46 Mr LAXALE 299174 Bennelong It's been just under a year that the Liberals and Nationals have been sitting on those benches over there in opposition, and we know it's been a tough year for them. In that year, they have tried to land a blow on the cost of living, and in response we've delivered not one but two budgets that will help families and those doing it tough. Our budgets have driven and will drive down the cost of medicines. They'll make it cheaper to see a doctor. They'll make early education cheaper for Aussie families. In that year, the Liberals and Nationals have also tried to land a blow on renewable energy and climate change, ridiculing what Australians voted for at the last election. In response we've legislated a net zero target and unlocked billions of dollars of investment into cheaper energy. In that year, they have tried to hold on to one of the bluest of their blue seats, the seat of Aston, and in response we have become the first government in over 100 years to win a seat off the opposition—and what a fine member she is and will be! They've tried everything. They've tried it all and they've failed. And now, in an act of absolute desperation, they've broken the emergency glass case in the party room and reached for that shiny Liberal Party dog whistle, and with this motion they're whistling it loudly. They're blaming new migrants for the failures of their government. All their other tactics have failed, so they have now decided to try and convince the Australian people that migrants, new and old, are to blame for their 10 years of inaction. They have decided to attack the people in my electorate and blame them for the Liberals' cuts to Medicare and for their 10 years of inaction on providing affordable housing. Shame on them for returning us to the worst years of the Howard government—the former prime minister who turned migrants and immigrants into political footballs. Well, in case those over there need reminding, Bennelong doesn't like it when the Liberals reach for that dog whistle. Bennelong kicked out Howard, they kicked out Morrison and they elected me to this place to stand up for them. They elected me to speak out against dog whistling on migration—to speak out when Chinese Australians and Korean Australians and Indian and Armenian Australians are attacked by their governments. This motion claims we have no plan to fix the former government's mess. We know that in this budget and the last budget we have invested game-changing amounts into health care. This budget delivers more than $6 billion into new investments to strengthen Medicare, as well as an indexation boost to the rebates of more than $1.5 billion—the biggest increase in 30 years. This budget continues to clean up the mess left by the former government. It's not just in health where those opposite are loudly dog whistling; they are also here today blaming migrants for a housing crisis. They're blaming migrants for the Liberals' underinvestment in affordable housing. They're blaming migrants for the Liberals' underinvestment in infrastructure. They're blaming migrants for the Liberals' 10 years of dysfunction and missed opportunities. What makes this motion today so extraordinary is that months ago, here in this room, they voted against a plan to build 30,000 new and affordable homes across Australia. And today they are siding with the Greens and that other famous anti-immigrant, Pauline Hanson, to block a vote on the biggest investment in social and affordable housing in a decade. Instead of supporting our plan, they're in here blaming migrant families, new and old, for their own 10 years of neglect and failure. Shame on them, because I think they all need to hear this loud and clear—and I'm glad the member for Wannon, the mover of this motion, has walked back in; this time you need to hear this, member for Wannon—migrants make Australia stronger; migrants make our country more prosperous; migrants make our communities more inclusive and more diverse; migrants grow our economy; and migrants make Bennelong and Australia better. For as long as I am in this place, I will always call out disgusting tactics like this and stand up for migrant families in Bennelong and across Australia. 16:50 Ms WARE 300123 Hughes I rise to speak on this matter of public importance, and I commend the member for Wannon for bringing this matter to the House's attention. It's particularly concerning to read that we're going to have an additional 1.5 million migrants, but this is in conjunction with, in the other place, the Greens rejecting the Albanese Labor government's housing plan on this very day. We'll have 1.5 million additional immigrants, and where are they going to live? I listened to the member for Bennelong's comments that we are blaming migrants for this problem. We are not; we are trying to ensure that the 1.5 million migrants that you are bringing into our country will have somewhere to live, but the government has announced this increase on a day when it has been confirmed that the Labor Party's housing policy is in tatters. Sensible increases in migration are supported. Migration provides tremendous economic benefits, tremendous social benefits, and Australia is the most successful multicultural nation in the world. But there has been no discussion about the impacts of an additional 1.5 million people on congestion, on infrastructure, on housing, on government services, on the environment or on our regions. With the number that has been presented, which is roughly 1.235 million people after four years, that's the population of a city the size of Adelaide. The number climbs to 1.495 million after five years. That is the average population of a city the size of Wollongong arriving every year. The Albanese Labor government would have to build 10 Tasmanian football stadiums a year to seat the additional arrivals. My home state of New South Wales is forecast to hit a population of more than 8.7 million people, an additional 1,669 people per week in my home state of New South Wales. Where will all of these people live? The government's housing policy was heralded in with such fanfare and triumphalism last year. Last October Minister Collins stated $10 billion for housing: one million new homes. I turn briefly to what key stakeholders have said about Minister Collins's housing policy. AMP chief economist, Dr Shane Oliver, has noted the resurgence in underlying demand on the back of very high immigration, and that the 400,000 arrivals this year equates to demand for an extra 200,000 dwellings. The Grattan Institute noted that increasing the annual migrant intake by 40,000 a year will increase rents by up to five per cent over a decade, so when this Labor government talk to us about being serious about affordable rentals, they cannot develop a policy that has significant intellectual rigour. Not even the sycophantic Greens—not even your best friends in the other place—can bring themselves to support this policy. It's not the business of the federal government to build houses. It's never been the business of the federal government to compete. This policy has revealed you do not understand the basics of what drives the housing industry. You don't understand the building and construction industry, and you do not understand how to develop sensible policy that will address the chronic shortage of housing in this country. I mention the honourable member for Griffith, with whom I have barely ever agreed. Even he said today that he could not support it. It's not even a good enough policy for the Greens party to be able to support! While speaking about other ministers, the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services said on Sky, on 29 March, that more people does not mean more pressure on housing and infrastructure. That's unbelievable—from the assistant minister! The Assistant Treasurer said that. 16:55 Ms FERNANDO 299964 Holt The Albanese government's principle of delivering a better future for every Australian was proudly reiterated in this week's budget. I might say this budget stands in stark contrast to a typical Liberal budget. In fact, there were no—once again, no—zombie measures like those that featured in Tony Abbott's budget. This budget will provide targeted relief to various sections of our community who are doing it tough. It'll do this while producing a modest surplus—something those opposite never achieved in the last nine years. The irony is not lost on me that, as we speak in this chamber about housing and health care, the Liberals in the other place of voting against our signature Housing Australia Future Fund. I am continually amazed by the hypocrisy displayed by those opposite. They are actively blocking the creation of 30,000 new social and affordable rental homes in the fund's first five years. I, once again, encourage all senators in the other place to join Labor in creating more desperately needed social housing across the country. Luckily, it doesn't stop there. We have increased Commonwealth rent assistance by 15 per cent, and we've provided a further $2 billion in financing for more social and affordable rental housing through the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation. We are offering new incentives to boost the supply of rental housing by reforming arrangements for investments in build-to-rent accommodation. Further, the budget will help more Australians into homeownership through the significant expansion of eligibility criteria for the Home Guarantee Scheme. Under these positive changes, family members and friends will be eligible for joint applications under the First Home Guarantee and the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee. This will increase the purchasing power of ordinary Australians. Importantly, part of our housing package is committed to our veterans. There is $30 million of the Housing Australia Future Fund that is dedicated purely to supporting veterans housing. We know this is vital, as nearly 6,000 veterans find themselves homeless every year. This is why our Housing Australia Future Fund is so vital, and why I can never understand how any member of this parliament can vote against putting roofs over the heads of our veterans and our most vulnerable. I am also pleased to report that, unlike the last nine years of Liberal government, we are actually investing in our health system, instead of gutting and privatising everything in reach. We have also invested in the largest increase to the Medicare system in 30 years, in the form of a $3.5 billion package to triple the bulk-billing incentives for GP visits. I am proud to have been in this chamber when the Treasurer announced the largest-ever increase in bulk-billing. This translates to a 30 per cent increase in the payments to bulk-billing GPs in our major cities and an increase of around 50 per cent for bulk-billing in our regional and rural areas. This historic investment means three out of five visits to the GP will be bulk billed. Further, we are making medicines cheaper for six million Australians living with chronic conditions by allowing 60 days supply of common medicines and, therefore, halving the number trips made to the GP and pharmacy. All these investments, and more, will support the Australian people and secure our economy into the future. Only Labor governments have care and the economic skill to deliver responsible and targeted relief to those who need it. I must admit that I thought those opposite would have learned by now that immigrants are not enemies. Some of the hardest-working families in our nation are immigrants, old and new. I know this for a fact because my family—that's correct, my family—is one among them. People like me know that the opposition does not care about people like us, and they never will. That is right: they will never care about people like myself or my family. Unlike those opposite, Labor will continue to support Australian families with humane and measured policies to make sure that no-one in this country is left behind. The DEPUTY SPEAKER E0D I thank the honourable member for Holt. The discussion has concluded. BILLS 49 BILLS Family Law Amendment Bill 2023 49

Family Law Amendment Bill 2023

Second Reading 49 17:01 Ms LE 295676 Fowler As I was saying: in summary, I believe my amendments will safeguard a child's best interests when it comes to their parents' ability to care for them—in particular, their right to maintain their cultural heritage and to have a strong sense of their own cultural identity. 17:01 Ms ROWLAND 159771 Greenway I thank the honourable member for her engagement with this bill. As the member has noted, it is expected that this bill will be referred to a committee, so the government won't be supporting these amendments at this time. The DEPUTY SPEAKER E0D The question is that these amendments be disagreed to. Question agreed to. Original question agreed to. Third Reading 50 17:02 Ms ROWLAND 159771 Greenway by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time. Family Law Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill 2023 50

Family Law Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill 2023

Report from Federation Chamber 50 17:03 The DEPUTY SPEAKER E0D The question is that the bill be agreed to. A division having been called for— 17:04 Mr TAYLOR 231027 Hume by leave—I ask that the division be withdrawn. Division not proceeded with. Bill agreed to. Third Reading 50 17:05 Ms ROWLAND 159771 Greenway by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time. Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Omnibus) Bill 2023 50

Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Omnibus) Bill 2023

Report from Federation Chamber 50 Third Reading 50 17:06 Ms ROWLAND 159771 Greenway by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time. Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023 50

Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023

Consideration in Detail 50 17:07 Ms LEY 00AMN Farrer by leave—I move opposition amendments (1) to (3), as circulated in my name, together: (1) Schedule 1, item 31, page 9 (line 28), omit paragraph 16B(1)(c). (2) Schedule 1, item 31, page 9 (after line 29), after paragraph 16B(1)(d), insert: (da) 1 member representing small business; (db) 2 members representing regional, rural and remote Australia; (3) Schedule 1, item 31, page 9 (after line 32), after subsection 16B(2), insert: (2A) In appointing the members of the Ministerial Advisory Board, the Minister must ensure that the members include a representative from each State, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. These amendments are designed to alter the composition of the ministerial advisory board outlined in the bill. The coalition does not think it is appropriate to mandate that four positions are dedicated to employee organisations—or, in other words, to the unions. The bill as it stands will ensure that these members are appointed over others we consider more important in this specific context. Under the arrangements we propose through these amendments, the government would still be able to appoint officials from unions as general members of the board, but no future minister or government would be mandated to do so. In their stead, we believe it is more appropriate that one member represents small business and another two represent regional, rural and remote Australia. Small businesses and our regions are on the front line of skills and labour force shortages. They are doing it really tough right now. The important voices of small business and the regions should be able to provide direct advice to the commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia and the minister. Our amendments would allow them to do just that. Furthermore, our amendments legislate that each state and territory must be represented within the composition of the mandated board members. We believe ensuring a geographical spread within the discussed mandated appointments is desirable. Skills and labour force shortages are unique in each region of our country, and we believe they should be able to bring those differing perspectives to the forefront of the commissioner's and the minister's considerations. I call on the crossbench to support our amendments to the government's amendment. We are not precluding union representation on the board altogether but, rather, removing the mandate for it. I also believe our amendments make the board more balanced and will allow Jobs and Skills Australia to consider the advice of those disproportionately impacted by skills and labour force technology. 17:09 Mr O'CONNOR 00AN3 Gorton The government opposes the amendments. The government's intention is to establish a body to provide advice to government and industry on skills and the labour market, and therefore it's important to have employer and employee representatives—unions and employers working together to deal with really significant challenges within this country. For the opposition to suggest that we should remove the worker voice entirely from this body speaks very much to the enmity they have towards organised labour and the rights of working people to be represented in this country. Now, we made it clear before the election that we would have a tripartite body established, and, as a result of that, we are enacting legislation. The governance arrangements are such that the ministerial advisory board is going to have equal representation of workers and employers on that body—along with others. For that reason, we cannot support these. I also note that, despite the efforts of the opposition to have others come out and support these amendments, no employer body or, for that matter, other stakeholders have publicly supported the opposition with respect to these amendments, and that's because they are completely out of step with how training and skills are engaged with, in industry. Whatever differences employers and unions might have from to time, they work on things together, whether it's superannuation or training and skills. We need to bring people together. The Jobs and Skills Summit was about convening constituent parts of our society and our economy to work together to deal with the structural challenges the country faces. This legislation is in keeping with that approach, and that's why it's impossible for us to support both the amendments and the reasoning behind the amendments, because they are contrary to the commitments we made to the Australian people before the election and they completely undermine the workers' voice on this important body. I hear the Deputy Leader of the Opposition suggest that there's still a capacity to appoint members, but this is a tripartite body with equal representation from employers and from workers, and we will not accede to these amendments. The SPEAKER 53517 The question is that the amendments moved by the honourable Deputy Leader of the Opposition be disagreed to.  

The House divided. [17:16]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)

 84 AYES Albanese, A. N. Aly, A. Ananda-Rajah, M. Bandt, A. P. Bates, S. J. Bowen, C. E. Burke, A. S. Burnell, M. P. Burney, L. J. Burns, J. Butler, M. C. Byrnes, A. J. Chalmers, J. E. Chaney, K. E. Charlton, A. H. G. Chesters, L. M. Clare J. D. Claydon, S. C. Coker, E. A. Collins, J. M. Conroy, P. M. Daniel, Z. Doyle, M. J. J. Elliot, M. J. Fernando, C. Freelander, M. R. Garland, C. M. L. Georganas, S. Giles, A. J. Gorman, P. Gosling, L. J. Haines, H. M. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Jones, S. P. Kearney, G. M. Keogh, M. J. Khalil, P. King, C. F. King, M. M. H. Lawrence, T. N. Laxale, J. A. A. Leigh, A. K. Lim, S. B. C. Marles, R. D. Mascarenhas, Z. F. A. McBain, K. L. McBride, E. M. Miller-Frost, L. J. Mitchell, B. K. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. Murphy, P. J. Neumann, S. K. O'Connor, B. P. J. O'Neil, C. E. Payne, A. E. Perrett, G. D. Phillips, F. E. Plibersek, T. J. Rae, S. T. Reid, G. J. Rishworth, A. L. Roberts, T. G. Rowland, M. A. Ryan, J. C. Ryan, M. M. Scamps, S. A. Scrymgour, M. R. Sharkie, R. C. C. Shorten, W. R. Sitou, S. Smith, D. P. B. (Teller) Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Swanson, M. J. Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Vamvakinou, M. Watson-Brown, E. Wells, A. S. Wilkie, A. D. Wilson, J. H. Zappia, A. 55 NOES Andrews, K. L. Bell, A. M. Birrell, S. J. Boyce, C. E. Broadbent, R. E. Buchholz, S. Chester, D. J. Coleman, D. B. Conaghan, P. J. Coulton, M. M. (Teller) Entsch, W. G. Fletcher, P. W. Gee, A. R. Goodenough, I. R. Hamilton, G. R. Hastie, A. W. Hawke, A. G. Hogan, K. J. Howarth, L. R. Joyce, B. T. G. Landry, M. L. Le, D. Leeser, J. Ley, S. P. Littleproud, D. Marino, N. B. McCormack, M. F. McIntosh, M. I. McKenzie, Z. A. Morrison, S. J. O'Brien, E. L. O'Brien, L. S. Pasin, A. Pearce, G. B. Pike, H. J. Pitt, K. J. Price, M. L. Ramsey, R. E. (Teller) Stevens, J. Sukkar, M. S. Taylor, A. J. Tehan, D. T. Thompson, P. Tink, K. J. van Manen, A. J. Vasta, R. X. Violi, A. A. Wallace, A. B. Ware, J. L. Webster, A. E. Willcox, A. J. Wilson, R. J. Wolahan, K. Wood, J. P. Young, T. J. 0 PAIRS

Question agreed to.

 17:20 Ms LEY 00AMN Farrer I move amendment (4) as circulated in my name: (4) Schedule 1, item 37, page 18 (line 4), omit "2 years", substitute "12 months". The coalition is moving these amendments to alter the time line under which a review into the operation of the act must commence and to ensure a geographical spread of appointees. In this legislation as it stands, the minister is not required to commence a review into the operation of this act until the end of a two-year period. This would allow the minister to avoid scrutiny into the success or failures of Jobs and Skills Australia until after the next election. This is not appropriate. This was a key pillar of the government's election platform. The government must commit to commencing a review and finalising it prior to the next election. Jobs and Skills Australia was a foundational piece of the campaign which saw the government brought to office. It is crucial that the Australian public are able to assess the failures and success of the government's delivery on its promise. I move these amendments with the intent of allowing them of allowing them to do exactly that. 17:21 Mr O'CONNOR 00AN3 Gorton Consistent with our approach on other matters and after speaking with stakeholders, we can't accede to the request by the opposition to support this amendment. We oppose the amendment and, as I said earlier, we really wanted to see the opposition support this new body, but clearly, with the amendments it's seeking to make, it wants to undermine the objects of the very important body that's been established by the government. We can't support the amendment. The 53517 The question is that the amendment moved by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition be disagreed to.    

The House divided. [17:26]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)

 83 AYES Albanese, A. N. Aly, A. Ananda-Rajah, M. Bandt, A. P. Bates, S. J. Bowen, C. E. Burke, A. S. Burnell, M. P. Burney, L. J. Burns, J. Butler, M. C. Byrnes, A. J. Chalmers, J. E. Chandler-Mather, M. Charlton, A. H. G. Chesters, L. M. Clare J. D. Claydon, S. C. Coker, E. A. Collins, J. M. Conroy, P. M. Daniel, Z. Doyle, M. J. J. Elliot, M. J. Fernando, C. Freelander, M. R. Garland, C. M. L. Georganas, S. Giles, A. J. Gorman, P. Gosling, L. J. Haines, H. M. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Jones, S. P. Kearney, G. M. Keogh, M. J. Khalil, P. King, C. F. King, M. M. H. Lawrence, T. N. Laxale, J. A. A. Leigh, A. K. Lim, S. B. C. Marles, R. D. Mascarenhas, Z. F. A. McBain, K. L. McBride, E. M. Miller-Frost, L. J. Mitchell, B. K. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. Murphy, P. J. Neumann, S. K. O'Connor, B. P. J. O'Neil, C. E. Payne, A. E. Perrett, G. D. Phillips, F. E. Plibersek, T. J. Rae, S. T. Reid, G. J. Rishworth, A. L. Roberts, T. G. Rowland, M. A. Ryan, J. C. Ryan, M. M. Scrymgour, M. R. Shorten, W. R. Sitou, S. Smith, D. P. B. (Teller) Spender, A. M. Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Swanson, M. J. Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Vamvakinou, M. Watson-Brown, E. Wells, A. S. Wilkie, A. D. Wilson, J. H. Zappia, A. 58 NOES Andrews, K. L. Bell, A. M. Birrell, S. J. Boyce, C. E. Broadbent, R. E. Buchholz, S. Chester, D. J. Coleman, D. B. Conaghan, P. J. Coulton, M. M. (Teller) Entsch, W. G. Fletcher, P. W. Gee, A. R. Gillespie, D. A. Goodenough, I. R. Hamilton, G. R. Hastie, A. W. Hawke, A. G. Hogan, K. J. Howarth, L. R. Joyce, B. T. G. Landry, M. L. Le, D. Leeser, J. Ley, S. P. Littleproud, D. Marino, N. B. McCormack, M. F. McIntosh, M. I. McKenzie, Z. A. Morrison, S. J. O'Brien, E. L. O'Brien, L. S. Pasin, A. Pearce, G. B. Pike, H. J. Pitt, K. J. Price, M. L. Ramsey, R. E. (Teller) Scamps, S. A. Sharkie, R. C. C. Stevens, J. Sukkar, M. S. Taylor, A. J. Tehan, D. T. Thompson, P. Tink, K. J. van Manen, A. J. Vasta, R. X. Violi, A. A. Wallace, A. B. Ware, J. L. Webster, A. E. Willcox, A. J. Wilson, R. J. Wolahan, K. Wood, J. P. Young, T. J. 0 PAIRS

Question agreed to.

17:28 Dr SCAMPS 299623 Mackellar by leave—I move amendments (1) and (2), as circulated in my name, together: (1) Schedule 1, item 31, page 10 (after line 26), after section 16B, insert: 16BA Appointment process — members of the Ministerial Advisory Board (1) This section applies to the following appointments: (a) the appointment of a person to be a member of the Ministerial Advisory Board under section 16B; (b) the appointment of a person to act as a member of the Ministerial Advisory Board if: (i) the appointment is to act in the office for a period of 6 months or more; or (ii) the appointment is to act in the office for a period of less than 6 months but, in combination with previous appointments, the person will have been appointed to act in the office for a total period of 6 consecutive months or more. (2) An appointment must not be made unless: (a) the selection of the person for the appointment is the result of a process that includes: (i) public advertising of selection criteria for the position; and (ii) assessment of applications against the selection criteria by an independent panel consisting of at least 3 members and chaired by a former judge; and (iii) shortlisting of at least 3 persons for the appointment who are certified, in writing, by the panel to meet all of the selection criteria; and (b) the person appointed is one of the shortlisted candidates. (3) Within 7 days after an appointment is made, the Minister must cause a copy of the written certification (referred to in subparagraph (2)(a)(iii)) for the person appointed to be: (a) tabled in each House of the Parliament; or (b) if a House is not sitting—presented to the Presiding Officer of that House for circulation to the members of that House. (4) In this section: former judge means: (a) a former Justice of the High Court; or (b) a former judge of the Federal Court of Australia; or (c) a former judge of the Supreme Court of a State or Territory. (5) This section does not affect the operation of subsection 16B(4). (2) Schedule 1, item 32, page 14 (after line 28), after section 19, insert: 19A Appointment process — Commissioners (1) This section applies to the following appointments: (a) the appointment of a person to be the JSA Commissioner under section 18; (b) the appointment of a person to be a JSA Deputy Commissioner under section 18A; (c) the appointment of a person to act as a Commissioner under section 19 if: (i) the appointment is to act in the office for a period of 6 months or more; or (ii) the appointment is to act in the office for a period of less than 6 months but, in combination with previous appointments, the person will have been appointed to act in the office for a total period of 6 consecutive months or more. (2) An appointment must not be made unless: (a) the selection of the person for the appointment is the result of a process that includes: (i) public advertising of selection criteria for the position; and (ii) assessment of applications against the selection criteria by an independent panel consisting of at least 3 members and chaired by a former judge; and (iii) shortlisting of at least 3 persons for the appointment who are certified, in writing, by the panel to meet all of the selection criteria; and (b) the person appointed is one of the shortlisted candidates. (3) Within 7 days after an appointment is made, the Minister must cause a copy of the written certification (referred to in subparagraph (2)(a)(iii)) for the person appointed to be: (a) tabled in each House of the Parliament; or (b) if a House is not sitting—presented to the Presiding Officer of that House for circulation to the members of that House. (4) In this section: former judge means: (a) a former Justice of the High Court; or (b) a former judge of the Federal Court of Australia; or (c) a former judge of the Supreme Court of a State or Territory. (5) This section does not affect the operation of subsections 18(3), 18A(3) and 19(2). In March this year, I introduced a private member's bill called the Transparent and Quality Public Appointments Bill. This bill, which was drafted in partnership with the Centre for Public Integrity, calls for an independent recruitment process for major Commonwealth public appointments. At the last election, Australians let us know in no uncertain terms that they were fed up with wave after wave of rorts, corruption, cronyism, secret ministries and a lack of transparency. The message to the federal parliament was clear: clean up your act. Across the country, including in my electorate of Mackellar, building greater integrity into our political system was a core election issue and remains so. We need to end the jobs-for-mates culture in our politics, government and bureaucracy. We need this so Australians can have trust and confidence that the decisions being made by these vital bodies that underpin our democracy are true. My bill, if implemented, would establish a framework to ensure that major public Commonwealth appointments are made independently and transparently and that appointees are of the highest quality and expertise. Independence and expertise: these are two quite separate requirements. Selections requiring quality of candidates are vital. It goes without saying. But the quality or merit of a candidate is a very different thing to the independence of the process and people that make the appointment. Currently, appointments are made at the discretion of the relevant minister. Reaction to my private member's bill was overwhelmingly positive. It was backed by the Centre for Public Integrity, the Grattan Institute, the Human Rights Law Centre, the Australia Institute, the Australian Democracy Network, Transparency International Australia—and the list goes on. Polling done by the Australia Institute in February this year showed that, when it comes to appointments to government bodies, over two-thirds of Australians think that only candidates who have been shortlisted by an independent selection panel should be eligible for these appointments. This is precisely why I introduced the private member's bill earlier this year. So I come to this bill under consideration, the Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023. As we know, Australia is facing a critical skills and labour shortage. These shortages have been exacerbated by the pandemic, as well as an absence of proper planning by the previous government. In response, the Albanese government established an interim Jobs and Skills Australia Agency in November last year. This legislation makes that agency permanent. The legislation has been welcomed by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Tech Council of Australia, Universities Australia and the Business Council of Australia. I too welcome and support the passage of this bill. I agree with Jobs Australia Ltd, whose submission to the Senate inquiry noted that this bill provides long-awaited solutions to Australia's reactionary and inconsistent response to the ongoing labour market difficulties. But, like others, I believe this bill could be improved. The bill requires the appointment of a commissioner, deputy commissioners and a ministerial advisory board to the Jobs and Skills Australia agency. There are existing provisions in the bill which require candidates for these positions to have appropriate experience and knowledge for the role. Those provisions are vital. My amendment specifically states that it does not seek to override those provisions. My amendments to this bill require that, in addition to the consideration of expertise, the selection process for these positions must have greater independence from party politics, whereby an independent panel selects a shortlist of candidates from which the minister can then make the final appointment. In short, I am trying to ensure that there is not a jobs-for-mates culture in the Jobs and Skills Australia agency. We know it was the jobs-for-mates culture that caused the Attorney-General to last year abolish the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Why would we set up new institutions of government without learning from the mistakes that have caused other institutions like the AAT to fail? I have already presented the government with a robust, viable overall solution through my 'ending jobs for mates bill'. For a mere $3 million, as costed by the PBO, the government could pass and implement my bill to take care of the jobs-for-mates— (Time expired) 17:33 Mr O'CONNOR 00AN3 Gorton I thank the member for Mackellar for moving her amendment and for her genuine interest in ensuring integrity to appointments to independent bodies. I want to make a few points, the first and primary one being that the government has appointed Ms Lynelle Briggs AO to lead a review of the public sector board appointments and their processes. The review forms part of the government's public sector reform agenda under the priority area of an APS that embodies integrity in everything it does. The review will consider and propose appropriate standards for the processes by which members are appointed to government boards. This will include a focus on the role of public sector boards and how needed skills and standards are set; options for transparent processes to identify and recruit board members; how ministers are advised on the selection of board members; and improving the diversity of board membership, including in terms of gender, cultural and linguistic diversity and First Nations and geographic representation on public sector boards. Despite the well-intentioned motives of the member and the genuineness of her efforts to change the legislation, given that review is underway, we will not pre-empt the recommendations of that report, particularly on an ad hoc basis by separate amendments to bills. The bill in the House has significant criteria for the appointment of board members. The appointment of the commissioner and deputy commissioners are guided by the Cabinet Handbook and the Australian Public Service Commission guidelines. Additionally, I think the proof is in the pudding. I have appointed Professor Peter Dawkins as interim JSA director. Professor Dawkins has been doing a remarkable job steering JSA through this formative stage, and his credentials and expertise are quite evident. There is a statutory review requirement in this legislation which can also consider the appropriateness of the appointment processes. The government is committed to implementing high-quality appointment processes. For those reasons I have outlined, we won't be able to support this amendment. The SPEAKER 53517 The question is that the amendments moved by the honourable member for Mackellar be disagreed to.    

The House divided. [17:40]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)

78 AYES Albanese, A. N. Aly, A. Ananda-Rajah, M. Bowen, C. E. Burnell, M. P. Burney, L. J. Burns, J. Butler, M. C. Byrnes, A. J. Chalmers, J. E. Charlton, A. H. G. Chesters, L. M. Claydon, S. C. Coker, E. A. Collins, J. M. Conroy, P. M. Doyle, M. J. J. Elliot, M. J. Fernando, C. Freelander, M. R. Garland, C. M. L. Georganas, S. Giles, A. J. Gorman, P. Gosling, L. J. Hamilton, G. R. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Jones, S. P. Kearney, G. M. Keogh, M. J. Khalil, P. King, C. F. King, M. M. H. Lawrence, T. N. Laxale, J. A. A. Leeser, J. Leigh, A. K. Lim, S. B. C. Marles, R. D. Mascarenhas, Z. F. A. McBain, K. L. McBride, E. M. Miller-Frost, L. J. Mitchell, B. K. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. Murphy, P. J. Neumann, S. K. O'Connor, B. P. J. O'Neil, C. E. Pasin, A. Payne, A. E. Perrett, G. D. Phillips, F. E. Plibersek, T. J. Rae, S. T. Reid, G. J. Rishworth, A. L. Roberts, T. G. Rowland, M. A. Ryan, J. C. Scrymgour, M. R. Shorten, W. R. Sitou, S. Smith, D. P. B. (Teller) Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Swanson, M. J. Taylor, A. J. Tehan, D. T. Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Vamvakinou, M. van Manen, A. J. Wells, A. S. Wilson, J. H. Zappia, A. 14 NOES Bandt, A. P. Bates, S. J. Chandler-Mather, M. Chaney, K. E. Daniel, Z. Gee, A. R. Haines, H. M. Le, D. Ryan, M. M. Scamps, S. A. (Teller) Spender, A. M. (Teller) Tink, K. J. Watson-Brown, E. Wilkie, A. D. 0 PAIRS

Question agreed to.

 17:44 Mr O'CONNOR 00AN3 Gorton I present a supplementary explanatory memorandum to this bill, and I seek leave to move government amendments (1) and (2) as circulated together. Leave granted. Mr O'CONNOR 00AN3 I move: (1) Schedule 1, item 31, page 9 (lines 28 and 29), omit paragraphs 16B(1)(c) and (d), substitute: (c) 4 members representing employee organisations; (d) 4 members representing employer organisations; (2) Schedule 1, item 31, page 10 (after line 16), after subparagraph 16B(4)(a)(ix), insert: (ixa) regional, rural and remote Australia; The government amendments to the bill will expand representation in Jobs and Skills Australia's governance arrangements to ensure its analysis and advice continue to be informed by tripartite expertise, knowledge and lived experience of the labour market and skills systems. That includes those in small business and those in regional, rural and remote Australia. I would like in particular to thank the member for Indi for her continued good-faith engagement on Jobs and Skills Australia. The government has accepted the substance of the member's proposed amendment to this bill, and it will be included in the government amendments. The government amendment recognises the importance of regional, rural and remote Australians and the expertise, knowledge and lived experience they can provide to the proposed Ministerial Advisory Board. That's why we're ensuring they're given a voice in the tripartite model which will be enshrined in legislation. The government is determined to maintain genuine partnerships with stakeholders and always acknowledges the importance of small business to Australia's economy and our workforce and the importance of small-business expertise in understanding the labour market and skills related issues faced in the economy. We know that over 2.5 million small and family businesses are operating in Australia, representing 97 per cent of all Australian businesses, with many experiencing skill shortages, including access to skills development for small-business owners and operators themselves. To recognise our commitment to ensuring small business continues to have a voice in Jobs and Skills Australia's advice, the government has proposed an amendment to the composition of its tripartite Ministerial Advisory Board. The number of members representing the interests of employers will increase from three to four, allowing scope to guarantee the appointment of a member representing the interests of small business. To ensure industry balance of the board, the number of members representing workers will similarly increase from three to four. These amendments will ensure that Jobs and Skills Australia's analysis and advice will be even better informed by the experiences of those in the labour market, which enables government to develop targeted policies, programs and funding to address issues within the jobs and skills system. The SPEAKER 53517 The question is that the government amendments be agreed to.  

The House divided. [17:51]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)

 88 AYES Albanese, A. N. Aly, A. Ananda-Rajah, M. Bandt, A. P. Bates, S. J. Bowen, C. E. Burke, A. S. Burnell, M. P. Burney, L. J. Burns, J. Butler, M. C. Byrnes, A. J. Chalmers, J. E. Chandler-Mather, M. Chaney, K. E. Charlton, A. H. G. Chesters, L. M. Clare J. D. Claydon, S. C. Coker, E. A. Collins, J. M. Conroy, P. M. Daniel, Z. Doyle, M. J. J. Elliot, M. J. Fernando, C. Freelander, M. R. Garland, C. M. L. Gee, A. R. Georganas, S. Giles, A. J. Gorman, P. Gosling, L. J. Haines, H. M. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Jones, S. P. Kearney, G. M. Keogh, M. J. Khalil, P. King, C. F. King, M. M. H. Lawrence, T. N. Laxale, J. A. A. Le, D. Leigh, A. K. Lim, S. B. C. Marles, R. D. Mascarenhas, Z. F. A. McBain, K. L. McBride, E. M. Miller-Frost, L. J. Mitchell, B. K. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. Murphy, P. J. Neumann, S. K. O'Connor, B. P. J. O'Neil, C. E. Payne, A. E. Perrett, G. D. Phillips, F. E. Plibersek, T. J. Rae, S. T. Reid, G. J. Rishworth, A. L. Roberts, T. G. Rowland, M. A. Ryan, J. C. Ryan, M. M. Scamps, S. A. Scrymgour, M. R. Shorten, W. R. Sitou, S. Smith, D. P. B. (Teller) Spender, A. M. Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Swanson, M. J. Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Tink, K. J. Vamvakinou, M. Watson-Brown, E. Wells, A. S. Wilkie, A. D. Wilson, J. H. Zappia, A. 53 NOES Andrews, K. L. Bell, A. M. Birrell, S. J. Boyce, C. E. Broadbent, R. E. Buchholz, S. Chester, D. J. Coleman, D. B. Conaghan, P. J. Coulton, M. M. (Teller) Entsch, W. G. Fletcher, P. W. Gillespie, D. A. Goodenough, I. R. Hamilton, G. R. Hastie, A. W. Hawke, A. G. Hogan, K. J. Howarth, L. R. Joyce, B. T. G. Landry, M. L. Leeser, J. Ley, S. P. Littleproud, D. Marino, N. B. McCormack, M. F. McIntosh, M. I. McKenzie, Z. A. Morrison, S. J. O'Brien, E. L. O'Brien, L. S. Pasin, A. Pearce, G. B. Pike, H. J. Pitt, K. J. Price, M. L. Ramsey, R. E. (Teller) Stevens, J. Sukkar, M. S. Taylor, A. J. Tehan, D. T. Thompson, P. van Manen, A. J. Vasta, R. X. Violi, A. A. Wallace, A. B. Ware, J. L. Webster, A. E. Willcox, A. J. Wilson, R. J. Wolahan, K. Wood, J. P. Young, T. J. 0 PAIRS

Question agreed to.
Bill, as amended, agreed to.

 Third Reading 58 17:54 Mr O'CONNOR 00AN3 Gorton by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time. BUSINESS 59 BUSINESS Rearrangement 59 17:55 Ms KEARNEY LTU Cooper I move: That business intervening before order of the day No. 6, government business, be postponed until the next sitting. Question agreed to. BILLS 59 BILLS Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2023-2024 59

Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2023-2024

Second Reading 59 19:31 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson On Tuesday night, the Treasurer spoke for 30 minutes about our country's future. Australians listened intently in the hope that the promised cost-of-living relief would be delivered. It wasn't, and millions of Australians have every right to be disappointed with this government. Now, I've had around two decades experience in this parliament, and I've seen a lot of budgets. Sometimes, the most important thing about a budget speech is not what the Treasurer says; it's what he doesn't say and tries to keep hidden in the budget papers. So here are five things the Treasurer failed to mention which are important to all Australians. Firstly, 10 million Australians who earn under $126,000 will face a tax hike and around 175,000 more Australians will be unemployed over the next four years. Secondly, millions of middle Australians—the backbone of our country—are worse off. The government is spending an additional $185 billion, yet middle-income Australians won't receive one cent. Thirdly, amidst a housing and rental crisis, our migration numbers will increase massively by 1.5 million people over just five years—the highest number in our country's history and more than the population of Adelaide. Without addressing housing supply and infrastructure, where will these people live? Fourthly, your power bills are still going up by more than $500. Finally, as a result of the government's policies, inflation will only stay higher for longer, continuing to grind down real incomes of households. Just as Labor withholds the truth, it also breaks its promises. In fact, in the last 12 months, this government has broken 12 promises to the Australian people. Above all, it promised Australians would be better off. The Prime Minister himself promised cheaper mortgages. He promised no changes to your super. The Prime Minister promised that your taxes wouldn't increase but that your real wages would. The government also promised a nurse in aged-care homes 24/7, and it promised a $275-dollar cut to your power bill on 97 occasions. Labor will say anything to get into power. Once in government, they just don't follow through. Tonight, the coalition remains focused on strengthening the economy, making sure that our hardworking middle-class Australians can get ahead and do not become Labor's working poor, and keeping Australia safe and secure. Good economic management and managing budgets is important to the coalition and to your family, not as an end in itself but because it can pay for outcomes that help people. We want to help those in need. We want to give people choices in their own lives. We believe in lower taxes to allow Australians who work hard to keep more of their own money. The government's budget is no different to the budget of your family or your small business, and I hate seeing families hurting under Labor's mismanagement, working hard but barely keeping their heads above water. It's not dissimilar to when I was growing up and Labor was in power. My dad was a bricklayer and my mum a daycare mum. They worked incredibly hard. I'm the eldest of five kids, and we didn't have much money. I remember the difficult conversations around our dinner table as we pored over the family budget trying to find ways to pay the next bills and cut back on expenses. Literally every dollar mattered. Today, millions of Australians are having similar conversations in their homes and businesses. The only money the government earns is from taxes paid by you, and that money needs to be spent wisely. The government has benefited from the last nine years of the coalition's strong economic management. The books they inherited had the lowest unemployment rate in almost 50 years. We created almost two million jobs over nine years, and we bequeathed interest rates at historic lows. Of course, Labor has also benefited from company tax receipts and the revenue generated from soaring coal, gas and other mining commodities. It's a sector they give little support to publicly, but it's a sector full of hardworking people—people who work fly-in fly-out jobs and spend a lot of time away from their families—and we should make sure that we support them. Given the revenues from mining and tax receipts in this budget, there should be a surplus next year as well. But, as we move further away from the coalition years, this budget projects that the economic numbers, increasingly, deteriorate. There's more spending than the government earns, and that's exactly what always gets Labor governments into trouble. We don't need 10,000 more public servants in Canberra on top of the already 181,000 public servants. It's taken the government less than 12 months. We don't need Labor's truckie tax, because transport companies will just pass that cost on to you as a consumer by way of higher prices. And we don't need inflationary spending. We do need more spending in aged care, and we support the budget measures in aged care, which build on the $30 billion that we invested when we were in government. Australians who have worked hard, raised a family and paid taxes deserve a dignified and respectful life as they age. The aged-care system has been under strain for decades, and we support the additional investment. It's incredibly important, given the increasing need, to take care of elderly Australians, particularly those now diagnosed earlier in life with dementia. We all know friends and family members who have been ravaged by that terrible disease. Aged-care funding is not a magic pudding. A respectful, dignified, world-class aged-care system is only funded by residents or taxpayers. I want to work with the government to ensure that our aged-care system remains sustainable. I'm a person of my word, and, as I stated in my last budget-in-reply, we support sustainable funding in the NDIS. This budget shows the government reducing NDIS spending growth, and I call on the government to outline how this will be achieved. NDIS participants and their families deserve to know. We live in the best country in the world. But at the moment millions of Australians are hurting and have been forgotten by this government. They're feeling the pain of the cost-of-living crisis, as well as the government's energy policy crisis, which is just driving electricity and gas bills higher and higher day by day. In this budget, despite the government's energy polices, your electricity bill, as I say, is still going up by more than $500, yet you were promised on 97 occasions by the Prime Minister of this country that that bill would go down by $275 per year. I'd love to see a copy of anyone's power bill that's gone down by $275 since Mr Albanese made that promise. Moreover, Labor promised that the average household's power bill would be around $1,200 in 2024-25, but forecasts in the budget say that it will be in excess of $2,000 per annum. Australians thought that there was help on the way in this budget, but with a family, with children and with a mortgage they are $25,000 worse off under this Labor government. Very few Australians can say that they are better off today than they were 12 months ago when Labor was elected. As I said in my budget-in-reply speech last year, we will support good policy and stand against bad policy. In the October budget, we supported several of the government's measures. We've also provided bipartisan support on the AUKUS security deal, and we've supported almost 70 pieces of legislation since Labor formed government. In this budget, we also support several measures: increasing bulk-billing incentives; expanding the parenting payment; and making additional investment in women's safety and the implementation of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, which builds on the $3½ billion the coalition invested in women's safety initiatives. Australians give new governments the benefit of the doubt. But think of how hard Labor has made things after just one year. Australians around our country are grappling with mounting costs. Your mortgage repayments, gas and electricity bills, supermarket and petrol station receipts and insurance premiums are the evidence. The number of businesses which have gone into insolvency have almost doubled in a year. And the problem is Labor's inflation. At seven per cent, it's well and truly above the two to three per cent target range. International factors, like the war in Ukraine, feed into inflation, but the main ingredient is the domestic factors. If domestic inflation weren't a factor, Australia's inflation would be comparable across like economies. But it's not. At 6.6 per cent, Australia's core inflation—the best measure of inflation—is higher than every G7 nation. The government has taken decisions—and avoided others—which have made inflation higher than it needs to be. It often happens when Labor is in power because they simply can't manage money. Labor recklessly spends, carelessly cuts and inadequately saves. When you hear the government constantly blaming Putin's invasion for inflation, they are being deceptive. Australia's inflation woes are of Labor's own making. Inflation is coming from Canberra, and Labor's big spending budget will only fuel inflation and make life harder for millions of Australians. As soon as they were released from the budget lockup, economist after economist stepped up to the microphone. They warned that Australians were facing, under this big spending budget, a Reserve Bank that had an even harder job. Speaking on the Reserve Bank lifting interest rates, respected economist Chris Richardson said: I had thought the Reserve Bank was done and dusted, but this has notably raised the chance that they will do another swing of the baseball bat. Government spending will increase by a staggering $185 billion over five years compared to our last budget. The Treasurer's cost-of-living relief though is only temporary. That temporary relief is targeted at Australians on welfare but at the expense of the many, including Labor's working poor. It's a bandaid now but much more pain later. The government's spending is only going to fuel the nation's inflation. This budget is a missed opportunity at economic structural reform and building a stronger economy. The Albanese government's big Australia approach was never mentioned before the election, but it will make the cost-of-living crisis and inflation worse. We all support a well-planned migration program, and that is the history of the coalition governments. But, over five years, net overseas migration will see our population increase by 1.5 million people. It's the biggest migration surge in our country's history, and it's occurring at exactly the same time as a housing and rental crisis. Australians are struggling to rent or purchase a property now. The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation estimates that 138,000 homes will be built in Australia in 2024, falling well short of current demand. And the government is now proposing to bring in almost 6,000 people per week, which will make a very bad situation even worse. Cities, towns and suburbs are already choked with congestion. Yet in this budget—as it did in the last—the government is cutting infrastructure spending that has already been announced. It will take the axe to the coalition's $120 billion dollar infrastructure pipeline, which was designed to bust congestion. A coalition government will sensibly manage migration, as we've done in the past, in conjunction with proper infrastructure planning. Tonight, I affirm our policy commitment to allow Australians to use their super to buy their first home—a policy which will particularly support young people and separated women later in life. The best way to empower Australians is to make them masters of their fate, and that is through homeownership. The coalition is absolutely committed to that principle. Only a coalition government can reduce power prices, because we have that track record. Under the last two years of the coalition government, electricity prices went down by eight per cent for households. That's a drop of $128 a year. In those two years, power costs also went down by 10 per cent for small businesses. Minister Bowen, as we know, was the worst performer in multiple portfolios during the Rudd and Gillard government. As energy minister today, his policies are driving your electricity and gas prices higher and higher. On 1 July power prices are set to rise by up to 33 per cent for almost 250,000 small businesses and 1.6 million households. If you think you're paying a lot now, you are only going to pay more under Labor. They clearly have us on the wrong energy path. Australians deserve a much more honest, more sensible, and, frankly, less emotional discussion on energy. Energy is crucial to our national success and security. Three weeks ago, I visited SAFCOL in South Australia. In the gallery tonight is the CEO of SAFCOL, Mr Andrew Mitchell. It's an amazing business, founded in 1945. Today, they're one of the biggest manufacturers of baby food in our country. They also produce packaged food like soups, stocks and sauces which stock our supermarket shelves. SAFCOL purchases literally millions and millions of dollars of produce from farmers in South Australia, and across the country, every year. We want businesses like SAFCOL to grow, to employ more Australians and to export to the world. But in January SAFCOL's electricity bill went up by 120 per cent; it more than doubled. With inflation driving up their costs, our food prices then go up—and, as you know, that's exactly what's happening when you turn up at the supermarket now. If companies shut up shop on our shores and go elsewhere because of Labor's energy crisis, we lose jobs, we lose the economic benefit to our nation, we lose industries. There's no benefit to the environment because those greater emissions are just emitted in another part of the world. In that scenario, no-one wins. Labor is being deceptive with its energy policy. The scientific reality is that we must firm up the energy grid when renewable energy is unreliable. The latest battery technology, installed in Adelaide at a cost of $180 million, lasts for one hour. So, whether you've got 50, or 75, or 100 per cent renewable energy in the system, you still have the fixed cost of firming. To distribute renewable energy, more than $100 billion will need to be spent on 28,000 kilometres of transmission lines. Remember how successful the Labor Party were at pink batts, at school halls and at the other programs that they just never completed? These poles and wires will run through farming land, through national parks and suburbs. Aside from the huge environmental impact of this rollout, every dollar of that $100 billion that is spent will be passed on to you in the form of higher electricity bills. We want to see emissions go down. We support renewable energy. Indeed, between 2013 and 2021, the coalition cut Australia's emissions by 17 per cent while growing the economy and creating jobs. Next generation, small modular nuclear technologies are safe, reliable and cost-effective, can be plugged into existing grids where we have turned off coal, and emit zero emissions. In the 21st century, any sensible government must at least consider small modular nuclear as part of the energy mix. Thirty-two countries, including Canada, China, France, the United States and the United Kingdom, use zero-emission nuclear power today, including to firm up renewables. Fifty countries are exploring or investing in next-generation nuclear technology. Oddly, Labor is happy for similar technologies to power our future submarines. The submarines can tie up docks in our capital cities with the nuclear technology and the nuclear propulsion systems, but you can't, under Labor's policy, have any consideration of powering that city with zero emissions using the same technology. It refuses to consider the benefits of onshore small and micro modular reactors. With the government against coal and nuclear, gas remains the only viable firming power today. Yet Labor wants gas gone too. It's undermining gas at every turn. That's why your gas prices continue to go up. Their interventions in the market with price fixing, by funding activists to wage warfare against new gas supply ventures, in introducing a new carbon tax three times more than Julia Gillard's, in pushing to electrify homes and businesses despite the exorbitant cost for families, and by increasing taxes on offshore gas and oil projects in this budget, mean your household is paying for all of this and so much more to come. A coalition government will get more gas into the domestic system because we know that will work. More supply into the system where there is demand will reduce prices. Labor is choking the supply of gas, which is driving the prices up. The key indicator that a government can't manage money is that it comes after yours. On the eve of Easter, Labor axed the coalition's former low- and middle-income tax offset. Around 10 million Australians earning $126,000 or less will now be up to $1,500 worse off. Labor has abandoned the coalition's tax cap of 23.9 per cent, and we believe that the tax cap should be restored. Compared to our last budget, over the next five years the tax paid by Australians will increase by more than $300 billion. In this budget, Labor has slugged our farmers with a new $153 million tax. Unfairly, they will be forced to pay for the risks of international importers. Especially at a time when our farmers and producers are facing more uncertainty, with rising input costs and workforce shortages, this tax will simply be passed on by the farmers to consumers. It just means that there will be higher prices at the supermarket. Instead of taxing Australian farmers, tonight I announce that the coalition will establish an importer container levy, as recommended by the independent review. Under a coalition government, Australian farmers will not be punished for the biosecurity risk others pose by importing their products. Labor has been silent on its promise to keep stage 3 of the coalition's legislated tax plan in full. Our tax cuts will see 95 per cent of Australian workers keep at least 70 cents in every dollar they earn. With about 400 days before the tax cuts take effect, believe me, there is time enough for Labor to break another promise. In this budget, Labor has doubled the tax on Australians who have worked hard, sacrificed and saved to invest in their super. This move will affect millions of Australians over coming years, including more than two million Australians under the age of 25 earning the average wage during their life. This government thinks that your super is their money. This tax is an attack on Australians who have worked hard and saved to support themselves and their families. It undermines the fundamentals of our tax system in taxing unrealised capital gains. Imagine for a second: your small business, your farm or another asset will support your retirement. Under Labor you will pay tax on those things before you sell them, impacting your cash flow. To those who have welcomed this tax, a word of caution: being spared by the Labor tax shark today doesn't mean you won't be on its menu tomorrow. If Labor can't keep its promises to leave your super alone, any super tax cap will not be set in stone. And we know that taxation is the killer of aspiration. The working individual supports themselves, their family, their community, their fellow Australians and our great country. People should be rewarded for their hard work by keeping more of what they earn so they don't become the new working poor. The more you keep from what you earn, the less you're dependent on the state, and the more freedom and choice you have to realise your aspirations. It might be study, it might be travelling, it might be educating your children or your grandchildren. It might be starting a business, it might be owning a home or retiring comfortably. Your money is your money, not the government's, and, under a coalition government I lead, your taxes will always be lower. Good government prioritises the health of all Australians. As health minister, I increased GP training places by 25 per cent to improve access to the family doctor, and I established the $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund. To date, 903 research projects have been funded into Alzheimer's and many other diseases. During the coalition's nine years in government, we listed more than 2,900 new and amended medicines, worth $16½ billion, on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. We support the government's decision in this budget to fund new medicines and general practice, but there are many areas—two in particular—which Labor are not prioritising. The first is mental health. The coalition increased the number of Medicare-subsidised psychological sessions from 10 to 20. Labor dropped it back to 10 sessions for no reason. We will restore the 20 sessions and subsidise them on a permanent basis, because that's what people need to get better. I want an Australia where we support Australians who are unwell—not an Australia where we leave those people behind, and this is crucial in the area of mental health and, secondly, in the area of women's health. The coalition has a proud record in committing funding for endometriosis, stillbirths, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Tonight, I confirm our commitment of investing $4 million to Ovarian Cancer Australia, after they were forgotten not just in October's budget but in this budget as well. In addition, I announce a coalition government will allocate $5 million to review women-specific health items on the Medicare Benefits Schedule and the corresponding treatments on the PBS. The review will identify what best-practice women-specific medical services are not listed and ensure clinically effective services and treatments are affordable and accessible for conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome. It's about determining where additional funding is required to better support women's health and wellbeing. Better access to quality care for women-specific pain conditions will improve the quality of life of many women and the economic and social participation of hundreds and thousands of women in our country. As health will be a priority for a future coalition government, so too will community safety. We will again fund the highly successful Safer Communities Fund. This program supported at-risk communities across the nation and assisted multicultural communities to protect places of worship. As a police officer, I attended my first domestic violence incident when I was 19 years of age, as well as countless others over my decade-long career. From that time, I committed myself to protecting women and children from violence. As home affairs minister, I funded and opened the $70 million Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, which has removed more than 500 children from harm. Tonight, I announce that a coalition government will industrialise our law enforcement and intelligence strike capabilities against sexual predators online and in our communities. We will double the size of the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation. I use this opportunity tonight to again call on the Prime Minister to hold a royal commission into child sexual abuse in Indigenous communities. Those children deserve no less. And I reaffirm our commitment to reinstating the cashless debit card in communities who seek to have it so that welfare payments can be spent on food and kids, not alcohol and drugs. Its removal by this government has led to increasing violence, as we know, within many Indigenous communities, particularly domestic violence. A coalition government will impose more onerous obligations on big digital companies to stop scams and financial fraud, particularly to protect elderly Australians, who deserve dignity and respect and who are most vulnerable. If the internet influences our children, so does content on our television screens. In our country, footy time is family time, but the bombardment of betting ads takes the joy out of televised sports. Worse, they're changing the culture of our country in a bad way and normalising gambling at a young age. Many Australian families have had enough. That's why tonight I announce that a coalition government will move to ban sports betting advertising during the broadcasting of games. Ads would be banned for an hour each side of a sporting game. I encourage the Prime Minister to work with us on this initiative to get it implemented now. The best way to ensure Australians are getting ahead will always be to give them a job. This has been the guiding principle of Liberal governments dating back to that of our founder, Robert Menzies. Jobs change lives, communities and families. Australia has achieved what was thought impossible in the dark days of COVID. Our unemployment rate hit a record 50-year low and has had a three in front of it now for more than a year. The labour market remains very tight with over 438,000 job vacancies. After Labor's much hyped Jobs and Skills Summit and the establishment of the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, there is nothing in this budget to reduce barriers to work to get Australians into those vacancies. There are over 840,000 JobSeeker recipients, of which more than 75 per cent had no reported earnings—that is, no part-time work—which is why the coalition would have thought that before increasing the base rate in this tight labour market, where we have 438,000 job vacancies, the government could instead have increased how much people can earn before their welfare payment is impacted. Increasing how much people can earn before their benefits are reduced incentivises jobseekers to take up opportunities and improves productivity. It supports many small and medium sized businesses across the country who are crying out for workers and have been left stranded by this government. If Labor had made this change, a jobseeker picking up some extra shifts, about 10 hours a fortnight, taking home about $300 a fortnight, could still have retained the full JobSeeker allowance. This is not dissimilar to the age pension and veterans work bonus increases that I announced last year, which, to the credit of the government, they adopted at least in part. We hope that the government will take up this measure as well. We will support expanding eligibility for assistance for single parents, which Labor cut. In recognition of the workforce barriers single parents and over-55-year-olds can face, we will support the government's assistance for these people. We'll also support the increase to rental assistance that is directly linked to rent paid. As acknowledged by both the government and our defence and intelligence experts, and even by the defence minister in question time today, we're living in the most precarious period since the Second World War. Yet the government hasn't committed any new money to defence in this budget. Instead, again, under the cover of a public holiday—this time, Anzac Day—Labor chose to make cuts to our Australian Army. Labor reduced our infantry fighting vehicles by two-thirds and made cuts to the self-propelled howitzer program. This leaves our troops and our new strike forces more vulnerable. And it lowers morale, which is exactly what has happened under this government. Such decisions are also a big blow to Australia's defence industry, to local jobs and to global export opportunities. In an increasingly uncertain world, it makes sense to invest in key defence capabilities to keep Australians safe. I've always been prepared to make hard decisions in our national interest. Under a government I lead, we will support—not undermine—the men and women of the Australian Defence Force. Australians will be disappointed with the Albanese government's second budget, which adds to inflation and cost-of-living pressures. This budget hurts working Australians. Worse, it risks creating a generation of working-poor Australians. We will restore economic responsibility, by balancing the budget; getting debt, deficit and inflation down; and doing much-needed structural reform. We will lower taxes. We will bring back smaller government which stops interfering in your life and telling you how to live it. We'll pursue sensible policy. And, unlike Labor, which shows favouritism to the few, we will govern for all Australians. We're just shy of the first anniversary of this government, and I leave this question with the Australian people: are you better off today than you were 12 months ago when Labor was elected? You deserve a better government—a far better government. And that's exactly what I will give you under a coalition government that I lead. Debate adjourned. House adjourned at 20 : 03 The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Stevens ) took the chair at 12:30.

Thursday, 11 May 2023

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Stevens ) took the chair at 12:30.

CONDOLENCES 65 CONDOLENCES Kerin, Hon. John Charles, AM, AO, FTSE 65 12:30 Ms TEMPLEMAN 181810 Macquarie When you're a brand new journalist, a city girl fresh in the Canberra press gallery, and your radio station tells you that as well as being a political reporter you're the rural reporter and you're required to file daily for the National Rural News, you're really lucky to have a primary industries minister like John Kerin. In 1985, when I stepped into the rural reporter role for the biggest commercial radio network, that covered the rural areas run out of 2UE, things could have gone very wrong. Yes, my parents both came from country New South Wales, but I was born and raised in Sydney, so, aside from having lived in an agricultural city in Mexico for a year, farm visits were the sum total of my agricultural experience. Minister John Kerin and his staff were generous in educating me about the issues, explaining things slowly to my no doubt naive questions and filling the gaps in my knowledge. As the longest-serving minister in the primary industries portfolio, Kerin knew what he was talking about. That's how I always referred to him, as 'Kerin', in the tradition of journos relying on surnames to reduce confusion. In my memory, John Kerin was a kind, often funny, relaxed interviewee, who was apparently grateful that I was paying attention to his agricultural portfolio and sharing his words with farmers around the country. It wasn't always an easy time, with the tariffs in Europe and the US meaning an unfair playing field for our producers. In 1986 I spent time in Cairns with John Kerin and trade minister John Dawkins at the Ministerial Meeting of Fair Traders in Agriculture, which became known as the Cairns Group. The first Cairns Group meeting brought together a collection of agricultural exporting countries from South America, Asia, the Pacific and Canada, with the goal of caucusing to get agriculture on the agenda of the Uruguay round of the multilateral trade negotiations. They were ultimately successful in doing this. Prime Minister Hawke, speaking at the meeting, described how bad the situation was for farmers in this way: I think it is no understatement to say that the GATT ministerial meeting at Punta Del Este in September to consider the launch of a new round of multilateral trade negotiations will be the main and probably only opportunity over the next decade for setting in place multilateral mechanisms to restore some sanity in the international agricultural trading system. The Prime Minister went on to say: The task before this group of fair traders is to develop tactics for maximising its influence in putting an end to the economic madness now pervading world agricultural trade. The distortion of the world agricultural production and trading system has reached ludicrous proportions. John Kerin was a key part of the discussions that ensued. He did relationship building. He negotiated. All those things took place over a few days in Cairns. Witnessing his efforts firsthand, outside of the private meetings that were held, remains clear in my memory. John Kerin would have had us laughing at a joke here and there as he came out to regroup. Prime Minister Hawke described it thus: John Dawkins and John Kerin have been untiring in their pursuit of agricultural trade reform. That's what we saw in action in Cairns in 1986. The other thing we would have asked John Kerin was if he had plans to impress his fellow ministers from around the world with his chook-hypnotising skills. When I saw John a few years ago in Canberra, his warmth, humour and decency continued to shine through. It's a privilege to be able to record a tribute to him in this place. Vale, John Kerin. 12:34 Mr BROADBENT MT4 Monash Thank you for the opportunity to speak on such an important motion. In 1990 when I came here—you may inform me as to how long he was the primary industries minister. When did he finish? I believe that in 1990 he was still the primary industries minister. He came with a very, very good reputation with farmers in my electorate of McMillan at the time. In fact, he was highly regarded by farmers and by the institutions that surrounded the farmers, including the VFF and NFF. For a Labor minister, he had ingratiated himself by his personal knowledge of what it's like to be on a farm, growing up on a farm, living the farmers life. His determination, of course, to get himself an education meant that he worked all day and then worked into the night on his education. Quite a remarkable man. I recently saw him in the dining room—I felt it was recently, but what's recently in my life! I saw John Kerin in the Parliament House dining room. I knew somebody else at the table, and I went up and spoke to them straightaway. John was sitting at the other side of the table. He said: 'Aren't you talking to me? I hypnotised chooks, remember?' He called me Russell—I wouldn't have thought he would remember me. Nothing had changed with the John Kerin that I knew as a minister then. I'm the only sitting member today that was here in 1990 to '93 through the tumultuous years of the fall of Hawke as Prime Minister and the rise of Keating becoming Prime Minister. Even Keating then promoted John, after being Treasurer, to a senior portfolio in the Keating government. So he was not only highly regarded by farmers; he was highly regarded by the community at large. And he was highly regarded by his parliamentary colleagues, who thought he was a bit quirky, with his sense of humour, but they had a high regard for him. On his staff was a fellow named Gordon Gregory. Because my electorate of McMillan was basically rural, primary industries, from one end to the other, there were a number of issues that were extremely important to me and the farmers that I represented. My contact in John Kerin's office was Gordon Gregory. Gordon and I have had a great relationship ever since that time. I want to give you Gordon's personal reflections on John Kerin, which will be far better than anything I can add to what has already been said either here or at his commemoration ceremonies that I attended in Canberra a couple of weeks ago. Gordon Gregory said this: Working on the Ministerial staff of John Kerin was a privilege. He rarely gave orders to his staffers. Instead, he annotated Ministerial documents, uttered brief comments and requests, and made known his preferences for next-stage documents through what he heard and said in the thousands of meetings he held. The Departments for which he was responsible, whether Primary Industries, Primary Industries and Energy, the Treasury, Transport and Communications or Trade and Overseas Development, all served him well. Their officers knew him; they grew to like him. They soon learned to trust him and to respect his working ways. Departmental officers were very rarely kept waiting for the return of Ministerial documents from his office: he liked to get through the paperwork. Part of the duty of his Ministerial staffers was to sustain and augment this mutual respect between Minister and public service. The staffer's capacity to hide behind the Minister's wishes was treated with respect when dealing with departmental staff. John Kerin undertook an enormous amount of official travel, mainly in Australia but also overseas as required. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of places, people and industries in regional and remote areas. In his travels he was always willing to do the work necessary for success, always cheerful. And he took those rural insights to the metropolitan places to which he went. He was a living bridge between the people of rural industries and 'members of the Board'. As a member of his staff, one's hope was to ensure that he was informed of all relevant information needed to make a decision in the national interest. He was pleased to be an economist and proud to have become Australia's number one in that profession. But he had no pleasure in knowing that so many members of the profession he joined had blind faith in small government and market forces. For John Kerin the national interest was something real—almost tangible—albeit complex in terms of the factors determining what it looked like. When faced with hard decisions the national interest was in the room, openly discussed, which meant seeing through the self-interest of powerful people and vested interests. He did not trust privatisation, deregulation and the outsourcing of public services. He was always opposed to the trickle-down benefits of tax cuts. By staying on his staff for over seven years I was able to provide him with some continuity. This was especially useful towards the end when the Ministerial road became bumpier. A Minister with a new portfolio has plenty to worry about without the challenge of finding suitable staff. When working with him almost everyone with whom I came into contact had more technical nous than me, more intellectual capacity, and more commercial experience. But they did not have the Ministerial confidence and trust given to loyal retainer. I think I was able to provide what John Kerin needed on the personal (and personable) front—as a friend who was always around but did not interfere nor expect too much. I helped to satisfy his need for friendship and civility in his workplace. And it helped that there was a shared sense of empathy and fairness for those affected by decisions made. The high-level technical support required by a Minister in economics, production, commerce, management and governance could be provided by others who would come and go. In a well-functioning Minister's office there also needs to be someone with sufficient patience to deal with people who will not go away: those bearing gifts, the eccentric and the confused. I was that person who, by dealing in a kindly fashion with such 'enthusiasts', could help maintain the good reputation of the Minister. I hope I wasn't one of those people at the time! He continued: Just once in my seven years with him John gave me a very direct order. We were in the Russian Far East talking about trade relationships. Kerin was being welcomed by means of a rollicking dinner which, if I recall correctly, featured vodka and dancing a traditional late-night-folk variety. Towards the end of the evening some of the local staff sang a Russian song in Kerin's honour. He and June were momentarily panicked: how could we possibly reciprocate and maintain our delegation's good face? He ordered me to sing Travelling down the Castlereagh—which I did. Like everything else one did with John Kerin, it was professionally appropriate for its time and place but it was also fun. Given his absolute detestation of war, drinking and dancing in the Russian Far East would now seem both unlikely and inappropriate. But as a self-confessed humanist by nature, John Kerin would, I'm sure, ask us to distinguish between the Russian people on the one hand and their leaders on the other. Rest in peace John. I would say to you that in all my years in this House—and there have been a number—John Kerin, amongst other very capable ministers in the Hawke government, was a man to be admired. He was a decent man. He was an honest man. He always spoke directly to the issue that you had come to him with. He paid due respect to every parliamentarian, whatever their status in the parliament was and whatever the issues that came before him were. I say: vale, John Kerin. Here lies a good man. I say to his family and all those that gathered for his funeral: we buried a good man—a man of standing, a man of ability, a man of talent. There are so few John Kerins that come to this place. He was the agricultural minister from 1983 to 1991. How gracious it was that I was able to spend time in this parliament when he was at his peak. Vale, John Kerin. 12:44 Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Gilmore I rise to speak on this condolence motion on the very sad passing of the Hon. John Charles Kerin AO. I start by paying my respects to John's wife, June, to John's family and to all the very many people who knew John Kerin, because that's what John Kerin did: wherever John went, John left his mark, and that is why I am speaking here today. Decades ago, as a young girl, when I first heard the name John Kerin on the radio, in the newspapers, on TV—I can't remember exactly when I heard John's name, but I certainly remember it. I grew up on a dairy farm and little did I know at that time but, of course, John Kerin was the agriculture minister, or Minister for Primary Industries and Energy as it was known then. John grew up on a farm not too far away in the New South Wales Southern Highlands and studied economics. He then worked as an economist with the bureau of agricultural economics. John entered parliament as the member for Macarthur in 1972—I was two years old—and held a number of portfolios, including Treasury, but went on to be the longest-serving minister for primary industries. Like John, I also studied economics, but at the very time John was the minister. I mean, John was even in the textbooks and the articles. However, at that time our paths had still not actually physically crossed. It would be many, many years later, when I joined the Australian Labor Party as a member of the Jervis Bay/St Georges Basin branch, that I first came across John's wonderful and loyal friends and then John and June Kerin themselves. It turned out that John and June lived part of their time on the New South Wales South Coast and shared their time between Canberra and the coast. During my candidacy in a number of federal elections in Gilmore, most notably 2016, 2019 and 2022, John always seemed to pop up at events to support me. John always phoned and emailed, offering guidance and support. No-one asked John to do that. John just did it, and I understand that was because of who John was. I had to pinch myself, really. Here was someone that I had known as a prominent name while I was a young girl on a farm and while studying economics, and here was John Kerin, decades later, supporting me. Listening to condolences since John's passing, it is easy to see the tremendous mark that John has left on so many people right across the country. John was a reformist, a trailblazing minister for primary industries. John was a friend and a mentor to so many. May John rest in peace and his legacy live on. 12:47 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina I think my late father, Lance, a very good farmer at Brucedale between Wagga Wagga and Junee, only ever came to Parliament House once. Dad wasn't one for protesting, but on 1 July 1985 an estimated 40,000 to 45,000 farmers and their friends rallied at Parliament House to protest about the effect of taxes and charges on the farming community and the lack of government concern about their welfare. The minister at the time was one John Kerin. In December of that same year, 25 tonnes of Frank Daniel's best wheat was dumped at the door of Parliament House. Now, John Kerin was not one for changing his mind. 'Given his natural instincts', and I'm reading from an obituary by Gordon Gregory—this was published on Pearls and Irritations, John Menadue's public policy journal. This was an obituary written just the other day. As I say, in this obituary, it says: Given … his fascination with the industries in his protection, and a real belief in the rectitude of the task given him, Kerin was building bridges, not moats. He opened the path between agricultural people (not just their leaders) and the evil of 'Canberra'. He did believe in ensuring that, indeed, we were going to export to the world, that we were going to look at tariffs and try to reduce tariffs and reduce protectionism. Now, I'm not saying my dear old dad was wrong, but I suppose when I think of my late father, Lance, and I think back to John Kerin, they were both similar sorts. They were both strong in mind and strong in attitude. At the time you could imagine that farmers would have been pretty angry. They were pretty angry about the Hawke government, but I do also remember at the time that the rains came and ended the drought, so that gave the farmers something else to think about. Mr McCORMACK 219646 No doubt he did take credit for that, Member for Whitlam. Some might ask why I'm standing to pay tribute to someone whose actions led to my father coming here and protesting, when dad was not a protester. It's because it's simply the right thing to do. It's simply the right thing to do as a National Party member to stand and pay tribute to somebody who held what can be seen as a difficult portfolio in the Labor Party. Often the bar is set a lot lower for Labor agriculture ministers than it is for National Party agriculture ministers—that's the simple truth. John was the minister for agriculture from 1983 to 1991, and they were tumultuous years. He reminds me a little of Eddie Graham, who was the New South Wales minister for agriculture from 1944 to 1957. He actually died in office. Eddie Graham was the member for Wagga Wagga, and they referred to him as 'the Minister for Wagga Wagga', such was his passion for my home town, that great inland New South Wales city, the largest in the state. He was agriculture minister for all of that time, apart from seven days when James McGirr, the great-uncle of the current member Dr Joe McGirr, was the agriculture minister. McGirr also had just been elected the 28th Labor Premier of New South Wales. Eddie Graham served as a great ag minister. I listened to the tribute the other day from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and in talking about John Kerin the word 'great' came out. Anyone who has been the minister for agriculture federally can be looked upon as somebody who did the best for rural communities, and, to that end, I thank John Kerin. I pay tribute to his legacy. When you look at his CV, you see that he was born in Bowral. There's a tick—a good agricultural community. He went to Hurlstone Agricultural High School and Bowral High School. He worked as a poultry farmer—he was a chook farmer who became a federal minister; good on him!—before he completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of New England in 1967. There was a lot of country cred in this man, the late John Kerin, who we pay tribute to today. He completed a Bachelor of Economics at the ANU in 1977 and he spent time working at the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, ABARE. You can see, Mr Deputy Speaker, that he would have been a model agriculture minister for the ALP. John Kerin served in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1975, under Gough Whitlam, as the member for Macarthur—a seat now held, of course, by Dr Mike Freelander—and from 1978 to 1993 as the member for Werriwa, after Gough Whitlam retired, causing a by-election. Anne Stanley, of course, is the current member for Werriwa. He held several senior ministerial roles in both the Hawke and Keating governments. He served for eight years as Minister for Primary Industry and Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, the longest period in that role in Australian history for a member of the ALP. During his time as primary industries and energy minister he played a key role in various Hawke reforms. We all know of the Hawke reforms. We look on many of them today as being a good thing and think it was about time they were introduced. Our country is greater for them. Obviously, protests came about, particularly at the gradual abolition of most tariffs on agricultural imports, and of course our farmers were worried that we were going to get a flood of agricultural produce from other countries when we didn't need it. At the time, it was controversial. But we were opening up to the world, not just under the Hawke government but under previous governments, and under successive governments we have further opened up to the world. This is a trading nation. John Kerin played a part in making Australia a trading nation. Bob Hawke appointed Mr Kerin as Minister for Transport and Communications, but he held the portfolio for only a couple of weeks because Paul Keating successfully challenged Bob Hawke and Mr Kerin was then moved to the trade and overseas development portfolio. There was a time, too, when he was the Treasurer, and, unfairly, he was castigated by the media for his actions in his time as Treasurer. It brings home, I suppose, certain memories. We've all had those interviews where, if we could take back some of the things we said or furnish some of the answers we didn't provide, we would do it in a heartbeat. But you get criticised, and Mr Kerin was criticised by people who would never have put their hand up for public office. They'd never have put their name on a ballot paper. I've always said it takes guts to put your name on a ballot paper and to put your hand up for public office. Despite that performance as Treasurer, he did his best. We thank him for the various roles that he played and for the role that he played in helping shape public policy and the federal government of the day. In October 2010, Mr Kerin was appointed chair of the Crawford Fund, a position he held until early 2017. The Crawford Fund aims to increase Australia's engagement with international agricultural research, development and education. It is a good organisation. John Kerin was a good man. We pay tribute to him today, we mourn his loss and we pay respects to his family. I know he released an extensive memoir of his experiences as primary industries and energy minister between 1983 and 1991. He passed away on 29 March at the age of 85. It was a full life—we wish it could have been longer—but he packed so much into his years, and he gave so much for others and so much for our regional communities. For that, as a National Party member, I say thank you. For the experience and for the energy that he brought to all the portfolios he held, vale, John Kerin. A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 12:56 to 13:1 7 13:17 Mr JONES A9B Whitlam I knew John Kerin reasonably well and I liked him even better. The contribution I'm going to make today draws upon my knowledge and friendship with him, but it draws more heavily on some of his own words in some of his own writings, which were voluminous. It also draws upon three people who knew him for most of his life: Jim Glasson, who grew up alongside him in Yerrinbool—they were at primary school together and they were lifelong friends; Rodney Cavalier, who was well known to many people in this place, a former member of the New South Wales parliament and a prolific Labor historian and a long-time friend of John as well; and a gentleman by the name of Phil Yeo, who was a former principal, a district director of the Department of Education in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales and a former mayor of the Wingecarribee Shire Council. John was a boy from the Southern Highlands who made a big and lasting mark on Australia and was powered by sincerity, curiosity and a trademark sense of humour. He served in a time of giants: first as a backbencher in the Whitlam government and then as a highly regarded and high-performing minister in one of Australia's most highly regarded and high-performing governments. He was first elected as the member for Macarthur in 1972 in a seat which at that point in time overlapped one-third of my existing seat of Whitlam. That part was the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. But back then the seat stretched all the way from the western suburbs of Sydney down to the South Coast at Nowra. He served until 1975 and then succeeded Gough Whitlam to serve as the member for Werriwa from 1978 to 1993. Both seats took part of what is now the electorate of Whitlam. He did not take what we now would think of as an ordinary path to get there. Growing up on a poultry farm in Yerrinbool in the Southern Highlands, he was an autodidact. He chased knowledge as well as chooks. He read the New Statesman but also the Spectator, deliberately seeking to see the full span of politics, wanting to know but also to understand. In his youth, he worked as an axeman, a brick setter, a poultry farmer and finally, before his election to parliament, an economist in the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, an organisation to which he returned, unusually, during his brief break in his parliamentary service. He joined the Mittagong branch of the Labor Party in 1965—the year I was born. They met out the back of the Mittagong Hotel, and the attendees were, he insists, five men and a dog. Along with Pat O'Halloran, John built and drove the Mittagong branch, and then he drove and built Labor's standing in the Southern Highlands. If he had done nothing else, he would have deserved the party's gratitude for that feat alone. John Kerin truly was a regional Australian. The Hawke-Keating government, as it is now known, is storied in Labor history and indeed in Australian history. That is as much because of the depth and range of abilities across its cabinets as it is about the two headline names. John Kerin was one of those in those cabinets. The Prime Minister has said that John Kerin was Australia's finest minister for primary industries, and you'll not hear me contradict that assessment. He was also the longest-serving minister in that portfolio, with all its unique challenges and difficulties. We are indebted to John for his autobiography, The Way I Saw It;The Way It Was, which he completed in 2017 and made freely available online. It's a detailed, generous, wry account of his life. I think it totals 726 pages. I have a printed copy of it, and it serves many purposes. It serves a great account of his life, but it also has a particular focus on his time as a minister, the things that it taught him and the things that he wished to teach the rest of us. He wrote some mighty wise things, like: … it is just not possible to be a good policy maker if you do not foster trust. And: … it is best to think you may be wrong and try to put yourself into the other person's shoes rather than being supremely confident that you are always right. There are many thanks to go around and many statements of how privileged he felt to have served in the federal government at that time. The generosity that John showed in his autobiography, both to Hawke, who he called a superb chairman, and to Keating, who he described as a master, is a measure of his nature. There is no bitterness about the things that had gone wrong, and there are no attempts to elevate his own contribution at the expense of others'. His description of himself a few pages later as 'poorly, or patchily educated, lacking confidence and often indecisive' is a terribly modest reflection of his abilities. But it's a striking reflection of his humility as a human being. That, I think we can all observe, is a rare thing in politics. John Kerin was much more than these things, and Australia and Australian Labor were much enriched for his service. Vale. 13:24 Dr LEIGH BU8 Fenner The last public event that I did with John Kerin was to introduce him as the guest of honour at ACT Labor's dinner celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Whitlam government at the Canberra Labor Club in December 2022. John was physically frail but intellectually lively, and he told the stories of serving with Gough. And what better person to regale the dinner than a man whose first stint in federal parliament had coincided exactly with the Whitlam government? Elected in 1972 as member for Macarthur and unelected in 1975, at least his dismissal was by the voters. When John returned to parliament in 1978 it was as Gough Whitlam's successor as member for Werriwa. John won a three-way preselection contest and served the people of Werriwa until 1993. In my experience, those who have been defeated and then return to parliament come back a little humbler and more attuned to the voters. During his time out of parliament, John Kerin completed his Bachelor of Economics at the Australian National University and worked at ABARE, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics. So, when Labor won in 1983, Hawke appointed John Kerin as minister for primary industries and energy. Kerin was a former poultry farmer and loved hard work. He could set 6,000 bricks a day in a kiln. At John's funeral, Michael O'Ceirin described John as hardworking, always able to push himself to exhaustion. Jim Glasson described John as a man who worked hard, played hard and would read and write late into the night. Barry Jones remembered that John Kerin subscribed to the New Statesman and the Spectator—keeping an open mind to new ideas across the political spectrum. He was an habitue of the Parliamentary Library, where he met his wife, June—a romance story that, in this digital age, I fear may never be repeated. The man known to some as 'JK' never took himself too seriously. In his eulogy, Christopher Massey told us that John would often enjoy his own jokes so much that he would laugh over the punchline. Brian Hill told the story of a trade negotiation with Japan, in which a straight-faced John Kerin told his counterparts: 'Australians value our tuna so much that each one of them has its own name.' His quixotic sense of humour is embodied in the fact that one of his favourite poems was John Donne's 'The Flea'. He also loved the poem 'Said Hanrahan', which John read in England when he and June renewed their wedding vows, and which John Lombard read at John Kerin's funeral. He was an inveterate joiner of organisations, perfect preparation for a member of parliament who wanted to serve his community well. He was loved by his mates. His friend Tony Gleeson said of him that to be a mate of John Kerin's was to share his trust and his values. He wasn't a hugger but he had huge hands—like dinnerplates, someone said—which gave his handshake the character of an embrace. When he was dropped from cabinet by Bob Hawke, after forgetting an irrelevant acronym in a press conference, both men cried. As a minister, John Kerin recognised that country Australia was about more than agriculture. I fear that's the mistake that some representatives of rural Australia in this place make. They focus on crops, roads and livestock but they ignore the social networks—the doctors, the schools, the communities—that bind regions together. John Kerin was respected by farming experts. As Australia's longest-serving agriculture minister, he stands as an inspiration to all who follow him in the role. Former agriculture minister Joel Fitzgibbon described him as a lanky axeman—not a bad skill to have in politics. Joel said that John Kerin put policy before politics and detested those who got them in the wrong order. Current agriculture minister Murray Watt said: Free of vested interests, solely focussed on doing what's right for farmers, farm workers and for the whole agriculture supply chain. I know that they are thinking of John when they say that. His reform legacy lives on in Australian agriculture and he rightly deserves the title of Australia's best Agriculture Minister. I first met John Kerin in 1994, when I was writing my Sydney university government honours thesis about trade liberalisation and the Australian Labor Party. John had only just stepped down from parliament, but he was generous with his time and generous with his insights. He had worked to undo the McEwenite idea of 'protection all round'. He supported tariff cuts and looking after the most vulnerable. As an economist, he knew that choosing openness was the best option for Australia, and he pursued his ideas with idealism and vigour. After retiring from politics, John Kerin remained active in public life. He chaired the Crawford Fund and wrote his memoir, The Way I Saw It; The Way It Was: The Making of National Agricultural and Natural Resource Management Policy, which is available as a free ebook download and is indispensable reading for anyone seeking to understand John and the economic reforms of the 1980s. John was an active participant in the ACT branch of the Labor Party. To see him at meetings was to be reminded of what an honour it is to represent Australia's oldest and greatest political party. With me, as with many other members, John took time to email, to chat and to turn up—a joiner and a community-builder to the end. I count myself lucky to have known him and to have shared his warmth, ideas and integrity. Sitting suspended from 13: 3 0 to 16:00 16:01 Ms STANLEY 265990 Werriwa There have been very few more honourable or decent members of this place than the 10th member for Werriwa, and, of course, I am referring to the late John Kerin AO. My predecessor Gough Whitlam would insist that, for the sake of setting the record completely straight, I should add that John Kerin was also the second member for Macarthur and a former member of the Mittagong Shire Council from 1969 to 1971. The latter was a feat that the former Prime Minister never achieved. So I rise to pay tribute to John Kerin, a member of this House in the period of 1972 to 1975 as the member for Macarthur and then again from 1978 to 1993 as the member for Werriwa. John was known as the most efficient minister for agriculture this nation has ever known. And with no disrespect to the honourable incumbent, I think that is right. But he was much more than that, very much more. John's ministerial career was stellar. At different times, he was Treasurer, Minister for Trade and Overseas Development, Minister for Transport and Communications, along with his beloved agriculture, and also Minister for Primary Industries and Energy. John was born in Bowral and raised in Yerrinbool in the Southern Highlands on his family's farm and later attended Hurlstone Agricultural High School, which is still in the electorate of Werriwa. John spent a period of time in his youth in the poultry industry. Perhaps it was here where his famous ability to hypnotise chickens was developed and perfected. His other jobs around this time included axeman and bricksetter. Given John's size, it's not surprising he found his way into these industries. Later, and always seeking to learn, John formally completed his studies at the University of New England and at the Australian National University. He had a sharp mind but an even sharper wit. Few in this House have ever possessed a more self-deprecating and droll sense of humour. The parliamentary records note that John went on 52 official conferences, delegations and visits during his parliamentary service. Notwithstanding his frequent overseas travel, John was a highly respected and much loved local ALP branch member. Attending branch meetings, even while Treasurer, was a priority for him. His white C-plated Comcar would inevitably show up at Monday night meetings at the Macquarie Fields indoor sports centre to deliver his insightful local member's reports. John's involvement with the ALP goes back to his earliest days. He founded the Southern Highlands branch and at various times was both its president and secretary. Notwithstanding a small hiatus, John never wandered far from his belief in the party. He knew the party better than anyone, and, despite knowing its faults, he also knew its incalculable force for good. Post politics, John's life was as full as ever. He never stood still and never really retired. He was Chair of the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation, a director of the CSIRO and, at various times, the chair and a member of the Crawford Fund for 17 years. John's farewell took place at Old Parliament House. It was an appropriate setting for a man who served his electorate, party and nation in that place for so many years with such distinction. In many aspects, John was old school, especially in his manner and style. On reflection, John's interest in and contributions to Australian agriculture were entirely in keeping with his character, for John was a hands-on man, a practical man, always looking for solutions and answers—and where better to use those skills than in an area of public policy that requires such an approach? So it is entirely appropriate that this member for Werriwa, the 14th, pays tribute to my predecessor in this new Parliament House, the same building John attended in the second half of his parliamentary career, because, while John was an old-school man, he was always looking to the future for solutions to today's and tomorrow's challenges, and it is in this building that John did that, and that's what we're doing here now. To June and to John's family I offer my sincere condolences, but I also give thanks for a life well lived and for an example I will strive to follow. 16:06 Ms PAYNE 144732 Canberra I rise today to pay tribute to the Hon. John Charles Kerin AO, a remarkable Australian and a dedicated public servant; a proud member of the Australian Labor Party, who was committed to the people of Australia and who served them with passion, intellect and a sense of unwavering duty; a minister in the Hawke and Keating governments; a Labor legend. But I had the privilege to call him a friend and knew him as an active branch member of ACT Labor until the end. It was always a little daunting and a great honour to have him come and join me on the campaign trail, both in 2019 and in 2022, and to have him stand on street stalls in the Canberra cold with me and talk to voters. I was particularly touched after I was preselected to have John and his wife, June, reach out to me and offer their advice and their support, and it was an absolute honour to know him. It was wonderful to see a man who had been such a senior minister and, as I say, a Labor legend. To him, to be a member of our party was still to come to branch meetings, to support candidates and to offer advice, and it was very moving at his funeral to hear Barry Jones talk about John's commitment to party democracy and how that was part of his involvement in ACT Labor. He will be very much missed in our branch. John was born in 1937 in Bowral, just a few hours down the road from this place. In his valedictory speech, he spoke of joining the Labor Party in 1965 in response to the Vietnam War, and he was elected president of the Mittagong branch at the second meeting he attended. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1972, to the seat of Macarthur. While he lost that seat in the 1975 election, he returned as the member for Werriwa in 1978, taking the place vacated by Gough Whitlam. During his time in parliament, John held numerous ministerial positions. He served as the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy from 1983 to 1987 and later as Treasurer, Minister for Transport and Communications and finally Minister for Trade and Overseas Development. Last year—and I think it was the last time I saw John—it was wonderful to see him honoured at a Press Club address by the current minister for agriculture, Senator Murray Watt. John was honoured as a very special guest there, and Minister Watt described him as Australia's best and most reformist agriculture minister, a view that I know is widely held. John's service extended far beyond his political roles. Prior to his political career, he had pursued various occupations, including as an axeman, a brick setter and a farmer, roles that would help guide and shape his politics. He worked as an economist for the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, where he contributed significantly to shaping agricultural policies. John was passionate about environmental sustainability, serving as chairman of the Australian Advisory Council on the Environment and as a member of the Australian Development Assistance Agency Board. In 2001 he was recognised for his leadership and appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia, and in 2018 he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia. Beyond his professional achievements, John is remembered as a special friend to so many, a very caring and genuine person. He had a keen interest in the arts, music, travel and the natural world, including birds and the beauty of the Australian bush. Those who had the privilege of knowing him will remember his sense of humour. His valedictory speech is an entertaining mix of warmth, political insight, humour and advice. Many of the themes remain relevant today, including female representation in politics, the impact of our jobs on our families and the quality of political journalism. In one insight, he described life in Canberra as: … a combination of theory, egomania, megalomania, mediamania and the rules of Gaelic football in a derived environment, without any bottom line … His was a life well lived, and he leaves an enduring legacy. He leaves behind a remarkable contribution to Australia's political landscape, agricultural sector and environmental sustainability, inspiring future generations to pursue public service with dedication, integrity and compassion. My sincerest condolences to June and John's family. John, thank you. You will be much missed. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 176304 I understand it is the wish of honourable members to signify at this stage their respect and sympathy by rising in their places. Honourable members having stood in their places— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 176304 I thank the Chamber. 16:11 Ms BYRNES 299145 Cunningham by leave—I move: That further proceedings be conducted in the House. Question agreed to. West, Hon. Stewart John 72 16:12 Ms BYRNES 299145 Cunningham Today I pay my respects to the honourable Stewart West, who passed away on 29 March 2023. I also would like to acknowledge Stewart's contribution to the Australian parliament and our community. Stewart's wife, Mary Paris, and his family were in the gallery on Tuesday when the Prime Minister paid tribute to his friend Stewart West. Can I also make special mention of Stewart's sister, Shirley, who also lives in Wollongong. Almost a year ago, I had the privilege to be elected as the Labor member for the Illawarra seat of Cunningham. I love representing our area in the Commonwealth parliament. I am also a successor to Stewart West, who was member for Cunningham from 1977 to 1993. Stewie's love of politics and the Labor Party never diminished. Despite his deteriorating health, Stewart stayed up to watch his good friend Anthony Albanese claim victory on election night nearly one year ago. The broader community knows Stewart as a minister in the Hawke government, but first I would like to talk about him as a local resident and as the member for Cunningham. Stewart West was born in Forbes, New South Wales, on 31 March 1934. He lived in Tubbul near Young until the family moved to Windang near Lake Illawarra. Stewart left school early, at 15 or 16, and began working at a bank in Nowra. An early sign to Stewart's future occurred at the bank. As Stewart and the bank manager watched the May Day march, the manager said, 'Some day, you'll be leading that march, Stewart.' How true. In 1953 Stewart began working on the wharves at Port Kembla, the same day as his father, John. Outside his family, Stewart's lifetime passions were the trade union movement, particularly the Waterside Workers Federation, and the Australian Labor Party. Between 1972 and 1977, Stewart was president of the Waterside Workers Federation, Port Kembla branch. As well, he was on the ALP federal electorate council for Cunningham between 1968 and 1977 and was campaign manager for the Hon. Rex Connor from 1966 to 1975. Stewart's passion for all working families and his local community shone like a beacon throughout his parliamentary career right from the start. Stewart was elected in a by-election on 15 October 1977. This followed the sudden death of long-time member for Cunningham and Whitlam government minister, Rex Connor. In his first speech to parliament as a new MP on 25 October 1977, Stewart focused on the cancer of national unemployment and particularly unemployment in the electorate of Cunningham. Soon after Stewart entered parliament, Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser called a federal election for 10 December 1977. Stewart was re-elected in 1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1990 and retired at the 1993 election. In the years leading up to Labor's victory in 1983, Stewart West served as opposition spokesperson on Aboriginal affairs, on environment and conservation, and on finance and trade. Stewart's role as shadow minister for environment and conservation was at the dawning of the modern age of awareness of the value of the environment and of the threats to its future. It was during this period that federal Labor announced its support for saving the Franklin River in Tasmania and Kakadu in the Northern Territory. Stewart was a lead author of those policies at the 1982 ALP national conference, which were then taken to the 1983 election. Those policies were implemented soon after the Hawke government came to office. When the Hawke Labor government came to office in 1983, Stewart became a member of cabinet and Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. These were exciting and somewhat turbulent times. One issue concerned uranium mining in Australia and uranium exports. As uranium was debated again during the first year of the Hawke government, both about the three-mines policy and a proposal to export uranium to France, Stewart West, described by McIntyre and Faulkner, as 'the only left-wing member of the first Hawke cabinet', resigned from cabinet because he could not support the cabinet's decision on these issues. Stewart remained Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs until the end of 1984. In the meantime he rejoined cabinet in April 1984. Stewart's ministerial roles continued through to 1990. During that period Stewart remained in cabinet as Minister for Housing and Construction from late 1984 to mid-1987 and then as Minister for Administrative Services from mid-1987 until April 1990. Working with Stewart through this journey were a great team: Idalina Guerreiro, Michael Samaras and Joan White. I have talked to Mary about Stewart and her life together. All I hear in her voice is love. Mary and Stewart first met in September 1972 and married in December 1972. As I have said, it's a love story. The memories of Stewart's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are all about his unquestioning love and support. They all have their own stories about his support and encouragement for them in all aspects of life. I did recognise one other characteristic of Stewart that all of his family fondly recall: Stewart's love of ice cream. They are family stories. In 2015, Stewart was diagnosed with the early signs of dementia. The dementia progressed and began to dominate Stewart's life. Mary and Stewart moved from their family home in Figtree to Wollongong. Supported by their family and support services, interrupted by a stay in hospital, Stewart spent his final days in their apartment surrounded by love. Dementia denied him the power of speech, but he did have moments when he was lucid. I'm not breaking confidences, but Mary told me a lovely story from late last year. When Mary went to say good morning he said, 'I love you, Mary.' A couple of weeks later he said, 'There she is.' The following week he said, 'You are beautiful.' Then, in classic Stewart style, a couple of days later he said, 'You again.' Mary told me the other day that what she misses most about Stewart is his beautiful smile and blue eyes, along with his renditions of 'You Are My Sunshine' and 'Solidarity Forever'. I have talked about Stewart West's passion for all working families and his local community. I will finish with words from the then Prime Minister, Paul Keating, to the House of Representatives on 17 December 1992, the last sitting day before the 1993 federal election, at which Stewart was retiring: My colleague Stewart West was a member of the Cabinet with me … …   …   …    He more than distinguished himself … He comes from a working class area, the area of Wollongong, and he has never done or said a thing which he thought or knew was injurious to the people he represented, only always speaking in their favour. I am proud to follow in the footsteps of Stewart West, the Labor member for Cunningham from 1977 to 1993, and I have truly valued both his and Mary's friendship over the years. Rest in peace, Stewie. 16:20 Mr A9B Whitlam JONES (—) (): It is my great delight in what is otherwise a sad moment in this parliament to follow the wonderful words of my friend and comrade the member for Cunningham in her very personal and beautiful contribution to this debate. Stewie West was a comrade, a leader, a trade unionist and a friend. I actually knew of Stewart West before I knew him personally. Like any of us who grew up in the Illawarra, of a morning I'd tune into what was then Radio 2WL—it was AM, Mr Deputy Speaker. You'd turn the radio on in the morning and invariably hear the voices of Labor luminaries, whether it was Nando Lelli, Merv Nixon, Rex Connor or Stewart West. They were the names you heard issuing statements on behalf of the Labor movement—the Labor Party or the trade union movement. It was a daily occurrence, and you grew up with it in the same way that you grew up with Weet-Bix and milk—it was just a part of the culture of growing up in the region. As I entered my teen years, instead of knowing of Stewart I enjoyed the benefit of knowing him, and I campaigned for him and other Labor Party people as I grew up in the Illawarra. He was a giant of the region and a giant of the Labor movement. Stewart, as the member for Cunningham said, spent most of his life in the service of the working people, in particular the people of the Illawarra. I'm delighted that his wife, Mary, and his daughter, Glenda, could be here in parliament today, and earlier this week as the Prime Minister moved a very moving personal tribute to him. Through the battles of the sixties and seventies he was there as the president of the Waterside Workers Union at Port Kembla. He was president of the Labor Party's Cunningham FEC and the campaign manager for the very good Rex Connor. When Rex died of a heart attack in August 1977, Stewart was the obvious successor. He'd been his campaign manager and he had strong support inside the branches. It was both a unique and an agonising way to end up in parliament—the honour of his election cut across by the very personal grief he felt at his good friend passing away in such shocking circumstances. Reading Stewart's first speech, all the way back then in October 1977, it is clear that he went to Canberra to do things, not just to fill a seat. He went there to fight—fight for his principles, fight for his people, fight for his beliefs. His language was colourful and combative, which surprised nobody who knew him. It was all straight talk, delivered with a punch. His sentiments, even all these years later, rise off the page. We can all hear him speaking as we read those words. He set out the challenges facing his electorate and the broader Illawarra region of the time: the value of the steel industry—in particular, the importance of the Port Kembla steelworks to the region and to the Australian economy. I can hear myself nearly 30 years later delivering similar speeches on similar subject matter. Within a few paragraphs he was already on the attack, going after the Fraser government for 'promoting industrial troubles as an issue on which to hang an early election' and urging them 'to get down to the job of resuscitating the Australian economy'. In the 16 years that he served in this place, he kept up that fight. What also jumps out from those days is that many of the fights that he had on behalf of the Illawarra region are fights which the member for Cunningham and I continue to this day. He said back in 1977 that the Illawarra 'should be a great centre for training our youth in the skilled trades we will require in the future'—true then; true today. It's one of the biggest tasks that the member for Cunningham and I face every day in this place. We do so on the shoulders of giants, the people who came before us. You're a member, Deputy Speaker Wilkie, who represents the great island state of Tasmania. I know you're from down south, and I know you're passionate about everything in the island state of Tasmania. Whether you're a visitor to Tasmania, as many hundreds of thousands of mainlanders and overseas tourists are, or whether you're a native of that state, you know about the famous Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Visitors to that state today go walking through the national park and they stare up at those majestic trees, the Huon pines that predate European and, often, human settlement in the area. It's hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, and thousands of thousands of years in some of the trees. Some of them predate the birth of Christ. They're absolutely magnificent. If the thylacine truly does still exist today, it'll be somewhere there. What most people don't know is that we can still do that because of the work of Stewart West. It was in the lead-up to the 1983 election. Stewart West was the shadow minister for the environment. He was passionate about the Gordon-below-Franklin region, he was passionate about Kakadu and he was passionate about Daintree. It was Stewart who wrote into the platform of the Labor Party as we approached that election that a Hawke government, if elected, would prevent the Gordon-below-Franklin dam. We succeeded in government, and that policy was enacted when the Hawke Labor government was elected. Stewart wasn't the minister when we came into parliament, but he was the bloke who made certain that that occurred. As it is so often with us in this place, there's not a name plaque that exists for some of our greatest achievements, but those who know know, and I hope those who read these tributes afterwards will remember the tremendous service that Stewie had and the things that he leaves behind. He served as the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. Then, as now, these matters were often very contentious. He served as the Minister for Housing and Construction. Then, as now, he just wanted to build more stuff. He thought the Commonwealth had a role in building stuff, and he did that as the minister. As I said earlier today in my condolence speech for the late John Kerin, another great man from my area who served in that magnificent government, the source of the strength of that government was the strength of its caucus and the principle, intelligence and drive of its ministers, and Stewart was one of them. It was a mark of his character that he was willing to resign from cabinet on a matter of principle within the first year of the new government. Despite the risks to his career and the personal pain that it caused him, he put principle before position. With the same sense of principle that took him into cabinet, out of it and back in again, he continued his push for good things, through his beliefs and his principles, in parliament and when he left. As the member for Cunningham mentioned in her contribution, in Stewart's later years dementia got hold of him. It was one of the great honours of my life—I don't know how conscious he was of what was going on at the time; I suspect he was very lucid at the time—to present to Stewart when his was awarded life membership of the Labor Party. The then Labor Party leader, Luke Foley, came down to Wollongong for the event, and we were able to present him with his life membership. He was a good mate, a good comrade and a wonderful human being. Vale, Stewart West. The DEPUTY SPEAKER C2T I thank the Assistant Treasurer and note that, indeed, no one has proven that the Tasmanian tiger does not exist. Indeed, it may well be found there in those deep ravines. 16:30 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin I feel very privileged to rise to make some brief remarks in this important condolence debate, following those made by the Prime Minister and my friends the member for Cunningham and the member for Whitlam. Mine will be a less personal contribution. I never met Stewart West, but I hope that it is of interest to some that I recognise the wider significance of his contribution. I think his is a life and career that deserves to be recognised in this place and for that recognition to go to the totality of his contribution. When I think of Stewart West's contribution, he can only be described as a giant of the labour movement. He is a person who made an extraordinary contribution as a unionist, an activist, a local representative in this place and, of course, a minister. Notably, he is someone whose involvement in politics can be characterised only by an unerring adherence to principle, but not abstract principle—a sense of principle that was anchored in the concrete in being true to one's values whilst ensuring that those of us who are in this place use every minute we are here to make a difference. Stewart West was also the only member from the left of the Labor Party to be a member of Hawke's first cabinet. That is something that I think is very significant in our political history, and his role has been very significant in the evolution of our politics since then. That is something that has been underrecognised in our party, as well as more broadly. Also underrecognised, and my good friend the member for Whitlam touched on this, is the fact that it is well known that Stewart West did a quite extraordinary thing. He resigned from the ministry. He resigned from the cabinet. And he did so by choice, over a matter of principle. But he did that and subsequently returned. That says something both about his standing with the Prime Minister and his colleagues, and, again, about his commitment not to principles in the abstract but to the responsibility of those of us who have the power to act for good to act for good, and he continued to do so. Stewart West was the minister for immigration. He had a slightly different title than mine but very similar responsibilities, again, in circumstances that can be described only as challenging. The way he went about them is a template. His example of principle and pragmatism is something that I hope to emulate to some degree, because I don't think I will live up to his example. His lifelong concern for refugees is also something that I find inspirational. It was a concern that he gave expression to as a minister and through every moment of his time in active politics and, indeed, beyond it, as my friends from the Illawarra are better placed to attest than me. His contribution more broadly in his other portfolios, but perhaps most significantly in terms of his role within the Labor Party and as the shadow minister for immigration, might be his most enduring public legacy. The decision to prevent the damming of the Gordon below Franklin is fundamental in its impact not only on the great state of Tasmania but also on our country's relationship with our precious and beautiful natural environment. It also, ultimately, radically reshaped the relationship between the Commonwealth and the states. It's hard to think of a more significant individual decision than the decision the Australian Labor Party made in that platform to that critically important act, and I think that is something that is worth restating and reflecting on. Ultimately, it is true that if Stewart West's life was defined by contributions and achievements, it would have been a great life of service. However, for some of the reasons I've outlined, I think his contribution is greater than that by the power of the example he set about the power of collective action, the power of the union, the power of the great movement that I'm proud to be a member of, and the power of all of us in this place to make a difference in our communities and to our country. My thoughts are with all those who knew him and loved him, and particularly his family. Vale. The DEPUTY SPEAKER C2T I thank the minister. I understand it is the wish of honourable members to signify at this stage their respect and sympathy by rising in their places, and I ask all present to do so. Honourable members having stood in their places— The DEPUTY SPEAKER C2T I thank the Federation Chamber. 16:35 Ms BYRNES 299145 Cunningham by leave—I move: That further proceedings be conducted in the House. Question agreed to. Yunupingu, AM 76 16:36 Mr GOSLING 245392 Solomon It was with great sadness that I learnt of the passing of Dr Yunupingu AO on 3 April this year. It wasn't unexpected, Yunupingu's health had been declining, but, nevertheless, when the news came through for certain that he had passed, the tributes and memorials poured in. He made a towering contribution to Indigenous issues and to the broader affairs of our nation. He was pre-eminent in First Nations land rights over his lifetime. He was a Yolngu man, a leader of the Gumatj clan from Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory. In 1978, he was made Australian of the Year. He was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1985, and he was a long-term chair of the Northern Land Council. A friend of mine worked closely with him during that time, and I'll pass on her reflections later. Above all, he was a proud and fierce warrior for his people. He forcefully engaged with power across politics to drive better outcomes for his people. I had honour of meeting Yunupingu at the Garma festival in Arnhem Land in August 2007. I was working as a patrol commander for NORFORCE at that time, and that Garma festival and the words of Dr Yunupingu really opened my mind to a whole range of things. A dark cloud was hanging over that festival when we met. The Howard government had launched the Northern Territory intervention two months earlier, and Dr Yunupingu led opposition to this intervention. He demanded consultation. It affected every aspect of his people's lives. He wrote in response to inquiries from the government about his criticism: The answer is simple. I told him I was a landowner and leader and he had not spoken to me. He had acquired my land and sought control of my life without talking to me, let alone seeking my consent. Nor had he spoken to the hundreds of people like me throughout the NT who spent their lives coping with Third World conditions, a lack of services and the abject failures of governments. That simple failure to consult, I told him, would eventually undermine his good intentions. The conditions that hurt children and that he was pledging to fix would remain while he sought to impose a solution. Very wise and powerful words indeed. Since then, and with my entry into parliament, I've sought to listen to Dr Yunupingu over the various Garma festivals and times that I have spent in Arnhem Land, and to other First Nations leaders who are trying to drive real change. But it is that failure to consult that has held back progress. Dr Yunupingu's success in building training facilities on his clan land and developing business enterprises is key for economic development across the Northern Territory. There has been real leadership, and we saw that exemplified with the successful launch of rockets by Equatorial Launch Australia from the Arnhem Space Centre. It really highlights the breadth of Dr Yunupingu's vision. The Gumatj clan, with Dr Yunupingu's leadership, are also open to engagement with Defence in a variety of ways. His people are truly the custodians of the land, the sea and the sky, and I'm proud to be part of a government that is working to finally realise his aspiration at a broader level. That's to have a successful referendum on the Voice to Parliament, followed by other elements of the Uluru statement—that is, treaty and truth. As Dr Yunupingu wrote: I am seeing now that too much of the past is for nothing. I have walked the corridors of power; I have negotiated and cajoled and praised and begged prime ministers and ministers, travelled the world and been feted; I have opened the doors to men of power and prestige; I have had a place at the table of the best and the brightest in the Australian nation—and at times success has seemed so close, yet it always slips away. And behind me, in the world of my father, the Yolngu world is always under threat, being swallowed up by whitefellas. We can now deliver the Voice for First Nations people that Dr Yunupingu feared would slip through his hands. I mentioned a friend of mine who worked closely with him when he was the Chair of the Northern Land Council, Morag Hocknull, who wanted me to send a simple message: 'Yunupingu's spirit may be at rest, but his legacy will live on—and our family memories will endure forever.' She says: During my time with him and the NLC, we worked together and travelled throughout the Top End and Interstate to spread the importance of Aboriginal Land Rights, the rights of the traditional owners and the message was from the heart, was strong and was continuous. Vale, Yunupingu. 16:42 Ms TEMPLEMAN 181810 Macquarie The Yolngu people have lost a great elder, and Australia has lost one of its greatest leaders of the past century, Yunupingu. His totems were fire, rock and Baru, the saltwater crocodile. His name means 'the sacred rock that stands against time'. His accomplishments and his examples of leadership are timeless. He was a skilled mediator between Indigenous and non-Indigenous structures of power. He was a thoughtful custodian of culture. Yunupingu's activism began early in life. In 1963, as a teenager, he helped create the first Yirrkala bark petition, calling on this parliament to recognise Yolngu land rights and protesting against the proposed bauxite mine near Nhulunbuy. An edition of that petition, a piece of art, is displayed not far from here in the Members Hall, recognised as one of the foundational documents of the land rights movement. This bark petition represents the first time that a document describing Indigenous ways of representing connections to country was acknowledged by parliament. Yunupingu would go on to devote his life to the building of understanding, goodwill and respect between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australia and using art and music and culture to do that. That was a real focus of his efforts. As Special Envoy for the Arts, I want to draw attention to some of those things that he did. Yunupingu understood the power of music as a force for social change. In 1971, he recorded 'Gurindji Blues' with Ted Egan and Vincent Lingiari, the legendary land rights activist who led the Wave Hill walk-off in 1966. That song brought the Gurindji struggle for land rights to the ears of Australians in the southern states and brought national attention to their cause. It no doubt contributed to the ultimate return of the Gurindji traditional lands in 1975. Yunupingu lent his voice and guitar skill to several recordings by Yothu Yindi, whose music has amplified calls for recognition and treaty for three decades. He helped to establish the Garma Festival. This celebration of First Nations arts, song, dance, storytelling and ideas has become a vital institution in our cultural life. He chaired the Yothu Yindi Foundation and saw it become an extraordinary force for good. The foundation's Garma Institute provides education facilities on country in north-east Arnhem Land and put Yolngu culture at the core of its curriculum. It was in Arnhem Land at Garma that I first heard Yunupingu speak in person. It was 2009, and he and Jenny Macklin, who was the then Indigenous affairs minister, opened the Garma Festival, which was focused on the creative industries. I think if Yunupingu had contributed to nothing other than Garma it would be an extraordinary legacy. We heard the member for Solomon talk about his experience of Garma, which is something that nearly every non-Indigenous person I've ever spoken to who has been to it says is transformational in the way that it helps you think about our First Nations peoples and the culture and connection to land that they have. It was certainly that for me. Yunupingu was a powerful advocate for a voice to parliament. Not only was he there from the beginning; he set things in motion at multiple points along his life, including, most recently, as a member of the Referendum Council established in 2015, which led to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017. He was a member of the senior advisory group that developed the Voice proposal for this parliament. He knew that, when First Nations peoples are involved in decision-making processes that affect them, better outcomes for those people will come about. Yunupingu argued with great clarity and eloquence about the need for Australia to respect and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on their own terms. In 2016 he wrote: What Aboriginal people ask is that the modern world now makes the sacrifices necessary to give us a real future. To relax its grip on us. To let us breathe, to let us be free of the determined control exerted on us to make us like you. And you should take that a step further and recognise us for who we are, and not who you want us to be. Let us be who we are—Aboriginal people in a modern world—and be proud of us. Yunupingu was rightly frustrated by the slow pace of Australia's reconciliation journey throughout his lifetime. We all should be. We in this place can best honour his memory by continuing his mission to advance the agency, rights and opportunities of First Nations peoples with the same persistence and determination that he did. May his journey to be reunited with his fathers and his kin be a peaceful one. The DEPUTY SPEAKER C2T I understand it is the wish of honourable members to signify at this stage their respect and sympathy by rising in their places, and I ask all present to do so. Honourable members having stood in their places— The DEPUTY SPEAKER C2T I thank the Federation Chamber. 16:48 Ms BYRNES 299145 Cunningham by leave—I move: That further proceedings be conducted in the House. Question agreed to. Gyngell, Mr Allan, AO 78 16:49 Mr KHALIL 101351 Wills I rise to pay my respects and express my deep sadness at the passing of Allan Gyngell AO. Allan was one of Australia's finest foreign policy minds, as you would know, Deputy Speaker Wilkie; and one of the finest practitioners of foreign policy and international affairs that this country has seen. He served Australia at the highest levels and in so many senior roles; I can't name all of them. He was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2009 for his services to international relations. As some of you may know, he served as international adviser to Prime Minister Paul Keating in the early 1990s. He was a public servant in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet as a first assistant secretary of the international branch in the early 1990s. He began his foreign policy career in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He served as a diplomat in Rangoon, in Singapore in the 1970s and in Washington in the early 1980s. As you would know, Deputy Speaker, he was a member of that rather famous cohort, the class of '69—so many accomplished Australians came out of that year. More recently, later in his life, Allan was the national president of the Australian Institute of International Affairs and he also served as the director of ONA. Deputy Speaker, you would know the great work Allan did there, having yourself served in that organisation. The DEPUTY SPEAKER C2T Indeed. Mr KHALIL 101351 He also served as executive director of the Lowy Institute think tank for many years, and he was an honorary professor at the ANU. That's a very impressive list of his service, but it doesn't really capture the importance of Allan's contribution to Australia's place in the world. He was of course deeply respected by his colleagues, and it wasn't just because of his contribution and his intellect; it was also because he was such a lovely and generous person. He was a kind man, a good man, mild-mannered and softly spoken, but what he had to say was so incisive and so sharp. His critical analysis was so sharp and relevant that it was really a contrast to his manner in some respects. He was generous with his time and advice to colleagues and to very junior officers. I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend time with him, particularly when I was starting out in foreign policy and defence policy work. He didn't have to spend that time with me, but I know for a fact that he spent a lot of his time with many young Australians who were working their way through the Public Service and gave his wise counsel, advice, guidance and mentorship. He will be deeply missed not just amongst the foreign policy community or the national security community in the Public Service but broadly right across the Australian community, because he actually impacted many lives for the better through the work that he did. It was actually a very shocking surprise when we heard of his passing. It happened very, very quickly. My understanding is that within five weeks of his diagnosis he passed away. But I also heard that he was very philosophical about his situation. I think he said something like, 'The entry cost of life is death.' He was very philosophical. He was very reflective. He said he didn't have a small family he was leaving behind, and he'd had a full life. It's really a credit to the man that he was so calm and so generous and giving even in his last weeks on this earth. I want to give my heartfelt condolences to Allan's family, his children, his wife and his friends—and there are many of them right across the community. Rest in peace, Allan Gyngell. 16:53 Dr LEIGH BU8 Fenner Allan Gyngell was one of Australia's greatest public servants. He was happy to be a member of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's famous class of 1969, alongside Sandy Holloway, Rick Smith and John Dauth. I first met Allan 30 years after that, in 1999. I was the Labor Party's trade adviser, reaching out to experts on behalf of my boss, Senator Peter Cook. As a 27-year-old staffer I was just the conduit for the shadow trade minister, but Allan took an interest in me and helped mentor me in my career. I'm not sure I ever knew anyone so influential yet so modest. Allan Gyngell had served as foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Paul Keating. He represented Australia in Myanmar, Singapore and Washington DC. He was curious and insightful about the world. As we walked to the Washington DC metro on a summer day in 2000, I remarked on how green Washington DC is. Allan offered the observation that the story of white settlement in the United States was one of settlers moving west, finding more verdant lands, expanding populations, and pushing further west. By contrast, Allan said, the story of white settlement in Australia is one of expeditions like Burke and Wills, tragic stories of failed explorations in the desert. And that, Allan said, is why America has more than 10 times the population of Australia. When I studied in the United States I fell in love with a young American lass and wanted to impress her when I brought her back to Australia. Allan offered to lend us his Kings Cross apartment. It was the perfect base to explore the city. The only risk I was worried about was that I was secretly planning to propose marriage to Gweneth, and I was worried she might tip to my plans if she learned that I'd borrowed the apartment from a bloke who'd just finished helping Paul Keating on a book titled Engagement. Allan served as the inaugural executive director of the Lowy Institute, shaping the country's pre-eminent foreign policy think tank over his six years at the helm. In 2009 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd phoned Allan to ask him to head the Office of National Assessments, Australia's top intelligence body. As Kevin recalled: Allan was holidaying on the Amalfi Coast at the time. It was a mark of the man that two decades after leaving the public service, he was prepared to not just cut his holiday short, but to serve his country once again. As Director-General of the ONA, Allan had access to Australia's most tightly held secrets, yet he was still curious about how his agency could engage with outside thinkers, inviting in university professors to discuss how ONA could improve its work. Allan was close to the world of power but constantly engaged with the world of ideas. In 2003 he and Michael Wesley wrote Making Australian Foreign Policy, a key foreign policy text. In 2017 he wrote Fear of Abandonment: Australia in the World Since 1942. More recently, he and Darren Lim produced the podcast Australia in the World, whose 112th episode came out on 4 April. As Darren noted: He'd tell me, for example, that every Australian government "discovers" India at least once in its time in office, or that there are certain things all Australian leaders must say when giving speeches about the US alliance, although those differ by political party. Darren went on to say: Allan was relentlessly curious to hear my theorist's take on events, and he was utterly respectful of my views. Allan was someone who could be persuaded. He would always engage, giving me the space to make my point and, when necessary, he had the patience to teach me when my theorising took me far past the bounds of reality. Allan was a prolific producer of ideas. On the Lowy Institute's Interpreter blog, Vafa Ghazavi listed five of Allan's big ideas, as follows: First, incorporate an Indigenous element in the ceremonial welcome of foreign heads of state and government to Australia. …   …   … Second, craft problem-solving coalitions in response to emerging global challenges. …   …   … Third, resource the foreign service properly. …   …   … Fourth, use foreign policy speeches on hard challenges. …   …   … Fifth, don't securitise everything. Allan was a great mentor to young people. As executive director of the Lowy Institute he not only hired staff but worked to shape them into better thinkers and communicators. He encouraged people to read deeply and travel widely. When he came to our home in recent years he was always keen to hear what our three young boys were doing and what they thought. He probably knew more than anyone in the room, yet he wanted to listen more than to talk. Allan had a mighty impact on public policy. At the National Press Club recently the foreign minister singled Allan out for special mention, noting: Allan has been an official and unofficial adviser to governments for decades, always in singular service of Australia's national interest. He is the definitive historian of Australian foreign policy. He is the finest writer about Australian foreign policy. He is, frankly, the finest mind in Australian foreign policy. And possibly also the smallest ego in Australian foreign policy. I emailed Allan to say how chuffed I was to see his intellect and modesty acknowledged. He replied: Thanks Andrew. My analytical instincts tell me there was a bit to be tested in the judgements, but it was very nice to hear, particularly as one of my children was in the audience. It was vintage Allan Gyngell. My condolences to his widow, Catherine, and to their sons. 16:59 Mr GOSLING 245392 Solomon Can I commend the previous speaker, the member for Fenner, on that fine contribution and for his great impersonations of the podcast. They were very accurate! I almost felt like I was listening to the great man. It is with great sadness that I, too, learned of the passing of Allan Gyngell AO on 3 May after a short illness. As tributes have poured in over recent days, we've all been reminded how much of an enormous contribution Allan made to Australia's understanding of its place in the region and in the world. 'Allan was our finest mind in Australian foreign policy,' said our foreign minister, Penny Wong. Andrew Shearer, the Director-General of National Intelligence, said: A giant in the policy world, Allan combined a mild manner with a brilliant intellect— and— … modesty, fairness and a healthy dose of self-effacing humour. This quote is from Paul Symon, the former head of ASIS: The intelligence community was always enriched by the wit, wisdom and analytical prowess of Allan Gyngell. We always learnt by listening to him. Another quote is: He is someone whose intelligence crept up on you. As you got to know him, the more you got to respect him. That was former ambassador Dennis Richardson. Allan's distinguished career included his roles as national president of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, or AIIA, from 2017 to 2023. He was director-general of the Office of National Assessments from 2009 to 2013, and he was founding executive director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy for six years from 2003. Allan served as senior international adviser to former Prime Minister Paul Keating from 1993 to 1996. What many don't know is that Allan also served as a negotiator, mostly secretly, to help produce that 1995 Australia-Indonesia security agreement. Prior to that, he was at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet including as first assistant secretary international from 1991 to 1993. He began his foreign policy career as an officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where he served as a diplomat in Rangoon, in Singapore and in Washington DC. He was an influential mentor to many in the foreign policy community in Canberra and nationally. He was always generous with his time and with his advice. I had the great privilege of meeting with him, and I really appreciated his time and counsel during our last term in opposition. And now, looking back, I'd have really wished the division bells hadn't rung if I'd known that it was the last time that I'd get to spend time and ask questions of this giant of foreign policy. Many, including the foreign minister, have commented on Allan's remarkable intelligence, kindness, wit and warmth. Those are the qualities I also remember. He had a remarkable ability to access and to dissect the most complex policy challenges with a scholar's incisiveness, a practitioner's wisdom and the rigour of an analyst. A division having been called in th e House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 17:03 to 17:08 Mr GOSLING 245392 In continuation, earlier in my remarks about the remarkable Allan Gyngell I reflected that my last conversation with him was interrupted by the bells. And then I was getting towards my contribution about this incredible man of Australian foreign policy, a very decent man, and the bells took me away. I will return to it now. In 2020, I engaged with his thought-provoking work by writing a response to his essay titled 'History hasn't ended', which was in the Australian Foreign Affairs journal. Allan's piece was, typically, commendable for its even-keeled policy prescriptions and his level-headed tone in discussing our complex and consequential relationship, particularly, with China. In this work, Allan made the point: The comforting familiarity of the post-World War II era has ended and the strangeness of our international environment, including China's centrality, is here to stay. Learning how to adjust to the strangeness and operate effectively within it, is this generation's great national test. Allan was consistent in warning against hyperventilation over Australia's strategic challenges, always offering the hard-nosed and nuanced analysis that you would expect from someone who's such an experienced policymaker, but people with as many years in foreign policy as Allan may not necessarily have had that even-keeled approach, that sensible, pragmatic approach. It's remarkable, the balance that made him so unique and respected in the foreign policy and national security community. Allan was a noted scholar in his own right, and I think it's also important to pay tribute to this aspect of his career. The 2003 textbook Making Australian Foreign Policy, which he co-wrote with Michael Wesley, remains compulsory reading among Australian students of foreign policy to this day. His 2017 book Fear of Abandonment is another classic of Australian foreign policy. So, for these and for all his intellectual and policy contributions, Australia mourns a giant of Australian foreign policy with Allan's passing. I too offer my deepest condolences to Allan's wife, Catherine, and the family. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 144732 I thank the member for Lingiari. There being no further statements, I call the Clerk. Olsen, Mr John Henry, AO, OBE 81 17:11 Ms CLAYDON 248181 Newcastle It's a real privilege to rise in this chamber this evening to pay tribute to the late John Olsen AO, OBE. John was an iconic Australian artist, a storyteller, a poet, a larrikin who could wear a beret like no other and a very proud Novocastrian. Indeed, John Olsen is a name that will forever be synonymous with Newcastle art. He was, as the title of his last exhibition in Newcastle made clear, our city's son. A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 17 : 12 to 17 : 34 Ms CLAYDON 248181 In continuation: John Olsen was born in Newcastle in 1928, just a stone's throw away from the Newcastle Art Gallery. John maintained a deep, affectionate and enduring connection to our city throughout his 95 years, frequently visiting Newcastle and loving it as his home town. Although he travelled extensively across the globe, gaining national and international acclaim, he never forgot where he came from. I had the pleasure of seeing John at his last major exhibition, at the Newcastle Art Gallery in 2016, where he personally curated and, in fact, created specifically for that exhibition a number of works that reflected his profound affection for Newcastle and the Hunter region's waterways: our beaches and the harbour, lake, river and wetlands. The exhibition achieved the highest attendance in the gallery's history. Such was John's popularity in Newcastle. There were close to 30,000 visitors for that exhibition in Newcastle, and during the exhibition John celebrated his 89th birthday at the gallery, surrounded by me and another 500 of his closest friends from our community, singing 'Happy Birthday' in unison and enjoying his glorious painting King Sun& the Hunter, which he painted in 2016. There was, indeed a King Sun & the Hunter themed birthday cake crafted specifically for that special occasion. John's generosity to and support of the Newcastle Art Gallery were significant, with several works of art donated to the gallery. A division having been called in the House of Representat ives— Sitting suspended from 17:36 to 18:00 Federation Chamber adjourned at 18:00