The SPEAKER ( Hon. Milton Dick ) took the chair at 10:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PETITIONS COMMITTEE
REPORT No. 13
Petitions and Ministerial Responses
7 August 2023
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE
Chair Ms Susan Templeman MP
Deputy Chair Mr Ross Vasta MP
Mr Sam Birrell MP
Ms Alison Byrnes MP
Ms Lisa Chesters MP
Mr Garth Hamilton MP
Ms Tracy Roberts MP
Ms Meryl Swanson MP
Report summarising the petitions and ministerial responses being presented.
T he committee met in private session in the 47th Parliament on 2 August 2023.
1. The committee resolved to present the following 2 petitions in accordance with standing order 207:
Petitions certified on 2 August 2023
From 401 petitioners—regarding the undergrounding of power lines in the Apollo Bay network (PN0564)
From 55 petitioners—requesting an end to the indefinite detention of refugees (PN0566)
2. The following 81 ministerial responses to petitions were received:
Ministerial responses received by the Committee on 2 August 2023
From the Assistant Treasurer to a petition regarding legalisation of cryptocurrencies in Australia (EN2461)
From the Special Minister of State to a petition requesting the introduction and approval of a bill to cap the income earned by politicians in line with government COVID disaster payments (EN2964)
From the Special Minister of State to a petition regarding voter identification requirements (EN3598)
From the Special Minister of State to a petition regarding voting rights of New Zealand citizens and permanent residents (EN3735)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding the recognition of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for people aged over 60 years (EN4108)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition regarding application of the Medicare Levy Surcharge on households (EN4118)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition regarding removing all remaining travel restrictions when Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) Declaration 2020 lapses (EN4135)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting an amendment to the Distribution Priority Area classification (EN4139)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding Vaxine's vaccine status (EN4149)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition regarding food serving size on nutritional labels using common measuring units appropriate to food item (EN4163)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding access to Evusheld® (tixagevimab and cilgavimab) for immunocompromised individuals (EN4169)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting funding for a new hospital to service the Albury-Wodonga, Northeast Victoria, and Southern New South Wales regions (EN4211)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding extending access cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CTFR) modulators (EN4275)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding financial assistance for Australians with epilepsy (EN4290)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting that gender affirming surgeries be covered by Medicare (EN4296)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding funding to the health and hospital system (EN4298)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting that endometriosis be recognised as a disability (EN4330)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition regarding extending access to subsidised continuous glucose monitoring (EN4341)
From the Treasurer to a petition requesting to reduce the timeframe of all 99-year leases to 18 years (EN4379)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding medicinal cannabis cost issues (EN4383)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting lower fees for general dental services and procedures (EN4385)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition regarding funding for drug and alcohol programs at the Murray Mallee General Practice network (EN4399)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition requesting an amendment to the eligibility criteria for the Rural Locum Assistance Program (EN4410)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding access to bulk billed healthcare (EN4416)(EN4849)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting an increase to the Medicare rebate for GP consultation items (EN4418)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition regarding plasma exchange clinics to provide life-saving therapies and research for those living with dementia (EN4420)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition regarding updating laws for packaged food labelling (EN4423)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition requesting the investigation and banning of all wording such as 'meat' from vegan products (EN4459)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition regarding supply of dialysis treatment buses in remote areas of New South Wales (EN4477)
From the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs to a petition regarding the number of on hand Skilled Regional Visa (subclass 887) visa applications (EN4581)
From the Treasurer to a petition requesting to enshrine the use of cash in law (EN4638)
From the Minister for Defence Personnel to a petition regarding the employment regulations precluding people with coeliac disease from joining the Australian Defence Force (ADF) (EN4641)
From the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs to a petition requesting to reduce processing times for the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (provisional) (subclass 494) visa (EN4645)
From the Treasurer to a petition requesting the King's image to be included on the Australian $5 note (EN4646)
From the Minister for the Environment and Water to a petition regarding the removal of all non-biodegradable soft plastics in packaging (EN4664)
From the Assistant Treasurer to a petition regarding changes to annual lodgements of the transfer balance account report (TBAR) for self-managed super funds (SMSFs) (EN4665)
From the Minister for Communications to a petition requesting to make restriction, deletion, demotion, hiding or unpublishing of any fair and factual promotion of a Parliamentary e-petition by media or social media companies a contempt of Parliament (EN4674)
From the Minister for Defence Personnel to a petition requesting to change the legislation regarding the acceptance of individuals with medical conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and anaphylaxis into the Australian Defence Force (ADF) (EN4715)
From the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs to a petition regarding the annual places and processing times for Parent visas (EN4798)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting routine sepsis screening for children and other at-risk Australians (EN4805)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding a moratorium on mRNA vaccines (EN4810)
From the Minister for Social Services to a petition regarding the Social Security (Tables for the Assessment of Work-related Impairment for Disability Support Pension) Determination 2011 and nurse practitioners (EN4834)
From the Minister for Social Services to a petition requesting to reduce the retirement age for Aboriginal people in Australia (EN4835)
From the Minister for Social Services to a petition regarding financial support for current nursing and midwifery students while on clinical placements (EN4851)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition requesting investigation of dioxins in our food chain and the environment (EN4856)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding improving access to Medicare for telehealth consultations with GPs (EN4872)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting a bereavement suite or room be included in every hospital in Australia (EN4873)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding the delisting of Fiasp® and Fiasp FlexTouch® from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (EN4886)
From the Minister for Communications to a petition regarding NBN upgrades in regional Victoria (EN4892)
From the Minister for Social Services to a petition regarding the Disability Support Pension and the partner income test (EN4899)
From the Minister for Defence Personnel to a petition regarding mandatory military service for school leavers (EN4903)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting an increase to the Medicare rebate and financial support to GP practices (EN4906)
From the Minister for Social Services to a petition Requesting the Australian Government increases Parenting Payment (Single) (EN4919)
From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition regarding the alliance between Australia and the United States of America (EN4926)
From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition regarding international cooperation to establish a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine (EN4928)
From the Minister for Communications to a petition requesting that telecommunications companies be prevented from imposing direct debit only payment options on customers (EN4939)
From the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to a petition regarding the political and human rights situation in Pakistan (EN4942)
From the Minister for Defence to a petition regarding the awarding of a Victoria Cross medal to Leading Seaman Ronald Taylor 20863 (EN4948)
From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition regarding the political and human rights situation in Pakistan (EN4954)
From the Minister for Social Services to a petition regarding the Australian government ceasing biannual indexation of unemployment payments (EN4958)
From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition regarding local government elections in Sri Lanka (EN4961)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting to make sterilisation accessible to those who want it (EN4969)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding resourcing and funding for the eating disorder system of care (EN4972)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition requesting the nationwide ban of euthanasia in Australia (EN4980)
From the Minister for Education to a petition regarding the duration of bachelor's degrees (EN4982)
From the Minister for Aged Care to a petition regarding financial support for current nursing and midwifery students while on clinical placements (EN4985)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting the listing of Trikafta (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor) on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in patients ages six to 11 years (EN4994)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the COVID-19 pandemic response in Australia (EN5000)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding the conditions to be recognised as a woman (EN5014)
From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition regarding the imposition of sanctions and entry bans on Chinese individuals involved in perpetrating human rights violations and abuses in China (EN5016)
From the Minister for Social Services to a petition regarding the residency requirements for the Age Pension (EN5020)
From the Minister for Social Services to a petition regarding the partner income test (EN5041)
From the Minister for the Environment and Water to a petition regarding the Bureau of Meteorology's publication of accurate temperatures across Australia (EN5060)
From the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister to a petition requesting that only flags of Australia be flown from public buildings and government-owned flagpoles (EN5071)
From the Speaker to a petition requesting e-petitions from serial petitioners to be ignored (EN5076)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding maximum dispensing quantities for medications listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (EN5080)
From the Minister for Education to a petition regarding increasing research scholarship rates for PhD students (EN5085)
From the Treasurer to a petition requesting that the gross income for the GST threshold be increased (EN5089)
From the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government to a petition regarding the Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 4 project (EN5103)
From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding access to continuous glucose monitoring products (EN5105)
From the Minister for the Arts to a petition regarding funding for Trove (PN0557, EN4825)
Ms Susan Templeman MP
Chair—Petitions Committee
That the House take note of the report.
That the order of the day be referred to the Federation Chamber for debate.
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Restoring Trust) Bill 2023
That this bill be now read a second time.
That this House:
(1) recognises that:
(a) the Government's Cheaper Child Care policy has driven up the cost of early childhood education and care for families across Australia since it was implemented on 1 July 2023;
(b) families are reporting increases to the cost of their daily fees in excess of $20 per day;
(c) the Government's inability to manage the cost of living crisis in Australia is driving up the cost of rent, mortgages, groceries and everyday bills, like early childhood education and care bills, for Australian families;
(d) the Government's inaction to address workforce shortages is limiting access to early childhood education and care for families; and
(e) families continue to be unable to access early childhood education and care, particularly in regional and rural areas; and
(2) calls on the Government to deliver:
(a) more access to early childhood education and care places to support Australians to return to the workforce; and
(b) real cost of living relief to families.
Our rental has no heating or cooling, it is damp and we had a mould problem for months. We are often feeling unwell due to the cold. But we can't move because it is too hard to find rentals.
We are afraid to bother our landlord with simple repair tasks, such as faulty storage, for fear of reprisal.
That this House:
(1) acknowledges that lobbying can result in the development of policies that favour the interests of private corporations over the interests of the Australian public;
(2) notes that there is a lack of transparency over the relationship between lobbyists and Ministerial offices;
(3) recognises that breaches of the Lobbying Code of Conduct are rarely identified by the Attorney-General's Department and that there are currently no serious penalties for breaching the Lobbying Code of Conduct; and
(4) commits to:
(a) extending the Register of Lobbyists to include registered professional lobbyists acting on behalf of third parties, services firms and lobbyists acting on behalf of businesses and industry bodies;
(b) extending the cooling-off period for former MPs and senior government officials to three years in keeping with international best practice;
(c) introducing new penalties for breaching the Lobbying Code of Conduct, such as suspending lobbyists from operating for up to two years; and
(d) ensuring the National Anti-Corruption Commission has the ability to investigate alleged breaches of the Lobbying Code of Conduct and enforce penalties.
Lobbying has become a large unregulated industry. The revolving door sees MPs and Ministers using their connections to further private interests.
… not make misleading, exaggerated or extravagant claims about, or otherwise misrepresent, the nature or extent of their access to Government representatives, members of political parties or to any other person … keep strictly separate from their lobbying activities any personal activity or involvement on behalf of a political party … use all reasonable endeavours to satisfy themselves of the truth and accuracy of all statements and information provided by them to clients whom they represent, the wider public and Government representatives …
National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry Bill 2023
National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023
It's the unknown that is so terrifying. With silicosis there is no cure, and you just don't know how it will progress.
Every day, walking around the site, we thought we were OK and safe, but we weren't. For years we had inappropriate PPE, safety rules and regulations. I was even offered second-hand equipment. This should have never happened.
My health, family, work, and finances have been devastated. Silicosis has affected my day-to-day life and completely changed my lifestyle. Life now revolves around going from one specialist to another and frequently visiting the hospital. I feel shattered. I will not be able to see my granddaughter grow into an adult, spend time with my wife and loved ones and be there for my family.
You could taste it on your lips. Every time you'd go home from work you could actually taste it.
A failure to take these necessary steps will further risk thousands of workers contracting silicosis, an incurable and sometimes fatal lung disease.
I'm a single working mum of one. A girl with special needs. After I pay my rent and spinal therapy sessions for my daughter, I barely have $100 left after all my bills to live off for a fortnight till next pay. I just found out my rent will go up in September and it's the most stressful and exhausting feeling a mother can have. I'm not a glass half empty person, but to live in the so-called lucky country where I will be homeless very soon is very scary.
This crisis in transport affects the entire industry, from gig workers to owner drivers under pressure to drive longer and faster, to employers faced with cannibalistic, unfair competition.
We are talking about a government putting a referendum to the people to enact a reform designed to unify the nation and eradicate discrimination, a reform devised by Indigenous representatives, constitutional experts and politicians of all stripes across two decades of consultation—
… of all stripes across two decades of consultation—
Yet now the Coalition scare campaign seeks to decry this as a secretive plot to rend asunder the nation.
It is not a plausible critique and it should not be taken seriously by media or political commentators. It insults the public.
The people running these scares know full well they are talking about nothing more than an advisory body.
This truly is an attempt to turn Australians against each other.
We acknowledge the hard work by the Albanese Government to stabilise our relationship with China—in particular Minister Watt, Minister Wong and Minister Farrell who have engaged constructively with their counterparts on this issue.
… I believe that it is a step in the right direction … it's not a question of money, it's not a question of politicians coming up with policies, it's a question of giving Indigenous people the franchise to make decisions to implement policies that will work. We got to give it a chance.
… we're not proposing any takeover of state laws any duplication of state laws. We're not proposing of duplication of state laws. Heritage protection will predominantly remain a matter for states and territories.
Those events—
were so disastrous that they made it very clear that comprehensive work needed to begin, as a matter of urgency, on modernising Indigenous heritage protection laws in Australia.
We are very pleased that the minister—
has now made clear that she will be continuing the work that had already begun in this area during the years of the coalition government.
… we always considered that it was that this process be centred on the views and the experience of traditional owners.
… the Juukan Gorge, which we know to be of such tremendous heritage value to Indigenous people in my home state of Western Australia, people should ask themselves, 'What has changed?'
… I closed the scheme down during the operational phases of the scheme when the issues and unintended consequences first arose.
The litigation in Masterton andAmato , in both cases conducted by Victoria Legal Aid, played a crucial role in the demise of the Scheme.
It succeeded in exposing the illegality of Robodebt where other possible forms of check on the Scheme … did not …
We can't win the election unless we defeat the Voice solidly, ie we need to defeat it to get to the election starting line.
That order of the day No. 2, government business, be postponed until a later hour this day.
That the House refer the following matters, relating to insurers' responses to recent natural disasters in Australia, to the Standing Committee on Economics for inquiry and report by 30 September, 2024:
(1) responses of insurers to the claims resulting from major 2022 floods, including the:
(a) south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW) floods of February and March 2022;
(b) Hunter and greater Sydney floods of July 2022;
(c) Victorian, NSW and Tasmanian floods of October 2022; and
(d) central west NSW floods of November and December 2022;
(2) the inquiry shall have regard to the following matters in respect of the aforementioned floods:
(a) the experiences of policyholders before, during and after making claims;
(b) the different types of insurance contracts offered by insurers and held by policyholders;
(c) timeframes for resolving claims;
(d) obstacles to resolving claims, including factors internal to insurers and external, such as access to disaster-hit regions, temporary accommodation, labour market conditions and supply chains;
(e) insurer communication with policyholders;
(f) accessibility and affordability of hydrology reports and assessments to policyholders;
(g) affordability of insurance coverage to policyholders;
(h) claimants' and insurers' experiences of internal dispute resolution processes; and
(i) the impact of land use planning decisions and disaster mitigation efforts on the availability and affordability of insurance;
(3) the inquiry shall also have regard to insurer preparedness for future flood events; and
(4) the inquiry will take into consideration findings from other reports such as Deloitte's external review of insurers' responses to the 2022 floods, and ASIC's claims handling review.
Customs Tariff Proposal (No. 2) 2023
Excise Tariff Proposal (No. 1) 2023
Migration Amendment (Strengthening Employer Compliance) Bill 2023
It is recommended that the Government consider developing legislation so that a person who knowingly unduly influences, pressures or coerces a temporary migrant worker to breach a condition of their visa is guilty of an offence.
It is recommended that the Government explore mechanisms to exclude employers who have been convicted by a court of underpaying temporary migrant workers from employing new temporary visa holders for a specific period.
Wage exploitation of temporary migrants offends our national values of fairness. It harms not only the employees involved, but also the businesses which do the right thing.
Temporary overseas workers are vulnerable to exploitation and this exploitation affects those workers and all Australian workers by undermining their wages and conditions. Labor will ensure that migrant workers including temporary visa workers have access to adequate information on their workplace rights and how to join their union.
Too often, temporary migrants end up exploited or underpaid with some employers abusing the system for cheap and disposable labour. Labor will always ensure that measures are implemented to protect all migrants from exploitation, including:
requiring temporary migrants to be paid in accordance with Australian awards or enterprise agreements and to have their wages paid into an Australian bank account;
ensuring temporary migrants are protected by Australian workplace law and are not exploited through sham contracting or unethical labour hire practices give them; and
offering them 'whistle-blower' status if they are providing evidence of exploitation.
… has been severe problem for at least 10 years, there have been huge numbers of underpaid and exploited migrant workers and nothing was done about it. Now it is extremely timely …
Migrant worker exploitation is a national shame—we welcome the Albanese Government taking action to protect migrant workers from exploitation and to implement key recommendations of the Migrant Worker Taskforce—after years of inaction by the Coalition Government.
That this bill be now read a second time.
National Security Legislation Amendment (Comprehensive Review and Other Measures No. 2) Bill 2023
Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023
That the amendments be agreed to.
The House divided. [18:30]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)
Migration Amendment (Strengthening Employer Compliance) Bill 2023
… that the Government consider developing legislation so that a person who knowingly unduly influences, pressures or coerces a temporary migrant worker to breach a condition of their visa is guilty of an offence.
… that the Government explore mechanisms to exclude employers who have been convicted by a court of underpaying temporary migrant workers from employing new temporary visa holders for a specific period.
Recent migrants are 40 per cent more likely to be underpaid than long-term residents with the same skills and experience and who work in the same job.
… has been a severe problem for at least 10 years, there have been huge numbers of underpaid and exploited migrant workers and nothing was done about it.
We support the Bill's expansion of the powers of the Australian Border Force (ABF) to crack down on unscrupulous employers and prevent employers found to be taking advantage of migrant workers from hiring temporary migrants.
We support the Bill's expansion of the powers of the Australian Border Force (ABF) to crack down on unscrupulous employers and prevent employers found to be taking advantage of migrant workers from hiring temporary migrants.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ) took the chair at 10:30.
My view is that Tanya will be outstanding in that area, but also particularly in the area of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, as well; it's very important that that actually gets delivered. Tanya is someone who can get things done.
That this House:
(1) acknowledges that:
(a) the digital economy plays a critical role in the Australian economy, helping to drive economic growth and create new jobs;
(b) the Government has not:
(i) provided sufficient funding in the budget to help grow the digital economy;
(ii) produced a digital economy strategy; and
(c) the Government abolished the role of the Minister for the digital economy; and
(2) calls on the Government to prioritise the digital economy by:
(a) providing funding in sufficient levels to advance Australia's digital economy;
(b) delivering a digital economy strategy to make Australian a world-leading digital economy; and
(c) appointing a Minister responsible for the digital economy.
That this House:
(1) acknowledges the release of the report of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme, a 990-page report that examined the establishment of the scheme and who was responsible for it, and made 57 recommendations;
(2) recognises that the Robodebt Scheme, which was put forward as a budget measure in 2015 and was found to be unlawful by the Federal Court in late 2019, caused great harm to vulnerable members of the Australian community;
(3) notes that despite the mounting warnings and criticism of the scheme, in the words of the report the Government of the time 'continued to illegally raise debts against some of society's most vulnerable';
(4) commends the courage, leadership and bravery of victims, families, advocates and whistle-blowers who continued to raise concerns about the Robodebt Scheme; and
(5) welcomes the Government's commitment to ensuring such a tragedy never happens again, and to carefully consider the recommendations from the report and provide a response to these recommendations in due course.
He failed to meet his ministerial responsibility to ensure that Cabinet was properly informed about what the proposal actually entailed and to ensure that it was lawful.
… (it) help[ed] keep my head above water financially. This benefit has enabled me to live my life with dignity and to pay my living expenses. It has been particularly important given my health issues and inability to work full-time.
It turned my life upside down. It was just sheer terror that I owed a figure that was such a huge amount that I've never earned that much money. How could I owe that much money? I could not possibly owe that amount of money to Centrelink.
The Minister for Human Services, Ms Payne, could not remember whether the need for legislation in relation to the income averaging proposal was raised with her; she could not recall what happened to the advice that legislative change was needed and she did not have a record. Ms Payne did not remember anybody coming up with a proposal other than income averaging as a means of using ATO data. She did not have any specific recall how the question of legislative change for the proposal had disappeared and there was no material to inform her. This series of disparate and unsatisfactory answers would have the makings of a child's nursery rhyme if it were not so serious.
The evidence before the Commission was that fraud in the welfare system was miniscule, but that is not the impression one would get from what ministers responsible for social security payments have said over the years. Anti-welfare rhetoric is easy populism, useful for campaign purposes.
Robodebt was a crude and cruel mechanism, neither fair nor legal, and it made many people feel like criminals. … It was a costly failure of public administration, in both human and economic terms.
It is remarkable how little interest there seems to have been in ensuring the Scheme's legality … and the lengths to which public servants were prepared to go to oblige ministers on a quest for savings. Truly dismaying was the revelation of dishonesty and collusion to prevent the Scheme's lack of legal foundation coming to light.
… what I'd like to be able to say to the public service is, 'Look, this is how we think it needs to be done.' Rather than relying on them to tell us, I'd like to be in a position to tell them on day one.
That this House:
(1) notes:
(a) that the Government has committed to funding $3.4 billion of the $7 billion Olympics infrastructure, in the middle of a cost living crisis, when it refuses to invest more than $500 million a year in social and affordable housing;
(b) that the average cost blow-out of an Olympics since 1960 is 2.5 times the original cost, which would see the cost of the Brisbane Olympics blow-out to $17.5 billion; and
(c) the recent decision by the Victorian Government to cancel the Commonwealth Games so as to save money for schools and hospitals; and
(2) calls on the Government to:
(a) drop its support for the disastrous Gabba demolition and rebuild that will see the bulldozing of a local public school, East Brisbane State School, and Raymond Park, a much loved public park;
(b) re-negotiate a new Olympics infrastructure agreement that actually prioritises using existing infrastructure, like Carrara Stadium, and instead invests in new public transport and other long term community infrastructure; and
(c) commit that any infrastructure built for the Olympics remains in public hands, including retaining the athletes' village as publicly-owned housing.
That this House:
(1) acknowledges the sustained and dedicated effort by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to increase the enrolment of all Australians, with a particular focus on the two cohorts of Australians who have long been under-represented on the electoral roll, being First Nations Australians and young people aged between 18 and 24 years;
(2) recognises that as a result of the Government ensuring the AEC had the appropriate resources to improve enrolment:
(a) for the first time since records have existed, enrolment of Australians aged between 18 and 24 year is now over 90 per cent; and
(b) estimated First Nations enrolment has increased in every state and territory to the highest it has ever been so that:
(i) nationwide it is now at 94.1 per cent, up from 84.5 per cent just six months ago; and
(ii) in the Northern Territory it is now at 87.0 per cent, up from 76.7 per cent six months ago; and
(3) condemns the former Government, for failing to appropriately resource the AEC to take action to improve enrolment of First Nations Australians, including by cutting AEC personnel in the Northern Territory who were addressing these matters.
… if by the law of any State all persons of any race are disqualified from voting at elections … persons of that race resident in that State shall not be counted.
In the 2019 federal election I was up in Milingimbi, up north. There was a Labor man there staring people down. He came and eyeballed me and threatened me for talking to people and informing them of what their rights were. He was aggressive throughout the day, and he often had members of the community walk in with other elders of the community to show them how to vote and who to vote for.
We managed to get a hold of AEC staff inside the building, and we told them: 'Keep an eye out for these fellows. They're the ones who are going in.' I've seen people going in with them and showing them how to vote, and using language—Yolngu matha was broadcasting on the radio throughout the day saying who to vote for in language. We were told that the unions had paid that radio station to broadcast in language who to vote for, and it was Labor.
The referendum will have the best base for democratic participation of any federal electoral event in Australia's history.
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) under the current Government, decisions to conduct review after review into defence and defence industry have resulted in unreasonable delays in awarding contracts; and
(b) these delays have led to uncertainty for small and medium enterprises, threatening many businesses, and forcing them to consider leaving the industry;
(2) acknowledges that:
(a) the Government's agreed recommendation from the Defence Strategic Review, stating that Australian industry content and domestic production should be balanced against timely capability acquisition, requires financial support from the Government;
(b) without such support, there is a risk of losing more contracts overseas;
(c) the Government's agreed recommendation from the Defence Strategic Review, calling for an increase in defence funding to meet our strategic circumstances, has not been meet in the .2023-2024 budget;
(d) the Government should legislate a minimum number of missiles stockpiled to ensure Australia's National Security; and
(e) the Government's disconnect with Australia's defence industry should alarm all Australians because it shows a lack of understanding of the challenges facing Australia's defence industry; and
(3) calls on the Government to take real action in supporting and growing Australia's sovereign defence industry and boosting Australia's dwindling defence budget.
Australian defence firms say they have been forced to delay investment and hiring decisions because the federal government is holding off making acquisition decisions …
… local acquisition spend is expected to decline …
Labor has committed to a Force Posture Review and I continue to call upon the Morrison Government to give a clear answer on the future basing and maintenance of … the Apache helicopters, which were rumoured to be moving from the Territory to Townsville.
It's clear that the Liberal/National Coalition Federal Government does not recognise Darwin as the Defence Capital of Australia that it is. A Federal Labor Government will.
I used to take him in the car, and he'd say, 'I built that one' … just about every house in George Town they had a crack at when he was a builder.'
He did everything for us and tried to give us more than he ever had. You couldn't ask for a more genuine man—he was a great family man.
A quarter of Victoria's First Nations Peoples live in our catchment—
It is not acceptable that their life expectancy and health outcomes are well below those of our non-Indigenous community members.
Equity is not an event but a process with the potential for far-reaching change, not least of which is an increasing community commitment of the process.
… people should be participants and partners in Government and fair and equal sharers in the wealth and opportunities that this nation can offer.
That this House:
(1) acknowledges that:
(a) we have a world-class and sustainable native hardwood timber industry in Australia which delivers social, economic, cultural and environmental benefits for our nation;
(b) timber industry workers provide invaluable skills and practical support to their communities during times of natural disasters, particularly bushfires;
(c) banning native timber harvesting in Australia will result in more imported timber products, often sourced from countries with poorer environmental protocols; and
(d) a sustainable native hardwood timber industry is part of the answer to reducing Australia's carbon emissions as timber products sequester carbon in our floorboards, furniture and other timber products;
(2) notes that the Victorian Government's illogical decision to ban all native hardwood timber harvesting on public land from 1 January 2024 is based on political science, not environmental science; and
(3) urges the Government to:
(a) recognise the sustainable native hardwood timber industry is an issue of national importance because of supply chain considerations and community safety;
(b) include the future of the native hardwood timber industry as an issue for discussion at the next National Cabinet; and
(c) support a taxpayer-funded public information campaign to explain the importance of the native hardwood timber industry and dispel the myths perpetuated by environmental activists.
That this House:
(1) recognises that the Government continues to strengthen Medicare through delivering the important service of the planned 58 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics which will take pressure off our emergency departments; and
(2) notes that Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are designed to make it easier for Australian families to see a doctor or a nurse when they have an urgent, but not life threatening, need for care that is bulk billed.
The underlying principle of Medicare was the health of any one of us should be important to all of us.
That this House:
(1) recognises that:
(a) since 2007, the National Student Wellbeing Program (formerly the National School Chaplaincy Program) has been assisting Australian students in key areas, fostering student wellbeing, increasing connectedness and school and community engagement through tailored pastoral care;
(b) on average, chaplains have 15,724 conversations with students per week, across the country;
(c) every term, chaplains run 7,025 programs, supporting 313,109 students;
(d) the program works and is delivering measurable results for children; and
(e) a 2022 report from the University of Western Australia entitled, An Outcome Evaluation of School Chaplaincy noted the program had a considerable impact on:
(i) improved attendance;
(ii) a focus on learning; and
(iii) improved behaviour;
(2) notes that:
(a) since its creation, under Prime Minister Howard's Government, the Coalition has supported the work of the National Student Wellbeing Program; and
(b) by providing further funding of $245.7 million, the previous Government reaffirmed this commitment to the $60 million a year program, which provides $20,000 towards the cost of hiring a chaplain for over 3,000 schools; and
(3) thanks all chaplains for their ongoing efforts in providing social, emotional and spiritual support to Australian students.
It's been a tough two years for students and the Albanese Government has a plan to help them bounce back from the pandemic.
The measures in the Budget for the wellbeing of students … show that the Government understands the importance of these issues.
These much-needed funds will help to support the provision of additional professionally qualified staff. Addressing student wellbeing is crucial to support student engagement in learning.
Students with good social and emotional wellbeing are more engaged with learning and tend to have higher levels of academic achievement and attainment.
That this House:
(1) notes the Government's commitment to stand up for casual workers who want to become permanent employees;
(2) recognises that this:
(a) will help more than 850,000 casual workers who have regular work arrangements, giving them greater access to leave entitlements and more financial security if desired;
(b) delivers on the Government's election commitment, ensuring that where a worker's pattern of work is no longer casual, they have the choice to move to permanent employment and gain the benefits of secure employment; and
(c) forms part of a broader set of reforms to be introduced into Parliament later this year aimed at closing loopholes that undermine wages and conditions; and
(3) acknowledges this is just part of the Government's commitment to deliver a better future for Australian workers, building on the strong foundations in the Secure Jobs, Better Pay legislation passed in December 2022.