2024-02-29 2 1 0 House of Reps 0 1

Thursday, 29 February 2024

The SPEAKER ( Hon. Milton Dick ) took the chair at 10:21, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.

 

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 1 PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Address to Parliament 1 10:22 The SPEAKER 53517 On behalf of the House, I welcome as guests the President of the Senate and honourable senators to this sitting of the House of Representatives to hear an address by His Excellency Ferdinand R Marcos Jr, President of the Republic of the Philippines. His Excellency Ferdinand R Marcos Jr having been announced and escorted into the chamber— The SPEAKER 53517 Mr President, I welcome you to the House of Representatives chamber. Your address today is a significant occasion in the history of the House. 10:24 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler Your Excellency President Marcos, on behalf of the Australian government and indeed the Australian people, it is my very great pleasure to welcome you and the First Lady to our nation's parliament. This is an historic occasion for both our democracies. It is also the natural next step in our nation's growing partnership. The bilateral relationship between Australia and the Philippines is now 78 years old. Our ties of trade and culture, friendship and family are, of course, centuries older. In East Arnhem Land, the art and stories of the Yolngu people tell of their ancestors boarding visiting trading ships and sailing to far-off islands. In every sense, Mr President, our peoples have been on a voyage together for a very long time. Australia and the Philippines are in the same boat, and we share a vision for our destination: a peaceful, secure, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. We know the course to follow: strengthening our economic partnership through trade and investment; building on our connections in education and skills; creating more opportunities for our young people through the new work and holiday visa that we have agreed together; continuing our shared efforts in agricultural research; and deepening our cooperation in defence to support regional security. This is the new level of engagement our government is seeking between our two nations and indeed across ASEAN as a whole. I know the Philippines is rightly proud of its place as one of the five founding members of ASEAN. All of us in Australia are looking forward to next week's special summit in Melbourne, which will mark 50 years since Australia became ASEAN's first dialogue partner. For Australia, ASEAN is central, and it is essential, and we want to continue to work closely with the Philippines and all our friends and partners in ASEAN to promote the shared opportunity that drives our regional prosperity and to fulfil our collective responsibility to uphold regional security. Mr President, our nations share a determination to navigate the challenges of our time: climate change, food security, cybersecurity, counterterrorism and regional security. The new strategic partnership that you and I signed together in Manila last year speaks to our mutual trust and our common resolve. I'm pleased we're building on this momentum today, signing a memorandum of understanding for enhanced maritime cooperation and agreeing to new initiatives in key areas of digital technology and cybersecurity. As our nations work together in this decisive decade for the Indo-Pacific, we can draw inspiration from our shared history. In June 1943, when eight Australian servicemen escaped from their prisoner-of-war camp in Sandakan, they joined the Filipino resistance in their struggle against Japanese occupation. In Palo, on Leyte, a memorial stands in honour of the 92 Australians who lost their lives in the liberation of the Philippines in 1944. Our nations served and sacrificed together in Korea. In 1999 the Philippines joined Australia in supporting independence for East Timor, and in 2013 Australian defence personnel and medical mission teams returned to the Philippines to provide humanitarian assistance after Typhoon Yolanda. That's the spirit of Filipino bayanihan and Australian mateship: we work together and we care for each other. Mr President, this connection and affection lives and thrives in the electorates of so many members of the parliament that you see here today. Members from all sides of politics have the privilege of representing the large and growing Filipino Australian community, many of whom have joined us in the parliament today. They are people famous for their generosity, hospitality and love of family, renowned for their hard work and aspiration and always looking to give back to the community. That's just as true in my electorate in Sydney's inner west as it is in the regions, like in Port Wakefield in South Australia. Eighteen months ago, their local country fire service was staring down the barrel of closure. When the small band of volunteers put out a call for new recruits, they received only one response: Samson Bucol, who migrated to Australia from the Philippines in 2014. His dedication to duty won the respect and affection of his fellow volunteers, and he soon passed the word on to others. Today, a quarter of the members of that country fire service are of Filipino descent—and half of the cadets—characteristic of the spirit of the Filipino diaspora that proudly calls Australia home. Mr President, you address us today as a leader in the region where, more than any other, Australia's destiny lies. And, as we look to shape the future together, I'm reminded of something you said to me at our last meeting: prosperity and progress depend on peace. This is what our strategic partnership recognises, and that is what is so significant about the maritime cooperation activities our two navies completed together for the first time in November last year. We are both island nations, we are both trading nations, and for both of us the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is not an abstract notion or a theoretical question. Freedom of navigation is fundamental to our sovereignty, our prosperity, our security and our territorial integrity. Our cooperation is an assertion of our national interest and a recognition of our regional responsibility. It reflects our shared understanding that peace depends on more than the presence of the great powers. All of us in the international community—middle powers like our two nations as well as small nations—have our part to play in building a more stable, peaceful and prosperous future. President Marcos, to conclude on a personal note, I do want to say how touched Jodie and I were by the kindness extended to us during our time in your wonderful country last year. We were proud to host you at the Lodge last night. That was a very pleasant dinner: not so much work, just enjoyable; four people together, engaging in a spirit of respect and friendship. I think that was a great beginning to your important visit. What I know very sincerely is that you will be warmly welcomed wherever you go in our nation of Australia, because all of us in this place and, indeed, all Australians are united in our respect for the contribution that your nation and your people make to our region and to our communities. You honour us today, and we very much look forward to your address. 10:33 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson I commend the Prime Minister for his very fine words. On behalf of the coalition and federal opposition, I extend to you, President Marcos, a very warm and hearty welcome and greetings. Your Excellency, to you, to Her Excellency First Lady Marcos and to the entire Republic of the Philippines delegation: Australia welcomes you, our parliament welcomes you, and, of course, our people warmly welcome you. Millions of Australians will watch your address today, and, when they do, they will not only see the face of a foreign leader; they will hear the words of a dear friend of Australia. If words carry sentiments across land and sea, then, to you and through you, Mr President, I send my best wishes to the friendly, faith fortified and fearless people of the Philippines. Seventy-eight years ago, in the main square of Manila, an American flag was lowered and the flag of the Philippines was raised. As a new republic was born, the newly inaugurated president addressed his countrymen and marked the forward thrust of the frontiers of freedom. It was on that day, 4 July 1946, when President Roxas joyfully declared the Filipino people had 'reached the summit' of the high 'mountain of independence'. It was indeed a long and arduous historic climb from ancient communities occupying a vast archipelago to colonial rule under the Spanish, from a revolt against the Spanish to becoming the subjects of the United States, from occupation under the imperial Japanese forces to American liberation and the final steps of stewardship towards sovereignty. When President Roxas delivered his speech, he knew the challenges of nation building that awaited his fellow Filipinos. Only weeks earlier, he'd outlined the hurdles ahead—a country in ruins from war, a people beset by unemployment, hunger, disease, inflation and housing inadequacy, yet the President at the time was optimistic. He said: … if we conquer the obstacles which bar our way, our people will grow great in the eyes of men. The Philippines aspires to greatness. President Marcos, today you lead a nation and people who no longer need to aspire to greatness because the Philippines is a great country by any measure of the word. Your nation and your people are truly great in the eyes of Australians. Indeed, only 33 years after your country attained independence, our 22nd Prime Minister was on your soil attending a dinner hosted by your father, President Marcos Sr. Prime Minister Malcom Fraser spoke with admiration about the development of the Philippines and described Manila as one of the great cities of the world. The bonds between our peoples were forged amidst the hell of the Second World War. Within the Australian national consciousness is an enduring admiration for both of our nations' forebears who served and sacrificed to liberate the Philippines. As the Prime Minister rightly pointed out, a handful of Australian prisoners of war escaped from Borneo to your islands and joined your guerillas. Thousands more of our sailors, airmen and signals intelligence officers supported General Douglas MacArthur's military operation. Indeed, at the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park in Leyte the names of 92 Australians who gave their lives for liberation are recorded on a monument. Ever so poignantly, only last year, the wreck of the prisoner ship SS Montevideo Maru was found on the northern coast of the Philippines. If there is any solace in that tragedy, it is that almost 1,000 Australian souls have their resting place in the waters which belong to our Filipino friends. From our partnership in war has emerged a camaraderie between our two peoples. In the 1950s, under the Colombo Plan, Filipino students came to this country to further their education. The 1970s saw many Filipinos migrate to Australia for work. First generations beget subsequent generations, and today our nation is so proud to be home to more than 400,000 Australians of Filipino ancestry. Indeed, Filipino born migrants constitute one of our largest migrant groups. Just as Australia is home to many Filipinos, the Philippines is home, of course, to many Australians. And, importantly, the pipeline between our two countries flows seamlessly both ways—a pipeline which carries people, businesses and commerce. The term 'friendshoring' might be new, but deepening trade and investment with longstanding and trusted partners who share the same values is not a new concept, and, in these uncertain times, there is much that Australia and the Philippines can continue to do to strengthen our supply chains. As you correctly observed during your address at the Center for Strategic and International Studies last year, economic security is national security, and, of course, we find ourselves in times of emboldened autocrats and belligerent regimes who show utter contempt for sovereignty, law and liberty. Your country shows a resolve because your country knows that the threats are real. For many years, the Philippines has been on the front lines, subjected to grey zone activities, and I commend you for your personal resolve, Mr President—for your and your country's courage in calling out acts of coercion and for the Philippines' steadfast commitment to international law. Last year you received much applause for your remark in your state of the nation address when you said: We will protect our sovereign rights and preserve our territorial integrity, in defense of a rules-based international order. Mr President, these words of yours encapsulate an imperative for all nations who cherish peace, prosperity and the preservation of civilisation itself. Together, then, with our many partners and friends in the region we must all continue to speak up with courage in calling out acts of intimidation and interference. We must all maintain our strenuous efforts in diplomacy, and we must all especially lift our individual efforts to support the collective goal of integrated deterrence. I thank you most sincerely, Mr President, for your emphatic support for AUKUS. As you appreciate, the work of AUKUS seeks to complement the efforts of other nations in the region to uphold sovereignty, security and stability and, most importantly, to preserve peace. The centrality of ASEAN and the role it plays in regional affairs is often spoken about. In these precarious times, I hope that defence and deterrence will be at the very centre of discussions at next week's ASEAN summit. Mr President, you are truly a great guest and friend of our country. You are honoured today by a very grateful friend in our nation. With our friendly words, we welcome the words of a friend most dear. The SPEAKER 53517 Mr President, it gives me great pleasure to invite you to address the House of Representatives. His Excellency Ferdinand R Marcos Jr (10:40): The honourable Prime Minister, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the honourable President of the Senate, President Sue Lines, the honourable Speaker, Mr Milton Dick, the honourable Leader of the Opposition, Mr Peter Dutton, honourable senators and members of parliament—allow me to also greet the 48 honourable members of the Philippines-Australia parliamentary group that are present with us here today—ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Allow me to begin, Mr Speaker, by acknowledging the Ngunnawal people, the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet today, and to pay my respects to their elders past and present. I also extend my respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that are with us here today. The First Lady and I are delighted to be in Canberra. We are grateful to Governor-General David Hurley for his invitation to us as guests of government. As president of a proud and free country, few other honours surpass this opportunity to address one of democracy's most august institutions, the Parliament of Australia. The longstanding friendship between our two great nations transcends the 78 years of our formal diplomatic relations. It is anchored on deep bonds of mutual respect and fond affection, which find concrete expression today in the rich contributions of more than 400,000 Filipinos to Australia, comprising the fifth-largest migrant community in your country today. These bonds trace their roots as far back as the 1860s, when Filipino pearl divers, known to you then as the Manilamen, found their way to your shores as early purveyors of globalisation. These Manilamen contributed to the Australian economy, they enriched Australian life, and, most importantly, they sparked meaningful connections that have endured through generations. When our two nations faced common danger in 1942, Filipino soldiers fought valiantly in Bataan and Corregidor. They faced the impossible task of holding back the enemy's advance, and yet we did. These efforts helped keep Australia safe. In return, a grateful Australian people provided temporary refuge for the wartime Filipino leadership, and, at the most crucial moment, Australian airmen, sailors and soldiers fought side by side with Filipinos as we, together with our allies, turned the tide of war. Just as Filipinos lost lives to keep Australians safe at the onset of war, so did Australians offer their lives to restore freedom in the Philippines at the dawn of peace. As allies, we engaged actively in shaping the free world's vision for the postwar order, and we worked to ensure that the new peace would respect the rights of all nations. As founding members of the United Nations, we turned that vision into reality. From the very beginning, we knew that our interests were intertwined. The security of Australia is bound with the security of the Philippines. When my father accompanied Prime Minister Whitlam on a sentimental tour of Bataan and Corregidor in 1974, they reaffirmed that core principle. When I signed our strategic partnership with Prime Minister Albanese last September, we marked a milestone in our deliberate and steady effort to build opportunities for our peoples while contributing to regional peace. All of these further affirm what our two peoples have already forged through many centuries. I look back on our shared history to contextualise the role that our respective nations played and continued today to play at this watershed moment. Geopolitical polarities and strategic competitions threaten our hard-won peace even as we remain beset by unresolved inequities and inequalities within and amongst nations. Powerful and transformative technologies can destabilise our political and social order. Climate change threatens our very existence. These tectonic shifts are acutely felt in the Indo-Pacific. It has become crucial for us now to envision the shape, the breadth and the depth of our strategic partnership and how it must move forward as we weather the storms of global volatility. I see the way forward in building on the strong ties that have already been established between our citizens, between our economies, between our governments. Today we add a further dimension to that relationship as we address concerns on our security and defence. We are called upon once again to join forces, together with our partners, in the face of threats to the rule of law, to stability and to peace. For the Philippines, Australia plays a crucial role as one of only two partners with which the Philippines has a visiting forces agreement. In August of last year I witnessed Exercise Alon, our bilateral amphibious activity involving 560 Filipino soldiers, 1,200 Australian servicemen and 120 US marines. Last November we welcomed the inaugural Maritime Cooperative Activity between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Australian Defence Force in the Philippines exclusive economic zone. Let this just be the beginning. Your leaders have always taken the position that the destiny of Australia is irrevocably linked to the destiny of Asia. Over the years you have held true to this tenet. You have become a valuable member of Asia and of the Indo-Pacific community. Our two countries have always understood that, without the predictability and stability of our rules based order, our region would not have emerged as the driver of the global economy it is today. We have long known that our prosperity and development are anchored on the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific. Today that peace, that stability and our continued success have come under threat. Once again, we must come together as partners to face the common challenges confronting the region. Not one single country can do this by itself. No single force can counter them by themselves. This is why our strategic partnership has grown more important than ever. We must reinforce each other's strengths. We must protect the peace that we fought for during the war and have jealously guarded in the decades since. We must oppose actions that clearly denigrate the rule of law. As in 1942, the Philippines now finds itself on the front line against actions that undermine regional peace, erode regional stability and threaten regional success. Then as now we remain firm in defending our sovereignty, our sovereign rights, our jurisdiction. I shall never tire of repeating the declaration that I made from the first day that I took office: I will not allow any attempt by any foreign power to take even one square inch of our sovereign territory. The challenges that we face may be formidable, but equally formidable is our resolve. We will not yield. Then as now the security and continued prosperity of the region and countries like Australia rely upon that effort. Just as we fought to build our rules-based international order, so are we now fighting to protect it. The protection of the South China Sea as a vital, critical global artery is crucial to the preservation of regional peace and, I dare say, of global peace. We have an abiding interest in keeping our seas free and open and in ensuring unimpeded passage and freedom of navigation. We must uphold, preserve and defend the unified and universal character of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as the constitution of the oceans. We draw strength from the consistent and unequivocal support of Australia and the international community for the lawful exercise of our rights, which have been settled under international law. On behalf of the Filipino people, I thank you, Australia, for standing with the Republic of the Philippines. Ladies and gentlemen, we demonstrate the depth and breadth of our security cooperation through regular exchanges between our armed forces and our coast guards, including in the areas of maritime security, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. We collaborate to strengthen and seek new business links, to bolster our economic security and to develop responses to economic coercion. We work together to promote and enhance the flow of environmentally sustainable investment and to explore cooperation on mineral resources development and climate and energy transition, amongst others. Indeed, we have made good progress since we signed our strategic partnership last year. Ultimately, our partnership finds its anchor in our common commitment to ensuring that this region keeps to the path of peace, builds resilience and remains focused on delivering dividends to our citizens and our communities. Beyond our bilateral horizon, we project the commitment in our continued adherence to ASEAN centrality, which we will have the opportunity to reaffirm at the special summit between ASEAN and Australia in Melbourne next week. Beyond the region, we project this commitment, too, in our partnership and active leadership on the international stage. We collaborate closely with Australia to strengthen international security and universal adherence to international humanitarian law. I salute Prime Minister Albanese's personal commitment to our vision of a world free of nuclear weapons. It is a commitment that is shared by all peoples of South-East Asia, Australia and the Pacific island states. Through the treaties of Bangkok and Rarotonga, our two regions serve as pockets of freedom from these destructive weapons. Within the ambit of the ASEAN Regional Forum and the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, our two countries are champions of nuclear disarmament and advocates for nuclear risk reduction. In the context of emerging technologies, such as autonomous weapons systems, and of new frontiers, such as outer space and cyberspace, there is much room for our two countries to work together. Our collaboration in the United Nations demonstrates the need to continue to build bridges and to forge consensus towards decisive multilateral solutions. We cannot allow geopolitics to paralyse global governance. Now more than ever we need multilateralism to work. This is particularly important given the scope of global cooperation needed to address our most pressing vulnerability, one that threatens the very survival of our peoples, one that threatens our very future. I speak, of course, of climate change. My country accepts its part in our collective responsibility. My administration is committed to accelerating our just, affordable, sustainable and inclusive energy transition towards carbon neutrality. The Philippines has the potential to be a net carbon sink, absorbing more carbon dioxide than we emit, yet we are one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world, ranking first in the 2023 WorldRiskIndex. This glaring disproportion between our share of responsibility and our vulnerability reflects an injustice that must be corrected. Developed countries must do more and they must do it now. Our past successes should inspire us to forge ahead in building the future to which we aspire. For the Philippines, we continue to see that future in our identity as Asians and as members of the Pacific family. Together with our Asian neighbours—and in that group I include Australia—we continue to work for a regional community that empowers all of our citizens. As Asians, we are committed to fulfilling our region's promise as a global engine of growth and remaining true to our shared value of mutual respect and our shared desire to flourish through our diversity. As part of the Pacific, we carry in our very DNA the heritage of seafaring civilisations that span two oceans. This manifests in the high regard our cultures place on family, on community and on the environment. In Australia, we see not only a strong democracy but an indispensable part of our Pacific community—a permanent stakeholder in the future of Asia and a reliable supporter of ASEAN centrality. In Australia, we see a natural partner in our efforts to defend, to preserve and to uphold our open, inclusive and rules-based international order to ensure that it remains governed by international law and informed by the principles of equity and justice. In Australia, we see a lifelong friend with whom we have endured joint sacrifices, revelled in shared victories and now pursue common aspirations. All this inspires confidence in the future of our strategic partnership. This confidence is shared not only by our two governments but also by our two peoples. We see this in the face of the almost 35,000 Filipino students who choose Australian schools to pursue their respective endeavours—the fifth-largest foreign student population in Australia. We see this too in the nearly 30,000 Australians who work and live with us and have chosen to call the Philippines their home. We see this, more importantly, in the spirit of bayanihan and mateship that defines our relationship. Our mateship brought Australians to Tacloban, my mother's home town, to bring relief in the aftermath of super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Our bayanihan brought closure and peace to the families of the gallant Australians that perished in the sinking of the Montevideo Maru in 1942. This is the same spirit that now brings our sailors, airmen and soldiers together, shoulder to shoulder, in defending our rights and in securing our common future. When the Southern Cross met the Pearl of the Orient, our friendship blossomed, withstood the test of war and flourished through the changes brought about by a world in flux. Looking ahead, I am confident that Filipinos and Australians will remain steadfast partners, unyielding and uncompromising in our shared values and energised as we gird ourselves to work together in the spirit of bayanihan and of mateship. Thank you and mabuhay! Members and senators rising and applauding — The SPEAKER 53517 Mr President, on behalf of the House of Representatives, I thank you for your address. I wish you and Her Excellency the First Lady a successful and enjoyable stay in Australia. I thank the President of the Senate and senators for their attendance, and I invite the Prime Minister to escort our guests to meet members and senators as they depart the chamber. Members and senators rising and applauding, His Excellency Ferdinand R Marcos Jr left the chamber. The SPEAKER 53517 The chair will be resumed at the ringing of the bells. Sitting suspended from 11:08 to 12:45 MOTIONS 6 MOTIONS Housing 6 12:45 Mr GEE 261393 Calare I seek leave to move the following motion: That: (1) the House notes: (a) the housing affordability crisis is having a devastating impact on many Australians, particularly first home buyers and young families; (b) urgent action is required to prevent the great Australian dream of home ownership from slipping away from many Australians; (c) the National Australia Bank Residential Property survey for fourth quarter 2023 found that the market share of foreign buyers in new Australian housing markets grew for the fifth straight quarter to a six and a half year high of 11 per cent, and in New South Wales foreign buyers had a 15 per cent market share; and (d) a two-year prohibition on the foreign purchase of residential property in Australia would ensure that the interests of foreign property speculators are not being prioritised over the interests of Australian first home buyers and young families; and (2) Private Members' business order of the day No. 27, relating to the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Foreign Entities Bill 2024, be called on immediately and be given priority over all other business for final determination of the House. Leave not granted. Mr GEE 261393 I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Calare moving the following motion immediately: That: (1) the House notes: (a) the housing affordability crisis is having a devastating impact on many Australians, particularly first home buyers and young families; (b) urgent action is required to prevent the great Australian dream of home ownership from slipping away from many Australians; (c) the National Australia Bank Residential Property survey for fourth quarter 2023 found that the market share of foreign buyers in new Australian housing markets grew for the fifth straight quarter to a six and a half year high of 11 per cent, and in New South Wales foreign buyers had a 15 per cent market share; and (d) a two-year prohibition on the foreign purchase of residential property in Australia would ensure that the interests of foreign property speculators are not being prioritised over the interests of Australian first home buyers and young families; and (2) Private Members' business order of the day No. 27, relating to the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Foreign Entities Bill 2024, be called on immediately and be given priority over all other business for final determination of the House. I raise this as a matter of urgency, because every single member of this House knows that Australia is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis. I have sat in this House all week and listened to speaker after speaker on both sides of the aisle acknowledging this crisis and saying that it needs to be urgently addressed. There can be no disputing it. It's to the point where there is seemingly universal acknowledgement in this House that this is the case. Go back through the Hansard of this week and you will read members' speeches about how important it is that we get first home buyers and young families into the housing market. It cannot seriously be argued by any member in this House that this is not a matter of national urgency. The great Australian dream of home ownership used to be the birthright of every single Australian. Now it's slipping away before our eyes, and everyone in this House knows it. If we accept that there is a housing affordability crisis, the question then becomes: what are we as a parliament going to do to address this issue? Part of the solution to the housing affordability crisis is before this House as we speak. It's my private member's bill—my first one—the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Foreign Entities Bill 2024. Mr Katter HX4 It's a very good one. Mr GEE 261393 I thank the member for Kennedy for his interjection. This bill represents an important part of the solution to this crisis, and it needs to be debated urgency because it can deliver immediate results and make thousands and thousands of new homes and units available to first home buyers and young families each year. The bill proposes a two-year prohibition on the foreign purchase of homes in Australia. Boosting housing supply is going to take decades. A two-year ban on foreign property speculators buying Aussie homes would take pressure off the market straightaway. That's the aim of the bill. Noncitizens, non-permanent residents and foreign controlled companies would be included in this prohibition. It covers the purchase of residential property either directly or indirectly and alone or jointly. It does not apply if a non-Australian is purchasing property jointly with a spouse or de facto partner who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident. The bill provides for penalties for breaching the prohibition of up to $250,000. This in itself is a substantial penalty. However, for wealthy offending foreign corporations, this may not be a large enough fine. Under the Crimes Act 1914, a penalty of five times this amount may be imposed upon an offending foreign corporate entity, which equates to $1.25 million. Importantly, the bill also provides for the Federal Court of Australia to order the disposal of foreign-held residential property that contravenes the prohibition in this bill. Debating this bill is urgent because things are moving quickly in the property market. The latest available data we have on foreign investment in residential real estate covers the 12 months to June 2022. This period included the COVID-19 pandemic global lockdowns, which undoubtedly would have affected the number of homes bought by non-Australians, given that they couldn't travel here. In the years since June 2022, regularity has returned to the housing market, and we know the numbers are higher. In any case, the data reveals a real problem that this bill aims to help solve. In the year to June 2022, 4,228 homes were bagged by foreign buyers. That's scarce housing stock that could have gone to 4,228 Australians desperate for a home to call their own and who are being crowded out of the market. More than 75 per cent of these properties sold for less than $1 million. The year before, in the 12 months to 2021, 83 per cent of the homes purchased by foreign buyers were under $1 million. This demonstrates that foreign buyers are snapping up entry-level homes. That's a shocker of a statistic for young families and first home buyers who are trying to get their start. In the five years to June 2022, almost 37,000 residential properties on our shores were snapped up by foreign buyers. That's a huge number of homes that could have been the first rung on the property ladder for Aussies. But, since those figures were published, the activities of foreign property speculators have been ramping up big time. The National Australia Bank's recently released residential property survey found that the market share of foreign buyers in new Australian housing markets in October to December 2023 grew for the fifth straight quarter to a 6½-year high of 11 per cent. In New South Wales, foreign buyers had a 15 per cent market share in the fourth quarter and in Western Australia it was 14.2 per cent. The NAB says that this points to a near fivefold increase in market share from the COVID pandemic low of mid-2021. The NAB states that international agents are reporting an increase in inquiries of over 400 per cent. The NAB also went on to find that dwelling prices rose by 9.3 per cent across capital cities in 2023. That's a very significant increase. Action must be taken immediately. This bill is not about turning our backs on the wider world; rather it's about making thousands more homes available to hardworking Australians. It's about helping Australian homebuyers, and especially first home buyers, finally get a foothold on the residential property ladder. It's about helping them get their shot at the great Australian dream. The measures outlined in this bill can be an important part of the solution to the housing affordability crisis, along with other policies. They can make a positive contribution and have a positive impact straightaway. It's simple: by pausing foreign buyers from the residential property market for two years, more housing would be available for Australians. It's urgent that we have this debate because, as I have said, this is a measure that can make a real difference quickly. It's much faster to implement this bill than to build tens of thousands of new homes to make up for those bought by foreign property investors. The immediate impact that this bill can have demonstrates why it is so important to bring it on for debate. Constituents of the Calare electorate are frequently contacting me to indicate just how difficult it is to find an affordable place to purchase or rent in our area. The fact is, when demand increases in the city, speculators look to park their wealth in properties located in regional centres and thriving towns, causing regional house and rental prices to skyrocket. Allowing foreign buyers to snap up Aussie homes adds unnecessary heat to the housing market that so many are finding themselves locked out of. It's a vicious cycle. In these difficult economic times, we need to be putting the interests of Australians ahead of wealthy foreign property speculators. The bill would bring the goal of homeownership into reach for thousands more Australians each year by banning foreign buyers from snapping up homes on our shores. It's been modelled upon a similar piece of legislation that was passed into law by the Trudeau government in Canada. This month, Canada announced it would be extending its ban on foreign home purchases in Canada for an extra two years to 2027. They are not our only Commonwealth cousins to do so. New Zealand has a similar measure, as does Singapore. It's not enough to just believe in the great Australian dream. It's not enough just to talk about that dream in this House. It's our role as members of parliament to empower Aussies to achieve it. I urge all members of this House to support this motion and bring this bill on for debate, on the double. The SPEAKER 53517 Is the motion seconded? 12:56 Mr KATTER HX4 Kennedy I hereby formally second the motion. Yesterday, I highlighted affordability, along with my colleague from Tasmania. I would have heard this word maybe a thousand times so far this year in this parliament. I defy anyone to point out a single action taken, or proposed, by the opposition that would deal with affordability. What the federal government is proposing will increase demand. I would draw their attention to a paper put out by Malcolm Turnbull, no less, and an Oxford don—who happened to be an Australian and was a professor at Oxford. They said that governments continuously solve the housing problem by increasing demand, like, 'We'll give you a five per cent interest rate,' or, 'We'll give you a $10,000 encouragement fee to get your own home.' All this increases demand but does nothing whatsoever to increase supply. At least here, in the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Foreign Entities Bill 2024, we are curtailing the demand very, very significantly. The honourable member for Calare has outlined the degree of penetration into the Australian housing market by foreign investors. A foreign investor wants to park his money somewhere. I've seen numerous examples of that in North Queensland—investments that couldn't possibly ever make money but very safe investments. We've only got so many house builders. We've only got the provision of so many house-building supplies in this country. If they're being mopped up by foreigners to build houses that they really don't want anyone to live in, then, of course, you're dramatically exacerbating the housing market. It's not as if prohibition is some extreme measure. Our cousins in Canada have already done it. In a country where the price of a house now in Brisbane is over $120,000, the price of a house in Sydney is over $1.2 million and the price of a house in Melbourne is over $1 million, how can any person with the average take-home pay of near enough to $100,000—he pays $25,000 of that in tax; he's got a take-home pay of $75,000—buy a house for a million dollars? I don't know. Of course, they're not. One of the very unpleasant outcomes of this is that young couples are saying, 'Well, we're just going to wait until we've got enough money to get a house and settle down properly.' They don't ever get the money to buy a house, so they don't have any children, so now we are a vanishing race. When the figures come out this year, you'll find that, when 20 Australians die, they're replaced by 16 people. That's a great achievement by the Liberal Party and the Labor Party! You have now imposed upon us that we're a vanishing race of people. You need a house to settle down. One of my great ambitions in life was to have a couple of acres surrounding my house, where we could toss a football around and play a bit of rugby league in the backyard, even if it was only touch football. There would be a bit of space to grow some trees. We didn't have a single tree on our acreage. Now there are over a thousand native trees on our acreage. We've got a beautiful quarter acre. When all the family are home, we play touch football and have a lot of fun. It's very, very civilised. The beautiful thing about this country is that it's an empty country. Go 150 kilometres west of Sydney, and you can fire a machine gun or drop atomic bombs all the way across to the Indian Ocean and not kill anyone, because there's no-one living there. That's the wonderful thing about Australia. Our party in Queensland—if they get the balance of power this year—will lift the speed limits to 125 kilometres per hour on divided, safe highways, and that will enable people to live further out on giant spoke roads. What the member of parliament is doing, new as he is to this place, is a wonderful thing for his country. I salute him and back him very, very strongly in trying to help Australians to get their own homes— (Time expired) 13:02 Ms COLLINS HWM Franklin Whilst the government is opposing the suspension of standing orders from the member for Calare, I do appreciate his concerns and understand the issue he is seeking to address here. Although, I don't believe that this proposal will address the housing challenges confronting Australia, and many may actually make them worse. While investment in building new houses is welcome, foreign ownership of existing houses is generally prohibited, as I'm sure the member appreciates. This boosts the nation's housing stock and assists in the long run whilst ensuring we have enough homes to house Australians. Only in very limited circumstances are foreigners allowed to purchase an existing home. We do, however, want to ensure that foreign investment in housing is in the national interest, which is why we recently introduced a bill in this place to raise the fees on those seeking to purchase an existing home and to increase the maximum fine for those that do not sell or rent out their property when they leave Australia or when they leave the property vacant. Funds raised from these fees and fines will support greater monitoring by the Australian Taxation Office to ensure greater compliance with this measure and our rules and to ensure any investment is in the national interest. Indeed, the changes in our bill do three things. The bill triples the foreign investment fees for the purchase of established homes, doubles vacancy fees for all foreigner owned dwellings purchased since 9 May 2017 and enhances the ATO's compliance regime to ensure foreign investors comply with the rules, including the selling of their residence when required. Our government does take seriously the task of helping more Australians into home ownership. Last night in this place, we were able to take another step forward on that with the passage of our Help to Buy legislation, which will help people into home ownership, particularly low- and middle-income Australians—and I thank the member for Calare for his support for that. Once passed by the parliament, the scheme will support 40,000 low- and middle-income Australians to access home ownership with smaller mortgages and lower deposits. As I have said, we did design this scheme carefully to ensure that it does support the low- and middle-income households while having a minimal impact. Mr Katter HX4 Minister, you're increasing the demand without increasing the supply. Ms COLLINS HWM I'll get to supply in a minute, Member. This is important new support, so it's deeply disappointing that some in this place are using the bill as an opportunity to grandstand, frankly. They should be helping Australians and not doing that. Our government does have a mandate to deliver Help to Buy, a critical new support, and we know it will be life-changing for the tens of thousands of Australians that are able to access it. It will join the improved and expanded Home Guarantee Scheme to support Australians into homeownership. A key Labor election commitment, the Help to Buy scheme and expanded Home Guarantee Scheme help eligible homebuyers secure finance through government support. The Home Guarantee Scheme has now assisted more than 100,000 Australians into a home since our government was elected. In fact, almost one in three first home buyers in the last year were supported by the scheme—a significant increase on the last year under the former Liberal government. The Home Guarantee Scheme, of course, now comprises the First Home Guarantee, the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee and the Family Home Guarantee. The Albanese government delivered on its commitment to introduce the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee three months ahead of schedule, in October 2022, and has now assisted more than 15,000 people in regional Australia into homeownership. We've also, of course, expanded the Home Guarantee Scheme to help more Australians. On 1 July last year, we opened it up to joint applicants, family and friends, not just single and married or de facto applicants. We also, with the Family Home Guarantee, importantly, expanded it from single, natural or adoptive parents with dependants to eligible borrowers who are single legal guardians of children, such as aunts, uncles and grandparents. The Help to Buy scheme and Home Guarantee Scheme are critical parts of the government's broad, ambitious housing agenda, but they're only parts of it. Since coming to office, we have now committed an additional $25 billion in new investments in housing over the next decade. We're working with states and territories to help them meet their ambitious national target of 1.2 million well-located homes through our $3 billion new homes bonus and our $500 million Housing Support Program. We're also, of course, delivering the single biggest investment in social and affordable housing in more than a decade with the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, now established and generating returns. In January we opened the first round of funding for new projects from the Housing Australia Future Fund as we began to deliver on the commitment of the 30,000 new social and affordable homes in the fund's first five years. We've also got our National Housing Accord, which includes the 10,000 affordable homes that will be matched by states and territories with an additional 10,000 affordable homes. For our share of that we now have applications open together with our Housing Australia Future Fund. We of course have paid the $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator to the states and territories for new social homes. Some of those are underway now, and they will deliver around 4,000 new social homes across the country. We unlocked $575 million from the National Housing Infrastructure Facility for social and affordable housing and we're now adding a further $1 billion to build more social housing rentals as part of that. In the last budget, we also facilitated an additional $2 billion in financing for the Affordable Housing Bond Aggregator, administered by Housing Australia, to provide cheaper long-term loans to support new affordable rental homes. To date, Housing Australia has supported 4,937 new homes since our government came to office. We've also provided the states and territories with an additional $1.7 billion through the one-year extension of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement. We're continuing to work with the states and territories and stakeholders on the National Housing and Homelessness Plan, a shared national vision for tackling the country's housing challenges, while we progress a new housing and homelessness agreement with the states and the territories. Together, these represent the most significant housing reforms in a generation, after a decade of very little action from the former government. The commitments highlight our government's understanding that there's no single solution to our nation's housing challenges. It's much more complex than that. We have to pull every lever we have available to us to achieve real change, and that's exactly what we're doing. That's why the Help to Buy legislation is so critical. That's why thousands of Australians who have been locked out of homeownership are calling on us to do more. Here's what I've heard from some of the people around the country about Help to Buy. A couple in Brisbane in their mid-60s told me they have sufficient funds to enter into a shared equity arrangement for a house but wouldn't be able to buy one in their own right. For them, Help to Buy would mean security and not remaining, in their words, 'at the mercy of the rental market for the rest of our lives'. An ACT resident who doesn't earn a huge wage and is studying and working full time told me he and his partner were looking to become homeowners. They'd moved to Canberra from rural New South Wales and saved hard to get where they were. For them, Help to Buy would mean they could finally afford a property. A Sydney resident expressed to me the difficulties of buying a home in the city but told me Help to Buy is 'a breath of fresh air that gives first home buyers some hope'. These people want real change. They want assistance to get into homeownership. Our government is working right across the housing spectrum, with homelessness, with more sociable and affordable rental homes, with market homes and with homeownership for more people. We want to add to supply, which is why we're working with our colleagues in the states and territories to get more homes on the ground as quickly as we possibly can. The answer in Australia is more homes. We currently have fewer homes than the OECD average. We need to get more homes and we need to better utilise existing homes. I absolutely agree with the member for Calare on that, but I don't think what he's proposing is the way to go about it. What we want to do is use the fees from foreign investors investing into new property in Australia and create opportunities for more Australians. 13:10 Ms CHANEY 300006 Curtin I rise to back the suspension of standing orders. This is an urgent issue. Housing availability comes up every time I have a community event. As the minister said, every lever needs to be on the table, long term and short term, and this is one of those levers. A temporary ban on the foreign purchase of residential property is one lever. It won't solve the whole piece, but it is part of the toolkit. I was initially concerned about this because it can come across as being xenophobic. I'm not against immigration. This is a short-term response to a crisis that we have at the moment. I'd make two points. Firstly, we're not adding to supply by allowing foreign investors to build new homes, because they are competing with Australians who want to build homes and can't get access to the land, the tradies and the materials. Secondly, we debated the Help to Buy legislation. That will benefit 10,000 people, but it may add fuel to the fire and add to demand. This relates to 4,000 houses a year, based on last year, but it does potentially reduce demand. Surely it is worth debating this urgently. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 74046 Order! The time allocated for this debate has expired. The SPEAKER 53517 The question is that the motion moved by the honourable member for Calare be agreed to.    

The House divided. [13:16]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)

 12 AYES Broadbent, R. E. Chaney, K. E. Daniel, Z. Gee, A. R. (Teller) Haines, H. M. Katter, R. C. Ryan, M. M. Scamps, S. A. (Teller) Spender, A. M. Steggall, Z. Tink, K. J. Wilkie, A. D. 57 NOES Ananda-Rajah, M. Bandt, A. P. Bates, S. J. Burnell, M. P. Burns, J. Byrnes, A. J. Chandler-Mather, M. Charlton, A. H. G. Chesters, L. M. Claydon, S. C. Coker, E. A. Coleman, D. B. Collins, J. M. Doyle, M. J. J. Elliot, M. J. Fernando, C. Garland, C. M. L. Georganas, S. Goodenough, I. R. Gosling, L. J. Hamilton, G. R. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Kearney, G. M. Khalil, P. King, M. M. H. Lawrence, T. N. Laxale, J. A. A. Leigh, A. K. Lim, S. B. C. Mascarenhas, Z. F. A. McBride, E. M. Miller-Frost, L. J. Mitchell, B. K. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. Neumann, S. K. O'Brien, L. S. Payne, A. E. Perrett, G. D. Phillips, F. E. Reid, G. J. Repacholi, D. P. Roberts, T. G. Ryan, J. C. Scrymgour, M. R. Sitou, S. Smith, D. P. B. (Teller) Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Vamvakinou, M. Watson-Brown, E. Watts, T. G. Wilson, J. H. Zappia, A. 0 PAIRS

Question negatived.

 BILLS 11 BILLS Competition and Consumer Amendment (Fair Go for Consumers and Small Business) Bill 2024 11

Competition and Consumer Amendment (Fair Go for Consumers and Small Business) Bill 2024

Consideration in Detail 11 13:20 The SPEAKER 53517 In accordance with standing order 133, I shall now proceed to put the question on the amendment moved by the honourable member for Warringah to the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Fair Go for Consumers and Small Business) Bill 2024, on which a division was called for and deferred in accordance with the standing order. No further debate is allowed. The question is that the amendment moved by the member for Warringah be agreed to.  

The House divided. [13:25]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)

15 AYES 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. Steggall, Z. (Teller) Tink, K. J. Watson-Brown, E. Wilkie, A. D. 57 NOES Ananda-Rajah, M. Burnell, M. P. Burney, L. J. Burns, J. Byrnes, A. J. Charlton, A. H. G. Chesters, L. M. Claydon, S. C. Coker, E. A. Coleman, D. B. Collins, J. M. Doyle, M. J. J. Elliot, M. J. Fernando, C. Garland, C. M. L. Georganas, S. Goodenough, I. R. Gosling, L. J. Hamilton, G. R. Hill, J. C. Husic, E. N. Kearney, G. M. Khalil, P. King, M. M. H. Lawrence, T. N. Laxale, J. A. A. Leigh, A. K. Lim, S. B. C. Mascarenhas, Z. F. A. McBride, E. M. Miller-Frost, L. J. Mitchell, B. K. Mitchell, R. G. Mulino, D. Neumann, S. K. O'Connor, B. P. J. Payne, A. E. Perrett, G. D. Phillips, F. E. Plibersek, T. J. Reid, G. J. Repacholi, D. P. Roberts, T. G. Ryan, J. C. Scrymgour, M. 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. Watts, T. G. Wells, A. S. Wilson, J. H. Zappia, A. 0 PAIRS

Question negatived.
Bill agreed to.

 Third Reading 12 13:28 Dr LEIGH BU8 Fenner by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time. COMMITTEES 12 COMMITTEES National Disability Insurance Scheme Joint Committee 12 Report 12 13:28 Ms COKER 263547 Corangamite On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, I present the committee's report, incorporating additional comments, the General issues—Annual report No. 1 of the 47th parliament. Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). Ms COKER 263547 by leave—This report marks ten years since the establishment of the first NDIS Joint Standing Committee in the 44th parliament in 2013. Since its establishment, the committee has conducted numerous inquiries into key aspects of the NDIS. In overseeing the scheme, the committee has drawn on the experiences and views of NDIS participants, their families, carers, representatives, organisations, providers and workers for the disability sector. This has been an amazing report. It has focused on three principles. It has focused on control and choice. It has also focused on sustainability and co-design. I'd like to thank all members of the committee. I'd also like to thank everyone who has shaped the committee's work. I thank them for their recommendations to our committee over time. They have contributed to the significant body of evidence— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 The debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 43. The debate may be resumed at a later hour. You'll be given permission to continue your comments when it does. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 12 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS Lindsay Electorate: Penrith Community Kitchen 12 13:30 Mrs McINTOSH 281513 Lindsay I rise to acknowledge the extraordinary work being done by local food charity Penrith Community Kitchen. As part of the Stronger Communities Program round 8 grant, Penrith Community Kitchen was awarded almost $10,000 to support nine local schools with a new fridge to store food items. Additionally the grant is being used to purchase pantries for 17 schools in the Lindsay electorate community. The grant will also assist in providing emergency relief hampers for students and their families. Unfortunately, the cost-of-living crisis is hitting very hard in Western Sydney. Penrith Community Kitchen is seeing dual-income families needing food assistance in the Nepean area. Communities across South Penrith, St Marys, Kingswood and Colyton are being particularly impacted. I visited Braddock Public School in Cranebrook to see one of the flexi-hubs, consisting of one of those fridges and pantries, accompanied with supplies from Penrith Community Kitchen to make sure every local kid can have a good breakfast, lunch and dinner. We all know how important it is for our children to have breakfast before school starts to get the most out of those morning hours of their learning. I'm so thankful to have such amazing community advocates like Gai Hawthorn and her team at Penrith Community Kitchen, who continue to help everyone in need. I also want to thank all the local organisations and small businesses involved for their assistance in the schools outreach program. Taxation 13 13:31 Dr GARLAND 295588 Chisholm Our government wants Australians to earn more and keep more of what they earn, which is exactly what will happen when Labor's tax cuts kick in on 1 July, with 13.6 million Australian taxpayers benefiting and 3.5 million Victorians benefiting. Three million more Victorians will be getting a tax cut compared to the previous plan, and 86 per cent of Victorian taxpayers will now be getting a bigger tax cut thanks to Labor's tax plan. When it comes to Victorian women, I am so pleased that an estimated 90 per cent of women will receive a bigger tax cut under Labor's tax plan. That is 1.6 million Victorian women receiving a tax cut, with 1.5 million of these women receiving a bigger tax cut under our tax plan. I am so pleased that these tax cuts will also benefit many students and young people who live in my electorate, with 98 per cent of young people receiving larger tax cuts under our plan. This, of course, will assist young people and students not only while they're studying but also after they've graduated. For instance, a graduate teacher in Victoria earning $77,000 will receive a tax cut of over $1,600. Only Labor wants Victorians to earn more and keep more of what they earn. I'm a proud member of the Australian Labor Party and a proud Victorian. Bowman Electorate: Point Lookout Surf Life Saving Club 13 13:33 Mr PIKE 300120 Bowman There is no more beautiful location within our Commonwealth than North Stradbroke Island. Every year it draws hundreds of thousands of Australians and tourists to summer adventures and whale-watching winters. It boasts, without any doubt, Australia's finest beaches, and keeping visitors and locals safe on those beaches are the tireless volunteers of the Point Lookout Surf Life Saving Club. It's an incredible organisation with a 75-year history, and I'm proud to be one of the club's patrons. The Point Lookout club faces many challenges, as most of their volunteers live on the mainland and the club doesn't enjoy the same ready-made catchment and support as Australia's many mainland surf lifesaving clubs. Despite these challenges, 423 incredible volunteers so far have put in 5,726 volunteer hours this lifesaving season, with many more to come. They do countless acts of service and heroism year in and year out. It was at this point last year when Point Lookout volunteers had one of their finest episodes in their long history. On 25 February the Point Lookout team responded to a serious incident at North Gorge, where three swimmers got into some serious trouble on the rocks. Lifeguards Logan Specht and Keith Weinert acted courageously, taking action to pull an unconscious seven-year-old girl from the water, and other lifeguards assisted the other two swimmers. Once she was safely out of the water, the team administered CPR and saved her life. Thank you to the Point Lookout team for all they do. Dunkley By-Election, Housing 13 13:34 Ms DOYLE 299962 Aston On Saturday, the voters in Dunkley will be heading to the ballot box, and I know that every vote for Jodie Belyea is another vote to make sure that Australians get a fair go. Housing is a part of the Australian dream, and, after a decade of inaction from those opposite, I'm so glad to be part of a government that is going to help more Australians buy a home. The housing challenges faced in Australia are serious, and the Albanese Labor government is committed to implementing measures that seek to address the supply concerns that have been left by those opposite. The electorate of Dunkley has many people who have aspirations to own their own home, and Labor's Help to Buy scheme will assist many to reach that dream. No matter how hard the members opposite huff and puff, it is clear to all that the Albanese Labor government cares. It is listening and is willing to put people before politics. I repeat to the House what I said in the chamber earlier this week. I know that voters in Dunkley this weekend have a choice between a Labor candidate, Jodie Belyea, who supports billions in targeted relief, and a Liberal mayor who has only increased the pressures on families with massive local government rate hikes in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. A vote for Jodie Belyea is a vote for a local voice committed to helping people in Dunkley with the cost of living. Obilic Basketball Club 13 13:36 Ms LE 295676 Fowler On Sunday 25 February I had the privilege of attending the 25th anniversary celebration of the Obilic Basketball Club at our local park in Western Sydney. This club, renowned as the Serbian basketball club within the Serbian community, holds a special place in the hearts of the nearly 7,000 Serbian constituents within my Fowler electorate. I was truly inspired to see the passion and dedication of the club's founding fathers, president Stevan Sipka, Milos and Zoran Salipur, Zoran Petkovic, Oleg Kokotovic, Milivoj Markovic and Vanja Jokanovic—I hope I've pronounced the names correctly—who continue to nurture and support the young Australian Serbian athletes in my community. This not-for-profit organisation is based in the heart of Fowler, at Cabramatta PCYC, another great local facility that provides a home for many of our local sporting and community activities. Obilic Basketball Club currently has three men's teams, one women's team, six junior boys teams and two junior girls teams—all up, 12 teams playing competition at the Bankstown Basketball Association while training three nights a week at Cabramatta PCYC. I didn't know this, but the Serbian community loves basketball, and it's their main sport, despite having a hero in the currently ranked world No. 1 men's singles tennis champion, Novak Djokovic. Again, congratulations to this amazing group of individuals on reaching this milestone, and I wish them continuing success in the next 25 years. Taxation 14 13:37 Ms SITOU 298121 Reid Being a federal member of parliament is always busy, but this month has been particularly busy for me. During this month I have been calling my constituents, doorknocking, holding mobile offices and greeting morning commuters at the train stations. I have spoken to hundreds and hundreds of people because I wanted to tell them about the Albanese Labor government's tax cuts. It's a policy that means every single taxpayer will get a tax cut from 1 July, and four out of five of those taxpayers in my electorate will get a bigger tax cut, thanks to the Albanese Labor government. That means more money to help with the family budget. If you are an early childhood educator on about $65,000 a year, you will get a tax cut of $1,200 a year under Labor, compared to just $500 a year under the previous coalition plan; if you are a police officer on about $115,000 a year, you will now receive a tax cut of over $2,500 under Labor's plan, compared to just $1,700 under the Liberals' plan; and, if you're a software engineer on about $195,000 a year, you'll get $4,500 back—because we want you to earn more and keep more of what you earn. Curtin Electorate: Climate Change 14 13:39 Ms CHANEY 300006 Curtin I am so proud of the work my community has done on Curtin's pathway to net zero. Fifty volunteers have contributed to this 70-page report I hold, including engineers, academics, former public servants, architects, lawyers and ecologists, who met fortnightly for a year in five working groups. It provides an ambitious and exciting pathway to decarbonise our community, which also delivers a healthier, cleaner and fairer society. This report is a great example of what communities can do with an ambitious common purpose and a long-term view. Half our emissions in Curtin come from electricity, and a third come from transport. There are also opportunities to decarbonise through how we approach buildings, urban greening and waste management. In each of these areas, the report sets out easy actions individuals can take and clear asks of federal, state and local governments. I particularly want to thank Claire Gardner, Alex Thornton, Peter Carton, Paul Rooks, Emmerson Richardson, Kate Laing, Elizabeth Karol, Barbara Pedersen and Emma Scaife for their contributions. I'm deeply grateful for the expertise we have in our community, and I'm so proud to represent an electorate that's driven by evidence and long-term interests rather than political ideology and short-term wins. I'll use this report to guide my priorities in Canberra. Constituents who want to help Curtin decarbonise can use it to advocate to their representatives at all levels. A copy is freely available for any of my parliamentary colleagues who want to have a read and see the great work done by the Curtin community. Cost of Living 14 13:40 Ms FERNANDO 299964 Holt Since the election of the Albanese government, our focus has remained unwavering: supporting working families and those in need. In Holt, families grapple with the rising cost of living. That's why I am proud to stand with a government that has a clear plan to address this cost-of-living crisis. The Albanese Labor government is dedicated to bringing tax relief to all Australian families. Our focus this year centres on our plan to give a bigger tax cut to each of the 13.6 million Australian taxpayers. This will mean 90 per cent of our community will be able to keep more of what they earn under us. A Woolies worker at Casey Central like my former colleagues in Dandenong will save $800 under Labor's plan. A nurse at Casey Hospital will save $1,600 a year. These are people forgotten by the Liberals' economic plan. Labor's commitment is clear in putting the interests of working families in Melbourne's south-east first. Under Labor, no-one is left behind. Sunshine Beach Surf Life Saving Club 14 13:42 Mr LLEW O'BRIEN 265991 Wide Bay Commencing in 1994, the Sunshine Beach Surf Life Saving Club's Nippers program is celebrating 30 years of providing young people with important skills that will stay with them for life. Nippers aged between six and 13 learn to be safe in the surf, they learn how to save lives with first aid and CPR, and they develop valuable people-management skills. Today's Nippers are the foundations of the future of surf lifesaving. Every Sunday, the Sunshine Beach surf lifesaving Nippers are out there having fun and building skills. The Sunshine Beach Nippers make new friends and become valuable members of an iconic Australian organisation that has served the community for more than a century and saved countless lives on the beach. The Nippers program relies on its volunteers, who are great people, stumping up every weekend to man barbecues and look after the kids. I congratulate President Johnny Gooderham and deputy, Gabrielle Collins, along with all the parents and volunteers, for their commitment to the club and the community. In sticking with the theme of the Sunshine Beach Surf Life Saving Club, I give a big shout-out to my mate Craig Law and his new wife, Angela Laws, who sprang a surprise wedding on everyone at the surf lifesaving club last weekend. I congratulate you and wish you all the best into the future. Liberal Party of Australia 15 13:43 Dr REID 300126 Robertson We continue to see economic and fiscal depravity from the Liberal Party, disappointment coming at warp speed from the Liberals and forcing their division and negativity on the Australian people, while the Labor Party, the government, remains the party of economic security, stability and prosperity, ensuring that no-one is held back and no-one is left behind, with progressive, inclusive and fair taxation and fiscal policy, making sure—you guessed it—people earn more and keep more of what they are earning. The Liberal Party are killing aspiration in this country and killing the aspirations of every Australian. The Liberal Party are determined to raise taxes in Australia—and not just income taxes. They are also determined to introduce taxes to see the GP or to visit an emergency department. We've seen it from the Leader of the Opposition. We saw it when he was the health minister. They haven't ruled it out if they get the chance next time. It breaks my heart. With that, the Liberals are hell-bent on economic chaos, and they are committed to rolling back Labor's tax cuts and making people work longer and for less. You can't trust the Liberals on tax, you can't trust the Liberals on the economy and you can't trust the Liberals on the health of the nation. Wine Industry 15 13:45 Mr PASIN 240756 Barker As the member for Barker, I represent more wine grape growers by value and by volume than any other person in this place, and it's my melancholy duty to inform the House that global attitudes to the consumption of wine have changed. As a result of that, we have a two-billion-litre oversupply of red wine in this country. To put that in context for those who might be listening, that's 859 Olympic swimming pools worth of wine in storage surplus to demand. What has that done to the commodity price? It has crashed it. What do we need? We need a government that will stand up and support the wine grape growers of this country. They are in desperate need. It costs an inland warm region, like the Riverland in my electorate, around $400 a tonne to produce wine grapes that are converted into wine. They're currently receiving $100 to $150, $160, $170 or $180 a tonne—significant losses. What we don't have is a minister who's prepared to go to the region, talk to the region, develop a plan and work with the region. When we faced our challenges in government—COVID, no less—we had a plan, we implemented it and we saved lives and livelihoods. I ask the minister to do the same—get to the Riverland, talk to these people and help them. Taxation 15 13:46 Ms COKER 263547 Corangamite Did you know that under the Albanese government's new tax plan 13.6 million Australians, including 70,000 taxpayers in my electorate of Corangamite, are about to get a tax cut? It's all part of our mission to help you and your family with cost-of-living pressures. Under our tax plan, to kick in on 1 July, a worker in my electorate earning less than $45,000 will get a tax cut of $804. This is also good news for young people, who we know are under the pump when it comes to paying the bills and getting by, and this is good news for women, who often work in lower-paid sectors like education, care and health. Under our plan, all working women will now get a tax cut, with 90 per cent getting more money in their pockets than under the previous coalition government's tax plan. The opposition first said they'd oppose our plan, then they said they'd roll it back, then they wanted an election on it, and then they rolled over and voted for it. Of course we know those opposite want people to work longer for less. Meanwhile, our tax cuts will make a big difference to people's lives. A retail worker on $32,000 will now get a tax cut of $414, a nurse on $76,000 will now get a tax cut of $1,579, and a teacher on $80,000 will now get a tax cut of $1,679. So, if you're a worker, you're a winner under this Labor government, because we— (Time expired) Meat and Livestock Industry 16 13:48 Mr PEARCE 282306 Braddon Australia's dietary guidelines are a trusted reference on what we should eat for healthy living. So I'm confused and, I must say, pretty worked up by the news that there's a threat to remove or reduce red meat from the guidelines. Apparently, new evidence has shown that lean red meat consumption is no longer healthy. This is absolutely not right and not correct. Red meat continues to be an important source of iron, zinc and B vitamins. It is one of the main sources of vitamin B12 as well as omega-3s. In fact, this decision has nothing to do with food science at all. It's being driven by so-called environmental sustainability considerations. These important guidelines, which have always been based on evidence and food science, have been hijacked by climate activist organisations pushing their ideological agendas against the red meat industry, and it's not good enough. This is an industry that is hitting targets of being carbon neutral by 2030 and has reduced net greenhouse gas emissions by 65 per cent since 2005. We should be applauding our farmers, not ripping away their futures. Our nation has one of the highest obesity levels in the world. Now is not the time to replace food science with political environmental grandstanding. After all, if we weren't supposed to eat animals then why are they made of meat? Taxation 16 13:49 Mr GOSLING 245392 Solomon Labor wants Territorians and all Australians to earn more and to keep more of what they earn. Every one of the 120,000 taxpayers across the Northern Territory will get a better, fairer tax cut under our changes, and 84 per cent will get a bigger tax cut than they would have under the plan of the former member for Cook, Scott Morrison. That was legislated five years ago, and we want to make sure that Territorians have more support to meet their cost-of-living challenges. The other 16 per cent of Territorians will still get a substantial tax cut, and I think that's important to remember. When it comes to Territory women, we have bigger tax cuts for 89 per cent of them, and the other 11 per cent will still get a substantial tax cut. These tax cuts complement continuing reforms by our government to address women's economic inequality, which is a real issue, including in the Territory. We also have reforms to close the gender pay gap, to support workplace flexibility and security and to rebalance unpaid care work. We want Territorians and all Australians to earn more and keep more of what they earn, and that has been demonstrated in the policies that we continue to bring into this place and legislate for all Australians. Coolart Community Garden 16 13:51 Ms McKENZIE 124514 Flinders On Wednesday last week I was delighted to join with the Coolart Community Garden at the magnificent Coolart Homestead in Somers in my electorate. The Coolart Community Garden was awarded $7,000 via the Stronger Communities Program, a very popular and effective program which has since been abolished by the Albanese government. The project involved the purchase of six Biofilta wicking bed cubes, which I learned are specialised raised garden beds made in Australia. The cubes elevate the herbs and the vegetable plants and make the garden much more accessible for people of all kinds of abilities. The grant has enabled so much more than just the purchase of these beautiful garden beds, which are surrounded by Colorbond, another Australian made product, which also has operations just up the road in my electorate, in Hastings. These new garden beds have allowed individuals of all abilities to connect with like-minded people, learn skills and share their knowledge in a safe, relaxed and very friendly environment. There's a real sense of pride here not only to be able to contribute to the historically significant site but to have an opportunity to give back to the community. The garden, I am happy to report, is flourishing, and it has been able to donate fresh produce to the Western Port Community Support Centre. I shout out a thankyou to Andrew, Marnee, Di, Julie, the Somers Residents Association and all the volunteers, who make the Coolart Community Garden so special, including my old mate Bob Chynoweth, the former ALP member for Flinders. It was great to see him again, this time in his element, and his gardening boots! Taxation 16 13:52 Mr BRIAN MITCHELL 129164 Lyons We've had a busy 21 months. The Liberals have said no to cheaper medicines, no to cheaper child care, no to fee-free TAFE, no to higher wages, no to protection for gig workers, no to making wage theft a crime, no to 30,000 homes for Australians who need a roof over their head and no to 40,000 Australians desperate to get their foot in the door of homeownership through Help to Buy. They've said no to tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer—before voting yes, but leaving the option to vote no and roll it back once they get back into government. This Labor government has said yes to cheaper medicines, yes to cheaper child care, yes to fee-free TAFE, yes to higher wages and yes to tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer. This Labor government is fixing the mess left behind by 10 years of Liberal failure. The high inflation they left us we are getting under control. We are getting wages moving. We are cutting taxes. This is the big difference between Labor and the Liberals. Our government doesn't care whether you work at Macca's or MyState Bank, Coles or Cotton On, Woollies or Woodside. We want every Australian taxpayer to get a tax cut. The Labor government wants Australians to earn more and keep more of what they earn. The Liberals want Australians to work longer for less. Prime Minister 17 13:54 Mr PITT 148150 Hinkler It's on. I want to give my genuine congratulations to Prime Minister Albanese and his bride-to-be. I think it's fantastic news. It will be the wedding of the year; there is no doubt about that whatsoever. We've heard in the press all week that it's about the when. It's not about the when; it's about the where, and I've got some suggestions for the Prime Minister to consider. They are fantastic locations. We know the Prime Minister spent a bit of time at Bargara, in Bundaberg, during the campaign, and surely it's because he likes the place, not because he was trying to knock over the member for Hinkler at the election. Mr Albanese R36 We caught up for a beer! Mr PITT 148150 He does like it indeed—welcome, Prime Minister. But there are options there. You could have the wedding on the beach at Bargara, and you could have the reception at the Bundaberg Surf Life Saving Club. If you want to head south, you could go to Hervey Bay. Enzo's on the Beach is a fantastic location; you'll be right on the beach. If you want something inland, you can go to Childers, the Paragon theatre and all of those sorts of things. But my favourite is hashtag #Woodgatewedding. Get yourself down to Woodgate Beach; it's a fantastic spot. You can tear into the ocean king prawns and the Hervey Bay sea scallops. You can have a tipple with the Kalki Moon gin, Bundaberg rum and Bundaberg brewed drinks, which I know you love. You came and opened it for me, and it was very helpful! Prime Minister, I can even put in a call to my wife and suggest that she give you a week for the honeymoon at her beach house at Woodgate. You can walk the beach in the moonlight, you can talk, you can see the locals and, if that doesn't float your boat, we can take you fishing and crabbing. Housing 17 13:55 Mr LAXALE 299174 Bennelong Before coming to this place, I had the pleasure of spending 10 years in local government. In that time I learnt that, for elected officials to address our housing crisis effectively, every level of government must work together—no politics, no partisanship, just progress. We've had politics on housing for so long, and these political battles have made the housing crisis worse. In my time as mayor, New South Wales was governed by a state Liberal government, and throughout that time the Liberals would say affordable housing was a priority but then do little it. And the same thing is happening here in this parliament today. The Liberals complain about the housing crisis, yet they actively oppose policies to address it. They voted against the Housing Australia Future Fund and, yesterday, against Labor's Help to Buy scheme. Disgracefully, they are choosing to blame migrants for their 10 years of policy failures on housing. It is now incredibly disappointing that the Greens political party have joined forces with the Liberals on housing. While they may say different things, their intentions are identical. I say to the Greens and the Liberals: you can't say you want to help renters when then you oppose policies to address housing supply. I say to the Greens and the Liberals: you can't say you want more people to own a home when you then block the Housing Australia Future Fund and Help to Buy. On housing, the Greens and the Liberals are putting politics ahead of progress, and Australia has had a gutful. Minister for Climate Change and Energy 17 13:57 Mr TED O'BRIEN 138932 Fairfax I rise today in defence of the good members of the Australian Labor Party who are in this chamber here today and who, time and time again, come into this debating chamber and very valiantly fight to mop up the mess of their Minister for Climate Change and Energy. That can't be easy for them, but they keep doing it. Today, after question time, there will be another debate that everyone in this chamber knows is called a matter of public importance. It will probably be about the ninth or 10th such debate in the minister's portfolio. He has not turned up to one such debate ever—not one debate. He is a no-show. But since this debate today is about his new tax—the tax on the family car, the tax on the tradie's ute—I invite the minister, who is here in the chamber now, to attend this debate after question time. I know you don't like this, but you know what? Those on your backbench who valiantly come in here to mop up your mess deserve to see you defend this tax after question time. I respectfully issue you that invitation. Women's Economic Security 18 13:58 Ms MASCARENHAS 298800 Swan Money is power or, rather, economic empowerment. Women in Australia are now one step closer to getting a bigger tax cut on 1 July. An incredible 90 per cent of Western Australian women will receive a bigger tax cut because of the Albanese Labor government. I note the theme of International Women's Day, 'Count her in: Invest in women. Accelerate progress,' and that's exactly what the Albanese Labor government are doing. We are empowering women and we're giving them more economic opportunity and more autonomy. What's disempowering is when women are subjected to financial abuse. Women facing financial abuse can't keep more of what they earn, because their earnings are being controlled by their partner. This parliament has an opportunity to stamp out financial abuse, and my government is seriously committed to combating family and domestic violence. The SPEAKER 53517 In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded. PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATION 18 PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATION Member for Cook 18 Resignation 18 14:00 The SPEAKER 53517 I inform the House that on 28 February 2024 I received a letter from the honourable Scott John Morrison, resigning his seat as the member for the electoral division of Cook. Consideration is being given to possible dates for the by-election, and I shall inform the House in due course of the dates which I have fixed for the by-election. CONDOLENCES 18 CONDOLENCES O'Donoghue, Dr Lowitja, AC, CBE 18 Report from Federation Chamber 18 14:00 The SPEAKER 53517 I understand that it is the wish of the House to consider the matter immediately. The question is that the motion moved by the honourable Prime Minister be agreed to. As a mark of respect, I ask all present to signify their approval by rising in their places. Question agreed to, honourable members standing in their places. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 18 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE ASEAN-Australia Special Summit 18 14:01 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson My question is to the Prime Minister. Today we were honoured to host the President of the Philippines in this very chamber. He is here as part of ASEAN in Melbourne next week. Could the Prime Minister advise of the significance of this summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Australia-ASEAN dialogue partnership between Australia and ASEAN? 14:01 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. His asking that question is indicative of the bipartisan nature that is there for having the President of the Philippines as our guest here in this chamber for what was a very successful address. It has been a very successful visit. There's also bipartisan support for Australia's hosting of the ASEAN Summit next week. It is important that we commemorate the event 50 years ago when we were the first dialogue partner for ASEAN. Since then, it has enjoyed bipartisan support from governments of both persuasions, who recognise the great privilege that we have of living in proximity to the fastest-growing region of the world in human history. That presents enormous opportunities for Australia. Nicholas Moore has produced a report, Invested: Australia's Southeast Asia economic strategy to 2040, which outlines not just a general strategy for the region but also a country-by-country analysis about what can be achieved through these relationships. When it comes to the Philippines, for example, it's not just Australian investment in the Philippines; it's Filipino investment here in Australia. This week, they will open the expansion at Melbourne port. Australia's largest container port is, of course, owned by a Philippines based company. They also are significantly investing in renewable energy here in Australia. Next week, under the theme 'a partnership for the future', there will be not just dialogue between every single leader—with the exception, of course, of Myanmar's—coming to Melbourne next week. There'll be a business dialogue as well—an opportunity to increase our trade and economic cooperation. There will be four themes of the conference. The overall summit theme is 'a partnership for the future'. Those four themes are 'maritime cooperation', 'trade and investment', 'climate and energy' and 'emerging leaders'. We know when it comes to maritime that the issues of UNCLOS, as the President of the Philippines said, and of free navigation through the South China Sea and around our trading partners are so important. Our relationship is strong, and we regard the centrality of ASEAN as a key point of our foreign policy. Our partnership can realise a new generation of security, peace and progress as we each play a role in contributing to maintenance of regional stability and work together to uphold the rules based order and manage the strategic challenges which we face. Immigration Detention 19 14:04 Ms LEY 00AMN Farrer My question is to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. When was the minister first informed that a serial sex offender that the Albanese government had released from immigration detention had been charged with sexual assault, stalking and two counts of unlawful assault in Victoria? 14:05 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for her question. I was informed of the arrest last evening, through appropriate law enforcement channels. Taxation 19 14:05 Ms MASCARENHAS 298800 Swan My question is to the Prime Minister. How will Labor's new tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer benefit Australians, and is there any opposition to these cuts? 14:05 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for Swan for her question. The member for Swan knows that, as a result of what has occurred in the parliament this week, every single taxpayer—all 13.6 million of them—will receive a tax cut in July. We want people to earn more and we want people to keep more of what they earn. This is what it will achieve. These tax cuts support the aspirations of all Australians. We know that aspiration doesn't start at the top of the tax bracket. We know that hardworking Australian families work hard in order to get ahead. They work hard so their children will have better opportunities in life as well. That is why we are supporting aspiration by giving every single taxpayer a tax cut. That's why we have legislation before this parliament to help Australians own their own home. That's why we're helping people get the skills that they need through fee-free TAFE. We promised 180,000 places, but we delivered, last year alone, 350,000 places. From next year, there will be another 300,000 going ahead. The Minister for Education is working hard to make sure more kids from the outer suburbs and regions get the opportunity to go to university. That's what it means to be the party of aspiration and opportunity. Those opposite think that aspiration just starts at the top tax bracket. They've said, in the amendments that they've supported in the House and in the Senate, that they want to go back to their form of the stage 3 tax cuts. The shadow Treasurer was out there yesterday, doing those doorstops and saying again: 'We did vote for it, but we're against it. We don't like it, but we did vote for it.' They can change the way they vote, but they can't change their values. They can't change who they are, and that's why they would never have thought of fee-free TAFE. That's why they would never have thought of trying to assist people from working-class backgrounds to get to university. That's why they reacted to our announcement about a change of position on tax cuts by saying they'd oppose it, then saying they were going to roll it back and then saying there should be an election over it—all before they ended up voting for it. We are the party of aspiration and opportunity, the party of tax cuts for Middle Australia, the party of homeownership and the party of earning more and keeping more of what you earn. Immigration Detention 19 14:08 Ms McKENZIE 124514 Flinders My question is to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. I refer to the minister's previous answer and ask: why did the minister fail to use his powers to seek to redetain this serial sex offender and protect these two Victorian women? 14:09 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin Of course, my thoughts—and, I'm sure, those of all members of this place—are with all victim-survivors right now and with all those affected by these distressing reports. I say to the member who asked the question, and all members, that all our law enforcement agencies—the Australian Federal Police, Border Force and the state police forces as well—are doing an extraordinary job. I express my confidence in them. I want to be very clear—and I think all members will appreciate this—I am not in a position to, and I will not, comment on any individual case, because I will not risk prejudicing any court proceedings. Housing Affordability 20 14:10 Mr BURNS 278522 Macnamara My question is to the Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness. How is the Albanese Labor government supporting Australians into homeownership, and what are the barriers to the support? 14:10 Ms COLLINS HWM Franklin I want to thank the member for Macnamara for that important question. I know that the member for Macnamara has been a great supporter of Labor's housing agenda, and I thank him for his support last night for our Help to Buy shared-equity scheme, which passed the House last night. Help to Buy will support low- and middle-income Australians who are struggling to buy their own home save up to 40 per cent on their mortgage. Eligible participants will only need a two per cent deposit, and the government will support them with an equity stake of up to 40 per cent for new homes and up to 30 per cent for existing homes. This means a lower deposit and lower ongoing repayments for tens of thousands of Australians. The SPEAKER 53517 The minister will pause. That's the fourth time the member for Deakin has interjected during this answer alone. And it's always on this minister as well. He is warned. No more interjections on this minister—and hopefully for the remainder of question time as well. The SPEAKER 53517 It doesn't matter who the interjection is from or to. We're going to limit the interjections to assist the House. I want to hear what the minister has to say, just as I wanted to hear the question. Ms COLLINS HWM Thanks, Mr Speaker. Since last night, we are now one step closer to delivering on this life-changing election commitment. This will be life changing for 40,000 low- and middle-income Australians. I want to thank all my colleagues on this side of the House and also some members of the crossbench—the members for Curtin, Goldstein, Indi, Fowler, Kooyong, Mackellar, Wentworth, Warringah, North Sydney, Clark and Calare—who supported Help to Buy. They understand this is about help for real people, help for people like Gemma from Canberra. I've quoted Gemma from Canberra in this place before. Gemma said, 'Help to Buy will give me something to look forward to, something to work towards.' That's what Labor is focused on—getting people into homeownership. The same, unfortunately, can't be said for those opposite and the Greens, who teamed up together, yet again. They came in here last night and voted against helping Australians into homeownership. They voted against Help to Buy knowing that it has the backing of experts, knowing that it has the backing of the construction sector and knowing that it has the backing of advocates on the front line of our housing challenges. Over here they want to talk about homeownership, but they don't vote to support more Australians into homeownership. This is becoming a bit of a habit, teaming up with the Greens. They teamed up on the Housing Australia Future Fund to delay our fund getting up and running. That fund is now established and generating returns. And, indeed, last night they did it again. They need to go back to their constituencies, and they need to explain to people how they voted in this place, particularly the member for Gippsland and the member for Fairfax, who have written to me asking about Help to Buy. I hope they're going to tell their constituents that they came in here and voted against it. They wrote to me and voted against supporting Help to Buy. There is teaming up with the Greens, but this is about people; it's about your constituents, like Gemma and Chris and Sandra, who I quoted in this place last week. We took it to the election. It's about time those opposite supported, and the Greens need to support it as well in the Senate. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 20 DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Jonathan Church Good Soldiering, Kumba, Mr Monday Semaya Kenneth, City of Karratha 20 14:14 The SPEAKER 53517 I'd like to acknowledge a few people in the gallery who have joined us today. I'm pleased to inform the House that we are joined today by recipients of the Jonathan Church Good Soldiering award 2024, who will receive their medals tomorrow on the 123rd birthday of the Australian Army. I'm pleased to inform the House that we are joined today by His Excellency Monday Kumba, the first South Sudanese Ambassador to Australia, and also the mayor and CEO of Karratha, guests of the member for Durack. Honourable members: Hear, hear! QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 21 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Kennedy Electorate: Infrastructure 21 14:14 Mr KATTER HX4 Kennedy Prime Minister, your key role in CopperString created four world-class vanadium mines insured at Hughenden forest of Twiggy Forrest wind farms. Hughenden's HIPCo microthread irrigated pastures scheme creates a protective barrier enabling the rehabilitation and flowering of what is now a degraded and eroded prickly tree and pig infested wasteland. Isn't a meeting of Twiggy, HIPCo, Steven Miles and your brilliant and gifted Tanya Plibersek needed to turn a population of 1,000 into a thriving heartland of 20,000 owner operator, owner-occupier farmers, contractors and journeymen? 14:15 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I agree with all of the sentiments expressed by the member for Kennedy, and I'll add one, which is that he has played an extraordinary role in representing his community over projects like CopperString and over projects around Hughenden. I visited the electorate of the member for Kennedy to look at what are called the Big Kennedy and Little Kennedy wind farm projects and to look at the solar project driven with hydro out of an old goldmine, as well, that's been so extraordinarily successful. I even braved the Hughenden pub with the member for Kennedy, to meet with all of the locals, and to have a community meeting. I risked my life by sitting in the wrong seat of someone who was seven foot eight tall. Can I say to the member for Kennedy that I agree with him. I have a longstanding interest, as well, in the Hughenden Irrigation Scheme. It is a proposal that's being developed. The Minister for the Environment and Water, the brilliant Tanya Plibersek, is happy to meet with stakeholders and the Queensland government to discuss the irrigation needs. This project would provide around 11,000 hectares of irrigated agricultural area. The Queensland government has written to ask us to consider funding for preconstruction activities, which we have now delivered. I understand that the Queensland government has recently announced a review of the gulf water plan. My government will continue to work constructively with the Queensland government and the member for Kennedy to invest in water infrastructure that considers the region as a whole. We are investing in Queensland water infrastructure projects: Paradise Dam near Bundy in Queensland, Cairns Water Security, the Mount Morgan Water Supply Pipeline Project, strategic planning for improving water security, additional funding between Big Rocks Weir and groundwater improvement, and water efficiency in the Lower Burdekin. We are investing in water infrastructure, which is so important, particularly with the changing climate. What we're seeing is floods but then droughts, often in the same regions as well. We need to make sure that we have adaptation going forward, as well. That's something understood by the member for Kennedy, and I look forward to working with him to promote further investment into Queensland water infrastructure. Taxation 21 14:18 Mr REPACHOLI 298840 Hunter My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. With many people in regional communities impacted by the cost of living, how is the Albanese Labor government easing the burden and ensuring that Australian families can keep more of what they earn? Is anyone standing in the way of that relief? 14:18 Ms CATHERINE KING 00AMR Ballarat I thank the member for Hunter and wish him all the best on his Olympic qualifying journey this Saturday. Like all regional members on this side of the House, I know the member for Hunter and the members who represent regional communities are out and about all the time at shows and community events listening to people in our community. We are very much a part of those communities, and it is why we are all so focused on ensuring that regional Australians can earn more and keep more of what they earn. From 1 July, every single Australian taxpayer will receive a tax cut, including those who live in our regions. After 1 July, when any Australian worker pulls out their pay check, what they'll see there is more money in their pocket and less being paid in tax. An apprentice on $53,000 a year will receive a tax cut of $1,000, and a truckie earning $77,000 a year will get a tax cut of $1,604. A nurse on $73,000 a year will get a tax cut of $1,504, which is $804 more than what they were going to receive under the Liberals and the Nationals' plan. Nurses, teachers, retail assistants, casual workers, labourers, truckies and agricultural workers—the backbone of our regions—are all receiving a tax cut. All of them will do better and keep more of their money under our changes from 1 July. That is all good news for Australians, and who on earth could possibly want to stand in the way of that? We know that those opposite were not really keen to support any tax cuts at all. We had, of course, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition out there saying she was keen for it to be rolled back. We've had Senator Hume out there, just in the last few days, saying, 'It's back to the drawing board.' Well, read between the lines that what that actually means is that their first instinct was to oppose Labor's tax cuts, and ever since they've made it clear that really what they'd like to do is take them away. They simply couldn't help themselves; it's in their DNA. They want to see less money in Australians' pockets. They want to see Australians working more and earning less—absolutely working more and earning less. Under Labor, what we've seen is wages growth double from what it averaged under the Liberals and Nationals. Our tax cuts will help every single regional Australian to keep more of the money that they earn, and to earn more money as they go along. What we've seen from those opposite is that there isn't a cost-of-living measure that they don't oppose—whether it's cheaper child care, whether it's cheaper medicines or whether it's energy bill relief. The decisions that you make in this place matter. You might go and say one thing out there in your electorates when it comes to Help to Buy or things like that, but what actually matters is what you do in this place to support regional Australians. All those opposite do is say 'No, no, no, no.' National Security 22 14:22 Mr FLETCHER L6B Bradfield My question is to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. Out of the 149 hardcore criminals released by the Albanese government, how many rapists and sex offenders, apart from the one who has just been charged with sexual assault, remain at large in the community? 14:22 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for his question. It's a question that I answered in the last sitting week, when I informed him and informed the House that because of the strict visa conditions, including reporting requirements and electronic monitoring for many, the location of every individual in this cohort is known. I remind him and those opposite of what the Australian Federal Police's acting deputy commissioner said in estimates: I don't think there's any difficulty in knowing where they are. Unlike some of those opposite, I have complete faith in our law enforcement officials' ability to keep us safe, and they are working around the clock to do just that. And I remind him again that we have worked to give them the tools they need to enforce the strict laws we passed in the parliament last year, including an additional quarter of a billion dollars to support our law enforcement effort. Aged Care 22 14:23 Ms LAWRENCE 299150 Hasluck My question is to the Minister for Aged Care. How is the Albanese Labor government investing in aged care to support older Australians and the workers who care for them? 14:23 Ms WELLS 264121 Lilley I thank the member for Hasluck for her very timely question on the eve of the third anniversary of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety's report being tabled in this place—a report which described a sector that had spiralled into crisis through a lack of leadership, integrity and accountability, and a system where secrecy had been hardwired. Australians have the right to know how their aged-care system is performing. Their government has a responsibility to design and to operate a system that tells them that, and aged-care providers have a responsibility to monitor, improve and be transparent about the kind of care that they provide. These are three very simple principles that, for too long, were put in the too-hard basket. That was until the now Prime Minister's 2022 budget reply, where he made a promise to Australians that transparency and accountability be brought back to aged care; to deliver new funding, more staff and better support to the aged-care sector; to be transparent about how the sector is funded; and to ensure that every single dollar of that investment provides better care to people. Today the Albanese government delivers that promise by publishing Dollars to Care. From today, older Australians and their families can now go on My Aged Care and see how much they are spending on their care, their food, their wages and more alongside their star ratings profile. This transparent tool will hold providers to account for how they are spending taxpayer money and ultimately give people the full picture to make informed decisions about their care. We are shining a light on the aged-care sector—the good and the bad. We recognise that the majority of aged-care providers and their staff are working hard to deliver high-quality and safe care. That is why we delivered a historic pay rise for aged-care workers: to recognise their efforts in lifting the standard of care across the country. Under the Albanese government, there is now a registered nurse onsite in aged care 98.7 per cent of the time on average. That's 23.69 hours a day. Older people are receiving an additional 2.16 million additional minutes of care every single day. The average sector-level investment in the workforce has increased by 19 per cent, and there has been a reduction in the number of pressure injuries, of physical restraint and of significant unplanned weight loss. We are also seeing improvements in the star ratings data, with fewer one- and two-star-rated facilities and more four- and five-star-rated facilities. The Albanese government has brought aged care back from the brink and, looking forward, we have to make sure that the system is capable of sustaining this progress now and well into the future. Immigration Detention 23 14:26 Mr CONAGHAN 279991 Cowper My question is to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. Out of the 149 hardcore criminals released by the Albanese government, how many rapists and sex offenders have re-offended since being released? 14:27 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin I thank the member for his question. As I've said previously to the House, where individuals offend or breach their visa conditions, they will face those consequences, which are a matter for state or Commonwealth law enforcement agencies. Education 23 14:27 Ms CLAYDON 248181 Newcastle My question is to the Minister for Education. What is the Albanese Labor government doing in education to open the doors of opportunity wider for more Australians? 14:27 Mr CLARE HWL Blaxland I thank my dear friend the legendary member for Newcastle for her question. On the weekend, I opened Western Sydney University's new study hub in Fairfield with my great mate the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. It's where we grew up. It's also where I released the Australian universities accord: final report, and I did it there on purpose. That new university hub is smack-bang on the site where I got my first part-time job, collecting shopping trolleys at Fairfield Woolies. That was a long time ago: 1987. Back then, this building still hadn't opened. There were still only three Star Wars movies. It probably should have stayed that way! Honourable members interjecting— Mr CLARE HWL I'm not counting The Mandalorian in that! The SPEAKER 53517 The minister will return to the question. Mr CLARE HWL Those were the days. Those were the movies. And, of course, one of the greatest albums of all time had just come out. Of course I mean Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction. That could be the opposition leader's autobiography one day! A lot has changed since then—but not everything. In the 1980s, the percentage of people in Fairfield with a university degree was about a third of what it was across the rest of the country. Today's it's still only about half the national average. That's what this hub's about and that's what the Universities Accord is about. It's about changing that and breaking down that invisible barrier that stops a lot of kids from the outer suburbs from getting a crack at going to university. And it's an even bigger issue in the regions. That's why we're doubling the number of university study hubs across the country—14 in the outer suburbs and 20 more in the regions. In the next few weeks I'll announce the first 10 of those new regional university study hubs, bringing university closer to where Aussies live. It's all part of what the Prime Minister talks about: opening the doors of opportunity. We want Australians to earn more, and going to TAFE and university is part of that. Going to TAFE or going to university helps you to earn more. If you've got a uni degree you earn an average of 30 grand more than someone whose last year of education was year 12. We want Australians to earn more and we also want Australians to keep more of what they earn. That's why the tax cuts passed this week are so important. A nurse on 75 grand will get a tax cut of more than $1,500, a teacher on 80 grand will get a tax cut of more than $1,600 and an engineer on 95 grand will get a tax cut of more than $2,000. Every taxpayer get a tax cut—all 13.6 million of them—because we want Australians to earn more and keep more of what they earn. Immigration Detention 23 14:30 Mr CALDWELL 306489 Fadden My question is to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. On 13 February the minister assured the House that all 149 of the hardcore criminals the Albanese government released were being continuously monitored. Was this serial sex offender being continuously monitored at the time he is alleged to have sexually assaulted and stalked two women in Victoria? 14:31 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin With respect to this case, as the member would appreciate and as I've already answered, I am not in a position to comment on the individual case. I can, of course, refer to media reporting which indicates that he was subject to both electronic monitoring and curfew as well as others strict visa conditions. Skills and Training 24 14:32 Ms FERNANDO 299964 Holt My question is to the Minister for Skills and Training. How is the Albanese Labor government providing real cost-of-living relief and helping more Australians skill up into better paid, secure jobs while keeping more of what they earn? What has been the response? 14:32 Mr O'CONNOR 00AN3 Gorton I thank the member for Holt for her question and her very strong support for the VET sector in her electorate and across the country. The government inherited a very significant skills shortage—in fact, arguably, the worst in 50 years. We've moved quickly to invest wisely in education and training to ensure we supply skills and knowledge in areas of existing and future demand. One of the most effective means to date to achieve this end has been the remarkable take-up of fee-free TAFE places that focus on skills-shortage areas. These include occupations in the care economy, the IT sector, traditional trades and the energy sector—just to name a few—going through such a significant transition. I'm pleased to inform the House that 350,000 Australians have now enrolled in these fee-free TAFE courses, which is almost double the target we set ourselves after the Jobs and Skills Summit. These courses are providing skills to workers. Like any good government policy, it serves more than one end and it benefits many. It removes cost barriers to much needed skills for students, trainees, apprentices and workers. It also provides a pipeline of skills to businesses and the labour market more broadly. In doing so, it provides more carers to care for older Australians and provides more electricians to help with the transition of the energy sector. These workers—in fact all 13.6 million taxpayers—will be getting a tax cut on 1 July because of the actions of this Prime Minister and the government. Remarkably, 84 per cent of these taxpayers will be better off than they would have been under the Liberal plan. What we're seeing here with the rise of real wages with workers in this country earning more and keeping more of what they earn. I'm asked about whether there have been responses to this. By way of contrast, the opposition leader has no plan, no policy and not even a thought bubble when it comes to addressing cost-of-living pressures in this country. He doesn't support cheaper medicines, doesn't support cheaper child care and doesn't support fee-free TAFE. In fact, he may well have voted in favour of the tax plan, but he has, as we know, spoken against Labor's tax plan. He does not support these things. This is an opposition that is carping and whingeing and has no plans for Australia's future, no plans to supply the skills to workers, no plans to supply the skills to businesses and more broadly no plans to provide the skills and knowledge to our economy. Housing 24 14:35 Mr GEE 261393 Calare To the Prime Minister: the great Aussie dream of homeownership was once the birthright of every Australian, but with the housing affordability crisis it's slipping away, and every member of this House knows it. My private member's bill would place a two-year ban on the foreign purchase of homes in Australia, taking pressure off the market straightaway. Earlier today, neither your government nor the opposition supported it. That's no support from the major parties. Why? Why won't your government give more Aussies a shot at the great Australian dream by supporting my bill? 14:35 Ms COLLINS HWM Franklin I want to thank the member for Calare for that question. I also want to thank him for his ongoing interest in housing and addressing our nation's housing challenges. As I said to him earlier, I also want to thank him for his support for Help to Buy. And in the long list of support from the crossbench, I forgot the member for Mayo, who I also want to thank for her support for Help to Buy. We know that Australians are finding it more difficult to get a safe, affordable place to call home, which is why we want to invest in supply. As I've said here before: supply, supply, supply is the answer. In terms of foreign investment, while investment in building new housing is welcome, foreign ownership of existing homes is generally prohibited, as the member would know and as we discussed earlier in the chamber. In some limited circumstances, foreign residents can purchase a home while they're living in Australia, but they must sell it or rent it out when they leave. A foreign owners vacancy tax applies to any property if left vacant for more than six months. We recently introduced into this House, and it's now going to the Senate, legislation that will triple the foreign investment fees for established houses and double the vacancy fees for foreign investors. The higher fees for established dwellings will encourage all foreign buyers to invest in new housing developments, boosting housing stock for Australians that need it. We want to encourage investment in new dwellings; we don't want to encourage people to be buying existing properties. We want to encourage people to be investing in new dwellings to add to supply, and that's what our change is about. Whilst I understand where the member's coming from with his legislation, as I said earlier, we're not in a position to support it, because we have a lot of policies—a broad, ambitious housing agenda—that will add to supply, and I've run through them numerous times in this House. An opposition member interjecting— Ms COLLINS HWM I'd say to the member opposite, I'm happy to have a conversation with him about housing supply in this country. Taxation 25 14:37 Dr CHARLTON I8M Parramatta My question is for the Minister for Industry and Science. How will the Albanese Labor government's tax cuts support Australians working in STEM? What is standing in the way supporting of STEM workers? 14:38 Mr HUSIC 91219 Chifley I want to thank the member for Parramatta, who's had a longstanding interest in this and knows full well the job opportunities that emerge when you build skills in science, technology, engineering and maths. Australian STEM workers are highly sought after not just here but the world over because our training systems, particularly in STEM, are some of the best according to the OECD. Our government highly values STEM workers. We want to grow the STEM workforce. In fact, we want to see 1.2 million Australian workers in tech related jobs by 2030. Importantly we want their salaries and their wages to grow and we want them to keep more of what they earn. That's why we're giving tax cuts to nearly every single STEM worker. In the tech space, for example, an IT worker in Darwin earning $69,000 is up for a $1,404 tax cut, a software engineer in Derrimut in the western suburbs of Melbourne earning $95,000 will get a $2,054 tax cut and a data analyst in Adelaide earning $90,000, will get a $1,929 tax cut. There is another class of STEM worker who will also benefit. I alluded the other day to a certain strategic consultant who might have been employed by the coalition. I'm not going to go back there, but, if your name's George and you're a marine biologist, then, if you're earning $65,467, you'll earn a tax cut of $1,316—and thanks to the gen Xers who laughed at that one! Those opposite love to talk up the value of STEM but did nothing to tackle the skills shortages that crippled those firms needing talent. And, just as we address the challenge, while we were pushing for tax cuts to deliver cost-of-living relief, what do we get out of those opposite? Oppose. Support. Criticise. Vote for. The Liberal and National parties called our tax cuts 'an egregious error', and then they voted for them. They called the tax cuts 'regressive', then they voted for them. They called the tax cuts 'small fry', then they voted for them. We come to the part of question time called 'What did the Deputy Leader of the Opposition say?' She went into full Churchillian mode, saying, 'We will fight this legislation in parliament,' then voted for it. After they voted for our tax cuts, they turned around and said, 'It's back to the drawing board.' This is what happens. The coalition— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The member for Fisher is warned. Mr HUSIC 91219 get jammed into a policy cul-de-sac because they stand for nothing and oppose everything. This is their constant problem. We value Australia's STEM talent. We want them to earn more, we want them to keep more and we want them to be put to work for the benefit of the Australian economy. The SPEAKER 53517 Order! I'm just reminding the House that the member for Fisher is warned, and the member for Casey, after 11 continuous interjections, is now warned. So no more interjections from the member for Fisher or the member for Casey. Immigration Detention 25 14:41 Mr SUKKAR 242515 Deakin My question is to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. When did the minister inform the Prime Minister that this serial sex offender had committed new crimes against the Victorian community? 14:42 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin I thank the honourable member for Deakin for his question. These are matters that are managed in the ordinary manner. Law enforcement officials advised me, and I've engaged in the appropriate course since then. Taxation, Workplace Relations 25 14:42 Ms BYRNES 299145 Cunningham My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. While the Albanese Labor government's agenda is helping Australians to earn more and keep more of what they earn, are there any risks that would cause them to have to work longer for less? 14:42 Mr BURKE DYW Watson I thank the member for Cunningham, with a question that draws together all the threads of the last few weeks. Indeed, if you go through the three parliamentary sitting weeks we've had, we had the first two where the legislation went through first the Senate, then the House, for people to be able to earn more. Then we have this week— The SPEAKER 53517 The member for Deakin is warned. Mr BURKE DYW where the legislation has gone through the Senate, for people to be able to keep more of what they earn. And, against all of that, when we had the first legislation, for people to earn more, those opposite were really angry about it and voted against it. On the tax cuts, those opposite voted for it but were still really angry about it, angry about it to the extent that—have a look at the amendment that they voted for in the House and in the Senate, which said that what we should have is a reform package that is 'in keeping with the stage 3 tax cuts'. That would mean 84 per cent of people get a tax hike. That's what that would mean. They all voted for it here in the House and again in the Senate—for 84 per cent of Australians to get a tax hike. But the commitment from those opposite is that, on people's rights at work, they will come forward with a 'targeted package of repeals'. That's how they've described it. No-one said they had to use the word 'targeted', but that's how they've described it. We know that means they will target people's wages. That means they will target people's job security. They will target safety at work. And we know from the last week that they will target the measures that have been delivering a closing of the gender pay gap. But the first policy that they've decided on is the worst of all the ideas. The first policy that they've committed to taking to the next election is to undo the right to disconnect—the particular policy that allows people to have some time off. It's the policy that is now law that says that, when you're not being paid, you don't have to work. There are forms of engagement for workers in world history where that principle didn't apply, but generally it is accepted that if you're working you're meant to be paid. But, while they'll oppose the right to disconnect for workers, I'll tell you that it's a right that the Leader of the Opposition's willing to take for himself, because, if it's anything about the cost of living, he'll exercise his right to disconnect. If it's about getting wages moving, he'll disconnect. If it's about rights for casuals, he'll disconnect. If it's about being allowed any time off at all, the right to disconnect is there for the Leader of the Opposition. He'll disconnect from anything that improves the rights of Australian working people, but he'll always take the right to disconnect for himself and allow it for no-one else. Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) Bill 2024 26

Accountability of Grants, Investment Mandates and Use of Public Resources Amendment (End Pork Barrelling) Bill 2024

14:45 Dr HAINES 282335 Indi My question is to the Prime Minister. This week I introduced my end pork-barrelling bill. My bill would stamp out the practice of the major parties using taxpayer money to win votes. More than 80 per cent of Australians think this is corrupt conduct. They're sick of it and they want to see it end. Prime Minister, do you agree that pork-barrelling is corrupt conduct, and will you commit to working with me to stamp it out? 14:46 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for Indi for her question. I appreciate the work that the member has undertaken and her very strong and longstanding interest in ensuring that taxpayers' money is effectively managed through these grants programs. The member for Indi was a very strong supporter of the creation of a national anticorruption commission, and one of the first acts of my government was to introduce the legislation, to carry the legislation, to put it in place, and it is now up and running. It is effectively funded and operating out there. It's an important piece of legislation, where we caught up with what most states and territories had done some time ago. I am aware of the member's bill that she has introduced into the parliament, and we'll go through this like any other piece of private member's legislation or senator's legislation in the usual methodical way that we do, following proper process. I can inform the member for Indi that the finance minister, in the other place—the good senator—has asked her department for advice to strengthen the Commonwealth grants framework, including possible enhancements to the Commonwealth grants rules and guidelines to improve integrity, accountability, probity and transparency. As part of this work, recommendations that have been put forward by the Australian National Audit Office and the JCPAA, the joint committee, in this place in relation to grants are being considered. Enhancements to the grants framework are under consideration, and the finance minister will be making announcements once they are finalised. Financial Services Industry 27 14:48 Dr MULINO 132880 Fraser My question is to the Minister for Financial Services. How can a lack of financial advice harm consumers already impacted by the cost of living, and what is the Albanese Labor government doing to protect consumers from this? 14:48 Mr JONES A9B Whitlam I thank the outstanding member for Fraser for his question. I take the opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding work he's doing as the chair of the House economics committee, with a steady hand, particularly on difficult issues that they're dealing with around insurance affordability and the claims handling. I pay tribute to the great work he's doing. It's true that the Albanese government wants Australians to earn more money and keep more of the money that they earn, and, if they're able to save that money or invest that money, we want to ensure that that money is kept safe because we understand you can't keep people safe unless you're keeping their money safe. Unfortunately, when we came into government, the place was in a complete mess. Losses to scammers had doubled, doubled and doubled again, because the members opposite thought that, if somebody lost their money to scammers, they were mugs. We take a different view. We understand that these are sophisticated international criminal gangs, and we're going to go after them. They're accessing that information on Facebook or Instagram, publishing criminal material and taking innocent Australians' money. They were left to run wild by members opposite, but we're going after them. Of course, one of the reasons that Australians have been accessing that information from Facebook or Instagram is that, under the government of members opposite, we had fewer and fewer doors from which to get financial advice. Under their watch, 12,000 financial advisers left the industry. No new entrants came in. They were asleep at the wheel. We're changing all of that because we understand that not only do we have to crack down on the scammers; but we've got to ensure that there are safe doors for Australians to enter to get good information and good expert advice that they can rely on to keep their money safe. We've got a program of work which is rolling out, with expert advice, including from the member for Fraser, informing government policy, and it has been well received by industry. I want to take the opportunity to give a shout-out to members on the crossbench who have also engaged with me on this. A number of the new members to parliament on the crossbench have engaged with me on this, and I thank them for their engagement, because it's been very useful in the formulation of our policy. I also say to members of the opposition that I'd be willing to engage with them on these issues, but today is 299 days since they have had a spokesperson for financial services for consumer affairs—299 days that show they are— (Time expired) Minister For Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs 27 14:52 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, the immigration minister is a disaster. His decisions have put Australians at risk— Government members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The Attorney-General yelling during a question is highly disorderly, and you are warned. Out of respect for the Leader of the Opposition, he'll begin his question again. Mr DUTTON 00AKI My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, the immigration minister is a disaster. His decisions have put Australians at risk, and women in Victoria are alleged to have been sexually assaulted. A hundred and forty-nine hardcore criminals— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The member for Jagajaga will leave the chamber under 94(a). There are to be no interjections during questions. I'm not sure what the hard part about that is. The member for Jagajaga then left the chamber. Mr DUTTON 00AKI A hundred and forty-nine hardcore criminals have been released into the community. The minister has not taken a single application to redetain one of these criminals, and now more Australians are being harmed, with the likely risk extending to many more Australians. When will you show leadership, stop being so weak and sack this minister? 14:53 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler 'We are not in a position to defy an order of the High Court, and no-one is suggesting that they should do that.' Not my words—the words of Senator Paterson. 'Under the Constitution, you can't detain someone indefinitely. We accept that.' Not my words—the words of the Leader of the Opposition. 'The High Court made the decision. We respect that decision.' Not my words—the words of the shadow minister for immigration. I'll tell you what's not strong. I'll tell you what strength is not. Strength is not asking for responses that would endanger judicial processes. That is not strong. There is no strength whatsoever in that. What is appalling is that the Leader of the Opposition knows full well that that is the case because he has been in that position, including when he was responsible for the legislation which our legislation was based upon. It was his legislation that he presided over, and he knows that that is the case. Health Care 28 14:55 Dr REID 300126 Robertson My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. What actions has the Albanese Labor government taken to make it easier for Australians to see a doctor, why is Medicare bulk-billing fundamental to a strong Medicare and why is the government so determined to strengthen Medicare after a decade of cuts and neglect? 14:55 Mr BUTLER HWK Hindmarsh Thanks to the member for Robertson for that question. He argued so passionately in this place for Labor's bigger, better tax cuts, which passed the parliament this week and will deliver a tax cut on 1 July to every single one of the 66,000 taxpayers in his electorate—like a third-year registered nurse at the Gosford Hospital, who will receive a tax cut of more than $1,600 or about double what they would have got under the Morrison government plan. He's also a huge supporter of bulk-billing—what we on this side of the House describe as the beating heart of Medicare. We know bulk-billing for GP visits in particular was in freefall when we came to government. The member for Robertson saw the consequences of that every day he worked at the Wyong and Gosford hospitals as an emergency physician because they came in the front door every single day. But that pressure on bulk-billing that we encountered was no accident. It was a deliberate policy of the former government and, in particular, of the now Leader of the Opposition when he was the health minister. Remember when he was health minister and he famously said there were too many free Medicare services? On Radio National back in August 2014, he said: 'About four out of five services performed by GPs are performed for free, and that is too high.' It is a comment that will send a chill up the spine of every community that has a bulk-billing rate of around four in five for GP services. I think about a few of those communities. One of them is the electorate of Dunkley, with a bulk-billing rate of about four out of five free GP visits every single year. It is a bulk-billing rate that has been increasing. What is the Leader of the Opposition's plan to reduce the rate of bulk-billing in Dunkley that he regards as too high? Well, we don't have to guess. We have to look at his record because in his first budget he tried to abolish bulk-billing altogether. In his budget gloss, he said this: From 1 July … previously bulk-billed patients can expect to contribute … towards the cost of standard GP consultations and out-of-hospital pathology and imaging services. When he couldn't get that through the parliament, he kicked off a years-long freeze to the Medicare rebate that ripped billions and billions of dollars out of general practice. That's not our approach. Our approach tripled the bulk-billing incentive, which increased the rate of bulk-billing in Dunkley. We don't think it's too high. We want to keep it rising. It increased the bulk-billing rate on the Central Coast by 4½ per cent. That's our plan for a stronger Medicare, but all that would be at risk if this man ever got his hands on Medicare again. Minister For Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs 28 14:58 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson My question is to the Prime Minister. Does the minister for immigration enjoy your full confidence? 14:58 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler Yes. Housing 28 14:58 Ms MILLER-FROST 296272 Boothby My question is to the Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government providing Australians with help to buy a home, and how has this been received? What are the barriers to this help being provided? 14:59 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler We are indeed trying to do our best to help Australians to buy a home through our Help to Buy scheme. I'm asked about how it has been received—shared-equity schemes—and indeed the Queensland LNP leader has said this: We will prioritise building an incentive framework to support home ownership, examining areas including first home-owner grants and shared responsibility schemes. He's backed it in. Jeremy Rockliff, the Tasmanian Premier, has said, 'innovative programs like the successful MyHome shared-equity program, which helps Tasmanians build or purchase a property,' so he's on board. Dominic Perrottet set up a scheme in New South Wales— The SPEAKER 53517 Order. The Prime Minister will pause. The member for Deakin is on a warning. He's been interjecting since then. He knows the place. He'll leave the chamber under 94A. I won't have any more interjections, otherwise people will follow the member for Deakin. Mr ALBANESE R36 The former premier Perrottet said this: Key workers, single parents and older singles will be able to have the security of homeownership … on the government's equity share in a property. He was certainly on board. But not everyone is on board. Those opposite have a policy where they speak about having super for homes. But it has a bit of history. The former prime minister Turnbull said this: My own view is that would be a thoroughly bad idea. It's not what the superannuation system is designed to achieve. I know those opposite haven't always agreed with Malcolm, but, on this occasion, they did. The current Leader of the Liberal Party said this: I think Malcolm Turnbull has got it right. It's not good policy and I agree with him … you don't want to fuel the prices. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition said this: Young people need their super for retirement, not to try to take pressure off an urban housing bubble … The late shadow minister, the former member for Deakin, who has left us, said this: … inevitably all you do is push up housing prices … But it's not just them, of course, because the Greens political party are also blocking this. The member for Griffith said on Insiders: We have enough homes for people to live in … They don't need any of that! But we went back to their 2022 election platform, and it says this: This is why the Greens will establish a Shared Equity Ownership Scheme … That's notwithstanding the grandness in that he then went on to say that you shouldn't have to win a lottery to secure a home. But his own website says this—wait for this one: An example of the Greens vision for housing in Brisbane … 2,000 homes available to any Brisbane resident and assigned by lottery, rented out at below-market rent. You don't need a lottery; you just need good policy. On that note, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper. STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE 29 STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE Natural Disasters 29 15:03 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler Just briefly—because we won't be here for a couple of weeks, and I had a discussion with the Leader of the Opposition about this earlier today—with the fires continuing to burn in Victoria's Western District, our thoughts are with the communities who are going through stress and anxiety. We hope that things continue to improve, but it's a very volatile situation that they are facing there. At this time, we're thinking of all the firefighters and other emergency services personnel for all they are doing. They are Australian heroes. They put themselves on the line for their communities. They put themselves at risk for the sake of friend, neighbour and stranger alike. They know what they're up against, yet they keep going. Sadly, people in Victoria are all too familiar with bushfires, but, as we know, every fire is different, and every fire is unpredictable in its own way. What doesn't change is the advice to everyone in the area to do everything you can to stay up to date with warnings and forecasts. Do not take risks. Please follow the advice of all the local authorities and, above all, stay safe. I know I speak for every member in this place when I say that the Commonwealth is ready to work with the Victorian government to do whatever we can. I'll be meeting with the Victorian Premier tomorrow, in fact. I acknowledge the member for Hawke, who I don't think is back here, who left parliament to assist hands-on with the fires—in the tradition, to give absolute credit where credits due, of the former prime minister, Tony Abbott, who always pitched in at difficult times as well. I acknowledge the contribution of the member for Hawke in defending not just his local community but people in that region as well. Our thoughts are with all the people there. Tragically, some of the same regions have had bushfires and floods. At times in Victoria there were bushfires in one area and floods in another, which makes it extremely difficult for the professionals who are looking after them. Our thoughts will continue to be with them, and, on behalf of the Commonwealth, we'll continue to provide any support that is required. I know that there'll be bipartisan support for that. 15:06 Mr DUTTON 00AKI Dickson I join with the Prime Minister and thank him for his words. I, too, would encourage all of those in the affected regions to please make sure that they are up-to-date with the latest advice from the authorities to evacuate if necessary, to take care of each other and their neighbours, especially if they have elderly neighbours or people who aren't as mobile, perhaps, as they could be. I want to thank the member for Gippsland for our discussion yesterday in relation to this matter as well. The Rural Fire Brigade members are true heroes. They're unpaid. In between fires they're attending motor vehicle accidents, farm accidents and drownings in pools or dams. Their work is phenomenal. They are really, again, under the pump. We do hope conditions continue to improve but, as we know, they can deteriorate very quickly. No doubt the authorities are doing all they can to keep people safe. I want to, along with the Prime Minister, acknowledge the work of the member for Hawke and wish him and his community and all Victorians all the very best at what is a very difficult time. DOCUMENTS 30 DOCUMENTS Presentation 30 15:07 Mr BUTLER HWK Hindmarsh These 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 30 MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE New Vehicle Efficiency Standard 30 15:07 The SPEAKER 53517 I have received a letter from the honourable member for Fairfax proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely: This Government's family car and ute tax making the cost-of-living crisis worse. I call upon those honourable members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places. More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places— 15:08 Mr TED O'BRIEN 138932 Fairfax As is often the case when people from the coalition come to this dispatch box, I begin this debate by reaching over the aisle and saying to the members of the Labor Party who are here: thank you for being here and thank you for participating in this debate. The minister who has been leading the charge on the very topic of this debate, which is Labor's new car tax, is a no-show. This would have to be the ninth or 10th matter of public importance that has fallen into his portfolio, but he has not shown up. I genuinely say to those members of the Labor Party here today, I recognise it is not easy to come into this debating chamber and have to defend your hapless Minister for Climate Change and Energy, who is punishing your constituents just as much as he is punishing ours. It is a reflection not so much of you good people of the Labor Party who are in this chamber but of the Labor leadership. There are some truisms when it comes to Labor's leadership, which are that they don't tell the truth, they break promises and they love taxes. There's no shortage of taxes they've introduced. They've introduced the superannuation tax, a new franking credits tax, a tourist tax, a recycling tax, a clothing tax, an income tax, a food tax and a truckie's tax, and today we debate their latest tax: a tax on the family car and the tradie's ute. Altogether, this is a $379 billion tax grab against the Australian people. This is what they do. They're doing this family car tax and tradie ute tax under the guise of a fuel efficiency standard. Last year, when Labor first mooted the possibility of a fuel efficiency standard, we responded as a coalition and said we were happy to be constructive in this debate. But we said very clearly that there were three things that needed to be balanced: price, choice and emissions. Not only did Labor fail to engage with the coalition in any discussions on this measure and not only did they fail to then have any balance between price, choice and emissions; but they also have introduced a measure that will fail on each of those. Let us start with price. This new tax will mean that the vehicles Australians love the most simply cannot meet the standards being imposed by the Labor government. And, as we know from the manufacturers, there is no chance that technology will be provided in time to ensure those standards are met. So, for Australian mums and dads and for tradies across the country, it doesn't matter if you are looking at buying a Ford Ranger, a Toyota HiLux or an Isuzu D-Max. They're the three most popular vehicles in the country, but not one of them will be able to meet the standards being imposed by the Labor Party. And we know what's going to happen as a result: prices will go up. That's why it is a tax. Those members opposite know, but, to their credit, they came in to defend the AWOL minister, who is not here to defend it himself. I wondered if this impact was going to be true, so, last week, I took the time out and visited a Toyota dealership. I thought, 'Of all places, why not go to the seat of McMahon?' This is Western Sydney, and there are very good constituents in the seat of McMahon. But I found out that the constituents there aren't getting a fair hearing from their federal member—the federal member who happens to be missing from the chamber today and is also missing in the seat of McMahon. When I went to the Western Sydney Toyota dealership, one of the questions I asked was: what is the industry's projection for the impact of this tax on the Toyota HiLux? And do you want to know the answer? It was $15,000 extra. That's the size of the tax on the HiLux. We walked down and checked out the cars, and I was getting educated. I came across the Toyota LandCruiser, another vehicle that Aussies love. I asked the simple question: how much would this LandCruiser's price increase with Labor's new tax? And do you know what the answer was? It was $25,000. This is why the minister is the dodgiest car salesman in the country. He says to the Australian people: 'Have I got a deal for you! It's called a family car tax.' But then, wait, there's more. He says, 'Actually, on the cost of running your vehicle, it's going to be cheaper by about 1,000 bucks.' I looked up the detail behind this claim that he's been spruiking, and it's based on an assumption of electricity prices coming down—how about that?—to 27 cents a kilowatt hour. I also visited South Australia last week. If you're in South Australia, the promise from the same minister is that next year your power bills, your electricity bills, are going to almost halve. I don't know about you, but I have a memory of somebody else promising a $275 reduction in household power bills. Lo and behold—you wouldn't believe who it was. It was the same dodgy car salesman who purports to be the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, who went to the last election promising households a $275 reduction in electricity bills, and they've gone up as high as $1,000. Now he's promising them a family car tax: 'It's going to be fantastic for you. For tradies, the ute tax is going to be great, and prices are going to come down.' Australians know the truth. Those in the leadership of this Albanese government do not tell the truth. They break promises, and they love their taxes. It's not just prices. Let's go back to the other conditions we put on engaging constructively. One was choice. We know that, as a result of prices going up, everyday mums and dads across the country can't buy the vehicles they love. Tradies across the country can't buy the vehicles they need. As MPs we all struggle to get home. The odd time that I'm at home, I have the privilege of dropping my kids to school. I tell you what: mums and dads are dropping their kids to school in the very vehicles that are going to be taxed, in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. This restricts choice for Australian consumers. The last condition we put on engaging constructively is that this measure at least has to reduce emissions, but what we see from the industry and the dealers across the country, explaining to the Labor government that very important element of behavioural economics, is that consumers will change their behaviour at times. What's going to happen is that consumers that have petrol vehicles right now are going to keep their vehicles longer, and the longer you keep these vehicles the more they emit. After a handful of years of the coalition government getting emissions down, we now have emissions going up under the Albanese government. Why? It's because these sorts of measures fail. This dodgy car salesman who calls himself a minister promised that, by 2030, 89 per cent of all new vehicle sales would be EVs. His own department says it's not going to be 89 per cent; it's going to be 27 per cent. That is why, in an act of desperation, the dodgy car salesman is putting prices up and introducing a new tax, and Australians will pay the price. 15:18 Mr GORMAN 74519 Perth Well, that was like utegate 2.0—a more pathetic sequel. I remember utegate 1.0, where they stormed in here telling us they had this amazing big find, based on a forged email. Now they're doing it based on fake data and a fear campaign, trying to scare people about something that will catch Australia up with the rest of the world. But I wish you well on utegate 2.0, Shadow Minister. We know how well that ended for the last person who pushed that case. What we saw was— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 Excuse me, Member for Fairfax! You were heard in silence. I ask that you stop your interruptions. You do this quite regularly in the MPI, and I don't want it. We're going to have a respectful hearing, and then your side will get the same courtesy. Assistant Minister. Mr GORMAN 74519 I correct myself. It's not utegate 2.0; it's utegate 3.0. We had utegate 1.0, where they based their entire political strategy on a forged email, and utegate 2.0, where they said that everything was going to 'end the weekend'. Now half of them drive electric cars themselves. Now we've got utegate 3.0, where they're saying that, somehow, giving people cheaper, cleaner cars will 'end the weekend'. Now, I do thank the member for Fairfax for being here. I was waiting for a good 10 minutes to learn something new in his speech, but it turns out that the Advance Australia talking points don't change from day to day. But I do want to thank you for being here! What I find fascinating, though, when it comes to talking about debt, taxes and the economic security of the Australian people, is that it was those opposite, not that long ago, that came up with this amazing concoction where they said that the debt levy that they introduced in the first year that they came into government was, of course, not a tax. It was a levy because it was going to pay back all of the debt. Only the Liberal Party could introduce a debt levy on thousands of Australians only to ensure that they got the debt up. They doubled it before the pandemic and doubled it again afterwards, all thanks to their wonderful policy of a debt levy. But, when we get to the talk of taxes, we know there's a tax that is the shame of those opposite more than any other tax they've proposed in recent times, and they've proposed a few, and that was the tax where the Leader of the Opposition wanted to tax every Australian $7 to go to the GP—his Medicare tax. He wanted to dismantle Medicare. The Leader of the Opposition wanted to privatise Medicare, and, once he sold it all off, he was going to tax you to go to the doctor. What we see from those opposite is an absolute failure to acknowledge just how many taxes they introduced when they were in government, and indeed those taxes that they wanted to introduce to the Australian people. But, thanks to Labor, we stopped their GP tax. But it's not everything that those opposite say that I disagree with. In fact, there are a number of things the member for Bradfield has said in the last year that I do agree with. He wrote a very thoughtful opinion piece. 'Australians love their cars,' said the member for Bradfield. I agree. I love my car. He said, 'Vehicle emissions impact on our health.' I agree with the member for Bradfield once again. He went on to say, 'Noxious emissions from vehicles can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular problems.' I agree again with the member for Bradfield. And he said this, which I think those opposite should, in their private party room meetings, get him to talk them through in detail: Fuel efficiency standards are about reducing fuel costs and carbon emissions at the same time. We can reduce the cost for the Australian people and reduce carbon emissions! But the member for Bradfield went on—it's quite a long opinion piece; obviously he has a good relationship with the newspaper that published it. He said, 'But we are behind Europe and the US.' He went on to say: Making reforms to Australia's fuel efficiency, fuel quality and noxious emissions standards has the potential to deliver real benefits. I agree. What we saw was, again, the Turnbull government putting out media release after media release talking about how they had a plan to do exactly what the government is proposing now—that is, to give Australians more choice in the cars that they drive and give them more efficient cars, cleaner cars and cars that require less fuel to run for the same performance. What I find fascinating about this debate is that this is about technology that's already there. These cars are not yet to be manufactured or designed; these cars are already in the market for so many nations. While this technology is on the table, we have the shadow minister instead going out and campaigning for a technology that isn't yet in the commercial market, when he campaigns for his preferred technology of nuclear small modular reactors. He's said—and indeed the WA Liberals have said very clearly—they want to put a small modular reactor in Collie. What they want to do is put a nuclear reactor in Collie, in the heart of Western Australia—a technology that they've promised they will install if they get elected but that they can't actually buy on the market right now. I find it absolutely amazing that we have, from the shadow minister there, less knowledge about nuclear science than Homer Simpson himself holds. What we want to do is to work with the technologies that are already there and ensure that people can get the cars that they deserve and the types of cars that they want, because Australians do deserve more choice. And they deserve more than the fearful campaigns that we're seeing from those opposite. We know those opposite are scared—they've gotten better than in the old days when Tony Abbott used to run out of the chamber to avoid voting—of lower power bills. They voted against them. They're scared of cheaper child care and scared of our Help to Buy policy. Help to Buy is modelled on a very successful Western Australian program which has, over its time, got some 120,000 Western Australians into their own home, but those opposite are scared of Help to Buy. They're scared of fee-free TAFE. They're scared of tax cuts, which they said they wanted to dismantle, they wanted to oppose, they wanted to roll back. They wanted to do all those things so much they voted for them this week! And they're scared of windmills. They're scared of Woolworths. They're scared of solar panels. And today we get the fear campaign on electric cars. Australians deserve so much more than that. They deserve a government that is focused on giving the Australian people practical solutions to the policy challenges Australians face. That is what this government has done. It's why this week we delivered a tax cut for every Australian taxpayer, ensuring 13.6 million Australians get a tax cut. That's 2.9 million more than would have benefited under the old Dutton-Morrison plan—the old Morrison and Leader of the Opposition plan. And 11.5 million Australians, 84 per cent of taxpayers, will get a bigger tax cut because of the legislation that Labor introduced into this chamber. Despite lots of blocking, amendments and everything else that we saw in the Senate, we got it through this week. That is good news for the Australian people. I am concerned, as the Australian people should be concerned, that, if those opposite get into government, they plan to unwind these. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition no less said absolutely they will unwind those tax cuts. But that's not all the government has done. I'm proud of our record. We've made the largest ever investment in Medicare bulk billing. We've invested in cheaper medicine. We've invested in the biggest increase to rent assistance in 30 years. We've invested in boosting income support payments. We've invested in fee-free TAFE. I was fortunate to join the state minister Hannah Beazley at North Ridge TAFE in my electorate recently to see what a difference that is making for students, what a difference it's making for people who otherwise wouldn't have accessed training or wouldn't have been able to make the choice to shift careers. Our legislation has expanded paid parental leave, and there have been real results from our efforts to get wages moving again. What I say is, when it comes to these questions, this government has continued to deliver on real measures to support families feeling pressure on their household budgets, and we'll continue to do so. We might get all the huff and puff from those opposite, who say cheaper, cleaner cars are somehow not in the national interest. What we know is that these cars will save Australian motorists $100 billion in fuel costs to 2050—$100 billion! I'm not going to stand in the way of my constituents getting those sorts of savings. Those opposite shouldn't be standing in the way of their constituents being able to choose a cheaper, more efficient car that will cost less to run, but, unfortunately, that is what we are seeing. 15:28 Mr COULTON HWN Parkes I must say how disappointed I am that the Minister for Climate Change and Energy is not in here. I back up the member for Fairfax. All I can assume is that he saw the speaking list of the MPI today. I think he's still traumatised from when I monstered him about three years ago in question time! That's all I could think of. Just to finish off where the member for Perth was, I understand the member for Perth would understand this issue. He'd be the sort of person that would have to stop at a Driver Reviver site when he drives from his place over to Fremantle for a swim—different to my part of the world. He talked about the savings. I drive a Toyota LandCruiser 300. It uses about 10.4 litres for every 100 kilometres. Under the new scheme, I would have to save—and I understand that the fuel efficiency system does mean that the new model would use less fuel—12,000 litres of fuel on the $25,000 extra it costs to buy it before I got back to square. How long would it take to use the 12,000 litres of extra fuel on top of that? I've been sitting here in great frustration as the minister, over the last couple of weeks, has been answering questions. He doesn't answer the question about the added cost of purchasing the vehicles. I had a meeting last week with David Hayes, who's the dealer principal of Dubbo City and Gilgandra Toyota. It's a very big dealership that sells cars and commercial vehicles over a wide range of New South Wales, and he's terribly concerned about what these changes will do. He said that the changes coming in on 1 January next year will have a massive impact not only on his business and staff but also on his customers. Not only is David Hayes concerned, but I got an email yesterday from Justin Hoskins, who's the dealer principal of the Toyota dealership at Broken Hill. Just so you've got a bit of an idea, Broken Hill serves communities like Tibooburra, White Cliffs, Wilcannia and Menindee, and more out to South Australia. These people travel long distances, and Justin Hoskins is terribly concerned about the impact it's going to have not only on his business but on his customers. Next Wednesday, I'm going to the conference of the Isolated Children's Parents' Association. Their annual conference is in Dubbo next week. If you want to meet a more formidable lobby group, I welcome anyone who could suggest one. I could suggest that the member for Perth might want to come and stand in front of these parents that have children in isolated areas. These vehicles—the Prado, the Ranger, the HiLux, the LandCruiser and the D-Max—aren't luxury items. I know they might be an inconvenience when you're going to park at Westfield and they take up a bit more room than your Prius or Tesla, but these vehicles are a fact of life. If you live 200 kilometres from Broken Hill, you have no other choice but to have a vehicle that's an SUV with high clearance or a four-wheel-drive that's able to handle access during wet weather. The Labor government are actually attacking the people who, once upon a time, used to support them. Young families, tradespeople and farmers—people that used to look to Labor as the champions of the working person. Now it's the working person—who has complete understanding that an SUV, ute or car is not a luxury—that's being hammered by the inner-city elites. You don't just use it to go on your holiday to Fraser Island. This is your everyday tool of trade to keep your family safe and to have access to town when you need it. It's time this debate focused on the cost of this and stopped faffing around the edge and talking about savings. As far as I can see, there ain't no savings to be found anywhere. 15:33 Mr DAVID SMITH 276714 Bean The great Arthur Mailey, variously a cricketer, author and then a butcher, once described his life as, 'I used to bowl tripe, I wrote tripe and then I sold tripe.' Frankly, the underlying premise of this motion is tripe. At best, it is fantasist fiction. In weeks when there have been opportunities to genuinely support action on the cost of living, such as real support for Labor's tax cuts; opportunities to genuinely support action on affordable housing by supporting Labor's Help to Buy housing legislation; and opportunities, this year, to support measures that are getting wages moving in this country again, what have we had? Of course, we've had opposition to these. Instead, we have this tripe. The member for Bradfield knows that this is tripe and is too embarrassed to be in the chamber during this debate. This MPI is all smoke and mirrors, but it's a mirror that the opposition isn't willing to look into. It's about avoiding talking about the real cost-of-living relief that this government is delivering for all Australians. The real question we must ask ourselves is: why do the Liberals hate families being able to drive around in the family car? When did it become a bad policy to want Australian families to enjoy long family road trips without it breaking the bank? We, on this side of the House, want Australians to have a greater choice of new vehicles and to pay less of their hard earned cash on fuel, so that families can afford to take long family road trips and take climate change action at the same time. Instead of making claims that they know are false and that the member for Bradfield, of course, knows are false, those opposite need to explain why they think hardworking Australians should be denied access to cars that we know are going to be cheaper to run year after year. We know why, though, because the reality is that those opposite don't really care about the cost of living. They only care about what sound bite sounds good today. The Liberals and Nationals have never seen a cost-of-living measure they haven't opposed. It's not in the DNA of those opposite to support measures to take the pressure of everyday Australians. They opposed cheaper childcare. They opposed cheaper medicines. They opposed energy bill relief. They even opposed our tax cuts for middle Australians. Those opposite are addicted to opposing cost-of-living relief. When asked if the opposition would roll back Labor's tax cuts, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said, 'Well, this is our position. This is absolutely our position.' We will not forget that. The Albanese Labor government is delivering tax cuts to all Australians, making sure that everyday Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn. We're delivering these tax cuts for every Australian to help with the cost of living. That relief is exactly what our tax cuts for middle Australia will help to deliver. On this side we stand in support of workers all across Australia. On that side they want to roll back those tax cuts. Locally, here in the ACT, 79 per cent of taxpayers will be better off. In my electorate of Bean, 83 per cent of taxpayers will benefit from these changes. What does that mean? It means a primary school teacher in Bean working at Arawang Primary School earning $85,000 will get a tax cut of $1,800 come 1 July. The electrician working on construction sites in Woden earning $110,000 will get a tax cut of more than $2,400. The software engineer working at the Department of Social Services in Greenway on more than $140,000 will get a tax cut of $3,700. And the nurse working at Goodwin Village in Farrer, in my part of the world, which is otherwise known as Farrerdise—who received increases in their pay in last year's budget—will now get an additional $1,500 tax cut. This Albanese Labor government has a strong, targeted and responsible plan to continue our fight in delivering real cost-of-living relief for all Australians while laying the foundations for a stronger and more resilient economy. Women will be major beneficiaries of these tax cuts, with 5.8 million women or 90 per cent of female taxpayers getting a bigger tax cut. Our tax cuts will provide an incentive for people to work more and earn more. The government's tax cuts complement continuing reforms to address women's economic inequality, which is something we know the opposition not only doesn't care about but is actively opposed to measuring. These include reforms to close the gender pay gap, support workplace flexibility and security and rebalance unpaid care work. Under Labor more people are working and more people are earning more. Under our plan, more people will keep more of what they earn. That's the reality. That's not fiction. It's not tripe. 15:38 Ms WARE 300123 Hughes I rise to speak in support of this matter of public importance brought by the member for Fairfax. This government's family car and ute tax is making the cost-of-living crisis so much worse for Australians. Labor has introduced something it is calling the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard. This is nothing but a new tax to encourage, apparently, the sale of cleaner cars. This has been the brainchild of Minister Catherine King and Minister Bowen. Minister Bowen has said this will save money at the petrol pump. Minister Bowen has said this will give us more choice about the cars we buy. Minister Bowen has said this will reduce transport emissions. What we need to look at are all of the things that Minister Bowen has not said. Minister Bowen has not said that most Australians won't be able to afford the new cars. Minister Bowen has not done his work. He is not across the detail, he has not listened to industry and he has not advised Australians how much more these new cars will cost. Minister Bowen should be honest. We know from experience that Australians do listen to Minister Bowen. They certainly listened to him in the federal election campaign of May 2019. At that stage Minister Bowen, as he is now, almost became the federal Treasurer. When Australians didn't like the tax policy he took to the election, he turned around and said, 'If you don't like our policies, don't vote for us.' Australians listened to Minister Bowen, and they did not vote for him. Once Australians get across the detail of this policy, they similarly will not like it. This proposed vehicle efficiency standard is simply a tax on family cars and utes—cars that Australians love. As usual with this government, the devil is in the detail. Yesterday in question time those on our side asked questions of Minister Bowen, trying to get across the detail. We saw some ashen-faced performances when he could not, or would not, answer questions about what this great big tax would mean for Australian families, Australian tradies and all of those who work in the construction industry and need their utes as a primary work tool for them to get to work and to take their tools onto their jobs. When we look into the detail of this great big new tax by Labor, we see that it could drive up vehicle prices by up to $25,000 for SUVs and four-wheel drives and up to $16,000 for utes. It would cost $11,000 more for a Toyota RAV4, one of Australia's favourite cars; $25,000 more for a Toyota LandCruiser; $17,000 more for a Ford Ranger; $14,000 more for a Toyota HiLux; and over $13,000 more for a Isuzu D-MAX. This is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. I was present in the chamber when the member for Bean was talking about the cost-of-living crisis and what it means for the women of Australia. I can tell the member for Bean that I know exactly what it will mean for the women of Australia, who are often transporting their kids around in four-wheel drives and SUVs. This will have a direct impact on the women of Australia. It will have a direct impact in my electorate of Hughes, where I have over 10,000 technicians and tradies and over 4,000 labourers. Almost 15,000 people in my electorate will now be faced with spending a whole lot more money for their work vehicles. That's not to mention, with all respect to the member for Bean, the many women in my electorate, the many mums who cart their children around and the many other people in my electorate who simply love their SUVs. To conclude, as always, the devil is in the detail with any policies like these that are announced by Labor. Minister Bowen loves a big headline, but, when you get down into the detail, this is just another great big tax from this government, inflicted on Australians during the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. 15:43 Ms CHESTERS 249710 Bendigo The opposition love to run a silly campaign, and this is a silly campaign. It is also incredibly hypocritical, to be frank. I've been here since 2013 and I can remember sitting here in opposition when the then Treasurer goaded Holden into leaving. They kicked out the car industry in this country. They killed the car industry in this country. On 11 December 2013, only a day after the Treasurer stood up in this place and arrogantly goaded Holden into leaving, Holden announced that they would cease production in this country, and Toyota soon followed. Up to 200,000 workers directly and indirectly related to the car industry lost their jobs. That was what those opposite did. That's how much they cared about the car industry—they saw our own car industry shut down. Our R&D was lost, and our ability to manufacture cars that Australians want and need was lost. That is the destruction that those opposite did, and they did so on the eve of the biggest revolution in the car industry that we've seen since the creation of the car: the transition to hybrids, the transition to electric vehicles and the efficiency standards that we are now debating in terms of fuel. What a lost opportunity. What a devastation for the Australian people, not just for industry. That decision, that one answer that that Treasurer gave in question time alone, saw us as a country lose over $29 billion in economic output. That is what the loss of the car industry caused us. Here we are today, and we are now at the mercy of the global car industry because we no longer manufacture Australian cars. We are the dumping ground for what the rest of the world doesn't want. That is why we are debating fuel efficiency standards and what we want to have. Sadly and embarrassingly, we are one of the last countries in the world to do so, and that is a shame. It is so disappointing that Australia is one of the last, and that is why what this government is doing is so responsible. The other thing I will say on this MPI that's been put forward by those opposite is that it just demonstrates their hysteria and how it is all about the politics. They're saying that standards that haven't even been introduced as legislation and debated in this place and the other place and aren't even law are impacting the cost of living today. How is that possible? Let's create a fear campaign. Let's create this fictitious, 'There's a tax. There's another tax,' when it doesn't even exist yet. This is where we are at. At this moment today, what I've told the dealers in my electorate is: 'Parliament is sitting this week. Thank you for making a submission and thank you for reaching out. Let's get together, in the electorate, have a roundtable and discuss your concerns, and I'll feed them into the process.' But what I've had to say to them is: 'This isn't coming in today. We are in a process of consultation.' That is why people have until Monday to put forward their public submission. Legislation will be drafted, and it's still got to get through this place and the other place, so it's not affecting the cost of living today. But I can tell you what is affecting the cost of living today and what's going to help relieve the cost of living today is the fact that this parliament, this week, has passed our changes to stage 3 tax cuts. So all of those mums that the previous speaker was just talking about who might be working part time or full time and all those tradies that the previous speaker was just talking about will now get a bigger tax cut because of this government and because of what we put through this parliament. Under those opposite—the same government who goaded the car industry to leave—a lot of those mums working part time would have got nothing, because they earned under $45,000. Here they are saying: 'That's okay. We're going to protect your future car purchases'—about legislation that hasn't even been passed—'but we're not going to really do much to help you day to day right now. We got dragged kicking and screaming to do something about child care and dragged kicking and screaming to do something about the cost of living today, but, instead, let's just create another fear campaign about a fictitious tax.' 15:48 Mr WILLCOX 286535 Dawson There have been 12 interest rate rises under those opposite, forcing mortgage rates up, rents up, housing costs up by 12 per cent and electricity bills up by 20 per cent. Just as a little history lesson, that's after Prime Minister Albanese promised a $275 reduction in everybody's power bill, and that's not a slip of the tongue. That's the promise that he actually uttered 97 times, and power bills are up by 20 per cent. Gas is up by 27 per cent, fuel prices are up and insurance is up by 22 per cent. Food is up by nine per cent, and that's going to get a hell of a lot worse. The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has presided over a water buyback scheme in the Murray-Darling Basin. That water was being used to grow food and fibre. If growers can't grow the food, supply will go down and prices will go up, so all Australians will be paying more at the check-out for this very bad idea. In my neck of the woods there is the gillnet ban. The same minister has banned the commercial gillnet. This was to save the Great Barrier Reef. Newsflash here: no nets go within 40 kilometres of the Great Barrier Reef. But what does that mean to each and every Australian? They will be paying more for their wild-caught mullet, barramundi and salmon, or they will have to get it imported at lesser quality and still pay more for their fish and chips and at their fishmonger's. We are living in a Labor-created cost-of-living crisis, and this government's family car and ute tax will make the cost of living absolutely worse. According to the research undertaken by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, hardworking Australians will have to pay over $13,000 more for an Isuzu D-Max, over $14,000 more for a Toyota HiLux, over $17,000 more for a Ford Ranger and—the big one—over $25,000 more for a Toyota LandCruiser. Graziers need these vehicles to be able to throw some 44s in the back of the ute and go down to fill their pumps up to put food in the back of their ute and go down to feed their stock. Farmers need to be able to throw a ton of fert in the back of the ute and take it down to fertilise their crops—sometimes long distances. And fishes? Well, they need to be able to tow their boat, put their boat in the boat ramp and be able to pull it out. They need a four-wheel drive for that. What about maintenance? Crews of miners need to be able to carry a lot of gear to do that. And of course tradies need to have their tools and their supplies, but what tradie can afford over $13,000 more for a ute? That will flow back on everyone else's bill, so again Labor is fuelling this Labor-created cost-of-living crisis. Once again, this is a very bad policy. What about SUVs for the mums and dads so they can put the kids in the back and take the pram and all the groceries. What about driving in our part of the world, where we have so many unsealed and bad-quality roads. Folks, EVs simply can't do the job. They can't carry the weight. They cannot tow the load and cannot cover the vast distances. There is not enough infrastructure either. This is another tax against rural and Australia. Once again rural and regional Australia are picking up the tab for the city dwellers. The government family car and ute tax is a failed policy by a failed one-term government. Those opposite are very big on idealism, but what they need is a good dose of realism. Please do the right thing and get rid of this policy before it's too late. Australian simply cannot afford it. 15:53 Mr REPACHOLI 298840 Hunter When those opposite were in government, they didn't have a clue what day-to-day life was for the everyday person, but we on this side are different. We listen to Australians. We know that many of them are doing it tough, and we are acting to ease the cost-of-living pressures. But that lot over there haven't changed. They are just as out of touch as ever. When we moved to give every single Australian a tax cut, they said no. In fact, 'No' seems to be their favourite saying. They need to stop and think: who is really making life hard for people? Is it those of us trying to help or is it those of us that keep saying no to helping? You can't get much more immediate or direct relief than a tax cut. Our tax cuts are about making sure that people get to keep more of what they earn, especially those hardworking middle Australians who work their guts out every day to provide for themself and their family and who deserve a tax break. These tax cuts make sure those hit hardest by cost-of-living pressures will benefit the most. But those opposite wanted to stop this relief. They would rather see those struggling less with the cost of living benefit more than those struggling with it the most. It's a backwards way of thinking, really. It does nothing to help those who need it. If they had their way, the relief would have never been delivered at all. This country is so lucky those opposite aren't in government, because this government is the only one who actually cares about the cost of living, We are the only ones who want to act to ease pressures, especially for those who are hardest hit. The focus of our government has been to make life cheaper for working Australians. We have delivered not only the recent tax cuts but also energy relief for working Australians, cheaper child care, cheaper medicines and cheaper health care. We always hear the opposite repeating the same lines about the cost of living, but I want to know where they get their feedback from. What they claim and what I hear every day on the ground from the people in the Hunter is very, very different. I'm out there speaking to my constituents. I'm listening to them. I hear them out. And I know how hard it is for some of them at the moment. But I can see that everything we are doing to make living costs lower is actually making a difference. Maybe that's because the people I speak to in my electorate are real people. A lot are your everyday Australians, working hard to make a living, bringing shelter from the rain. They notice the difference it makes when medicines are cheaper, when child care is cheaper or when they get a bit of relief on their energy bills. They will certainly feel the difference when they get their tax cut because they are the ones who need it—and they are the ones who deserve it. Those opposite love a good scare campaign. When they don't have any policies or anything positive to say, they simply throw out a couple of pathetic one-liners to try and divide our communities. Who can forget their claims that the weekend would end? We on this side of the House are better than that. We stand for the everyday Australians. The out-of-touch lot over there, time and time again, refuse to support measures that will help those doing it tough. That is the core difference between us and them. We are actually taking action to make a difference to the lives of those who need it most, but all you lot want to do is oppose absolutely everything related to easing the cost of living and then complain that action needs to be taken. They need to get out into their communities more and speak to some real people, then they will understand how action is being taken on the cost of living. Maybe then they won't keep coming here making fools of themselves by showing us just how out of touch they really are. We've heard nearly every one of them say how disappointed they are that the Minister for Climate Change and Energy isn't here. I don't blame him for not being here. It's a complete waste of his time, coming in here and hearing the utter rubbish that is coming from those opposite. I don't know how those opposite used to work when they were in government, but our ministers are actually really, really busy. They have a job to do. That is why he wouldn't waste his time coming and listening to the absolute dribble coming from those opposite. Thank you. I hope you all enjoy. Until our next sitting. 15:58 Mr BIRRELL 288713 Nicholls Yesterday in this place I asked a question in question time of the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the minister who is notably not in the chamber now doing silly things like debating policy! Who'd waste their time doing that? I asked the minister about the LDV eT60, a ute that would cost a struggling tradie an extra $46,000. I asked, just to remind everyone: Is it true that the maximum range of this ute is 300 kilometres, the distance from Melbourne to Hamilton, but only if it's empty? Is it also true that, if the back of the ute's fully loaded up, the maximum range drops to 150 kilometres, the distance from Melbourne to Bendigo but not back to Melbourne? The minister got up, and I could see what was going on. He was getting all excited. He was thinking: 'I'm going to school this new Nat. I'm going to teach him what it's like to be here on the other end of the intellectual gigantism of the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. I'm going to tell him about an article in Drive and I'm going to tell him about the New Zealand ute.' In his answer, the minister referred to a headline: 'LDV eT60 electric ute now cheaper than its diesel twin—but only in New Zealand'. Well, he schooled me, didn't he? But it's sort of illuminating, isn't it? Does it mean the cost of the electric ute came down? It did with a massive government taxpayer subsidy, but it also meant that the price of the diesel ute went up. So the diesel ute went up and the electric ute went down thanks to a massive taxpayer subsidy. You'd know that if you did a little bit more research. I recommend that the Minister for Climate Change and Energy do some more research. I think it's good to go beyond the headlines sometimes. It's what he didn't mention. New Zealand has just repealed its clean car scheme. They repealed it in December 2023. New Zealand transport minister Simeon Brown had this to say in his media release announcing the repeal of the ute tax: The previous government's scheme, which provided subsidies for people purchasing electric vehicles while taxing hardworking farmers and tradies who have little choice about the type of vehicle they need for work, is inequitable and fiscally irresponsible. Many drivers who need utes for work can't avoid charges under the scheme as there are few viable alternatives that meet their needs. That's the point we're trying to make. I'm not against electric vehicles. I think more people in the city should buy them. If it can get you to Kew, into the city, that's wonderful. That's fantastic. Go home and charge it. It's great stuff. But what the proposed policy does is punish people for whom an EV is not a viable alternative. A lot of them are in our electorates. There's not an electric vehicle that can do the job on a dairy farm. There's not an electric vehicle that can get me from Melbourne to Hamilton in the great member for Wannon's electorate. A policy that massively increases the cost of these vehicles that are a tool of trade and needed and desired by sections of the Australian community is a tax. It is a tax. What's the definition of a tax? Extra money you have to pay. Every question time is just bragging about this tax cut—$15 a week that you're going to give to people. But what if you're going to push the cost of their new car up significantly more than that? You failed to mention that. I think it's time for a dose of reality in this place. How long is it going to take to pay off with the savings? How long? I heard one of the questions to the minister estimate that it might take 30 years. You've got to own the ute for 30 years before you can pay it off. Again, I'm not against EVs. They have their place. It's imperative that this fuel emission standard policy is gotten right. That's why we're debating it. But to get it right you've got to consider the people that it will impact. That's what we're supposed to do in this place. It's not just to get up and recite slogans, which seems to be all that happens over there these days; it's to debate substantive policy and talk about the impacts of policies on people. That's what we're trying to do, and the impact is that the cost of cars is going to go up. 16:03 Ms BYRNES 299145 Cunningham When it comes to cost-of-living relief, the Liberals always say no—and I'll include my friend the member opposite for also saying no from the Nationals. They say no to cheaper medicines, they say no to energy bill relief, they say no to lower taxes for Middle Australia and, last night, teaming up with their new coalition in the Greens political party, they said no to more help to buy schemes. Shame. On this side of the chamber, we are getting on with the job and we are delivering cost-of-living relief that is carefully calibrated to take the edge off some of the pressures that people are under, including our better and fairer tax plan, which the RBA and Treasury confirmed will not impact inflation. From 1 July, every Australian taxpayer will get a tax cut because on this side of the House we want people to earn more and keep more of what they earn. That's why 84 per cent of people in my community are receiving a bigger tax cut, leaving more money in their pockets. Our cost-of-living tax cuts are on top of the tens of billions of dollars in cost-of-living relief already rolling out, including—and just to name a few—energy bill relief, cheaper child care, increased rent assistance, increased bulk-billing, cheaper medicines, fee-free TAFE, building more affordable homes, expanding Paid Parental Leave and, of course, creating jobs and getting wages moving again. But those opposite are at it again with the scare campaigns and fearmongering with claims that they know are false. Those opposite need to explain why they think hardworking Australians should be denied access to cars that are cheaper to run. Yes, they are cheaper. We are consulting on a new vehicle efficiency standard that is right for Australia and will help take pressure off families. This isn't about one vehicle over another. There is no ute tax, like those opposite want you to believe. It is about creating greater choice when you want to buy a new vehicle—a greater choice of cars that are cheaper to run, whether they be petrol, diesel, hybrid or EV. My friend and constituent Saul Griffith, the guru of electrification and the lobbyist that your children deserve, loves a ute, and he has his eye on an electric Monaro. Saul says: The technology has delivered. And there's no reason not to turn every culture war on its head and just say, 'No, you're going to get your electric cake and do burnouts too'. The weekend is indeed not ending. There is no ute tax. A new vehicle efficiency standard allows suppliers to choose how they meet the emissions reduction target. In other countries with similar standards that have been in place for over 50 years—in countries like the US, mind you—four-wheel drives and utes are still widely available. In Wollongong, our locals drive nearly 18,000 kilometres per year, meaning in 2028 alone people will save $1,392 through the new standards, with an estimated saving of $6,960 over five years. A bigger electric vehicle market in this country is a good thing. A greater demand for electric vehicles means more jobs for companies like Sicona Battery Technologies in my electorate. Sicona's technology was developed and perfected at my local university, the University of Wollongong's Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, by co-founders Christiaan Jordaan and Drew Minett. I was proud to showcase their innovation right here in Parliament House last year at the Illawarra Clean Energy Expo. Businesses just like this across the Illawarra are leading the way in developing scalable, real-world solutions in clean energy and renewables. We are expanding the rollout of public charging infrastructure through the $500 million Driving the Nation Fund and the national EV charging network—a network of EV charging infrastructure installed at 117 sites on major highways every 150 kilometres. At the end of 2023, there were over 2,000 fast and ultrafast charging plugs, an increase of over 70 per cent in a year. Governments across the board are ramping up investment in public charging infrastructure. By implementing a standard, there will be an estimated $143 billion in financial benefits. This includes $108 billion in fuel savings and in excess of $5 billion in health benefits from a reduction in air pollution. So this is good policy for your health and it is good policy for your hip pocket. Our responsible economic management is working in Australia. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 The time for the discussion has now concluded. COMMITTEES 39 COMMITTEES Petitions Committee 39 Report 39 16:08 Ms TEMPLEMAN 181810 Macquarie I present the 22nd report of the Petitions Committee for the 47th Parliament. The report read as follows— HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PETITIONS COMMITTEE REPORT No. 22 Ministerial Response 29 February 2024 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 Tracey Roberts MP Ms Meryl Swanson MP This committee is supported by staff of the Department of the House of Representatives Report summarising the ministerial response being presented. The committee met in private session in the 47th Parliament on 28 February 2024. 1. The following ministerial response to a petition was received: From the Minister for Indigenous Australians to a petition regarding the Anindilyakwa Land Council (PN0579) Ms Susan Templeman MP Chair—Petitions Committee PETITIONS 39 PETITIONS Responses 39 16:08 Ms TEMPLEMAN 181810 Macquarie by leave—I present a ministerial response to a petition. Anindilyakwa Land Council 39 BILLS 39 BILLS Crimes Legislation Amendment (Combatting Foreign Bribery) Bill 2023 39

Crimes Legislation Amendment (Combatting Foreign Bribery) Bill 2023

Consideration of Senate Message 39 16:09 Mr DREYFUS HWG Isaacs I move: That the amendments be agreed to. The amendments adopted by the Senate provide for a statutory review of the measures introduced by this bill. After 18 months, a review will ensure that the measures introduced and debated today can be assessed after an appropriate period of time and guarantee that companies engaged in serious criminal wrongdoing, like foreign bribery, feel the full force of the law. Question agreed to. COMMITTEES 40 COMMITTEES Law Enforcement Joint Committee 40 Report 40 16:10 Mr LLEW O'BRIEN 265991 Wide Bay On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement, I present the following reports: Examination of the Australian Federal Police Annual Report 2022-23 and Examination of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Annual Report 2022-23. Reports made parliamentary papers in accordance with standing order 39(e). Mr LLEW O'BRIEN 265991 by leave—I rise as the deputy chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement to speak on the committee's reports examining the Australian Federal Police's annual report for 2022-23 and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission's annual report for 2022-23. I'm pleased to report that the committee did not identify any major issues of concern about the AFP's annual report. As Australia's national policing agency, the AFP protects Australians and Australia's interests. Some key achievements in 2022-23 include the seizure of 30 tonnes of illicit drugs and precursors at the border or domestically, avoiding $11 billion in harm; the seizure of 66 tonnes of illicit drugs by overseas police with AFP assistance, avoiding $10.9 billion in harm; and 373 people being charged with criminal offences, with 141 people charged as a result of child exploitation investigations. The committee recently tabled its report on its inquiry into law enforcement capabilities in relation to child exploitation. At its public hearings on the AFP's annual report, the committee sought updated information on this area. The committee spoke to the AFP about the triage system in the AFP led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, the ACCCE. The committee was also advised that the ACCCE were working in partnership with their state and territory counterparts, through the joint anti-child-exploitation teams, to prioritise reports and respond rapidly. The committee also asked about the status of Operation Tenterfield, including support for victims and their families, given the large number of victims involved. Operation Tenterfield is an AFP investigation which has led to a former childcare worker being charged with 1,623 child abuse offences against 91 children. While the matter is before the Brisbane Magistrates Court, the committee was advised that a communications network has been set up to keep the victims informed of progress in proceedings. The committee also heard that the ACCCE has a number of partnerships with non-government organisations across the country and internationally which can provide support to victims of these heinous crimes. The AFP Commissioner stressed that end-to-end encryption will make the job of police more difficult, including in relation to child exploitation. The committee shares this concern about the effect of end-to-end encryption on social media and reporting child exploitation, as well as emerging effects of artificial intelligence, and will continue to monitor these areas. I wish to take the opportunity to thank all those officers working to combat child exploitation. It is a very difficult area of work, and the dedication of these officers to protect children in Australia and overseas is at the absolute highest level and is extremely impressive. In 2019, the AFP commissioner set a five-year target of $600 million for criminal assets restrained. The committee was pleased to hear of the success of the Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce, which, as at 30 June 2023, has restrained in excess of $940 million in assets. The committee also heard about the innovation paths being pursued by the criminal assets team, including in relation to child protection offences. I commend the AFP for continuing to perform well in a complex operating environment to protect the safety of Australians. I commend the AFP officers who gave evidence to the committee and also my fellow committee members for their contribution to the committee's important oversight. I commend the committee's report to the House. Turning to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission annual report 2022-23, I note that the ACIC provides vital intelligence and policing information that protect Australia from serious criminal threats. The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement is charged with providing parliamentary oversight of the ACIC, which is especially important in light of the coercive powers available to the agency. As part of this work, the committee examines each ACIC annual report and raises a range of contemporary issues with its officials at a public hearing. I'm pleased to report that the committee has not identified any major areas of concern and concluded that the ACIC's annual report was satisfactory. The committee's review also highlighted several important areas of work pursued by the ACIC. One of continuing concern with committee members is the growing illicit tobacco trade in Australia. The ACIC assists with disrupting the illicit trade by providing intelligence and support to its partners. In 2022-23, the ACIC contributed to illicit tobacco seizures with an estimated street value of over $79 million. This continues the upward trend seen each year since 2019-20; it also exceeds the 2018-19 figure of $75 million. The ACIC reported that these disruptions are unlikely to have occurred without the contribution in providing intelligence, which reflects the value of the agency's work. Another key focus is the development of a National Firearms Register, which the committee has monitored closely. This will be a major effort by various Commonwealth, state and territory agencies. In particular, the ACIC is responsible for the technical arm of the program, providing the register itself. The committee was pleased to hear that work is well underway, but it remains conscious of the four-year time frame agreed by National Cabinet last December. The committee will maintain a watching brief on this issue as it monitors the ACIC's performance in future. The committee also examined a range of other issues relating to the agency's performance, including the staff retention and employee census results. On the latter, it is positive that the ACIC has engaged with its staff about the census results and published a census improvement plan. To provide a broader sense of the ACIC's work, I can also report that, in 2023, the ACIC produced 101 analytical intelligence products and over 2,600 tactical intelligence products. The ACIC's intelligence contributed to 78 disruptions of criminal entities, and, of the ACIC's surveyed stakeholders, 96 per cent agreed that its information systems are valuable to their work. I commend the ACIC officers for their valuable contribution to Australia's law enforcement and community safety. I also thank them for their assistance with the committee's oversight process, as well as my fellow committee members for their constructive approach to the committee's work. I commend the committee's reports to the House. BILLS 41 BILLS Passenger Movement Charge Amendment Bill 2024 41

Passenger Movement Charge Amendment Bill 2024

Returned from Senate 41 Superannuation (Objective) Bill 2023 41

Superannuation (Objective) Bill 2023

Second Reading 41 16:19 Mr PERRETT HVP Moreton I rise to support the motion moved by the Treasurer, the honourable member for Rankin. I'm very happy to talk about superannuation. The superannuation guarantee was passed through this House in 1992 by the Keating Labor government. It was introduced because the Keating government, like all Labor governments, was forward thinking, and it was presented with the fact that Australia would experience a major demographic shift in the following decades—an ageing population—and that this would result in increased age pension payments that would place an unaffordable strain on our economy. The concept of superannuation, or super, as it's called, is pretty simple. The Australian Taxation Office website describes it this way: Superannuation … is money put aside by your employer over your working life for you to live on when you retire from work. Super is important for you, because the more you save, the more money you will have for your retirement. The savings in a person's super account generally cannot be accessed until they reach retirement age, and it helps workers transition from earning a regular wage into retirement. Australia's superannuation system has now become a national treasure that has delivered generations of workers a decent and secure retirement, and millions of Australians are retiring with more wealth than ever before. We now have nearly $4 trillion in funds, working daily to support future retirees. The success of superannuation cannot be understated. For its reach to millions of Australians, it is perhaps the most significant public policy of the last 30 years. I wonder if the assistant minister might comment on that—someone who understands it a bit more closely than me. Superannuation has been a life changer for workers and a game changer for the nation. Superannuation gives working Australians peace of mind. They can enjoy their well-earned retirement. It also helps give a solid backbone to our pension system. It also aids in promoting economic growth for the Australian economy, with large capital investments giving the economy that strong foundation. Capital promotes growth. Superannuation is a win-win-win. It's good for workers, good for bosses and good for the economy. Despite this benefit to Australians, those opposite have taken every opportunity to attack and denigrate that great institution of Australian super. They never go and talk to bosses about it. They don't believe in consultation. They believe in dictation. They're little dictators. Their policy development is incredibly simple. They look at what the Labor Party is doing and then just say, 'We're saying no to that.' I cannot imagine any policy from the coalition that has produced such a nation-changing benefit as superannuation. In fact, they've done their best to pillage and destroy the superannuation system at every turn. One of the first things the Howard government did in 1996 was cancel planned increases in superannuation—all that compound interest thrown away, sacrificed on the altar of Liberal pride and arrogance. At every stage, the coalition has seen fit to attack the ability of Australians to live a happy, dignified retirement. More recently, during the pandemic, instead of giving good government support, they more or less forced Australians into raiding their future in order to stay afloat—private stimulus delivering public benefit. During the pandemic, the coalition, rather than putting forward strong economic stimulus, allowed Australians to withdraw money from their own super in order to make ends meet. Figures from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority reveal that workers withdrew more than $36 billion from their retirement savings after being forced to fend for themselves, and way too many people spent it on bull bars, lap bands, back decks, Bali or boob jobs. Now, I'm no financial planner, but not all of those will necessarily deliver a good return on investment. More than 700,000 workers completely emptied their super accounts, with over 80 per cent of those being under the age of 35. This lack of savings will have huge compounding impacts when it comes to retirement for these people. It will mean that these Australians, who were abandoned by the Morrison government, will be far worse off in the future. They miss out on that magic of compound interest. This unprecedented, short-sighted political attack is a catastrophic blow to the retirement prospects of a whole generation of Australian workers, engineered by a visionless, lazy former coalition government. You can be sure that, if the coalition come for our superannuation once, they will do it again and again. That $4 trillion nest egg is too big a lure. It's like bovine faeces to blowflies. The coalition's premise is that the only way to make sure young Australians can afford a home is by raiding their superannuation. That's their only policy. It's simply unacceptable. To do that would be like squirting lighter fluid on a housing bonfire. For those opposite to have the gall, after 10 years in power, to give young workers an ultimatum that to live the Australian dream they need to sacrifice their retirement is disgraceful and lacking vision. Shame on them for trying to push workers into a corner and force them to choose between having a home of their own or having superannuation savings. Former prime minister Morrison also tried to start a scare campaign about the war on the weekend, but, under his leadership, a brutal war on the workforce sought to attack the retirement plans for so many Australians, forcing Australians to make that horrible choice between their home and their future. This put some Australians into a mindset of looking at their superannuation—which is being held in trust for them—as if it were actually a second bank account, but it is not. This is a worrying siren song and would see Australians' retirements wrecked. That's why the Albanese government is acting to ensure superannuation is never treated by a policy-lazy coalition as a public piggy bank. This bill will legislate the objective of superannuation by ensuring that it's a true north for our super system and by making sure that, when those opposite seek to denigrate such an institution, they must explain to the public why they're doing so. This bill provides that the objective of superannuation is to preserve savings to deliver income for a dignified retirement alongside government support in an equitable and sustainable way. This objective will serve as a reminder that achieving better living standards for Australians in retirement is at the heart of our superannuation system. The bill also enjoys strong industry support and will make for a sustainable, strong relationship between government and superannuation providers. You might recall that there was a bill in this House back in 2016 that attempted to create a set of objectives for the superannuation system. However, it did not encompass a solid set of principles that could be agreed on by all stakeholders. This government has ensured that proper consultation has occurred and that this bill enjoys strong industry support. We do consult. We do the hard yards. As I said, those opposite merely consult the Notice Paper to see what they're opposing today, and then they calibrate how loudly they will whinge in doing so. This bill will ensure that the responsible ministers will be required to complete a statement of compatibility where their legislation or amendment is expected to have a material impact on the superannuation system. The statement of compatibility includes a qualitative assessment of the bill's or regulation's compatibility with the objective of superannuation detailed earlier. This will strike the right balance on accountability to ensure that changes to the superannuation system are consistent with the objective. This also makes sure that the coalition cannot play politics by the back door and that, when they try and rob the future of hardworking Australians, they will have to face the music. Improving the retirement phase is a natural progression of the government's priorities to strengthen the superannuation system, as more members transition from the accumulation phase to the decumulation phase of superannuation. This bill will complement but not change the core trustee obligations under superannuation law. Trustees must continue to make investment decisions in the best financial interests of members. Superannuation is an institution we can all be proud of. Australia manages the fourth-largest pension pool in the world. This represents just how important it is to protect its stability. Legislating an objective for our superannuation will ensure that this institution remains strong and that, when politicians on any side of the House in the future seek to make changes, the objectives stay front and centre. The Albanese government doesn't play politics with your savings. A Labor government legislated compulsory super way back in 1992, and we will always defend it against raids from those opposite. Labor governments are dedicated to protecting working Australians, and that starts with making sure that your super is safe and stable. The former government attempted to privatise their policy problems by forcing Aussie workers to take from their future in order to survive. This bill is a vital step in continuing to protect our great Australian institution of superannuation and to stand up for what the Labor Party is all about: the rights of workers and their ability to enjoy retirement. This government will never stand idly by and let those opposite pillage the superannuation system. ADJOURNMENT 43 ADJOURNMENT Ryan Electorate: Infrastructure 43 16:30 Ms WATSON-BROWN 300127 Ryan Australia is one of the most urbanised nations in the world. Eighty-nine per cent of Australians live in cities, and that percentage is steadily growing. Globally, 60 per cent of greenhouse gases are produced by cities. They consume 78 per cent of the world's resources and are vulnerable to the impacts of ecological crises. Cities have created problems, but they are the site for solutions. We need urgent, far-reaching transitions to make our cities sustainable: decarbonise, with car dependency eradicated and a good home for everyone which is close to all the services and facilities they need for a good life. Twenty-three seconds off your commute, at a cost of over $200 million and years of traffic chaos: that's what the LNP forced upon my electorate of Ryan with their Indro roundabout project. It was stunningly irrational and wasteful. The then federal LNP and the LNP city council partnered up to fund a roundabout upgrade that would deliver only a 23-second decrease in commute time. It was to be a $126 million project. It then blew out to an estimated $186 million in 2021, and it's likely at least $250 million by now. On what else could we have spent those taxpayer megabucks? Maybe a decade's worth of high-frequency bus routes on the west side. Maybe hundreds of kilometres of new footpaths or separated cycle routes. There are countless streets on the west side without any footpath at all. No wonder so many choose to drive. This is not to mention that the west side is host to some of Brisbane's most notoriously dangerous roads for cyclists. Of course, the previous Indro roundabout had safety issues, which the LNP have been using to justify this project, but prioritising the speed of cars over other road users doesn't make it safer. There are so many much cheaper safety solutions deliverable much faster with minimal disruption. I'm sure the contractor who got the gig is happy for the money, but the rest of us suffer through what will end up being three years of disruptive roadworks interrupting commercial activity and sleep. The LNP has spent billions of dollars on road widenings and mega road projects over the last decade, and guess what. The traffic has just got worse. In Brisbane, commute times have jumped by almost 50 per cent since the early 2000s. When you build more roads and do not provide other, more efficient transport nodes, you encourage more people to drive. It is a no-brainer. You can't build your way out of traffic congestion. The only way to fix traffic congestion is free and frequent public transport and making walking and cycling a real and safe alternative so everyone has the freedom to live their car at home and. Frankly, the only party that understands this reality is the Greens. The Greens have a vision for Brisbane's west side: seriously reducing traffic congestion with three new frequent bus routes, from Enoggera to Indro, from Chapel Hill through UQ to Capalaba and from Long Pocket and Figtree Pocket to the Indro shops. There would be a new pool in the inner west—did you know we have only one council pool in Ryan? There would be a new primary school in the inner west to take pressure off our overenrolled state schools. There would be a new high school in the Moggill-Bellbowrie area to relieve congestion on Moggill Road and take the pressure of Kenmore and Indro state high schools. There would be new libraries and community centres for the many underserviced suburbs. There would be a huge boost to safe and walkable streets, particularly in areas like Chapel Hill, Figtree Pocket and The Gap. Funding would be restored to the Toowong-West End green bridge. There would be a connected, protected cycleway from Rafting Ground Road all the way to Saint Lucia. There would be community led delivery of quality, medium-density, affordable public housing and development in areas like Toowong central. When Labor and the LNP say that this is impossible and it will cost too much, all I can say is: why hand hundreds of millions in tax breaks to property developers? What's impossible—what is completely untenable—is not delivering this infrastructure as our city intensifies and letting private, for-profit developers set the entire agenda, make a killing and leave our community without the things that we all need to live a good life in the city. Dunkley By-Election 44 16:34 Ms DOYLE 299962 Aston This Saturday the voters of Dunkley have an important choice at the ballot box when they vote in the Dunkley by-election. This by-election is a choice between a strong local voice in government, with Labor's candidate, Jodie Belyea, or a candidate who will bring the Liberal Party no closer to meeting its own gender goals. Just recently, the Liberal Party preselected Manny Cicchiello as their candidate for Aston. Really? This guy has had failed runs for the federal seat of Holt in 2007, Bruce in 2013 and the Victorian upper house in 2018, as well as his aborted attempt to replace Mary Wooldridge in state parliament in 2020. Forced to pull out of that race after it emerged he was ineligible due to having pleaded guilty as a 19-year-old to an offence carrying a prison term of more than five years, having made a improper claim to a concession train fare. All this was reported in the Australian a year ago in an article when Cicchiello was considering sticking his hand up as a candidate for the Aston by-election. This article went on to explain how Cicchiello's 2013 campaign was the highly controversial beneficiary of a fundraising dinner hosted by an alleged mafia figure. To quote one senior Liberal who wanted to remain anonymous, and I can see why, 'I'm not sure Manny would fare well with the scrutiny of a federal by-election.' Yet a year on, all okay for a federal election—'yeah-nah'. Those opposite can't even listen to their own party or their 2022 election report. They keep preselecting male candidates who lean further and further to the right. Why would they listen to their constituents, then? They want to be part of a bitter opposition under an increasingly angry leader who when he does offer something up to the parliament usually offers the word no and divisive rhetoric. In one of his previous roles as health minister, he made attacks on visiting GPs. Recently tabled in this House by the Minister for Home Affairs, the honourable Clare O'Neil, there wasn't one, there weren't two, there were three reports into Australia's migration system. I'm only going to talk about one, as I would need at least an hour to take the House through it all and I only have five minutes. I'll try and keep this short and repeat to the House what Minister O'Neil said: I want to talk now about the report that Christine Nixon wrote into the exploitation in our migration system … In some ways this is actually the most damning report into the Leader of the Opposition. For almost the whole time he's been in parliament, his whole public persona has been puffing himself up as a big tough guy on the border. But what did the Nixon review find? It found that there were serious and systemic problems with exploitation in the migration system. It found that the system had been used to perpetrate some of the worst crimes that there are—sexual slavery and human trafficking—under the watch of the Leader of the Opposition, our so-called tough guy on the beat. She found there was delay and dysfunction in the system. She also found something very interesting: for all the tough talk that we have heard over previous years from the Leader of the Opposition, he halved immigration compliance funding to the Department of Home Affairs. Getting back to this Saturday, I think that the good people of Dunkley deserve better than Peter Dutton and his candidates. They deserve a representative like Jodie Belyea under the Albanese Labor government, who'll be an excellent advocate for her community. The late Peta Murphy MP and Jodie shared a passion to make a difference. Peta supported Jodie's work with local women doing it tough through the not-for-profit Women's Spirit Project, which Jodie founded. Jodie is a Frankston local who lives with her husband Dave and their son Flynn, who goes to Frankston High School. Jodie studied at Chisholm TAFE. She later taught for a short time at TAFE herself, as well as working in community organisations and government agencies. Fairness and hard work are Jodie's core values. Jodie Belyea would be part of a team doing well doing all we can to address cost-of-living pressures. It's a big choice for Dunkley this Saturday. The late, great Peta Murphy knew what Jodie could bring to this place, and I really hope that we can welcome Jodie Belyea to Canberra. Honey Industry 45 16:39 Mr PEARCE 282306 Braddon It's been a tough few years for our Australian beekeepers. They've been hit from all sides: droughts, bushfires, floods, varroa mite and New Zealand's trademark attack on Australian beekeeping using the term manuka. These are all significant headwinds that our world-best beekeepers have faced head-on. We thank them for their ongoing resilience because our honey bees are irreplaceable in our food production system. Honey bees pollinate over 65 per cent of all food grown in Australia. We must support this crucial industry. I recently received an email from Nicola Charles from Mawbanna Blue Hills Honey, in my electorate of Braddon. Nicola is a senior player and voice of reason for the industry. In her email to me, Nicola said that all of threats and challenges the industry has faced pale into insignificance when compared to the importation of artificial honey and the impact that that is having on our industry. Put simply, we're talking about international food fraud. Beekeepers have told me that the importation of artificial honey into Australia is of such a high quantity that it threatens the ongoing viability of our honey beekeepers in Australia. Currently, 40 per cent of all imported honey comes from—you guessed it—China. A further 15.8 per cent comes from Thailand. You might ask: what is artificial honey? Surely honey is honey. The answer is no, it's not. Artificial honey involves feeding bees sugar water, which is a process of passing syrup through the hives when they're extracted, similar to nectar. But in this process there is no need for flowers, nectar or the natural work of bees. The sugary sweet substance is then transferred to a factory where it is artificially dehydrated and often blended with further, other low-cost sugar-blend syrups in order to effectively cheat or fraud detection tests. Dr Leigh BU8 Outrageous! Mr PEARCE 282306 It is outrageous. Alarmingly, a leading international honey bee fraud detection unit—there's obviously an acronym that's going to be formed there—found that half the honey samples tested from around Australian supermarkets were altered honey in some way. Shamefully, they were being advertised as 100 per cent honey, but they contained this sugar syrup. This is an important issue of great concern to me, my state and the industry more widely. I have written to the minister, Minister Watt, on behalf of our honey bee industry. I have been advised by the minister that the department is currently making moves in order to strengthen the test imported honey, which I welcome. However, I must reiterate the importance of listening to the views and knowledge within our industry. I will certainly be keeping a very close eye on this matter to ensure that we move to eliminate honey fraud once and for all. Honey fraud is not the only pressing issue on the minds of our honey bee industry. Labor's new fresh food tax has been introduced into parliament. Ever since the biosecurity protection levy was first proposed, there have been questions raised about the serious failures within this policy design. A recent report by the Australian National University has found that, given the considerable weaknesses in the proposed levy, an alternative policy approach is recommended. This is just further evidence to back up what producers have been saying to me right from the beginning. Our honey producers, for example, have been directly impacted by the varroa mite and have lost productivity and incomes, and they're paying tens of millions of dollars in emergency biosecurity levies and are now about to be hit by the new biosecurity tax that will go directly into consolidated government revenue. This call is for the government to scrap the bill and increase charges for those who create the biosecurity risk in the first place, such as importers and travellers. The second option is to further fund biosecurity protections through general revenue. I wholeheartedly agree. Corangamite Electorate: Veterans, Torquay Bowls Club, St Leonards Foreshore Development 46 16:44 Ms COKER 263547 Corangamite It's been an exciting week in my electorate of Corangamite. After fighting hard for a veterans hub, we're now reaping the rewards. Just last week, alongside the Assistant Minister for Veterans' Affairs, I announced a $5.5 million grant to establish a new veterans and families hub. This will benefit more than 6,600 local veterans across the Surf Coast, Bellarine and the wider Geelong region. The hub itself will be centrally located in Geelong and will have major satellite sites—one in Torquay and the other at the Queenscliff RSL—servicing both the Bellarine and the Surf Coast. These services will be easily accessible to veterans, will have a focus on financial advice, health and wellbeing and will offer much-needed outreach to veterans, who, at times, miss out on the support they need. I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge all of my local RSL subbranches in Geelong, Torquay, Waurn Ponds, Inverleigh, Bannockburn, Portarlington-St Leonards, Queenscliff-Point Lonsdale, Ocean Grove-Barwon Heads, Drysdale and Leopold. You have all played a significant role in this process. From the announcement of Labor's election commitment to the engagement session we held with the Minister for Veterans' Affairs last year, these subbranches have provided feedback and guidance on how we can best support our local veterans. I'd also like to thank the Department of Veterans' Affairs, who've offered on-the-spot support to many of the local veterans throughout this process. Even at last week's announcement, we were able to provide advice and support to some of our local veterans who needed help. The Albanese government is committed to further helping our veterans in the coming months. Only yesterday, the Albanese government released draft legislation which will simplify the century-old veterans entitlements, compensation and rehabilitation system. The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide found the system was: … so complicated that it adversely affects the mental health of some veterans … and can be a contributing factor to suicidality. Following consultation, the draft legislation aims to simplify the veteran compensation system, with all claims being considered under a single act. Many of my local veterans asked about this at our announcement, and I'm so proud that we're delivering on this commitment, which will help them to lead more fulfilling lives. I'm looking forward to working with my veterans communities to make sure that this hub is the best it can be. I'd like to wish the Torquay Bowls Club a happy 100th birthday. I had the great privilege of sharing in this celebration on the weekend, when members and the community came together to reminisce about times past and recognise the achievements of the club. There were community bowls competitions with the original wooden bowls, a book launch and a documentary film about the club, and everybody got a piece of birthday cake. We heard about the birth of the club way back in 1924 and how it has grown into one of Torquay's most beautiful meeting places. With a magnificent vista across the ocean and to the adjacent Taylor Park, it's an oasis in the growing town of Torquay. I congratulate the club on its centenary, from current club president, Joe Issell, to the leaders and board members who came before. I also congratulate the many volunteers and supporters who have devoted and continue to devote their heart and soul to the longevity of this historic club. It was great to join with the St Leonard's community to officially open the foreshore redevelopment. The barbeque was great—it got its first workout—and locals enjoyed a snag in bread under the shade of the new timber shelter. Congratulations to everyone who made this possible. Albanese Government 46 16:48 Mr PIKE 300120 Bowman There has been a lot of talk in this building over the first few sitting weeks of the year about broken promises. Earlier in the month, we saw the Prime Minister break a promise he made over 100 times to proceed with the final stage of legislated tax cuts. Sadly this important structural reform has been sacrificed for political expediency. The cost of this decision will be felt for decades as bracket creep silently takes more and more money out of Australians' pockets. This is only the latest in a series of broken promises from Labor. Who can forget the broken promise of a $175 reduction in energy prices? No changes to super taxes was another promise that's been forgotten about. There was the promise of an increase in real wages, the promise of no changes to franking credits and of course the promise of cheaper mortgages. That hasn't happened for any Australian out there. At a local level, I'm faced with the fallout of another election commitment made to the Redlands community that the Labor Party is now refusing to honour. A handful of local sporting organisations within my electorate were promised funding within this term of parliament to fund a range of projects. Now the Labor government is saying that the funding may not be available until later in the next term of parliament. Inadequate research and sloppy implementation of the funding process have led to significant alterations in many of the chosen projects. As a result, several clubs will not receive the originally promised outcomes. Redlands Rays Baseball Club were promised new lighting; instead they get modified seating. Capalaba Warriors Rugby League Football Club were promised new lighting as well; instead they get some seating, a bin and kitchen upgrades. Redlands Touch Association were promised a fit-out of their clubhouse and food area; instead they get new poles and LED lights. But the worst victim of the government's failure to deliver is the Victoria Point Sharks AFL club, a wonderful football and community club that has served the Redlands well for over 60 years. The Sharks have been dudded. They were promised $250,000 to deliver new change rooms. Instead, they will receive $108,000 for new lights that they didn't want or need and other equipment. Labor's flawed approach has failed to grasp the genuine requirements and expenses of the project and they have attempted to pass the buck on to council to resolve their oversight. When you boil it all down, the Victoria Point Sharks were promised $141,000 more than they will receive. Unfortunately the government has broken their promise and they have short-changed this club. It's a wonderful club that's been serving the community so well. It's been an incredibly active club. It's played at the top level in the NEAFL competition. I'll be working over the coming weeks to pressure the federal government to keep their word to my community on this important promise. I'll also be working to ensure that the requirements of our local clubs are met through a new coalition commitment of $250 million in funding over four years for community sporting infrastructure. This package has a particular focus on delivering new upgrades in outer metropolitan areas like the Redlands, where population growth is driving demand for new facilities. This club has experienced significant growth and demand, and it has also been able to benefit from an investment in change room facilities that was delivered by the previous coalition government. I'm very disappointed that the government has failed to deliver the funding they promised to this club. It was supposed to be $250,000 for new change rooms. Instead, they're only going to get $108,000 for new lights. As always, I'll be keeping an eagle eye on the government's actions and I'll be blowing the whistle when their words don't match their deeds for my local community. This is a government led by a prime minister who claimed that his word is his bond. Well, I expect the Labor government to keep their word to the Victoria Point Sharks AFL club. Give the club the $141,000 that was promised. Gender Equality 47 16:53 Ms CLAYDON 248181 Newcastle I'm incredibly proud to stand in this chamber to recognise the second International Women's Day since the Albanese Labor government came into office and to share some of the terrific progress we have made. We promised to lead the way in closing the gender pay gap in Australia and indeed to place gender equality at the core of our work. Since that first day of office we've been doing it each and every day. Last year, in an Australian first, the Albanese Labor government passed legislation that would increase transparency and reporting of gender pay gaps. It requires businesses with more than 100 employees to publish the median gender pay gaps on base salaries and total remuneration. On Tuesday, that collective data was made public for the first time. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency published gender pay gaps for nearly 5,000 Australian private-sector employers which demonstrated a record low 12 per cent gender pay gap. It found pay gaps in favour of men in all industries. Even across all female dominated sectors, the median income was 11.6 per cent higher for men. For more than 60 per cent of Australian companies, women are still paid over five per cent less than men. In Newcastle and the Hunter, a number of companies have gender pay gaps well above 30 per cent. Newcastle Greater Mutual Group has a gender pay gap of 34.5 per cent. Glencore's gap is 41.4 per cent. Origin Energy Eraring has a gap of 34.1 per cent. Hunter Imaging Group's gap is 37.3 per cent, and Hunter Primary Care has a gender pay gap of 73.1 per cent. We know that transparency and accountability are critical for driving change. In shining a light on gender pay gaps at an employer level, we're arming both individuals and organisations with the evidence they need to take meaningful action to accelerate closing the gap. Those of us on this side of the House are not prepared to wait 26 years to see a closing of this gap. That's why we have acted, and acted with purpose. This government has a number of measures to see this gap narrow. It's why we have banned things like pay secrecy clauses. We have expanded access to flexible work arrangements, and we've established 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave. It's why we've extended paid parental leave, invested in child care and given aged-care workers a pay rise. Our commitment to gender analysis means there are better outcomes for women. Labor's cost-of-living tax cuts will give 90 per cent of taxpaying women a bigger tax cut. As I said, transparency and accountability are critical for driving change. As the CEO of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Mary Wooldridge, said: The time for talk and excuses is over. Change takes action and employers need to double down on ensuring all employees are fairly represented and equally valued and rewarded in their workplace. I couldn't agree more. Someone who I know was paying close attention to the gender pay gap statistics was the Chair of the Hunter Workers Women's Committee, Teresa Hetherington, who said: It's not just a wage; it's your entitlements and the gaps in your employment that really have a strong effect on the overall outcome as we get older. The Hunter Workers Women's Committee, alongside the Union of Australian Women, will host Newcastle's International Women's Day dinner on 8 March. It's a chance to celebrate the progress made and reaffirm our commitment to continued work to improve gender equality in Australia. This year's dinner has special significance as, after more than 70 years, the phenomenal Newcastle branch of the Union of Australian Women is retiring and passing on its leadership baton to the Hunter Workers Women's Committee. What an amazing innings it has been for the Newcastle branch of the Union of Australian Women, which was first established in 1950. Novocastrians like the late Janet Copley and her formidable co-conspirators Janet Mundie, Mary Calcott and Lynda Forbes have been the stalwarts of feminism and the labour movement in Newcastle. These women have played an integral role in the Union of Australian Women through its 70 years. I'd also like to acknowledge fellow members Joan Masterson, Val Harding, Barbars Dore, Janet Sutherland, Annette Minards, Carmel Cook, Beryl Batherson, Betty Bochanek, Joan Anderson—along with her mother, Cathy Williams—and Fran Cameron, an inaugural member who joined in 1953 and was a member till she died at 101. (Time expired) Gold Coast: Storms 48 16:58 Ms BELL 282981 Moncrieff In the remaining minute of this sitting, I would just like to acknowledge all those across the Gold Coast who are still cleaning up after the storms over Christmas. It was indeed something that was sudden in the community, and I want to acknowledge those organisations like Serving Our People in Mermaid Beach, with whom I went out on New Year's Day to the Nerang Bicentennial Community Centre to hand out some food parcels to help those who had been struck by the storms and had lost the contents of their refrigerators or their freezers. The member for Fadden and I were there helping those constituents, to support those who had lost all of that food that had been spoilt. My office has also been working very hard to make sure that a number of suburbs in the electorate have been on that disaster recovery list, including Southport, Nerang, Worongary, Merrimac and Mermaid Waters. My heart goes out to all of you. I give my regards to those on the Gold Coast who have been suffering over Christmas with the storms and are still cleaning up trees from their properties. To all those emergency workers who have restored the power as well: thank you so much for your efforts. House adjourned at 17:00