BILLS

2025-08-28 3 1 0 House of Reps 0 1

Thursday, 28 August 2025

The SPEAKER ( Hon. Milton Dick ) took the chair at 09:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.

BILLS 1 BILLS Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025 1

Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025

First Reading 1 Second Reading 1 09:01 Ms WELLS 264121 Lilley I move: That this bill be now read a second time. The Albanese government is committed to keeping Australians connected, no matter where they live—from the Pilbara to Palm Island, from Broome to Bendigo. We believe in a simple principle: no one held back, no one left behind. To do that, we must crack down on the mistreatment of telecommunications customers. We know in 2025, connectivity is not a nice-to-have. It is a necessity. It is how people get to work. It is how kids keep up with their learning. It is how people can work from home. It is how older Australians stay in touch with loved ones. And in an emergency—it is how Australians stay safe. That's why the Albanese government is continuing to invest in services and in infrastructure. We are investing $1.1 billion in the Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia which ensures remote, rural and regional Australians benefit from advances in connectivity—with a pipeline of over 500 projects now funded. And this will be complemented by the agreement signed between NBN and Amazon to deliver city broadband speeds to the bush through low-Earth-orbit satellites. We are determined for Australia to be the most connected continent—for telecommunications to be an opportunity equaliser—rather than meander with a coalition copper approach that creates metro haves and rural have-nots. We are determined for Australians to be protected rather than exploited through telecommunications. That's why earlier this year the Assistant Minister for Social Services and I visited Juno, a respite centre for women experiencing violence to announce a mandatory telecommunications industry standard. The domestic, family and sexual violence industry standard makes lasting change for many victims-survivors who until now were forced to engage their abusers to call family, friends and even triple 0. This reform means victims-survivors will never be asked to engage with the alleged perpetrator to resolve their telecommunications issues. Telecommunications are critical to our everyday lives, so it's vital providers meet community expectations in delivering services—or be held to account by the industry regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, or ACMA, if they do not. That's what this bill is about. We want to see telecommunications companies do better. Earlier this year, the Federal Court ruled that Telstra made false or misleading representations relating to the upload speed of residential broadband internet services to nearly 9,000 of its Belong customers in 2020, off the back of court action by the ACCC. In June, Optus Mobile acknowledged it engaged in unconscionable conduct when selling telecommunications goods and services to hundreds of consumers, including those experiencing disadvantage and hardship, after court action brought by the ACCC. At the time, the ACCC deputy chair said: The conduct, which included selling inappropriate, unwanted or unaffordable mobiles and phone plans to people who are vulnerable or experiencing disadvantage is simply unacceptable. These are just a couple of recent examples, but they are illustrative of the need to drive higher standards in this industry. That is why we are bringing this bill to parliament—to strengthen the safeguards that protect consumers. It ensures providers meet community expectations—this is acting in good faith, providing relievable service and supporting customers. But, if that doesn't happen, then Australians need an industry regulator they can rely on that has the power to hold telecommunications companies accountable. Stronger penalties This bill will deliver significantly stronger penalties for misconduct. Right now, under the current system, the maximum fine for breaching industry codes and standards is $250,000. This bill changes that. It raises the maximum penalty by 40 times: up to $10 million. It was $250,000; it will be $10 million. And, in serious cases, it allows penalties to be calculated as three times the benefit obtained from the breach, or 30 per cent of the company's turnover. This brings telecommunications in line with other sectors like banking, energy and consumer law. The bill also expands and clarifies the Minister for Communications's authority to increase infringement notice penalties that ACMA can issue for breaches of industry codes, industry standards and service provider determinations. These stronger penalties mean no company will be able to treat fines as the cost of doing business, because there are and continue to be real-world examples of real-world harm, like the use of high-pressure sales tactics, misleading representations of service performance or inclusions, unfair billing practices and contract terms or targeting vulnerable customers creating further financial hardship. Through this bill the Albanese government sends a signal. Companies that engage in practices that put profits before people will be held to account financially. It helps our mission for no-one to be held back and no-one to be left behind. Faster enforcement This bill will also deliver faster enforcement of industry codes. Until now, ACMA has been unable to take direct enforcement action against breaches of industry codes, no matter how serious, without issuing a direction to comply first, and then ACMA can only act if the noncompliance continues. This delays ACMA in taking action and can leave Australians exposed. This bill cuts through that. We are removing the two-step process, making industry codes directly enforceable. Greater visibility This bill also enables greater visibility of the carrier service market and carrier service providers operating in it. A carriage service provider is any provider who uses telecommunications carrier facilities—for example, transmission infrastructure, cabling or wireless networks—to supply telecommunications services like mobile phone or internet services to the public. The bill establishes a carriage service provider registration scheme. This reform gives ACMA visibility of who is operating in the market and the ability to prevent or remove providers who pose an unacceptable risk to consumers or cause consumer harm. It means everyone is playing by the same rules and those who do the right thing are not undermined by dodgy operators. Supporting fairness and trust Together, these reforms create a modern compliance framework that is fit for purpose. They support fairness by making sure that consumers are protected. They build trust by ensuring ACMA has the tools it needs to take quick action. They strengthen the industry by setting clear, consistent standards. Listening to stakeholders These reforms have been developed in consultation with industry, regulators and consumer advocates. I would like to thank the Australian Telecommunications Alliance, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network and the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman for their ongoing engagement and support of these reforms, including their feedback following the previous introduction of the bill earlier in the year. The feedback from these stakeholders has meant we have improved the bill, providing clarity on consumer safeguards and processes for all parties. Conclusion This beautiful country we call home is intangibly unique. Australia is the world's largest island and the sixth-biggest country on Earth. Yet this vast nation holds just 3½ people per square kilometre, one of the world's lowest population densities. This combination ensures connection is an evergreen challenge. This bill helps meet that challenge, helps keep Australians connected by cracking down on telecommunications providers who mistreat customers. It will deliver the community the services they need and deserve through a system that is fair and accountable. So no-one is held back and no-one is left behind. I commend the bill to the House. Debate adjourned. Defence Amendment (Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal) Bill 2025 3 First Reading 3 Second Reading 3 09:11 Mr 249147 Burt KEOGH (—) (): I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Defence Amendment (Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal) Bill 2025 I am pleased to present to the House today the Defence Amendment (Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal) Bill 2025. Background to the Tribunal Australia established its own national honours system in 1975 under the Whitlam government. Prior to this, Australian Defence Force personnel were only eligible to receive defence honours or awards—medals—under the United Kingdom imperial system. In 1991 the system was updated by the Hawke government, with the introduction of the Victoria Cross for Australia and a number of gallantry decorations, distinguished service decorations and unit citations. A further unique part of the Australian honours system was the establishment of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal in Australia in 2011 by the Gillard government, the only tribunal to independently review decisions made within Defence in relation to defence honours and awards. The tribunal has two important functions. The first is a review function, whereby individuals are able to apply to the tribunal for review of a decision regarding eligibility for a defence honour, defence award or foreign award. The second is an inquiry function, whereby the government can refer issues to the tribunal for inquiry and recommendation. A defence honour recognises a form of gallant, courageous or distinguished service, often for bravery in warlike or other specific hazardous operations for individuals or units. A defence award is usually awarded for length of service or a participation in a specific operation or theatre. A foreign award is any foreign award given by any country for which an Australian Defence Force member may be eligible; however, this broad definition creates difficulties where the awarding of the award is not actually within Australia's power. As such, only those foreign awards that are set out in the regulations will be reviewable by the tribunal. The government is committed to continuing this proud tradition to ensure that there is an appropriate avenue of review of Defence decisions when it comes to ADF members and veterans' medallic recognition. For the past 14 years, the tribunal has assisted government to explore 30 unresolved complex issues through its inquiry function and reviewed over 350 individual decisions relating to defence honours, defence awards and foreign awards. Overview of amendments After well more than a decade of operation, it is necessary to ensure that the tribunal remains fit for purpose and to address a number of concerns that have been raised by the tribunal itself and others over time in relation to its operation. There are no changes made that affect the inquiry function of the tribunal. This function remains as a ministerial directed avenue to explore complex issues within defence honours and awards. However, to assist the tribunal in their review function, this bill amends the jurisdiction of the tribunal as set out in the Defence Act 1903in a number of important ways: by updating the time period for which the tribunal can review medallic recognition, by limiting who is able to seek a review of Defence decisions to those with a clear interest in such medallic recognition and by focusing the functions of such a review on eligibility. The amendments also modernise the operations of the tribunal, including in relation to the time allowed to seek a review of a Defence decision. Importantly, the bill will not remove the tribunal's ability to review refusal decisions relating to defence honours, defence awards or foreign awards. What the bill will do is redefine the relevant time periods in relation to reviewable decisions. Amendments to update time period t ribunal can review Currently, a person can seek a review of a defence honour and award by the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal when they are dissatisfied with a decision regarding a defence honour, defence award or foreign award concerning conduct or service dating all the way back to the commencement of our involvement in the Second World War—3 September 1939—a time when our Defence Force members were only actually eligible for imperial awards. The difficulties of making assessments regarding defence honours and awards for historical actions are considerable, given the senior members of the time are often sadly no longer with us and therefore objective evidence is difficult to obtain and verify. This is the case with nearly all 20th century conflicts that Australia has been involved in. There has also been an 'end of roll' process, or similar, undertaken after the conclusion of such major 20th century conflicts by Australian defence authorities. In order to avoid the tribunal being put in a position where it is having to review Defence decisions where it is having to rely on very imperfect evidence, the bill amends the time period that the tribunal can review in three ways depending on the nature of the honour or award and the nature of the operation that the relevant Defence member was participating in. Going forward, the tribunal will only be able to review a Defence decision to decline a defence honour, operational service award or foreign award if the application to Defence for the medal was made within 20 years of the relevant operation ending. Where the Defence decision to decline a defence honour or award relates to an operation that does not have an end date or is not operational in nature, the relevant service said to be relevant for such an honour or award must have been within the last 20 years of an application having been made to Defence. This gives an applicant a reasonable period of time to apply for a defence honour, operational service award or foreign award, and to seek a review of any refusal decision. This means if a member served on an operation that ended in 2021, and had sought a decision from Defence regarding an honour or award regarding service in that operation by 2041, they would be able to seek a review of a refusal decision by the tribunal. The exception to the 20-year period is for length of service awards. These are awards that recognise a member's length of service with the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The bill provides that a refusal decision relating to a length of service award will be reviewable up until the member has, or would have, turned 100 years old. This is an appropriate and inclusive measure and ensures that current and former serving personnel, their families, and other personal representatives can continue to seek a review of decisions relating to length of service awards for a significant period of time, even after the death of the relevant Defence member, without being entirely open ended. To provide flexibility and to ensure the framework remains fit for purpose, the bill will enable regulations to shorten these 20-year and 100-year threshold periods in the future if required. Amendment to who can seek a review by the t ribunal The bill also amends who can make an application to the tribunal for a review. Currently, anyone that made an original application to Defence can seek a review of that decision and there is no restriction on who can make such applications to Defence in the first place. With increasing frequency, applications are being made to Defence for the issuing of a defence honour or award or for the upgrading of a defence honour by academics and amateur historians with no connection to the member or their family. Such applications, subsequent refusals and resultant tribunal hearings can serve to create unnecessary angst and concern with family members of a deceased Defence member, long since passed away, for no objective benefit. However, if the family themselves wish to have the matter reviewed, that should and will remain open to them. For a defence award and foreign award, the bill provides for a suitably broad range of potential applicants. This includes the affected person, their immediate family member, or, if the member is deceased, an executor, administrator, trustee of the estate or other personal representative of the affected person. For a defence honour, given the discretionary nature of such medals, only an ADF member that is, or was, more senior in the chain of command, or an ADF member or veteran who was an eyewitness to the action or service, may apply for a review, provided they have the consent of the member under consideration or their immediate family. An individual will not be permitted to seek a review in relation to a defence honour for themselves. Amendment to focus review function of t ribunal The bill amends the functions of the tribunal so that its recommendations to government regarding a defence honour are focused on eligibility for the honour rather than making broader recommendations regarding the honours and awards system, which is properly the scope of the tribunal if conducting an inquiry, or recommendations concerning other aspects of service or government decisions that are not relevant to the question of eligibility per se. Amendments to modernise operations of the t ribunal Currently, there is no time limit on when a review by the tribunal can be sought after a refusal decision has been made by Defence. This means a review by the tribunal could be sought now for a decision to refuse a defence honour or award that was made sometime last century. The bill creates a six-month time limit to seek such a review. The six-month timeframe is significantly longer than the usual period for seeking a review of a government decision by a tribunal. This is appropriate as it takes into account that there could be a range of reasons why a person might need more time to prepare for and seek such a review. The tribunal will also be able to accept applications for review beyond this timeframe in exceptional circumstances—for example, if an applicant has a serious health condition. In order to avoid a loop of Defence decisions, followed by tribunal reviews, further Defence decisions and further tribunal reviews, the bill also removes the ability for the tribunal to refer a decision regarding a defence award or foreign award back to Defence. However, the tribunal retains the power to either affirm the original decision or set it aside and replace it with a new decision. The bill also clarifies that a decision regarding a previously cancelled defence honour, defence award or foreign award is not reviewable by the tribunal. A cancellation decision is already not reviewable under the Defence Act 1903. However, under the current framework, a subsequent application relating to a previous cancellation decision is considered a reviewable decision. The intent of this amendment is to correct this anomalous situation by ensuring that a decision regarding a previously cancelled defence honour, defence award or foreign award is not a reviewable decision. A cancellation decision is given high levels of scrutiny, often relates to serious misconduct and is made by the Crown or their representative. Accordingly, it is not appropriate for such decisions to be reviewable. To ensure transparency, the bill will also require the tribunal to prepare an annual report for tabling in parliament. The tribunal already voluntarily prepares an annual report, so this measure formalises the current practice. The bill also enables regulations to provide for the conduct of reviews of reviewable decisions or inquiries conducted by the tribunal. This measure represents a way to address certain proposals raised by the tribunal during consultation. The intent is for regulations to be made to support the tribunal with administrative matters that would better enable the tribunal to deal with applications made to it. The chair of the tribunal must be consulted before any regulations are made that affect the practice, procedure or operation of the tribunal. Importantly—and acknowledging the independence of the tribunal's decision-making—the bill also provides that the regulations must not direct the tribunal or tribunal members in relation to the performance or exercise of the tribunal's or members' functions or powers. The bill will commence on proclamation, or six months from royal assent. The application and savings provisions of the bill generally provide for the current law to continue to apply where the original application to Defence is made before the commencement of the bill. Those who apply to Defence after the commencement of the bill and then seek a review of that decision will be dealt with under the new law as amended by this bill. Recently, the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee held an inquiry into the Defence honours and awards system and made several recommendations to government for consideration. I would like to thank the committee for their time and consideration on this matter. Recommendation 6 of the committee's report recommended that Defence and the tribunal work together to undertake a review of part VIIIC of the Defence Act 1903to improve the tribunal's review and inquiry functions, whilst ensuring that the tribunal continued to operate independently. The tribunal was consulted throughout the development of the bill, and, while not all of its specific recommendations have been adopted, its input has been invaluable in shaping the legislation, which seeks to largely achieve the same aims as the tribunal's recommendations. These amendments will maintain the independent review process but will focus the tribunal on reviewing contemporary matters where objective evidence and living witnesses can contribute to the review process, instead of historical matters. The bill will prevent reviews being undertaken when the member or their family have no involvement or awareness of the application. The bill will protect the integrity of the defence honours and awards system by removing the risks of decisions being made when it is difficult, if not impossible, to refer to proper documentation or speak with decision-makers of the day. The amendments are reasonable, appropriate, and ensure that the tribunal is focused on reviewing decisions about contemporary actions, with modern functions that are fit for purpose. Importantly, the amendments proposed as part of this bill do not prevent the government issuing recognition to the tens of thousands of ADF members that are recognised annually. Nor does the bill prevent Defence itself from reviewing or upgrading honours or awards. Rather, this bill will provide for the continuation of a proud tradition of recognising Australian Defence Force members for their service as a prerogative of the Crown, while ensuring refusals are transparent and justifiable before an independent tribunal. I commend the bill. Debate adjourned. TARIFF PROPOSALS 6 TARIFF PROPOSALS Customs Tariff Proposal (No. 2) 2025 6 09:25 Mr HILL 86256 Bruce I move: Customs Tariff Proposal (No. 2) 2025. Customs Tariff Proposal (No. 2) 2025 proposes to amend section 18A of the Customs Tariff Act 1995 to extend for a further 24 months the additional duty applied to imported goods that are the produce or manufacture of Russia or Belarus. From 25 April 2022, an additional 35 per cent customs duty has applied in addition to the general rate of duty that would have ordinarily applied to these goods. This was due to end on 24 October 2025. The continued extension of the additional duty aligns with measures implemented by like-minded nations. Australia unambiguously condemns Russia's illegal, immoral and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. We support Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and right to self-determination. Australia will continue to uphold the rules based international order that underpins Australia's security, prosperity and stability. Debate adjourned. BILLS 7 BILLS National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025 7

National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025

Second Reading 7 09:28 Mr BUTLER HWK Hindmarsh In summing up, I table a replacement explanatory memorandum relating to the National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025. The Albanese government is committed to strengthening Medicare and delivering cheaper medicines. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the PBS, provides timely, reliable and affordable access to necessary medicines for all Australians. The Albanese government is supporting all Australians with cost-of-living relief, and this bill is just one of the many ways we're providing more affordable medicines to Australians, with savings to general patients of over $200 million per year. The speeches we have heard in the debate on this bill in this place remind us why cheaper medicines are so important. The member for Bass, for example, spoke of pharmacists in her electorate who had shared stories with her of parents standing at their counter, weighing up which prescription they could afford to take home and which one they would have to leave behind. No parent in Australia, as the member for Bass reminded us, should ever have to make that choice, and, with this bill, fewer families will. The member for Griffith spoke of a constituent in her electorate who was cutting her antidepressant tablets in half just to make them last longer. This woman was juggling medicines for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental health, and she just simply couldn't afford them all. The new member for Barton spoke of a young mother from Hurstville, in her electorate, who skips her own medication so she can afford antibiotics when her child gets sick and of the pensioner from Beverly Hills who told her she would space out her medication by only taking it every second day instead of daily, just to manage her expenses. By reducing the co-payment for general patients, we'll ensure the maximum amount a general patient will pay for a PBS medicine will be just $25 per script plus any applicable premiums—the same rate that it was way back in 2004. This bill reminds us that we rely on the PBS to ensure that all Australians have continued access to high-quality health care at affordable prices, which is even more crucial in a time when the cost of living continues to be a major concern for Australian households. The reduction to $25 provides immediate cost-of-living relief to patients without a concession card while also ensuring that the PBS remains a sustainable investment for government. This level of investment was selected to ensure it does not come at the expense of other government priorities, such as continued listings of new medicines on the PBS; investment in other essential health services, including bulk-billing; and a competitive and sustainable pharmacy market. The general patient co-payment will continue to be indexed on 1 January each year, in line with existing indexation arrangements. Indexing from January 2027 will be calculated off the new general co-payment amount of $25, thereby saving patients out-of-pocket expenses right into the future. Making medicines cheaper is not just good for the hip pocket, although it obviously is—it's also good for your health. This bill delivers on a significant commitment made prior to the last election. It builds on earlier actions undertaken by the Albanese government to deliver cheaper medicines, and it helps strengthen Medicare and improve the health of all Australians. I sincerely thank all members for their contributions to the debate on this bill, and I again commend it to the House. The SPEAKER 53517 The question is that the amendment be agreed to.

The House divided. [09:36]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)

43 AYES Aldred, M. R. Batt, D. J. Bell, A. M. Birrell, S. J. Boyce, C. E. Buchholz, S. Caldwell, C. M. Chaffey, J. L. Chaney, K. E. Chester, D. J. Conaghan, P. J. Hastie, A. W. Hawke, A. G. Hogan, K. J. Joyce, B. T. G. Kennedy, S. P. Landry, M. L. (Teller) Leeser, J. McCormack, M. F. McIntosh, M. I. McKenzie, Z. A. O'Brien, L. S. Pasin, A. Penfold, A. L. Pike, H. J. (Teller) Price, M. L. Rebello, L. S. Ryan, M. M. Scamps, S. A. Small, B. J. Spender, A. M. Taylor, A. J. Tehan, D. T. Thompson, P. Venning, T. H. Violi, A. A. Wallace, A. B. Webster, A. E. Willcox, A. J. Wilson, R. J. Wilson, T. R. Wood, J. P. Young, T. J. 90 NOES Abdo, B. J. Albanese, A. N. Aly, A. Ambihaipahar, A. Belyea, J. A. Berry, C. G. Boele, N. Bowen, C. E. Briskey, J. L. Burnell, M. P. Burns, J. Butler, M. C. Byrnes, A. J. Campbell, J. P. Chalmers, J. E. Charlton, A. H. G. Chesters, L. M. Clare, J. D. Claydon, S. C. Clutterham, C. L. Coffey, R. K. Coker, E. A. Collins, J. M. Comer, E. L. Conroy, P. M. Cook, K. M. G. Cook, P. A. Doyle, M. J. J. Dreyfus, M. A. Elliot, M. J. France, A. A. Freelander, M. R. French, T. A. Georganas, S. Giles, A. J. Gosling, L. J. Gregg, M. J. Haines, H. M. Hill, J. C. Holzberger, R. A. V. Husic, E. N. Jarrett, M. L. Jordan-Baird, M. A. M. Kearney, G. M. Keogh, M. J. Khalil, P. King, C. F. King, M. M. H. Lawrence, T. N. Laxale, J. A. A. Leigh, A. K. Lim, S. B. C. Mascarenhas, Z. F. A. McBain, K. L. McBride, E. M. Miller-Frost, L. J. Mitchell, R. G. Moncrieff, D. S. Mulino, D. Neumann, S. K. Ng, G. J. O'Neil, C. E. Payne, A. E. Phillips, F. E. Plibersek, T. J. Rae, S. T. Repacholi, D. P. Rishworth, A. L. Roberts, T. G. Ryan, J. C. Scrymgour, M. R. Sitou, S. Smith, D. P. B. (Teller) Smith, M. J. H. Soon, X. Stanley, A. M. (Teller) Steggall, Z. Teesdale, J. A. Templeman, S. R. Thistlethwaite, M. J. Thwaites, K. L. Urquhart, A. E. Watson-Brown, E. Watts, T. G. Wells, A. S. White, R. P. Wilkie, A. D. Wilson, J. H. Witty, S. J. Zappia, A. 0 PAIRS

Question negatived.
Original question agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Message from the Governor-General recommending appropriation for the bill announced.

Third Reading 9 09:42 Mr BUTLER HWK Hindmarsh by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time. Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2025 9

Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2025

Second Reading 9 09:43 Ms PENFOLD 248895 Lyne I wish to support the intent and measures within the Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2025. Everyone is entitled to work in a workplace that is as safe as possible, and Commonwealth public servants can be in situations where their safety can be compromised. This bill provides additional legal protections for Commonwealth workers and workplaces, including a residence, and will deter acts of threatening or harmful behaviours, or violence by members of the public, by establishing a Commonwealth workplace protection orders scheme. The Commonwealth workplace protection orders are modelled on state and territory apprehended and personal violence orders. The bill implements recommendation 17 of the Services Australia Security Risk Management Review, which considered the adequacy of security measures at Services Australia service centres and related matters, though the issue is much broader. Staff in embassies, contractors on defence bases, private security guards, Australian Federal Police officers and electorate office staff all face risks in the course of their duties. We must, in this place, acknowledge the sense of duty of the members of the Public Service, the employees of all those Commonwealth departments and agencies and their contractors. I've worked with many over my career and, while we did not always agree, I know they were, and are, most earnest in their endeavours and attempts to work in the national interest. According to the government, as of October 2023, there were more than 170,000 Commonwealth public servants, and 100,000 of those were operational staff working in places like Services Australia, the Australian tax office, passport offices, airports and the Australian Electoral Commission. I am very grateful for the hard work and diligence of the Services Australia staff in my own electorate of Lyne. I want to acknowledge their hard work and continued service to the community during and after the May flood in difficult circumstances. I am pleased that this bill provides them with greater protections and recognition of the important work they do. I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of the local Australian Electoral Commission officials under the leadership of the Lyne district returning officer. The catastrophic flood struck only a couple of weeks after polling day. It had a big impact on staff. They were unable to complete the ballot count locally, to the extent that ballots were shipped to Sydney for the count to be completed. This was a stressful period for all concerned, but it was executed with the utmost professionalism, for which our democracy is so grateful. According to the explanatory memorandum, the bill responds to significant workplace health and safety risks to Commonwealth workers and workplaces, noting that between July 2023 and June 2024 there were 1,694 serious incidents across Services Australia face-to-face service channels, and there are reports that this unsavoury, unfair and un-Australian trend is unfortunately on the rise. Services Australia staff say that frontline workers are regularly subjected to incidents of customer aggression. The Australian Electoral Commission says the security environment for electoral workers had deteriorated in recent times. The Community and Public Sector Union says that Commonwealth workers across several agencies have reported unacceptable instances of aggression from the public in the course of their work. Safe Work Australia reports a 56 per cent increase in the number of serious workers compensation claims for assault and exposure to workplace violence in the five years to 2022. And the Australian Federal Police reports threats to Australian federal parliamentarians had increased by 42 per cent in 2023-24, and it anticipates that the number for this financial year will increase again. The Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill will help public servants do their job and perform their duties to serve the public to the best of their ability. The orders will allow courts to impose conditions to protect workers. Courts will be able to direct a person to not attend a particular Commonwealth workplace, to not approach an affected worker and to comply with other protective conditions. The orders can apply to an entire workplace, such as a Services Australia centre or an electorate office, or they can be tailored to protect an individual worker, including outside working hours or on their way home. To make an order, a court must be satisfied that there have been threats or violence and that there is a risk of further issues. Orders automatically cease when the grounds for them no longer exist, and breaching an order is an offence, punishable by up to two years in prison or 120 penalty units or both. These penalties are consistent with those that apply to similar schemes in the states and territories, reinforcing the seriousness of compliance. The bill provides for applications to be made not only by the worker but also by authorised persons within agencies. This ensures that workers who have been targeted are not forced to shoulder the burden of attending court themselves. The government has indicated that the burden on state and territory courts is expected to be minimal, as the scheme mirrors existing frameworks with which courts are familiar. The task of balancing the protection of employees at the workplace with ensuring that those entitled to benefits and services can access them is a potentially challenging one. While the bill touches on this matter, much will rest on how administrators and courts negotiate this in practice. This bill is personal for me. I understand what it is like to be threatened in your workplace. As the CEO of the Australian Livestock Exporters Council, I was stalked, sent threatening and explicit material and abused by phone, email and online. The CEO prior to me had received death threats. Members of the public may not have agreed or even liked our industry, but neither I nor my colleague deserved to be treated disrespectfully and harassed in our own workplace. Earlier in my career, as an adviser to the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, I myself received a death threat. At the time, I was the minister's fisheries adviser, and we were going through some difficult effort reduction changes in a particular Commonwealth fishery. The threat received by phone call one day was very direct. Even if the person making it may have been doing so in jest, it was nonetheless, for me, a frightening experience and one that has lived with me to this day. The feeling of vulnerability, of not feeling safe to go about your duty and your responsibility, is not a feeling that I want any person, any public servant, to feel. This bill may not prevent this type of abusive behaviour, but it will at least give people recourse for action and protection beyond what currently exists—where the person is, of course, identifiable. So much of this abuse these days comes from keyboard warriors hiding behind their screens. I wish to take this opportunity to make some more general comments about community attitudes to the work of the public service. These comments in no way condone poor behaviour or acts of violence or abuse. They are feelings that are expressed to me by a frustrated public, who often are left bewildered by their interactions with bureaucracy. There is a level of frustration in the community about the slowness of processing applications, the revolving door of referring constituents to senior staff or other agencies, the delays in decision-making, the requests for more documents and more detailed information, and the adherence to following a process rather than delivering an outcome. Electorate offices get to hear about such things on a pretty much daily basis. I'm not sure if this reflects inadequate government resourcing, a cultural norm in the public service or something else. For instance, following the floods in May 2025, on the Mid North Coast, which is now 3½ months ago, there are some 738 farmers still waiting for their disaster relief and recovery payments to be made. There are concerns that New South Wales Treasury is going slow on the proposal for category D funding for small business and that, if this is so, this places budgetary particulars above ethical responsibilities. In this vein of the public service actually serving and servicing the public, when the Prime Minister, Premier and other ministers came to Taree in the aftermath of the May floods, I said to them that our area needed two things from government: information and presence. It needed information in the form of government and the public service listening to what the community was saying about its needs so good and quick decisions could be made. It needed presence in the form of boots, not suits; generous, easy-to-access support; and the presence of mind to break the cycle of red tape that haunts the traumatised seeking help after disaster. My greatest frustration is that this call has largely gone unheeded. The anger that has been felt amongst the community has come from the silence, the slowness and the mountain of bureaucracy. Too many people and businesses have been denied support. They've not had enough or the right paperwork. There has not been enough for the primary producer or small-business operator, or they're living in an area bureaucrats say isn't affected enough. Then there are the farmers desperate to stabilise river and creek banks but wading through multiple state government agencies for approval, with no start or end point. Beyond the floods, there are the concerns amongst industry and the public that left-wing ideologues and activists inside and outside the bureaucracy have a disproportionate influence on determining national policy and coming up with radical ideas and imposts on issues, like the push to end the harvesting of native timber by changing the tenure of New South Wales state forest land to national park to create the so-called 'Great Koala National Park'. There is the banning of the live sheep export trade rather than more simply, equitably, fairly and responsibly properly managing just three licensed live sheep exporters to ensure best practice animal welfare outcomes and meet the food security needs of our international partners, and there are restrictions on how farmers can use their land. I sense there is going to be some forthright debate in this place when the government brings on its new-look Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act amendments, with new environmental laws shaping the way the nation protects, repairs and manages Australia's natural environment and how people can use our natural resources for the national interest. I acknowledge that I am digressing a little from the intent of the bill, but please recognise my point and its relevancy. We need governments and bureaucracies to be at their best and remembering that their job is for the public and for the national interest. Within my own workplaces—my offices in Taree and Wauchope, my mobile offices and the much larger field office that is the electorate of Lyne in its entirety whose length and breadth my team and I travel to meet constituents, attend events and stand up for its interests—we need and will appreciate these additional safety measures. I am very conscious of my obligations to my staff—to Jordan, John, Dave, Ellie, Cherryl and Rob. These people come to work with earnestness to help me serve the people of the Lyne electorate. Their work is so incredibly important and so very personal. They deal with people on a daily basis in person and over the phone on, at times, gut wrenchingly difficult issues. They deal with people who can often be at their lowest, frustrated by bureaucracy and needing their help—my help—to unscramble it and to get justice and fairness. They want a fair go and a fair hearing. I am astounded by the generosity of spirit and the respect shown by my constituents to my staff, even by those in very difficult situations, but we must be prepared for the eventuality of it all being too much for someone. I care about my staff safety and their wellbeing and that they can work free from harassment and threat and have the resources they need to get to safety and get the response they need from the police or other emergency personnel. I am frustrated that satellite offices of MPs do not get the same level of security resourcing as Commonwealth funded offices. It is a matter that I will continue to raise with the Special Minister of State. The coalition supports this bill. It is a sensible proposal that has been carefully scrutinised and will deliver upon the intent. But, again, while this place will do its best for the public service, it in turn must always service the public to the best of its ability. 09:57 Mr NEUMANN HVO Blair I'm very pleased speak on the Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2025. I think that one of the best campaigns I have seen in relation to industrial relations in the last decade was the campaign done by the SDA, the Shoppies union, which was called No One Deserves A Serve. In fact, this bill could be called the 'No-one Deserves a Serve Bill' because it relates not to food and retail, which the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association has coverage of, but to public servants and those who interact with the public service. That campaign I referred to found that 87 per cent of people who worked in that industry had suffered verbal abuse, while 76 per cent received verbal abuse on a regular basis, monthly, weekly or daily. In other results, 12.5 per cent were victims of personal violence, nine per cent were spat on, 10 per cent had suffered online abuse, 17 per cent had suffered abuse of a sexual nature and 24 per cent had suffered abuse, harassment or violence referencing their race, ethnicity or cultural background. There were 6,000 people who were surveyed. That is an extraordinary degree of abuse that people who work in food and retail suffer from every day. This particular legislation doesn't deal with them, but it does deal with those who serve our public and are known as public servants. Every Australian, whether working in retail, hospitality or the food industry, deserves to be safe at work. In recent years, Commonwealth workers have increasingly been subject to the kind of violence and abuse that I referred to that the SDA ran campaigns against for their members. They are subject to acts of violence and aggression from the public. This is simply unacceptable, and that's why the Albanese Labor government is introducing the Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2025. We want to make sure that Commonwealth workplaces are safer for workers and the Australian community. Now, we can do this by building arrangements and structural design. I saw that just last week during a visit to the Services Australia Ipswich office—one of the busiest in Queensland. Changes had been made to entrances and exits, there were protective screens and walls, safety procedures had been put in place and there were two full-time security guards every day. But that's not enough, sadly. This legislation will strengthen the Commonwealth's ability to protect Commonwealth employees, protecting those on the frontline, through the creation of an enforceable workplace protection order. This is similar to the kind of legislation that operates at a state level. Violence and aggression have a devastating impact on frontline workers and their families, so it's not just about the individuals who work for our public but their families as well. In response to the horrific stabbing of an Airport West Services Australia officer, Joeanne Cassar, in May 2023—a devastating reminder of what we need to do to protect more workers—the former minister for government services and the NDIS, the former member for Maribyrnong, commissioned a review into the safety of frontline Public Service workers, the Services Australia Security Risk Management Review, conducted by the former chief commissioner of Victoria Police, Mr Graham Ashton. Forty-four recommendations were made, and we committed to implementing every recommendation of the Ashton review. The frontline workers who will be covered are those who help the community with essential government services, like Centrelink, the Australian Taxation Office, passport offices, airports and the Australian Electoral Commission. These people staff service centres and call centres across Australia. Unfortunately, they continue to face the increasing risk of violence from members of the public. It's been said before that Services Australia staff experienced 1,692 serious incidents between 2023 and 2024. The bill responds to the unacceptable situation and implements recommendation No. 17 of the Ashton review. That recommendation states: The current ACT Workplace Protection Order provisions should be adopted for use by the Commonwealth as a staff protection mechanism nationwide. It establishes a framework that authorises a person within the Commonwealth entity—that's not necessarily an individual—to apply for a state or territory magistrate court or local court, the Federal Court or the Federal Circuit and Family Court to issue what will be known as a 'Commonwealth WPO' in order to protect a Commonwealth worker or workplace from threats of harm and actual harm. It means that we establish a new act of parliament, the Commonwealth Workplace Protections Orders Act, and a new scheme. The bill's crucial to mitigating some of the serious risk of harm. Ultimately, a WPO aims to prevent future violence from happening. The bill is about making workplaces safer for the public who visit them to gain access to critical government benefits and services. It provides legal protections for workplaces and workers. It will be available to most Commonwealth workplaces and extend to anywhere a Commonwealth worker is conducting official Commonwealth work. Commonwealth workplaces include those pop-up offices we see at service centres and shopping centres, Commonwealth service-delivery vehicles and a Commonwealth worker's residence when working from home, which is so critical because so many people work from home. This is very important in an electorate like mine because we have pop-up services in country towns in the Somerset region from time to time. This bill will cover those workers who do that kind of work. The bill enables an authorised person to apply to the court, as I said. The definition of 'personal violence' is designed to include acts of violence, harassment, intimidation, threats of harm and other harmful non-physical violence such as abuse that is verbal, over the phone or via email. This definition is akin to the definition of 'domestic and family violence' in the Peace and Good Behaviour Act at the state and territory level, so there's a history of jurisprudence. I would hope and expect courts will take note of precedence and prior cases in this area in terms of making a decision. On application, a Commonwealth state or territory court could make an interim or a final WPO. Under urgent circumstances, an urgent protection order can be made. In order to issue a WPO, a court would need to be satisfied that the respondent has engaged in personal violence in relation to Commonwealth workers or individuals in their Commonwealth workplace, there's a real risk that the respondent will engage in further personal violence if an order is not made, and the order is necessary or desirable. It's so similar to the kinds of things that I used to do when I was practising as a family lawyer many years ago. I've seen many of these types of cases, so I'm very pleased to see this type of legislation applying to Commonwealth workplaces and Commonwealth workers. In this context, 'Commonwealth worker' covers employees of Commonwealth entities—which is critical, because not everyone works for a Commonwealth department—under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act, including Services Australia, the Australian Taxation Office, Veterans' Affairs, Australia Post and ministerial and electorate offices. It is absolutely vital that we protect our staff who work in electorate offices and who go out with us each and every day. They serve the public, just as people in Medicare offices and Services Australia do. No person in this chamber could do their work without the wonderful staff working for them. I thank them each and every day for what they do, what they have to put up with—the number of phone calls they get where people are angry and disappointed or frustrated, and the number of times that people ring up and have got suicidal ideation or thoughts and challenges. The breadth of the legislation and ministerial responsibility that our staff deal with each and every day—and they themselves are captured and covered by this legislation. I'm so very pleased that's the case. Any court will have to consider the personal circumstances of a respondent when determining the conditions attached to the order, but they do conditions to protect, and there is a great deal of breadth in those conditions. I saw that personally when I was practising as a lawyer for nearly a quarter of a century, before coming here. I saw the kinds of orders and the breadth of the orders that courts make. It will allow either party, for example, when that term or period of time is over or, indeed, when the risk is not there, to make an application to vary or revoke that order, if it's needed in the circumstances. There can be additional conditions in terms of the length of the time. We don't expect that a final WPO will exceed two years, and it can't be made against a person under 14 years of age. This bill addresses a legislative gap in most state and territory protection schemes which doesn't cover public service. It will enhance the personal privacy of Commonwealth workers, and it's important in terms of strengthening their workplace health and safety protections. Last week, I had an opportunity to visit the newly transformed Ipswich service centre for Services Australia. We learnt much more about the enhanced security arrangements they put in place in response to the Ashton review. It was an opportunity to hear how they have sought to modernise their services by introducing new and better ways to service customers and make it easier for customers to access support and, therefore, reduce the frustration. Some of the innovations at the centre include updated self-service facilities and kiosks; increased support and training for customers to access digital services, including digital coaching appointments and bring-your-own-device options; and referrals to specialists and other government services. I want to thank services centre manager Jenny and her staff, and all the Services Australia workers for their fantastic work, particularly for their efforts to slash the backlog of Centrelink and Medicare claims in recent years. It was a great opportunity to meet with some of the new recruits who are part of the government's staffing boost of 3,000 frontline service workers across the country, hired to process critical claims and get the waiting times down. This is such important work, and it will help people with more financial services and support to deal with the cost-of-living pressures that they're under. These workers deserve a safe and secure environment free from threats of harm. They do not deserve a serve at work. I support this legislation; it's absolutely vital. I want to thank the Minister for Home Affairs for bringing forward this bill. I spoke on this bill previously, in the previous parliament. It lapsed with the proroguing of parliament, but I am pleased that the Minister for Home Affairs has brought forward this bill and pleased for the support last term from the former minister for government services and former attorney-general for the original legislation reforms. I thank everyone who has contributed to its development through the consultation process. I thank the CPSU, the union covering Commonwealth public servants, for their support, and all the other stakeholders who were consulted in the development of this legislation. I call on the parliament to do the right thing and support these critical measures. They will improve workplace safety for frontline Commonwealth workers and make our Commonwealth workplaces safe for all Australians who use them. I commend the bill to the House. 10:10 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina I thank the member for Blair for his eminently sensible comments in this regard, and this parliament will do the right thing as far as this legislation is concerned, whilst I appreciate there is a lot going on outside of this building. There are cost-of-living issues. Many farmers in my electorate are quite understandably concerned about the foreign take-up of land, with the Foreign Investment Review Board not having total scrutiny over, particularly, land that could end up in American hands via our free trade arrangements; there's no trigger point for that. There's the rollout of renewables. There are so many issues. But this is an important issue too. The Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2025 is vital because we do need to protect at all costs our public servants, those Commonwealth officers, and the people who work for us parliamentarians. When the member for Blair describes the issues that they confront on a daily basis, he is totally right. I've been a member of parliament since 2010, and increasingly, sadly, I have seen the rise of hostility, of hatred, of objectionable protests outside and indeed inside my office, particularly my main electorate office at Wagga Wagga. There are a couple of people I've actually banned from my office—one for making totally misogynous comments and one for sparking what I would almost call a riot inside my office. Now, my staff don't have to put up with that. My staff work very hard for and on behalf of the constituents of the Riverina, and I have to say probably three-quarters of the work they do is for people who will never vote for me, who will never put a 1 beside the box for the Nationals at election time, and that is fine. Whether you are a member of a party or you're an Independent, that's all well and good as you lead up to the election. But after the election, when you get elected to this place, you are and should be a member for all people, irrespective of the way they voted. It doesn't matter. I know my staff are so loyal to the people of the Riverina and so loyal, indeed, to me. Many of my staff have worked with me for decades. I must be doing something right—or they just like to work in a salt mine! But they love the work. They love the people for whom they work. And I'm not referring to me in this instance; I'm referring to the constituents. My electorate has vastly changed from 2010. My electorate used to take in west of Narrandera, the Coleambally and Murrumbidgee irrigation areas, Wagga Wagga and a few other towns around to get to the 100,000 voters or thereabouts. These days, the electorate has moved vastly east. It wraps around Canberra and goes right up into Whitlam. It borders Whitlam. It borders the Illawarra. It's basically Matong to Illawarra. It's vastly different—Riverina by name, not necessarily Riverina by nature. But, whilst the boundaries changed in a major realignment just at the last election, the people still have the same aspirations and the same ideals. They're good country folk and they deserve good representation. But, by the same token, there are some people in the electorate—and it's only a very minuscule number—who push the envelope a bit too far, often during election time. I found the last election to be the worst as far as conduct is concerned, particularly by some of the other candidates but also by some of their supporters—nasty, awful, horrible comments directed not just at me but at my staff. There was one particular female candidate who dressed down one of my staff members for the attire she was wearing. This is not the way we should be conducting ourselves in regional Australia. Our staff do need proper protections. I can remember when I took over from Kay Hull in 2010. We did not have plastic petitions or grills or anything of that sort. Whilst they were just coming in, my staff preferred that open arrangement with the constituents who came in. They didn't want to make it look as though it was a bank with the big iron bars or the big hard heavy plastic petitions separating the customers from themselves. But these days they're not just mandatory; they're necessary. I've had to put a sign up saying 'No unauthorised videoing or photography in my office' because of the number of people who come in and hold up the phone and want to video the staff. They don't deserve to be identified or exposed on some sort of stupid sovereign citizen's Facebook page. We live in a very volatile world. We only have to think about what's going on in north-east Victoria at the moment. I mourn for the families of the slain officers—police officers who bravely go out and do their jobs each and every day, and run towards danger when most normal people would run away from danger. But, in the course of their everyday job, they've been gunned down. This is a national tragedy. Their families will never recover from this. The communities probably won't. And the rise of these mongrel sovereign citizens—that's what they are—is getting higher and higher. The incidence of these people who are antigovernment, anti-establishment, anticouncil, antipolice, anti flaming everything, is on the rise. We live in troubled times, and that is why we should, at all times, be protecting our staff. Our staff are some of our best assets, trust me. We couldn't do our jobs without the duty, the support, the care that our staff take. We can't be in our electorate offices all the time, and they shoulder a big burden of responsibility to do the right thing by our people. And by and large they do. Not everybody who comes into my office, or any MP's office, is going to get the answers and the results they want. That's impossible. Many of the requests are far beyond the pale; they wouldn't be able to be resolved at any rate. But they try. They do the right thing. Irrespective of whether it's an NDIS issue or a Centrelink matter, our staff do a mighty job, and we should say thank you to them each and every day. I know this particular bill responds directly to the horrific stabbing of a Services Australia employee last year. It implements a key recommendation of the Ashton review, which was led by former Victoria Police chief Graham Ashton. He and the rest of the Victoria Police family—and I do say 'family'—would be very much in mourning at the moment. That particular review examined security arrangements in Commonwealth workplaces following that particular attack. This bill follows the passage of the Criminal Code Amendment (Protecting Commonwealth Frontline Workers) Bill of 2024, which expanded criminal offences for assaults against Commonwealth frontline workers. Together these two pieces of legislation form a stronger framework for protecting those who serve the public. Our public servants do a mighty job. They do. Irrespective of whether they are here in the ACT, in Canberra, where there are many, many public servants, whether they are Australian Federal Police—and aren't we lucky we've got such fine people who work in that particular organisation?—or whether they are in all the Commonwealth public offices that dot this nation, they do an incredible job. They do, and we should be very thankful. I know public servants often get criticised. It's all well and good to bag a public servant, but we are very blessed in this country to have outstanding people filling the roles that they do. The bill establishes a scheme for Commonwealth workplace protection orders modelled on state and territory apprehended and personal violence orders to provide targeted protection for Commonwealth workers and workplaces. It's good to see that we are getting some uniformity across the nation. I know that making sure that we have things in lock step with states and territories is so difficult. It doesn't matter whether it's transport or child protection checks. Irrespective of what it is, it's so hard to get states, territories and the Commonwealth all on the one page. I don't know why, but it is. I've been a minister in many portfolios, and, sometimes, getting states and territories on board, even with policy that you would think would be a no-brainer, is so hard because they might agree at a particular forum where they all come together to discuss such things, and then one state or territory minister goes home, their cabinet decides, 'That's not for us,' and the whole thing falls down. It's a bit like a house of cards. No Australian employee should ever fear for their safety simply for turning up to do their job. Between July 2023 and July 2024, there were—wait for this; this is an alarming statistic—1,700 serious incidents at Services Australia centres. I know a lot of people come into those particular offices stressed, not knowing which way to turn, suicidal and, in many instances, feeling as though their cause for complaint has been spurned. But, rest assured, those Commonwealth service people, those public servants, aren't there and aren't paid to be abused or assaulted. They are there to be protected, and they should be. This legislation does that. I know that the problem is much broader than Services Australia. It includes staff in embassies, and thankfully the government was able to get our brave embassy officials out from Tehran with the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador earlier this week. The legislation also covers contractors on defence bases, and I have three military installations in Wagga Wagga. I've got the 'Home of the Soldier', Blamey Barracks, in Kapooka. I've got RAAF Base Wagga. If you spend any given time in the Royal Australian Air Force, you may well end up at Forest Hill. As the big sign emblazoned on the hangar says, 'Air power starts here,' and, indeed, it does at Forest Hill in Wagga Wagga. Even though we're a long way from the nearest drop of sea water, we have an important and strategic naval presence in my hometown. Those contractors on defence bases need protection too. I think the military personnel in those defence bases also need protection, but they can probably take care of themselves better than most because they're trained to do so. They're the best in the world at protection. Make no mistake. Our army, air force and navy people—there are no finer people at taking care of themselves, in our nation, than them. I also mentioned the AFP earlier. I know, having been the acting Prime Minister for 101 days—I'll just add that in—and having had the benefit of AFP protection, that they are so good. Electorate office staff all face risks in the course of their duties. They shouldn't, but they do. We live in a volatile world, and we live in a world where people think these days that they can write, say and do whatever they like. The social media phenomenon has caused a lot of people to be a lot more bold and a lot more aggressive than they otherwise would've been. We know that, just in May this year, two Australian Border Force contractors were assaulted and stabbed whilst on duty. This should not be happening in the Australia that we live in. Fortunately, the number of incidents involving guns has drastically reduced since John Howard and Tim Fischer brought in, rightfully, very good restrictions on guns, and that is a good thing. That appalling incident in May 2025 underlines the urgency of providing additional safeguards across Commonwealth workplaces. I'm pleased that this particular legislation does just that, and I commend it to the House. 10:25 Mr MATT SMITH 312393 Leichhardt I rise to speak in support of the Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2025. This bill will establish a new act, the Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Act, which will introduce the Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders scheme. You might wonder why this bill is necessary. It's needed because everyone has the right to feel safe at work, and that right must extend to federal government workers. Sadly, this has not always been the case. Between July 2023 and June 2024, as we've heard multiple times, there were 1,694 serious incidents across Services Australia's face-to-face service channel. Recently, in May this year, two Australian Border Force contractors were assaulted with a bladed weapon whilst on the job. Any violence towards a Commonwealth worker, or anybody, is completely unacceptable. Any violence against Public Service workers is unacceptable. Violence against anybody, especially if they just happen to be at work, should be completely eradicated from our society. Clearly, many people who deal with frontline government workers are in very stressful or distressing situations. You're not in there because things have gone well. Those dealing with Centrelink might be facing severe financial hardship. Those dealing with Medicare, or their loved ones, might be in the middle of exhausting medical treatment. Those dealing with Home Affairs are wanting to bring loved ones to this country. I empathise with the stress and frustration that can occur during these times, but the person on the other side of the desk does not deserve to be treated poorly or in an abusive or violent manner. Those on the other side of the desk at places like Services Australia are people. They have families and friends, and they're just trying to make their way in the world. They are people from our communities. They run the local footy club and volunteer at the P&C. They are people who are trying to help. Importantly, these people are just following the rules of the laws passed here, in this place. They're not the ones who make the rules around access to the age pension or disability support or JobSeeker. That is done here, by the members of this place and the other place. If you want someone to change the rules about how the government operates, come and talk to one of the 150 members from here or one of the 76 from the other place. Come and talk to us calmly, respectfully and with an open mind, because, at the end of the day, we are here to represent you. My point is that yelling at poor Sue or Robbo at Centrelink won't change the rules they have to follow. Sue and Robbo, and other Commonwealth employees like them, do not deserve danger or anger. And, quite frankly, they don't have the time; they're busy. They're in Centrelink helping people access social security payments. They're in Medicare helping people get affordable health care. They're in Border Force keeping our country safe. They're in the department of agriculture keeping biosecurity threats out of our country, and they're in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade keeping our country connected with our global partners and allies. As someone whose electorate is home to many Commonwealth employees, I want them to know I value their work and their safety because, ultimately, they really want to help. Every public servant I know gets up and works with great pride delivering services. They love the communities they work in, and the key is in the title—'public servant'. They wear that tag with pride. They know that every day they can make someone's life that little bit better and easier. I promise you that that is what they are trying to do. That's why this bill is so important. This bill will provide legal protection for Commonwealth workplaces and workers and will deter acts of violence and other harmful behaviours from some members of the public—a very small minority, as the member for Riverina pointed out. It came about as a response to the 44 recommendations of the 2023 Services Australia Security Risk Management Review, the Ashton review, conducted by Mr Graham Ashton. This review itself was sparked after a serious assault with a bladed weapon on a Services Australia member. This bill implements recommendation 17 of the review, which called for current ACT workplace protection order provisions to be adapted for use by the entire Commonwealth as a staff protection mechanism nationwide. The bill will enable an authorised person from the Commonwealth entity to apply to select courts for a workplace protection order on behalf of the Commonwealth worker or a workplace where personal violence against a worker or a workplace has arisen out of or in direct connection with their official functions or duties and there is a real risk it will occur again if an order is not made. It gives them protection. It gives them an avenue to find safety and legal recourse should things go wrong. The bill would only allow the court to make a workplace protection order where they are satisfied that the respondent has engaged in personal violence in relation to a Commonwealth worker or Commonwealth workplace and there is a real risk the respondent will further engage in personal violence if the order is not made. It gives people a chance to respond. It is a fair and just position to ensure the safety of our workforce. The bill's definition of 'personal violence' is designed to include acts of violence, harassment, intimidation, threats of harm and other harmful non-physical violence, such as verbal abuse or abuse by phone or email. We know that you can harm somebody with more than just violence. Email abuse can really have a long and psychological harming effect on people. On application, a Commonwealth, state or territory court could be able to make an interim consent or final order. In time-critical circumstances, an urgent order can be applied for by telephone or electronic means. It works fast. It gets it done. In making the workplace protection order the court could be empowered to impose a range of conditions on a respondent they consider necessary or desirable to protect the safety of the Commonwealth worker or workplace. It gives the people involved and the court direct responsibility and the ability to keep that individual person or workforce safe. Keeping in mind that services like Centrelink can deal with many of the most vulnerable in the community, this bill considers how best to approach circumstances where a respondent might have impaired decision-making for one reason or another. It takes into account people's personal circumstances. It is not a catch-all brush. When considering whether to make a consent order, if the court considers a party to have impaired decision-making ability, it must not make a consent order unless it is satisfied that the person has appropriate representation. The court may adjourn proceedings until the respondent is represented. The principles of natural justice still apply. Workplace protection orders can also be made against anyone under the age of 14. People under the age of 14 do not have criminal responsibility is what they're saying there. The proposed workplace protection order scheme will be available to most Commonwealth workplaces, extending to anywhere a Commonwealth worker is conducting official Commonwealth work. This includes workplaces such as mobile services and pop-up shops in shopping centres, Commonwealth vehicles or Commonwealth workers' residences when working from home. It extends further than just the office. It allows people to be safe wherever they happen to be working on that day. To balance out the rights of everyone involved, fundamentally the imposition of a workplace protection order will not prevent a person from accessing necessary Commonwealth services as required or exercising their right to political communication. Your right to free speech exists. Your right to protest exists. The services will still be available to you. If proposing conditions that would limit the respondent's ability to access or obtain Commonwealth benefits or services or engage in political communication, the applicant is required to provide the court with information about alternative procedures or arrangements for how a respondent may access or obtain these benefits or engage in political communication while subject to a workplace protection order. There's always going to be a workaround. We're going to make sure that people get the help and services they need. Either party can apply to the court to vary or revoke a workplace protection order. Additionally, either party may appeal a decision of the court relating to the final order. The ability to appeal still exists. It's not necessarily final. Contravention of a workplace protection order may constitute an offence that carries a penalty of 120 penalty unit or two years imprisonment or both. There are consequences to threatening, harassing or injuring Public Service workers. To ensure the scheme is working, the bill also includes a statutory review of the operation of the scheme three years after commencement. It gives us the opportunity to go back to make sure it's working as intended and there are no unintended consequences. I commend the ministers and the departments involved in the drafting of this bill. I also commend the many advocates for workplace safety in our Commonwealth workplaces, especially the Community and Public Sector Union. This bill is an important step towards creating safer Commonwealth workplaces and sends a strong message that the Albanese government values workers who provide critical government services and that violence and aggression towards those workers is always unacceptable. I commend this bill to the House. 10:34 Mr GREGG 315154 Deakin I rise today to speak in support of the Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2025. This bill will provide legal protections for Commonwealth workplaces and workers and deter acts of violence and other harmful behaviours by members of the public. The workplace protection orders, or WPO, scheme responds to the increasing risk of harm faced by Commonwealth workers, particularly those in frontline service-delivery roles. It is an unfortunate reality that those government workers who do essential work supporting the most vulnerable members of our community are more likely to be confronted with violence and other unacceptable behaviour than those in many other professions are. Between July 2023 and June 2024, there were 1,694 serious incidents across Services Australia's face-to-face services. As recently as May this year, two Australian Border Force contractors were seriously assaulted with a bladed weapon whilst at work. We simply cannot accept this. We cannot accept Commonwealth workers—the people charged with looking after our most vulnerable and keeping our country safe—being threatened and assaulted on the job. This is for many reasons. Of course, fundamentally, no-one should have to deal with this sort of behaviour at work, but it is particularly important for us, as the federal government, to be protecting our workers, because we really want to be an employer of choice. We will run into serious problems as a country if people no longer want to do the jobs our community relies on, and we have a duty to our country and to our workers to protect the people who protect us. That is what this bill is about. On 13 October 2023, the government committed to implementing all 44 recommendations of the 2023 Services Australia Security Risk Management Review, conducted by Mr Graham Ashton AM, APM—the Ashton review—which was commissioned after a Services Australia staff member was seriously assaulted with a bladed weapon in May 2023. This bill implements our response to recommendation 17 of the Ashton review and complements the Criminal Code Amendment (Protecting Commonwealth Frontline Workers) Act 2024, which implemented recommendation 18 of the review by increasing the penalties for harming a Commonwealth frontline worker. The bill enables an authorised person from a Commonwealth entity to apply to a court for a WPO on behalf of a Commonwealth worker or workplace where personal violence, including threats of violence, against a worker or workplace has arisen out of, or in direct connection with, their official functions and duties. This definition is designed to include acts of violence, harassment and intimidation; threats of harm; and other harmful, non-physical violence such as verbal abuse and conduct engaged in over the phone. Contravention of a WPO would constitute a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment of up to two years. This is about sending a strong message that violence and aggressive behaviour are unacceptable and about deterring this behaviour from occurring in the first place. The scheme will be available to most Commonwealth workplaces, extending to anywhere a Commonwealth worker is conducting official Commonwealth work. This includes workplaces such as mobile service pop-ups in shops and shopping centres, Commonwealth vehicles or a Commonwealth worker's residence, when working from home. Again, this is about providing a safe workplace for the workers we, as Australians, depend on. Whether it is through implementing our social safety net or keeping dangerous criminals and products out of Australia, Commonwealth workers are essential. Even if you do not often find yourself meeting with a Commonwealth worker, they are out there every day working for the public good. While it's a shame that the protections in this bill are necessary, we must do everything we can do protect our workers and ensure our departments and agencies remain attractive places to work. Any violence towards a Commonwealth worker is unacceptable, and this bill aims to deter this disgraceful behaviour. This bill addresses a legislative gap in most state and territory protection order schemes, because, under this scheme, affected workers do not need to bring an application forward in their own name. If a Commonwealth worker needs a protection order to be safe at work, we should be doing everything we can as a government to make that order accessible, including barriers like privacy concerns. This bill is an important step towards creating safer Commonwealth workplaces and sends a strong message that the Albanese government values workers who provide critical government services and that violence and aggression towards these workers is unacceptable. This behaviour is not accepted in any other industry. As my friend the member for Moreton went to in her remarks, you see signs everywhere stating that disrespectful behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated. That could be in your local bank branch, in the drive-through or at a shopping centre. Members of the public—patrons, customers, passengers—are rightly expected to be respectful to the people who are there to help them. Of course, we see disgraceful behaviour—and I know in retail the SDA has been running the No One Deserves a Serve campaign for many years, calling on customers to conduct themselves appropriately and for employers to put in appropriate protections for their workers, and, really, this is what this bill is about on a Commonwealth level. As an employer, the Commonwealth is putting in place appropriate protections for its workers. Besides the fundamental responsibility we have as an employer to provide a safe workplace, we also need to make sure that our departments and agencies remain attractive places to work. We cannot let Commonwealth workers get left behind as other sectors tackle abuse and violence. We need to take action, and that is exactly what this bill does. We also need to be mindful of the rights of other service users. Their rights deserve consideration in this respect as well. We've seen workplaces shut down because of unacceptable and violent behaviours, leaving others in the room without the services they need in that given moment. In the context of the Commonwealth government, we're not talking about nice-to-haves. We are talking about essential services—money to put food on the table, the addressing of the immediate needs of the vulnerable and the protection of physical safety. Therefore, there is a public interest in taking action to ensure that those disruptions do not happen and that Commonwealth workers are able to work at their best and do their job for the public good without disruption. This bill also considers the rights of the individuals subject to orders. It's why the bill puts guardrails in place. We're not talking about a criminal penalty or a finding of guilt. This is, by and large, a protective measure. When applying for a WPO, the proposed conditions may, in effect, limit a person's access to Commonwealth services; however, this has guardrails to ensure that individuals subject to those orders are able to receive the services they need. Orders can be made flexibly to ensure that adaptations are made to ensure that those subject to the order are still receiving the services they need at the same time as fulfilling that important need to ensure that Commonwealth workers are protected. There is that flexibility in the way the orders are drafted and in the way this legislation is designed to ensure the delivery of necessary services at the same time as protecting the legitimate rights of workers, the legitimate rights of others in their workplace and the legitimate rights of our fellow citizens to utilise those services. Fundamentally, the imposition of a WPO will not prevent a person accessing necessary Commonwealth services—though it may alter the way they can access those services for a period—nor will it remove their right to political communication. People are entitled to have their political views, but no Commonwealth worker should be subject to abuse, intimidation, harassment, threats or the conduct of physical violence, and there are lines that really must be drawn in the sand in this respect. While concerns about access to services are reasonable to raise and consider, the guardrails put into this legislation are reasonably and appropriately adapted to balancing the rights of all concerned. We cannot be distracted from the fundamental principle that no-one should be threatened or assaulted at work, especially not when they're doing such important work for the Australian community. One of the early meetings I took after the election was with Richard, our local manager at Services Australia in Ringwood—it's not far from my electoral office in Mitcham. Like others in this place, my office receives a lot of emails and phone calls from people seeking assistance from Services Australia, and it was great to meet Richard and hear about what he and his team do for our community. I reflect on the important work they do and how difficult disruptive behaviours can make it. It's for workers like that that we really need to ensure that we are doing right by our Commonwealth workers. We need to make sure that teams like Richard's never have to confront violence or aggression. But, with 1,694 serious incidents occurring across Services Australia's face-to-face service channel in a single year, the sad reality is that we need stronger protections for Commonwealth workers. These jobs are important. Our people deserve to feel safe and to be safe, and, when we think about the harms, it's simply not only the danger of physical intimidation and physical assaults but also the psychosocial risk is becoming increasingly prevalent challenge faced in many workplaces. We need to make sure that abuse is no longer tolerated or considered part of the job and that people should never be told that they just have to cop it because it's part of the gig. No, we are entitled to expect that our fellow citizens engage with Commonwealth workers with respect for them as individuals and with respect for their safety. No-one deserves a serve, including Commonwealth workers. We see from the number of workers compensation claims and the number of days of absenteeism that threats and intimidation can have a profound impact on a worker's ability to do their job. Given the importance of the work being done by our Commonwealth workers, we need to make sure that we are enabling our people to perform at their best. That also means ensuring that we're protecting their safety, both physical and psychosocial, to ensure that we have the best possible Public Service that we are able to deliver for the Australian people. It is our responsibility to the Australian people as well our employees to make sure that appropriate measures are in place. We need to ensure that we, as employers, take the initiative to put in place these protective measures where necessary to ensure that interventions can be put in place in circumstances where workers have been the subject of intolerable behaviour—that we draw a line in the sand and make sure measures are in place to ensure it doesn't happen in the future. It is sad that there is an increasing minority of people who have become antigovernment and are engaging in irrational, violent, intimidating behaviour towards government employees across the government sector, be they Services Australia staff or, as my colleagues have pointed out, staff in our electorate offices. That has made working in this sector a little bit harder than it used to be. I know the vast majority of Australians respect our public servants. They respect the work that they do and they treat them with dignity and respect, as you'd expect. But, sadly, we have to create these regimes to deal with a small minority of people who engage in disrespectful or violent behaviour. This is a sensible, proportionate and reasonable measure to ensure that we can keep our workplaces safe, that we can serve the Australian people and that we make sure that everyone's right to feel safe and respected at work is preserved. That is why I am proud to support this bill. Question agreed to. Bill read a second time. Third Reading 19 10:47 Mr THISTLETHWAITE 182468 Kingsford Smith by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time. BUSINESS 19 BUSINESS Rearrangement 19 10:48 Mr THISTLETHWAITE 182468 Kingsford Smith I move: That order No. 3, government business, be postponed until a later hour this day. Question agreed to. DOCUMENTS 19 DOCUMENTS Housing Australia Investment Mandate Amendment (Delivering on Our 2025 Election Commitment) Direction 2025 19 Consideration 19 10:48 Ms BERRY 23497 Whitlam The great Australian dream of owning your own home crystallised in the decades after World War II. There was a construction boom following the end of the war, with new suburbs and towns created to cater for returning servicemen and the growing number of migrants—and there was also a baby boom. My grandfather fought in Borneo in the Second World War, and my family were the beneficiaries of this construction boom for returning servicemen, moving into their Housing Commission home in Dundas Valley in the New South Wales western suburbs, where my mother was raised. At this time there were plenty of jobs, and homeownership was not just a dream for many; it was a tangible reality. By 1966, homeownership in Australia hit its peak of 73 per cent. Homeownership has become increasingly more difficult to achieve over the past 50 years, particularly in recent decades; however, it remains a major goal for many Australians. The Albanese Labor government is helping more Australians realise this dream of homeownership by launching five per cent deposits for all first home buyers early, on 1 October 2025 instead of next year. Under these changes, all first home buyers will have access, with no caps on places and no income limits. We are doing this by expanding the Home Guarantee Scheme. The Home Guarantee Scheme involves the Albanese government guaranteeing a portion of a first home buyer's home loan so they can purchase with a lower deposit and not pay lenders mortgage insurance. The fact that these first home buyers will not have to pay lenders mortgage insurance should not be underestimated. Lenders mortgage insurance is insurance that a lender takes out to insure itself against the risk of not recovering the outstanding loan balance if a borrower is unable to meet their loan payments and the property is sold for less than the outstanding loan balance. Lenders mortgage insurance is usually required if a borrower does not have a 20 per cent deposit, which is the case for a substantial number of first home buyers. Lenders mortgage insurance protects the lender but the costs are passed on to the borrower and this is usually added on to the loan. For the average first home buyer, the Albanese Labor government's expanded Home Guarantee Scheme will save tens of thousands of dollars in lenders mortgage insurance. In the first year alone, first home buyers using the scheme are expected to avoid around $1.5 billion in potential mortgage insurance costs. As I mentioned, an important change to the scheme is that all first home buyers will have access to it. There will no longer be any income limits. Currently, the caps that apply to the first home buyers under this scheme are $125,000 for individuals or a combined $200,000 for joint applicants. Removing these caps will open up the opportunity for homeownership for many more Australians. Furthermore, the property price caps under the scheme will be increased in line with average house prices, therefore providing first home buyers with access to a greater variety of homes. In capital cities and regional centres in my state of New South Wales, the property price cap will increase from $900,000 to $1.5 million, while in other parts of New South Wales the cap will rise from $750,000 to $800,000. The median home price in Australia today is $844,000 and five per cent of that is $42,000. The last time $42,000 covered the 20 per cent deposit for a median home was in 2002. Just to take us back to 2002, that was the year in which Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia as part of her golden jubilee world tour, Ansett Australia stopped flying after 66 years of operation and Steven Bradbury became a national icon by winning Australia's first gold medal at the Winter Olympics. This was also the year that Kath and Kim premiered on the ABC. To bring us back to 2025, the Albanese Labor government's expanded Home Guarantee Scheme will mean a first home buyer can purchase a $1 million home with a $50,000 deposit. First home buyers could save up to 10 years on the time it takes to save for a deposit, saving about $42,000 in mortgage insurance, and could pay up to $350,000 towards their own loan instead of paying rent. Importantly, the government has consulted with industry and will direct Housing Australia to promote the diversity of lenders who offer the scheme, giving first home buyers greater choice to buy a home through smaller, customer owned and regional banks. Since coming to office in 2022, Labor has helped over 180,000 first home buyers get a home of their own with a lower deposit, and the expanded scheme will help hundreds of thousands more Australians. It's important to note that the Home Guarantee Scheme is just one part of the Albanese Labor government's broader, $43 billion housing agenda that is focused on building more homes, getting more Australians into homeownership and getting a better deal for renters. In its first term, this government began investing $43 billion in housing—eight times more than the coalition invested over a whole decade. It introduced a build-to-rent scheme that will help deliver 80,000 new rentals across the country, giving Australians more rental security. We've worked with states and territories to make renting fairer, with stronger protections for tenants. As a result, most states have now banned no-grounds evictions and put minimum standards in place. We've delivered a 45 per cent increase in Commonwealth rent assistance, the biggest back-to-back increase in more than 30 years, helping over one million low-income Australian households pay the rent. We've made strong progress in delivering 55,000 social and affordable rental homes for the Australians who need it most. We've invested a record $1.2 billion into building new crisis and transitional accommodation to ensure that at-risk groups—including older women, younger Australians and those fleeing family and domestic violence—will have access to safe and stable housing. We've facilitated the training of more tradies through Labor's fee-free TAFE, and we've provided $10,000 incentive payments for apprentices in construction. In addition to expanding the Home Guarantee Scheme, the re-elected Albanese government is committed to investing $10 billion to build up to 100,000 homes reserved only for first home buyers, with no competition from property investors. We're implementing our Help to Buy shared-equity scheme, which involves the Commonwealth government pitching in up to 40 per cent of the upfront cost of a home, making it easier for a first home buyer to purchase a home with a smaller mortgage. We're delivering a $54 million targeted investment in advanced manufacturing of prefabricated and modular home construction. We're providing $120 million from the National Productivity Fund to incentivise states to remove red tape and help more homes be built faster, and we're investing $78 million to fast-track the qualification of 6,000 tradies to help build more homes across Australia. This is a very impressive program of work. The expansion of the Home Guarantee Scheme will help many more Australians believe in the great Australian dream of homeownership, just like my grandparents and parents experienced. For all the reasons I've spoken about, I strongly support the minister's statement relating to five per cent deposits for all first home buyers. 10:57 Ms SHARKIE 265980 Mayo The government has pushed through what are radical changes under the Housing Australia Act through some bizarre, administrative ministerial direction so that we will not properly debate, in this place, this proposal. Instead, we are left with what I feel is an inferior take-note motion. The government is, in my view, circumventing the purpose of this parliament in what is feeling like a rather dictatorial and deeply concerning practice. If the government are so intent that what they want to deliver is good public policy, then they should debate this legislation properly. This legislative instrument builds on the government's initial Help to Buy scheme, where taxpayers are on the hook for the remaining 15 per cent of a deposit to relieve buyers of mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance is a lot of money. For many of us in this room, when we were buying our first homes, or perhaps even subsequent homes, we needed to pay mortgage insurance of some amount. It is designed to protect the mortgagor in the case of the mortgagee defaulting on the loan. Twenty per cent is calculated as the maximum expected decline on a property price, and, ultimately, it just safeguards the bank from losing money. Now, taxpayers will pick up the bill and will bear the burden of any loss from defaulted loans. Initially, this program was set for 50,000 homes. Initially, this program was capped, with a focus on assisting working Australians who were earning up to $125,000 as an individual or $200,000 as a couple. Initially, they were modest, 'first-home-buyer house value' caps on what you could purchase. You could say that they also limited the risk for us as taxpayers if a person or family defaulted. Now, the government's throwing caution to the wind on this. In my nine years in this place, I think that this is the most populist, reckless and inflationary public policy program I have seen, and I've seen a few. It is dangerous. It is going to drive up house prices like never before, and here is why. The scheme is now open to anyone who's a first home buyer, no matter their income. The scheme has been lifted to the most astronomical house prices, and all that's going to do is lift the default house price in each state to set the bar at whatever that threshold is. The government has lifted the cap for properties in all areas. In New South Wales, it's now going to be based at $1.5 million, so there's an increase of $600,000 on the top price that this program applies to. It's really open slather, as I said. In effect, a couple could get mortgage for $1.2 million, put down a five per cent deposit of $75,000 and the taxpayer is on the hook for $225,000. What could possibly go wrong? They only need to get sick or not be able to earn for a short period and, very quickly, those mortgage payments and that family's life or that individual's life would fall apart. At a rate of six per cent, monthly payments on a $1.2 million loan over 40 years are approximately $7,193 a month, with total interest paid of roughly $2.25 million. Who really pays when it falls apart? It's going to be the taxpayer. As taxpayers, people right across the nation with homes of much lesser value are going to be picking up the pieces. The kicker is that this is not going to make homes more affordable at all. All it will do is set the new base house price at the top level of this scheme for each state, because the demand for this scheme will be so high that it's going to artificially inflate house prices. Part of the reason why the demand will be so high is that we've had record net migration in this nation. Over one million people have moved here just in this government's last term, and they're all going to be wanting to partake in this proposal. I understand that. It's simple economics that this program, coupled with record migration, is going to add to the demand side of this equation. It's like pouring kerosene on an already lit bonfire. Inflation is real. There were further inflation figures out yesterday which should cause everyone concern. They were higher than expected. In South Australia, the cap has been lifted from a house price of $600,000 to $900,000. This will just make the base price $900,000 for an entry level home in South Australia, because the artificial demand will create that as the default price. The minister said: Right now, we need to lean in and help those first home buyers get their foothold in the market. Quite frankly, I'm not sure what the 'lean in' vernacular means, but I can tell you what the outcome will be. It will be inflationary. It will not lower house prices, and it will catch young people and first home buyers desperately wanting to own their own home into a trap, and they will not be able to get out of it. There is a name for loans that are given to people who can't afford them. They're called subprime mortgages, and they caused the global financial crisis back in 2007-08. I remember it very well. This is government sanctioned taxpayer-supported subprime lending. Many people have short memories, but, back in 2007-08 in the financial crisis, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans collapsed under the weight of risky mortgage backed securities that they acquired and guaranteed fuelling a housing bubble in the US, in particular. When that burst, it sent shockwaves right across the world. Whole neighbourhoods collapsed. Whole neighbourhoods were boarded up with homes unsellable. Who is giving the government this economic advice? Surely the Reserve Bank wouldn't have supported this proposal? As I've said before, we have taken away the Australian dream in just one generation, and I feel for young people. My three children are all desperately saving. One just got their block poured for a very modest home. It's their first dream home. But they saved for years and had second jobs to make it work. It's quite clear how we have done this. We've done it by inflating demand and through record migration. I have looked at the data of migration levels since Federation. Whenever we have exponentially lifted migration, we've caused inflation. It's just the way it is. It's a simple demand-supply proposal. It's Economics 101. I'm not sure if it's to create growth in the economy, but all it has done is price our kids out of homeownership. For rental properties, increased temporary migration and student visas have contributed to unbelievable rental increases. Back in 1990-91, Australia offered just over 35,000 student visas. In 2022-23, we offered 577,000 student visas. Last year, we offered 371,000, and the government has announced they're going to increase that by a further 25,000. The majority of student visas transition to permanent visas, and we've created an expectation that will occur. If the government meaningfully and tangibly wants to help Australians into a home, the most responsible and efficient way to do this is to reduce migration because you're then managing the demand side, and that's the area we haven't tackled. We haven't tackled the demand side for a decade. So we're simply not building enough quality homes, and I would say that most of us don't want to continue the constant carve-up of farmland on the edge of suburbia, putting more pressure on the environment, to expand our suburbs in order for everyone to own a home. As I said, we need to tackle that demand side. I've got to say, it's just heartbreaking to watch in my community 200- and 300-year-old gum trees getting felled and those areas turning into 250 square metre blocks. That's the thing with the houses at these ridiculous prices we're selling to our children—there's no backyard. Then we wonder why children are obese. There's nowhere for the kids to play but the street. If you go back to the mid-90s when housing was affordable—when I bought my first home as a single woman—migration in 1994 was 46,000 people a year. Then it went up to 100,000. Then, under Rudd, it exploded under his 'big Australia' policy, and that is where the problem is. As I said, we've had a combined influx in just two years of a million permanent migrants, and we don't want to talk about it in this place, but that is creating a demand that we can't control. Then you have the government come in here with irresponsible policies like this as a way to try and address that housing demand. I predict interest rates will not fall with this program in place. What the government has put forward here is a dangerous, populist thought bubble that will have real-world consequences for all of us. 11:07 Mr KHALIL 101351 Wills I rise to speak not just on this but for an entire generation of Australians who have been locked out of the housing market because of the policies, or, should I say, the lack of policies of previous governments. This generation of young Australians have been locked out not because they lacked ambition but because the system itself has put homeownership increasingly out of their reach. For too long, young people in this country have felt let down by not having any opportunity to purchase their own home. We, on this side of the House, are very cognisant of the challenges they've faced. That's why, since we came to government, we have been making the ability and the opportunity for young people to get into the housing market a priority of this government. That's why, in backing up that cognisance of understanding the challenge, we have made record investments in housing in this country. We've actually backed it up with record investments. From 1 October this year, even more young Australians will be able to realise their dream of homeownership. And that's thanks to this government, the Albanese government, bringing forward our Home Guarantee Scheme to allow first home buyers to buy a home with just a five per cent deposit. You heard it right; it's just a five per cent deposit. We're bringing down all first home deposits from 20 per cent to five per cent this year, from 1 October, because affordable and secure housing should be a human right in this country. It's about dignity. I know it is valid as well that housing in Australia has also been a vehicle for investment and so on, and that's fine. But having a roof over your head, having your own home, is really about basic human dignity. It is the foundation, literally the physical foundation, to be able to then fulfil your potential in the workforce and through the social, economic and the educational opportunities that flow from that foundation. But first and foremost—it's Maslow, if you're familiar with that, Deputy Speaker Chesters—it's to get that shelter in place. It is about human dignity. I think that housing needs to be seen in this frame—the importance of it for every single Australian and their future ability to fulfil their potential. In the first year alone, first home buyers who will be using this scheme that we are debating here are expected to avoid around $1.5 billion in potential mortgage insurance costs. That's a massive amount that will be avoided. And we're not going to stop there. We won't stop there, despite whatever arguments are made by the other side for political pointscoring, because we'll continue the family home guarantee that helps single parents to buy a home with a two per cent deposit—not two per cent but five per cent. That is amazing. Since coming to office in 2022, the Labor government has helped over 180,000 first home buyers get a home of their own with a lower deposit. That's 180,000 families. That's a lot of people that have been given the opportunity to build that foundation and to have that foundation to fulfil their potential in life. On average, there have been more than 6,000 more first-home-buyer loans a year under Labor compared to under the coalition's period in office. That's 6,000 more than under the other mob. Now, the median home price in Australia today is $844,000, and five per cent of that is around $42,200. The last time $42,200 covered the 20 per cent deposit for a median home was in 2002, which shows the generational scale of this change. This is in stark contrast to the housing policies—if I can call them that—brought to this year's election campaign by the coalition. Their solution to the housing crisis? Let first home buyers access up to $50,000 of their own super to buy a home. I'm not sure what they were thinking—what kind of fantasy this was. Not only was this policy completely irresponsible but no-one across from us had the foresight to think how this would inadvertently bring up housing prices. So, unlike that horrid election commitment that was made by the coalition, we are putting forward real, tangible relief for millions of Australians in this country in this bill, this scheme and all the others that I've spoken about. We were re-elected with a clear mandate to bring down the deposit hurdle for first home buyers, and we are delivering on that. In my electorate of Wills, 38 per cent of my constituents are renters. The expanded scheme means a first home buyer in Wills could purchase a $600,000 home with only a $30,000 deposit. They could save up to six years off the time it takes to save for a deposit, save about $25,000 in mortgage insurance—that is a very important element—and pay up to around $126,000 towards their own loan instead of paying rent. That'll make a difference to the future of all of those people. Since the inception of our Home Guarantee Scheme, 1,010 people in Wills, in my electorate, have accessed it. As I said, affordable housing is critical as the foundation for people wanting to fulfil their potential. I grew up in inner-city Melbourne in public housing—I'm a houso—in the seventies and eighties. We grew up in a housing commission, as it's called in Victoria. I share that with the Prime Minister, who, if you don't know, also grew up in social housing. An honourable member interjecting— Mr KHALIL 101351 Yes, everyone knows. They might not know that about me, though. For my family, a migrant family that came to Australia in the seventies, having access to that affordable housing helped to level the playing field to a certain extent. It offered my family real equality of opportunity, and it was because of the policies of Labor governments, both state and federal, that we were given that opportunity. Despite many of the challenges and the prejudices we faced, it gave me the chance to succeed based on hard work and on merit. The fact that we had that foundation meant we weren't worried about being able to have a place to live. We were given that opportunity. The five per cent deposit scheme brought forward by the government will now make it even easier for those growing up in situations like mine to purchase their first home and have that foundation as well. As I said, we were elected with a clear mandate to bring down the deposit hurdle for first home buyers. That's what we're doing today with this debate. We have an ambitious $43 billion housing agenda that is actually delivering on our promise and our election commitments, because this government is about delivery. When you get rid of all the white noise—all the sound and fury that comes from the opposition benches, the crossbench and all the rest of it—in the end, Australians look to their government, the federal government, to fulfil its commitments and to deliver on the commitments it makes to them. We are building more homes to deliver on our commitment. We're backing first homebuyers, and we're supporting renters as well. We're making the Australian dream of homeownership attainable for millions of Australians, as it should be, because I think it's true to say—and I would hope this is agreed upon right across this place—that every Australian deserves the opportunity to own their own home. It shouldn't just be some day in the distant future; it should be sooner. And this government, the Albanese Labor government, is working hard every day to deliver and make that dream a reality. 11:16 Mr REBELLO 316547 McPherson I rise today to speak not just about housing policy but about the very foundation of the Australian story—the dream of homeownership. For generations it has been the great leveller—the proof that through effort, sacrifice and determination, any Australian, no matter their start, can own a small part in this country and call it home. That dream's now slipping away. Under Labor it's not just delayed; it's being dismantled. When the coalition created the Home Guarantee Scheme, it was targeted, it was careful and it was compassionate. It was designed for those hardworking Australians who could service a mortgage but who struggled to save the deposit. It was a helping hand, not a handout. Labor's taken the policy that once empowered Australians and turned it into something totally different. What was once a hand up has now become a handbrake. This new version does nothing to increase supply. Even Treasury admits that Labor's changes will drive up prices. Former RBA economist Martin Eftimoski warned that this policy is like 'pouring gasoline on a fire'. Young Australians already struggling will now be forced to chase homes that sprint further out of reach. And who carries the risk? It is not the government but the taxpayer. A $60 billion liability sits on the shoulders of ordinary Australians and future generations. This is not policy for those who need it; it's politics dressed up as compassion—bigger loans, greater defaults and taxpayers footing the bill. And what about the broader picture? Labor has spent more on housing than any government before it—$43 billion—and yet Australians are worse off. Under the coalition, close to 200,000 homes a year were being built. Under Labor, that's dropped to barely 170,000. At the very same time, they've presided over the largest population boom since the 1950s. More people, fewer homes—that is Labor's legacy. Homelessness is now at its worst in living memory. Services report surging demand, especially among women and girls. Very recently I had the opportunity in my electorate to visit a place in Burleigh and meet with Rosies, who do fantastic work in our community providing food and speaking to people who are homeless and who are struggling—those people who are seeing the brunt of this housing crisis. Labor's much heralded promise of 1.2 million new homes by 2029—what happened to that? Their own Treasury officials say it will not be met. Labor claims to cut red tape, but the truth is they multiply it—5,000 new regulations, 400 new laws and nearly 3,000 pages of construction codes. They smother builders and developers in paperwork, and then we all wonder why fewer homes are being built. Australia's become addicted to bureaucracy. We now have 35 per cent more laws than Canada, a country nearly twice our size. What's being suggested is not reform; it's regulatory quicksand. It kills ambition before it even begins. Labor's flagship, the Housing Australia Future Fund, is one of the greatest public policy failures of our time. It has $10 billion taxpayer dollars tied up in a fund, yet no-one can tell us how many homes it has actually built. At one moment, the minister says 2,000 homes. At another, the Minister for Finance admits zero. At Senate estimates, we discover that Labor are not even building homes; they're buying them. They're competing with Australians at auctions, driving up prices. It's a policy so absurd you could not script it. Perhaps most concerning is where Labor's housing dream truly lies. It's not with families; it's with big super funds—often those that are tied up with or owned by the CFMEU. Labor wants Australians to rent homes owned by unions, not own homes themselves. They've gone to extraordinary lengths to hide correspondence showing super funds lobbying to weaken transparency rules. When questioned, the Treasurer blocked the Senate from seeing the truth. What will happen if big super dominates the housing market? What will happen? Rents will rise, choice will fall and ordinary Australians will find themselves tenants in a country where they once could have been owners. And that takes us to the CFMEU, a union dripping in corruption, now expanding into residential housing. Independent estimates say their involvement inflates construction costs by 30 per cent. That is a tax on every new apartment, every new build and every young Australian's dream. The coalition's put forward a bill to keep taxpayer money out of the CFMEU's hands, but Labor won't support it. Why? It is because, to them, ideology trumps integrity. This is where the coalition is different. We don't just oppose Labor's values; we offer a vision. In my maiden speech in this place, I spoke about the great nation-building task of starting to think about creating new cities. Australia has always grown by thinking big, but in recent decades we have stopped dreaming. We have stopped building. Instead, we cram more people into the same few cities, driving prices up, infrastructure down and the quality of life lower. We must think differently. We must build anew with new cities planned from the ground up, with housing, transport, industry and services integrated from day one. They would be cities that relieve pressure on Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane while creating new centres of opportunity. This is the same vision that built the Gold Coast, that built Canberra and that transformed Western Sydney. I refer to a fantastic article by Simon Kuestenmacher that was in the Australian on 21 August: 'One Gold Coast is not enough, Australia needs more new cities just like it'. I quote from this article: The only problem that I see with the Gold Coast is that we only built one. We should look at the Gold Coast as a model for the future of Australia. I want to see six or seven more Gold Coasts by the end of the century. At the end of World War II Australia was home to seven million people. A decade later Australia added two million residents on the back of the baby boom and Mediterranean migrants. Where did Australians live? Mostly in the same five big cities we live in today: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Since WWII we have grown the country by 20 million residents and the Gold Coast remains the only new sizable city we added to the mix. The rest of the growth was squeezed into the same cities we occupied in 1945. If we want to keep the dream of homeownership alive, we cannot simply tinker at the edges. We must be bold enough to imagine and to build, because the answer to a housing shortage is not simply going to be solved by increasing demand. It's by addressing supply. Housing is not just an economic issue. It's a cultural one. It's about aspiration, independence and belief in one's own effort. We believe in supply, not spin; in cutting red tape, not adding to it; in supporting the vulnerable, older Australians, women fleeing domestic violence, indigenous Australians and our youth not through empty promises but through policies that can actually deliver real outcomes and, in this case, make housing more affordable. Above all, we believe in keeping the Australian dream—the dream of homeownership—alive. Labor's failures on housing are not just statistics. They are shattered aspirations. They are young Australians who are priced out of their first home. They are families unable to find a rental. They are the homeless sleeping rough in a country that should do better. The people of McPherson have not sent me here to accept this decline but to stand against it. The coalition will fight for a future where effort is rewarded, where supply meets demand and where Australians—not unions, not super funds and not the government—own their homes. Housing is more than shelter. It's the foundation of family, the foundation of community and the foundation of independence, and it must never be surrendered. 11:25 Ms RYAN 249224 Lalor It's pleasing to hear that those opposite understand that supply is critical to the issue of housing, and it's a generation-made problem that we're facing today. It's interesting to hear that they understand that supply is key to that. Yet they spent the second half of our first term in government blocking supply and blocking measures from Labor that would have driven supply. It is fascinating. We're all here today to talk about the five per cent deposits that this government have created for new homeowners and have brought forward, to 1 October, changes where the caps will better suit each state or city, and to talk about how things work. It's also to celebrate, in my case, the 1,880 participant households that have already used this system and the 3,140 individuals who are reflected in those households. That is the secret to adding to supply. This is about saying to a generation of Australians who feel left behind on housing that we want them to have a home of their own, with the security that brings, and to support young Australians do just that. I might take a moment, Deputy Speaker Chesters, to talk about what this means for single parents. We'll be continuing the Family Home Guarantee that helps them buy a home with a two per cent deposit. This is extraordinarily important in a community like mine. We'll be delivering this three months early, from 1 October. This crisis wasn't created overnight and it won't be fixed overnight, but real progress is being made, right across the country, as is seen in the electorate I represent. In the first term, we took the Commonwealth from being a negligent bystander under the coalition to being a bold and ambitious government under Labor—more bold and ambitious since the Second World War. But let's be clear: the job isn't done. It's still too hard to build and too hard to buy in this country. This announcement is about allowing all first home buyers to buy their own home with just a five per cent deposit or the Family Home Guarantee, where a single parent could secure their mortgage with a two per cent deposit. Of course, as has been referenced, this is also about people not having to have that insurance that could cost over $30,000 on, say, an $800,000 home. This means people will get out of their rental into the situation where they're in their own home, so they can stop paying rent and start paying their mortgage. It means less time to save for that deposit. So rather than saving over many years for a 20 per cent deposit, it might take only two years to save for a five per cent deposit, depending on what you're earning and in which part of our great country you're living. If we look at my community, where the median house price is $600,000, we're talking about a five per cent deposit being quite attainable for the young people that I represent—not just those I represent but those who come and join us in our affordable housing area, in the city of Wyndham, from outside of Wyndham. They will also be able to come and buy one of the new homes that go up every week in the area I represent. On the way, they can save about $30,000 in mortgage insurance and they could pay up to a quarter of a million dollars towards their own loan, rather than paying rent across that savings period. It's important to note that we are bringing this good news to the parliament after decades of neglect in the space of addressing housing or the Commonwealth being a partner to the community in housing, and after having both the Liberal-National coalition and the Greens block our work, in this space, across the last few years. They didn't support our 100K homes for first home buyers, they voted against Help to Buy and promised to abolish the scheme before the last election. They've given up on homeownership. This government is just getting started. Now they're attempting to raise taxes on builders and scrap 80,000 new rentals in the process. In a community like mine, the people who manage to get the five per cent deposit and get into the market will be forever grateful. They will remember that moment when they secured that home loan, just like most of us across the country do. I distinctly remember securing the home loan and buying my first property with my husband at the time. It was a great moment. It meant that we could stop renting. It meant that we were going to be moving into something and start paying that mortgage down. It was a fantastic moment. Of course, properties then were more accessible in terms of our incomes and what the property prices were. This is something that is going to support young people that I represent and support young people across the country to become homeowners who pay off the capital as well as the interest, making sure that they join the ranks of people who own their own home. We've already seen that on the ground in electorates across the country. The number of young people who have already taken up this opportunity is actually really impressive. I look forward to seeing more and more—particularly, if I think about it, the two per cent deposit for single parents. I think this is an incredibly important part of this legislation and one that not many people are paying a lot of attention to, but, as someone who, as a single parent with three children, was paying off a mortgage and working part time, this would have been a game changer for me. I'll go back and share that situation with the House. When I became a single parent, I was talking to someone at the credit union that held my mortgage about the changed circumstances and how I was quite sure that I was capable of meeting those mortgage payments on my own. The manager stepped out, having heard me in this conversation, and said: 'Can you come in? I just want to have a quick chat?' He said to me, 'Let's just pay it for 12 months, and then we'll look at it,' because the instinct of a bank is to tell a single parent that they can't afford to do this. I'm proof they can afford to do it. A two per cent deposit will allow people to get into the space where they're given that opportunity to put a roof over their head and the heads of their children in a home that they own and that they can't be removed from because someone wants to sell the property. The two per cent deposit for single-parent families is absolutely a critical part of this process. It will see single parents in my community, whether they be mums or dads, get a roof over their head and the heads of their children, through a government that's prepared to back them, help them and assist them by creating a space where they can do that with a two per cent deposit. That is something that I think will be achievable for a lot of the people in that circumstance in my community. 11:33 Ms WATSON-BROWN 300127 Ryan The government is finally taking action on housing. If you're a property investor, hurrah! This policy is for you. You can celebrate this. House prices are going to increase even further. You heard me right. Labor's First Home Guarantee, which allows first home buyers to buy property with a five per cent deposit, is another purported solution that's just going to make the housing crisis worse. In Brisbane, including in my electorate of Ryan, house prices have doubled in the last 10 years. Nationally, home values and home prices have already increased by three per cent since the start of 2025, and respected analysts are saying that this policy could lead to a more than 15 per cent increase in house prices over the next six years. Experts have advised—they've actually told the government—that this policy will just drive up prices further. The Australian public have told the government that they want real action on housing that actually helps them, and who's the government actually listening to? Big property—the property industry and property investors, who will receive this largesse to the tune of $175 billion in tax handouts over the next 10 years through negative gearing and capital gains discounts. What do mortgage holders and renters actually get? Zero. A big fat zero—absolutely nothing. Labor effectively continues gifting money to big investors with dozens or hundreds of properties in their portfolios, turbocharging house prices and pretty much screwing over everyone else in the process. The Commonwealth Bank just posted a $10 billion yearly profit off the back of soaring house prices. The Commonwealth Bank used to be ours. It used to be publicly owned, by us, until it was sold off by Labor in the nineties. It's now a massive, private corporation focused on profit for its shareholders. That's what it is. It's certainly not focused on the greater good, is it? It's certainly not part of a solution for access to housing for everyday Australians. The other big banks aren't far off CommBank's big profit figure. They're going to be absolutely ecstatic at this government's latest fix for the housing crisis allowing a five per cent deposit with no mortgage insurance. Why? It's because it allows them—this is why they'll be happy—to extract even bigger interest payments out of even more first home buyers while still turbocharging house prices further, and further, and further up, putting housing out of reach for so many millions of Australians. The risk for the banks is minimal, because they know if they issue too many dodgy loans and things go south, the government has their back and will bail them out with taxpayer money—your money. It's a great scheme, if you're the Labor Party trying to look like you're doing something about the housing crisis while keeping your donors—the banks and the property industry—happy. The best way to actually fix the housing crisis—if that's what we're actually here for and if that's what we're trying to do—would be to scrap negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount and invest those enormous sums of money in actually building public housing. Well, the government has finally decided to build some public housing—no, not for ordinary Australians, silly. It's building housing for US military personnel. That's right! The first piece of housing legislation for this term of parliament isn't for the government to build public housing that ordinary Australians can live in, and it isn't for winding back unfair tax concessions so that first home buyers don't get outcompeted by property investors. It's to allow the government to spend an unspecified amount of money—totally obfuscated—building housing for the US military on Australian soil as part of the AUKUS agreement. I really wish I was making this up, but—I'm sorry—it's true. For years, the Greens have been trying to get the government to actually build public housing, like governments used to—like governments actually should. But we're told that that's unrealistic; it's not a serious demand. It turns out you can live in public housing built by the federal government—you just need to sign up to the US military to do that. If you're a teacher or a nurse working hard but you can't afford a house or find a rental, this government is simply not servicing your needs in terms of your access to housing. Doesn't it care about you? It's made its priority clear—serving the US military-industrial complex over the needs of ordinary Australians, who are so desperate for access to housing. The recent productivity roundtable agreed that productivity reform in the housing industry is urgently needed. It's absolutely essential for Australians; it's essential for the economy. Trophy homes and megamansions are what we're actually building in Australia instead of public housing. The capital gains discount encourages homeowners to build ever-larger, ever more expensive houses and apartments. A significant portion, a huge amount, of the Australian building industry is tied up with these elaborate, top-of-the-market construction projects: trophy homes, luxury apartments and monster renos. They tie up a huge proportion of our most creative builders, skilled tradespeople and expensive materials in Australia. As an architect, I've actually witnessed firsthand the devastating reduction of productivity in the housing sector since 1995. This decline matches exactly the period in which Australia's homes have increased in size to exploit the tax-free capital gains discounts. From 1994 to 2024, newly built detached houses increased in size by 30 per cent, while household size decreased by seven per cent. Abolishing capital gains discounts makes it much less attractive for wealthy investors to put their money in inert property, where it just drives up property prices, making it harder and harder for first home buyers entering the market. Incentivising good builders to move from large, complex and slow home building to compact, simple and affordable construction would dramatically improve the number of new homes being built. The abolition of capital gains tax discounts would have a real, a tangible, effect on the cost of housing. There are real solutions to the housing crisis—solutions that could be implemented today. But what the government is proposing is no solution. I would argue that it's the opposite of that. What the government is doing is actively exacerbating the problem. 11:40 Mr MATT SMITH 312393 Leichhardt I rise to take note of the ministerial statement made in the House on the Albanese Labor government's policy of a five per cent deposit for all first home buyers. As the minister said in her statement, Australia is in the middle of a housing crisis 40 years in the making. Over 40 years, governments of all stripes have not invested enough in housing. That is not political posturing; that is fact. If past governments had been investing enough in housing we wouldn't be in the position that we are in right now. We should not be in this situation. People are being left without the opportunity to get into their homes, and this five per cent guarantee allows people to get into their own homes sooner. This has been the result of the Anthony Albanese government paying attention, listening and responding to what the community needs and deserves. Right now in Cairns there are 490 modular homes being built for social and community housing. This is to help relieve the pressures in Cairns. Those 490 homes address 0.5 per cent of the entire housing population. Over the next 18 months, over 500 homes will be built in Leichhardt and the Far North. This will include infrastructure being placed in rural and remote communities to ease the overcrowding pressures we find in some of those communities. This is a forward-thinking bill. It creates solutions to problems that have been decades in the making. With a five per cent deposit people don't have to wait 10 years to save up for a deposit for their first home. They can do it much, much sooner. Combined with the 20 per cent HECS debt reduction, people are getting excited about the prospect of owning their own little piece of Australia, about getting into the housing market and raising a family in a backyard the way their parents did, the way they grew up, the way that the Australian dream has always been positioned. We're also making it easier to rent. There's the new rent-to-buy scheme, which will help other people get into their homes. The government can put in 40 per cent of the total value of a home, and you pay it off over time. When it's done, it is yours—your piece of the Australian dream. This is a great example of what happens when government finds solutions to problems and doesn't just sit there on its hands and blame other forces. It's taking the responsibility for a problem that was not ours in the making but is certainly ours to solve. The Anthony Albanese Labor government understood, listened and responded, and it was a big part of what we took to the election. It was about increasing supply, making sure that there are more houses for people all over the country. We have banned foreign residents from buying homes for two years to increase that supply. We've invested billions in trunk infrastructure and modular housing to get these homes built faster. Modular housing can make construction time up to 50 per cent faster, getting people into their homes at a much quicker rate. My parents owned their own home. They paid it off when I was 16 years old. It was one of their proudest moments. My children, through initiatives such as this, will also own their own home. They'll be able to purchase it in their 20s like my folks did, pay it off in their 40s like my folks did, and live the rest of their lives mortgage free. That is the ambition for our children. That is the ambition of this government: to recreate the opportunity for homeownership and open it back up to everybody, not just the privileged few who can get a bit of help from the bank of mum or dad or get those great big jobs. Everybody has the right to own a home, and this bill is about precisely that. But what did we see from those opposite for the previous 10 years? Not even a housing minister. There was no-one to champion homeownership, no-one to help those who were doing it tough and who wanted to buy in the way their parents did, the way they saw their grandparents do, where they grew up in backyard that was theirs, with a pet or the ability to put up a swing set or put holes in the wall, as happens when you've got rambunctious children. This bill gives people that ambition. It gives them that dream. As Darryl Kerrigan told us in The Castle, 'It's not a house; it's a home.' We're giving people homes. People love their homes. It's where all of the memories are made. The 490 homes being built in Cairns right now for social and public housing will create a community. Grandparents will meet their grandchildren there for the first time. Christmases will be held there. Memories will be made, love will be shared and a community will be developed on what was once an empty drive-in site where the last film shown was Pretty Woman. This is a much better use of that space. It is close to schools and close to amenities. It is a well-thought-out and well-delivered actionable part of these policies. It is going to make the lives of the people in my electorate better. I commend this bill to the House. 11:46 Mr TIM WILSON IMW Goldstein It is such a privilege to be able to get up and speak to this motion, because homeownership is central to the vision we should want for our nation. When I think about the enduring strength of our country, all the way to its modern foundation, one of the key pillars that led to our foundation was the idea of the democratic ownership of our country. It has endured in comparison to European settlement, where many people came from the United Kingdom and they inherited a hereditary system of governance and land title and ownership based on privilege, based on your blood line. One of the great promises of this great country was that we were not going to be a nation where you were going to have your life determined based on who your parents or grandparents, all the way back through generations, were. The promise of this great nation, the promise of Australia, was that we were going to be a nation where, through hard work, sacrifice and effort, you could own a share of it for yourself and your family as the foundation of your security and your future success. That continues to be the promise of this great nation today. The importance of homeownership is the greatest manifestation and reflection of it, as well as the family unit. That's the basis that I stand for, fight for and will continue to fight for into the future—homeownership. It is the very embodiment of the Liberal ideal. The Liberal vision of this country is that families will come together and own a chunk of this nation not just as the foundation of their security but that will become the wellspring of their future economic success, their security to be able to go on and contribute to the rest of their community and then to become part of the pillars and the foundation of the success of our nation. That's why homeownership matters so much. It's why it has always been one of the great cleaving points of our national political debate. At the end of the Second World War, when soldiers were coming back, the Labor Party faced a great big choice. The question was: how do we build the homes for returned soldiers who have sacrificed so much in defence of our country? The solution the Labor Party wanted at the time was to build homes so that returned soldiers could forever rent off the Australian government. The socialist vision has always been one of dependence. The socialist vision and the Labor vision has always been one where they control the people of this country. The Liberal vision, by comparison, was always one where we wanted a nation of homeowners. We wanted to build the homes of the nation so that returned soldiers and their families and the future generations of this country would go on to own their own homes. That was the clear choice then, and that remains the clear choice now. That's why, when the Prime Minister and the members of this government get up and speak about the virtues of what they claim they're doing in homeownership or in housing, they are so often explicitly focused on how they can control the population—how they can build housing so that they can control how you live your life. This is why, on this side of the parliament, we do not believe in so much of what they're trying to achieve in housing policy. We don't believe that housing policy should be a mechanism to control the Australian people. We believe that housing policy should be focused on how to empower the Australian people. At the centre of the Labor Party's agenda, there has always been a mechanism to control the Australian people. First, it's Labor wanting people to be dependent on welfare so that they can then control the recipients. Then it's superannuation through industry super funds so that their unions can control your retirement and your destiny. Or it's through the mechanisms of work so that they can control how much you're paid, when you're paid and how you work. They want to control you. But, more than anything else, Labor wants to create a nation of renters controlled by superannuation funds under their control so that the renters will always be dependent on housing stock that Labor directly own through the government or that they own through superannuation funds—so that they can control you. The Liberal vision is completely different. We fundamentally believe in empowering Australians. We want young Australians to be able to get a good education so they have the best chance they can have to go on and get a good career. We want to keep their taxes low so they can then be in the best position to save and get ahead so they can form a family and go on and buy their own home. We believe in homeownership because we believe it is the foundation of future economic success and security. From that, one day they will be in a position to be able to do things like form a small business and be independent and empowered all the way through to their retirement. They will be in a position to choose their own destiny. There is a clear choice between the Labor vision of control and the Liberal vision of empowerment. This is why it is so important we stand in this parliament, despite the protestations of the Labor government—they always want to find a new mechanism and a new lever to control the Australian people. That's why, no matter how many people they have in this parliament, we will never surrender and we will never back down, because at the heart of the Liberal vision is the success of the Australian people. This is one of the big dividing lines of Australian politics. People in school groups and everywhere else across this country ask, 'What is the difference between the political parties these days?' The differences are manifest, but, more than anything else, the Australian Labor Party celebrates the success of this country through Labor's success. The Liberal Party celebrates the success of Australia through the success of the Australian people, and that is the difference. Our success is lived through 26 million people, every day, waking up and living out the success in their own lives. We do not want to decide your future. We do not want to decide your destiny. We want you to have choices about how you live your life and to be fully empowered to make choices about your family and your future. That is the key difference. When Australians are going about living their best lives and living how they see fit, they are living and breathing, every single day, the full manifestation of the Liberal vision of this country. That is why the housing debate is so important. It is the catalysing moment in so many Australians' lives about how they can have prosperity, security and, of course, the opportunity of living out their best Liberal life. This is an important debate because we absolutely want homeownership to be central to the foundations of this country. We don't want the Labor vision of control for this country. We don't want young Australians living a life of dependence and thinking that the only way they can get ahead is through either their blood line or their proximity to power. That is a central part of the control mechanism that the Labor Party has always wanted. They love a system where it's based on proximity to power and whether you pay your tithe to the union—and, of course, whether that union is then in a position to tax their take along the way—because, when they do that, they set up a cartel arrangement where they're able to get the maximum benefit for themselves and those closest to positions of power. We utterly reject that proposition because it is not a system that is focused on empowering the Australian people. It has only one vision, then, when you achieve that. That vision, the Labor vision, is to feed those people closest to positions of central power and make them first in line at the trough. That is the problem with the Labor vision for this country. It is about themselves and their own success at the expense of the Australian people. The only objective of the Labor vision is how to fill the trough up for themselves as fast as possible, sacrificing the future and the opportunities of the Australian people along the way. They don't care whether you own your own home in the process, because your house is their political weapon for their ends. We will stand here and fight every step of the way for the Australian people to empower the Australian people—whatever it takes. So long as there is breath in my body, the vision and the dream of homeownership in Australia must be fought for because it goes to the heart of who we are. It goes to the heart of our vision for the country. It goes to the heart of what we want for the future and the ambition of this great nation. 11:56 Ms JORDAN-BAIRD 316021 Gorton I rise to take note of the minister's statement on the five per cent deposits for all first home buyers brought forward by the Minister for Housing. Australia is in the middle of a housing crisis 40 years in the making. For 40 years, our country has not been building enough homes, and we've not been backing our first home buyers right across the country. This issue couldn't be more relevant than in my electorate of Gorton. Stretching from Mount Cottrell in the south-west all the way to Keilor in the northern corner, Gorton is one of the youngest and fastest-growing electorates in the country. In Gorton, housing is about making sure that everyone has a roof over their heads, but, more than that, it also represents my electorate's hopes for the future. The median age in Gorton is 35 years old, one of the youngest in the country, and we have more than 40,000 residents between the ages of 25 and 39. This is the time in a person's life when settling down and starting a family is front of mind, and yet many in my electorate are still wondering whether they might ever be able to afford a home of their own. Throughout the election campaign, I met thousands of young people and felt their anxieties about the future. Many of these young people were not where they thought they'd be. They were still renting or living with their parents. I spoke to a group of young people in their early 20s from a share house in Fraser Rise. Situated between Caroline Springs and Melton, Fraser Rise is a new suburb populated by young families and young people. It's part of the western growth corridor, made up of many new housing developments. The young people in this share house were studying, commuting to the Victoria University Sunshine TAFE and working a number of jobs. They told me that they felt homeownership was out of reach, and they couldn't think of a world where renting wasn't their only option. These young people are not alone in their anxieties about the future. Housing is a life-defining challenge for millions of Australians today. Too many young Australians are being locked out of the housing market. Too many young Australians feel that they have no choice but to confront a future without a stable place to call home. That's why, from 1 October 2025, first home buyers will only need a five per cent deposit to buy a house—a five per cent deposit for every first home buyer, with no income limits, limits on places or house price caps. Young people aren't an afterthought here. On this side of the House, we know that young people are the bread and butter of our country, our democracy and our future. This policy is for us. More on that, we're delivering this election commitment even earlier than we said we'd deliver it. We're delivering it three months earlier, from 1 October, because, on this side of the House, we understand the urgency of this issue. We understand that when we talk about the housing crisis, we're not just talking about housing, not just about a roof over your head. We're talking about a young person's future—what their future will look like, what challenges they will face. We're talking about a sense of certainty and stability. We're talking about an injustice in the challenges experienced between generations. We're talking about how invested Australians feel in their democracy, because when your future is uncertain, when it feels unjust, your sense of trust is eroded. The five per cent deposit for first home buyers will cut years off the time it takes to save for a deposit. It will save thousands in lender's mortgage insurance and rental payments. It will help more people into their first homes sooner, gaining confidence in their future, closing the gap between generations. Under this program, a first home buyer could take up to eight years off the time it takes to save for a deposit on the median $844,000 home. Along the way, they could save about $34,000 in mortgage insurance and could pay up to a quarter of a million towards their loan—all of this, rather than paying rent, because young Australians should be paying off their own mortgages, not those of their landlords. Young Australians deserve financial stability. This is what real cost-of-living relief looks like, and it's real cost-of-living relief for those out west. Since Labor came to government in May 2022, more than 1,800 people in Gorton have been able to buy their first home with a five per cent deposit or less, thanks to Labor's expanded Home Guarantee Scheme. That's delivering for young Australians, but we know that this five per cent deposit is far from a silver bullet, and that's why we're tackling the housing crisis at every single angle. We're building more homes. In Labor's last term of government, we built 500,000 homes. We have 28,000 social and affordable homes, paid for by our government, currently in planning and construction. This term, we're working towards a bold, national aspiration for Australia to build 1.2 million homes in five years. Thanks to Labor's crackdown on the housing crisis, housing approvals are up 30 per cent and construction costs have stabilised. We're supporting our skilled construction workforce with more than 400 construction trade apprentices in Gorton benefiting from $5,000 incentive payments, helping to build the workforce Australia needs. From 1 July 2025, Labor's Key Apprenticeship Program is offering up to $10,000 in incentive payments to apprentices commencing their careers in housing construction. This is huge, given the number of houses we need to build. I'm proud to represent a community made up of tradies, with many construction tradies living in my electorate. I'm excited that this program will incentivise so many of them to stay in the construction industry, where we need them most. On this side of the House, we're committed to building more homes and helping Australians get into their own homes, but we know there are renters who need support now. That's why we're delivering rent relief for those doing it tough. We've delivered back-to-back increases to the maximum rates of Commonwealth rent assistance—an increase of 45 per cent since we came to government. Commonwealth rent assistance has been received by more than 7,900 people in Gorton. This means more money in the bank for 7,900 household budgets in my electorate, taking pressure off the myriad financial pressures Australians feel today. I'm not just proud that Labor is in this House tackling the housing crisis head-on, easing cost-of-living pressures for young Australians; I'm relieved. We know that those opposite think that young people raiding our superannuation for a house deposit is the way to go. They believe we should sacrifice what we've set aside for retirement, even though this will only force housing prices up and make it even harder for young people to get into the market. The coalition voted against Help to Buy and promised to abolish the scheme. They didn't support the build for 100,000 homes for first home buyers, and now they're attempting to raise taxes on builders and scrap 80,000 new rentals in the process. Unlike the coalition, we have not given up on closing the generational gap of homeownership. We on this side of the House want people to own their own homes and get into the housing market as early as possible. We have young people on this side of the House, and we care about young people on this side of the House. On this side of the House, we're getting on with dealing with our housing crisis. We're not interested in blocking or delaying this reform. We're giving Australians—Australians like those young people in Fraser Rise, who felt like owning a home was an unrealistic expectation—a real chance at homeownership, something that felt unachievable before. I am proud to be part of an Albanese Labor government who are building more homes and making it better to rent and easier to buy, because young people don't deserve to be locked out of the housing market. They deserve certainty in their future. They deserve access to a home. Debate adjourned. MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS 31 MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility 31 Reference to Federation Chamber 35 12:24 Ms MADELEINE KING 102376 Brand by leave—I move: That the order of the day be referred to the Federation Chamber for debate. Question agreed to. COMMITTEES 35 COMMITTEES Public Works Joint Committee 35 Membership 35 12:24 The DEPUTY SPEAKER 201906 The Speaker has received advice from the Chief Government Whip that she has nominated Ms Lawrence to be a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works in place of Mr Burns. 12:24 Ms McBRIDE 248353 Dobell by leave—I move: That Mr Burns be discharged from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and that, in his place, Ms Lawrence be appointed a member of the committee. Question agreed to. DOCUMENTS 35 DOCUMENTS Housing Australia Investment Mandate Amendment (Delivering on Our 2025 Election Commitment) Direction 2025 35 Consideration 35 12:25 Ms ALDRED 11788 Monash I rise to speak on this motion, which is very important—it covers some very important topics for my electorate of Monash. I follow some fine contributions by my colleagues on this side of the chamber, the members for McPherson and Goldstein, who, I know, feel very passionately about this issue—it's core to Liberal values—and that is: the right to build a life, raise a family and own your own home. Homeownership is not just an economic decision. It's about belonging and it's about being part of a community. In my community, in my part of the world, the Monash electorate, this is particularly important in areas like the Bass Coast Shire Council and Wonthaggi, where we've got rapid population growth and the infrastructure is not keeping pace with that population growth. In Baw Baw shire, which the demographer Bernard Salt has written extensively about, Warragul and Drouin have been the fastest-growing towns in Australia over a 10-year period. So we need new infrastructure; we need new housing. At the recent election, I was really pleased to be able to secure some commitments, on behalf of the coalition, to help unlock infrastructure that would provide more homes—more affordable homes—in our region. But this issue is also about Australians who invest in their own future more broadly—Australians who work hard, pay their bills and raise a family. It's about a future that people can believe in and a future where hard work pays off and dreams are within reach. The coalition is and always has been the party of homeownership. I reflect on our founder, Robert Menzies: when he returned to the prime ministership in December 1949, he made homeownership a core part of his post-war vision for Australia. We, on this side of the House, understand what it means for young people to be able to take that first step into the property market. But that first step is becoming further and further away for so many young people these days. I understand the frustration that so many Australians, particularly in my own electorate of Monash, feel when that dream is pushed out of reach—pushed out of reach by poor policy; pushed out of reach by a Labor government defined by waste and mismanagement. Today that dream of homeownership has never been more under threat. Under Labor, the great Australian dream of owning a home is fast becoming a nightmare. Let me be clear. Australia is in the middle of a housing crisis. But this is not a crisis caused by some uncontrollable global force. It's a crisis caused directly by decisions of the Albanese Labor government. In just three short years, Labor has presided over the biggest population surge Australia has seen since the 1950s—three consecutive years of record immigration, with hundreds of thousands of new people added to our population every year, at a time when housing construction has plummeted. They've increased demand through record migration, while simultaneously stifling supply with bureaucracy, red tape and economic mismanagement. It's the worst possible combination: more people, fewer homes, higher prices, longer wait lists and growing despair. Just ask one of the young tradies that I spoke to recently in Moe; he is now saving for his first home, but that feels further and further out of reach. Ask the young growing family in Leongatha I met with recently, who are trying to make that jump from renting to owning; that gap is getting further and further apart. Ask the young couple in Bass Coast who work day and night and shouldn't have to rely on the bank of mum and dad. I have spoken with many young Australians in my electorate of Monash who've explained to me how they've done all the right things. They've studied hard. They've saved hard. They've worked long hours. Many of them are actually working multiple jobs to make ends meet. And they're still left asking: will I ever get to own my own home? This is the legacy of Labor's housing policies. They haven't just failed to fix the crisis; they've actually made it worse. Labor's housing policies are incoherent. In one breath they say they want to cut red tape, but in the next they want to become the nation's largest mortgage insurer. You're either for the private economy, fewer bureaucracies and getting government out of the way or you're not. Labor clearly isn't. In their first term alone, the Albanese Labor government introduced more than 5,000 new regulations, including over 1,500 in the Treasury and infrastructure portfolios. Mr Venning 315434 It doesn't help. Ms ALDRED 11788 No, it doesn't. It doesn't help at all. They introduced 400 new laws. All of that comes with a staggering $4.8 billion compliance cost to the economy. It's my community and my constituents in Monash who are feeling it the most. Local builders are tied up in paperwork instead of building homes. Local councils—and I work closely with Bass Coast Shire Council and Baw Baw Shire Council, and I acknowledge the City of Latrobe and the South Gippsland Shire Council—are trying their best with an overstretched infrastructure base and limited resources, but they are overwhelmed with compliance demands. Only three years ago, in 2022, Labor massively expanded the National Construction Code, a code which now runs to nearly 3,000 pages, referencing more than 150 Australian standards, each at least 50 pages long, and often cross-referencing thousands more. This is Labor's version of cutting red tape. When the coalition called for a freeze on the NCC to give our builders, including those going to work right now, today, across the Monash electorate, the breathing room they so desperately needed, Labor accused the coalition of wanting to build 'shoddy' homes. Now, Labor are calling for the same freeze. Labor's obsession with red tape in housing is just one symptom of a much bigger problem. While communities like mine in Monash are paying the price, Australia has now dropped five places in the IMD world competitiveness rankings. We sit at 37th in the world for business efficiency. That tells you everything you need to know. Labor made a big promise—1.2 million new homes by 2029 under their National Housing Accord. But, like so many of their promises, it was long on ambition and short on actual delivery and outcomes. Leaked Treasury advice has confirmed what Australians suspected all along: this target simply won't be met. The Labor government doesn't have a plan, and communities like mine, in the Monash electorate, are paying the price for it every day. So often in this place we can be quite easily caught up on the material costs, but what we all do in this place matters. In particular, when speaking on a topic like this, it can be easy to forget that there is very much a human cost to Labor's housing crisis. This is unfortunately becoming increasingly evident every day. Under Labor's watch, homelessness isn't improving. In fact, it's going the other way and getting worse. I see this every week in my electorate of Monash, where people are doing it incredibly tough right now. Just last month, Homelessness Australia told the ABC that the current crisis is the worst in living memory. The number of people needing homelessness services has surged by 10 per cent since Labor came to office in May 2022. For women and girls that figure is even more alarming, with a 14 per cent increase in just two years. These aren't statistics. These are mums who are now sleeping in cars. These are young Victorians and other young Australians who are being pushed further and further to the edge. The coalition understands that housing isn't just about the economy. It's about dignity, stability and having a safe place to call your home—a home that belongs to you and that means you have a stake in our nation too. I know how serious the homelessness crisis is, especially for the most vulnerable in our community. I'm also cognisant that the situation is getting worse in towns across Australia. However, unlike Labor, I'm focused on practical solutions and so is the coalition. That's why I'm here: to help others. Victorians are doing it tough across west and south Gippsland, and they don't have time for more broken promises. They need action, not excuses. Australians were told that this would transform housing supply, ease pressure on the rental market and support the most vulnerable in our communities, but two years on we're still asking the same basic question: how many homes has it actually built? The government doesn't seem to know and doesn't seem to want to say. This is what I will be fighting for every day. (Time expired) 12:35 Ms CLUTTERHAM 316101 Sturt I bought my first house in 2017 when I was 35. Prior to that, I'd been living overseas for almost a decade in the Middle East and Asia, seeing the world, working hard and having unforgettable experiences that have shaped the person I am today. I returned home to Adelaide in late 2016 and, as was the necessity at that time, I moved back in with my parents—a shout-out to mum and dad. As much as I love my parents, having lived out of home in various rental properties and share houses around the world since I was 23 years old, I couldn't wait to move out, to put down roots in my own little piece of the earth, to get a couple of pets, to play the music I wanted to pay, to play my piano whenever I wanted, to cook what I wanted when I wanted, to buy the type of furniture I liked, to create a little garden in a small backyard and then, in my case, with my ability to kill even resilient and tough desert plants, find a couple of neighbourhood kids who could look after that garden for me. Being back home with mum and dad was a very strong motivation to buy a house, and I ended up buying the second house I saw. I lived by myself in that house with my pets for about four years until I met the man who would go on to become my husband and moved in with him. But that house, with its memories, still means so much to me—because it's mine. I had worked hard to save to buy it. Like many Australians, no-one helped me. I was like many Australians whose parents are hardworking but don't have the funds to provide a deposit for their children. I did it on my own, and it's my little piece of the earth. I vividly remember getting a kick every single time I drove home from work, from the shops, from the gym, from anywhere, and turned on to my street, turned up my driveway and parked in the garage of the house that I owned. I got a kick out of it every time—the knowledge that this was my house, that I was building my future, that I would have security of housing, a roof over my head, in Adelaide, a place that I love. That feeling—that kick, that thrill, that sense of pride—is what Labor wants all Australians to experience. Labor wants Australians to feel that sense of security as they drive up their street, drive up their driveway, get out of the car and unlock the front door to their own home. Labor wants Australians to be able to put down roots in a community, to feel the pride and sense of relief that comes when people are able to access the housing market. When I bought my house, I had a good job and a good income, and I still remember thinking: 'Gosh, this is expensive. This is tough.' Eight years after I bought a house, things are even tougher. It is even harder to save for a 20 per cent deposit, even if you have a good job and a good income. The housing environment that we are in has been decades in the making, and there are no quick fixes. The Albanese Labor government understands that, and we are acting. Under the passionate leadership of a Prime Minister and Minister for Housing who are absolutely dedicated to developing a policy environment that facilitates access to the housing market for all Australians, this government is acting. The Albanese Labor government understands that too many people are working hard and trying to save to access the housing market but feeling like they will never get to experience the pride, dignity and security that homeownership brings because it feels so far out of reach. This government is listening and this government is acting. From 1 October 2025, three months earlier than anticipated, all first home buyers will need a deposit of just five per cent, helping them to buy a home sooner, helping them into long-term security sooner, helping them to maybe start a family sooner and put roots down in their community. This will not only benefit the first home buyers of my electorate of Sturt; it will benefit first home buyers across Australia. On housing, the Albanese Labor government is listening, and we are acting. In addition to only needing a five per cent deposit, cutting years off the time it takes to save for a deposit, first home buyers will not have to dig further into their pockets to pay for mortgage insurance. There is more. There are no income limits, no limits on places, and house price caps that better reflect the cost of homes across Australia. My electorate of Sturt is diverse. It runs across Adelaide's eastern belt. It's a mix of young people, families, blue collar workers, white collar workers and elderly Australians who have spent decades raising their families and contributing to their community. Sturt is a beautiful part of Adelaide and a beautiful part of the world. Almost every time I speak to a resident the conversation ends with us agreeing that we are lucky to live there. The first home buyers of Sturt deserve to be able to buy a home and to put down roots in our beautiful community. So far, up to April 2025, 150 households and 220 individuals have taken advantage of the first homeowners scheme. Now, even more will be able to do so. Whilst I was doorknocking, I met Robert. Robert told me that his son James had a university HECS debt and had to pay that off at the same time as saving for a deposit. I spoke to Robert in the months after the Albanese Labor government announced it would be wiping 20 per cent off student debt. Robert was very pleased to learn about this, and he quipped to me that James could now possibly afford to move out of home. Robert and James, that will now be a reality! With 20 per cent off his HECS debt and only a five per cent deposit required, James can access the housing market. James can be a homeowner much, much sooner than he ever thought. Under this program, a first home buyer could take up to eight years off the time it takes to save for a deposit, based on the median price of an $844,000 home, and save about $34,000 in mortgage insurance. We know there is more work to do, but this government's housing policies have started to bear fruit. Over 180,000 Australians have bought their first home with our five per cent deposit program. One million households have received nearly a 50 per cent rent assistance increase and 500,000 homes have been built since we came to office in 2022. New housing approvals are up 30 per cent and construction costs have stabilised. We've also got 28,000 social and affordable homes, supported by our government, in planning and construction. And now, with this legislation, we go even further: reducing the cost of education, tax cuts for all Australians again and again, energy bill relief. This government is committed to cost-of-living measures for all Australians, and this critical housing announcement is a part of that, opening up the housing market even further so all first home buyers can buy a home. It is helping Australians live a productive, meaningful, secure and purposeful life. Housing is the foundation on which every Australian experiences life in our country, and that is what we are delivering for the Australian people. That is what the Albanese Labor government have always done and that is what the Albanese Labor government will continue to do. 12:45 Mr VIOLI 300147 Casey There is no doubt that housing is the biggest issue for young people in my community of Casey and all across the country. It is harder today to buy a house as a first home buyer than it's ever been. But, unfortunately for the Australian people, for young people, like in so many other policy areas, the Albanese Labor government is big on spin but shallow on delivery. Even this debate we're having is not needed, because it's not new legislation coming in. It's just an opportunity to go through their talking points. This motion, like so many others, fits the standard definition of ALP policy and their housing policies: big on spin, low on delivery. I spoke about this last term. I was hoping that, with a new term, the government might change their ways, but it ticks the box of 'big number over a long period of time'. Let's look at some of the facts about the housing policies and the delivery—the most important thing—for the Australian people on housing under this government. Their big announcement was their target of 1.2 million homes. They talk about that 1.2 million a lot. What they don't talk about is the fine print: 'by 2029'—over five years, over a long period of time. They don't talk about that, because the 1.2 million sounds impressive. There are a few problems with this 1.2 million target. It's a marginal increase on what was actually being delivered under the coalition, so it's actually not that ambitious at all. Let's look at the facts the Minister for Housing and the government don't like. Under the coalition, 200,000 homes per year were being built. Under the Albanese Labor government, 170,000 homes per year are being built. Under this government, we are going backwards. The target was marginal—about 40,000 homes extra a year to achieve that—and they are failing. They are failing because it is all about spin for this government. We've got to the new parliament, and this government are completely out of ideas and need to take coalition policy and rebadge it as their own. In fairness—I'll get to it—they did the same thing last term. It's politics 101 for the Prime Minister. They've announced the freezing of the National Construction Code. It's a good announcement—credit is it's due—but, as they say, imitation is the greatest form of flattery. During the campaign, the coalition announced that we wanted to freeze the National Construction Code. They've literally taken the coalition policy, fabricated a three-day talkfest that was a productivity roundtable, then became an economics roundtable and went back to being a productivity roundtable when the Prime Minister flexed his muscle because the Treasurer was getting a little bit ambitious about his leadership opportunities. This was all so they could announce a coalition policy as their own. We knew they were going to announce it as their own, because of those pesky leaked Treasury documents a week and a half before that had gone to the cabinet and had this as one of the announcements afterwards. One of the big questions is: who was actually leaking that from the cabinet? Who wanted the Australian people to know that the fix was in? But the other thing about the National Construction Code—let's look at what the Minister for Housing said when the coalition announced the policy during the campaign this year. It was 'a blunt force instrument', and there was concerns if you needed to address 'urgent safety and consumer issues'. The member for Chifley, who was a member of the executive at the time and no longer is, accused the opposition of condemning Australians to live in 'shoddy' homes that could result in a 'Grenfell Tower inferno'. So six months ago we had the Minister for Housing and a member of the executive criticising this policy, saying it was going to lead to shoddy homes and there could be safety issues and consumer issues—criticising it outright. Six months later, apparently it is the solution and it is great. That tells you two things about this minister. She's out of ideas and she's prepared to say one thing six months ago and the complete opposite six months later. That is unbelievable. And it gets worse when we're looking at the code. In 2022, the ALP expanded the code. They put more regulation, more requirements, on housing. The code is now over 3,000 pages and references over 150 Australian standards, adding complexity to housing in 2022 and taking coalition policy in 2025 and rebadging it as their own—a complete admission of failure by this housing minister and this government. They have made it harder for Australian people to buy a new home, by making it harder to build a home. We then move to what we're talking about here, the homeowners scheme—like all good policies from the ALP, taken from the coalition. I want to read from a press release from the Hon. Michael Sukkar MP, who was the Minister for Housing and Assistant Treasurer in the last coalition government. Again, let's call out the Minister for Housing. She talks about how the coalition didn't have a minister for housing in the last government. Awkwardly for her, I'm holding a press release from that Minister for Housing. I'm going to quote the then minister about the Liberal Party's First Home Loan Deposit Scheme: The Scheme will help first home buyers enter the property market sooner, by providing a guarantee that will allow eligible first home buyers on low and middle incomes to purchase a home with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent. That is literally the policy that the government has been praising today and yesterday. It is proof that all this government can do is borrow coalition policies that were working, reheat them and put a new name on them. Again, it's all about spin, not about delivery. But the beautiful irony of that and the beautiful irony of the government wanting to bring on this motion is that, every time a member of the government, including the Prime Minister yesterday—I was in the House for this—praises their own scheme and talks about how great this scheme is, they are praising and giving credit to the former minister for housing, the former member for Deakin, the Hon. Michael Sukkar MP. I want to pay credit to Mr Sukkar, the former member for Deakin. This government is so impressed with his policy ideas that it has stolen them and it's now praising them. We do know how loved and respected the former member for Deakin was by those opposite, so I'm sure they will continue to enjoy praising the former member for Deakin! I think the new member for Calwell will be up next. I'm going to look forward to his contribution paying respect and homage to that former minister. I know he was in this House in another role last term. I'm looking forward to that. It was great to be here yesterday when the Prime Minister paid so much respect to Michael Sukkar, the former coalition government and Prime Minister Morrison. That's the reality of this government. It is the Australian people that are being let down by their political spin. The Prime Minister and the Treasurer have spent so long here in this House—either as staffers or as members of parliament, they have been here their whole lives—that they think that playing these games, stealing ideas from the coalition and rebadging them will be the solution. Whether it's housing, whether it's energy or whether it's the cost of living, political spin in this House doesn't get it done. You have to make tangible differences. You actually have to change what is happening at the source. For three years, this government has failed—failed to address cost of living at the source, failed to address energy prices at the source and failed to address housing at the source. They continue to spin and spin, but time has run out. It will continue to run out. And the saddest part about this spin and lack of delivery is that the Australian people are paying the price. My community in Casey, and communities all across the country, are paying the price for the failures of the Albanese Labor government. It's only going to get worse and worse as they continue to fail to deliver for all Australians. 12:55 Mr ABDO 316915 Calwell Owning your own home is a shared dream for most Australians. There is the joy associated with a home, but, importantly, there is a sense of stability and security. I want that for all Australians who aspire to it. We know that people are working hard, doing everything right—saving, renting and sacrificing—and still, for too many, the dream of owning a home seems out of reach. This is not just an economic challenge; it is about whether Australians feel secure in their future. It is about whether young people believe they can enjoy the opportunities their parents had. It's about whether single parents or young couples starting a family can put down roots in a community they love. That is why the Albanese Labor government has taken bold action. From 1 October this year, three months earlier than promised, every first home buyer will be able to purchase with a five per cent deposit. Single parents will continue to be supported to buy with as little as two per cent. This is about cutting years off the time it takes to save. It is about avoiding thousands of dollars in what is so often inhibitive with the lenders mortgage insurance, and it is about turning rent payments into mortgage payments so people are building equity in their own home. This policy provides a real opportunity for all Australians looking to buy their first home. For a median priced home in Australia, of around $844,000, it can take up to 13 years to save the old 20 per cent deposit. Thanks to Labor's reforms, that wait is cut by up to eight years. Instead of needing nearly $170,000 up front, a first home buyer would need just $42,000. They will avoid paying around $34,000 in lenders mortgage insurance to a bank. That is not just policy on paper; it is life changing reform for ordinary Australians—a game changer for millions of Australians. Think of a young apprentice in my community, living at home with their parents while saving for the future. In my community, most often, they don't have access to the bank of mum and dad. They're working hard and putting money aside each week, but with Melbourne's median house price sitting at around $922,500, the old 20 per cent deposit meant needing about $185,000 up front. For many in my electorate that could take more than a decade to save, and by then the dream of homeownership has often slipped away. Under Labor's reforms, that same young worker would need $46,000. Additionally, they'd avoid tens of thousands in mortgage insurance, and, crucially, they'd be investing in their own future sooner instead of paying rent, week after week. Or take a young family in my electorate, raising kids and saving every spare cent. With the median house price in Calwell at about $832,500, a 20 per cent deposit is almost $167,000. Even families who manage to save that much still face huge barriers because, on top of it, they risk losing another $30,000 to $35,000 in lenders mortgage insurance. This is the fundamental unfairness our government is tackling—the unfairness for Australians who do everything right but still find themselves locked out of homeownership. In electorates like Calwell, the demand for this scheme is among the highest in the country. This reform is not theory; it's the difference between a dream deferred and a dream realised. In my own electorate, this policy is already making a difference. Between May 2022 and April of this year, 1,430 households in Calwell have taken up the Home Guarantee Scheme. That means another 2,360 people in my community are now homeowners, thanks to Labor's reforms. Calwell has the fifth highest take-up in the entire country. That shows how families in my electorate are responding to the Albanese Labor government's reforms aimed at providing security of homeownership, and it proves that extending this scheme to everyone is the right policy approach. The fact that Calwell ranks fifth nationally for take-up tells us something, too. Demand is not concentrated in just the inner suburbs of our major cities; it is spread across our suburbs. It's in the outer suburbs, in the regions and in communities right across the country. This is why removing the old income caps and increasing the property caps matters so much. In practice, these changes mean a nurse or a teacher in my community, who may earn just above the previous threshold, will now be eligible. It means that, instead of being restricted to buying a small flat far away from their support networks, first home buyers can now look at homes that meet their needs and reflect real prices in their areas. These changes are about fairness, but they are also about common sense. They make the scheme usable, accessible and relevant to more Australians. We know this alone won't fix the crisis that has been decades in the making. The long-term solution is to build more homes and to address housing supply. That is why our $43 billion housing agenda includes 55,000 new social and affordable homes, 10,000 homes dedicated to first home buyers, 80,000 long-lease rentals to give renters security and a national aspiration to build 1.2 million homes in five years in partnerships with the states, territories and industry. We're also backing the workforce with fee-free TAFE and a $10,000 incentive for new apprentices in priority trades so we have the skilled tradies needed to deliver. This is the most ambitious housing program since the Second World War. In the first term of this government, we took the Commonwealth from being an indifferent, irresponsible bystander under the coalition to being the boldest and most ambitious federal government on housing in generations. We have done this while delivering results. More than 180,000 first home buyers have already used our lower deposit scheme. Around 6,000 more first home buyer loans are in each year under Labor than during the near-decade of coalition government. In the first year alone, Australians are expected to avoid more than $1.5 billion in lenders mortgage insurance costs because of these reforms. This is real money back in the pockets of families, particularly young families. It is real hope restored to those who thought homeownership was beyond reach. You have to ask: what were those opposite doing in the near-decade they were in government? This housing challenge was avoidable, yet they did nothing about it, preferring to fight culture and climate wars instead of building homes for Australians. Still, those opposite continue to stand in the way. The coalition voted against Help to Buy, they promised to abolish the very scheme that is helping people into homes right now, they refused to back our commitment to 100,000 homes for first home buyers and, after nearly a decade of neglect in office, the opposition have still learnt nothing. They gave us just 373 social and affordable homes in a decade. Contrast that with the half a million built under Labor in just three years. The choice could not be clearer. Labor is on the side of first home buyers; the opposition is not. Housing is about more than supply-and-demand charts. It is about whether Australians believe that, if they work hard, they can build a better future. With this reform, we are telling first home buyers: The Albanese Labor government is on your side. We will cut the years you need to save. We will stop you being penalised with costly mortgage insurance. We will help you move from renting to owning sooner. This is fairness. This is aspiration. This is Labor making the Australian dream of homeownership real again. 13:04 Mr CALDWELL 306489 Fadden On the Gold Coast, families work hard and small businesses sometimes open when their owners get back from a surf, and it's a place where young Australians still dream to have a home that they can call their own. The Liberal and National parties have always stood for that dream: homeownership, personal responsibility and a government that empowers, not controls. We are, and always have been, the party of homeownership. Under Labor, sadly the dream of homeownership is fast becoming a nightmare. The Minister for Housing, Ms O'Neil, promised that she had a plan. But unfortunately what's been delivered is nothing more than press releases and slogans. We're certainly just towards the end of maiden-speech season, which made me reflect on my own, which I delivered on 4 September 2023. In that speech, I reflected on the importance of homeownership, and I'll read from that speech: I was fortunate enough to buy my first property during the time of the Howard government … I fear that the great Australian dream is being snatched away. We must strive … to increase homeownership. There is no better way to illustrate the collective ambition of our nation to have individual freedom and responsibility than to have people own their own home. Give as many people as possible the opportunity to have a stake in our nation. And my feelings on this topic have not wavered. We must strive to give Australians their piece of our nation. I think there's a lot of focus on housing policy and on what the housing minister has or hasn't done, but I don't want to let the Treasurer off the hook here. One of the little-referred-to barriers is that higher interest rates become a barrier to buying. Your average dual-income family could have the capacity to borrow $100,000 more if interest rates were just one per cent lower. But what we've seen under the Albanese Labor government is that inflation has stayed too high for too long, and the Reserve Bank's response has been that, sadly, for every mortgage-paying Australian and every Australian that dreams of homeownership, mortgage rates have had to stay higher because interest rates must control the mechanisms that are resulting from the Treasurer's high-spending agenda. We must be realistic about this. Australia is facing a housing crisis, and the Albanese government are the ones to blame. When they took office, their ambitious plan promised 1.2 million homes over five years, and it sounded impressive—until, recently, we of course started to see what's going on in reality. The Housing Industry Association, backed by Treasury, has revealed the truth—that this actually quite modest target is going to be missed by some 400,000 homes. Labor announced the headline-grabbing $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, which, after all the fanfare and all the glossy photo ops, has constructed just 17 homes. To put it bluntly, a $10 billion program delivering just 17 homes is like promising to build a Surfers Paradise high-rise and turning up with a garden shed. On the Gold Coast, Labor's failure to deliver housing is hitting hard. Families are battling rising rents. House prices keep climbing out of reach. Homebuyers are being pushed further and further away from the communities they grew up in. Renters are living in fear of the next lease renewal, knowing a hike or notice to vacate could upend their lives. The fundamental problem is that Labor has been pushing demand up while supply goes backwards. Net overseas migration topped half a million people last year, the biggest surge in our history, but the number of new homes being built has fallen. This is basic economics. More people but fewer houses equals higher prices, higher rents and ultimately more homeless people when the system fails. Building homes is not just about turning dirt. It requires affordable materials, a skilled workforce and a planning system that can approve projects quickly, but right now materials are expensive, tradies are in short supply, and approvals are being bogged down in red tape. Instead of fixing those problems, Labor has chosen to clog the system with more bureaucracy, just papering it over with their photo-friendly announcements. We've heard that one of their great solutions is to freeze the construction code, but over the last three years this government has been addicted to adding regulation. There is not a single regulation that this government doesn't want to just wrap its arms around and bring into the fold. So the freeze has come literally three years too late. When it was served up as an option at the last election, Labor, of course, criticised it, but now they've rebadged it and brought it back as their own idea. I think, despite the fanfare around housing this week, the Prime Minister knows that his minister is in trouble on this issue. Minister O'Neil used to sit somewhere right over there, not far behind the PM. She's now moved so far down the bench she's practically out the door. In fact, the real measure of her seniority is that she's further away from the PM than the member for Sydney—and we all know what that means: you're really out of favour. I think he sees failure on the horizon. He knows that it's coming, because Minister O'Neil has a track record of failures in foreign affairs, and now she's developing a track record of failures in housing. In three short years, Labor has presided over the biggest population boom we've seen in the post-war era. When I talked about that housing target earlier, under the coalition government, almost 200,000 homes were being constructed each year. So this wasn't some whopping great ambitious target. It was just for the headline. It should have been able to be delivered by a competent government, but what we've seen is that this government is falling further and further behind. Their target is slipping further and further out of reach. It's slumped now to about 170,000 homes a year, which, quite frankly, is not going to get us there in an environment where we need more not fewer homes. One of the great things that those opposite love to say is that we didn't have a housing minister during the last coalition government. My good friend the member for Casey, who is a proud Victorian, provided to me earlier documentary evidence to prove this to be completely incorrect. Here's just one fact: the then minister for housing and assistant treasurer, the Hon. Michael Sukkar, put out a press release on 12 September 2019. Interestingly, the topic of this press release was, in fact, the scheme that Labor has rebadged, reheated and reannounced this week. I know how much the Labor Party loved the Hon. Michael Sukkar, and we've heard a lot about how good this policy is this week. They really should be talking up the vision of the Morrison coalition government, because we are clearly the ones who, six years ago, were trying to guide this government towards a solution. I think that a lot of credit should be given to Michael Sukkar for his work in this area. The Australian dream is not to rent nicely; it's to own your own home, and we must get back to that objective. 13:15 Mr NEUMANN HVO Blair I'm pleased to speak on this ministerial statement and the motion to take note of the Albanese government's announcement of five per cent deposits for all first home buyers. I listened to the previous speaker. He said our housing policies sounded impressive. They were so impressive, he couldn't bring himself to vote for any of them. That's how impressive they were. They couldn't find a housing bill that we brought into the House that they wanted to support. I'm just a bit bewildered by the previous speaker because he represents a Gold Coast seat in South-East Queensland; I represent a seat based around Ipswich, and we've been growing in population by at least 10,000 every year for the last five or six years. The Gold Coast has about 753,000 people living in it. In 2022, it had 722,000 people living in it, so it's grown by about 30,000 in that period of time. He should drive along Pacific Highway, go down past Pacific Fair and drive his way down the Gold Coast—I think he represents a seat on the northern Gold Coast. If he goes around Palm Beach, he'll see housing and unit constructions everywhere on the Gold Coast. He must be blind. He sort of reminds me of Russell Hinze, the former National Party cabinet minister, who couldn't see any brothels or casinos through Fortitude Valley during the 'moonlight state'. I don't know where the member for Caldwell has been. The Gold Coast is booming, and housing construction's going up everywhere. This particular motion is all about housing construction. If he comes to my electorate, he'll see the Greater Springfield area—the member for Oxley also represents Springfield; we share it—and I've got Ripley Valley. Houses are going up everywhere in these areas. The housing problems we've got in this country are not new, but the member for Caldwell must have been blind for a long time and mustn't be looking around anywhere. He must be the Russell Hinze of the LNP in Queensland, because he can't see houses anywhere. It's very challenging, we know, for Australians to find the opportunity to get into a first home, and that's what we've got in an area like the Ripley Valley, where, of course, the average age is about 26. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 265979 Member for Blair, to be clear, it's the member for Fadden, not Caldwell. I made the same mistake. Mr NEUMANN HVO The member for Fadden—I am sorry. Fadden is an area on the northern Gold Coast. If the member for Fadden drives a bit south, he might see all the houses and units going up on the Gold Coast. Too many people have been working very hard and trying to save, but the dream of homeownership is out of their reach. We know that. In the 1970s, it took about four times the average yearly wage to get a first home, but we're talking about 10 times now. People in my area do it tough. They don't usually have the bank of mum and dad. They're working-class and middle-class people who aspire to a better life for themselves and their kids. They're not from rich backgrounds. They have to do it tough, and they save as hard as they can. They're worried that they can't get a foothold in the market. They can't. They struggle. Our housing commitments of $43 billion contrast directly with the $5 billion commitment of those opposite in the campaign. I've got to admit, at Bundamba State Secondary College, I was better at humanities and anything you could write an essay on. But $43 billion is a lot more than $5 billion. Those opposite really couldn't bring themselves to support our policies. They might think they sound impressive now, but they didn't vote for them. In our first term, we made significant progress. They failed to acknowledge it. Over 180,000 Australians have now bought their first home with a five per cent deposit under the Home Guarantee Scheme. Since our government was elected, 3,416 people in my local community have been able to get into homeownership with the backing of our five per cent deposit scheme, which shows just how popular it's been in Ipswich and surrounds. In fact, earlier this year, the Home Guarantee Scheme trends and insights report said that one in three first home buyers took up the scheme in 2023-24 and that it helped a range of participants get into a home sooner. So we're expanding the scheme. For example, more than 50 per cent of eligible buyers were women and more than 50 per cent were under 30. I can distinctly recall, when standing at prepoll, people telling me, as they were coming in to the Ipswich south prepoll at Whitehill Church of Christ, that they were voting Labor because of our housing policies. That's the reason. I remember someone saying: 'Who's got the five per cent deposit? Shayne, I'm taking your how-to-vote card.' I remember debating on a number of occasions my LNP opponent who was running against me. They couldn't bring themselves to talk about housing. They had no policies. Their idea was a bit of help with the local council. But multiply $5 billion by eight and you still won't get to $43 billion. There's a constituent of mine, Taryn Compton, who has been able to get into a home in Redbank Plains, the biggest superb in Ipswich, thanks to the scheme. She's a young mother and she's praised the scheme publicly in the local media. She recommended the scheme and credited it with making homeownership a reality for her and her family. Previously living on the Gold Coast, she saw the light and came to Ipswich, by the way. She was looking for a place that was big enough for her and her five sons. She was able to buy a home in Ipswich after learning about the scheme from her mortgage broker. Taryn is very grateful for the assistance, and she believes the program makes homeownership possible for many people who wouldn't normally be able to buy a house. On top of this, half a million homes have been built, new housing approvals are up 30 per cent, and we've got 28,000 social and affordable homes in planning or construction. We know the key to addressing Australia's housing crisis is building more homes quickly, and that's why we're focusing on supply. Let's be clear, it's generally very hard for young people and others to get into homes. That's why, this week, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Housing announced that we're going to expand the five per cent deposit scheme, first announced in the lead-up to the federal election. It's going to be available to all first home buyers. We're going to deliver the election commitment three months earlier, starting from 1 October this year. From 1 October, every first home buyer will only need a five per cent deposit. It's going to take years off the time it takes for someone to save for a deposit. It's going to help them get into their homes much sooner. For the average first home buyer, this will cut the time needed to save a deposit to just a few years. They won't have to pay a single dollar in mortgage insurance. There are no income limits and no limits on places, and house price caps better reflect the cost of homes where they wish to live. The expanded scheme means a first home buyer in Brisbane can purchase a $1 million home with a $50,000 deposit. They could save up to 10 years off the time it takes for them to get their deposit. They can save about $42,000 in mortgage insurance and they could pay up to $350,000 towards their own loan instead of paying rent. It's a real game-changer for young people and a vote-changer—those who are stuck in the corner opposite don't realise that. All of us who speak to young people in our communities hear about the fact that the 20 per cent deposit is the main barrier for the next generation in getting access to homeownership. The expansion of this five per cent scheme will change lives. This will mean tens of thousands of additional Australians will get security, stability and the joy that you have when you buy your first home. I know it was the case for my wife and I when we bought our first home, in Pine Street in Flinders View. We've lived in that suburb in a number of different homes ever since we've been married. We could have done with that support. We had to save really hard, and we sure made sacrifices to get there. We're tackling housing affordability on every single front. Supply is critical. We're delivering Australia's biggest ever boost to supply, notwithstanding what those opposite may say—'Having eyes, do you not see?' Half a million homes have already been built and new housing approvals are up 30 per cent. We've got 28,000 social and affordable homes in planning or construction today. There is a fundamental difference between the Labor Party, which believes in social and affordable houses, and the coalition. There are the Help to Buy and Home Guarantee schemes. Those opposite wouldn't support the Home Guarantee Scheme. They voted against Help to Buy. Fundamentally, the Liberal and National parties do not believe that the federal government has a role in social and affordability housing. Their idea is class conflict and class warfare. They accuse us of this all the time. When it comes to housing, their views are just the same as their views on industrial relations—always siding with the rich, never siding with the poor; never siding with the middle class, always siding with the billionaires. 13:25 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina I remember as Deputy Prime Minister going up around the Ipswich area and looking at the home development projects that were going ahead under the former coalition government. I visited there with Liberal-National Party senator Paul Scarr. There they were, the homeowners and first home buyers of Ipswich—constituents of the member for Blair, in fact—benefiting from those housing policies like the home buyer scheme put in place and contributed by the member for Deakin, the Minister for Housing. Labor come in here and they talk a big, big game about a trillion dollars worth of Liberal Party debt—not true. They talk about the fact that we didn't have a housing minister—not true. They think to themselves that, if they say it often enough, people will start to believe it. They in fact will start to believe it themselves, and it's just not true. What we've got here in Australia is a situation where net overseas migration in 2023 was 446,000. What we're getting at the moment, according to the ABS, is 1,221 new migrants coming into Australia every day. And Labor talks about having 1.2 million homes built under its policies. Good luck with that! Good luck with housing all the migrants who are coming in—migrants who would fill many or most of the country towns in my Riverina electorate in a day or three. That's what we are seeing. We are seeing the equivalent of country towns flying in to Australia each and every day. The difficulty is that many of them, most of them, almost all of them, are going to our capital cities, primarily Sydney and Melbourne. The problem is we've got Labor leaders in those two states who say that the answer to our housing crisis is to go up. It is to build higher high-rises. This is ridiculous. Aside from the Housing Australia Investment Mandate Amendment (Delivering on Our 2025 Election Commitment) Direction 2025—I always love the titles that Labor give their bills—we need to have a vision in this country. We need to have a good hard considered look at population policy. When it comes to finding houses, we've got the leaders of our state governments, our state parliaments, talking about building high-density housing, taking over all the sporting fields, the racecourses, the rugby fields and the golf courses and filling them up with more apartments. They've got to actually ask themselves: where is this going to lead? It's going to lead to more congestion, more pollution in our capital cities and, when people don't have room to move and air to breathe and they're all foisted in on top of one another, I dare say higher crime too. Why don't we have a population roundtable? Forget the waste of time of the productivity roundtable, that talkfest we held in Canberra last week. Let's have a population roundtable where we get states and demographers and the Bernard Salts of the world in to talk about where we are headed as a nation as far as population is concerned. When we had that dreadful global pandemic, many people turned to the country areas—to go and live there. They loved it. They had a backyard and room to move in country towns that were big enough to get a good cup of coffee but small enough to still care. Yet we seem to have forgotten all that. Now we've got state leaders just wanting to build apartments, block upon block upon block upon each other. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 The debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 43. The debate may be resumed at a later hour, and the member will certainly be given leave to continue speaking when the debate is resumed. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 44 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS National Security 44 13:30 Ms PRICE 249308 Durack The revelations this week that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps orchestrated at least two attacks here in Australia demonstrate the lengths to which hostile states will go to undermine our security and our social cohesion. This is one of the most egregious acts of foreign interference against our nation, and it is totally appropriate that Labor have finally expelled the Iranian ambassador. I thank the men and women at ASIO, whose investigation uncovered this plot, for their continued service towards keeping us safe. But we must not assume that Iran is finished with its attacks on Australia. While these assaults were physical in nature, we should anticipate that Iran's retaliation for the ambassador's expulsion could venture into the cyberdomain. We know that cyberwarfare is a preferred weapon of state actors and is particularly utilised by the Iranian mullahs. Google's threat intelligence group has already raised the prospect that pro-Iranian activists may seek to target Australian organisations. The Albanese government must stand ready and be prepared to provide immediate support to affected groups or individuals, and it must be transparent with the Australian people. To all those Australians who are listening: this should serve as a timely reminder to always take care online and to look out for any suspicious activity. Housing 45 13:31 Ms MASCARENHAS 298800 Swan I am proud to be a part of the Albanese Labor government, which is backing households and backing homes. We are doing that because we believe in a better future for all Australians. We are doing that by having tangible policies that people care about. And, yes, we do have a vision for building 1.2 million homes by 2030. We also have a housing minister, as we have had through both terms, as opposed to the coalition, who did not think that housing was important and did not have a housing minister for half of their nine years in government. We are also fast-tracking skills, and, yes, we do need skilled migrants as well as skilled Australians to build these homes. We are also doing that through fee-free TAFE. These are policies that will make tangible differences. Not only do we make promises; we deliver them, and sometimes we deliver them ahead of schedule. That's what we did this week by announcing that we would be uncapping the five per cent deposit scheme for recipients of the first home buyers grant. I remember speaking to one of my friends who was a single mum, had a twinkle in her eye and was living in social housing, who said, 'The government is creating a scheme which means that I can afford a home for myself and my daughter.' That's what Labor governments do. Salvation Army 45 13:33 Mr THOMPSON 281826 Herbert For over 125 years, the Salvation Army Sallyman has supported and boosted the morale of our defence personnel. Whether outfield, on operations or back home, members know they can trust the Sallyman for support, pastoral care and a listening ear. One soldier shared with me that he had been in a dark place and that, without the Sallyman, he wouldn't be here today. That's the kind of support you can't put a price on, yet this Labor government has. They've axed all $1.5 million of funding for our Sallymen. This heartless cut has sparked outrage and disbelief among service members, veterans and their families. In Townsville, Australia's largest garrison city, our defence personnel feel abandoned by this Labor government. A soldier told me, 'They seem to know the cost of everything but the value of very little. I'm disheartened by this decision.' I ask the Prime Minister: Is this funding cut worth the hit to morale it's making across our ADF? Did this Labor government consult with our soldiers before ripping away funding for the Sallyman? At a time when the government should be acting on the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, this prime minister cuts the Sallyman. He has no clue, no shame, and our Defence Force deserves better. Albion Park Football Club 45 13:34 Ms BERRY 23497 Whitlam I rise today to congratulate Albion Park Football Club on achieving a wonderful milestone: its 50th anniversary. The club was small when it was established in 1975 by Neil Young, Robert Musgrove and John Synott, but it grew significantly during the 1980s as the local population increased, and this growth has continued into the 21st century. Today, Albion Park Football Club has more than 900 registered players, and it makes a valuable contribution to our community. Other sports may receive more television coverage, but football is the most widely played team sport in Australia and is enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. I note that Albion Park Football Club has contributed to the youth careers of two Socceroos, Luke Wilkshire and Stephen Laybutt, as well as the current Matilda's megastar, Caitlin Foord. The club has won numerous trophies since its first silverware in 1990. I would like to make special mention of the extraordinary success of the senior women's teams during the 2010s, including state cups and champion of champions titles. Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the gala dinner held to celebrate this golden anniversary. The club has gone from strength to strength over half a century, and it has a bright future. The culture of the club is wonderful and a credit to all involved. I congratulate the hardworking, long-serving current president, Simon Sciberras, and all the volunteers who've contributed to making this great community club so fantastic over the last 50 years. Indi Electorate: Disabled Wintersport Australia 45 13:36 Dr HAINES 282335 Indi Since 1978, Disabled Wintersport Australia has supported thousands of people of all abilities to enjoy the snow. whether they are a first timer or an aspiring Paralympian. I recently spent time with Phil Knight, who manages operations at Mount Hotham in my electorate. Phil has been volunteering and working with Disabled Wintersport Australia for 25 years, an incredible achievement. Phil is just one of more than 100 people at Mount Hotham who share their time and knowledge to ensure that the snow is accessible for all. Through generous community donations and government grants, Disabled Wintersport Australia provides experienced guides and advanced equipment such as sit-skis, outriggers and apparel designed to support those who are vision impaired. People supported by the organisation have life-changing experiences and often leave asking themselves, 'If I can do that, what else can I do?' It's people like Phil and all the volunteers at every alpine resort that make this possible. Without volunteers sharing their time and expertise, groups like DWA simply wouldn't be able to do the incredible work they do. It was a privilege to meet Phil and visit their Mount Hotham headquarters. I commend DWA and all of the volunteers at Mount Hotham, Falls Creek and Mount Buller for making snow sports available to people of all abilities, because we all love the snow. South Australia: Marine Environment 46 13:37 Ms MILLER-FROST 296272 Boothby Today, we have a delegation of mayors, researchers and industry with us from across South Australia, visiting Canberra to talk about the South Australian algal bloom. They met today with the Prime Minister and the ministers for the environment, agriculture, emergency management, health and tourism. The Albanese Labor government and the Malinauskas state Labor government have committed over $34 million combined to industry support, research and business supports. Sadly, there is nothing that can be done to get rid of the algae or to prevent marine deaths. We just have to wait it out and support the impacted business, industries and the community to survive. This is climate change in action. We have been warned for decades about marine heatwaves devastating marine environments, and now it is happening along with floods in Queensland, droughts and coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo. Climate change is real. Meanwhile, the Queensland LNP and the South Australian and Western Australian branches of the Liberal Party want to abandon net zero. We have a similar private members bill for debate in this place. It's time that those opposite realised that climate change is real. It's going to have significant impacts on our way of life, our environment and our economy. We can't just put our heads in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist. We need to work together to help Australia minimise and mitigate the effects of climate change that we are seeing right now. Nicholls Electorate: Community Organisations 46 13:39 Mr BIRRELL 288713 Nicholls Shepparton, in my electorate, has a thriving visitor economy. The pillars of this are an important part of our economy, our arts and exhibitions and our sport. Shepparton Art Museum, or SAM, funded by a coalition government, is currently drawing people to see Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio, a selection of Whiteley's works across various media, including painting, drawing and sculpture. From 13 September, the Museum of Vehicle Evolution, a great attraction, also funded by a coalition government, opens a new exhibition, Art in Motion, showcasing vehicles so refined that they are indeed works of art. The Shepparton BMX Track will host the 2026 GWM BMX Racing National Championships. There is a missing link, though. The Shepparton Sports Stadium was built in the seventies, and it can't host major events. The 2026 Commonwealth Games was a chance to change that, until it was squandered by the Victorian Labor government, who will instead pay Edinburgh and Glasgow $200 million to host our games. There is still a chance, though. The Albanese government must put vital funding into the Growing Regions Program so that the proposed Shepparton sports and events centre and many other important regional projects have an opportunity to seek funding. We in the regions need funding programs to deliver the infrastructure required. So the challenge to you, Labor government, is to put some money into growing regions. Don't just talk about letting the regions thrive; make it happen. Housing 46 13:40 Mr ABDO 316915 Calwell I'm incredibly proud to be part of a government that is determined to take real action with the cost of living, and one of the biggest cost-of-living factors facing Australians and those in my community is the cost of housing and owning your own home. That's why Labor's five per cent home owners guarantee is so important, and it's why the program is going to be extended to all first home buyers. My community understands the value of housing—not just the dollar figures but the value it provides for families, the sense of purpose, the sense of security and the sense of place. With this reform, we are telling first home buyers: 'The Albanese Labor government is on your side. We will cut the years you need to save. We will stop you from being penalised with costly lenders mortgage insurance. We will help you move from renting to owning sooner.' This is fairness. This is aspiration. This is Labor making the Australian dream of home ownership real again. It is about turning rent payments into mortgage payments so that people who are building equity in their own home can secure their futures. The Albanese Labor government is doing what good governments should do, and my community has already shown that our policies can transform lives. Calwell has the fifth highest take-up rate of any electorate in the country under the home owners guarantee scheme. It shows that Labor and this government, the Albanese Labor government, understand the circumstances and aspirations of working Australians in Calwell and right across Australia. South Australia: Drought 47 13:42 Mr VENNING 315434 Grey I rise to speak on what is fast becoming a forgotten matter: the drought in South Australia. Yes, we welcome the rains that have fallen across many of the agricultural zones and even parts of the pastoral zone. But we cannot forget those pastoralists who were forced to cut down their herds, even their breeding stock, and now have nothing left. Nor can we forget the grain growers drowning in debt or, the most tragic of all, those farmers and workers who have taken their lives. Their hardship does not vanish with a single downpour. The lessons of every drought are the same. When the rain arrives, the headlines fade, the noise dies down and the hard policy work is left undone, and, once again, we are then unprepared for the next dry spell. Farmers fuel, feed and clothe this nation, yet Labor's response to the worst drought in living history, in my area, has been weak if not absent altogether. Added to this are the damaging policies, like taxing unrealised capital gains on superannuation and subsidised RIC loans that cost more than loans from a commercial bank. What use is that? It is clear that this government does not respect regional Australians or farmers. I thank the volunteers on the rapid response team for the hay runs into communities like Streaky Bay and Jamestown. They're a true testament to the generosity of regional Australians. Sturt Electorate: Home Guarantee Scheme 47 13:43 Ms CLUTTERHAM 316101 Sturt My electorate of Sturt is diverse, extending from Hope Valley in the south, across Adelaide's leafy eastern belt, to Glen Osmond in the north. It is home to just over 130,000 registered voters. Many of them are young people completing their education at university or at TAFE and starting out in the workforce—now, of course, with a debt that is 20 per cent lower than it otherwise would have been. There is a large migrant community, mainly comprised of wonderful people from Italy, India and China who have chosen to raise their kids in one of the best parts of Australia. Sturt is also home to elderly Australians who have contributed to our community for decades and who are now thinking about what's next for their children and grandchildren. I spoke with many of these residents during the campaign, and housing came up time and time again, particularly the challenges that first home buyers face trying to save for a deposit, pay rent and pay down education debt all at the same time. Parents and grandparents spoke to me about trying to find funds to provide to their children and grandchildren so they could get a deposit together. The Albanese Labor government listened, and from 1 October 2025, all first home buyers will need a deposit of just five per cent, helping them buy a home sooner, helping them into long-term security sooner and helping them put down roots in their community sooner. This will not only benefit the first home buyers of Sturt. It will benefit first home buyers across Australia. Thompson, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal, De Waart, Senior Constable Vadim 47 13:45 Mr VIOLI 300147 Casey This week, the hearts of our nation and all in my home state of Victoria broke with the loss of two Victoria Police officers who died performing their duty to keep our community safe. I want to pay tribute to Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, who was 59, had been in Victoria Police since 1987, and was planning for his imminent retirement, and also to Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, who was 35 and had joined Victoria Police in 2018. He was on a temporary assignment in Wangaratta and had just purchased his first home, in Melbourne. I offer my deepest condolences and sympathies to their families, and thank them for their sacrifice to our community. All across the nation, police officers not only keep us safe; they are an integral part of our community. So many in Casey and so many across the country—and I was just discussing with the member for Indi, who was impacted; I give my condolences to her—know that police officers volunteer; they are football club presidents and Rotary Club presidents. We know that many in the community are heartbroken. I know many of the officers all across Victoria are heartbroken. I send my respects and my condolences to all Victoria Police officers. I thank you for your service, and I ask you to stay safe as this man is brought to justice. Housing, Western Freeway 47 13:46 Ms JORDAN-BAIRD 316021 Gorton The western suburbs of Melbourne are booming with industry, small business and new families who are choosing to call our community home. The west is where we're building more homes and helping young Australians to own their own home. Over 1,800 people in Gorton have bought their first home with a five-per-cent-or-less deposit, thanks to Labor's expanded Home Guarantee Scheme. With more homes come more people who are using our local road infrastructure to get around. Right now, more people are using the Western Freeway and Calder Freeway, meaning more people are sitting in traffic for hours to get into the city or go to work. We've got to do better for the west. We, on this side of the House, are aware of this growth and are planning for it, which is exactly why we made a number of significant infrastructure commitments at the recent federal election. We're fixing the Western Freeway between Caroline Springs and Melton. This was a project that was in the too-hard basket for the Liberal government for a decade, but we are getting it done. Approximately 86,000 vehicles travel the Western Freeway on this stretch every single day, with this figure expected to rise to approximately 113,000 by 2031. Our $1 billion investment for more lanes and better interchanges on the Western Freeway will mean that families can get home sooner and spend more time together. Only Labor will invest in better infrastructure for the west. Child Abuse, McArdle, Mr Mark Francis 48 13:48 Mr WALLACE 265967 Fisher As a staunch and well-known supporter of child safety, I speak to welcome the introduction of Daniel's law into the Queensland parliament yesterday. Children's safety must always be at the forefront of our decisions. This reform is an important breakthrough, especially after the recent raising of the most appalling allegations of child sexual abuse in childcare centres. Daniel's law puts the rights of children, victims and parents ahead of dangerous predators through a clear and effective system. I congratulate Premier David Crisafulli, Police Minister Dan Purdie and the LNP state government for bringing this law forward. I also acknowledge Bruce and Denise Morcombe, whose strength and persistence over more than two decades have driven change across our state and nation. Daniel's legacy lives on in practical measures that help protect children. The member for Caloundra from 2004 to 2020, Mark McArdle, recently passed away. Mark was a true public servant and a passionate advocate for his electorate and his constituents. Mark was also an effective minister. He was not a politician; he was a parliamentarian. Mark was devoted to his electorate, to his family and to the people of Queensland. Mark had time for people. He saw his role as an MP not as a job but as a calling. Vale, Mark McArdle. Housing 48 13:49 Ms BRISKEY 263427 Maribyrnong We have a current housing crisis in this country that has been 40 years in the making, and I'm so proud to be a member of a government which has a bold and ambitious agenda to do something about it. The reality is right now that, for so many, the promise of owning your own home has slipped even further out of reach, and renting is increasingly becoming more expensive and more insecure. The fact that those opposite did basically nothing in their time in government—let it get harder and harder for people—and now have the gall to obstruct our government's plan just beggars belief. I find it astounding that, in the nine years of that coalition government, many years spent without even having a housing minister, they managed to build only 373 new social and affordable homes. The Albanese government has already delivered more than that in my electorate alone, having secured 379 new social and affordable homes across Ascot Vale, Flemington and Moonee Ponds. We are building more homes. We are making it better to rent and easier to buy. I know that many first home buyers in Maribyrnong are absolutely wrapped with our call to bring forward the start date of our five per cent deposit program. This will be a game changer for young people, new families, single parents and anyone who thought that the housing market had left them behind. Housing, Climate Change 48 13:51 Mr CALDWELL 306489 Fadden Today we've got the students and young people here from the National Leadership Forum joining us in the gallery. I want to take this opportunity to speak to you directly, because this place is where your future is created and where it's protected. We just heard the prior speaker—classic spin over substance! And if there's one thing to take away from your trip to Canberra, it's to look at the facts. There is absolutely no truth in the 'fact' that the housing crisis took 40 years; it has taken four years, under this Labor government. And what have they done this week? They have reheated, re-announced, a policy from our housing minister, announced in 2019. They're a bit slow to the party—six years down the track! That is why there's a housing crisis. And today, ladies and gentlemen, you will see the Minister for Climate Change and Energy come in here. And, on another topic that's important to the youth of Australia—you care about the climate; you care about results—have a look at what has been happening with emissions reductions over the last three years. They have flatlined. This Labor government is all talk and no reductions. That's what's going on: a flat line now; actual gains under the coalition. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 Welcome to all those students. There are multiple models of leadership, and let's hope you're all wise to select them yourselves. Let's go to the member for Solomon. Albanese Government 49 13:53 Mr GOSLING 245392 Solomon I'll direct some positive commentary, based in facts, to our guests here in the gallery today. The five per cent housing deposit is about assisting you and other young Australians, and any Australians wanting to own their own home—just a five per cent deposit. It's going to make a huge difference, as is fee-free TAFE and 20 per cent off your HECS debts—that, I'm sure, for those with HECS debts, is very much appreciated. In my electorate, in Darwin and Palmerston, our government is assisting in unlocking more supply by, for example, in Palmerston, providing $11 million for upgrades in power and water—all those headworks that mean that our housing developments can happen quicker. We're also powering up with more than 70 household batteries already, under the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which means that they're going to have next to no power bills. That again is going to make a big difference for families in my electorate. The NT and Australian governments have signed a $4 billion partnership agreement on remote housing last year. That is to help deal with the massive overcrowding we see in a lot of our communities in the Northern Territory. Unfortunately, under those opposite, over 10 years, hardly any houses at all were built. We're turning that around. We need the NT government to do their job so we can get high-quality housing into remote Northern Territory in a timely way. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 Thank you. I appreciated the lack of interjections in that one. Energy 49 13:54 Dr WEBSTER 281688 Mallee I know it will be a shock to you that energy prices have risen by 13.1 per cent this year, according to the latest inflation data from the ABS, exposing Labor's fabrications and tall stories about energy prices and the cost of renewables. Skyrocketing energy prices are the reason the cost of living has shot up to its highest rate in a year. The Treasurer has not worked out yet that the energy is the economy. The reality is that Labor is hell-bent on railroading the VNI West transmission line through farms in my electorate no matter what the cost. Official VNI West construction costs have blown out from $1.8 billion in 2023, just two years ago, to as much as $11.4 billion. Who knows how high it will go? Why does that matter? It is because every Victorian could pay 50 per cent more in their energy bills as a result. Victorian Labor are today trying to pass laws to impose fines of up to $12,000 on farmers who do not open their gates to TCB Solar in Victoria to build the VNI West. I will be standing shoulder to shoulder tomorrow morning with a protest in Ballarat at the Bush Summit, fighting for their property rights and sensible energy policy. Housing 49 13:56 Mr LAXALE 299174 Bennelong On 1 October, every first home buyer will need only a five per cent deposit to get into their first home. That means years less saving and thousands of dollars saved on mortgage insurance. It's a real, practical step to help Australians into a home of their own sooner. We know this housing crisis is decades in the making and it won't be fixed overnight, but, unlike those opposite, we actually have a plan for progress. Our $43 billion plan is built on three pillars: making it easier to buy, making it better to rent and building more homes. Some would say, 'Build, baby, build.' Help with housing is one of the reasons I made the switch from local government to federal parliament. I wanted to be a part of a federal government that acts on housing, compared to the Liberal Party, who are in denial about the scale of the crisis. While Labor invests in social and affordable housing, the Liberals teamed up with the Greens to block the Housing Australia Future Fund. While Labor has made it better to rent, the Liberals tried to abolish tax incentives responsible for 80,000 new rental properties. While Labor has reformed and cut student debt, the Liberals want young people to raid their super for a home. It's only Labor that has a plan to address this crisis. Young people, you all should know that Labor has your back. Gender and Sexual Orientation 49 13:57 Mr TIM WILSON IMW Goldstein I still remember the words: 'We've seen through the whispering campaign the teals ran against you.' They were uttered to me at North Brighton station. Regrettably, I was not surprised. To give the House a flavour: ANU researchers published a study into homophobia targeted at politicians who 'were unfairly accused and ridiculed'. This indicated a single point of commonality: their sexuality. Liberal MP Tim Wilson … received over 2000 tweets … Many were overtly homophobic … I won't repeat the unparliamentary terms used. I have good cause to make this claim. We have photos of campaigners actively propagating what the Australian National University researchers called homophobic slurs. To highlight this, not only do I have the evidence but I also received this message from a constituent on Instagram on 29 April: 'On Tuesday this week I had what I thought was a civilised, respectful and refreshing debate with two Zoe Daniel doorknockers. They told me they supported her because of her policies and her acceptance of the LGBT community, but they also said repeatedly that you were anti-gay, -trans and -LGBT rights, and it made my blood boil that they would resort to such low lies.' You are probably getting an insight into the comments that were being made. Sunlight is, of course, not the best friend of those who claim to be guardians of integrity. I seek leave to table the article from the ANU study and the Instagram message. Leave not granted. Housing 50 13:59 Mr BURNELL 300129 Spence Too many Australians are working hard saving every dollar they can but still feel like the dream of owning a home is slipping away. In Adelaide's north, we know this story all too well. Families tighten their belts but are still locked out of the housing market. That is why Labor is determined to change this. From 1 October first home buyers across Australia will be able to purchase a home with just a five per cent deposit. For those in the north, where the average house price is around $650,000, it means needing only $32½ thousand to put down a deposit on a home. Because the government will guarantee part of these mortgages, people won't be forced to pay additional fees like lenders mortgage insurance. Additionally, Labor is delivering 100,000 new homes across the country, reserved exclusively for first home buyers because we want to level the playing field. We are continuing the largest housing build in Australia's history because more houses means more affordable homes in suburbs like Munno Para, Andrews Farm, Eyre, Riverlea, Angle Vale, Virginia and Concordia—to name a few. Real progress is being made, and Labor is getting on with the job of delivering for you. The SPEAKER 53517 In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded. CONDOLENCES 50 CONDOLENCES De Waart, Senior Constable Vadim, Thompson, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal 50 14:00 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler on indulgence—All members of this House and, indeed, all Australians are thinking of the families, loved ones and colleagues of the two Victoria Police officers who were killed in the line of duty on Tuesday morning. As a parliament and as a country we offer our deepest condolences to all whose worlds have been shattered by this horrific shooting. Our hearts go out to everyone whose heart is breaking. We honour the bravery of Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, and our hopes and prayers are with their fellow officers who were at the scene, including one currently in The Alfred hospital in Melbourne receiving treatment for their wounds. Right now, Victoria Police are still engaged in their search for the killer at the centre of these terrible events. This difficult and dangerous task is being carried out in very challenging conditions. I've been speaking regularly with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, and I want to make it clear that the Commonwealth stands ready to provide any support required now or in the future. I understand that in these raw, early days the close-knit community of Porepunkah is grappling with a sense of horror and disbelief, the cold anguish that something like this could happen in their peaceful and beautiful part of Victoria. I know that the member for Indi, who I spoke with this morning, shares in that grief. There will be a time to process this, to come together as a community and to try to come to terms with it. But right now the most important thing for everyone in the area to do is to listen to the police, follow official advice and keep yourselves safe. The death of any officer in the line of duty goes to the heart of every member of the police family. The terrible events at Porepunkah are a sombre reminder to all of us of the dangers that police officers face to keep our families and communities safe. Every time they put on their uniform, police officers put themselves on the line—they do it for us—and every day carries the cruel possibility that the very worst could happen, that you could walk down a driveway, knock on a door and have it open into a nightmare. In their tribute to their fellow officers, the Victorian police association said that they 'were more than the uniforms they wore and were defined by more than the selfless work they performed'. That is a truth for all of us to remember, because when someone starts being a police officer, they don't stop being a son or a brother, a daughter or a sister, a beloved partner or a mate. We see that in the tributes to Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, recognising not just his distinguished service but also his deep love of the outdoors and the long list of things he wanted to do in his upcoming retirement, the new chapter of his life he was so looking forward to sharing with his devoted partner, Lisa. The same is true for Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, someone who came to Australia from Belgium and signed up to serve his new community in his new home. He is being remembered for his passions and enthusiasms, his love of travel, motorbikes, scuba diving and his determination to fill his days with discovery. This is what was stolen by gunfire—two lives full of future happiness and years of happy memories that should have been made and treasured with others. It will take time before we have a full and clear picture of what led to Tuesday's terrible events. Today we can say this with absolute certainty, and I say it not just on behalf of this parliament but as Australia's Prime Minister on behalf of every Australian: Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson was a hero; Senior Constable Vadim De Waart was a hero. They will be honoured and remembered as heroes by Victoria Police, by Victorians, by all of us and all Australians. With honour, they served; may they rest in peace. 14:06 Ms LEY 00AMN Farrer on indulgence—I rise to associate the opposition with the Prime Minister's remarks. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart—two men, two heroes, two Australians. They are two Australians who felt a spark within themselves—a spark to do more. In joining the Victorian police, these men took that spark and lit a flame of service. For Neal Thompson, that flame burned across almost four decades of service in uniform. Vadim served for seven. These men stood up. These men put on the uniform. These men, like all our police, protected our community. Our police run towards danger. They confront the violent, they protect children, and they keep us safe. Our police are the very best of us, and very few of us here in this chamber today can understand the horrors our police face on our behalf. But Neal and Vadim were more than the uniforms they wore. They were more than their badge. These men lived and loved. They had plans for their futures and for their families. Neal Thompson, or Thommo as his mates called him, gave decades of service not only in uniform but to his community. Just this morning, Golden City Football Club life member Neil Cramer said of Neal: He was willing to talk to anybody and treat them equally. He was just a beautiful person. When Golden City take to the field this weekend, they will be wearing blue and white tape in honour of their mate. Vadim De Waart represents the best of our Australian story. From Belgium, he chose to make his life here, and he took that commitment even further by serving as one of our police officers. Fluent in English, French, Spanish and Flemish, this worldly man chose us. He chose Australia, and he chose to make his vocation keeping Australians safe. So my message to his parents, Carolina and Alain, is that, with deep sorrow, we thank you for Vadim and the contribution he made here in this country. The deaths of these men is a heartbreaking tragedy that has touched us all. Today our nation grieves for these officers who have lost their lives, their families, their friends and their colleagues. Our thoughts also go out to the injured detective who is now recovering and all those involved in ongoing operations to bring the killer to justice. Our thoughts are also with the community of Porepunkah, and we thank them for their efforts to work with the police. The loss of Neal and Vadim serves as a stark reminder not only of the danger that police officers face each day but of the bravery and courage it takes to serve. Every police officer who puts on that uniform to go to work has our respect and gratitude. All Australians stand shoulder to shoulder with Victoria police at this moment of profound sadness. We will honour those who have fallen and never take for granted the courage and service that keeps our community safe. We must also confront the fact that, given what we know about the circumstances of the shooting of these men, there are disturbing echoes today, because this is not the first time we have lost police officers to a crime of this type. Today we must ensure that Victoria Police have every possible support they need to catch this killer and make the community safe. We must recommit ourselves to stronger action to cure the sickness that has seized the outermost fringes of society, and we must reaffirm our love and support for every single member of our brave police forces across Australia. 14:10 Dr HAINES 282335 Indi on indulgence—Thank you, Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, for your beautiful words that will bring great comfort and recognition to my community in north-east Victoria, in the seat of Indi. Alongside my community in north-east Victoria, I mourn Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, who so tragically lost their lives in the line of duty at Porepunkah on Tuesday, in a beautiful, idyllic mountain village at the foot of Mount Buffalo, a place that is characterised by magnificent scenery, by good people and by a gentle lifestyle. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson was a long-serving and so deeply respected member of the Victoria Police and a much valued member of the Wangaratta community and the Moyhu community—so greatly loved. Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, based in Melbourne, was supporting Wangaratta police on temporary assignment over winter—a beautiful young man, as you've heard; a native of Belgium. While they were respected officers, we also remember Neal and Vadim as people, with family, friends, interests and passions beyond the uniform. They so deserved the chance to keep living those lives, and it is with deep, deep sadness that we honour them and their service. You've heard that Neal was an adventurer who loved the outdoors, and he was within days of his retirement with his beloved partner, Lisa. Vadim grew up in Belgium and loved travel, and our region—what a place to travel to!—was another in his long list of beautiful places. He was welcomed, and he had so much to explore in what is an outdoor playground. Our thoughts are with both their families, with their friends and with the wider police community. We know that your hearts are broken, and we know that this is felt right across the nation. We continue to pray for the recovery and healing of the officer who was seriously injured in the line of duty, and for all those at the scene whose mental trauma cannot be underestimated and will live with them and, indeed, their families forever. To the beautiful people of Porepunkah: I acknowledge that you are living with grief and shock and that this event is not over for you yet. I stand in this parliament in solidarity with you, today and beyond, and I thank you all for everything you are doing right now to support the emergency services, who are undertaking a most difficult and traumatic search for the offender. The loss of life in the line of duty is the ultimate sacrifice and a painful reminder of the risk borne by those who serve in our police forces. What is very clear is the courage and commitment of our police service right across this great nation. They walk amongst us, live alongside us, serve us and protect us, and they are in danger every day of their lives, and yet they still go out and do their work with such honour and grace. We will never forget the names of those who have lost their lives in service to us. And, Neal and Vadim, we will never forget you. You are heroes. Your families have so much to be proud of, and we grieve with you today and ongoing. The SPEAKER 53517 As a mark of respect to the lives lost in this tragedy, I ask all present to rise in their places. Honourable members having stood in their places— The SPEAKER 53517 I thank the House. STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE 52 STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE United States of America: Delegation of Congress 52 14:14 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I am absolutely delighted to welcome United States Congressman Jason Smith to the Australian House of Representatives today. Congressman Smith will be known to many members of this House as the Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. He has met with many ministers over the last couple of days. As parliamentarians, we understand the hugely important role that committee plays in shaping the policies of the congress and delivering on the priorities of President Trump's administration. I am so pleased that yesterday we had the opportunity in my office to have a lengthy meeting. It wasn't all talk about politics, it must be said. It was a conversation which reaffirmed the friendship that we have, based upon people-to-people relations between Australians and Americans. Ours is an alliance between free peoples and proud democracies that enjoys bipartisan respect and support from both sides of politics here in Australia and also in the United States. I look forward to continuing to work with Congressman Smith, other members of congress in the senate, and members of the US administration, including President Trump. Congressman Smith's presence here comes just a couple of weeks after the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue I was able to host at Kirribilli House, the prime minister's residence in Sydney, and it was a great privilege to do so. I know Congressman Smith and I both participated in the AALD when it was held in Perth in 2019. It's an organisation and a body that I have participated in for more than a couple of decades now, and a really practical way in which Australians and Americans can get to know each other in that personal way. Welcome, Congressman Smith—good travels while you're here. I look forward to engaging with you in a few weeks time while I'm in the US. 14:17 Ms LEY 00AMN Farrer I rise to associate the opposition with the Prime Minister's remarks and welcome Congressman Jason Smith to the Australian parliament. Congressman, you're about to witness Australia's unique and robust democracy from a front row seat! Just like you fight hard for the eighth congressional district and the people of Missouri, all members across this chamber fight here for our communities. My electorate, like yours, has farming as its backbone. Australia and America share a deep tradition of excellence in agriculture. I want to pass on the deep thanks from the opposition for making the time to be here in Canberra to visit our parliament today. I want you to hear that Australia has no more important ally than the United States. Our longstanding friendship is built on shared trust and security. We stood with you in the days after 9/11, just as you stood with us through the darkest days of the Second World War. Our joint commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific will see our friendship stand the test of time. Face-to-face meetings are important, so we welcome yours along with the Prime Minister. It's a pleasure to welcome you to the gallery today. QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 53 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE National Security 53 14:18 Ms LEY 00AMN Farrer My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday, the Prime Minister told the House: 'We listen to intelligence agencies. We don't try to second guess them.' But this morning it was revealed the Department of Home Affairs advised the government to list Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation more than two years ago. Prime Minister, when this national security advice was received, on what basis did the government reject it? 14:19 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. There have been a range of comments made in just the last 24 hours. On Monday we received the information and the advice. On Monday afternoon we had the appropriate committees enacted. By Tuesday, we had got our personnel out of Iran to safety and had expelled the ambassador here from Australia, along with three other diplomats from the Iranian embassy. We received bipartisan support, I recall, for that action, but it appeared that it didn't last too long. The member asked about information and when it came back. Indeed, to quote someone: 'Yes, there were calls to list the IRGC back when I was the chair of the intelligence committee, which was from 2017 through to late 2020. The government makes those decisions. The government makes the decision to amend the Criminal Code and then list a terrorist organisation.' Ms Ley 00AMN I raise a point of order on relevance, if I may, Mr Speaker. This is a question about the government's decision to reject national security advice two years ago. The Prime Minister is not in order. The SPEAKER 53517 The Prime Minister was asked about the decision that was taken and on what basis that was. He'll need to make his answer directly relevant, ensuring that he complies with the standing orders. If he's got information to give the House about how the decision was made, he's entitled to do that. Mr ALBANESE R36 It's certainly very relevant because the member for Canning, the shadow minister for this area, went on to say today: 'For whatever reason the coalition government did not want to. In fact, we had briefs as to the reason why which I can't discuss here.' That is what he said because he understands intelligence. 'I stand with the government, as does the rest of the coalition'—that's what the shadow minister responsible said this morning. This is backed up by his statement yesterday: 'The decision was a good one. It was backed up by forensic intelligence provided by ASIO and other partners.' The SPEAKER 53517 The Leader of the Opposition has raised a point of order on relevance. She's only entitled to one point of order on relevance. Ms Ley 00AMN I'm asking whether the Prime Minister is following your previous instruction. The statements of the member for Canning more than two years ago are not relevant to the question. The SPEAKER 53517 We've been down this path before. There's no ruling that I'm going to make around this. If you were not happy with it at the time when I brought the Prime Minister back to it that would have been the time to take action. You can't go back in time and ask for a second chomp at something. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! We're just going to handle this respectfully. It's an important issue. The Prime Minister is going to continue and make sure his remarks are directly relevant regarding on what basis the decision was made. Mr ALBANESE R36 I've gone on to quote someone who knows something about intelligence and national security about why intelligence information isn't the subject of public debate. That was the quote from the member for Canning. Indeed, the member for Barker backed this up. This is what he had to say: 'I congratulate the Prime Minister on his response. It's been swift. It's been decisive. He's to be congratulated for that.' (Time expired) The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The member for Macnamara is warned. Economy 54 14:24 Ms KARA COOK 316537 Bonner My question is to the Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering on its commitment to help young Australians get ahead, and is there anything getting in the way of this agenda? 14:24 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for Bonner for her question. Indeed my government is delivering for all Australians, and that includes young Australians, to give them an opportunity to get ahead and achieve their goals in life, and we've been doing a lot of that in the last week. We've cut student debt by 20 per cent, of course, benefiting three million students and apprentices, who will save an average of $5½ thousand each. We, of course, have legislated free TAFE so young Australians can get the skills that they need for the jobs that they want. Today, importantly, legislation has passed both houses to enshrine penalty rates into law, to protect weekend and overtime pay. So, if you're a young person who relies on penalty rates now, you can trust they will be there in the future. This is so important, because penalty rates are the things that can make a difference for people, whether they are people working full time or just working on hours that disrupt their quality of life. If you're working on a Saturday night, on a Sunday or on a public holiday, you should be compensated for what you are giving up, and that is what this legislation will ensure. We're also, of course, fast-tracking the five per cent deposit plan to 1 October, wiping years off the time it takes young first home buyers to save a deposit and getting them into a home quicker. So, whether you're a young Australian at work, you're looking to buy a home or you're paying off student debt, this government has your back through all of these measures to make a difference. We've even got your back if you are not working on the weekend but you're at the local pub, because one of the things we've done is to freeze the draught beer excise so you and your mates can have a cheaper pint this weekend to make a big difference as we go forward. Lower student debt, higher wages, supportive housing policies and cheaper beer—that's what my government is about, and it's what we are delivering for young Australians. Energy 54 14:27 Mr TEHAN 210911 Wannon My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Under the Albanese Labor government, electricity prices have exploded by 39 per cent, including a 13 per cent rise over the past 12 months alone. Can the minister explain to the House how a 39 per cent increase in electricity prices can result in a $275 reduction, as you promised? 14:27 Mr BOWEN DZS McMahon I thank the honourable member for his question. As the Treasurer very eloquently pointed out to the House yesterday when the inflation figures were actually released, and as the ABS itself makes crystal clear, to use its words in relation to the annual increase: This is due to the timing of when the extended EBRF— Energy Bill Relief Fund— rebates were applied in some capital cities … That's what the ABS said yesterday, and of course that's the case: the rebates are paid in different months, and that is reflected in the figures in different ways. It's also the case that there are other reports out over the last week that the opposition has chosen not to mention, like the Australian Energy Regulator's State of the energy market report, which refers to energy prices and points out: … Australia's coal plants are aging and increasingly costly to operate. Many require high levels of maintenance and refurbishment to keep them running. They are also prone to unplanned outages, sometimes prolonged outages, which make them increasingly unreliable. The report said: Heading into spring and early summer, prices remained higher than the previous year amid a higher rate of brown coal outages. So these are the sorts of issues that the government and the energy grid are dealing with. We're dealing with the fact that, under those opposite, four gigawatts of dispatchable power left the grid and only one gigawatt came on. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Look, there's just far too much noise for anyone's liking. I want to hear from the member for Wannon on a point of order. Mr Tehan 210911 Thanks, Speaker. It goes to relevance. The question wasn't about us on this side; it was about the 39 per cent increase in electricity prices and the $275 you promised to reduce Australians' power bills by. The SPEAKER 53517 The member for Wannon is correct. He wasn't asked about alternative policies or approaches. The minister is going to have to confine his remarks to government policy—and you can do compare and contrast, but this is not a free for all to just talk about the opposition's policies, as the balance of the answer will now be provided. Mr BOWEN DZS I was referring, of course, to the report this week of the Australian Energy Regulator about the Australian market today, which is also dealing with the impacts of four gigawatts of dispatchable power leaving the grid over the last decade. That's what the government and the Energy Market Operator and everybody involved in the energy system is dealing with. The fact of the matter is that when this side of the House has an opportunity to take a decision that puts downward pressure on energy prices, we take it—whether it's energy bill relief or whether it's to drive towards more reliable renewable energy, that's what we do. When those opposite have a choice, they embark on the most expensive form of energy, nuclear, or oppose energy bill relief, as they've done three times. The SPEAKER 53517 The Leader of the Nationals is testing my patience, so he's going to have a short spell here, otherwise he'll have a short spell outside. Workplace Relations 55 14:31 Dr FREELANDER 265979 Macarthur My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering on its election commitments for low-paid workers? 14:31 Ms RISHWORTH HWA Kingston I'd like to thank the member for Macarthur for that question and also for the powerful way he stands up for workers in his electorate, particularly low-paid workers. Of course, in our first term, the Albanese Labor government passed landmark workplace relations reforms, which delivered on getting wages moving again for Aussie workers. We continue to stand up for Aussie workers, making clear election commitments that we are now delivering on. One of these election commitments was to make a submission to the Fair Work Commission for a real wage increase for minimum wage and award-reliant workers. It was one of the first actions we took, and, from 1 July, award and minimum wage workers saw an increase of 3.5 per cent. Since we've been in government, the pay packets of minimum wage workers, on average, have increased by $9,120. I'm pleased to report to the House that, today, we have delivered on another election commitment to protect overtime and penalty rates, with our bill passing the Senate. We made this election commitment because there are currently applications before the Fair Work Commission that would take workers' pay packets backwards. Our Labor government won't stand by and see wages go backwards. Critically, the passing of our legislation means that penalty and overtime rates for around 2.6 million workers are now protected because of this Labor government. They are protected for workers like Anthony, who I met today when this bill passed. He said: 'The fact that penalty rates are now protected is going to provide a sense of relief for a lot of Australian workers. It's going to be one less thing to worry about. All in all, this is a great day for Australian workers.' Anthony can be reassured that his penalty rates and overtime are now protected. Indeed, all of those who rely on the modern award safety net—many of whom are women and young people—can be reassured that, with our action, penalty and overtime rates are protected. If you work unsociable hours or weekends and rely on the safety net, you deserve to be compensated. Our government is getting on with the job of delivering on our election commitments. Of course, in addition to boosting wages for low-paid workers, our government is delivering tax cuts for every single worker. This is because, at our fundamental core, our Labor government is committed to Australian workers earning more and keeping more of what they earn. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS 55 DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Yan, Hon. Bill Carl, National Leadership Forum, Henry, Mr Stuart Irwin 55 14:34 The SPEAKER 53517 Before I call the member for Curtin, I will do some acknowledgements. I would like to inform the House that, present in the gallery today, is the Hon. Bill Yan, MLA, Treasurer, Minister for Logistics and Infrastructure and Minister for Housing Construction from the Northern Territory. We also have a delegation of mayors and industry representatives from South Australia, and I'd like to inform the House that, in the gallery, there is a delegation of young leaders from across Australia and the Pacific taking part in the National Leadership Forum. Also, I note that Stuart Henry, the former member for Hasluck, is joining us today. Welcome to you all. Honourable members: Hear, hear! QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 56 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE Gambling 56 14:34 Ms CHANEY 300006 Curtin This is a question for the Prime Minister. Today, parliamentarians from across the House again heard personal stories about gambling harm, including from a Western Australian whose brother died by suicide after struggling with gambling addiction. The government hasn't even provided a response to the Murphy inquiry into online gambling, let alone implemented any of our key recommendations. Is the delay due to successful lobbying by powerful interests, and what do you say to people experiencing gambling harm who are still being bombarded by gambling ads? 14:35 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for Curtin for her question. With respect, I say that it is not correct to say that we haven't responded. We have done more as a government than any government in Australia's history since Federation. It's as simple as that. BetStop, the self-exclusion register, has been in operation for two years as of last week and is making an enormous difference. We have launched the National Self-Exclusion Register. At the end of July, it had recorded 46,369 total registrations, including 30,750 active exclusions. Thirty-nine per cent of current registrants have chosen a lifetime ban. The problem that we see with gambling isn't someone having a punt on a Saturday at the pub. It is ongoing addiction to gambling, which can be incredibly harmful. We have banned the use of credit cards for online wagering. We've established mandatory customer ID pre-verification for online wagering. We've implemented monthly win-loss statements. We've strengthened classification of video games that contain gambling-like content. We'll continue to work on these areas, as we've said. We want to break the connection between wagering and sport. A lot of that has been done voluntarily, as well, by the sporting organisations, who understand the damage that can be caused. Gambling is legal in Australia. We respect people's right to have a punt, but we also have a responsibility to make sure that the industry acts responsibly, and that's what we're doing. Health Care 56 14:37 Ms AMBIHAIPAHAR 315618 Barton My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering on its election commitment to make medicine cheaper for Australians? Why is this so important? 14:37 Mr BUTLER HWK Hindmarsh Thank you to the member for Barton. Through her work earlier at St Vincent de Paul in New South Wales, every day she saw the sorts of choices that households under cost-of-living pressure have to make, and she's brought that experience, as well as her deep compassion, into this place. In her contribution to the government's cheaper medicines bill, the member for Barton relayed a story of a young mum she met doorknocking in Hurstville—a mum who skips her own medication to afford medicine for her young child when her child is sick. In a similar vein, the member for Griffith relayed a story that Paris, a young local pharmacist from her electorate in Brisbane, told her about a patient who was cutting her antidepressant tablets in half in order to space them out. Paris's customer juggles medicines for cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as her depression and struggles to afford all of her medicines. So many of my colleagues told these stories. These stories explain why this government has put so much energy into making medicines cheaper, because cheaper medicines are not just good for your hip pocket—although they obviously are—they're also good for your health. Australians should not be forced to make choices between filling a script that their doctor has said is important for their health and some other essential household expense. Today, I'm so pleased to report that the House passed the government's cheaper medicines bill, another example of this government delivering on the commitments that we made to the Australian people at the election in May. This law will cut the maximum co-payment for a PBS script to just $25, the same price it was all the way back in 2004, and half the price it would have been next year if the government had not been making medicines cheaper. This is just the latest wave of our measures to make medicines cheaper. Last term we slashed the maximum amount that pensioners and concession card holders would pay for all of their medicines across a given year by 25 per cent, a measure that has already delivered tens and tens of millions of additional free scripts. We finally delivered 60-day scripts—twice the amount of medicine for the cost of a single script. We have frozen the price of scripts for concession card holders and pensioners all the way to the end of this decade. Those measures alone have already saved Australians more than $1½ billion in co-payments at their local pharmacy counter, but today we showed that this government is determined to do even more. International Relations: Australia and the United States of America 57 14:40 Mr TAYLOR 231027 Hume Deputy Prime Minister, the coalition is deeply committed to the Australia-US relationship. Between Sunday and this morning, the DPM's office has provided two conflicting statements about the nature and formality of this week's meeting with Secretary Hegseth. Since this morning there have been three different explanations about the nature and extent of the meeting. Deputy Prime Minister, was this a meeting with Secretary Hegseth or just a photo opportunity, and was there an outcome beyond the photo? Honourable members interjecting — The SPEAKER 53517 Order! Members on my left and members on my right. The member was heard in silence. I'd like to hear from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, and he has the call. 14:41 Mr MARLES HWQ Corio I genuinely do appreciate the question from the member opposite. Congressman Smith, welcome to question time. You're in for a treat! The question that we have just heard from the shadow minister is another example of how the Liberal Party, a party which actually has a proud history of governing this country, is today completely broken. The Pentagon itself has made clear that there was a meeting between me and Secretary Hegseth. The Pentagon itself today has made it clear that that meeting was coordinated in advance. But what we've heard through the course of this week is those opposite, firstly, suggesting that there wasn't going to be a meeting at all. Then there's a little bit of a debate about whether it's a meeting or whether it's happenstance. Presumably, those opposite think that the photos that have been published were magically generated by AI. Those opposite are an absolute joke. The shadow minister, in the question that he just framed, said that the alliance between Australia and the United States is a matter of bipartisan support. It has been the case that parties of government in this country have actually, irrespective of whether they are in opposition or in government, supported the nation in its relationship with the United States. The SPEAKER 53517 No, I haven't given you call, and I'm not particularly inclined to take this point of order, because it can only be about relevance. The Deputy Prime Minister specifically answered the question about the meeting and gave context about that. Mr Taylor 231027 The point of order is relevance. The question was very specific about the outcome of the meeting. The SPEAKER 53517 Once again, Member for Hume, the Deputy Prime Minister is answering the question and giving context about the exact topic you asked about. Anyway, there's no point of order—that's my point. Mr MARLES HWQ I think we all understand that the question from Captain Conspiracy over here was whether or not the meeting actually— Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! No, the House will come to order, so I can hear from the Manager of Opposition Business. Mr Hawke HWO We do know why the Deputy Prime Minister is angry. We understand. It's been a bad day. There have been several versions of this meeting. We don't know which one is correct. We've asked a simple question. But he has an obligation to refer to members by their correct titles, and he did not. The SPEAKER 53517 I want to hear from the Leader of the House. Mr Burke DYW You said you can't use any term at all. That term is so much nicer than what his own colleagues say about him! The SPEAKER 53517 Order! We are going to bring the House to order. I know it's Thursday, but we are going to bring the House to order. Questions have been asked—entitled to do so. The Deputy Prime Minister is going to continue with his answer, and I don't want any more interruptions or interjections. And I want everyone referred to by their correct titles. Mr MARLES HWQ The relationship between Australia and the United States should be above partisan politics. Parties in this country—whether they are parties of government in this country, whether they have been in government or in opposition—have come to this place wanting whoever is in government to succeed in our relationship with the United States. That's certainly the spirit that we brought to bear when we were in opposition. But right now, those opposite are desperately hoping that the nation fails in its relationship with the United States. And that is a disgrace! The fact of the matter is that those opposite should grow up and return to the place which has been occupied by the Liberal Party in the past—to support the alliance with the United States and do so in a bipartisan way. The SPEAKER 53517 The member for O'Connor will leave the chamber under 94(a). We're not having snide remarks given out across the chamber. I've had enough of it. We're going to lift the tone for the remainder of question time for everyone watching in the gallery. And everyone around Australia is watching as well. Housing 58 14:47 Mr ABDO 316915 Calwell My question is to the Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness and Minister for Cities. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to address housing challenges? And is the minister aware of any risks to the government's plans? 14:47 Ms O'NEIL 140590 Hotham I want to thank the member for Calwell for his question. I know he's incredibly proud that, to date, 2,360 people in his local community have got the opportunity to get into their first home with the backing of the Albanese government. I know that he can't wait to get back to Greenvale and to Broadmeadows and talk to his community about the landmark expansion that we are making of this program, with five per cent deposits for every single first home buyer across this country. The days of a 20 per cent deposit for a first home are gone, and we're going to be very proud to deliver this on 1 October. It's been a really important two weeks for us on housing, as you've seen our government build on that $43 billion agenda that we've got in place. We're focused on three things: building more homes, making it better to rent and getting more Australians into homeownership. And of course, Speaker, you've heard me talk about the real progress we're making on this agenda for Australians. Half a million homes have been built since we came to office. Year on year, housing approvals are up 30 per cent in our country. In less than four years we've got 28,000 social and affordable homes in planning or construction, with 4,000 social and affordable homes completed. Remember, we're comparing ourselves to nine years where the coalition built 373 homes around this country—absolutely disgraceful! Now, on top of that, a million households around the country are benefiting from almost a 50 per cent increase to Commonwealth rent assistance. And, of course, as I've mentioned to the parliament every single day this week, 180,000 Australians have already got into their first home with the backing of our government. We know there's more work to do. That's why, just in the past week, we've announced this landmark expansion to the five per cent deposit program on 1 October and, of course, more work to build more homes more quickly through the immediate actions that we're taking out of the Economic Reform Roundtable. Just to refresh the parliament's memory, that includes the pausing and streamlining of the National Construction Code and the fast-tracking of environmental consideration of more than 26,000 homes. There's a really clear contrast to be seen here. For the last two weeks, our government has spent its time building more homes and expanding pathways to homeownership, and those opposite have spent that fortnight in a complete, chaotic mess. They've spent their time not talking about real policies that actually exist but making up scare campaigns about housing taxes that don't exist. They've spent their time in the Senate not trying to build more homes but trying to stop the construction of 80,000 new rental homes. On the five per cent deposit program, on Monday, the Leader of the Opposition said that she loved it so much because it was her idea. At the same time in the Senate, the shadow minister was calling it bizarre and ridiculous. We're focused on housing, and we'll continue that work because that's what Australians elected us to do. (Time expired) International Relations: Australia and the United States of America, International Relations: Australia and Israel 58 14:50 Mr HOGAN 218019 Page My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, given the challenging security arrangements at home and abroad, what steps has the Prime Minister taken to repair our deteriorating relationships with Israel and the United States? 14:51 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I find it absolutely extraordinary that the shadow minister for trade has asked a question about our deteriorating relationship with our most important partner, the United States, in the presence of a US congressperson. I refer to the comments of the Deputy Prime Minister, who spoke very clearly about the parties of government in Australia and the way that we deal with serious issues. Today, we have had question time begin with a question essentially seeking information from our intelligence agencies. In the answer that I gave, I quoted the former head of the intelligence committee who, on 2GB just this morning, outlined why, at that time and even since, he would not give that information about why decisions are made and that intelligence basis. That is the way that it operates between adults. When it comes to the follow-up then, we had a question to the Deputy Prime Minister alleging something like a fake moon landing—that meetings that were held by the Deputy Prime Minister with the Vice President of the United States— Government members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 The Prime Minister will pause. Members on my right, I'd like to hear from the Manager of Opposition Business. Mr Hawke HWO The Prime Minister is answering question 1 and question 2, but he isn't answering the current question. By his own confession, he's answering the previous questions. I ask the Prime Minister to answer the question that he has been asked now, because it's not commentary time; it's not lecture time— The SPEAKER 53517 Resume your seat. The point of order was on relevance. Mr Hawke HWO Yes, it was. The SPEAKER 53517 I took that straightaway. I don't know why that's funny. The Prime Minister's going to continue with his answer, and he's going to make sure that he's being directly relevant to the question he was asked about the relationships with Israel and the US. Mr ALBANESE R36 I thought he was going to move an extension of time! The relationship with the United States has been above partisan politics. When I was Leader of the Opposition, I received a phone call from then prime minister Scott Morrison. With 24 hours notice, I came to Canberra without knowing what the meeting was for and then had a briefing from our defence and intelligence agencies about the proposals that were in place about AUKUS. I kept that confidence about that briefing, convened a meeting of my shadow cabinet just one hour after the announcement and then had a full caucus meeting to back in the AUKUS arrangements. That is how we dealt with the US relationship. We continue to be proud of the fact that the relationship with the United States is our most important, and it is extraordinary that you would come in here and attempt to undermine it. (Time expired) Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! We're just moving on. I'd like to hear from the member for Braddon. Regional Australia: Housing 59 14:55 Ms URQUHART 231199 Braddon My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. How is the Albanese Labor government helping regional Australians into homeownership after a decade of being ignored? 14:56 Ms CATHERINE KING 00AMR Ballarat Can I thank the member for Braddon for her question but also for her extraordinary advocacy for her community. If anyone has met the member for Braddon, you will know she is an extraordinarily fierce advocate for her community. She's very hard to say no to, and she is a terrific representative. Whether it is Devonport, Ballarat, Bendigo, Leichhardt or Lingiari, Labor represents the regions across every single corner of this country, and this evening I absolutely look forward to welcoming the Prime Minister to the regional city and my hometown of Ballarat for one of the many bush summits being held this week. The Prime Minister has attended all of the bush summits. He was in Wagga this week and he'll be in my hometown of Ballarat this evening. I know that one of the things that my community and every regional Australian is looking forward to hearing about is the Albanese government's delivery on housing for the regions, something that was neglected under those opposite. Our $43 billion plan for housing is making a real and substantial difference across regional Australia, in particular the decision to bring forward, from 1 October this year, the expanded regional home guarantee scheme. This will mean no income or location caps, with all regional Australians being able to benefit from that policy. Regional first home buyers will be able to get into the property market with a five per cent deposit, without having to pay lenders mortgage insurance. For far too long regional Australians had been left behind under those opposite. We saw a decade of their ignoring of regional Australia's housing issues, with no plan for housing, no plan, frankly, for investing in significant infrastructure and no real support for regional communities. We are doing the hard work, building the homes, building the infrastructure and backing regional growth with real funding. We're all getting regional Australians into more homes and sooner. Since introducing the regional first home buyer guarantee in 2022, we've issued over 23,500 guarantees in the regions and supported 38,500 regional Australians into homeownership. In my own hometown of Ballarat, thanks to Labor's scheme, a thousand families, a thousand people, have benefited from getting into a first home because of the policies of this government. It, of course, comes on top of our $1.5 billion of investment in infrastructure to really get housing moving, particularly in the regions. The opposition had a decade to act on regional housing. All they did, frankly, was leave it in crisis, and we are once again having to clean up their mess. South Australia: Marine Environment 60 14:58 Ms BELL 282981 Moncrieff My question is to the Prime Minister. How has the government managed to find so many millions of dollars in taxpayer money to fund inner-city cycleways, including bike lanes in Sydney and Grayndler, but so much less to support South Australia's response to the once-in-a-generation ecological event, the devastating algal bloom. Why do countless communities and small businesses in South Australia, many of whom are here today, Prime Minister, have to pay for the cost of Labor's inaction? Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! There's far too much noise. The member was entitled to be heard in silence. I'm not happy with the level of interjections. The SPEAKER 53517 The Leader of the Opposition! I'm just saying I'm not happy with the level of interjections, so that's not a time to interject. 15:00 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I met with all of the councils earlier today, and they thanked the government for the work that we are doing when it comes to South Australia's algal bloom. This is an ecological event that is directly related to the impacts we are seeing right across our continent from climate change. What we have seen here is floodwaters coming through the Murray-Darling Basin, out through the Coorong and into the ocean, at a time when extra nutrients have therefore gone into the water and the water is two degrees hotter than it would normally be at this time of the year. This is not something that is the result of any single government action. This is something that I've met with the South Australian government on. Importantly, we have provided a range of funding. Indeed, every bit of funding that we have been asked for has been provided. The SPEAKER 53517 Order! The member for Moncrieff has asked her question. Mr Albanese R36 It is also including $20 million to support the South Australian government not just to combat the effects of the algal bloom but to improve preparedness for future events. Now, does anyone think that abolishing our commitment to net zero and action on climate change will make these events more likely or less likely to happen in the future? At a time when those opposite are running a relentless campaign from some in the National Party—it's even brought the member— The SPEAKER 53517 Order! I want to hear from the Manager of Opposition Business. Mr Hawke HWO Relevance again, Speaker. The SPEAKER 53517 No, resume your seat. No, I'm not entertaining it. If you ask a question, or anyone asks a question, and the Prime Minister is giving facts and figures about the topic and then going into reasons behind that, he's entitled to do that. We're not just getting up and saying, 'I don't like an answer, and that's my point of order.' That's what we're doing. The Prime Minister has the call. I can simply say I won't take any points of order, which other Speakers have done. Mr ALBANESE R36 Thanks, Mr Speaker. This issue is directly related to climate change. The people that we met this morning understand that it's directly related to climate change. The scientists who we met with last week, who are undertaking practical work, understand that this is directly related to climate change. Those opposite are busy. The taker of the point of order has said that they're having a nine- to 12-month experience over whether their support for net zero will continue. But it is extraordinary that they're actually becoming more right wing on climate than Scott Morrison was. (Time expired) Defence Procurement 60 15:04 Mr FRENCH 316550 Moore My question is to the Minister for Defence Industry. How does the Albanese Labor government's recent decision on new frigates help build a future made in Australia and keep Australians safe? Why was this decision so important after a wasted decade in defence industry? 15:04 Mr CONROY 249127 Shortland I thank the member for his question and applaud his commitment to Aussie manufacturing. The Albanese government has selected Mogami class as the preferred platform for our general-purpose frigates for the Navy. This frigate decision is the biggest capability decision made by this government since announcing the Optimal Pathway for our submarines. It delivers on our plan to double the surface combatant fleet, giving the Navy much greater firepower. It's a plan backed by the Albanese government's $55 billion investment over the decade to deliver more ships more quickly. It's a plan to build eight of these next-generation stealth frigates right here in Australia, and it's supported by tens of billions of dollars of investment that we will make in Western Australia as part of our commitment to continuous naval shipbuilding. And I'm proud to say it will support over 10,000 well-paid, high-skilled jobs in WA and thousands more across Australia as Aussie businesses build these next-generation stealth frigates. This truly is delivering a future made in Australia. This decision was made months ahead of schedule and is an example of how we're accelerating critical defence capability projects to keep Australians safe, just like how we accelerated $1.3 billion in counter-drone capabilities to protect our troops and bases, a capability those opposite ignored when they were in power. We'll sign the frigate contract early next year, the first frigate will be delivered in 2029 and we'll have four frigates by 2034. That's four times as many frigates as the former coalition government planned and with the first new frigate delivered five years earlier. Let me repeat that: four times as many warships and the first five years earlier than the plan of those opposite when they were in power. I'm asked about a wasted decade. Our record on defence capability stands in stark contrast to the coalition. Under us, we'll have the largest surface combatant fleet since World War II. Under them, they delivered the oldest fleet the Navy has had in the history of the Navy. Under us, we're creating tens of thousands of jobs as part of continuous naval shipbuilding. Under them, they closed two shipyards in Australia, costing thousands of jobs in Melbourne and the Hunter. The Albanese government is getting on with the job of keeping Australians safe and delivering a defence future made in Australia, delivering more well-paid jobs for Australians, while those over there can't be trusted with defence or national security. (Time expired) Disaster and Emergency Management 61 15:07 Mr GEE 261393 Calare My question is to the Prime Minister. The 2022 Central West New South Wales floods saw extraordinary acts of courage and service across our communities. Eugowra was the scene of the biggest helicopter rescue in Australia's history. Despite this, the National Emergency Medal is still not available to emergency responders, volunteers and community workers, who performed with such distinction in that crisis. Yet those serving in disasters that have hit other parts of Australia are eligible. When will our community heroes get the recognition they deserve? 15:08 Mr ALBANESE R36 Grayndler I thank the member for Calare for his question. As he knows, I went to Eugowra on two occasions during that period, including with the member. We provided substantial support in partnership, not just to Eugowra but to places like Forbes. I think the redistribution might have had an impact, but they were in the member for Riverina's electorate at that time as well. And we worked with the state government to ensure that that community that had been devastated received support. It was quite extraordinary seeing the power of the floodwaters lifting up whole bridges and moving them. Steel structures were literally hundreds of metres from where they had been for many, many decades. In addition to that, the human impact was devastating on that community. But it was terrific to go with the member and to see firsthand the resilience of those communities and be able to thank emergency service workers and others. At the worst of times we always see the best of the Australian character, and we did on that occasion as well. I'll take on notice that question by the member and will respond appropriately to him, and I undertake to do that in the next week. I know that he is very passionate as a local member in being a strong advocate on these issues and that these communities certainly have suffered a lot. I thank him for the question, and I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper. DOCUMENTS 61 DOCUMENTS Presentation 61 15:10 Mr BUTLER HWK Hindmarsh This document is tabled in accordance with the list circulated to honourable members earlier today. Full details of the document will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings. MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE 61 MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE Fiscal Policy 61 15:10 The SPEAKER 53517 I've received a letter from the honourable the Deputy Leader of the Opposition proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely: The impact of the government's spending spree on Australian households. 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— 15:11 Mr TED O'BRIEN 138932 Fairfax It took the Albanese government three years to realise that Australia's living standards had dropped more than those of any other developed nation. It then took them three months to organise a meeting that would go for three days to ask other people what to do about it. I was one of 25 people issued a golden ticket from the Treasurer to attend that roundtable. On accepting the Treasurer's invitation, I put out three markers on behalf of the coalition. If we're to deal with Australia's living standards, these three markers are key: No. 1, you do not raise living standards by raising taxes; No. 2, you do not raise living standards by raising the cost of doing business, and, No. 3, you do not raise living standards by raising the burden on future generations. Those with even the smallest knowledge of the bare basics of economics would see these markers as self-evident truths, yet Labor's roundtable defied all three. The outcomes of Labor's roundtable will be higher taxes, higher costs of doing business and a higher burden on future generations. Let me be very clear: the coalition did not agree to the outcomes of Labor's roundtable, and the coalition did not agree to the principles against which this government wants to raise taxes for everyday Australians. As I reflect, albeit only one week after the roundtable, I realise this was less a productivity roundtable and more a socialist summit. What we saw was an unholy trinity of big government, big unions and big superannuation funds. This is the plan of the Albanese government: to basically concentrate the power of these three and to expand the tentacles of government into the lives of everyday Australians. It is Labor which sees government at the centre of Australian society. It is the coalition that believes that the centre of Australian society should be the Australian people. Now, in the government's fourth year, the Australian people are starting to feel the real symptoms of a government that puts itself at the centre and not the people. The Australian people are feeling that through their everyday living expenses. It's why we heard this week that, since Labor came to government, the cost of electricity has gone up by 39 per cent and the cost of gas has gone up by over 38 per cent. Today the shadow minister asked the Minister for Climate Change and Energy for an explanation as to why these energy costs are going up, but the government cannot answer the question. It is a direct consequence of government policy, and it's the Australian people who are paying the price. This is a government that puts itself at the centre and not the Australian people. Of course, the Treasurer claims that this government has done a wonderful job when it comes to interest rates. However, the average mortgage holder today is paying $1,800 more in interest payments every single month than they were when Labor came to office. As of today, they're paying $1,800 more every month in interest payments, and that is just the average mortgage holder. Why? It's because this government cannot manage money; this government cannot manage the economy. The thing is that it's not just the pain of the Australian people today. We know this government is quickly raising the debt to $1 trillion. By their own estimate it will hit $1.2 trillion by the next election. This is Labor's debt, which will be left to the next generation of Australians to pay off. Our children and theirs will pay the price of this government's debt. Their plan is 10-plus years of deficits. And why? It comes down to one reason: this government cannot stop spending. They're on a spending spree. We know that spending as a percentage of GDP has gone from 24 per cent up to 27 per cent. In this financial year, they are spending $160 billion more than what the coalition spent in our last budget. They just can't help spending. I raised this at the roundtable and made it crystal clear that the government has to stop spending. The Treasurer didn't like that. It smashed his glass jaw. You could feel his ego going everywhere, slashing anything in its wake; so upset was he about his spending spree. But it has to stop. The recommendation that I made on behalf of the coalition at the roundtable was that the government adopt some fiscal rules, some discipline, to contain the Treasurer's spending. Do you think the Treasurer accepted the idea of rules? Did you know that, since the Hawke government, every single government has adopted fiscal rules for their Treasurer, except the Albanese government? We put it to the Treasurer this week and asked if he would introduce fiscal rules. He said he doesn't want to introduce fiscal rules. We put it to the Prime Minister and asked if he will rein in the Treasurer—is he strong enough to do that? If every Prime Minister since Hawke has been able to apply some discipline to the Treasurer, will this prime minister do it? No. They don't want rules. They are addicted to spending. Who wants rules when you just want to spend? That's what the candyman wants to do. He's a big spender, so there are no rules. I'm not the only one calling for rules, by the way. Ken Henry, Philip Lowe, the chief economist at KPMG and the chief economist at AMP are all calling for rules. And, under pressure, the Treasurer came out and said he's now got a rule. The rule is he is going to bank most of the upward revisions to revenue. In other words, when revenue comes in that's unexpected, he's going to bank most of it. So he's only going to spend up to half of it. I thought I'd check this out. I looked at the Treasurer's own budget figures, and you wouldn't believe what it tells us. This financial year the upward revision for revenue is $7 billion. Guess how much of the $7 billion the Treasurer is planning on banking? None. He's going to spend $7.2 billion of the $7 billion. The very week he fabricates a rule, he breaks it. This is the problem we have, you see. We have a government that cannot control spending. That is why they call him King Taxalot. King Taxalot and the knights of the round table, creating ideas so they can take those ideas to be considered by the nitwits of the cabinet table. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 Okay, enough! Order now. Order, order, order! I have been listening to a number of these imaginative names you are making up for people who sit in the parliament. You know you have to use correct titles, so let's stick to it. Mr TED O'BRIEN 138932 Labor has one plan—increase taxes. They'll run out of money and they're coming after yours. 15:21 Dr LEIGH BU8 Fenner This is a mug. Don't be afraid. Don't be scared. It's a mug. Opposition members: Prop! The DEPUTY SPEAKER: If members want to shout at me as they leave the chamber, it will be regarded as highly disorderly. Assistant minister, I didn't see that, but I saw it at the tail end, and you aren't to have props at the despatch box. Member for Goldstein, you can sit down now. I'm assuming that's what your point of order was. Let's start again with a little less heat, and that includes interjections. Let's try it again. Dr LEIGH BU8 You talk about mugs and suddenly there's the member for Goldstein! The fact is those opposite— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 A point of order from the member for Cowper. Mr Conaghan 279991 Reflections on members. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 I did not hear—my apologies. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 Excuse me! Would you like to challenge my reading of the situation? If so, get into your seat and make a proper point of order, or leave the chamber quietly and respectfully, please. Member for Cowper, you've raised a point of order. Assistant minister, I did not hear, but if there was something unparliamentary, or a reflection, could you please withdraw for the assistance of the House? Dr LEIGH BU8 I withdraw. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 Thank you. Dr LEIGH BU8 As we talk about glass jaws, the fact is those opposite printed the mugs. They're pretty embarrassed about it—that's why they're jumping to their feet the moment anyone mentions it. They never delivered a surplus. Labor has delivered two back-to-back surpluses. We've kept average real spending growth to 1.7 per cent. What about their average real spending growth? It was 4.1 per cent. We have found more than $100 billion in savings since coming to government. Those opposite talk about hard choices—what was the hard choice that they came to the last election with? A $600 billion nuclear plan, delivering less than four per cent of Australia's electricity needs, in decades. They took a plan to the last election that would not have turned on a light for 20 years. It would have pushed up energy bills by $1,200 a year and would have involved spending more. They took another policy to the last election—their long lunches for bosses policy. Who remembers that wonderful policy? A policy they were so proud of that by the end of the campaign they weren't talking about it. If every eligible business had claimed the maximum, the cost would have been more than $10 billion. What would it have done for productivity? It would have driven productivity down. That's what happens when you take long lunches. So we're taking no lectures from those opposite about budget sustainability and about productivity. The other side talk about the importance of lower taxes, but to the last election they took a policy of higher taxes. They were going to increase income taxes on every single Australian. They talk about not burdening future generations, but the fact is that their policies of scrapping net zero and putting their heads in the sand on climate change are the very epitome of handing the burden on to future generations. They'll say one thing when they're talking to business and another thing when they're talking in the House. The Leader of the Opposition this week was speaking at an Australian Industry Group event and she described the Treasurer's economic reform roundtable as being 'a welcome conversation' and 'a constructive discussion'. And then the Deputy Leader of the Opposition comes in here and tells us that it was a socialist summit. Yes, you got us on that one—the kind of socialist summit where you invite along the Business Council of Australia, ACCI, AiG, COSBOA, a current banker and a former banker or two! The fact is that those opposite talk a lot about spending restraint, but, at the last election, their costings revealed deficits $7.9 billion higher over the first two years. Bigger deficits, bigger debt and a $600 billion nuclear plan was what they took to the Australian people last election. You just need to compare the track records to see what coalition rhetoric produces compared to what Labor's delivered in office. Payments as a share of GDP rose under the coalition from 23.9 per cent of GDP in 2012-13 to 26.4 per cent of GDP in 2021-22, and payments as a share of GDP were forecast to be above 27 per cent in the 2022 Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook. Gross debt as a share of GDP was forecast to peak just under 45 per cent of GDP in the 2022 Pre-election and Economic Fiscal Outlook. It is now, thanks to Labor's tough decisions, forecast to peak at around 37 per cent of GDP. We've delivered those surpluses, we've reduced coalition deficits and debt will now peak lower as a share of GDP than it would have done if the coalition had stayed in office. Debt now is $177 billion lower, saving some $60 billion in interest costs as a consequence. Real payments growth is less than half the average under our predecessors. The budget position has improved by more than $207 billion. We have turned two big Liberal deficits into two Labor surpluses and almost halved the deficit in our third year. We have done that while ensuring that the Australian people have seen better economic outcomes. We've kept unemployment low. We have ensured that the minimum wage has increased for low-paid Australians. While we're seeing unemployment in Canada of 6.9 per cent, in New Zealand of 5.1 per cent and in the UK of 4.7 per cent, here unemployment is sitting at just 4.2 per cent. We've recorded stronger employment growth since the 2022 election than any major advanced economy. We have seen progress made on inflation, which has resulted in interest rates being cut three times in six months. For a household with a $700,000 mortgage, that means they're saving about $330 a month or around $4,000 a year. Since Labor came to office, inflation is down, debt is down, real wages are growing, unemployment is low and interest rates are falling. We know we have more to do, and that's why the Treasurer brought together the economic reform roundtable in the cabinet room last week. Along with the Assistant Treasurer, I was pleased to join that three-day roundtable. It was a constructive discussion where participants took off their sectional interest hats and put on their national interest hats—well, maybe with the exception of the shadow Treasurer. It was a conversation in which attendees acknowledged the productivity challenge that we face, productivity growth being the worst in the post-war debt era in that decade ending in 2020. We know that we were left with a significant productivity challenge, and we need to turn that around. In doing so, we can take a leaf from sport. Sport shows us that we don't need to make a trade-off between excellence and fairness. Sport shows us the importance of dynamism and the value of having a lot of different teams competing in a competition. But, in some parts of our economy, we have too few firms and market concentration that's gotten worse, rather than better. If sport were like some sectors of the economy, we'd have one team, one set of fans and one very bored mascot. Sport teaches us the importance of inclusion. Sport shows us that, by including those who grow up on the wrong side of the tracks, by creating more opportunities for women and by ensuring that people have a chance to play, we get better results. Those who play enjoy it more, and it's a better result for the fans. That's the approach that Labor takes when it comes to a productive economy. Our free TAFE program is about inclusion. Our programs to champion more low-SES students getting a spot in uni are about inclusion, too. The work we've done to ensure that aged-care workers and early childhood workers are fairly paid is reflected in the understanding that sport is strong when the players are fairly paid. Australia does fabulously well on the sporting field, but it's thanks not just to our sportspeople but to the institutions that support them—the Australian Institute of Sport, the great coaches that we have, the talent scouts that are out there and the sustaining work that we do making sure that we prevent injury. All of that can teach us about getting more productive education, health and economic systems. Labor is committed to a more productive economy and a more inclusive society. 15:31 Mr CONAGHAN 279991 Cowper Labor's big-government dream is coming to fruition, with nearly half of the country now relying on public sector jobs, welfare, pensions and government contracts. We know that this trend is only going to get worse, with 82 per cent of new jobs created in the past two years being taxpayer funded. That is a dramatic reversal from over 75 per cent of new jobs being private sector jobs under the last term of the coalition. Having low unemployment is a good thing, but it doesn't take a PhD in economics to understand that taxpayer funded jobs are not the answer. The Treasurer might like to point to statistics to claim that the economy is strong, but Australians living in the real world know better. Around my electorate—and I'm sure it's the same in your electorates, and I do mean across the floor—businesses are doing it tough. They're closing their doors at record rates. You get accustomed to seeing 'vacant' signs popping up in increasingly high numbers. People and businesses out there are hurting. They know that, under the Labor government, food has gone up 15 per cent; health care, up 15 per cent; education, up 17 per cent; housing, up 19 per cent; rents, up 20 per cent; insurance and financial obligations, up 20 per cent; and—we all know this one because we all feel it—electricity, up 39 per cent, with gas on par at 39 per cent. It's no wonder people are closing their businesses and aren't able to put food on the table after going out and working all week. We now have working poor because of the policies of this government. In the year to June 2025, real wages grew by just 0.3 per cent, with most of that coming from the public sector pay rises. In simple terms, taxpayers are paying for wage growth. If you work in the private sector, that means that you are paying for bureaucrats' wage increases while your own wage remains flat. How often do you hear that? And then we see that productivity has gone backwards, under this government, by 5.7 per cent—the lowest in 60 years. Small business, the engine room of the economy, is on the brink, with insolvencies up 57 per cent in 12 months. The productivity roundtable talkfest was just another expense on the taxpayer, with predetermined outcomes. It is shameful. We've already seen Labor's idea of the productivity plan. It's called Future Made in Australia—a multibillion-dollar ad campaign dressed up as a policy. There's nothing productive or visionary about it. It's just old-school Labor, where politicians and bureaucrats pick the winners and taxpayers pick up the bill. What if, instead of another scheme, the government just stopped making things harder? Wouldn't that be nice? What if it paused the relentless red tape, got out of the way of business and let the private sector lead on jobs and innovation, which they do so well? We on this side of the floor know this: you don't raise living standards by raising taxes, you don't raise living standards by raising the cost of doing business and you don't raise living standards by increasing the burden on future generations. Australia's prosperity has always come from the hard work of entrepreneurs, innovators, small business and individual workers who get up every day and get on with the job, not from the hand of government. The coalition will back those who take risks, reward effort and investment and clear the path for the private sector to thrive. This is the only way to truly lift wages, ease cost-of-living pressures and build lasting prosperity. 15:36 Mr MATT SMITH 312393 Leichhardt Wages are rising, unlike under those opposite, who kept wages deliberately low for almost 10 years, hurting working families and hurting the households that they proclaim to get over the line. Why? Where does that money go? Our children have been locked out of the housing market. The best part of economic development is owning your own home. For almost 10 years, they didn't even bother to have a housing minister. We have built more homes in the last three years than the coalition did in almost 10. There are 490 social and affordable housing homes being built in Cairns right now. By the end of 2026, that number will top 500. You want to talk about households? We're building them. We're building them for people to live in, for people to build their lives and for people to participate in the economy and make their time here on this planet better. That's what Labor does. We think about the people, and the people impact the economy. You want to talk about the economy? I'm the basketball player, but I understand supply and demand, so we're addressing supply. You look at our cheaper renewables—the batteries, including home batteries. Guess what that produces? Demand. There we go. It's economic management. But, if you're looking at it more closely, interest rates are lower. Unemployment remains low and steady. There are tax cuts for everybody. Wages are going up. Child care is getting cheaper. Health care is getting cheaper. We are building more roads, and that includes $7.2 billion for the main artery in Queensland, the Bruce Highway, which will improve transportation, reduce costs and make sure we don't have so many problems during the wet season. That, by any definition, is good economic management. As to surpluses—a lot is made of surpluses—we've had two. The opposition had the merchandise. They had some cups. You could get a T-shirt. I could wear an NBA T-shirt; that doesn't mean I played in it. It's always good to wear the shirts that you actually earn. The clean energy policy is an investment in our future—Australia's future, our children's future. It will create real jobs, real opportunity and manufacturing jobs in places that need them the most, because where are the most renewables? The regions. We've got the most wind; we've got the most sun; we've got the most space; we've got the most water. The regions will lead the way in a renewable energy tidal wave that will take Australia into the 21st century—not looking backwards, not trying to prop up ageing and failing coal stations and not thinking about nuclear, the most expensive form of electricity. What was it? An $18 to $100 increase that every single Australian would pay for a nuclear ambition that was 20 years in the future? I'll be 65. My children will have bought their own houses—well, they'll build their own houses because of the five per cent deposit. They wouldn't have built their own houses if those opposite had had their way—but they would have had less super; they would have been on their knees. But we are preparing them for a great future. We're delivering them the economy they deserve and one that they can thrive in. Deliberately, wages were kept low, hurting people. But we've enshrined penalty rates. So, after I get back to Cairns tonight, when I go and have a beer with some mates on the weekend I'll know that the bloke serving me the beer is being paid properly. He's giving up his Sunday so I can enjoy mine. But the best thing about that beer? It's cheaper. Everybody loves cheaper beer. It's going down great guns in the far north. So I'll be having a cheaper beer from a bloke that I know is getting paid well as he saves up for a five per cent deposit for his first home. What a great day! We know that the job is not done. We know that there's more work to do. While those opposite are workshopping clever nicknames—I notice 'Nuclear-man' didn't get a run—we're getting on with the job. We were voted in to lead and to build Australia's future. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 I will remind the member for Leichhardt and others to use correct titles in the chamber. 15:41 Mr TIM WILSON IMW Goldstein It is so important for the next generation of Australians that this parliament understands the importance of fiscal prudence, because, when it comes down to it, when governments borrow from the future what they do is not just prime the economy today but indebt future generations. They then increase taxes on future generations. But they then add on inflation today. When you see an uptick in inflation, as people are seeing right now—and we saw that in the data this week—that is because this government is spending too much money. State and federal governments simply can't contain themselves, and, when they do that, you pay the price today, you pay the price tomorrow, your children pay the price, and your children and your grandchildren will continue to pay the price into future—all because they can't manage money today. But, in addition, they can't figure out and they're not prepared to invest in the reform this country desperately needs to build out the future economic growth that it desperately needs right now. It is hard; I am not going to try and pretend otherwise. But people elect governments to take responsibility, to stand up to the moment and to choose to be part of building Australia's future—and they are not stepping up to the occasion. Their only solution is to try and spend their way out of their present problems and indebt future generations in the process. It's even worse than that, because the legacy of where we are now is only likely to compound. While we've had this government engaging in victory laps every step of the way to date, it has not ended the problems of inflation. We've had the Treasurer out there saying: 'The problem's over; we've reached the peak. It's all over.' The data is increasingly showing that's not the case, and in fact, because they haven't addressed the root cause of the problems that are now confronting the economy, they are going to compound. We have a problem of centralised wage fixing, and that is going to make it harder to get economic growth. Because of that, it's going to be harder for Australians to get jobs. When you have centralised wage fixing, when you have the problem of low productivity, that only leads to one thing, which is higher inflation, higher interest rates and higher unemployment. That is a disaster for Australia today and it is a disaster for Australia into the future, and for future generations. This stuff matters because we are all going to live with the consequences into the future. Now is the time for the adults to stand up and take responsibility, but instead what we have, and we just saw it in question time only a few moments ago—the Prime Minister, every time he was confronted with a difficult question, deflected and either said things were above politics or tried to run interference for his ministers who couldn't answer questions. That's what's so disappointing. Whatever I think of the current prime minister or of his government, there is a simple reality: he has been given a very large majority and entrusted by the Australian people with an opportunity to do something significant. And, at the moment, they are not meeting that trust. My hope is that they will actually do something great for this country, because the Australian people need them to do something great for this country. Instead, what they're doing is creating future subprime problems in our mortgage market. They are making it harder for future generations to be able to go and buy their own home. They're taking money that younger generations desperately need for savings, to put towards their deposit for their first home, and putting it into savings accounts, while the evidence increasingly shows that people have too much money in their super but do not have enough for their savings for their first home. Their priorities are wrong, because every bit of their decision-making is focused on how they can empower themselves and control Australians, not empower Australians. There is one other matter that I want to raise, and I'm saying this with generosity. During the 90-second section before question time, I asked to table some documents. They include an ANU study that focused on the homophobia directed towards politicians—which, by the way, included homophobia directed towards people like Senator Wong. I asked for leave, with generosity, to table that study as well as other documents, and I'm again asking politely to table those documents. I seek leave to table the documents. Leave granted. Mr TIM WILSON IMW Thank you. 15:46 Ms TEESDALE 314526 Bass I rise today to respond to this matter of public importance as raised by the member for Fairfax. His MPI claims that the Albanese Labor government's so-called spending spree is harming households. Honestly, it baffles my mind. The truth could not be further from this claim. When we came to office in 2022, we had inherited, from those opposite, a trillion dollars of Liberal debt, deficits as far as the eye could see and a budget weighted down with waste, rorts and mismanagement. Since then, the Albanese Labor government, our government, has turned the nation's finances around, doing so while putting cost-of-living relief at the centre of its agenda. In only three budgets we have delivered two surpluses, which would be unknown to those opposite. We turned around more than $207 billion of budget deficit, reduced the projected debt by $177 billion, saving Australians $60 billion in interest payments that would otherwise have gone to the banks. It's amazing what you can do with that extra $60 billion when you're not giving it to banks. Our Labor government has achieved this while carefully restraining its spending. Real payments have grown under Labor. We're doing it at 1.7 per cent a year, less than half the average of what it was under the coalition. In contrast, those opposite had not found a single dollar to save in their last budgets. But numbers on a balance sheet are not the measure that matters the most. What matters to us, to Labor, is the impact on families, workers, pensioners and young people—particularly, for me, those in communities like Bass. In Bass, households were under severe pressure from global and other factors beyond the government's direct control. But the question for Bass households that I get asked is simple: is our government helping to ease this burden or is it leaving them to fend for themselves? I'm very proud to say that we are helping. How are we doing it? Well, since 1 July this year, eight new measures have come into effect that have put real dollars back into household budgets. Minimum and award wages have been increased. The superannuation guarantee has gone up again, building stronger retirements. Energy bill relief is flowing to households across the country, building again on the work that Labor has been doing since 2022. We have cut the cost of medicines twice. We've introduced 60-day prescriptions and boosted bulk-billing incentives and are freezing PBS co-payments. For families in Bass, these changes are not abstract. They've saved them real money at the pharmacy counter. Since 2022, cheaper medicines reforms have saved people in Bass more than $9 million. Across Tasmania, more than $32 million has been saved. That's money that would have otherwise come out of family budgets every single time a script was filled. You can't tell me that that doesn't make a difference. You can't tell me that that doesn't matter. We've also delivered cheaper child care, free TAFE and expanded paid parental leave. These are not luxuries; they're essential supports that help families get ahead and keep our economy strong. This is not wasted money. It is planned for, and it is important. While helping with those costs today, we're also focusing on the future in energy, skills, health care and infrastructure, the building blocks of long-term productivity and prosperity. Those opposite may want to talk about a so-called spending spree, but we wouldn't have to be spending this much money if they had done their job. What they don't want to talk about is their record: the trillion dollars of debt with nothing to show for it; nine years of stagnant wages, and missed opportunities on energy, skills and health. The economy was weaker and more vulnerable, with fewer tools to actually help households. In contrast, the Albanese Labor government, has delivered responsible economic management and real help with the cost of living. Inflation is in the target band. Wages have been growing. More than 1.1 million jobs have been created. You cannot tell me that that does not make a difference. People in Bass didn't vote for more of the same old cuts and excuses. They voted for action on cost of living. They voted for a government that backs them in, and that is exactly what Labor is delivering. 15:51 Mr CALDWELL 306489 Fadden The take-home message from this matter of public importance this afternoon is very simple. It's an important message for all of us in this place to remember, and that is that government spending and government decisions impact the lives of everyday Australians. It is more than fair for all of us on this side this afternoon to draw a clear line between what this Labor government have done over the last three years and the way that everyday Australians feel about their lives and their hip pockets. There are many examples of how they feel about their hip pockets and the bills that are landing in the mailbox. One example is in relation to mortgage expenses. As a result of government spending, inflation stayed too high for too long. The impact of that is that the Reserve Bank's hands are tied. There's only one mechanism that they can use to try and counteract what the Treasurer does, and that is to keep interest rates higher for longer. What does this mean for everyday Australians? It means that every single month the average mortgage holder is paying about $1,800 more on their mortgage than what they did when Labor first came to office in 2022. There are other markers that show why this Labor government is failing Australians: electricity prices are up by 39 per cent; gas, 39 per cent, rents, 20 per cent; and education, 17 per cent. I was recently contacted by a mother whose got some children in day care at Hope Island in my electorate. They explained that their daycare costs have now gone up by 25 per cent over two years. At the last election you would have believed nothing other than the fact that Labor would deliver cheaper child care. But the reality is so different for the average Australian. I have a few words on our Treasurer. In the last three years, Labor has added $100 billion to the national debt. We'll hit a trillion dollars this year and $1.2 trillion by the time the next election rolls around. The Treasurer is planning a decade of deficits, and now he has, really, one option in his sights, and that's to come after everyday Australians to help him pay for it. We know that the Treasurer wants to etch himself in the history books. He wants to be on the mugs and the tea towels out there in the parliamentary shop. But no other Treasurer has sat on that bench and been responsible for a higher level of national debt. That is an achievement not to be proud of. After three years, the Treasurer offered up a three-day think tank. But that wasn't even real; it was staged, because we know that big government, big unions and big super had already decided what the outcome was going to be. Everything was already in the newspapers. We read about it. The coalition has clearly outlined markers for success, and Labor has failed them. You don't raise living standards by raising taxes, you don't raise living standards by raising the cost of doing business and you don't raise living standards by raising the burden on future generations. The Treasurer wants you to believe he is careful with the nation's finances, but he has thrown out the budget rulebook so he can go on a spending spree at every Australian's expense. He's given himself a credit card, and it's got no limit. But the bill is going to be paid by every Australian—the ultimate buy-now pay-later scheme but with a repayment plan that's dumped on every Australian household. Over the last three years, Labor has racked up debt equivalent to every man, woman and child having a debt of $4,000. Australians deserve better, and the government's two strategies of debt and taxes are not a recipe for success. 15:56 Ms JARRETT 298574 Brisbane Australians spoke pretty loudly at the last election, and the make-up of the chamber pretty much tells that story. Why? Because they wanted to see cost-of-living pressures reduced, and they didn't want to see a $600 billion nuclear fantasy—which is, incidentally, a very big spend. I think many members in this House would agree that, during the campaign, cost of living was the No. 1 issue, and in my electorate it didn't matter whether it was Seb, who was studying at university, or the young couple trying to buy a house or even retired Ray, who was gardening when I dropped by. Our No. 1 priority was helping Australians with the cost of living, raising the standard of living, and we make no apologies for that. Let's look at what we've already done: tax cuts for every Australian, $300 in energy bill relief for every Australian household, and $325 for small business. We've tripled the bulk-billing incentive and restored bulk-billing to 11 million Australians, creating an additional six million bulk-billed GP visits. We've delivered cheaper medicines at a cost of $25. We've cut student debt, we've delivered free TAFE, we've delivered cheaper child care and we've delivered real wage increases for Australian workers. Not only did we see three consecutive pay rises for Australian workers on awards; we also delivered pay rises for aged-care and early childhood education and care workers. Who does this greatly benefit? Women, because women make up the majority of workers in those sectors. But wait; there is more on the way. We will deliver new tax cuts for every taxpayer, we will deliver more energy bill relief, and we'll wipe 20 per cent off student debt—well, that's happening right now. We will deliver the biggest boost to Medicare, delivering those extra GP visits I mentioned. We're expanding the growing network of Medicare urgent care clinics across Australia, including one in Brisbane. We're making free TAFE permanent, and we're delivering affordable child care close to home. In case you missed it, we're building the biggest ever house build. We want more Australians into their own home. We'll give first home buyers access to that five per cent deposit, which will start in October, and invest $10 billion to build up to 100,000 homes for sale to first home buyers only. We're making the tax system simpler by delivering $1,000 instant tax deductions, and we're delivering our Cheaper Home Batteries Program to help with energy cost relief. We have also legislated to protect penalty rates in awards. That went through today, and I'm very proud of that. And we're ensuring that the wages of around three million workers do not go backwards, as they did under the opposition. The shadow Treasurer hasn't really learnt anything from the election results. Australians made it loud and clear that they wanted action on cost of living. On this side of the House, we believe in helping one another while the opposition over there would rather focus on cuts. When Australians are hurting, it's the role of government to step in when we can. Let me remind those opposite of their record when they left office. As the minister and others before me highlighted, Australia's budget was at its weakest point under the former Morrison-Joyce government. The coalition inflicted immense economic damage and inflation on Australian households and families. Their shameful record of waste and rorts led to skyrocketing inflation and interest rates. Households were under immense stress and pressure to make ends meet, yet the coalition continued to spend and mismanage Australia's finances. Despite this pressure on households, the Morrison government still decided on tax cuts that left behind people earning $45,000 a year or less. Where did they want their tax cuts to go? They went to the rich, to those who did not need it the most. Households were simply forgotten by the former coalition government. Here we are today, under Labor, and more households are working and earning more, and they're keeping more of what they earn. Under this government, real wages are up, superannuation is strengthening, inflation is down, unemployment is low and incomes are growing. We won't be lectured by those opposite on how to lift living standards, nor on economic management. Your record speaks for itself. To use a previous speaker's words: what we do matters. 16:01 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina We have heard a fair bit of drivel in this discussion of matter of public importance. It's no wonder as we’ve got the member for Leichhardt and the member for Bass. I appreciate that they are new members, but they've got basketball backgrounds. The member for Leichhardt played the game at the highest level in Australia, and the member for Bass was a basketball coach. Well done to them both for that. Sport is healthy, and basketball is a fantastic sport. But when you come into the chamber on an MPI, don't always take the talking points that you're given by the dirt unit of the Labor Party and just spout them in the chamber, because sometimes you might get led astray. Sometimes your pass might be misplaced. We heard the member for Leichhardt talking about the tidal wave of green energy projects in regional Australia and suggesting that this was a good thing. Let me tell you that, if he visits the Riverina, he will hear completely the opposite, because those green energy projects are going to hurt, and they are already hurting the lives and livelihoods of my constituents. The member for Bass talked about the trillion dollars worth of Liberal Party debt. I might remind the member for Bass that it was the Liberal-National government. We are in a coalition. I appreciate she acknowledges that. When there's talk about the trillion dollars— Mr McCORMACK 219646 Member for Fenner, just be quiet for a moment. You might learn something too. When Labor members talk about the 'trillion dollars of Liberal Party debt', to quote them, I just want to refer them to the RMIT ABC fact check article of Monday 8 May 2023. This is the ABC; this isn't me. This isn't the Liberal or National Party talking points unit. They say this: During an April 13 interview with Sky News, Treasurer Jim Chalmers— I'm reading here. I know he's the member for Rankin— said he was concerned "about the cost of servicing that trillion dollars in Liberal debt that we inherited from out predecessors". That's what he said, and the RMIT ABC Fact Check investigated it. It said: Mr Chalmers's claim is spin. When the Coalition left office in March 2022, Labor was left with $888 billion of gross debt— I appreciate it's a big number— or $517 billion of net debt. Listen to this one. The article goes on: But while most of that debt was accrued during the Coalition's term, a sizeable chunk was inherited from the previous Labor government. Labor's share amounted to either 25 per cent of gross debt ($218 billion), or 31 per cent of net debt ($161 billion). In neither case did this represent a "tiny fraction" of the total. I appreciate the member for Bass is a new member, but what she should know—and what the member for Fenner would know because he was here at the time—is that there was a global pandemic. We had to address the most challenging of times, and we kept small businesses open. Mr McCORMACK 219646 I sat in silence while you had your contributions. Please give me the respect of doing the same for me. Ms Comer 316551 You interject all the time. Mr McCORMACK 219646 No, I didn't interject. You can trust that the Deputy Speaker would have told me to be quiet. Government members interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 Okay, members on this side! You have about a minute and 20 seconds left to behave. Over to you, Member for Riverina. Mr McCORMACK 219646 These were challenging times. Money needed to be spent, and money was spent, not only to keep the doors of business open but, indeed, to keep people alive. When we talk about keeping the doors of business open, here is a number which doesn't need fact-checking—29,521. Between June 2022 and March 2025, while Labor's been in government, according to ASIC, the corporate regulator, that's the number of businesses that have gone broke, gone insolvent. When we talk about housing, there's been a number of construction companies that have gone to the wall. When we talk of spending, in the last three years, Labor has added $100 billion—more, probably—to the national debt. We'll hit a trillion dollars this year, and that will be on Labor's watch. It'll be $1.2 trillion by the next election. When we think about the jobs that have been created, they have been on the public purse. What they've done is add to compliance for businesses. This is hurting the economy. This is hurting everyday households. This is forcing prices up. So, when you're given the talking points by the Labor dirt unit, do your own fact-checking and know that they're not right. 16:06 Ms WITTY 316660 Melbourne The opposition would have us believe that this government is on a reckless spending spree. But let us be clear: what they call a 'spree', families in my electorate call a 'lifeline'. Before entering this place, I was the CEO of the Nappy Collective. That work started with the simple idea to collect nappies when children had grown out of them or toilet-trained too quickly and pass them on to families in crisis, families looking for help because of the crushing weight of the cost-of-living pressures following years of Liberal-Nationals cuts and attacks on workers, parents who were unable to afford essentials. We all do our best for our children, but what if, at even your best, you can't provide them with a clean nappy not because of a crisis but because of rising costs that have pushed you to the edge and the failure of minimum wage to keep pace? That is the reality outside this chamber. That is why this government has chosen action over slogans and responsibility over scare campaigns. From 1 July, every household in Australia will see another $150 taken off their power bills. That relief matters when you are sitting at the kitchen table, wondering how to pay the next bill. We have delivered a 3.5 per cent pay rise for millions of Australians on minimum and award wages. These are workers who spend every cent on food, housing and school costs—not luxuries but basics, like nappies. This government is making sure their wages keep pace with the cost of living. We have extended paid parental leave to 24 weeks and, for the very first time, super will be paid on parental leave. That will not just help families in the here and now; it will mean long-term financial security, especially for women, who often retire with less. We are making sure student nurses, teachers, social workers and midwives are paid during their practical placements. Young people training for those critical professions will no longer have to choose between gaining experience and paying their bills. We are strengthening Medicare, with a $1.8 billion boost for hospitals, new rebates for longer consultations and better care for women's health. We have just spent the week speaking about how the cost of prescriptions will come down. Good health care should not depend on your bank balance and women's pain should never be dismissed or ignored. It's not just about the cost of living; it's about the quality of life you live. We are backing ambition with support for apprenticeships in housing and construction, with discounts on home batteries to permanently lower power bills. We will continue to provide help for small businesses to invest and grow. This is not a spending spree. This is a government stepping in responsibly and carefully to make sure families do not fall through the cracks. When I think of the parents who came to the Nappy Collective for the first time, parents who never thought they would be in that position, I know exactly why these measures matter. They mean fewer families pushed to the point of desperation. They mean a little more breathing room. They mean dignity. Those opposite can talk all they like about numbers on a page. On this side, we will keep talking about the people behind those numbers—the families, the workers, the students, and the small businesses who need and deserve a government that has their back. This is not about ideology; it's about compassion. It's about security, and it is about fairness. That is exactly what the Albanese Labor government is delivering. Seriously, those opposite have no idea what families are going through. The choice is clear: Labor delivers relief and responsibility; the Liberals and Nationals deliver nothing but defects, debt and cuts. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 248181 The time for this discussion has now concluded. BILLS 70 BILLS Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025 70

Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025

Returned from Senate 70 Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2025 71

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2025

Report from Committee 71 16:11 Mr WALLACE 265967 Fisher On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I present the committee's advisory report on the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2025. Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). Mr WALLACE 265967 by leave—I present the committee's advisory report on the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2025. ASIO Amendment Bill (No. 1) proposes a single change to the ASIO Act: extend the operation of the ASIO compulsory questioning warrant framework for a further 18 months, from September 2025 to March 2027. While bill No. 1 proposes only a time extension, the concurrently introduced ASIO Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2025 seeks to make the compulsory questioning framework a permanent part of ASIO's intelligence-gathering powers and other, more comprehensive reforms. The PJCIS has already adopted an inquiry in relation to bill No. 2. The extension of sunsetting proposed in bill No. 1 would allow the committee to complete an in-depth review of ASIO's compulsory questioning powers that it commenced in the previous parliament, drawing on evidence to that review and inviting new evidence to the bill No. 2 inquiry. The committee looks forward to completing a full inquiry into the existing powers and proposed amendments in bill No. 2 and reporting to parliament in due course. Bill No. 1 has already passed the House with bipartisan support and is now before the Senate. The committee recommends that the bill be passed. I commend the report to the House. DOCUMENTS 71 DOCUMENTS Housing Australia Investment Mandate Amendment (Delivering on Our 2025 Election Commitment) Direction 2025 71 Consideration 71 16:14 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina It is the great dream of every Australian to own their own home, and this is so crucially important. Having a roof over your head and owning it yourself has to be the aspiration of Australians, particularly those who are working, paying taxes and having aspirations, but it's becoming more and more difficult. It was really interesting to read in the Australian yesterday the piece by the highly respected Robert Gottliebsen, headed 'Government charges pushing new home costs above market value'. He gave the government some credit in the introductory sentence: The Albanese government's first-home buyers scheme will help a lot of younger Australian gain a dwelling, and it's a good first step, but it does not address the fundamental problem. He is so right. He continued: In many areas of the dwelling market the cost of building, fuelled by government taxes plus construction costs, has risen to a point where, on a bricks-and-mortar comparison, it is cheaper to buy an existing dwelling than to build a new one. And I appreciate that. But there's also the fact that so many construction companies are going to the wall—pardon the pun. They truly are. They can't build a wall because they're going bankrupt. Indeed, it is becoming more and more difficult. The demolition—again, pardon the pun—of the Australian Building and Construction Commission in the first term of this government took away the regular cop on the beat as far as construction working sites go. Then, as Robert Gottliebsen said in his article, we've got, particularly in apartments, 'a militant union movement' adding 'cost uncertainty, particularly in Brisbane.' He talked about the 'gap between market values and building costs' making banks 'nervous about lending.' Then consider the Daily Telegraph report, back on 31 July: Construction firms are falling like dominoes with insolvencies almost tripling— tripling!— in a decade, casting considerable doubt over NSW's— my home state's— plan to build hundreds of thousands of new homes. In fact, the figure is 377,000 new homes—that's the plan—by 2029 under the National Housing Accord. Then consider the number of construction companies that are failing, the number of construction companies going into liquidation. In the 2024-25 financial year, this increased to a historic high of 1,567, up from 611 in 2014-15. That data comes from the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. Industry leaders are very worried. It's all well and good for Labor to come in here and talk about the Housing Australia investment mandate amendment. It's all well and good for them to crow about the fact that Labor's building 1.2 million homes. That's the plan. Well, I've said it many times, good luck with that. And I do genuinely mean good luck with that, because with construction companies failing by the numbers that I mentioned it is going to be so difficult. What Labor needs to do is reduce compliance on business. It is crucial that the government does this. We've already seen nearly 30,000 small businesses go into bankruptcy under this government. Many of them are in the construction space. It is so hard. I know Labor are talking up the importance of tertiary education—and, yes, it's fine to have a university education—and then they go on about free TAFE—and that's a misnomer too—but what about the relief, help for tradies, sparkies, chippies and brickies? It's just not there. If Labor wants to do something in the housing space, it needs to address, much better, the cost-of-living pressures on so many Australians and so many Australian families, those Australians who once had the idea, the dream, the aspiration of owning their own home, which is off into the never, never. It's almost becoming an impossible dream. We've got buyers agent Diane Klem-Goode describing the current housing market as 'limited' and 'madness'—and it is. It truly is, and Labor is doing very little about it. This is just a folly. 16:19 Ms MASCARENHAS 298800 Swan Talking about madness from the member for Riverina! We are working on the cost of living, and one of the things that we can do to help households is help with their wages. The coalition's policy in the last government was to keep wages deliberately low. That's unacceptable and that's not what Australians want. They want to earn more and keep more of what they earn so they can get into the housing market. Labor has been putting on the table everything that it can to make sure that we are making differences to the lives of everyday Australians, and it is clear that that was shown at the ballot box on election day earlier this year. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to speak on this motion and welcome our policy of a five per cent deposit for all first home buyers. It adds to a list of proud achievements that Labor has been working on. This includes the Housing Australia Future Fund, $10 billion to ensure that we have a steady stream of social and affordable housing. We will not waste a decade like the coalition did. We also have the National Housing Accord. This is a plan for bringing all state and territory governments together to make sure that we have a vision for the housing supply that we need. That will be 1.2 million homes by 2030, but, as a part of that, we also committed $350 billion to build 10,000 homes. We also have the Help to Buy scheme, worth $6.3 billion. We're backing home buyers with shared equity. We have the Social Housing Accelerator, with another $2 billion to help refurbish homes and provide new homes to the states and territories. We even have a crisis and transitional accommodation fund, which is $100 million for women and children experiencing family and domestic violence and also older women at risk of homelessness, which is one of the fastest-growing groups that we have within our communities that are experiencing homelessness. I also have to commend the Minister for Housing, because we are a government that not only makes commitments and sets out timeframes; we also sometimes overdeliver. And so, rather than this scheme of a five per cent deposit starting on 1 January, we have brought it forward to 1 October. We are doing that because we want to get people into their own home sooner. This is what we do when we have a keen and active cabinet that is working on the problems of everyday Australians. Over 180,000 first home buyers have already benefited from our five per cent deposit scheme. One million households received a nearly 50 per cent increase in rent assistance. Five hundred thousand homes have been built since we came into office, and 28,000 social and affordable homes are in planning or construction. This new rule basically means that you don't have to save up a 20 per cent deposit, which can take such a long time. We uncapped the scheme so that this can be something that's available for all first home buyers. For single parents, we are continuing the Family Home Guarantee, which will help them buy a home with as little as two per cent. It reminds me of my dear friend whom I studied with at Murdoch University. We were studying community development, and she was living in social housing and was working hard to provide for her family, her daughter. The sense of having a secure roof over her head was important. She graduated from university, got an excellent job with her new masters degree and was so excited to have the opportunity to have housing—a permanent roof over her family's heads—for the rest of their lives. This is what Labor governments do, right? But let's think about it. If we think about the opposition's time in power, we know there was a total neglect of social and affordable housing. There was no national coordination or leadership. There was a wasted decade of reform on planning and regulation. There was contempt of renters and a failure to act in the middle of a rental crisis. There was a wasted decade of potential federal action on housing. It's kind of funny because there was also a period of time where there was no housing minister, which I think is quite extraordinary. I'm surprised that Scott Morrison didn't declare himself the secret minister for housing as well. This is probably our No. 1 issue. It would actually have been useful, but he didn't clock that. So we inherited a mess. The thing that I'd say is that we're working systematically on this. Some of these policies will take time to implement, and there will be a time lag because it takes time to build houses. But we're even working on how quickly we can build houses, from fast-tracking trade skills that we need to making fee-free TAFE legislated for ever. We are doing everything that we can. It's interesting, because the coalition in their time neglected social and affordable housing because they did not value it. They did not value people having a roof over their head. They built fewer than 400 homes while in government, and they promised to cut our investments if elected. They attacked the Housing Australia Future Fund, forming a 'no-alition' with the Greens which would have meant a $10 billion fund locking in social housing for the long term could not be implemented. Then, after delaying it for months, and with their latest talking points saying that it wasn't moving fast enough, they attacked the National Housing Accord—a milestone for federal leadership and a collaboration with the states. This is what Labor governments do. We work with others, and the productivity roundtable showed that as well. The coalition delayed the Help to Buy scheme, accusing us of wanting to own other people's homes—never mind the real people living in their own homes right now liking it. They committed to cutting the $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator, which saw us coordinating the injection funds straight to the states. The Liberal government wasted a decade with no planning and regulation reform, and that's quite sad. Out of our summit that we held the week before parliament, we had agreement across sectors and committed actions on starting real planning reforms, building environmental regulations that are fit-for-purpose and freezing the building code. This is something that we're doing because we know that it is really important that we get as many homes built as quickly as possible. The Liberal contempt for housing is as old as the Howard years. It's the same thing as before, and it's clear today. It made for a great question time moment where there was an exchange between John Howard, the radio presenter and a caller named Phyllis. The presenter said: You've said no-one's complained to you about the rising increase in the value of their home, let me be the first to complain—people like myself are actually being forced to face the possibility that we may be renting for the rest of our lives because getting into … The Prime Minister said: Do you own a home? The presenter then said: No, I rent. The Prime Minister then said: No, well I'm sorry, I was talking about people who owned a home. I did, to be fair Steve, I did make that point. I said I haven't found anybody who owns a home complaining to me that the value of it has gone up. Phyllis then called in, showing her sense of intergenerational fairness, and she said: …We're on a pension and we would like to sell our homes, go into a unit or a townhouse or something. But we can't do that because if we do, we're going to spend the whole amount just on a townhouse or a unit and we'll have nothing left over if we need to do anything to it. So we're stuck. The Prime Minister said: Look Phyllis, what I said was that not everybody was sitting on a nest egg. I said people had not complained about the value of their house going up. … … … Well you're not … you're not actually complaining. What you're really saying is the value of a house hasn't gone up enough. Phyllis said: No, no, no. I disagree. I think that it is ridiculous that the inflation of the housing prices … what about our grandchildren? The Prime Minister then said: Well look, that is a valid point and I've acknowledged that. I'm not saying that there aren't problems for people buying for the first time, but you have to look at it in terms of both existing homeowners and future homeowners and what we have to try and do, and you quite rightly identify in relation to your grandchildren, is to find ways of mitigating the cost of getting into your first home. Well, former prime minister John Howard, we are onto it. This new scheme is a way of getting new first home buyers into their home sooner, faster, better. ADJOURNMENT 73 ADJOURNMENT Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence 74 16:30 Mr WILKIE C2T Clark Our country continues to be shaken by revelations of systemic and institutional abuse against women and children. Stories continue to surface in our childcare centres, our armed forces, our schools, our aged-care facilities and our homes. This fact should be deeply uncomfortable for us and a constant reminder that, while countless hours have gone into royal commissions, inquiries and strategies to end this epidemic of violence, we cannot afford to lose momentum. For instance, in Tasmania, the inquiry into child sexual abuse in institutions laid bare a harrowing history of suffering. The testimony from victims-survivors, whistleblowers and advocates was courageous and confronting. Yet this issue and the resulting recommendations for change were noticeably thin on the ground in the lead-up to the recent 2025 Tasmanian election. It could be that the solutions are so universally agreed upon that it no longer needs public discussion, but history doesn't give me confidence, and the costs of complacency are much too high. Remember, as recently as 2024, police reporting showed 644 sexual assault cases and over 5,600 family violence incidents in Tasmania alone. We know, sadly, that cases like these are under-reported, so the true numbers are certainly even higher. With all the inquiries, declarations and statements about ending violence against women and children within a generation, I think we are hopeful that, when someone finds the courage to speak out against violence in 2025, they would be met with support and care and that speaking up would mark the beginning of safety and healing. But, sadly, this is still often not the reality. Instead, victims-survivors confront systems that are ill prepared to receive them or, in fact, turn against them. For instance, income and child support systems become weaponised, and AI and digital technologies are used to track and harass. It is no wonder legal, counselling and emergency support services are increasingly stretched to breaking point in their attempt to simply meet demand. Even in the here and now, I hear stories of women who spoke up but were then met with systems that are too often retraumatising, while young people under 18 often have no clear pathway whatsoever to seek help if they are experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence. The reality is that the systems and supports created decades ago for those seeking refuge or healing from violence are now under-resourced and overwhelmed by the growing demand, demand which is driven by welcome cultural awareness and societal change but which still needs corresponding investment. It is patently outrageous, for example, that women's legal service lawyers are paid less than lawyers in community legal centres. What's more, organisations are calling out for stability because, quite simply, to plan effectively and adapt their services, they require adequate funding and long-term contracts. This need for long-term investment is especially urgent in Tasmania, which has the second-highest rate of sexual violence in the country yet receives the lowest state government funding contribution to domestic, family and sexual violence. Does the Tasmanian state government even understand the simple premise that healing cannot happen on scraps and good intentions? Clearly not. What's also needed is our schools, workplaces and institutions proactively reshaping the environments they operate in to support our most vulnerable. Institutional transparency and accountability is fundamental, and every level of government needs to work towards more flexible and adaptive systems. Moreover, every service that victims-survivors go to for support must be built on trauma informed practices and guided by lived-experience advocates. Finally, we need to stop waiting for a crisis to motivate change. Surely, enough victims-survivors have shared their trauma already to ensure that we know how to improve the future. Surely, it's now the responsibility of all of us in power to transparently get on and relentlessly challenge misogyny, victim blaming and discriminatory practices wherever they thrive. Frankly, the burden and responsibility of reform needs to shift from victims-survivors. Yes, their voices and lived experiences must be central, but it's the job of decision-makers to take responsibility for driving structural reform and cultural transformation and restoring systems that have failed too many for far too long. Macarthur Electorate: Mental Health 74 16:35 Dr FREELANDER 265979 Macarthur It's been a very busy couple of weeks in the Macarthur electorate, especially for those with an interest in health related matters, with visits from the Special Envoy for Men's Health and member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi; the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Senator Jenny McAllister, and the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride. And we've had a great time. Firstly, Minister McAllister joined me to meet with the terrific teams at Macarthur Disability Services and the Campbelltown Arts Centre's Little Orange Studio. We began our day at Little Orange Studio, which provides services for people with disabilities, including people with hearing loss, vision impairment, intellectual disability and autism. The arts centre not only provides a space for these creative individuals, whose artwork you can find proudly on display and for sale in the arts centre shop, but also gives lessons in art and in social engagement. It's a great service for the people of Macarthur with disabilities. We then visited the incredible team at Macarthur Disability Services at their Campbelltown office. I've worked with MDS for the last 40 years. They have a long and continuing track record in providing supports for people with disabilities to get into the workforce and train in a whole range of areas, working in hospitality, factories, transport et cetera. MDS have done a great job for many years. They have worked with patients of mine with disability, ensuring they can get into the workforce once they leave school, and I'm very proud of their work. MDS now have an array of centres around Macarthur which enable those living with a disability to learn very important skills and supports. The minister and I were treated to some terrific cups of coffee made by their in-house cafe team, who learn barista service and waiting skills, helping them gain experience to take into the world of hospitality. I thank Minister McAllister for her visit. The assistant minister for mental health, Emma McBride, then visited the soon-to-be-completed Medicare mental health centre in the heart of Campbelltown, the first of its kind in our region. It's an incredibly important initiative which will allow people to get walk-in access to mental health care. It will form an important link between our hospital services and people in the community with mental health issues, providing services at a time and place where people can access them. The centre is going to be staffed with social workers, nurses, peer support workers and mental health workers and will have access to psychiatry services et cetera. It's very close to Campbelltown station and very close to our hospital. And it gets even better—it will provide free walk-in mental health services across the board and across the age spectrum, including for children, adolescents and adults. It's a big win for Macarthur, as individuals of all ages, incomes and backgrounds will be able to access care. Last week we welcomed the Special Envoy for Men's Health and expert beard grower Dan Repacholi. I was a bit taken aback when we were up on the stage, talking to the students, and Dan told them that if I'd eaten my vegetables when I was a kid I would be as tall as him! He provided those kids, as well as their teachers and parents, with a great insight into men's health—how it starts in childhood and how they can have healthy bodies and healthy minds in the future. Dan's role is unfortunately increasingly important as men of all ages struggle with mental health and physical health. We need to make sure our kids are well prepared for the adult life that they will face. The kids loved it. Also, beforehand, we met with Leigh Ninham, a local Campbelltown champion of men's health, who runs our Mr Perfect barbecues on weekends to help men with mental health issues get out of the house and into social interaction and supports in our community. It was a great week for Macarthur. I really thank both the ministers and Dan for coming to my electorate. We had great fun, but we also were able to deliver some really important services to the Macarthur electorate which I'm very proud of. I thank St Gregory's College for having us there. I hope that they enjoyed it as much as I did. It's a really great sign that the Albanese government is serving the community. (Time expired) Parkes Electorate: Floods 75 16:40 Mr CHAFFEY 316312 Parkes The large electorate of Parkes stretches over 400,000 square kilometres in a slice of New South Wales that showcases just about everything that Mother Nature can come up with. As one region battles drought, another faces flooding. This month, there have been natural disaster declarations in both the Narrabri and Gunnedah shires in the Parkes electorate following two major flooding events. These declarations would be good news for those shires if they weren't already completely disheartened by the fact that they are still chasing funding to fix road damage from the previous three years worth of flooding events. There is a major disconnect between available federal funding and the New South Wales government's priorities. Councils not only in Narrabri and Gunnedah but throughout New South Wales are fighting a battle to access money to fix their road networks, and I'm sure that's the same right throughout regional Australia. Knocked back for a large percentage of the funding that they need, councils face huge delays and do not receive the funding for years. I believe there is far more than $100 million in disaster funding outstanding or denied for roads among New South Wales regional councils. In addition, councils are repeatedly told that they cannot flood-proof these roads. They must replace them to the same sub-standard that they were before the event. This means that these roads are destroyed every single time there is a flooding event, over and over again. How is it responsible financial management? People need these roads every single day, not just once every three years. The money is there for the road funding. The blockage must be cleared, and more action must be taken between the federal government and the New South Wales government to get the funding out to councils sooner. I'd like to share some correspondence from a few of the councils within the Parkes electorate in relation to disaster relief claims. The Parkes Shire Council said: 'Over the past five years, the Parkes shire has faced six declared natural disasters, including severe storms and flooding. Most recently, in November 2022, the recovery from these events required substantial efforts and resources. The council incurred significant costs in restoring critical transport networks, clearing debris and addressing community needs. 'Following a thorough review, council has identified approximately $1.4 million in unclaimed storm damage expenditure. Based on the guidelines from Transport for NSW, approximately $1 million was considered to be potentially eligible with sufficient evidence, while $177, 251 was deemed ineligible. The costs in question are real and essential expenditure incurred to restore vital infrastructure and transport access. Council has now been advised that a further $910,153 submitted for assessment has been reviewed, and only $173,749 has been approved for reimbursement. It is a deeply disappointing outcome that further restrains council's financial position.' We move on to the Gunnedah Shire Council, who said: 'The community of Gunnedah suffered nine flooding events between November 2021 and October 2022, which included seven major flooding events. Three of these events were captured under DRFA. Frustratingly for council and incredulously for the community, we are still waiting for approval to undertake almost half of those works; $10.1 million has been approved out of a claim for $14.8 million. So $4.7 million has been denied. 'In addition to the significant delays in getting approvals to undertake repair works and in receiving payment for works completed, council continues to face challenges in receiving consistent and reliable consideration for claims submitted and proposed treatments. Transport for NSW officers, and multiple changes in the reviewing officers, have provided differing guidelines and guidance on claims throughout the years. This has necessitated years of repeated claims and having to resubmit substantiation for the proposed treatments and associated costs. This does not just come at a cost and take time but is also a financial burden for reworks. It has inflationary impacts and, of course, impacts primary producers and community amenity.' South Australia: Italian Community 76 16:45 Mr GEORGANAS DZY Adelaide I rise today to speak about a particular group within my electorate that I'm very, very proud of. That is a community that has been thriving since World War II and prior and has done many, many things not just in my electorate but right around Australia, including the member for Sturt's electorate. That is the Italian community of South Australia. I'm very proud to represent nearly 10,000 people in my electorate who claim to have Italian heritage. I am very proud to have many clubs in my electorate, like the Casa D'Abruzzo Molise Club, the Anzano club, and certain places of religious worship, Catholic churches, that many Italian social clubs congregate around, such as the Queen of Angels Church at Thebarton and the Sacred Heart church at Port Road, Hindmarsh. There's also a very energetic group, the Italian Pensioners of Thebarton and Suburbs, that has been meeting for a number of years at the West Torrens community centre every Wednesday. Once a month, they put on a lunch. I've been very blessed to have been invited to most of their events. I pay tribute to Frank Violi, who has been the president for many years and just retired from the position recently. But I rise to speak about something even more important. Most of these clubs are under the auspices of the South Australian Italian Association, which is in my electorate in Carrington Street. For many years they ran Italian language classes—in other words, Italian as a community language—for second- and third-generation Italian Australians. But, unfortunately, that stopped, going back a few years. It was a great cause and it allowed people to foster connection with their heritage and their family's language. There's some great news: they've started it again. Under the auspices of Phil Donato, the president of the club, they're restarting the Italian language classes not just for people of Italian heritage but for everyone. The teaching of community languages and the Italian community schools is very important. As we're getting into the next generations—the third and fourth generations—it's getting harder for them to maintain their language. There has never been a more crucial time than now for this community Italian language school to get up and running. We have written to the education department to see what assistance can be given. They've already got some students starting. Certainly it is very important, especially for many children to communicate with grandparents, which many of us in this place take for granted. But, when you think about it, as people get older they lose their second language ability and, as we go down the generations, they lose their first language abilities that perhaps their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents had. So it's more crucial than ever. The speaking of two languages in this country is very crucial. I think it's something that we should try and maintain as much as possible throughout our communities. There is nothing greater than being able to speak a second language, but it assists our nation as well for trade, foreign affairs and a whole range of things. Many of our basic communications with other countries are done through the community groups that we have who have so much connection to other countries, whether it be through their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents. It's great to represent a community such as the South Australian Italian Association. They started out as the Catholic Italian Welfare Association in 1949, and they became incorporated in 1952. They merged with other Italian organisations and formed the Italian-Australian Centre in 1965. From there, the South Australian Italian Association was born in 1967. The current building, as I said, stands in Carrington Street. It opened in 1972, and it has served as a hub for Italian culture ever since, actively promoting a sense of togetherness and inclusion, and maintaining the culture, heritage and language, which is so important. It's because of this that I'm so proud to represent the South Australian Italian community and the SAIA board, a team of highly competent, dedicated professionals. As I said, they have recently re-established the Italian Community Language School, with a mission to deliver accessible Italian language programs. (Time expired) Economy 77 16:50 Mr PIKE 300120 Bowman I spend a lot of time talking with small businesses across my electorate in the Redlands. They're the family-run firms, the tradies, the shopfronts and the service providers who put their own money and their own time on the line. I'll tell you what they're telling me—that it's getting harder, not easier, to make ends meet. They tell me about the risks of putting on new staff. They want to grow, they want to invest, but the barriers are stacked against them. Costs keep rising, red tape keeps piling up and the confidence that drives investment has been sapped. We have a productivity crisis in this country. Both sides of the parliament will agree on that. The heartbreaking thing is that, when I talk to local businesses about how they can grow their production, how they can employ more people, their response is far too often to say, 'Unfortunately, it's just become too hard.' Last week, we saw three days of talk right here in Canberra. Sadly, there have been no outcomes from the government's productivity summit that offer a shred of relief for families or businesses—nothing to reverse Australia's nosedive in productivity growth and the biggest fall in living standards in the developed world. Instead, we saw big unions opening the door to higher taxes—taxes on superannuation, savings, housing and the family business. This is the same old agenda that we see from the other side of this place, unfortunately. We've seen the government outlays blowing out from 24 to 27 per cent of GDP, debt is climbing to $1.2 trillion and the Treasurer's only answer is more taxes. Business groups are warning that this approach will drive down investment and productivity, and that's of course the exact opposite of what's needed. Unfortunately, productivity is in freefall in Australia. Australia's competitiveness ranking has slid from 13th to 18th in just two years. We've seen annual growth running at 1.3 per cent, less than half the long-term average, and Australia has fallen from 20th to 60th in the world for growth per person. Of course, that measure is critically important when you're boiling these stats down to what they mean to Australian households. I recently surveyed businesses across the Redlands to get a true picture of how things are going on the ground. The results should ring alarm bells for every member of this House. Ninety-six per cent of businesses in my electorate expect their operating to costs to rise over the next year; more than half the local businesses believe the economy will shrink this financial year; price pressures are identified as the single biggest handbrake on growth; and only 11 per cent of businesses in the Redlands believe federal policy is helping to drive jobs or investment. These aren't just statistics; I believe they're warning signs. They are the lived experience of employers who are the backbone of the economy in my community. Labor's answer to all this is just another summit—another roundtable, another talkfest. Sadly, this latest effort mirrored last term's Jobs and Skills Summit and Kevin Rudd's 2020 summit: heavy on hype and light on delivery. Rather than more talk, local employers are telling me they want more action. They are proposing practical reforms. Some of the ideas that I've heard from local businesses include bringing back full expensing so businesses can instantly deduct capital investment; cutting unnecessary regulation, especially for small firms; simplifying awards and workplace laws so enterprise bargaining is actually flexible; backing business investment with a competitive tax system; and ending this government's habit of picking winners and handouts for favoured sectors. Productivity doesn't come from a minister's press release; it comes from the ground up. It comes from the hundreds of local businesses in the Redlands who back themselves every day and who create jobs for our community. They deserve a government that gets out of their way and gets off their back. And here is the truth. If we want to turn around our nation's productivity, if we want to restore living standards, if we want our children to inherit a country that is stronger, wealthier and more secure, then we need to back small business—not with talk, not with summits, but with real reform, because, when small businesses succeed, Australia succeeds. When local employers thrive, families thrive. And when we've put our trust in the enterprise and the hard work of our small-business people, this sector of the economy has never let us down. Napoleon once sneered at the English that they were a nation of shopkeepers. He meant it as an insult. But history proved it to be a compliment—a nation built on enterprise. In Australia, that inherited tradition of small business runs deep. Menzies of course reminded us of the great middle class—the men and women who run the corner stores, the workshops and the farms. John Howard often spoke about small business being the backbone of the economy, and he was right. These businesses aren't just numbers in the accounts; they're families; they're livelihoods; they're the spirit of self-reliance and independence that has always defined this country. Supporting small business is the path to higher wages, to stronger growth and to restoring the great promise of Australia. Sturt Electorate: Sport 78 16:55 Ms CLUTTERHAM 316101 Sturt I rise this afternoon to share with this House the successes of a number of sporting clubs in my great electorate of Sturt. There are 130,000 registered voters in my electorate, and I am confident that almost every one of them is passionate about community sport. During my campaign, I met with residents from all across the electorate who were community volunteers dedicated to ensuring that their local sporting club flourished and dedicated to ensuring that kids had somewhere to play, somewhere to connect and somewhere where their physical and mental health could be curated. One of those clubs is the Saints gymnastics club. The Saints gymnastics club has been around for more than 30 years. It currently trains in a gymnasium in the St Peter's Girls School in the far-eastern suburb of Stonyfell. It has over 300 members, who are dedicated to their craft and who revel in physical fitness and strength. The Saints gymnastic club regularly sends competitors to national and state competitions, where they have experienced immense success. The Saints gymnastics club, is, however, currently looking for a new training facility in Sturt. The St Peter's Girls School is undertaking a long-planned and deserved redevelopment of their gymnasium, which means Saints needs to find a new facility. They are partnering currently with lots of different sporting organisations and community organisations across the electorate, and it is my sincere hope that they do locate a new home so that the kids and young adults who train, volunteer and spend time at the Saints gymnastics club can continue to do so long into the future. I also point out that Saints is an excellent training ground to support community volunteers. Many of the gymnasts who now are coaches at the club trained at the club and competed at the club, and they are now repaying the investment that was made in them. I also wish to advise the chamber about the East Torrens Baseball Club. This is located in the suburb of Payneham in the electorate of Sturt. The East Torrens Baseball Club is unique for one particular reason. It has men's and women's competitions, but it also runs a competition known as Yard Ball. I had never heard of Yard Ball until I attended the East Torrens Baseball Club to have a look at their facilities and meet the community volunteers who keep the club going. Yard Ball is specifically designed for children who are autistic. It has a slower pace, with regular breaks and time out so that children who need to take a break—who need to have a break to be by themselves and regroup—can do so. I am proud that the East Torrens Baseball Club recently was the recipient of a grant from the Stronger Communities Program, which will enable them to continue to offer this program. Just because a child is autistic doesn't mean that they shouldn't have access to fun, physical health and mental health by virtue of team sport. Finally, I would like to give a shout-out to my former council, the Norwood Payneham & St Peters Council, and congratulate them on the development of the Payneham memorial swimming pool. This is located in the suburb of Payneham. The pool has been closed for several years as the development is undertaken, but this is going to be an intergenerational asset. It will be an intergenerational asset that will stand the test of time and allow learn-to-swim programs and disability access, so children with disability needs can access the pool and receive hydrotherapy care—physiotherapy care in the water—and also learn to swim. The Norwood Payneham & St Peters Council does infrastructure projects properly. It has dedicated design and a professional team of contractors, and the end result is going to be an intergenerational community asset that can be used by generations of families in Sturt for decades to come. House adjourned at 17 : 00 NOTICES 78 NOTICES Presentation 78

Thursday, 28 August 2025

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Boyce ) took the chair at 09:29.

CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS 80 CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS National Disability Insurance Scheme 80 09:29 Ms BOELE 26417 Bradfield For my statement today, I'm going to read out one of the barrage of emails that I've had from constituents about their experiences last year with cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme and pleading with me as their avenue of last resort for help. This email is from a resident of Willoughby in my electorate, and its subject line is 'A plea from a concerned constituent: the human cost of NDIS changes in Bradfield'. It reads: I am a speech pathologist from Willoughby, and I am writing to you today not just as a constituent, but as somebody who recently had to walk away from a job I truly loved. The reason for my departure was the immense emotional and professional toll caused by the recent, devastating changes to the NDIS. I simply could not continue to bear witness to the daily heartbreak on the front line. Within days of these announcements, the sudden silence was deafening. Clients were forced to abandon therapy, their families no longer able to afford the services they so desperately need. I sat with parents and watched them weep from an unfathomable grief— the stress of being forced to choose between providing their child with essential support or keeping their family afloat. It is the sound of a family's hope being shattered. My previous career as a registered nurse gave me a unique, and I would argue, painful insight into the long-term consequences of this neglect. I have seen the future that these funding cuts are creating. It is a future where the most vulnerable individuals are stripped of their dignity. I have seen people who, without simple interventions, lose their ability to communicate basic needs like going to the toilet or to swallow food without fear of choking. I have seen the slow, cruel erosion of their independence and the humiliating battles to perform the most basic tasks. This is not a sustainable future for our community or our country. It is a slow-motion catastrophe. These cuts will not save money; they will simply transfer the financial and the human burden to our already overwhelmed hospitals and mental health facilities, pushing our burnt-out healthcare workers to their breaking point. Ms. Boele, I am asking you to look beyond the political rhetoric and see the human faces behind these policies. Please tell me you are against this. Please tell me you are willing to stand up for these children, these families, and the dignity of every individual in our community. My hope for a compassionate and healthy future rests on your willingness to act. I thank this constituent for her advocacy. I've heard you and I am acting. Syria 80 09:32 Ms O'NEIL 140590 Hotham I rise today in solidarity with the Druze community and other minority groups in Syria who are facing violence and persecution— A division having be en called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 09 : 32 to 09 : 4 5 Brain Cancer 80 09:45 Mr WILKIE C2T Clark I recently met with Justine, the mother of Abbey, who was a bright, adventurous 10-year-old from Tasmania who was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain tumour. Abbey was in grade 4. She loved animals, had a wide circle of friends and dreamed of finding good homes for rescue dogs. That became her wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. But, despite two brain surgeries and countless procedures, Abbey passed away at just 11 years old, at home in her parents' bed, in June last year. Abbey's story is obviously devastating, and her parents, sisters, family and friends grieve daily. I also met with advocates and the Chair of the Australian Brain Tumour Collaborative, and in this meeting I heard that, while Abbey's story is devastating, it is far from unique. In fact, each year around 2,000 Australians are diagnosed with brain cancer, and fewer than one in four will survive five years, making brain cancer one of the deadliest diseases in Australia. Indeed, it claims more lives than our roads and kills more children than any other illness and more adults under 40 than any other cancer. But, while research into immunotherapy and precision treatments is advancing, still too many Australians miss out. Unfathomably, brain cancer receives less than five per cent of total cancer research funding and consistently misses out on adequate federal funding for dedicated brain tumour nurse specialists nationally. Perhaps this is because the burden of the disease is not well understood and the marked level of disability associated with these tumours flies under the radar. Well, it hasn't flown under my radar, thanks to the passionate efforts of Janine and other advocates, and the fact is that, in regional areas like Tasmania, the burden is even heavier. For instance, families are often forced to travel interstate for care or clinical trials. Many navigate fragmented systems, disconnected records and inconsistent financial support. They fight battles on every front, whilst always being aware of how precious each remaining day is with their loved ones. Brain cancer may be rare, but its impact is not. We should honour those like Abbey and her family, and to that end I implore all parliamentarians to attend the annual Brain Tumour Alliance Australia event, Head to the Hill, on the lawns of parliament on 28 October and to meet with those people directly impacted. In closing, I call on the government to increase brain cancer research funding and to commit to sustainable investment in the sector. They must also prioritise dedicated clinical care and support services, and they should expand access to clinical trials. Thousands of families like Abbey's are relying on the government to do better. We must not let them down. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 299498 I call the honourable Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness and Minister for Cities, and, Honourable Minister, you may begin your speech again. Syria 81 09:48 Ms O'NEIL 140590 Hotham I rise today in solidarity with the Druze community and other minority groups in Syria who are facing violence and persecution in Suwayda and surrounding regions. Recently I met with three greatly loved constituents Imam, Safa and Hadi of the Saab family, who are leaders and members of our local Druze community in my electorate of Hotham. They sat in my office and shared with me the most intensely distressing accounts of what's happening in Suwayda. I want to acknowledge the members of the Druze community who are in the gallery this morning. These parts of our community are proud Australians, and today they are in enormous amounts of pain because of what's being inflicted on their community in their home country. One story about a young woman who was afraid to leave her house because of her religion has stayed with me. There are threats of every heinous nature being made against this community. It's really hard for us in Australia to fathom how this must feel, in a country like ours where we live with the strong belief that other people can have freedoms and that those freedoms will be protected. To the Druze community and to other affected minority communities in Australia: your grief is heard, your fear is understood and your resilience is so admired by your community. We thank you for your advocacy. It's because of your courage, letters, visits and voices that so many of us in government are aware of the urgency of what is happening to your friends and relatives. I've raised these concerns directly with my cabinet colleagues, and I know many of them share the deep concern that I have for this matter. I have reiterated the Australian government's call for Syria's interim authorities to protect civilians, respect minority rights and pursue an inclusive political transition. Australia continues to support vulnerable communities through our humanitarian program and international aid. Since July 2024, nearly one in five of our offshore humanitarian visa grants have gone to Syrian citizens, and we've committed half a billion dollars in humanitarian assistance since 2011, including $30 million this year alone. I know these policy updates, numbers and statistics can feel really distant and disconnected when your loved ones are in danger, so I want to be clear: I stand with you, and our government stands with you. We'll continue to advocate for the protection of minorities in Syria and for families here in Australia who are desperate for news, for safety and for justice. This is not just an issue in my local community; it's a global call for peace and dignity. I stand in solidarity with the Druze community and other minority groups in Syria and with all people whose lives are threatened because of their beliefs. Berowra Electorate: Local Sporting Champions Program 82 09:51 Mr LEESER 109556 Berowra The Local Sporting Champions program provides grants of up to $750 for people competing in national or international competitions. It's a privilege to have a talented athlete in the family, but the associated costs can put pressure on the family budget. This program recognises that fact and helps to provide a little extra support. My community is filled with young athletes who've made remarkable contributions in their respective sporting codes. Recently, I was able to congratulate several of them who were successful in the Local Para Champions and Local Sporting Champions grant programs, hosting two very special ceremonies in their honour. These occasions are always highlights of my calendar because they bring together the best of our community—talented young people, their supportive families, and the organisations that stand behind them. I want to first extend my sincere thanks to the Paralympian swimmer Ellie Cole and the Olympian softballer Ellen Roberts, who came to present the awards with me. They are both fantastic Berowra locals. They're an inspiration, demonstrating that, with dedication, young sportspeople don't have to stop competing in sport when they leave school. Let me begin by acknowledging the para champions. In swimming, Abbey Gibbons, Elodie Sebire, Michael Williams have competed at national championships, setting benchmarks for others to follow. In athletics, Cooper Robb-Jackson has earned selection for the 2025 Australian Open and Under 20 Athletics Championships—an achievement that speaks volumes of his talent and discipline. In wheelchair sport, Evander Conroy and Hamish Muir have carried the banner of our community with distinction, while Zara Perry has represented Australia at the Goalball Clubs World Cup in Finland and the Malmo Lady Intercup in Sweden. Alongside them, our local sporting champions are making their mark in a wide array of disciplines. In athletics, Issac Portelli, Mathias Hutchens, Sophia Cottrell, Aniela Knight, Zachary Leung, Cameron Leung, Jack Proudford, Ivy Yang, Amy Campbell, Thomas Scodellaro, Alexander Braendle, Justin Billingsley and Blake Billingsley have shone at a national level. In the pool, Emma Cherry, Lily Sumner and Alannah Sumner have tested themselves against the country's best at national age and open-water titles. Georgie Davidson showcased her ability at the 2025 Hockey Australia U16 Championships, while Curtis Pepper proved his skill at the Australian Rowing Championships. In other team sports, Eva Zhang and Zak Morson competed at the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships and Ryan Chou represented New South Wales at the School Sport Australia Basketball Championship in the 18 Years and Under category. Kobi McPherson, Christian Morrison, Kai Ueki and Kimi Soong featured in the national basketball league competitions. On the international stage, Logan Bubb and Ava Jones carried the green and gold, representing Australia at the Asia Pacific Youth Touch Football Cup. Each of these athletes has demonstrated that success comes not only from natural talent but from the discipline to train, the courage to compete and the humility to represent their community with pride. As a community we stand behind them. We'll continue to back their ambitions, recognise their achievements and celebrate their journeys both on and off the field. Australian National University, Climate Change 82 09:54 Ms PAYNE 144732 Canberra The Australian National University is an important institution for our whole nation. As the only national university established by federal legislation, it is unique in its remit. It's research is groundbreaking, and it holds a level of community trust that is precious. But, at the moment, the ANU is in crisis. Over many months I've been hearing from countless ANU staff about the situation there, as well as engaging with the National Tertiary Education Union. Many of the staff are not feeling heard, and they feel that the Renew ANU process is being driven without transparency, consultation or a clear rationale for the number of job cuts and other changes that are being made. These people are coming to their political representatives because they are not feeling heard; they feel they have exhausted their avenues for feedback and that it's not been taking seriously. There have also been serious allegations that have come to light, through the Senate committee, of bullying and mismanagement. There has clearly been a lack of consultation and transparency. There have been announcements of the closure of institutions that are incredibly important to Australian culture and society, including the National Dictionary Centre, the Australian Dictionary of Biography and the Humanities Research Centre—unique work that does not happen anywhere else—as well as significant changes proposed to the School of Music with far-reaching consequences for the music ecosystem in Canberra and beyond. I've been incredibly concerned by what I've heard, and I've been passing these concerns on to the Minister for Education and directly to the vice-chancellor as well. I was pleased to see that the regulator, TEQSA, has stepped in and put the ANU on notice to ensure that they are being compliant with their obligations and these standards. I think it's incredibly important that trust is restored within the ANU staff, community and leadership if things are to in any way be rescued from where they are at the moment. The reputation and the role of this institution are too important to let it be destroyed, and serious action is needed to be taken. This week we have learnt that Australian emissions fell by 6.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in the year to March 2025. That's a 1.4 per cent reduction, taking us to 28 per cent below 2005 levels—proof that we are well on track to meet and beat our 43 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030. To put that in perspective, a reduction of 6.5 million tonnes is like taking 1.4 million cars off the road or eliminating the annual electricity use of around 1.3 million homes. I know Canberrans want to see us set a strong 2035 target, and this is something I am raising their voice for in our government. Renewable Energy 83 09:57 Mr McCORMACK 219646 Riverina Karen Mason and Barry Kohlhagen from The Rock and Mick Henderson from Maxwell are constituents of mine, and, in the spirit of this constituency statement, they were at the 2025 Bush Summit, sponsored by The Daily Telegraph and Gina Rinehart, yesterday in Wagga Wagga. The Prime Minister was there, the Premier of New South Wales was there, the member for New England was there, and I was there. All of those movers and shakers from the Wagga Wagga district and the Riverina converged on the largest inland city in New South Wales to talk about what is good, or what should be good, for the bush. I thank Ben English, the editor of the Daily Telegraph, for hosting this. The constituents I mentioned are upset about the rollout of renewables. Many of them are not against renewables; it's just the mad rush to roll them out, particularly in the Riverina electorate, which is not a renewable energy zone. Ian 'Jock' Munro got up at four o'clock in the morning and drove there from Rankins Springs with Noel Hicks, a former member for Riverina, from Griffith, and they were holding up placards about land and renewables. When it comes to land, I note that the Grain Producers Australia CEO Colin Bettles has belled the cat on the potential sale—which the Foreign Investment Review Board is not even examining, because the buyers are from the United States—of our farmland, and we've only got so much farmland. I can recall, when we took office in 2013, that the trigger for the FIRB was—wait for this—$252 million. Labor wanted to make it a billion dollars. We brought it down to $15 million cumulatively, but, because of the tariff negotiations and free trade arrangements with the US, companies and individuals and churches can come in from the US and buy as much farmland as they like. That is one real major issue for our farmers and for our regional people, but the biggest issue at the moment—it's the burning issue, literally—is the rush to renewables. Yass mayor Jasmin Jones stood up in the audience yesterday and took issue with the discussions that were taking place. She said: 'Your government is riding roughshod over regional Australians, and we have had a gutful. I'm the mayor of that community, Yass Valley, and we have said "no more". You need to come to our region and meet the farmers who have said "enough". Get yourself out to the region and see what's happening on the ground.' I call on the member for McMahon to come to the Riverina and take a look for himself. I call on him for two reasons. The first is this rush to renewables is madness, and the second reason I want the member for McMahon to come out is that I want my vote to go up. Gilmore Electorate: After-Hours Medical Services 83 10:00 Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Gilmore I'm over the moon today because people in Shoalhaven will soon be able to walk into a brand new, federally funded Medicare urgent care clinic at Nowra. No credit card is required—just their Medicare card. I promised a second Medicare urgent care clinic for my electorate of Gilmore, and I'm so pleased to announce that, on Tuesday, tenders opened to operate the facility. People have told me they've waited up to six hours or more to see a doctor at the very busy Shoalhaven hospital emergency department, and I know they are very excited for the Medicare urgent care clinic doors to open in Nowra. The new clinic will provide fully bulk-billed care for conditions that are urgent but non-life-threatening. It will be open seven days a week for extended hours, with no appointments needed. With many retirees, young families and a population that swells during the holiday periods, a second Medicare urgent care clinic on the South Coast will take pressure off our emergency departments. It will provide treatment for a range of conditions that need urgent attention but aren't life threatening, like cuts, sprains, viral infections and those weekend sporting injuries that can land us and our kids in the ED for hours. The new clinic will service a huge area in the north of my electorate, including Berry, Bomaderry, Shoalhaven Heads, Jervis Bay and Sussex Inlet. The Nowra Medicare urgent care clinic will build on the very successful clinic at Batemans Bay that has treated more than 17,000 people since the doors opened in December 2023. I'm so thrilled that the Albanese Labor government will also be extending the opening hours of the Batemans Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic. Locals and visitors will be able to walk into the clinic from 6 am till midnight, seven days a week. The Batemans Bay clinic will soon have the longest opening hours of any Medicare urgent care clinic in the country. The community response to the Batemans Bay clinic has been nothing short of incredible, which is why we're extending the opening hours. Families with young children, injured sports people, holiday-makers and many of our older residents have walked in, received care and gone home without waiting hours at the local hospital and clogging up the ED. This is all part of our plan to strengthen Medicare, along with cheaper medicines, bulk-billing incentives for medical practices and increases in the number of doctors, nurses and midwives. I'm proud to be part of an Albanese government that is listening to my community and ensuring locals can get the urgent care that they need. Eather Group 84 10:03 Mrs McINTOSH 281513 Lindsay It's always a pleasure to spend time in Llandilo in my community. The people there have really hardworking values, and Eather Group, a small business there, is a perfect example of this. Peter and Sally-ann Eather have built their family owned company over the past 15 years into a business that's not just about trucks, machines and earth moving; it's about innovation, sustainability and the circular economy. Their focus is on waste not, want not and is about finding sustainable solutions and replacement materials to drive productivity while caring for our environment. They've won awards both here at home and overseas for their sustainable practices and were national winners of the 2024 Telstra Best of Business Awards. This is the future of Australian industry, and it's right in my community in Western Sydney. What also makes Eather Group so remarkable is their commitment to people. They're an employer of choice for diversity. Around 25 per cent of their workforce are First Nations Australians, and around 35 per cent are women. That's well above the industry average and an extraordinary achievement in a sector still dominated by men, and it shows the strength that comes when businesses back their people and invest in their community. But, despite their innovation and leadership, Eather Group, like so many other small and family owned businesses in Western Sydney, is under immense pressure. They told me firsthand about the challenges they face, the slowdown in housing construction, pipeline blockages, and a critical shortage of skilled drivers and workers. These aren't abstract policy debates; they are real, on-the-ground issues that impact whether businesses can employ locals, grow and keep Western Sydney moving. What's Labor's response to this? A productivity roundtable in Canberra, another carefully choreographed talk-fest behind closed doors. Businesses don't need more PR exercises; they need practical action that cuts red tape, delivers a real skills pipeline and gets housing construction moving again. Under Labor, businesses are going insolvent at record rates, energy prices are higher, construction is slowing and Australians are paying more for almost everything, from health to housing, while productivity flatlines. These failures are hitting Western Sydney harder than most, yet through all this, small businesses, family businesses and hardworking Australians like those in either group are showing exactly what makes our community strong—resilience, innovation and determination. They are a generational business and they're working hard to get ahead, employing locals, leading the way on sustainability and diversity. Llandilo in Western Sydney is the heartland of our nation, with an international airport about open and a region central to Australia's economic future. We need governments that back businesses like Eather Group not hold them back. Sydney Electorate: Plate It Forward 84 10:06 Ms PLIBERSEK 83M Sydney A fortnight ago I had the pleasure of visiting Kabul Social in the heart of my electorate of Sydney, a unique restaurant designed to inspire, uplift and support Afghan women who have fled the Taliban. It provides them with training and employment in an industry they might otherwise struggle to enter because, quite often, coming from Afghanistan they have not been in the paid workforce before coming to Australia. It provides them with the training and information they need to make a successful career here in Australia. Kabul Social is a terrific restaurant not only because the food is great but also because it's providing support and training to a group of women who are then entering the workforce and building their economic independence right here in Sydney. Over a plate of dumplings cooked by Kabul Social's head chef, Roya, we talked about how her work at this social enterprise has helped her achieve agency and autonomy in her life. She told me, 'I can look after my family and I work outside and independent. You know, I feel independent. It's so good for everyone. I feel so good, and I want a big restaurant.' She's planning her own business. When Roya was living in Afghanistan she wanted to study law but she was stopped from studying by the Taliban. She is now earning a living and seeing her son and daughter grow up able to study. Her daughter and son are both at university pursuing their own studies, and the fact that she is bringing home an income and is able to support herself and them is a source of pride for Roya. That's true of all the women who are working at the restaurant. Kabul Social is one of three restaurants run by Plate It Forward, run by Shaun Christie-David, who is an amazing social entrepreneur. Plate It Forward runs Kabul Social, Kolkata Social and Kyiv Social, all in my electorate and all providing the same sort of training opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers who have come from around the world. Plate It Forward also reinvests its profits in training more people, employing vulnerable migrants, and fostering long-term economic and social resilience in these groups, and for every meal that's sold at these restaurants, two are donated—one in Sydney and, in the case of Kabul Social, one in Afghanistan. The Albanese government has announced a $2.3 million investment for Plate It Forward and 21 other social enterprises around Australia working with people who would otherwise be locked out of the labour market. It will provide training and employment opportunities, and start them on their journey to independence. It's just one part of our $230 million Targeting Entrenched Disadvantage package, and it's wonderful to see how these operations are delivering on the ground. I thank David Hetherington from Impact Investing Australia, who does wonderful work. (Time expired) Crime 85 10:09 Ms McKENZIE 124514 Flinders I congratulate you, Deputy Speaker Boyce, on your elevation to the Speaker's panel. Crime has been rising fast on the Mornington Peninsula over the last year. Data from the Crime Statistics Agency for the year ending March 2025 shows total offences are up by 22 per cent, thefts of motor vehicles are up by 51 per cent, and breaches of family violence orders are up by 42 per cent. Behind every number is a real person. Many of these people attended the community safety roundtable I held in Somerville with the member for La Trobe earlier this year. Much of the blame lies at the feet of the state Labor government's weak bail laws. After months of pressure from the state opposition, including my local Liberal colleagues Mornington MP Chris Crewther and Nepean MP Sam Groth, the Labor government has finally caved to community calls to fix our broken bail laws. But Labor's so-called reforms still miss the mark. Under the Allan Labor government, significant crimes like burglary and robbery are not even classified as serious offences under the bail act, meaning repeat offenders face the lowest level test when applying for bail. The state Labor government's misguided decision to lift the age of criminal responsibility to 12, after backing down from 14, has created real problems on the peninsula. Just last week, a man was charged after allegedly recruiting children to commit crimes across the peninsula region. He now faces multiple charges, including the recruiting of a child for criminal activity, supplying drugs to a child, burglary, theft and more. This is exactly what happens when well-intentioned changes create perverse incentives. Criminals simply use under-age children to do their dirty work, knowing those kids won't face consequences. During the last parliamentary break, I attended a neighbourhood policing forum at Hastings Bowling Club, where the room was full of locals deeply concerned about youth crime and aggravated home burglaries. Police briefed us on the work being done to target known youth offenders, an issue felt particularly sharply in our community. Crime looks different on the peninsula, and so does our response. Anyone on a community Facebook group knows how often well-meaning locals share evidence of alleged vandalism and attempted crime in the hope of finding out who was involved. Today, home and shop CCTV has become a vital tool for both preventing and solving criminal cases. At the 2025 election, the coalition pledged $500,000 to deliver a youth crime diversion program across the Mornington Peninsula. The funding would go to community run programs that aim to strengthen youth engagement, encourage school attendance, expand employment pathways and foster community cohesion. Unfortunately, it was a commitment that went unmatched by Labor. Once again, it is only the coalition who will take crime seriously on the Mornington Peninsula. I thank the Victorian police for meeting regularly with me, our state MPs and, most importantly, the community face to face. Before I finish, I want to specially thank our Mornington Peninsula local area commander, Inspector Terry Rowlands, for his years of service and wish him well in his next role. Hawke Electorate: Community Events 85 10:12 Mr RAE 300122 Hawke Over the weekend, I had the privilege of joining the volunteers and supporters at the Melton Fire Brigade to celebrate 90 years of volunteer service to the community of Melton and surrounds. Since 1935, this dedicated volunteer service has worked day and night to keep our community safe in some of the toughest conditions you could imagine. From grassfires in Rockbank to bushfires in the region, the Melton Fire Brigade always steps up without hesitation. I extend my deepest congratulations to Stephen Hirt, John Dodemaide, Barry Mattinson and Alan Squires for their dedication and their service to our community over such a long period. I say a special thanks to Captain Anthony Rhodes and Lieutenant Bailey Rhodes for organising this special event and for their leadership of the Melton Fire Brigade over many years. Last week I saw firsthand proof of what we can achieve when federal, state and local governments work together to deliver better services for our community. Last Thursday, I got the chance to visit the site of the new Copplebank Community Services Hub, where construction is well underway on a project that will transform local services in Melton. Thanks to a $15 million dollar investment by the Albanese Labor government, as well as funding from the Melton City Council and the Victorian government, this hub will be a one-stop shop for community services in Hawke. This brand new, five-storey facility will host a range of education, employment, family violence prevention, health, rehabilitation and refugee services for the Melton community and the broader communities surrounding. I also had the pleasure of officially opening the newly upgraded Navan Park in Harkness last week, alongside my state colleague Steve McGhie and many representatives of Melton City Council, including the mayor, Steve Abboushi. Once again, this project was a product of local, state and federal governments coming together to deliver better facilities for local families in our community. In a fast-growing community these investments ensure that public spaces are modern, accessible and fit for purpose. Upgrades to local parks are about more than infrastructure. They are about community and wellbeing, and I look forward to seeing Navan Park serve our community for many generations to come. I was honoured to attend the Vietnam Veterans' Remembrance Day memorial service at the memorial in Melton last week. Veterans, their families and the local community gathered to pay our respects to all those who served in the Vietnam War. We acknowledged their courage, sacrifice and resilience. Thank you to the Melton sub-branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association for their hard work in organising this important service, including Wayne Gillies and Jim Fitzgerald. I also acknowledge fantastic leaders of our veteran community locally—Reg Cook and Russell Pettis, amongst others. Wide Bay Electorate: Gympie Music Muster 86 10:15 Mr LLEW O'BRIEN 265991 Wide Bay The Gympie Music Muster is renowned as Australia's best family-friendly music and camping experience, where more than 100 artists perform in six venues over four days. It is staged in the beautiful surrounds of the Amamoor Creek State Forest, and the exciting mix of country, blues, folk and rock music, bush ballads and free workshops, conducted by some of the music industry's most celebrated artists, is a big drawcard, attracting about 50,000 people from all over Australia to the Gympie area every August. They muster kicks off today and an army of volunteers from local schools, sporting groups, clubs and community organisations have been working hard and setting up the site before the gates open to the public. The muster is much more than a music festival. Since its inception in 1982, more than 2,500 artists have performed at the event, raising more than $20 million, which has been donated to local schools, clubs, sporting groups and committee organisations, whose volunteers help out every year setting up and managing the muster. The muster's broad appeal and large attendance provides a significant boost to the Wide Bay local economy, with many nearby business owners benefiting from the influx of thousands of visitors. The former coalition government recognised the importance of the Gympie Music Muster, and I am pleased to have been able to help this iconic event and obtain a $1 million grant to help the muster provide world-class entertainment while supporting local jobs in tourism and hospitality. The federal government has recently recognised the importance of the music muster and provided $60,000 from the Revive Live Program in 2024. The Queensland LNP government has also pledged their support to help the music muster to continue to grow. The event will receive $100,000 each year, over the next four years, from the Crisafulli government's Organisations Fund 2026-2029 to generate employment for artists and arts workers in Queensland. The Gympie Music Muster is a great example of what a regional community can achieve when it works collectively towards a common goal to provide live entertainment, stimulate economic development and provide a fun, family atmosphere, showcasing local, national and international talent. Events like the muster require massive amounts of planning and manpower, and I thank Gympie Apex and all the volunteers for the hard work they put into making the event. such a huge success. See you at the muster this weekend. Robertson Electorate: Mental Health 86 10:18 Dr REID 300126 Robertson Recently I had the pleasure of welcoming the new Special Envoy for Men's Health and member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi, to the Central Coast to discuss men's health in the region. Dan and I visited the Black Wolf Collective, an awesome local business offering barber, tattoo, piercing and tattoo removal services in Erina. The Black Wolf Collective has partnered with two amazing organisations, the Black Dog Institute and RizeUp, to help bring awareness to men's health and to support other services. The Black Dog Institute is a proudly independent, not-for-profit, globally renowned mental health research institute connected to the University of New South Wales in Sydney. It is the only medical research institute in Australia that investigates mental health across the lifespan, from childhood through to adulthood. The Black Dog Institute believes in creating hope for those experiencing mental illness by improving mental health outcomes for all Australians. RizeUp is a community-driven organisation of passionate men and women dedicated to supporting the many families affected by family and domestic violence. The Black Wolf Collective also helps raise funds for both organisations through its businesses. By having deep and meaningful conversations with its clients, the business promotes a welcoming and safe space. Clients are supported through their visit and provided with the opportunity to donate any sum, great or small, to either organisation. To date the business has raised over $5,000, and it has said it will continue to support both the Black Dog Institute and RizeUp into the future. The owner of the Black Wolf Collective, Alex Molloy, says that they have seen firsthand how mental health affects people of all ages, including teenagers, and that's why part of their mission is to break the stigma early, starting in high school. Through their space, their podcast and their fundraising for the Black Dog Institute and by starting conversations, the Black Wolf Collective are showing that it's okay to speak up no matter what your age. The Black Wolf Collective wanted to make giving back feel easy and accessible to everyone who walks through the door. Whether it's a dollar or more, every donation counts, and its clients get the choice to support either the Black Dog Institute for mental health or RizeUp to help those affected by domestic violence. Both causes are close to their hearts, and it means a lot to the staff of the Black Wolf Collective to offer their community a way of making a real difference. I would like to take this opportunity to formally commend the Black Wolf Collective, owner Alex Molloy and its staff, including Jackson Quinell and Norma-Rose Bell, on their support for these two organisations. Thank you for also creating a positive space in your business to share and speak up. Many thanks go to my good friend the Special Envoy for Men's Health, Daniel Repacholi, for making every effort to visit Robertson and the Central Coast and for supporting businesses that are supporting men's health. Prostate Cancer 87 10:21 Mr PASIN 240756 Barker I rise this morning to talk about an event that I'll be hosting in coming weeks. On Wednesday 10 September, from 11.30 am, I'll be hosting my annual Big Aussie Barbie to raise funds for prostate cancer research and, more importantly, to raise awareness of the disease and specifically of the need for blokes to get tested. This is the 10th year that I've hosted that event. I do it in partnership with the Limestone Coast Prostate Cancer Support Group, and we've raised over $10,000. But, much more importantly than that, on every single one of those mornings we've had one or more people who had recently been diagnosed with the disease come along and connect with the local support group. Those are people that have heard for the first time in our lives that they've got the big C, and they're incredibly scared. I've seen them come to those breakfasts and leave much calmer and much more settled about what was about to happen in their cancer journey. I've got to give a great shout-out to Richard Harry, a constituent of mine. He's a great bloke, and he's someone I connected with through this process. My journey on this issue began in 2014. I attended a barbecue here that was hosted by the Prostate Cancer Foundation. It was there that I heard for the first time the startling facts about the diagnosis and the death rate, and it was plain to me that there was much more that needed to be done. It was equally plain to me that in that forum the Prostate Cancer Foundation was preaching to the converted and we needed to get that message out. That's why I began hosting, as I do every year, the Big Aussie Barbie out the front of my office in Mount Gambier. Mr Deputy Speaker Boyce, I know you know—and I'm sure the member for New England, who has his own lived experience with this, understands—that one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fifty-four men will be diagnosed with it today, 54 men tomorrow and 54 men every single day thereafter. Three thousand five hundred men die from the disease each year. That's nine families every day who lose a loved one to this dreadful disease. The Big Aussie Barbie aims to raise awareness and understanding of the disease and raise funds to support awareness programs. These are deaths that we can prevent with early intervention. It's only thanks to the generosity of the community of Mount Gambier and the Limestone Coast and the volunteer efforts of the local prostate cancer group that I can bring this to reality. I want to extend my thanks to them, and I want to make a call out: if you're in or around Mount Gambier of 10 September at 11.30, come down and have a snag. If you can't, jump on my Facebook page and chuck us a donation. Macarthur Electorate: Rail Infrastructure 87 10:24 Dr FREELANDER 265979 Macarthur They say Rome wasn't built in a day, but it would have been completed much sooner if they'd had a rail line to connect their workers to the site. That's why I'm very passionate about the need for rail connectivity from south-west Sydney to the new Western Sydney Airport and the surrounding Aerotropolis and why I am absolutely appalled at the New South Wales premier's decision not to provide such vital transport infrastructure to my electorate from Western Sydney Airport. Recently Premier Minns stated that the New South Wales government does not intend to build rail services to connect Western Sydney Airport with south-west Sydney. It's an absolute tragedy. This would mean no new stations in Camden, Narellan, Bringelly, Oran Park, Leppington or Catherine Field which would connect the airport with existing stations, such as Macarthur, Campbelltown and Leppington. It's an appalling response from the New South Wales government, especially considering that our federal government understands the importance of this project for the region and is pushing ahead with our $1 billion land acquisition project to secure rail corridors in south-west Sydney to connect the region with Western Sydney Airport. This was announced by the Prime Minister in March, and we are incredibly passionate about making sure this continues. It was very well received by local residents, businesses and local councils, and it is a pragmatic, commonsense policy. I'm speaking out about this because I think the New South Wales government's response is terrible. On the other hand, when the New South Wales premier made his decision not to build or manage rail services from Western Sydney Airport to our region it was met with shock and incredible frustration by residents, businesses and local councils. Our federal government's land acquisition project helps ease the cost on the New South Wales government, who would maintain rail services by New South Wales transport. It's quite literally the perfect arrangement, yet the New South Wales government is walking away. The Metro Northwest rail project is brilliant; it's fantastic. I've ridden on it myself, and it really does connect the north-west part of Sydney to the centre of Sydney and all the surrounding services. But it is very frustrating, disappointing and indeed inequitable that south-west Sydney doesn't get the same treatment, especially when south-west Sydney is growing by tens of thousands of people every few months, making it larger than Tasmania and Canberra in population, and we are not predicted to slow down; its continuing all the time. Having a link from south-west Sydney to Western Sydney Airport is absolutely critical, and we can't turn our backs on it. It's critical for our economy, it's critical to reduce road congestion and pollution, and it's vital to securing the viability of the new airport and the Aerotropolis. It must be done. Our roads in south-west Sydney are already highly congested, and a bus service to the airport is not the solution. This is not acceptable. (Time expired) Renewable Energy 88 10:27 Mr JOYCE e5d New England Both 2GB and the Sydney Morning Herald have reported about a substantial amount of money that was put on the table to try to get me to shut up about my fight against net zero. I think it's important to, for the record, give my best recollection of exactly how this happened. It would have been about two years ago. It was in my office. It was a very respected lobbyist. There were other people present. It was not an offer that was made to me personally; it was relaying an offer that the lobbyist was going to be paid if they could get me to shut up. I thought it was in the vicinity of $600,000. I was talking to another person who was at that meeting who said it was more like $400,000. Obviously the person knew I was never going to be a part of that—and, to be quite frank, I don't think they were either. They were just saying how amazing it was that this is the sort of money that is flushing around in the system for people to change their views. I think it's really important that people understand that with capacity investment schemes, with these sorts of issues, there are billions and billions of dollars at play. And because this money is at play it is not a perfectly transparent and honest field. I call on the government to give us more transparency on who exactly is getting these capacity investment schemes, which I think we can sort of get close to—how much, in toto, is now at play by reason of these capacity investment schemes?—while redacting the actual clients but giving us groups of how much in returns these groups are getting, because it is not the pure and the undefiled in this process. This is has huge question marks over it. If my family were going to get money out of this swindle industry, we would have just accepted their offer to put wind towers on our place, which we rejected. We rejected it on the premise that our job is to produce food and fibre, not to rip off poor people. Ultimately that is where this lands. During the last snow event in Woolbrook, where we were, we had people in my district who were sleeping with their pets to keep warm. One Aboriginal lady died—not because of this—when her car got bogged and she couldn't get out. When you live in that environment, you become absolutely, 100 per cent driven to stop the loss of their standard of living. This rubbish that we are doing to hurt them must stop with it. South Australia: Marine Environment 88 10:30 Ms RISHWORTH HWA Kingston The South Australian coastline is one of the most beautiful coastlines, if not the most beautiful coastline, in the world. In my electorate of Kingston, I have kilometres of beautiful beach, from Hallett Cove to Port Noarlunga and all the way down to Maslin Beach. It's a beautiful piece of coastline, and I was really pleased to gather with many residents to open the new Witton Bluff walking trail on the weekend. This was the result of a long-term campaign over decades to connect the townships of Christies Beach and Port Noarlunga with a beautiful walkway. We campaigned for it along with local members, councillors, residents and businesses, and it was great to be at the opening on Saturday. The beautiful South Australian coastline is experiencing challenges at the moment with the harmful algal bloom that has broken out across the shoreline. This is having a significant impact, and I want to acknowledge the distress felt by many people in my local area at the sight of fish and other marine life washed up on the beaches. It's a place that we all like to go to and all like to enjoy, and it is important that we all work together to tackle what we can. Of course, nothing can be done to stop this bloom, but we can respond to it. That's exactly what's being done in a partnership between the state government and the federal government, with investment in science, research and, importantly, monitoring. There is also support for businesses that have been affected. Businesses have been affected not just by the outbreak of the algal bloom but by the perception that it's not safe to swim at South Australian beaches. So there is funding now available for businesses that are affected—tourism businesses as well as other businesses. I have a really important message. If you've been thinking about coming to enjoy the coast, the coast in South Australia is calling. Come down and enjoy it. There are some wonderful businesses and wonderful experiences. Please don't be deterred as we go towards the third-term school holidays. Don't be deterred to get out there. In addition, I am very pleased the federal government continues to invest in our local area. We have money to build the new Port Noarlunga aquatics centre. It's a really important thing. Through this investment, we were able to stop that pool from being closed. I will continue fighting for the beautiful environment that we have but also for the wonderful place that is the southern suburbs of Adelaide. The Redland Foundation 89 10:33 Mr PIKE 300120 Bowman This month I had the privilege of presenting the 2025 Underhill grants on behalf of the Redland Foundation alongside my state colleague Amanda Stoker MP. The event was held at the Redlands Sporting Club and brought together a wide cross-section of our local community, from sporting clubs and service organisations to arts groups and volunteer associations. The Redland Foundation is my city's most important philanthropic institution. Over the past decade it has distributed more than $2.2 million in grants and support to local organisations. That support has included more than $400,000 to help those experiencing domestic violence, $100,000 for programs tackling homelessness and countless other investments in youth mentoring, health and community development. These are tangible, life-changing outcomes that flow directly back into the Redlands. The Jeffrey and Geraldine Underhill Grants Program is named in honour of two remarkable local philanthropists whose generosity has created an enduring legacy. Thanks to their foresight, we now have annual disbursements that give grassroots organisations the resources to keep doing what they do best: helping, supporting and building our community from the ground up. This year's recipients once again demonstrate the strength and diversity of community life in the Redlands. Grants were awarded to the Bay Islands Golf Club, the Cage Youth Foundation, the Capalaba Warriors District Junior Rugby League Football Club—it was a pleasure earlier to see the students of Victoria Point State School, who are here in Canberra this week, with one of them proudly wearing a Warriors jersey—Coastal Rowing and Touring Australia, the Donald Simpson Community Centre, Eczema Association Australia, Lamb Island Men's Shed, the Mater Foundation, Myhorizon, the North Stradbroke Island Rugby League and Allsports Club—go the Sharks—the Point Lookout Surf Life Saving Club, the Raiders Netball Club, RedCity Roar Basketball, the Redland Bay Tennis Club, Redland Bay Women's Shed, Redland City Bands, Redland Emergency Services Volunteers Association, Redlands Cricket—I'm off to Redlands Cricket this Saturday to see Marnus Labuschagne play in the local Brisbane T20 Big Bash competition—the Redlands Rugby Union Club—go the Mudcrabs—Redlands Touch Association, the Shoreline Association for Neighbourhood Development, TRACTION for Young People and the Yurara Art Society. Each of these groups represents a thread in the fabric of the Redlands. Whether it's the surf lifesavers keeping our beaches safe, the musicians enriching our cultural life, the youth organisations mentoring young people or the sporting clubs that bring families together on weekends, every grant recipient contributes something unique and valuable to our Redlands community. I want to thank the Redlands Foundation for the work they've been doing and all these organisations for the work they've been doing in our community during a very difficult and wet year for the Redlands. Mental Health 89 10:36 Mr LIM 300130 Tangney How often this week have we done something enjoyable, gone to bed and woken up at a regular time, or had a meaningful conversation? For many of us, not often enough. One Tangney local and his team are trying to change that. Earlier this year, Professor Nick Titov was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to digital mental health and wellness. Nick founded MindSpot, which supports Australian adults with free, confidential psychological assessments, treatments and access to qualified therapies. MindSpot has worked with more than 250,000 Australians. Nick has also started the Big 5—five types of actions that are strongly linked to mental health. Most people do not know what they can do each day to look after their mental health or how often they should do these things. Nick's research shows that doing these five activities at least three or four times a week makes you mentally healthier and more resilient. His research also shows that, if people stop doing these activities, their mental health worsens. When Nick told me about the Big 5, I did a self-check and found I wasn't doing all these healthy activities often enough. Here are the Big 5. The first is meaningful activities to give us a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction or joy. This can be as simple as listening to your favourite song. The second is healthy thinking. This is about having realistic thoughts about self, the world and the future. The third is having goals and plans, which helps us to stay focused and motivated. The fourth is healthy routines like our sleep routine, eating well and staying active. These are critical. The fifth is social connections. Being in touch regularly with people who we love and respect gives us a sense of belonging. Over the last two weeks, I have put these Big 5 into practice, and I strongly recommend everyone give it a go. Why do I like the Big 5? Because it is very practical and it is free. There is a journal to help us to reflect, and there are daily text messages to prompt us. As Nick says, do more and you'll feel better; do less and it gets harder. Thank you, Nick. Greenway Electorate: Schools 90 10:40 Ms ROWLAND 159771 Greenway Education is the great equaliser. It transforms lives and underpins the jobs, productivity and prosperity that will shape Australia's future. That's why I'm proud to share that construction is well and truly underway on the brand-new and much-needed public school and preschool in the Gables. This project will deliver a modern primary school for a thousand students and a fee-free preschool for local families. This is a vital investment in the future of our children in rapidly growing north-west Sydney. Alongside this, designs have been revealed for a new primary school, high school and preschool in Box Hill. Temporary schools have already been delivered in record time, ensuring local students have access to quality education while these permanent facilities are being built. This is how Labor governments deliver—by listening to communities, recognising their needs and acting to provide real results. These projects are being delivered thanks to the Minns New South Wales Labor government, supported by a strong local Labor team, and they build on the Albanese government's record commitment to ensure every public school in New South Wales is on a path to full and fair funding. For far too long, families in the Gables and Box Hill have been left behind. Successive Liberal governments failed the communities across the hills, approving thousands of new homes without the proper planning for essential infrastructure. When families hand over their hard-earned savings, take out mortgages and move into a brand-new suburb, they do so with the legitimate expectation that the basics will be there—electricity and water, roads and transport, connectivity, and schools and hospitals. These are not luxuries; they're essentials. Yet thousands of families have moved into these areas with promises of new schools that simply never eventuated. Since the last election, I've had the privilege of representing this area for the first time, and in this time I have spoken with parents right across the Gables and Box Hill who've told me of their frustration at having to drive long distances in peak hour just to get their children to class or the stress of trying to get their kids into nearby schools that are already bursting at the seams. I'm pleased to say that this is set to end. Together, our strong local Labor team is ensuring families in Greenway and right across north-west Sydney get the world-class education infrastructure they need and deserve, and I'll keep fighting to make sure this growing community is never taken for granted again, because when we invest in schools we're not just building classrooms; we're building futures. The DEPUTY SPEAKER 282335 In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded. STATEMENTS ON SIGNIFICANT MATTERS 90 STATEMENTS ON SIGNIFICANT MATTERS National Skills Week 90 10:42 Ms CHESTERS 249710 Bendigo I'm pleased to rise to say a few words in relation to National Skills Week. My electorate of Bendigo is one of great diversity. We are home to Bendigo TAFE, to thriving businesses and to a university. We are growing when it comes to the need for local skills. Our unemployment rate is officially under three per cent. On a weekly basis, I meet employers and businesses who are saying that they struggle to attract people with the skills that they need. That is where our government is making a difference. We are turning things around through our investment in TAFE, our investment in businesses and our investment in giving people opportunities: giving young people the opportunity to choose a career path that suits them, and giving people who wish to make a career change—many of whom didn't take up their passion when they left school because of poor advice or because there simply wasn't the opportunity—the opportunity to do so. At a federal level, we are investing in making more pathways open for Australians to complete training and enter the workforce—or re-enter the workforce in many cases. We are delivering $10,000 to apprentices to become the carpenters, plumbers and sparkies that we need for construction. We are also making free TAFE permanent and creating paid prac placements for our nurses, as well as many other professions that are associated with higher education. This year's National Skills Week theme is 'Explore All the Options', encouraging all Australians to think about a trade, to think about a new career or something that is more in the vocational space. It's important for us to acknowledge in this place that somewhere in the eighties or nineties we discouraged young people from thinking about a trade. Far too many of my schoolmates were encouraged to go to university because they were told they were bright—'too bright for a trade'. We now know that this thinking, this rhetoric, was wrong. Not only was it wrong for the young apprentices who went into the skills and trades; it was also wrong for those young people whose love of using their hands was denied, and they went into careers or into university quite often to drop out because it wasn't their thing. Whilst our thinking has changed in schools and in communities, there's still a lot of work to do to encourage young people to consider a trade. In regional areas like mine, for many who are going into trades it's because they had a significant male role model in their life who was already in the trade. Far too often we hear about people going into a trade because it's their uncle's or their father's profession. This is great, and we do encourage it. But what about the young woman or the young male who doesn't have that significant male figure in their life? How do we encourage them to think about the trades? We are starting to see a shift locally in that thinking, and I want to acknowledge Bendigo TAFE and the free TAFE course they are running in Castlemaine. It is for women and gender diverse people. It is the only course of its kind, and it is full. It is encouraging women of all ages to consider a career in construction. It is focused on the basic skills, cert II, but there are women in the course who are thinking about taking that next step into an apprenticeship. One particular woman I know dropped out of school because there wasn't a pathway for her to pursue a construction trade apprenticeship. We shouldn't have this in 2025. I'm so relieved that she could find a pathway through Bendigo TAFE, through this free TAFE course that's been run from Castlemaine. We want to offer this kind of innovation, this kind of opportunity, to all women who might wish to change career or to think about a career in the trades—having that safe space where their teacher is a woman, their classmates are women and they're able to ask questions without feeling out of place; they are learning and will contribute towards meeting the skills requirements that we have. National Skills Week is an opportunity for us to celebrate this, but it's also an opportunity to celebrate the success stories of VET and vocational education. It's an opportunity for us to recognise that nine out of 10 new jobs in the next decade will require a post-secondary qualification, with four of those requiring a VET qualification. It's also an opportunity for people like me to talk about the need to expand the VET in Schools program. In my part of the world we have one of the original trades training centres that were built under the former Rudd-Gillard government, but some of the equipment at Bendigo Senior Secondary is out of date. We've had significant advancements in technology since it was first built under the Rudd-Gillard government. It needs to be updated. There's an opportunity for us at the federal level to partner with the state governments to ensure that these trade training centres have the equipment we need today. There's also an opportunity to expand into the health and community sectors with the VET in Schools program. We are finding that universities are looking to the students who have that VET qualification, that cert II that they achieved at school as part of their pathway and part of their resume, as well as their ATAR score. At La Trobe's Bendigo campus we have the largest rural school of health in Australia for allied health. We have dentistry, physio, OT—all of the allied health professions. Only a few weeks ago, I was at the opening of the new dental school, which is the largest of its kind in Australia. It was opened by our premier, Jacinta Allan. For a number of the students that we met and spoke to, while they did achieve an ATAR, what also helped them with their early acceptance was the fact that they were able to pursue some vocational education certificates and training. They could demonstrate to the university that they had the skills but also the fundamentals, the bedside manner and the experience in a cert II that they achieved in health. Students who were going for placement in the medical and biomedicines fields were able to demonstrate that they could already do the basics of health care through the certificates that they had received at school. There's an opportunity through VET in school to encourage young people to think about a career in university or through TAFE which might not be a family occupation already. So let's think about how we can capture those young people who don't have that significant parent or relative in health or in trades encouraging them to think about a career. Labor is delivering on skills and training, and this gives me a quick opportunity to talk about the pathways that we have established through TAFE and university. I was privileged to have the Minister for Skills and Training, the honourable Andrew Giles, in Bendigo to announce that nursing students would receive part of the Commonwealth prac placement payment. Students studying enrolled nursing not just at Bendigo TAFE but all around the country may qualify for this payment if they're required to do compulsory prac placement. The students that we met are astonishing. All of them identified themselves as early school leavers and were now at a point in their careers where they had chosen to go into nursing, men and women, who said to us quite boldly that they would not be at TAFE if it weren't for free TAFE. Now, with this prac placement payment on the table, they are now able to do their placement without fear of being able to put food on the table. However, all these students identified that they were not going to stop at the end of their enrolled nursing course. All of them wanted to go on to become registered nurses and midwives and were on their pathway to study at La Trobe University just up the road. It's a demonstration of how we can have that alternative pathway into university, and it's working. National Skills Week is an opportunity to celebrate the successes but encourage that next generation of tradies and that next generation of health workers to think about a skill and to think about TAFE. 10:53 Mr BIRRELL 288713 Nicholls National Skills Week is upon us, and it gives us an opportunity to talk about where we're up to with skills and training in this nation and where we need to go. I think there needs to be some serious thinking about the tracks we're on, and I think we have the opportunity to look overseas, which I'll talk about in a minute, to see what other countries have done and how successful they've been in skills training, particularly in vocational skills training. The area I'm from is one of the greatest food manufacturing regions in not only Australia but the world, supplied by the Goulburn-Murray irrigation system. Water flows out across the fertile soils of the Goulburn and Murray valleys. A great deal of produce is grown, and a lot of that produce is processed. There are a number of food manufacturing companies, such as, from the fruit industry, the iconic SPC with its processed fruit products. While I've got the time to talk about this, everyone is welcome to come to my office and take the peach challenge. I know the member for Hunter has taken the peach challenge— Mr Repacholi 298840 It is a remarkable business. Mr BIRRELL 288713 where he correctly identified the high quality of the SPC product versus the— Mr BIRRELL 288713 Yes, I agree with the member for Hunter. The Chinese product was significantly inferior. We have Fonterra, which makes a huge amount of the mozzarella that goes across pizzas across South-East Asia and Australia. We have Kagome, which manufactures tomato products, and the iconic Furphy—Furphy Foundry and Furphy steel products, which have been making tanks since the late 1800s. The reason I mention all these businesses is they need the skills that will transform their businesses into the future. We had a problem, and I think we still have the problem, although I see there are signs of improvement. Businesses were saying to me, 'We can't find the young people with the skills and training opportunities that are going to take our businesses forward,' and then I'd go over to the schools and the teachers were saying, 'The kids lack ambition, they don't see what opportunities there are for them, so they're going down a path we don't want them to go down, which is a part that young people find if they don't have hope and don't sense an opportunity.' In 2019 I applied for a Churchill fellowship to study this, and I was successful. I thank the Churchill Trust for trusting me with that great opportunity. I was to go to Europe to see what the Germans, the Fins, the Swedes and the British were doing about this very problem. How do we link educational institutions, whether they be primary, secondary or tertiary, with the business community? I think we need to do that better in Australia. Unfortunately, the pandemic came upon us and I wasn't able to travel until I was in this place in 2023, but I hope to apply what I learnt to this area of skills and to my shadow assistant ministry. A couple of observations from what I saw in Germany are that the vocational educational training system is, in my view, far superior to what Australia has. Their vocational schools are better than our TAFE system. They've got better facilities, I think they have teachers who have more industry experience, and the whole system is geared up a bit better. My mantra in this place is, 'I don't think we need free TAFE, I think we need better TAFE,' and the industries are supporting me in that. In Germany—I'll use Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart as an example—they'll go out to the schools and say, 'Do you want an apprenticeships with Mercedes-Benz, because we need you into the future?' They've got a very futuristic way of looking at this. They don't think about the technologies that exist now, necessarily—they ask, 'What do we need in 2030, 2040, 2050 or 2060, and how can we train young people to have that mindset, knowing that things change all through those periods and you can't necessarily predict the future?' Once they get an apprentice, the apprentice will spend, in most cases, three days at Mercedes-Benz and they will do the practical work in a very good program. Then they'll spend two days in the technical school. The technical school will be explaining and teaching the young people the theoretical aspects of the practical stuff they've been doing in the business. That happens not just at Mercedes but all across Germany. Here's the reason that works so well: the curriculum is mainly devised by the chamber of commerce, not the government. We like the government to control everything in Australia; there, the business community have taken ownership of this. They've been allowed to take ownership of this and they have set the curriculum for the tech schools. It's a very good system. After that, I went to Finland. What I was most impressed with in Finland, after discussing things with people in Helsinki in particular, was the Finnish attitude towards what they called the discipline of skills anticipation. The Finns set about asking, 'What skills are we going to need in 20 years, 30 years or 40 years, and how do we develop the pipeline?' The other interesting thing about Finland is, while I think there has been a culture in Australian where governments of all sides—but particularly Labor governments—have said, over a number of years: 'You've got to go to uni. We want more kids in uni. Uni's where it needs to be happening.' In Finland, the mix of where students go to after secondary school is 40 per cent to university, 40 per cent to vocational training and 20 per cent straight into the workforce. That has been the case since 2001. It hasn't changed, and they are happy with that because it suits their skills needs and they don't have an overload of people in certain areas of professional training. They've got a much more even spread, in terms of vocational education, university degrees and direct entry into the workforce. I think we can look at these European examples and try to think about how we can do things better in Australia. I would like to talk about university, because it does provide skills and education. I'm an example of that—if people think I have any skills at all! I completed two university degrees: one in applied science in agriculture at Dookie college, which is the University of Melbourne's regional Victorian campus, and later an MBA at La Trobe University, primarily at the Shepparton campus. When I was at Dookie I was about 21 or 22, and I was 42 when I did the MBA. The reason I mention this is that I think we've got to look at university in Australia as something that should be available for people when they need it. Not everyone wants to go to university straight out of school. There are great opportunities for people to retrain later in life, and we need university opportunities available where people need them. As the shadow assistant minister for regional education, I say that it's very important that while there will be opportunities for young people from regional areas to study in capital cities—that will continue and that's a good thing—we also need tertiary education opportunities available where people are in regional settings. A great example of this is a fantastic program that the previous coalition government put forward and implemented called the Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network. That moved a lot of Commonwealth funded postgraduate medical degree places out of the sandstone universities, typically in Melbourne and Sydney, and into regional areas. An example is the University of Melbourne's school of rural health in Shepparton, over the road from the hospital, training young people in the medical profession. That training's not just a taster, as it used to be—and then people would go back to Melbourne. The whole four-year postgraduate degree is now in Shepparton. The first lots of those graduates will complete their studies this year, at the end of 2025, and I think what we'll see is that, because they have been living in a regional area for so long, they will stay and practise in a regional area. That is one of the great achievements of the previous coalition government, and I'd like to see it expanded into allied health so we can train more people in the regions. In conclusion, National Skills Week is an opportunity for us to see where we're up to. I encourage the government—and I'll be doing this through a number of forums—to look overseas, look at why the Europeans have developed such a good manufacturing sector, and look at what they and the North Americans are doing to keep the skills coming through the pipeline for the technologies of the future. 11:03 Mr FRENCH 316550 Moore I rise to speak on the importance of National Skills Week and to acknowledge the critical role skills, training and vocational education have in the lives of Australians, particularly in my electorate of Moore. This week is more than a celebration; it's a reminder of how deeply skills shape our economy, our communities and the dignity of work. As someone who began working as an electrician before studying law, I understand firsthand the value of practical, hands-on skills. When you've stood on a job site at six in the morning and wired a switchboard or guided an apprentice, you appreciate what training really means. Vocational education opens doors, not just to employment but to lifelong opportunity and resilience. In Moore, from Joondalup to Duncraig, Mullaloo to Ocean Reef, our communities rely on skilled workers. These are not abstract categories; they are apprentices on the tools in construction, hospitality staff serving in our cafes and restaurants, healthcare professionals caring for patients in our hospitals, and educators shaping young minds in our schools. Skills training underpins the prosperity of our region and provides the backbone of our local economy. National Skills Week provides a moment to reaffirm our government's commitment to supporting training pathways that deliver real jobs closer to home. When skills are taught locally, people stay locally and communities thrive. This is particularly important in electorates like mine, where many residents both work and raise their families in the same suburbs they grew up in. We are fortunate to have the Joondalup Learning Precinct at the heart of Moore, bringing together Edith Cowan University, North Metropolitan TAFE and the Western Australia Police Academy. This precinct is a model of how education, training and professional development can coexist in one hub. These institutions are not just neighbours; they collaborate. One example is the Joondalup Learning Precinct Mentoring Program, which connects staff across all three institutions to share knowledge, strengthen relationships and support workplace performance. It is exactly this kind of joined-up thinking that ensures our education and training ecosystem keeps pace with the needs of students and employers. North Metropolitan TAFE's Joondalup campuses deliver outstanding practical training. At the Kendrew Crescent campus, students enrol in cutting-edge programs including the recently completed $21.3 million electric vehicle training centre. This facility teaches maintenance of hybrid and electric vehicles with industry-standard tools and simulators, preparing students for the clean transport future that is already arriving in our suburbs. Just minutes away, at the McLarty Avenue campus, a fully functional simulation hospital gives nursing and health students real-world experience in a hospital-like setting. Students practice not just clinical skills but teamwork, communication and crisis management—skills every patient and every family depend upon. These facilities prepare students for the evolving needs of employers in modern workplaces, ensuring graduates are job ready from day one. At Edith Cowan University's Joondalup campus, students benefit from world-class infrastructure. A new health and wellness building, an award-winning library and hub, and even an on-campus outdoor cinema contribute to the vibrant student life. Situated in our learning precinct and accessible by public transport, ECU demonstrates that higher education is not just about lectures; it is about creating an environment where students and staff can collaborate, innovate and succeed. And then there is the Western Australia Police Academy. Recruits there undergo a rigorous 28-week training program that blends theory with extensive practical skills, from physical preparedness and emergency response to criminal investigations and leadership development. The academy does not just produce police officers; it produces professionals trained to serve, protect and lead. Skills are not built by institutions alone. I wish to acknowledge small businesses across Joondalup and Wanneroo that take on apprentices and trainees, often at great cost to their bottom line. But they have an eye on the future of their industries, and these businesses are classrooms in their own right. Community organisations also play a critical role. Groups such as Motion by the Ocean, Dadbury, North Beach Scout Group and the St Vincent de Paul Society lead, mentor and create environments where young people can learn responsibility and resilience. Parents, carers and students themselves also embody the spirit of National Skills Week when they embrace these opportunities and commit to building a better future through training. This year's skills week aligns with the Albanese Labor government's record investment in vocational training. Through a partnership with the Cook government in WA, we are doubling the Strategic Industries Fund, positioning Western Australia to attract advanced manufacturing, defence and clean energy projects. These industries do not arrive without workers. Every renewable energy project needs electricians and engineers. Every advanced manufacturer needs fitters, machinists and technicians. Every hospital expansion needs nurses, aged-care workers and allied health professionals. Our government is making training more accessible through fee-free TAFE and VET places. Already, thousands of Western Australians have taken up these spaces—people who might otherwise have been priced out of training. By removing cost barriers, we are opening doors to those who want to skill up, change careers or return to the workforce. We're also strengthening pathways between schools and training providers, ensuring that young people can transition smoothly into apprenticeships and traineeships. A student in year 11 today can step directly into a VET course tomorrow and into secure work the year after. These are not abstract policies. They are real investments that will help the people of Moore secure good jobs and help local businesses find the skilled workforce they need. Skills matter because they give individuals agency over their lives. A trade certificate, a nursing diploma or a hospitality qualification is not just a piece of paper. It is security, mobility and dignity. Skills matter because they strengthen families. When a parent has stable work, children benefit from security and opportunity. When a young person gains a trade, they gain independence and pride. Skills matter because they strengthen businesses. Small businesses in Moore tell me repeatedly that access to trained staff is the difference between expanding and stagnating, between taking on another apprentice and turning down contracts. Skills matter because they strengthen our economy. Australia cannot compete on low wages. We compete on quality, on safety and on the excellence of our people. That means investing in training is not an optional extra. It is a national necessity. National Skills Week reminds us that investing in people, their training and their future is the strongest way to strengthen our communities. From Joondalup to Mullaloo and Duncraig to Ocean Reef, the people of Moore are living proof that when skills are built locally opportunity grows locally. I am proud to stand with my colleagues in supporting vocational education and training, and I am committed to ensuring that the people of Moore have every opportunity to build the skills that they need for today's jobs and tomorrow's industry. 11:12 Ms KARA COOK 316537 Bonner I rise today to mark National Skills Week, an important time to recognise the vital role that vocational education and training plays in shaping the future of our country. This year's theme, 'Explore ALL the options', reminds us that education isn't a one-size-fits-all journey. It's about offering real pathways—multiple flexible and rewarding options for Australians to skill or reskill; to secure good, well-paid jobs; and to build careers that support their families, contribute to our economy and meet the changing needs of our society. In Bonner I see firsthand the power of vocational education. From our local TAFE campus at Mount Gravatt, where students are studying everything from accounting to automotive, to apprentices gaining hands-on experience with some of Australia's most advanced employers—including Switch Box in Bonner, who Minister Giles and I visited back in July to chat with local electrical apprentices, our community is full of examples of skills based learning changing lives. The Albanese government is proud to be putting TAFE back at the centre of Australia's VET system, right where it belongs, and we're backing that commitment with investment, with vision and with action. Across our TAFE campuses, we see a beautiful cross-section of Australia. This includes students from every background, staff with deep industry knowledge—just like my mum, who was a proud TAFE teacher for over 20 years in early childhood education—and facilities that are improving all the time to meet both learner aspirations and industry needs. Whether it's community services next to IT or auto mechanics next to agriculture, our TAFEs reflect the full spectrum of the Australian economy and its future. The response to fee-free TAFE has been absolutely extraordinary. Australians are backing it in, and they're showing up in record numbers. That's why the Albanese government has legislated to make fee-free TAFE permanent, delivering 100,000 places every year from 2027. In my electorate of Bonner, fee-free TAFE is already making a real difference. A student studying accounting at the Mount Gravatt campus will save almost $5,000 a year under this policy. That is real money in people's pockets and a real investment in our local workforce. I also recently visited the Tesla workshop in Mount Gravatt with the Minister for Skills and Training, Minister Giles, where we met Zahraa, one of just five female apprentices at Tesla nationally. Zahraa is not only excelling in her field; she's leading. She's helping to build Australia's clean energy future and she has also created a peer support network for other women navigating the challenges of trade apprenticeships. Zahraa is an absolute inspiration and she is a great example of how our New Energy Apprenticeships Program is supporting the next generation of skilled workers in the renewable energy sector. Programs like this are critical if we are going to meet the workforce demands of the decade ahead. Nine out of 10 new jobs in the next 10 years will require some form of post-secondary education. Around half of those jobs will need a VET qualification, and many of those jobs will be in critical sectors, such as clean energy, housing construction, aged care, early childhood education and manufacturing. The Albanese government is focused on building that pipeline of skilled workers. We've already seen encouraging growth. There are now 50,000 more apprentices in training than there were before the pandemic. Construction apprentices are up 28 per cent, and women starting trade apprenticeships are up 32 per cent. These are great signs, but we know there is more to do. That's why we've launched our Key Apprenticeship Program, including the new energy stream and housing construction stream. Already, more than 12,000 apprentices have signed up for clean energy pathways, and, in just one month, more than 1,200 new apprentices were approved under the housing construction stream, including carpenters, electricians and plumbers—workers we desperately need to help us build more homes for Australians. And we're supporting these students beyond just enrolment. We've increased the living-away-from-home allowance for the first time in more than 20 years. That payment hadn't been updated since 2003. Bonner is also home to more than 59,000 VET students. Courses in engineering and health are amongst the most in demand, and it's no surprise. These are sectors that are offering meaningful work, long-term careers and vital services for our communities. We're backing these students and we're backing their futures through the $30 billion National Skills Agreement that we've struck with the states and territories. This agreement is transforming our VET system, investing in high-quality, accessible training and creating TAFE centres of excellence. It also supports the delivery of foundation skills, building Australians' literacy, numeracy and digital literacy. That's because we know that the road to meaningful employment starts with confidence, and sometimes that means going back to basics. Through our Skills for Education and Employment program and $77 million in new funding, we're expanding access to free English language, literacy and digital skills training. In a rapidly changing economy where AI, automation and digital tools are becoming the norm, these skills are not optional; they are foundational to future participation and prosperity. We need to shift the national conversation around vocational education. This isn't second best to university; it's equal. And it must be seen as such if we are to meet the challenges and opportunities of the next decade. We also must acknowledge that learning doesn't stop at 18 or 21. More and more Australians are using fee-free TAFE to reskill later in life, starting new careers, new passions and new opportunities. Our government supports that. Whether it's formal training in classrooms or informal learning in the workplace, education should be lifelong and supported at every stage. National Skills Week is a time to celebrate the value of hands-on learning and the diversity of pathways Australians can take to success. It's time to recognise the students, teachers, employers and institutions like TAFE that are lifting up our communities and driving our economy forward. It's time to reaffirm our commitment to making vocational education more accessible, more inclusive and more respected. The Albanese government is proud to be leading that charge, and I'm proud as the member for Bonner to stand here today and say that we are backing Australians with the skills for the jobs of the future. 11:20 Ms COKER 263547 Corangamite Happy National Skills Week. This week is about celebrating the power of skills and training to change lives, open doors and build stronger communities across our nations. The 2025 theme is 'Explore All the Options', and that's exactly what the Albanese government and our Minister for Skills and Training are supporting—options, opportunities and pathways for every Australian to build their future and contribute to our economy. In my electorate of Corangamite in Victoria, I have seen firsthand the difference TAFE and apprenticeships make. They give people a start, help workers retrain and upskill, and ensure local businesses have the skilled workers we need to thrive. At Gordon TAFE in my region, many lives are transformed, thanks to the dedication of the staff and teachers who make it such a special place to learn and grow. I recently visited the Gordon with our minister, Minister Giles. We met with nursing students who are preparing to enter vital roles in aged care, showing the important pathways that vocational education provides for both young people and mature-aged learners. There are so many fantastic local stories at the Gordon. Will, from Torquay, is one of them. While still at school, Will began a school based apprenticeship. He continued his studies, earned an income and learned his trade alongside his dad. Today, Will is in his second year of his apprenticeship and setting himself up for a strong future in the construction industry. Will's story shows what is possible when learning is accessible, affordable and respected. That is why the Albanese government is backing in our VET sector: it gives people opportunity, skills and a profession and contributes to a better future for our region and the nation. It's why we've made free TAFE permanent, guaranteeing at least 100,000 fee-free places every year from 2027, because cost should not be a barrier to training. Through free TAFE, we are extending opportunities by removing the barriers of cost, gender, location or background that too often keep people out. With $1.5 billion committed to free TAFE and VET places, we are ensuring vocational education is available to Australians at every stage of life. Since free TAFE was introduced, more than 650,000 Australians have enrolled, and 170 courses have already been completed. The impact is enormous, with over 84,000 VET participants aged 45 54—it's interesting that those VET participants are stepping in at an older age—along with 40,000 who are aged over 55. We also know that women comprise 62 per cent of free TAFE enrolments. We are also backing in apprentices. We're making available pre-apprenticeship courses through free TAFE because evidence shows that it boosts completion rates. Our Key Apprenticeship Program in energy and housing has been designed with course completions in mind too—a $10,000 incentive paid in instalments, recognising the importance of cost-of-living support across the whole of an apprenticeship. In its first month alone, the housing stream of this program saw almost 1,300 apprentice sign-ups, with the top three occupations being carpenters, electricians and plumbers—all essential to building the homes Australia needs. We do recognise that this is a monumental task. When the Albanese government was elected in 2022, Australia faced the worst skills shortage in 50 years. So meeting this challenge must be a high priority for our minister. We know that nine out of 10 new jobs will require post-year-12 training, and around half of these will come through a vocational pathway. That's why the Albanese government is committed to transforming the VET sector—restoring it to its rightful place alongside universities as a foundation for rewarding, well-paid employment. It's why we're supporting VET. It's about individuals, about addressing skills shortages and about building a strong, productive and prosperous economy. As part of our work to make this a reality, our government signed the groundbreaking National Skills Agreement with states and territories in 2023. This historic deal unlocks up to $34 billion in joint investment to strengthen and modernise vocational education and training, with TAFE at its centre. As part of this agreement, 12 TAFE Centres of Excellence are being established to deliver the skills our economy urgently needs. These centres are taking shape in areas including housing and construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, electric vehicles and heavy industry. They give Australians the opportunity to gain skills in areas where they can make a real difference to our communities and to our nation. Strong foundation skills—literacy, numeracy, digital capability and the ability to adapt to technologies like AI—are critical to ensuring that everyone can participate fully in work, education and the broader community. In December 2024, in partnership with states and territories, we finalised the National Foundation Skills Strategy 2025-2035. This sets out a vision for adult learners to access quality training that builds confidence, capability and lifelong opportunity. In closing, I'd like to say that my region has always been built on skills—from the workshops in Marshall and Moolap, to the care workers supporting our ageing communities, to the tradies building homes in Armstrong Creek and Mount Duneed. These are the people who keep our region strong. These are the people who will continue to make our nation so special. National Skills Week is a reminder that learning never stops, that opportunity must always be available and that respect for every pathway is fundamental to fairness. It is a week to celebrate the people making this possible: our apprentices, trainees, TAFE students and skilled workers. They are not only building their lives; they are building and caring for our communities. The theme of this year's Skills Week, 'Explore ALL the options', captures the spirit of what our government is delivering. Every pathway, every course, every apprenticeship and every TAFE place is an opportunity to build a better life for individuals, families and communities. We're committed to continuing to provide Australians with these pathways and continuing to invest in our VET system, in TAFE Centres of Excellence, in free TAFE and in apprenticeships, so that every Australian has the chance to explore all the options, reach their potential and contribute to a stronger, fairer and more prosperous nation. Skills mean fairness. Skills mean dignity. Skills bring opportunity. That is what this week is all about, that is what our government is delivering and that is what I will continue to fight for on behalf of the people of my electorate of Corangamite. Congratulations to all the staff and students at Gordon TAFE—enjoy this week and go well. 11:29 Ms COFFEY 312323 Griffith I'm very pleased today to speak during National Skills Week, an important occasion to raise the profile and status of skills and vocational learning, and to showcase attractive career opportunities for all Australians. As our Minister for Skills and Training shared this week, the Albanese government is working hard to put TAFE at the centre of our vocational education and training system. At TAFE campuses across the country, you see students from every walk of life learning together and sharing their experiences. You see staff who love what they do, bringing their industry know-how and real passion for their students' futures. And you see facilities that just keep getting better, keeping pace with the dreams of learners and the needs of local industries. I saw this in action recently at my local TAFE Queensland, at the Mount Gravatt campus, which is located in my electorate of Griffith. There, students in Brisbane's south are offered a convenient location to pursue their study goals. You can study conservation and ecosystem management, entrepreneurship and new business, horticulture, accounts administration, early childhood education and care, and so much more. Mount Gravatt is also TAFE Queensland's fashion studies hub. It offers a range of applied fashion design and millinery courses and hosts an annual Brisbane fashion parade where students showcase their designs. Recently, I commissioned award-winning local TAFE Queensland student Ella Taylor to design and create my gown for last night's 2025 Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery Midwinter Ball. As I'm sure you're aware, the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery Midwinter Ball is an annual charity gala bringing together parliamentarians, journalists and community leaders to raise funds for important causes. Ella Taylor, who is studying a Diploma of Applied Fashion Design and Merchandising at TAFE Queensland's Mount Gravatt campus, in my electorate of Griffith, recently won gold at the WorldSkills Australia National Championships. Supported by the Australian government, WorldSkills Australia is a social enterprise that passionately believes skills drive the future of young people and of Australia. WorldSkills Australia is part of an international WorldSkills movement, and since 1981 they have been enabling young people to showcase their trade and skills both here and overseas at competitions. I'm really proud to advise that Ella was recently selected for the national training squad for WorldSkills Australia, and the final squad—the Skillaroos—will be announced in the near future. Those selected Skillaroos will be competing in the 48th WorldSkills Competition held in Shanghai, China, from 22 September to 27 September next year. With a national stage like the midwinter ball, it was important to me to use it to highlight the incredible local talent we have in my community of Griffith. Working closely with her WorldSkills mentor, Carol Costa—an amazing woman—Ella brought the gown to life, blending her technical excellence and creative flair. It started as a pencil sketch. She then fitted me, measured me, cut out the materials, sewed the gown together and did a final fitting. So much work went into this gown. It is important to Ella that she promotes sustainability in fashion, so she and Carol chose to use dead stock for the gown. Dead stock is surplus material that otherwise would have been discarded. The use of this fabric in Ella's creation can be seen as part of sustainable practice because it diverts materials from landfill. Ella is not only an incredibly gifted designer but also an inspiring example of the pathways available through TAFE. As the local MP, I see it as part of my role to showcase and celebrate this. I also commissioned a local high school student and emerging designer from Cannon Hill Anglican College, Gabe McLoughlin, to create a bespoke clutch purse to accompany the gown. Gabe chose to hand bead a Cooktown orchid, which is Queensland's floral emblem. I'm also proud to advise that some of Gabe's work has recently been selected to be included as a finalist in the Queer Here exhibition as part of Brisbane's pride festival at Griffith University Queensland College of Art and Design in South Bank, which is also in my electorate. Both Ella and Gabe are rising stars in design and fashion. Having worked in the education sector for much of my career, most recently supporting First Nations young people to pursue their career ambitions through both vocational and university pathways, I am passionate about educational choice. This week, our minister for skills and training outlined three key priorities that will be his focus for this term as the skills and training minister in our Albanese Labor government. The first is equally valuing vocational education and training, the second is supporting lifelong learning, something I know everyone in this place is passionate about, and the third is strengthening the partnerships that we, the Australian government, have already established. I passionately believe that all of these are essential in continuing to build a skills system that is responsive to the needs of the people in my community of Griffith, of Australians and of our Australian economy and also to create a skills system that puts vocational education and training on an equal footing with university. It is very clear we need graduates from both sectors to meet the challenges we will face as Australians in the coming years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gabe McLoughlin and the wonderful art department at CHAC and also to thank Ella Taylor, her WorldSkills mentor Carol Costa and the fashion department at TAFE Queensland Mount Gravatt campus for all the work they put in. I was so proud last night to be able to showcase that at the ball. 11:35 Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Gilmore As a former TAFE teacher, the wife of a chippie and the mum of two apprentice tradies, I have always been a massive advocate for vocational education and training. Public education runs through my veins, and TAFE holds a special place in my heart. That's why, during National Skills Week, I am so pleased to say more than 5,000 people in my electorate of Gilmore have taken up the Albanese Labor government's free TAFE program. That's free training for the carpenters, electricians and tradies we desperately need to build new homes on the New South Wales South Coast. That's free training for the healthcare workers, social workers, aged-care workers and early childhood carers, ensuring our most vulnerable can get quality care when they need it. We know that free TAFE is delivering the skills and training we need to grow the Australian economy and build a future made right here in Australia. Free TAFE is working to fill jobs in those crucial skill-shortage industries, and that is backed up by the numbers. There have been more than 650,000 enrolments in the government's free TAFE program and more than 170,000 free TAFE courses completed by Australians. That's just fantastic. What a successful program that is helping grow our economy and, importantly, provide affordable education to young people and people who want to upskill or retrain in new areas! I know how gaining a TAFE qualification can change lives for the better. I've seen firsthand, both as a teacher and as a mum, how TAFE has opened doorways for young people and people of all ages in regional areas like my electorate of Gilmore on the New South Wales South Coast. Free TAFE is removing financial barriers to education and training for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Free TAFE is putting people in regional areas like Gilmore on a pathway to well-paid and secure employment. Free TAFE means no-one is left behind. Whether our kids or grandkids want to become tradies, childcare workers, nurses, computer programmers or even cybersecurity experts, TAFE provides that opportunity. Permanent free TAFE is providing a pipeline of skilled workers that Australia needs now and into the future to provide more housing right across Australia and to make homes more affordable to rent and buy. Free TAFE means more skilled people to build and install solar panels, to make buses and to construct roads. In regional areas like Gilmore, so many kids want to finish school and gain an apprenticeship or train at their local TAFE campus. Many don't want to leave home or move to the city to find work or go to uni. They've grown up in small coastal towns, and often they want to work hard and follow in the footsteps of their parents, grandparents and siblings, whether that's working as a tradie, nurse or early educator. As a TAFE teacher, I have taught people that had never worked outside of their home before, and it was TAFE that started them on a pathway into courses such as aged care and community services. TAFE graduates are caring for our young children and our parents and grandparents in aged care. They're doing important skilled jobs. We need them, and I thank them. It's so fabulous that the TAFE Certificate II in Aeroskills is providing our young people a pathway to an exciting career as an avionics maintainer to support defence industry jobs in Shoalhaven. We're a proud Navy town, home to HMAS Albatross, the Fleet Air Arm and HMAS Creswell, so it's really important that we have defence related TAFE courses on offer to give local students an entry into the industry. Defence and defence industry are our biggest employers, and this aeroskills course provides local students with an opportunity to fill in-demand roles such as aircraft maintenance engineers and aircraft line maintenance workers. The course, introduced at Nowra TAFE last year, is giving students an insight from industry-experienced teachers, through a mixture of theory and practical units, to ensure aircraft fly smoothly and safely. Students are gaining practical experience and developing specialist skills to give them an advantage in the job market. This includes working on real aircraft components on a variety of aircraft and working safely and sustainably in the industry. We already have industry-leading businesses employing and training young people in the Shoalhaven, and this is another opportunity for local students to take up exciting defence related careers without having to leave home. I regularly visit my local TAFE campuses right across the electorate, to speak with students about how free TAFE is providing that bit of important financial relief for them and their families. I was thrilled to meet twins Najara and Harrisen, both motor mechanic apprentices who work for Batemans Bay Automotive Repairs. The siblings are looking forward to one day taking the helm of their family business. TAFE is providing them with the variety of skills needed to do just that. I was very impressed to meet Robert Beattie, who has supervised an incredible 45 apprentice carpenters at Beach House Stairs at Batemans Bay. During a visit to his workshop with the Minister for Skills and Training, we chatted to apprentices Nathan, Nicholas and Brendan about how TAFE is helping them build the skills needed to meet gaps in the workforce. Seventeen-year-old Nathan comes from a family of tradies and said he is confident he will always have work. Our fee-free TAFE is helping regional kids like Nathan, Harrisen and Najara on a pathway to success. Free TAFE is helping people from priority cohorts—young Australians, jobseekers and First Nations Australians—and it's really great to see six in 10 free TAFE places have been taken up by women, and one in three places have been in regional and remote parts of Australia such as Gilmore. I have been on the ground talking with employers and apprentices, and I can tell you free TAFE is working, which is why we've made it permanent. Importantly, I've also met people who have been out of the workforce for a while, to care for a family member or raise their children, and who have turned to TAFE to gain the skills required to re-enter the workforce. Because of this government's commitment to vocational education, TAFE is booming on the South Coast. I really want to commend our wonderful TAFE teachers, employers and, of course, the students and apprentices who are embracing these opportunities. Free TAFE is an investment in our future and our people, ensuring all Australians, no matter their background, have the skills and capacity to contribute to a thriving economy. During National Skills Week, I encourage young people to recognise vocational education as a wonderful pathway to a good job and an exciting future. GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH 99 GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH Address-in-Reply 99 11:43 Mr DREYFUS HWG Isaacs It's a privilege to represent the people of Isaacs for a seventh term in this 48th Parliament of Australia. To the people of my electorate of Isaacs, I thank them for the trust they have placed in me. To the volunteers who've supported my campaign, I express my sincere thanks. You gave your time to hand out how-to-vote cards, knock on doors, speak to neighbours and engage in respectful discussions about the future of our electorate and Australia. I also acknowledge the dedication and professionalism of my electorate office staff: Judd, Sally, Elly, Lucy, Nicola, Lydia, Olivia and Alex. You embody the very best of public service, and I'm grateful for your support. I also want to thank the Australian Electoral Commission. I acknowledge the excellent work of the divisional returning officer for Isaacs, Marc Antoine, and his team. The expertise and patient work of the AEC are among the quiet strengths of our democracy. Because of the work of the AEC, Australians have confidence that our elections are conducted fairly and with integrity. My campaign in Isaacs had a simple vision: to hear directly from the people of our community, to understand their challenges and aspirations and to ensure their voices shape our work. In the months leading up to the election I visited every part of my electorate—from Dandenong to Dingley, Chelsea to Cheltenham and from Moorabbin to Keysborough. I attended community forums, knocked on thousands of doors, joined sporting events, made hundreds of phone calls and visited festivals, shopping strips, businesses, hospitals and aged-care centres. From a 20 per cent cut to student debt to free TAFE; from cheaper medicines and 60-day prescriptions to more Medicare urgent care clinics and to more bulk-billing; from support for businesses to building more housing; from wage increases for aged-care and childcare workers to secure funding for community legal services; from reforming family law to significant changes to Australia's privacy laws—every one of these policies will make a difference in people's lives, and every one of these policies will build a fairer Australia now and into the future. In all of the conversations I had, people said they wanted help with the cost of living, secure and decent jobs, affordable housing, accessible health care and education, and a government that listens and delivers. The Albanese Labor government's free TAFE policy develops skills and supports long-term economic growth. When more Australians get the qualifications they need, businesses perform better, essential services improve and the economy strengthens. The Albanese Labor government's policy to cut student debt by 20 per cent is about giving people a fair chance to succeed. Less debt means easing financial pressure, especially for younger people. In my electorate of Isaacs, more than 20,000 people will have lower student debt. Our government's Cheaper Child Care is about supporting economic productivity and easing cost-of-living pressures. Like cutting student debt, it gives people a level of financial freedom to make decisions that are right for them and their families. It helps parents return to work and increases workforce participation. Our government's tax cuts build on the cost-of-living relief policies we've already delivered. Workers will keep more of what they earn, easing pressure on household budgets, boosting savings and strengthening financial security for workers and their families across the country. Cheaper medicines are another way we are easing cost-of-living pressures and ensuring more people can get the health care they need. Cheaper medicines have already saved households in my electorate more than $11 million and, with 60-day prescriptions now in place, Australians are saving even more money. The government's Medicare urgent care clinics are another example of policy that's delivering results and improving the lives of millions of Australians. Around 90 Medicare urgent care clinics are now operating across the country, taking pressure off hospitals and emergency departments. They open early and close late seven days a week and provide free walk-in urgent care with no appointment needed. All patients are fully bulk-billed. One of Australia's busiest Medicare urgent care clinics is in Dandenong South, in my electorate. In my electorate, our policies are making a difference. I think of the young woman from Dandenong, Aadila, who told me that cutting her student debt meant she could finally save money for a car to get to work, or the mum in Keysborough, Sarah, who, thanks to more affordable childcare, is working more, earning more and saving more. In Chelsea, pensioners Barry and Iris spoke to me about how cheaper medicines are making a real difference. They no longer have to choose between filling a prescription or paying a bill. For them, the Albanese Labor government's introduction of 60-day prescriptions means fewer trips to the pharmacy, lower costs and real savings. Australians are seeing the Albanese Labor government's plan in action. They see it when someone they know gets one of the million new jobs created since the Albanese Labor government came to office in 2022. They see it when a friend or family member enrols in a free TAFE course that leads to well-paid, secure skilled work. They see it when parents can return to work because child care is more affordable. They see it when they or someone close to them visits a Medicare urgent care clinic for the urgent care they need when they need it. And they see it at the pharmacy with cheaper medicines and 60-day prescriptions. They see it in their pay packets because the Albanese Labor government's tax cuts mean people earn more and keep more of what they earn. I'm reminded that the Liberal-National coalition opposed all of this. When Australians needed help the most, the Liberal-National coalition chose division, fear, distraction and harmful politics instead of working in this parliament to deliver meaningful support for all Australians. The Albanese Labor government knows that Australians don't need more promises on housing; they need homes built. That's why we've set an ambitious target and are delivering the biggest housing investment in our nation's history. We're building more homes and backing first-home buyers. Since we came into government, new housing approvals are up by 30 per cent, and one million households across the nation have received an almost 50 per cent increase in Commonwealth rent assistance. Half a million homes have been built, 28,000 social and affordable homes are underway and our Build to Rent scheme is creating 80,000 new secure rentals nationally. The Albanese government is working closely with state and territory governments. Australians expect governments to work together. When they do, we get better results for the people we serve: more homes, built faster, in the places they're needed most. We're delivering more social and affordable homes across Australia, providing security for renters, older Australians, women escaping violence, and families who need stability. For almost 10 years the Liberal-National coalition delivered headlines, not homes. The Albanese Labor government is delivering the biggest housing investment in our nation's history. I now turn briefly to multiculturalism, because it remains one of Australia's greatest strengths. Multiculturalism is part of our nation's story, reflecting the simple truth that our community is shaped by people who come from somewhere else. It's a story shared by generations of Australians and stands at the heart of Australia's identity. Everyone in this building knows someone who migrated to Australia. For many of us it was our parents, grandparents or great-grandparents who made that journey, seeking safety, opportunity and a better future. My electorate is one of the most diverse in Australia. People from more than 150 countries have made their homes in our suburbs. Their diversity is a source of strength for our community. I saw that strength earlier this year when I attended the inaugural Ramadan Night Market in Dandenong, organised by Bright Community, a group of local Muslim business owners. It was an extraordinary celebration over the nights of Ramadan, drawing thousands of people from all backgrounds to share food, culture and community. Migrant-run businesses make up nearly one-third of small businesses in Australia, and in Isaacs they are the backbone of our shopping centres, restaurants and professional services. They create jobs, generate investment and open doors to new international markets. Many children and grandchildren of migrants are now leaders, in medicine, education, law, sport and the arts. Their stories reflect the best of our nation: hard work, determination and the belief that no matter where your family came from you can succeed in Australia. I see it every day, in Springvale, Noble Park, Keysborough, Mordialloc and Dandenong. When people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to participate fully, contribute to society and feel they belong, we are a stronger and more united country. But belonging is only meaningful if people feel it is safe to participate, whether as voters, candidates or volunteers. A healthy democracy depends not just on the right to vote but also on the ability to participate without fear of intimidation, harassment or abuse. I acknowledge my Liberal opponent at the 2025 election, Fiona Ottey. Fiona conducted herself with dignity and respect throughout the campaign. While we may differ in our policies and visions, we share a commitment to service and our community. I thank Fiona Ottey for her contribution to the democratic process and for engaging in a contest of ideas, not personalities. In my electorate of Isaacs the campaign was respectful and principled. However, I must draw attention to the deeply troubling conduct that occurred in the neighbouring electorate of Goldstein, which shared the Cheltenham prepoll booth with Isaacs. Goldstein was one of the most closely contested electorates in the nation. Following a re-count, the Liberal candidate and now member for Goldstein, Mr Tim Wilson, was elected by a margin of just 175 votes. Yet, throughout the campaign, there were repeated incidents involving Mr Wilson's campaign volunteers that fell well short of the standard of behaviour Australians expect. These incidents included verbal abuse of volunteers working for other candidates and threats of violence and even death threats against public figures. This conduct was clearly intended to intimidate. One incident reported involved a Liberal campaigner verbally abusing two young women, including one who was just 17 years old, calling them 'little scum'. Another involved a threat of extreme violence, including a death threat directed at the Premier of Victoria and the former member for Goldstein Ms Zoe Daniel. Mr Wilson did not condemn these incidents. He made excuses instead of accepting responsibility and taking immediate action to remove and hold those responsible accountable. He even attempted to justify one of these incidents, absurdly suggesting his campaign volunteer had low blood sugar levels. On election day, private security personnel needed to be engaged in the electorate of Goldstein to ensure the safety of volunteers and prevent vandalism by Mr Wilson's campaign team. The conduct of Mr Wilson's campaign has undermined both the fairness and the safety of the election process. I acknowledge Ms Zoe Daniel, the former member for Goldstein, for the integrity with which she conducted her campaign. She ran on ideas, on values and on service to her community. Despite this, her campaign was at times deeply personal and harrowing. As a respected journalist and parliamentarian, she faced a level of hostility no candidate should ever have to endure. She was subjected to vile abuse on the street, including misogynistic slurs. She had to report incidents of stalking and harassment to the police. Her car was identified online. She feared being followed home, and, in the final week of the campaign, she needed the protection of the Australian Federal Police. The hostility also extended to her volunteers and staff, who were intimidated at booths and endured a barrage of personal attacks online and in person. Through it all, Ms Daniel refused to retaliate. She focused on policy and principle. Her campaign was a model of integrity, and her resilience in the face of such adversity deserves recognition and respect from all sides of politics. One reported incident also involved Mr Wilson himself. As a candidate for public office, he shouted at a member of Ms Daniel's staff as she returned to her car: 'Enjoy your last week.' It was a comment intended to intimidate—behaviour unbecoming of anyone seeking to serve in our national parliament. I'm sure he would not accept such treatment if it were directed at him. The behaviour did not end with the campaign. It carried into the prolonged counting process, where Mr Wilson's campaign scrutineers were encouraged to intimidate, distract and use standover tactics against Ms Daniel's scrutineers. The behaviour of Liberal volunteers and Mr Wilson at polling booths in Goldstein, including those shared with Isaacs, shows how quickly abuse and intimidation can erode confidence in our democracy. Hostility and harassment do not just silence voters' voices in the moment; they deter people from wanting to take part at all. Democracy only works when Australians can participate without fear or intimidation. This is not about courtesy; it goes to the very integrity of our democracy here, in our local communities and across the nation. What occurred in Goldstein reflects a broader challenge facing democracies in Australia and across the world. Harmful political discourse, threats of violence and death, and the harassment of candidates are pushing people away from public life. We must not allow that to take hold in Australia. The strongest safeguard against this kind of conduct is a shared commitment to democratic principles, truth, mutual respect and civic participation. When those principles are undermined, the harm extends beyond individual candidates. It erodes public confidence and weakens the foundations of our democracy. All members of this parliament, regardless of their political views, benefit from the strength of our democratic institutions and share a responsibility to uphold the standards that Australians rightly expect and to protect those institutions in return. The unfortunate behaviour of the new member for Goldstein and his team during the Goldstein campaign is particularly disappointing given Mr Wilson's service as Australia's human rights commissioner from 2014 to 2016. That statutory role exists to champion respect, dignity and the protection of rights for all Australians. A genuine commitment to human rights is tested in moments of difficulty: when taking action is inconvenient, when stepping in to stop misconduct carries political risk and when personal accountability is required. By any fair assessment, Mr Wilson did not show such a commitment during the election campaign. He had the opportunity to uphold the principles of respect, accountability and fairness that underpin our democracy, but he chose not to act. That is what leadership demands, and it is what the Australian community is entitled to expect, especially from someone who has held the office of Human Rights Commissioner. It was also deeply troubling that in October 2024 a former Liberal MP, Jason Falinski, referred Ms Daniel to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. This was a reckless attempt to misuse the commission for political advantage. The commission has made it abundantly clear that the referral was groundless. I'll quote the commission's statement: … the Commission considers that no corruption issue arises, and will take no further action in relation to the referral. This episode says something deeply concerning about the Liberal Party. It shows a willingness to misuse, for political gain, one of the most important anticorruption institutions in our democracy. The National Anti-Corruption Commission exists to prevent corruption in government. It is not there to be used as a tool for political advantage. Such conduct undermines trust in our institutions and has no place in Australian politics. Democracy works best when people can participate without fear or intimidation, because fear undermines the core principles that make democracy function, such as fairness, safety and equal participation. This is not simply a matter of politeness or manners; it goes to the integrity of our democratic system. As I commence my seventh term, I remain driven by the values that have guided my service—fairness, integrity and a genuine commitment to this community. Public service is not about self-interest; it is about serving the community's interest. That is what guides my work as a member of parliament. My vision for Isaacs and for Australia is a community that is inclusive, connected and economically secure—a place where every child can access a good education, where health care is available when needed and where opportunities are not limited by one's postcode or background. The people of Isaacs have trusted me again with the responsibility to represent them in this place, and for that I am deeply grateful. I will continue to deliver on the Albanese Labor government's commitments to defend the integrity of our democracy and uphold the standards the public rightly expects of us. I call on all members to send a clear message: intimidation and abuse have no place in Australian politics. We must lead by example and help build a democratic culture grounded in respect, inclusion and integrity. 12:03 Mr GILES 243609 Scullin On 3 May the opposition sought to harness pessimism and cynicism in a path to power that was without purpose. But people in the Scullin electorate saw through this, as did Australians right around our country. They recognised the leadership of our prime minister—his record, his character—and our plans to bring out the very best for our nation and every one of its citizens. They noticed that Labor listened, and not just to the loudest voices. They noticed that we understood the need to both keep responding to urgent cost-of-living pressures in the short term and offer hope for the future beyond that. They noticed that we were serious about the challenges holding back Australians doing it tough and about realising those wonderful opportunities that lie before us. They noticed that we had prepared a policy agenda anchored in this appreciation—policies fit for purpose for the needs of Australians now and as we look to the future. I begin my contribution by thanking the voters of the Scullin electorate for again placing their trust in me and in the Albanese Labor government. It is an incredible honour to have been elected for a fifth time, and of course, more importantly, there is the responsibility and obligation to represent, advocate for, contribute to and deliver for the people of the Scullin electorate. This is my focus as a very proud member of our re-elected Albanese Labor government—a government whose ethos of leaving no-one behind and holding no-one back resonated so strongly from the very start with the people of Scullin across its length and breadth, in all its wonderful diversity. I recognise in saying that that I now have the privilege of representing a number of communities which are new to the electorate: parts of Campbellfield, more of Wollert and a little slice of Fawkner. So I was particularly pleased to form relationships and begin an understanding of those communities, which I look forward to representing in this, the 48th Parliament. But, of course, I'm proud to represent all of the communities across Scullin and the people who make them such wonderful places. After almost a decade of serving in this place in opposition, the opportunity to serve from the government benches after the 2022 election enabled me to advocate for and deliver on a number of local wins that I'm particularly proud of, even if in some cases people waited too long for those wins to be realised. I think about the $2 million in funding our government delivered for the Peter Hopper Lake in Mill Park after strong advocacy from local residents for some time. A big shout-out to everyone involved in Friends of Peter Hopper Lake for their enduring advocacy. I can now see the funding being put to work to improve the quality of the environment of the lake, with stage 2 works now well underway and expected to be nearing completion by the end of the year. Another set of funding that's made a big difference has been the Schools Upgrade Fund. Three schools in my electorate have benefited from funding through this program: Norris Bank Primary School in Bundoora for new playground equipment, playing equipment and shade sails; Findon Primary School in Mill Park for much-needed refurbishment of student toilets—the images that the students sent to me of the need for this really resonated with me, and I was so pleased to be able, thanks to the great work of Minister Clare, to deliver on their request; and Merriang Special Developmental School for upgrades to their inclusive play space at their South Morang campus. The Scullin electorate is a diverse place, and across the multicultural communities there is a common desire to maintain connection to culture and to language. Our government recognises this, and, to help ensure communities can continue to do this work, we've supported nine community language schools through grants to strengthen social inclusion and an ongoing connection to language, which is so vital. One of the issues that have been raised constantly with me in my time in this place is the importance of access to health care, and I am so thrilled about the Epping urgent care centre and the impact it is making every single day. The clinic has now seen more than 13,000 visits since it opened, and I wish a happy birthday, on Monday, to everyone involved at the Epping urgent care clinic. Obviously, I won't be there, but I'll be thinking of the incredible staff for the impact they have there in the urgent care clinic itself and, of course, in the women's health specialist services that are offered there as well. I think about those people who've faced some unexpected moments and needed access to a nurse or doctor for themselves or for their children. The clinic receives 37 visits a day, with doctors and nurses working hard to keep our community healthy. This is not only access to local urgent care but access to free health care when people need it. Another thing that really brings me great joy is the progress towards the opening of the Epping study hub, which will provide student support and campus-style facilities and bring university and TAFE closer to home and closer together, because we know that where you live can be a barrier to continuing an educational journey. That's why we've delivered these hubs. The one in Epping is paired with the one in Broadmeadows—and a shout-out to my good friend the new and excellent member for Calwell, Basem Abdo. I've really enjoyed sharing your journey through a difficult campaign in which you revealed many of your qualities and just a hint of the capacity you're going to bring to this place as a wonderful advocate for your communities and a contributor to the work of government. These hubs will support local TAFE and university students to attain their qualifications, but they will also inspire the next generation, as high school students can see, feel and touch that next step in their journey. I'm also really proud to be part of a government that's delivering a $4.5 million investment to revitalise the Nick Ascenzo Reserve in Thomastown. The funding is going towards a new multipurpose sports court, a scooter and BMX loop and upgrades to the existing playground. I've been speaking to local residents and also parents from Thomastown East Primary School, just over the road, who expressed their optimism for the suburb and what this investment means for them, for their families and for a more cohesive, more active and more connected community. I'm really looking forward to seeing this come through and, of course, to some other really critical initiatives. There are just two I want to highlight: the facility upgrades at the offices of the Board of Imams Victoria in Thomastown, as well as a really important upgrade supporting the incredible work of Turbans 4 Australia. The work that's being led and the way in which it's being led by my friend Amar Singh is truly wonderful. That's right around the country but, most importantly, in Melbourne's northern suburbs. I want to briefly touch on some of the privileges I've had in the current and over the former parliament, particularly in the roles that I've served in thanks to the Prime Minister—firstly, as then minister for immigration, citizenship and multicultural affairs. As then minister for immigration and as current minister for skills and training I've had an extraordinary opportunity to change lives and change our country. I want to briefly reflect on that. To carry out, in the first instance, our government's commitments to replace cruelty for cruelty's sake with policies that were fit for purpose and consistent with who we are as a multicultural nation that has really been built by immigration was extraordinary. In that, I want to recognise the work, in the lead-up to the last election, of my friend Kristina Keneally—the work that she did as the shadow minister for home affairs and the work that I was able to continue, together with my friend Minister O'Neil. I think about, in particular, with Kristina in mind, the decision made within weeks of coming to government to finally enable the return of the Nadesalingam family to their home in Biloela. This was a really important moment for our country as the nation and, indeed, the Biloela community came together. It's wonderful that Nades, Priya, Kopika and Tharnicaa are continuing to build their lives and build their contribution to our country in their home with certainty. Another thing that really mattered that I think I was able to play a small part in was ending some unfair restrictions on residency pathways for temporary skilled workers and, of course, thousands of recognised refugees—20,000 of whom are now permanent in their connection to Australia and, again, able to make their contributions after a decade of waste of potential, of waste of their lives and of cruelty for cruelty's own sake. I was also able to see changes to citizenship, dealing with backlogs and enabling more people to become full members of our community and fully realise their contribution. I was pleased to be able to work with unions and workers to make reforms ending the exploitation of migrant workers, benefiting all Australian workers, and to be part of work led by Minister O'Neil on a migration strategy, building a migration system that is fit for our national purpose, not something that is neglected, as was the case for a decade. It was a pleasure to be part of the work which led to the Multicultural Framework Review, the first look at our multicultural framework at a national level in 50 years, building on the great legacy of Al Grassby and so many others, giving voice to so many people across the length and breadth of our nation—people very new to our country and people here for generations—and thinking of building that culture of respect and belonging that not only really makes us a great nation today but enables us to imagine how good we can be with every single voice properly heard. I want to extend my appreciation to the panel members there—Hass Dellal, Nyadol Nyuon and Christine Castley—for the extraordinary work they did in enabling so many people to be heard who would not otherwise have been heard in this place. I'm so pleased to see the incredible work of my friend Minister Anne Aly building on this legacy in our own inimitable fashion. In my current portfolio I continue to witness how decisions that we make in national government can change people's lives for the better and change our communities and change our country. It makes me so proud—thanks to your vote and the member for Makin's vote, in particular—that free TAFE is now permanent, opening more doors for more people that would have otherwise stayed shut. Australians are now gaining skills they want for jobs we need, because we value TAFE. I think about the National Skills Agreement and the partnerships that enables between this government, every state and territory, business, First Nations community controlled organisations, workers and union so that we can work together to achieve our national purposes, to make sure that everyone can unlock their potential—wherever they may be, whatever their circumstances. They're accessing skills and training that will enable them to realise their ambitions so that we can do a better job at connecting their ambitions to our national aspirations so people can make contributions in fulfilling their potential. Some of the announcements we made at the last election take this to the next level. I think about the Advanced Entry Trades Training commitment, which recognises that there are thousands of Australians who have experience but no formal qualifications. We can do better to recognise them and enable them to work to their potential. I think about the Key Apprenticeship Program, which has been hugely successful already in clean energy and now in housing and is already opening up more doors for more people to undertake apprenticeships—a pathway to a good job and to a real contribution. I want to take this opportunity to recognise the extraordinary people who have worked within my office throughout my time as minister. I think about Jesse Northfield. I could not have had a better chief of staff—or the opportunity, frankly, to work with a better human being—and he was so well supported by the brilliant Alice Smith. To work with people like Lori Faraone, Henry Sherrell, Zoe Ranganathan, Kun Huang, Ben Wicks, Roman Ristovski, Laura Matheson, Justine Evesson, Emilia Hutchinson, Madison Child and Ash Grimwood has been a real privilege—seeing so many people so dedicated to making the most of the opportunities that government presents to make a contribution. I'm also incredibly proud of the work done by the team in the Scullin electorate office. I think all of us in this place know that we are nothing without the teams we work with and the extraordinary kindness, professionalism and dedication they show to solving the problems in peoples lives—often problems that seem insuperable to individuals but can be solved by the great work of our electorate office team. I acknowledge everyone's EO staff but particularly mine. My deepest thanks go to Sally, Khadija, Maureen, Monika, Steph, Cat, Amelia, Sam and Hamish. Day in, day out they are working hard to support community members, and I think particularly of the work they did to support members of our wonderful Palestinian community at such awful times. I also want to say this. For much of the last term, my electorate office had to be shut due to a number of security incidents. I strongly support the right to peaceful protest; it is a cornerstone of a democratic society. So too are the right of a worker to be safe at work and the right of a citizen to engage with their democratically elected representative. The Scullin electorate office staff were subjected to circumstances no worker should have to endure: physical threats and the denial of access to someone's workplace. This cannot be part of our politics. It cannot. I was pleased to be here for the contribution of the member for Isaacs, which highlighted a number of other concerning incidents which I do think, collectively, we need to look at as we think about a politics that is fit for the Australian people. There can be no place for violence and intimidation overshadowing the work of democratic representatives, the engagement of anyone in the political process and of course the fundamental need of any Australian to access government services, including through their local federal parliamentarian's electorate office. The campaign in the Scullin electorate was not particularly shadowed by some of the incidents that the member for Isaacs touched upon, but still I think there are things we should reflect on—in particular, the conduct of a range of organisations at early-voting centres, which I am concerned about and which I hope the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters will look into—so that every member of the community feels safe and welcome when casting their secret ballot. I do want to acknowledge the other candidates who contested the election and thank them for their engagement. Obviously we all reflect different world views, but our ability to talk to one another, particularly on the campaign trail, is something that is precious and a critical part of our democracy. I want to recognise the incredible work of the many volunteers who really were the Scullin campaign—the people who walked with me as I doorknocked hundreds of houses, who made phone calls, who stood with me at train stations and who really lent their understanding, passion and selfless commitment, asking for nothing other than to contribute to their vision of a fairer and better society, expressed through the election of an Albanese government. Any campaign cannot be run without volunteers. I'm so proud of the volunteers that I got to work with. Thank you to each and every one of you. I can't thank everyone, but there are a few I want to recognise particularly: my good friend Emeline Gaske and all the numbers of the Australian Services Union; the extraordinary Joe Petrucci, a man for all seasons and a person of so many qualities; Amar and Chaman Tiwari, extraordinary people who seem to have more hours in the day than I think are possible based on my understanding of maths; Succetin and Perihan Unal, two absolute pillars of the Turkish community, the northern suburbs and the Labor Party, and two dear friends—to them and their family, I will always be more grateful than I can say—and the irrepressible Monique Lobosco, who has done incredible things and will do more incredible things. Thanks to Ramy Aljalil, who is a wonderful young man with so many qualities. Thanks to Tori Edge, who showed me right around the length and breadth of Wollert, and showed me her passion for the work that she's done as an early childhood educator and now does in her current employment at the United Workers Union. Thanks to the wonderful Nessie Sayer. The last person I want to touch upon is Monika Janinki. Monica was an extraordinary person, and I feel so grateful to have met her and spent a lot of time with her, talking about her passion for the world, particularly for animal rights as well as for a more just society. To spend time with her, I was excited by what was going to come. She talked about new study opportunities, including in the law. Monica is not with us. I think of her standing here and am filled with an immense sadness for all those who loved her and for all those around her who were unable to see her recognising herself. What an extraordinary person she was, and what an extraordinary contribution she could have made. She did make extraordinary contributions, and the person that she was and everything that she stood for is something that will live on. Monika, I stand here thinking deeply of you, feeling so terribly sad at the extraordinary loss—the loss that most touches those dearest to you. I hope they can feel a sense, as I talk about Monika in this place, of the impact that she will always have through her character and her contributions. Vale, Monika. I started this contribution by reflecting on the politics pessimism and cynicism. As I stand here, I remain deeply concerned about the rise of reactionary and authoritarian forms of populism here in Australia and around the world. I think about the awful circumstances in the Victorian high country right now—two police officers who lost their lives, the community terrified. I think about all the manifestations we have to think about that pose a threat to the physical safety of community members and, more broadly, how we are part of a global community. I recognise that in tough times it's always tempting to find easy answers to complex problems—or worse, to look to blame the other rather than seek to come together to take responsibility. This is about something more than the policy choices that legitimately separates us in this place. It goes to how we conduct ourselves and our political actions. I think we need to find ways to disagree better to reflect on the fact that, while there may be things that we disagree about, this is not necessarily a terrible thing. We need to find ways to ensure that every person is respected, not every idea. In this place, I will do my best to live up to that in this term of parliament, representing the wonderful people of the Scullin electorate. 12:23 Mr ZAPPIA HWB Makin It's a pleasure to follow the member for Scullin. I very much appreciated some of his remarks, particularly with respect to what is happening now in the high country, and also his recognition of the people that support us in our offices, which I will talk about with respect to my own office. It is so true that none of us could do what we do were it not for the people that are in the background doing all the day-to-day tasks that make us look so much better. I stand in this place because a majority of voters in the Makin electorate voted for the re-election of an Labor government and for myself as the Labor candidate. To the people who voted for me, I say thank you. I've always taken everyone's vote as something that I should not take for granted, and I've always endeavoured to live up to the expectations that people have of me once they elect me, and I will continue to do that. I also stand in this place because of the Makin office team that I was referring to a few moments ago: Ann, Frank, James, Mignon, Rob and Wasim. There were some others who have come over the last couple of years to assist as well, but have moved on. All of those people respond to the daily phone calls, the emails, the personal visits of people who come to the Makin electorate office for assistance, and the staff in the office do all they can to assist those people. They take the calls from the critics and from people in desperate situations or people who have simply no-one else to turn to. And they always do so with a sympathetic air and an understanding that everyone's needs matter. As everyone elected to this place knows, organising a federal election campaign and manning the early voting and election day polling booths requires an enormous effort. I simply could not do that without the support of my family, hundreds of committed volunteers and the Labor movement more broadly. I'm grateful to them all. They are the true believers of the Labor cause, who selflessly and for no personal gain give so much of their time to help me and the Labor government get elected. I also acknowledge the work of the Australian Electoral Commission for the professionalism that they showed in the course of the election campaign and for ensuring that all Australians can have confidence in the electoral process here in Australia. The 2025 federal election resulted in an extraordinary outcome. A record number of 94 Labor members were elected to the House of Representatives. At 28.7 per cent of the seats, the coalition probably received its lowest-ever percentage of representation in the parliament. For the first time that I can recall—and I believe it's the first time on record—the opposition leader lost his seat. Representation of the Greens party, a party that was supposedly on the rise, was reduced from four seats to one, and the Greens leader also lost his own seat. In my view, the outcome highlights how Australians are more engaged in day-to-day politics than is often assumed, and they can see through the political spin and tactics used in election campaigns and often by the biased media outlets. On the opening day of the 48th Parliament, as is customary, the Governor-General outlined the Albanese government's agenda for this term of parliament. It's an ambitious agenda which first and foremost delivers on Labor's 2025 election commitments. Quite rightly, delivering on election commitments should be a priority because that is what the majority of Australians voted for. However, in a parliament with such a clear majority, there should also be room for new ideas and bold reforms that will make Australia an even better country—reforms that we know are needed, which Australians have been calling for, which other countries have often embraced and which I believe are in the public interest. I begin with Australian gas supplies. Regardless of the views about whether we should or should not use gas, it is ludicrous that, as the world's first- or perhaps second-largest gas exporter, we don't have enough gas for ourselves, that we pay world parity prices for it and that we receive comparatively very little tax income from gas exports. I can only imagine what people in other countries must think of us when, in countries such as Qatar, Norway, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, fossil fuel exports underpin their entire economy. Even more frustrating is the inability or lack of interest by successive governments to do anything about it. Australians expect that Australia reserves enough gas to meet our needs, that Australia collects a fair level of tax from the gas producers, most of whom pay negligible tax, and that Australians pay for gas at prices which reflect the cost of production, not global prices. On the issue of taxes, if Australia and the rest of the world continue to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, as they should do, then Australia's ability to collect a fair level of taxes from Australia's fossil fuels, particularly from gas exports, will not be available to us in years to come as the transition to renewable energy continues. We have a diminishing opportunity to ensure Australians fairly benefit from the nation's gas reserves. The second issue I raise is the inclusion of dental care into Medicare. This is a matter I first campaigned for in my first federal election campaign years ago. Of course, it will add an ongoing substantial cost to the federal budget, but I expect there will also be savings through better health outcomes. There is no logic as to why dental care, which is essential to good health, was left out of Medicare, and it is time this anomaly is corrected. As an aside, if our gas supplies paid their fair share of tax, we could afford public dental care. The third issue I refer to is the Australian banks. When I first came to this place, former senator Doug Cameron and I met with Treasurer Wayne Swan to discuss the possibility of establishing a government or publicly owned bank. Of course, that hasn't happened. In the meantime, bank profits have soared, and I note that recently the Commonwealth Bank of Australia announced a $10 billion profit for last year. Services have been slashed, cash and cheques have been phased out, and bank branches have closed. Bank regulations have failed customers. I believe that the best form of regulation is a government owned bank that operates as an honest broker in the free market, a public bank that maintains a customer service standard and that keeps others honest whilst returning a profit to the people of Australia. Banking is an essential service. This was recognised when the Commonwealth Bank of Australia was established as a public bank in 1911 by the Andrew Fisher Labor government. According to one background paper—and I haven't read all the parliamentary debates—at the time that the CBA was established the argument was that Australia needed a bank that would benefit all citizens, a bank that would bring stability to the banking system and offer an alternative to high fees charged by the private banks. Nothing has changed. Those same arguments would be applicable today. With cash and cheques being phased out, today there is no option but to manage finances through a bank, which in turn adds to the case for a public bank. It is indeed an essential service, and people cannot do without it. The fourth issue I refer to is the importance of national reinvestment in Australia's rail system. Regrettably, and unlike those countries that have continued to invest in rail, Australia has over the past 50 years neglected its rail systems. In an expansive country like Australia, rail transport still makes a lot of sense. It is efficient, it is less polluting, it is reliable, it is cost-effective, and it saves wear and tear on our roads and therefore saves dollars for local, state and federal governments. Importantly, it also saves country and regional towns from dying, as so many did when they were cut from the rail networks. When regional towns decline, the effects are devastating for those left, and the downward spiral then continues. I know that rail systems rest primarily with state governments, but I believe that the federal government can show leadership in rebuilding a national rail grid. I'm often contacted by a local railway historian, John Wilson, author of several railway books, who has become a terrific and articulate public advocate for restoring our national rail networks. John talks quite passionately about the importance of doing so. I appreciate that in recent years there has often been talk about rebuilding inland rail and the like, but I've seen very little evidence that we're making much progress in doing that. I now turn my remarks to population growth. I've previously raised my concerns about global population growth and global consumption being the underlying cause of many of the global crises the world is now facing. Climate change, species extinction, global conflicts, refugee numbers, mass migrations, fish stock depletion and ocean pollution are all consequences of increased consumption driven by population growth and corporate greed, in turn leading to people being at war over diminishing resources or leaving their homelands in search of a safer and more secure place to live. Too many of the world's people are now literally fighting for their survival, in a world that is being rapidly depleted of resources, while our natural environment is becoming unsustainable. Global population is now 8.2 billion and is expected to increase to more than 10 billion, or by about 25 per cent, over the next 30 years. By the time global population begins to decline towards the end of this century, it may well be too late to repair the damage. In a recent opinion piece, science writer Julian Cribb makes an excellent case for how humans are destroying their own world. He refers to a study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research working collaboratively with BOKU University in Vienna, which found that 60 per cent of the world's land area is in a precarious state and 38 per cent is already at high risk of degradation. The collapse of ecosystems has catastrophic consequences for humanity, yet, by and large, much of the world continues on its current trajectory, largely oblivious of the impending disasters. The global acceptance that climate change is real and that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential is welcome. However, environmental degradation—in particular, land clearing—continues and is contributing to climate change. Conversely, climate change is causing more environmental losses. The earth's plants and animals are disappearing at an alarming rate. In May this year, I received an email from Dr John Wamsley OAM, a mathematician and environmental scientist who has studied trend lines from reputable sources for many years, which point to a collapse of nature in Australia somewhere between 2040 and 2080. Dr Wamsley attributes the collapse to three main causes. Firstly, he attributes between a third to half of the losses to climate change. Secondly, he points to unsustainable agricultural practices. Thirdly, he states that we do not properly protect the areas that have been declared protected areas. Dr Wamsley states: Things look very grim for nature. He ends his email with a call for a royal commission to investigate nature loss and its consequences and to chart a way forward. Environmental degradation has reached a critical level both in Australia and across the world. We cannot continue to ignore the facts, ignore the advice of experts like Dr Wamsley and keep kicking the can down the road. In the time I have left, I'll return to one of the comments I opened with, and that is about the statement from the Governor-General and the agenda of the Albanese Labor government. It is indeed a very large agenda, which I'm proud to be a part of and which I hope we'll be able to deliver on. One of the critical issues that was debated in the 47th Parliament was the issue of what was referred to as the housing crisis across the country and across the world—and rightly so, because it is such an important issue. I want to spend a few moments talking about that. From day 1, the Albanese Labor government made a huge investment to try to restore and rebuild the housing market and address the housing needs of our country. We have the Help to Buy scheme, the Home Guarantee Scheme, the build-to-rent scheme and a $43 billion plan to try to restore some confidence and address the housing needs of this country. And that is understandable because, as I've said in this place on previous occasions, homeownership is one of the most important thing that a family can do because it ensures stability for the individual, family and local community. I was pleased that just this week the Albanese government announced that the expansion of the five per cent deposit for all first home buyers will now commence earlier, on 1 October of this year instead of next year. I think that that is a very welcome announcement. The way the scheme works is that the government guarantees a portion of the loan, which means that the first home buyer can purchase it with a lower deposit and not pay lenders mortgage insurance. That will make a lot of difference to a lot of people. Since 2022, 180,000 first home buyers have already been assisted with a lower deposit. On 1 October a number of other changes will also take place, expanding the scheme. Firstly, there will be no place limits. All Australian first home buyers who have saved a five per cent deposit can apply. Secondly, there will be no income caps, which means that first home buyers with higher incomes can access the scheme. Thirdly, higher property price caps will also apply, and that will help buyers where property prices have increased. Fourthly, there will be simpler access in regional areas. The Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee will be replaced by the First Home Guarantee. I believe that they are all welcome steps towards fixing what has been a major problem for so many Australians across the country. Regrettably, in the last three years we haven't had much support from the other side of politics with respect to our housing policies, but I suspect that things are starting to turn around. I would like to think that the support for establishing the houses that we need in this country to meet the needs of the people at affordable prices is starting to take shape. With respect to that, it's also important to note that our economy is starting to stabilise, inflation is starting to come down, unemployment rates are still relatively low and wages are going up. All of those things will make a difference to people's ability to purchase their own home. It is true, and I accept some of the opinions I hear when I listen to the debates on housing. Everyone has a view as to what the solution is. Everyone seems to be an expert at it. There is a lot of truth to a lot of the comments being made, but, when you put it all together, it's also true that each decision sometimes has consequences that were not foreseen. Trying to get the balance right is not always easy, but I believe that the Albanese Labor government is doing that. In the last two minutes, I will touch on some of the other issues that I think are so critical to this term of government, which were referred to in our election campaign and which the Albanese Labor government is now getting on with. It is indeed a very ambitious agenda. We already have the legislation passed through parliament to reduce higher education fees by another 20 per cent—again, a very welcome move out there in the electorate. Protecting penalty rates is another critical issue because it ensures that people will get increased wages or at least get the wages that they are entitled to and not lose money as a result of changes to their employment conditions. Reducing the cost of medicines, a bill that was debated in the parliament only up until this morning, is so critical to so many people. Quite often I have people say, 'So what are you doing to help with the cost of living?' Reducing the cost of medicines pretty much affects everybody in this country—in some cases, to a very large extent—and that's one of the critical differences that has been made in terms of assisting with the cost of living. We then have the real wage increases that have come about because of the changes in industrial relations policy by the Albanese Labor government. We're strengthening Medicare. I could talk at length about all of that, but, again, our investment in restoring and securing the Medicare system in this country is not only making a difference to people's ability to access the health care they need but also making a difference to their out-of-pocket expenses as a result. We've increased child support in the last parliament, and our commitment to our climate change targets remain strong, as is our investment in renewable energy. Members would hear the Minister for Climate Change and Energy each day talking about, if nothing else, the home battery take-up, which is around 40,000 across Australia in such a short space of time. I was with the minister at Tindo Solar in my electorate only a few days ago, which is another great example of an investment we're making in building solar panels here in Australia. Our support for veterans is something that I have been passionate about since being here and is something that I welcome. Time has run out, but I'm pleased to be part of a re-elected Labor government that has a real agenda that will make a real difference to the lives of all Australians. 12:43 Dr ALY 13050 Cowan It's the greatest honour of my life to serve as the member for Cowan, and I want to take a moment to thank the people of Cowan for once again placing their trust in me. Every day, I carry that responsibility with both pride and humility. I stood for election way back in 2016 because I believe in fairness, in opportunity and in building a community where everyone belongs, and over the past years I've worked every single day to deliver on those values in Cowan and in Canberra. When I was first elected in 2016, I vowed to be a strong voice for our diverse and hardworking community. Nearly a decade later, I'm still here, and that principle still guides me. From Greenwood to Ballajura, from Westminster to Landsdale, Balga, Darch, Warwick, Nollamara, Alexander Heights, Marangaroo, Wangara, Madeley, Hamersley, Koondoola, Malaga, Dianella and Stirling, the Cowan community reflects the very best of Australia: resilient families, proud business owners, generous volunteers and people from every walk of life who look out for one another. Together we've secured investment in safer roads, new cultural facilities, school upgrades and sporting infrastructure. Together we've built stronger communities—places where young people have opportunities, where seniors can retire with dignity and where families can thrive. As a minister, I've had the opportunity to help deliver national reforms in early childhood education, in youth engagement, and now in my new portfolios: small business, international development and multicultural affairs. As we went into the recent election, the Albanese Labor government made commitments to the constituents of Cowan—not just promises, but plans, backed by real funding, to deliver for our community. We're upgrading the Girrawheen community hub, transforming it into a modern and welcoming space for families and community groups that provides opportunities for gatherings, education, community programs and services. I take this opportunity to thank the City of Wanneroo for all they have done to get this project up and running. We're supporting multicultural and faith communities across Cowan, including the Vaishnav Sangh of WA, to build new cultural centres that will provide a range of activities, including Gujarati language teaching; Vaishnava art, dance and music activities; the celebration of festivals; vegetarian cooking classes; and the provision of vegetarian meals for the wider community. We're strengthening the capacity of the iconic Mirrabooka Mosque to continue serving the local Muslim community—delivering upgrades to the mosque itself and creating a new space for educational programs, social events and broader community engagement activities. I again pay heed to the mosque organising committee and to Sister Fatima and Sheikh Mohammed for their work in creating a space at the mosque for the community. We're supporting the Macedonian community, a large part of Cowan, to mark their 40th anniversary—what a milestone—and the Perth North Tamil School, to support the community language school and to commemorate three decades of fostering cultural diversity, language learning and engagement in the community. We're also investing in the Multicultural Services Centre in Mirrabooka, providing funding for the construction of a second storey that will host a range of activities, including upskilling workshops for women from multicultural backgrounds, visual arts exhibitions for emerging artists, community storytelling, poetry and related activities. I also thank the Multicultural Services Centre, with whom I've had a long relationship, for the work they do in servicing the multicultural communities in Cowan. We're also protecting our local environment, something I know many Cowan residents are incredibly passionate about. We're backing in the City of Wanneroo's biodiversity plan, investing in environmental upgrades in Ballajura, and supporting Native Animal Rescue so they can continue protecting and rehabilitating our most vulnerable fauna. Having visited Native Animal Rescue several times, I am in absolute awe of what they do and the contributions they make to our community through their rescue efforts. If anyone in Cowan hasn't visited them yet, I guarantee you will not regret it. Our support for the people of Cowan extends well beyond election commitments, with a range of grants helping our community to thrive. Through the Stronger Communities Program, the Albanese government is delivering for community groups, supporting everything from sporting clubs and multicultural services to youth programs and environmental initiatives. Our Volunteer Grants program has provided funding to 17 community groups in Cowan, including family centres, sporting organisations and toy libraries—ensuring our dedicated volunteers can continue their invaluable work. At this point, I also have to thank the members of the Cowan community who form the committees that decide on the allocation of grants based on community need. They themselves are providing a very valuable volunteer service to Cowan, in ensuring that the needs of the Cowan community are met and reflected in the way these grants are delivered. All of these investments reflect essentially who we are in Cowan. We're diverse, we're inclusive and we're committed to protecting our environment for generations to come. But our government is not only delivering for Cowan. As much as I am proud of the fact that we're delivering for Cowan, we are also delivering for communities right across Australia so that no-one is held back and no-one is left behind. We are providing cost-of-living relief with tax cuts that mean every Australian taxpayer gets to keep more of what they earn. From 1 October this year, everyone in Cowan and across the country will be able to buy their first home with just a five per cent deposit. This is going to cut years off the time it takes to save for a deposit, helping people into their own homes sooner. I know that in places that are still growing, like Lansdale and Darch, there are still many people who are moving into those areas, building their first home, getting the keys to their first home, being able to move into their first home. It's a real milestone in people's lives, particularly in the lives of young people, so I know that this five per cent deposit scheme is going to benefit so many people. I encourage people to come and move into Cowan. Come and build in Cowan—it's a great place to live and we have a beautiful community culture there as well. We're investing in education, ensuring that every child has the absolute best start in life. We're creating jobs and building skills for the future with more apprentices and apprenticeships, free TAFE places. I know at the Balga TAFE that's situated in Cowin it has been an absolutely positive experience for those who have chosen to undertake a free TAFE course and who have developed their education and their skills through that initiative. We're investing in clean energy and healthcare jobs, strengthening Medicare, making medicines even cheaper and expanding access to medicines through the PBS, while opening more urgent care clinics. We already have one in Morley—the Ruddock Road urgent care clinic. I must tell the House that during the election, when I was out doorknocking about our commitment to also open a new urgent care clinic in Mirrabooka, every single person I spoke to had a positive experience to relate to me about the urgent care clinic in Morley, and was over the moon to know that this Albanese Labor government would deliver another urgent care clinic for them in Mirrabooka. We're also improving access to GPs and restoring our health system after a decade of cuts. These are not just abstract policies. I hear the member opposite let out a deep sigh—they're not just abstract policies. Each and every one of us in this place can tell you the stories that are relayed to them through their offices when they are out doorknocking, or doing meet-your-member events or having coffee catch up with their local communities about the positive impact that Albanese Labor government policies have had on them. Whether through access to cheaper medicines, being able to visit an urgent care clinic and get the care they need when they need it, or in the tax cuts and getting wages moving again, these are things that are actually making a real difference to the everyday lives of individuals and families in Cowan. They make a difference. They make a difference when a single mum manages to fill a script at the pharmacy. They make a difference when a young couple can finally buy their first home and celebrate getting those keys in their hands. They make a difference when a small business can take on an apprentice. As I look ahead, my vision for Cowan is clear. I want our community to be a place where families feel secure and supported. I want our community to be a place where every child gets the very best start in life, no matter their background, where they were born or where their parents were born. I want our committee to be a place where small businesses and job creators have the backing that they need to succeed. At this point, if I may, I'll just take a moment of indulgence to mention some of the great new small businesses that are opening up in the very heart of Cowan, in Westminster at the Stirling Central Shopping Centre, where my office is located. We already have the wonderful Fariha Beauty, which looks after not just my hair but the hair of everyone in my office as well. I'll just give a shoutout to Fariha and Ibrahim—congratulations on the birth of your second son, Noor. We have the new banh mi place that's opened. We have a kebab shop that sells, I have to say, probably the best kebabs in Western Australia. We have an award-winning bakery, and we have several new hawkers, markets and shops that have opened up in the shopping centre. Having moved into the shopping centre before all of these new businesses came on board, I have to say that bringing the new businesses into the shopping centre has created an entirely different feel for the community. We now have people coming in to the shopping centre, occupying the spaces and getting together. When I walk through the shopping centre, I see people sitting down, like mums having a cup of coffee with their kids and older Cowan residents who have just finished their shopping sitting down to morning tea with friends. These are the social connections that are ever so important, but it feels like, in the age of digital connection, smartphones and social media are tearing away at the social fabric of who we are. The importance of small business cannot be underestimated and cannot be understated not just in the economic benefits that they bring but in the social benefits that they bring to the Cowan community as well. I want Cowan and, indeed, Australia to strengthen and ground our identity as a country that embraces inclusivity and that upholds the values that unite us—the values of respect, equality, compassion and fairness. I don't think you can deny that they are what every parent wants for their child, every family wants for themselves and every individual aspires to. They aspire to fairness, equality, compassion and mutual respect. When I think about the Australia that I know, I think about growing up playing cricket on the streets of the suburbs of Western Sydney. I think about those days when nobody cared where you were from and nobody cared that my skin gradually got darker and darker and blacker and blacker over summer as we stood out there on the hot tarmac—legends of Aussie driveway cricket. As the sun went down, each of our mums would come out and yell out our names for dinner. They each had a different accent, whether Greek, Italian, English, Irish, New Zealand or Egyptian. None of us kids cared. As long as you could chuck a ball, stand with your legs hip width apart and yell out, 'Howzat?' you were one of us. That's the Australia that I know, that's the Australia that I remember and that's the Australia that we can be—an Australia where we all belong because we know that we all share the same values. I want to take these last few moments to once again thank the people of Cowan. I remember my very first election campaign when I first got elected to this place. As a newbie to politics, I had no idea what running an election campaign meant. I had absolutely no idea. I remember on the day before the election sitting around with these volunteers who to me were strangers. I'd never met them before running for office. I was in absolute awe that these were people that didn't know me but had given up so much of their time, put their faith in me and believed in me even at times when I didn't believe in myself. And so I stand here, almost a decade later—trust me; I didn't think I was going to be here that long—and I'm still in awe of the people of Cowan and how they continue to put their faith in me. It is not something that I take lightly, and it is not something that I take for granted. Every day that I have been here, I have raised the issues that matter the most to the people who have sent me here, the people of Cowan. And every day that I am here I'll continue to do so because—as I began my speech so I end my speech here today—there is no higher honour than representing Cowan in this federal parliament. Debate adjourned. ADJOURNMENT 111 ADJOURNMENT Superannuation 111 13:00 Ms BOELE 26417 Bradfield Today, I'm here to talk about two topics that are close to my heart: climate action and superannuation. These might seem unrelated at first blush, but, when it comes to Australia's future prosperity, climate action and superannuation are very closely linked. Before I explain how, let me set the scene. As of June 2025, the total value of assets in Australia's APRA regulated superannuation accounts was $3 trillion. That rises to $4.3 trillion if you add other types, such as self-managed super funds. Whichever way you cut it, Australia has one of the largest superannuation pools in the world. For argument's sake, by comparison the federal budget this financial year is just $786 billion. Separately, most people in this place would agree that we need to retool the economy at pace, shifting our reliance away from energy produced by fossil fuels to energy produced from renewable sources. In other words, we need to electrify what we can and derive electricity from the sun, wind, water, plants and other renewable resources. There are wildly different ideas about how much it will cost to electrify Australia's power system. Last year, the Australian Energy Market Operator put that cost at $122 billion, and soon afterwards the economic advisory and consultancy firm Frontier Economics put that figure closer to $600 billion. But, for argument's sake, let's take the middle ground at $300 billion to electrify the energy system. And now let's recall that Australia superannuation funds are charged with investing $3 trillion worth of our super savings—that means a mere 0.1 per cent of Australia's APRA regulated superannuation savings could fund the retooling of the country's entire domestic energy economy. And super funds want in on this once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our economy. They want in from the point of view of helping their members contribute to the popular goal of finding climate solutions. And they want in also for the epic economic and financial opportunities that this presents. Andrew Lill, the former chief investment officer for REST, said this last year: The transition to a lower-carbon economy is a huge and historic investment opportunity … He went on to say that it will not only 'provide strong long-term outcomes for members' but also help create 'the world we would like to see our members retire into'. So why aren't Australian super funds bankrolling energy transformation? It's because of something called the superannuation performance test. The test was designed to protect members and weed out underperforming funds. The test imposes a benchmark for the returns super funds are required to earn for their members. If a fund fails to achieve the benchmark two years in a row, it is not allowed to accept new members into the fund. The benchmark, as is currently required by regulation, favours short-term returns on investment. But infrastructure assets of the future, such as solar farms, large-scale batteries and other low-carbon projects, have very different capital and return-over-time profiles from the toll roads and airports that the current benchmark represents—that is, high upfront capital costs and low ongoing operating costs—which means that climate focused, long-term investments struggle to meet short-term, backward-looking benchmarks. The current benchmark, frankly, is not fit for the 21st century. The Australian Sustainable Finance Institute has noted: … the test is significantly constraining the ability of super funds to adopt green or sustainable finance investment strategies at scale. Every day that the current rules are in place and these future focused investments are delayed, Australians are paying the price, in their higher than necessary power bills, for this slow deployment of clean energy. Minor responsible updates will allow our super funds to invest confidently in tomorrow's economy while protecting members' returns today. With the stroke of a pen the benchmark roadblock could be removed, freeing billions in private capital and supporting projects that governments cannot fully fund, while helping balance the budget. That's why I'm delighted to hear that the Treasurer said, following his economic roundtable last week, he was going to have another look at the superannuation performance test. Treasurer, I urge you to do that soon. This small, legislatively simple change to the test is exactly the kind of low-hanging reform fruit that could turbocharge climate action and superannuation investments returns for millions of working Australians, today and into the future. Gilmore Electorate: Stronger Communities Program 112 13:06 Mrs PHILLIPS 147140 Gilmore One of the most wonderful things about being a local MP is getting to talk with and support so many fantastic community groups and organisations right around my electorate. The amount of time and effort people in Gilmore pour into their communities is truly inspiring, and I am always thrilled to get out and about to see what they have been up to. I'm so proud to have delivered a financial boost through the Albanese Labor government's Stronger Communities Program to nine South Coast organisations. These nine groups, from scouts to soccer clubs and a wonderful local theatre company, will share in $112,000 to help them support our communities. I dropped in to visit the volunteers at the Marine Rescue Sussex Inlet unit, who will use their $17,962 grant to upgrade their radio room. The grant will allow the ageing radio room to be refitted and for radios, computers and phones to be replaced with current, state-of-the-art communications equipment. With an influx of new members and existing members keen to become radio operators, it is vital that the service has a dedicated space and equipment that is fit for purpose. The Sussex Inlet marine rescue volunteers do such an incredible job keeping local and visiting boaters safe all year round, but particularly over the summer holidays, when the population swells. Around 70 active community members give their time to the unit, and I was really pleased to be able to help out with a grant for the upgrade in appreciation of the wonderful work they do in Sussex Inlet and beyond. The Sussex Inlet chamber of commerce has received a $15,000 boost from the Stronger Communities Program to equip the local community event centre with an energy-efficient heating and cooling system, as well as solar panels to help reduce running costs. In the north of my electorate, a grant will assist the Kiama Downs Surf Life Saving Club to upgrade their female, gender-neutral and parent room amenities, while the Jamberoo Youth Hall will also receive help to install solar panels and air conditioning. I'm really pleased to be able to assist the Nowra based Albatross Musical Theatre Company with a grant to replace audiovisual equipment to enhance their wonderful local performances. The company provides incredible opportunities for budding thespians of all ages to tread the boards, and in November they will celebrate the group's 50th birthday. The Bomaderry Scout Hall will receive an injection of $3,448 to replace ageing lights with high-efficiency LED lighting, which will help lower running costs and reduce the group's carbon footprint. In the south of the electorate, grants will help the Milton Ulladulla Panthers Football Club purchase first-aid kits and a stretcher for the 10 female teams, while the Moruya Soccer Club will install defibrillators at their playing fields. I was really impressed when I visited the volunteer run Rally for Recovery op shop at Tomakin, which will soon enjoy a new accessible shed, thanks to an $18,500 grant from the Stronger Communities Program. The Rally for Recovery volunteers are so hardworking, creative and generous. Over the past 25 years they have raised more than $4 million for the Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation. What started as a car rally has morphed into a fantastic op shop where people can grab a bargain for their house or garden while reducing landfill and, importantly, helping kids with cancer I dropped in with the Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and we had a look at the old sheds they were operating out of—and, yes, we grabbed a few bargains while we were there! The upgrade will mean that people with disability can volunteer more easily, connect with the community and take part in the wonderful fundraising efforts at Rally for Recovery. I can't wait to see their brand-new shed completed. Organisations like Rally for Recovery, Marine Rescue and the Albatross Musical Theatre Company support and engage people in our communities, whether that is through sport, music, social activities or by keeping us safe. The Stronger Communities grants deliver small infrastructure projects and equipment that support local groups and encourage participation. I congratulate the nine recipients and thank all the volunteers who give their time and skills to help create vibrant, connected and, of course, stronger communities right across Gilmore. Forestry Industry 113 13:10 Ms PENFOLD 248895 Lyne Friday 22 August was a very important day for one of the key primary industries in the Lyne electorate: National Forestry Day—recognising our forestry and timber industry. Despite successive attacks on it—primarily from the state government and, to a lesser extent, the federal government—it is still a key industry, directly employing more than 5,500 people and providing revenue of $9.2 billion a year from north-east New South Wales forests, plus a further $1 billion in value-add. This is an industry behind our timber supplies, for housing and infrastructure, construction, transport and manufacturing. Timber is the key input in cladding, panelling, flooring, decking, building, fencing, furniture, pallets, paper and cardboard, agriculture, bridging, power poles and mining—and the list goes on. Timber is a primary product and a primary industry. As such, we need it, and we need to look after it. The people in this industry are experienced professionals who understand the science behind productive, regenerative, healthy and sustainable resource ecosystems. They are not mercilessly, indiscriminately chopping down trees. They operate carefully and consciously. These are the ultimate eco-aware operators, working in the most sustainable industry, which is also among the most highly regulated and scrutinised in the world. Governments of all political persuasions need to rethink their traditional negative stance on the industry and instead recognise the infinite value and legitimacy of forestry. Their policies need to start to reflect the reality of forestry, and not the ideology of those opposed to it. A federally funded Social licence to operate research report undertaken in 2023 by the North East NSW Forestry Hub indicated that there is overall support for the native forest industry on the New South Wales North Coast. Support for its retention was at 69 per cent, with just 17 per cent wanting its closure. Those figures are no surprise to those who take a good, deep look at the industry. I truly wonder how many of its opponents in this building have gone out into the bush, visited the harvesting sites, talked with the foresters and harvesters, talked to the timber mill operators and workers, and sincerely engaged with how this industry operates. This is an industry that has been—and continues to be—responsive to concerns about its practices. It has worked hard to address community concerns and to earn the social licence I spoke of a moment ago. The alternative is not plantations, as is often peddled, as many species like tallowwood, turpentine and ironbark cannot be grown in this environment. Nor should imports be seen as a replacement product. Imported timber often comes without the same environmental and harvesting standards that we impose on our own industry. Through forestry, we can ensure active and real management of our forests. We can create biodiversity and habitat outcomes, foster carbon sequestration and produce a sustainable, renewable resource for our country and, indeed, the world. But the publicly owned government forests are shrinking, thanks, in large part, to the New South Wales ALP, which, in seeking cheap votes, changed the tenure of state forests to national parks. Consequently, between the Hunter and the Tweed rivers there is more than two million hectares of national park and less than 400,000 hectares of state forest. That's a five-to-one ratio, and it will grow to a six-to-one ratio with the so-called Great Koala National Park to come. ABARES, in its most recent report on Australian wood production in June, said that about 0.05 per cent—or 65,000 hectares—of Australia's native forests are harvested in any one year. There's an obligation to our constituents and to the nation to explain the impact of these decisions on timber supply, jobs, businesses, the cost of living and housing supply, and we should not forget that part of the revenue generated from utilising native forests goes back into their ongoing management—the timber production. Further, what better nature-based solution is there for the global ambition on climate than native forestry? As trees grow, they absorb and lock away carbon and all that cellulose, and then, after harvesting and processing, that carbon is stored away in the array of timber products in our economy. The sequestration cycle is then repeated with regeneration. It's a virtuous cycle, not a vicious one. The reality is very different to what is being conjured up by the activist and the far Left. National Forestry Day is the day to acknowledge that reality—that the native forest industry is an invaluable contributor to Australia's economy, environment and social fabric. Moore Electorate: Volunteers 114 13:15 Mr FRENCH 316550 Moore I rise to acknowledge the volunteers and community clubs that are the heartbeat of the electorate of Moore—the coaches, the managers, the treasurers and the committee members who keep our kids active, seniors connected and suburbs strong. Across Australia, the Australian Sports Foundation is making it easier for clubs access targeted help through its SmartyGrants portal. This is a single place to apply for grants that put equipment and uniforms in the hands of community clubs, quickly and with low admin. These are practical grants that lower cost for families where every dollar counts. Right now, I want to highlight the Swysh Future Stars Grant, delivered through the Australian Sports Foundation. It provides up to $5,000 in sporting equipment for eligible volunteer-run clubs with members aged 20 or under. Equipment, not cash, is shipped to your club so you can get straight back to training. Applications, made through the ASF SmartyGrants portal, are now open, and close at 12 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. I need to change that. If your club is thinking about applying, this is the week to do it. For local clubs in Joondalup, Kingsley, Duncraig, Hillarys, Kallaroo and Mullaloo, here is how to be competitive: first, check the eligibility and create or update your club profile on the ASF's SmartyGrants portal; second, be specific—the number of balls, safety gear, training bibs or nets you need, who benefits, girls teams, all-abilities programs, or juniors in growth suburbs; third, have your ABN incorporation details and two quotes ready so assessors can see value and readiness. My office can help confirm eligibility and finalise your application this week. The sports foundation equipment in kind model is backed by partners, so clubs can stretch budgets further and reduce fees. When a club receives gear, participation rises, volunteers spend less time chasing funds, and the focus returns to coaching, safety and inclusion. That's the kind of smart, targeted help communities expect from governments and partners working together. In Moore, these programs matter, because our clubs are not just places for sport. They are the hubs of community life. At the Carine Netball Club, women and girls develop confidence, fitness and friendships on the court. At Whitford Hockey Club, generations play together, from juniors picking up the stick for the first time to seasoned players representing WA—I'm looking at you, Len Collier! At the Joondalup Districts Cricket Club, boys and girls learn teamwork and persistence, and parents and volunteers turn a Saturday morning into something more than sport. At the Joondalup Bowling Club, our seniors stay active, connected and competitive, demonstrating that sport is truly lifelong. These are the clubs that would directly benefit from low-admin, practical grants, and the whole community benefits when they thrive. But sport is only part of our volunteering story, through the Australian government's volunteer grants program, local not-for-profits can access small, practical grants for equipment training, screening checks, communication tools and, this year, insurance, recognising the real cost of volunteering. Expressions of interest are managed through your local federal MP's office, and my team in Joondalup stands ready to assist eligible groups. These programs work because they are simple, targeted and impact focused. They cut red tape, back volunteers and lower barriers so more kids can join a team, more neighbours can get support and more community groups can thrive. To every coach, treasurer, registrar and volunteer across Moore, thank you. If you lead a club or community group, please do two things this week: (1) jump onto the ASF SmartyGrants portal, confirm your details and, if eligible, submit your Future Stars application by Sunday night; and (2) contact my office about the Volunteers Grants program so we can line up your documentation and flag upcoming rounds. This is what practical support looks like: targeted help, low admin burden and real benefits at the clubroom door. It's kids in new uniforms who feel they belong; it's volunteers focused on people, not paperwork; and it's community life, from Beldon to Craigie, from Currambine to Padbury and from Sorrento to Ocean Reef, getting stronger week by week. To any club who needs a hand with the SmartyGrants or the Volunteer Grants program: get in touch. I'm here to help. Bowman Electorate: Volunteer Grants Program 114 13:20 Mr PIKE 300120 Bowman The Volunteer Grants program is more than just funding; it is an investment in the people in my local community who give their time, their skills and their efforts to support others. The volunteers in my electorate are the quiet achievers, running local sporting clubs, supporting seniors, engaging young Redlanders and strengthening committee pursuits of every kind. I'm pleased to report that committee organisations in the Redlands received $66,225 in funding, distributed among 36 local community organisations, for the 2024-25 volunteer grant round. This funding included $4,000 for the Redlands Special Olympics to support their volunteers with first aid training and fuel costs, and $2,000 for RedCity Roar basketball to assist with junior club volunteer training and scoreboard equipment. Many community groups will be directing the funding towards insurance costs to ensure their volunteers are covered. The Redland Bay Cyclones Rugby Union Club received $1½ thousand to support the club with insurance costs. The Capalaba Warriors District Junior Rugby League Club will receive assistance with insurance costs to the tune of $2,000. The Redland Bay Men's Shed will receive $2½ thousand to assist with their public liability and professional indemnity insurance, which will enhance the men's shed's ability to serve the local community. Live Learn Survive will also receive $1,000 for a similar purpose: to cover volunteer run workshops educating children in water and fire safety, first aid and resilience that otherwise would not be provided in local schools. The Mount Cotton Scout Group will receive $2,000 towards insurance, which will ensure that scouts have funds available to assist in upkeeping facilities. Other groups that will benefit from funding of insurance for volunteers include Coochiemudlo Island Coastcare, who will receive $1½ thousand and who do an amazing job protecting the Emerald Fringe on the beautiful Coochiemudlo Island; the Redland District Committee on the Ageing, who will receive $1,500; and Redland City Bands, who will receive $1,000 to fund not only insurance costs but also electronic, audio and visual equipment. The Night Ninjas and the Redland Bay Women's Shed will receive $2½ thousand each for IT and to contribute towards software purchases. The Girl Guides at Wellington Point and Cleveland are receiving $2½ thousand each to support volunteers with administration through the purchase of IT equipment such as computers, laptops and tablets. Meals on Wheels, who perform such an important role throughout every electorate represented by those in this place, will benefit to make sure that their mission of providing a daily connection, caring conversation and support for those in need will continue. The group at Capalaba will receive $2,000, and there will be $1,500 each for the Meals on Wheels group at Cleveland and the Victoria Point Redlands group, who celebrated their 50th anniversary last year. I was pleased to be at that event. They'll also receive support for new IT equipment. Other community groups that will also receive a share of this funding to assist their volunteers with IT equipment include the Redland Museum, which will receive $1½ thousand; the Victoria Point Sharks AFL Club, which will receive $2,000; the Redland Bay Cancer Council branch, one of the biggest fundraising branches in Queensland, which will receive $2,000; and Redlands Hockey Association, which will receive $2,000 in funding for IT as well as to invest in first aid and safety for their volunteers. Here's to Life Redlands, Breastfeeding Advocacy Australia Redlands branch and both the Cleveland conference and the St Rita's conference of Vinnies will receive $1,000 to assist with IT equipment and volunteer training. Sport and recreation equipment is also being purchased through this latest grand round to support sporting clubs across the Redlands. This will benefit our volunteers by providing them with equipment they can use to train our young sporting athletes. This includes $1,200 for Blues Union Netball Club, $1,500 for Redlands Cricket—I'll be there on Saturday—and $2,000 for the Redlands United Football Club. Other community groups are focused heavily on volunteer training and education to equip and upskill. These investments include $2,000 for Redlands Touch, $1,500 for headspace Capalaba and $1,000 for United Community Services for educational equipment. There are also many others who will be benefiting through this grant round, including Crime Stoppers Bayside, Amity Point Community Club and eWatch Shoreline. Redlands volunteers are the heartbeat of our community, and I'm proud to support their extraordinary contributions. Federal Election 115 13:25 Ms McBAIN 281988 Eden-Monaro I haven't had much of a chance to get up and speak post election about the election itself, so I want to take this opportunity to do that today. I'm honoured to be standing here today as the re-elected member for Eden-Monaro, which I believe—and I'm sure there might be some contestation—is the greatest electorate in the country. To the people of Eden-Monaro, thank you again for your vote. I'll continue to spend every day working to represent you and fighting for the best outcomes across our community. Whether you're on the coast or in the snowfields, whether you're up in Goulburn or down in Googong, I'm here to represent you in our nation's parliament. Campaigns aren't easy. They are long hours and unpredictable weather, particularly in our part of the world, but the positives far outweigh the negatives, and I want to thank some people who have helped us during this campaign. Can I start with the true believers in Eden-Monaro, the most supportive branch members a candidate could ever wish for. Their energy and support got me through the months of campaigning—at times in some extremely cold weather. Thank you to both the NSW Young Labor and the ACT Young Labor groups for their support and for all the doors that they knocked on and the phone numbers that they called. Their enthusiasm was contagious across our team, and I'm really grateful for all the free time they gave up for our campaign for a better future. I want to thank the United Services Union; the Australian Workers' Union; the Transport Workers' Union; the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union; the Health Services Union; and the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association for their continued support. The Labor Party is a party of working people, and the work you do every day to make our country fairer for working people is extraordinary. It's an honour to stand alongside you and have your support. I am also honoured to receive support from many locals across Eden-Monaro who aren't Labor Party members but community members who felt compelled to join our campaign. I give a massive thanks to Rusty, Rocky, Peter Lindbeck, Gillian Southwell, Frank Pangallo, Tony Wood, Jenny Cruise and the many other friends who gave up their time for our community. You're all amazing people who always put your local area first. I also want to give a shout-out to Ricky Stuart. Your support was appreciated. I'm really excited to see what these next few weeks will bring for the Raiders, and I'm really looking forward to watching the sold-out match against the Tigers this weekend. Up the mighty milk! I want to say a big thankyou to NSW Labor. Thank you to Dom Ofner, David Dobson and Callum Bain for all their hard work and support. You always go above and beyond, and this time was no different. To my campaign team and my staff, it has definitely been a journey. We've got memories that will last a lifetime, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to spend so much time with you all. To Leanne Coleman, Stephen Quilkey, Noah McMillan, Adam Busselman, Julia Lawrey, Jo Riley-Fitzer, Peter Brown, Laura Egerton, Angus Mouncey, Dorothee Steinbach, Chris Paterson, Laura Adam, Noah Hardie, Kate Scott-Murphy, Danielle Condon, Rebecca Duncan and Blake Danilzac, thank you so much. You're an incredible team. Your dedication and belief in me are unwavering, and the future is brighter because of the work that you do. I want to give a massive shout-out to my family—to my husband, Brad, and my three kids, Ruby, Max and Jack. You put up with mum travelling a lot, but there is no place like home, and that's wherever you guys are. There was a lot on the line at this election. We were dealing with an opposition who couldn't be trusted with Medicare, wanted to cut fee-free TAFE and was seeking to divide our country. They wanted to slash the Public Service, which would have had huge ramifications across the community that I represent. But the people of Eden-Monaro rejected that. They voted for strengthening Medicare, for more urgent care clinics, for cheaper medicines and for more tax cuts. They voted for a government that is intent on uniting the country and a government that focuses on what we have in common, not what sets us apart. I'm honoured that the Prime Minister has expanded my ministerial responsibilities, adding Minister for Emergency Management to my role as Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. As the mayor of the Bega Valley Shire during the devastating Black Summer bushfires, I saw firsthand the impact that a natural disaster has on regional committees. In fact, there were nine declared natural disasters in my time as mayor. What many people might not know is the only thing that put out our Black Summer bushfires was a flood, so I know what it's like to live through events that are back to back, and I take the responsibilities of Australia's emergency management minister very seriously. These events aren't going to go away, and they have been getting more frequent and more intense. In this role, I want to ensure that we are investing in preparedness and building more resilient infrastructure. I want our communities to be in the best position to respond to and withstand these events, and I'll be working hard to deliver for Eden-Monaro and Australia each and every day. Question agreed to. Federation Chamber adjourned at 13 : 30