The SPEAKER ( Hon. Milton Dick ) took the chair at 09:00, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.
STATEMENTS ON SIGNIFICANT MATTERS
Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (09:01): I stand today to say that it is simply unacceptable that 602 First Nations people have died in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, because there is more that can and should be done. One preventable death in custody would be one too many. I also acknowledge that this is a time of particular distress for the community of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory, who know too well the loss of a young person in police custody.
I acknowledge the community of Yuendumu. Like those in the other place this morning, I offer my condolences to the family of Kumanjayi White, who died in police custody in Alice Springs on 27 May this year. I know the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, was in contact with the families of Yuendumu immediately after the tragedy. Her deep connection to remote communities in the Territory ensures their voices are carried not just into this parliament but to the cabinet table.
In the 2½ months since the event, we've seen vigils held all over the country. Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians alike have stood together to demand better from all levels of government. In June, the minister took these calls to the Joint Council on Closing the Gap, where First Nations peak organisations and all Australian governments are represented. She is working closely with the Attorney-General for plans to raise the issue at the Standing Council of Attorneys-General in August.
The royal commission was clear that the best way to reduce First Nations deaths in custody is to reduce the high incarceration rate of First Nations people, including through social and economic responses, which the evidence shows can reduce crime, change the course of lives and avoid people coming into contact with the police and the justice system in the first place. This is what the Commonwealth government is focusing on, including through the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. We're investing in First Nations led justice reinvestment initiatives nationally.
In the Northern Territory, we're already seeing results. On Groote Eylandt, there has now been a huge decline in offending, with crime rates now at an all-time low—130 offences were recorded in the last 12 months compared to more than a thousand in 2019. We are supporting the Justice Policy Partnership to bring together all levels of government and peak organisations to improve justice outcomes for First Nations people. We are increasing investment under the National Access to Justice Partnership to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples receive proper legal assistance. We need more action by the states and territories to keep First Nations people out of the justice system and ensure that they are safe when in custody. This is their responsibility in the federation. The Commonwealth will continue to use forums such as the Standing Council of Attorneys-General and the Police Ministers Council to work on reform.
The Australian government are investing in the areas that we know will keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people out of the justice system, like housing, jobs, education and health. Closing the gap in these key areas and economic empowerment are key to breaking the cycles of incarceration and reincarceration. In the Northern Territory, over 220 houses were built in remote communities last year, and 206 houses were built in the previous year. On jobs, we're delivering the Remote Jobs and Economic Development program by creating 3,000 jobs in remote communities. We are training the next generation of First Nations health workers to create jobs, expand access to local services and deliver on our commitment to train 500 First Nations health workers. The Australian government is doubling its investment in Northern Territory public schools over the next five years, meaning that all Northern Territory schools will be fully and fairly funded by 2029. These investments are building the foundation that will help prevent people from coming into contact with the justice system in the first place.
The government is working to keep people out of the justice system and ensure they are safe when in custody. But, when there are steps backwards, we need to call them out and listen to those calling for change. Minister McCarthy has encouraged the Northern Territory government to carefully review Coroner Armitage's recent report into the death of another young man in Yuendumu and to consider the coroner's recommendations in full. These independent processes are key to identifying and fixing the causes of these unacceptable deaths in custody.
Recent deaths in custody have compounded the collective grief and trauma felt by many First Nations families. I repeat: my heart goes out to Kumanjayi's family, the Yuendumu community and the wider Warlpiri-Luritja community, who have suffered a profound loss. They're exhausted and still experiencing deep grief. This government is committed to working with the states and territories, including the NT government, who hold the levers for change.
The SPEAKER: I give the call to the member for Berowra to speak in response to the minister's statement.
Mr LEESER (Berowra) (09:07): I thank the minister for her statement and I join her in the condolences that she has offered to Kumanjayi Walker and Kumanjayi Walker's family and community. I speak today as the representative in this place of the shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Kerrynne Liddle. Every death in custody is a tragedy. Every number we recite is a human life, loved and irreplaceable. It's an issue that must be met with humility and with resolve.
Thirty-four years ago, the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody delivered its report, and I want to acknowledge the late Elliott Johnston QC. He was the man who first shone a light into these issues as the royal commissioner on Aboriginal deaths in custody. He was a man that came from the political left. He was a controversial lawyer in his time, but he was also a great lawyer, and his work on the royal commission has stood the test of time.
I have a personal connection with Elliott Johnston in that, in the years he was doing the royal commission, his son, Stewart, taught me history at school. He brought Australian history alive, and he was very proud of the groundbreaking work his father did. My friend the member for Barker also has a connection with Elliott Johnston. Elliott taught him procedure at law school. I think it's fair to say that it would be hard to find two men more different than Elliott Johnston and the member for Barker, but both believe firmly in the presumption of innocence and the dignity of the human person, and it is good that the legal profession still raises up such people.
I said that Elliott's work had stood the test of time. The five volumes and 339 recommendations of his royal commission were a blueprint about diverting people from custody, improving relations between police and communities, addressing alcohol and substance abuse, and ensuring that those in the custody of the state returned to their families. These issues that they highlight are as relevant today as they were 34 years ago. As my friend in the other place Senator Duniam said five years ago:
… the fundamental issue is that too many Aboriginal people are in custody too often.
In 2017, an independent review of the royal commission's recommendations found that the Australian government had fully or mostly implemented 91 per cent of the recommendations for which it had responsibility. The response from the then coalition government had the same fundamental features of responses from Labor governments before and since—an acknowledgement that further progress will come from work in partnership with the states and territories, who administer our custodial systems, and with communities directly. It's an approach that is principled, practical and focused on outcomes, and it's one that I think is shared by every decent and fair-minded person in this place. It's an approach that doesn't shy away from the scrutiny of what has and hasn't been implemented. This is why, in 2017, Nigel Scullion commissioned the independent review of the royal commission's recommendations in the first place, and it's why we don't shy away from the scrutiny of what's in place today.
The facts are stark. The Australian Institute of Criminology report from 2023-24 recorded that, in one year, there were 104 deaths in custody—76 in prison custody, 27 in police custody or custody related operations, and one in youth detention. In total, there were 24 Indigenous deaths and 80 non-Indigenous deaths in custody. The fact we have these figures at all is itself a reflection of the impact of the royal commission's report. The National Deaths in Custody Program that was established by the Australian Institute of Criminology in 1992 is a response to recommendation 41 of the royal commission, and the figures I've just cited are drawn from its work. That work continues, and the AIC now hosts a real-time dashboard of deaths in custody. The dashboard shows that there have been 60 deaths in custody since 1 January this year, of which 17 were Indigenous and 43 non-Indigenous.
These deaths warrant a clear-eyed response. The evidence makes clear that some of those deaths are from causes such as disease of the circulatory and respiratory systems, like ischaemic heart disease or cancer. Tragically, others are deaths by suicide. Clearly, each requires a different type of response. This is why coronial investigations into each death in custody must receive appropriate support, and, where police are involved, professional standards bodies must be able to exercise appropriate oversight. As is the case under Northern Territory legislation, there should also be the potential for further independent inquiry, such as an inquiry set up through an ombudsman or the state corruption body. The overarching point is that we must all be able to have confidence in the response from our institutions. These mechanisms are a key part in ensuring not only the integrity of custodial systems but also public confidence in them.
But process alone cannot comfort a grieving family, nor can process substitute for prevention. So what does practical action look like? First, it involves the prompt investigation of deaths in custody and the implementation of recommendations where appropriate. Second, it involves work to eliminate environmental risks, like hanging points, and work to ensure our custodial processes, like observation regimes and notification procedures, are safe and fit for purpose. Third, it involves using treatment and diversionary programs that have been proven to work. But, above all, we should resist fatalism. The best way to honour the work of the royal commission and those whose lives have been taken from us is through persistent work and evidence led policy—policy to identify and eliminate risks, policy to work with communities and policy to address long-term drivers of custodial incarceration. This is long, difficult and complex work, but it's also work that's necessary and appropriate to keep the royal commission's blueprint alive.
Ms STEGGALL (Warringah) (09:14): on indulgence—I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet here today in Canberra, the Ngunnawal people, and I pay my respects to their elders past and present but also extend that respect to traditional owners of the land in my electorate of Warringah and especially to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the chamber here today and the fantastic leaders we have in our nation. I also want to commend Senator Thorpe for her motion currently being debated in the other house, and I'll take the opportunity to speak, on behalf of many of the members here on the crossbench, on this issue.
On 24 May, during NAIDOC Week, a time when communities across Australia came together to celebrate the culture, diversity and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, we were confronted with a painful reminder of the systemic injustice that continues to persist despite all the words and the calls for action. While the rest of Australia was celebrating the strength and legacy of the next generation of our First Nations, a young Aboriginal man died at the hands of our police officers. Kumanjayi White was a young man with a disability. He was deeply loved by his family and his community. His death was preventable. I extend my deepest sympathies to the family of Kumanjayi White and the Yuendumu community and extend that to the families of the 17 First Nations people who have died in custody just this year. I also want to acknowledge the grief of all of the families and communities of those who have died since the 1991 royal commission. These are not just statistics. They're sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, cousins, siblings and grandchildren, and it just has to stop.
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991 laid out clear recommendations over three decades ago, yet many of these recommendations remain unimplemented, gathering dust alongside countless coronial reports, inquiries and commissions that have echoed the same calls for greater engagement with First Nations communities, for reform in our policing and justice systems and for investment in community led solutions. Action on all recommendations is urgently and desperately needed. We must listen to the voices of families, communities and experts who have been calling for a step change for decades. Accountability and justice must be delivered. Earlier this week, Minister McCarthy delivered a transparent and sobering briefing on the progress on the Productivity Commission's report on Closing the Gap. Her honesty was appreciated, but the message was clear: we remain woefully behind. Only four out of the 19 targets are on track to be met.
It's particularly alarming when it comes to youth incarceration rates, which are showing worsening trends. Despite clear evidence and repeated calls for reform, states and territories across Australia continue to detain children as young as 10 years old. Many of these children are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and many are held without a sentence. We know the impact of early incarceration with the justice system, which often leads to lifelong cycles of disadvantage and trauma. It cannot continue. Federal parliament and government must lead. We need to prioritise support over punishment and care over incarceration. Raising the age of criminal responsibility is now a moral imperative. We owe it to these children, their families and their communities to do better.
I'm proud of my electorate of Warringah, who feel strongly, and our allies. Many in my electorate have been deeply concerned by the recent deaths in custody and continue to push for justice, inclusion, and reconciliation of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. On behalf of my electorate and many others here, I call on the government to act. On this issue, like so many others, we need action more than words. Please establish an implementation process in relation to all of the outstanding recommendations of the deaths in custody royal commission.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Lingiari) (09:18): on indulgence—I thank the minister, and I particularly want to thank Minister McCarthy, Senator Thorpe and members of their house. As the federal member for Lingiari, the place where two people have recently lost their lives while in custody, this issue weighs heavily on me. As an Aboriginal person from the Northern Territory, these deaths have been catastrophic for my communities. As a mother, as a grandmother, these deaths have weighed heavily on my communities. Again, I say to the families; to the Warlpiri, who I've met since that death; to the Luritja people; and to the community of Yuendumu, who have been hurting since the Kumanjayi Walker death: my heart is with you. I hear their calls for justice and for the actions I carry with me, not only in this building but every day when I'm doing my job as the federal representative.
After Kumanjayi White's tragic passing in Alice Springs, during NAIDOC Week, I called for the investigation, with Minister McCarthy, to look into his death and to have suitably qualified and authorised professionals from outside the Northern Territory police. We didn't take that decision lightly. We did it because of the systemic racism and the issues between our Northern Territory police and Aboriginal people. This is something that there is capacity under Northern Territory legislation to achieve.
My reason for making that call was a need to avoid a perception of bias, given the evidence of racism within the Northern Territory police which has emerged in the course of the Kumanjayi Walker coronial inquiry. The coronial inquiry findings detailed deeply disturbing evidence of institutional racism within the Northern Territory police. What's more, there was a serious lack of action taken in relation to apparent attempts by the Northern Territory police to cover this up. There were concerns shared by many Aboriginal Territorians and right across this country that the racism was of an institutional nature. Since I first spoke about this matter, the comprehensive published findings by Coroner Armitage in relation to the Kumanjayi Walker coronial inquiry have shown those concerns to be well-founded.
The Northern Territory government rejected the calls by both me and Minister McCarthy to look at this in an independent way. It is understood that the Northern Territory police investigation took place or is taking place. I have met with the acting commissioner of the Northern Territory Police Force in relation to these issues. Minister McCarthy has met with the acting commissioner.
The cause of Kumanjayi White's death, of course, is still unknown, and it is premature for me to make any further comments on Kumanjayi White at this time. I will certainly have more to say in the future. But now it is absolutely the time for me to speak about Kumanjayi Walker and the findings from the coroner and the implications they have for the criminal justice system, governance and social harmony in the Northern Territory.
Over the years, other people have come and gone, but what we all have to understand is Aboriginal people are always there, in the Territory. They have no other place. They comprise almost a third of the population. The formal findings of the institutional racism in the Northern Territory are an indictment on the failure of self-government arrangements in the Northern Territory to properly reflect the existence and the worth of the Territory's key demographic.
The current Northern Territory government continues to demonstrate a calculated disregard for the voices of affected Aboriginal people and their representative organisations. It is clear we need to seriously consider remedial action. The Northern Territory has many trappings of a state, but it isn't a state. Its survival is dependent on Commonwealth funding. Why shouldn't the Commonwealth government place a condition on the ongoing funding for the Northern Territory police that institutional racism must be addressed within a stated timeline, with key milestones to be reached and independently checked?
One of the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody was that each jurisdiction should have an Aboriginal justice advisory committee. It was scrapped for the Northern Territory. For many years, the AJAC did a really good job. Both Minister McCarthy and I are looking forward to working with the Attorney-General to look at how we can implement the Aboriginal justice advisory committee back into the Northern Territory. That is one thing that the Commonwealth government can and should do—reinstate the Northern Territory AJAC. And I will work with the Attorney-General to make sure that outcome can happen.
I will continue to work with my colleagues. I know that Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory have said that only a Labor government is big with reforms, and we need to do that. Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory need our government to be able to work alongside Aboriginal people and their organisations to deal with these issues. A key focus of this, which I'm doing with Minister McCarthy, is that we need to strengthen our families. We need to improve justice outcomes. We need to build more houses. We need to create jobs and work towards stronger remote communities. Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory deserve this, but so does everyone, right across this country. We deserve better than what is happening at the moment in the Northern Territory.
Reference to Federation Chamber
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (09:25): I move:
That further statements on deaths in custody be permitted in the Federation Chamber.
Question agreed to.
Srebrenica Genocide: 30th Anniversary
Mr HILL (Bruce—Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs and Assistant Minister for International Education) (09:26): Earlier this month I had the honour of travelling to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where I represented Australia at the 30th anniversary of the genocide of Srebrenica. Over five days in July 1995 more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were murdered and buried in mass graves in and around the small town of Srebrenica. The remainder of the local Bosnian Muslim population, some 25,000 women, children and elderly people, were forcibly deported from their homes. These atrocities were carried out despite the United Nations designating Srebrenica as a safe haven from the violence that had ravaged the Balkans for over three years during the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.
What happened in Srebrenica was a horrific tragedy—the largest massacre on European soil since the Second World War—and was one of the darkest chapters in modern European history. It has been formally recognised as a genocide by both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
The ceremony at the Srebrenica Memorial Center was incredibly moving. There were tens of thousands of people—near 100,000—gathered in solemn reflection to offer heartfelt respects to the victims, the survivors and the bereaved, recognising the enduring pain and trauma still carried by so many three decades on. The global community must never let the passage of time erode the truth of what was perpetrated. We can never forget the names or faces of those whose lives and futures were torn away from them, and we must never let the harsh lessons of Srebrenica go unheeded. In May of last year the United Nations adopted a resolution to designate 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Australia was among 84 countries that sponsored that resolution.
We cannot dismiss the horrors of Srebrenica as the work of monsters. They were methodically planned and carried out by human beings who then tried to cover up their crimes. Each and every one of us shares a responsibility to remember that we can never take the values of tolerance and respect for granted.
Many who fled the Balkan wars in the 1990s, including the survivors of Srebrenica, found a safe haven in Australia, including in my own electorate of Bruce. These horrors and the brutal war of course affected the broader Bosnian diaspora, and I acknowledge the significance and poignance of this anniversary to them. In the 30 years since the Srebrenica genocide, Bosnian Australians have made such valuable contributions to our nation, adding to the strength and breadth of our multicultural society. In particular, I acknowledge my friend and our parliamentary colleague the Hon. Ed Husic, the member for Chifley, whose family migrated from Bosnia to Australia much earlier, in the 1960s. Ed is the first Bosnian and the first Muslim to be elected to the House of Representatives and to serve in the ministry.
As we remember the 30th anniversary of the genocide of Srebrenica, let us uphold those values and stand firm against hatred, prejudice and violence.
Mr TEHAN (Wannon) (09:29): I follow the fine words of the assistant minister, and I also recognise Ed Husic, who's in the chamber with us today; we came into the parliament together. I know that this is a significant motion for you and your community, Ed. It's also significant that we stand here and recognise what took place, because, if we don't keep remembering and if we don't make sure that we keep marking tragic abhorrent anniversaries like this, then the sad reality is that we will see them repeated.
What took place in Srebrenica under the watchful eye, sadly, of the international community is something that we should never ever see repeated. We have to make sure that the international community knows and understands, when it sets up safe havens, that that is exactly what they should be. They should be safe havens. Sadly, that was not the case, and the genocide that occurred—the international community found that it was a genocide—was the largest mass murder that had taken place in Europe since the Second World War. For those of us who are old enough to remember, there was coverage of that event that came into our living rooms. I think the footage of what was occurring at that time has always stayed with us. I know, as a young man, I found that footage extraordinarily confronting, and I know many Australians did.
One of the great things about this nation is that we open our arms to people impacted by conflicts like that. That's what we did as a nation. I know I speak for everyone in this House. One of the things that makes us very proud to be Australian is that, when horrific events like that happen, we reach out and extend an open arm to those who are impacted by it. It's wonderful to see, and I think it's a wonderful reflection on humanity that those people have been able to come here to Australia. Although they carry deep scars and the trauma will stay with them forever, they've been able to build lives here and make sure that future generations—especially in this nation, hopefully globally—will never see the likes of what happened 30 years ago in Srebrenica.
On behalf of the coalition, I extend our condolences to the Bosnian community and express our determination that we will work across the aisle to make sure events like this do not happen again. I commend the government for making sure that we're all given the opportunity to place on record that this nation stands with the Bosnian community to make sure that those who are here can continue to live the full lives they deserve to live and that those who, sadly, were slaughtered in this event will never ever be forgotten.
Mr HUSIC (Chifley) (09:34): on indulgence—I'll speak very briefly on indulgence; I'm hoping to express more formal words on a very significant milestone. I just wanted to thank the assistant minister for bringing this to the House. I want to also commend Shadow Minister Tehan for his words. It does mean a lot to the Bosnian Australian community that the government sent a representative, particularly in the form of the assistant minister, to be present on the 30th commemoration.
There are a lot of Bosnian Australians here in this country. Many migrated over a period of time. Many fled the horrors and have the scars that both the assistant minister and the shadow minister reflected upon, and there are many who came here beforehand who carry a deep guilt for being here at a time when their fellow citizens went through what they did.
It's important that this parliament recognises the critical work that was undertaken by both the Keating government and the Howard government in being able to give safe passage to people who had witnessed or had experienced the horrors that we would wish on no-one. It stands the country in exceptionally good stead that our heart was on full display and that we gave people the opportunity to be able to start a new chapter in this country, and to be able to make their contributions in gratitude for the opportunity extended to them by a great country like ours.
Reference to Federation Chamber
Mr HILL (Bruce—Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs and Assistant Minister for International Education) (09:35): I move:
That further statements on the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide be permitted in the Federation Chamber.
Question agreed to.
BILLS
Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2025
First Reading
Bill and explanatory memorandum presented by Mr Burke.
Bill read a first time.
Second Reading
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for the Arts, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Leader of the House) (09:36): I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
When Joeanne Cassar set out for work on a chilly Melbourne morning in May 2023, the mother and grandmother of six had no idea her life was about to change forever.
As the 55-year-old drove to the Services Australia branch at an Airport West shopping centre that Tuesday morning, her mind was on the Biggest Morning Tea that the office was hosting and the biscuits she had personally baked and decorated. It was a normal day in a decades-long career serving the public.
Sometime that morning, a man, who Services Australia had previously identified as being a risk to workers but had no legal authority to ban, turned up at the branch. As team leader, Joeanne asked him to leave. He did. Immediately. He then came back later with a knife.
Joeanne had stepped in to cover for a security guard who was on his lunch break. When this man returned, he lunged at her, chasing her into the office. He punched her in the face and stabbed her once in the lower back, just missing her spine and kidneys, but leaving her with life-changing injuries and enduring pain.
It should never have happened. Joeanne said only yesterday: 'We should all be safe at work. We all have family we want to get back to. It took me seven days to get home. And I'm one of the lucky ones.'
All Australians have the right to feel safe, and be safe, at work.
That's why the Australian government is reintroducing the Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2025, to strengthen protections for Commonwealth workers, who are facing increasing acts of violence and aggression just by doing their jobs.
Joeanne's story is unfortunately not an isolated incident. Between July 2023 and July of last year, Services Australia staff faced almost 1,700 serious incidents.
These types of attacks are unacceptable. Violence and aggression have devastating impacts on workers and their families.
No-one who works on the frontline for our public service should ever be concerned for their personal safety. They all have a right to go to work and to go home safely.
This bill was previously introduced in parliament in 2024, but it lapsed when the parliament was dissolved for the 2025 federal election. I want to acknowledge the work of the former Attorney-General the Hon. Mark Dreyfus KC MP and the former government services minister the Hon. Bill Shorten in progressing the previous bill.
The Services Australia Security Risk Management Review was commissioned after Joeanne's assault. After a comprehensive review, former Victoria Police commissioner Mr Graham Ashton AM APM made 44 recommendations to increase the safety of Commonwealth workers. The government has committed to implementing all 44 of those recommendations, and this bill implements recommendation No. 17 of the Ashton review by creating a Commonwealth workplace protection order scheme.
The bill establishes a framework to enable a Commonwealth entity to apply to a court to issue a Commonwealth workplace protection order to protect a Commonwealth worker or workplace from threats of harm and actual harm. A Commonwealth worker would include Commonwealth employees and contractors, such as security guards, apprentices and volunteers.
Before issuing a workplace protection order, the court has to be satisfied that the respondent has engaged in personal violence in relation to a Commonwealth worker or the workplace, and that there is a real risk that the respondent will engage in further personal violence if the order is not made.
Personal violence means conduct that causes or threatens to cause harm or a reasonable fear of harm.
A court would be able to apply any conditions or restrictions it determined necessary to prevent any future risk of personal violence to a Commonwealth worker or workplace. Conditions could include prohibiting or restricting contact with a Commonwealth worker, prohibiting or restricting attendance at a particular Commonwealth workplace, or a restricted servicing arrangement—such as phone-only appointments—to allow ongoing service delivery as required.
These orders would be available for all Commonwealth workplaces, extending to anywhere a Commonwealth worker is conducting official Commonwealth work. This would include mobile servicing such as 'pop-up' shops in shopping centres, Commonwealth vehicles, or a Commonwealth worker's residence when working from home.
This protects workers who are working on behalf of the Commonwealth, regardless of where they are.
In circumstances where urgent protection is required, the Commonwealth entity would be able to apply to a court for an urgent interim order to ensure protections are in place as quickly as possible, ahead of a future court date to consider a final order.
A court would also be able to issue a workplace protection order by consent of the parties. Where a court considers a party to an order proceeding to have impaired decision-making ability, the bill provides that the court must not make a consent order unless it's satisfied that the person has appropriate representation.
The safety of Commonwealth workers comes first, but we also want to ensure individuals can continue to access necessary government services.
The bill ensures that, if proposing conditions that would limit the respondent's ability to access Commonwealth benefits or services, or contact their electoral representatives, the applicant is to be required to provide the court with information about alternative procedures or arrangements for how the respondent may access or obtain those benefits or services. The court would also be required to consider the personal circumstances of the respondent when determining the conditions attached to an order, and ensure that the person still has the ability to access essential public services and retain the ability to engage in political communication.
The bill would allow either party to a workplace protection order to apply to the court to vary or revoke an order. The court would be able to vary the conditions in the order and/or period for which the order is in force. This would allow flexibility where the circumstances of either the Commonwealth entity or the respondent change. The bill also provides that either party would be able to appeal a decision of the court relating to the making, varying or revoking of a final order.
The bill would allow information-sharing between the Commonwealth and enforcement agencies to ensure identified risks posed to other Commonwealth workers or workplaces can be managed, as a proactive approach in preventing further harm and to enforce workplace protection orders.
Breaching a condition of an order will be a criminal offence punishable by two years' imprisonment or 120 penalty units or both.
This penalty will act as a deterrent for noncompliance with conditions, while protecting workers from any future threatening behaviour.
The bill also requires a review three years after commencement.
The introduction of the bill sends a strong message that the government values the contributions made by Commonwealth workers and that violence and aggression towards those workers and workplaces is unacceptable. The bill creates a whole new act and is a serious reform on worker safety.
The bill is a further step towards creating safer workplaces for Commonwealth workers, and allowing the Australian community safe access to Commonwealth government benefits and services.
The bill offers new protections to all Commonwealth workers, like Joeanne Cassar, who has dedicated her professional life to helping others.
Public servants are just that—Australians who have devoted their professional lives to serving the public.
A life of service should be honoured. It should never be scorned. It should never be ridiculed, and it should never be unsafe simply to go to work.
Every Australian worker deserves to feel safe and to be safe.
I commend this bill to the House.
Debate adjourned.
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2025
Report from Federation Chamber
Bill returned from Federation Chamber without amendment, appropriation message having been reported; certified copy of the bill presented.
Bill agreed to.
Third Reading
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (09:47): by leave—I move:
That this bill be now read a third time.
Question agreed to.
Bill read a third time.
COMMITTEES
Northern Australia Joint Committee
Parliamentary Standards Joint Committee
Membership
The SPEAKER (09:47): I have received a message from the Senate informing the House that Senator Walker has been discharged from the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia and Senator Whiteaker has been appointed a member of the committee, and that Senator Brown and Senator Polley have been appointed as members of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Parliamentary Standards.
BILLS
Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025
Second Reading
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That this bill be now read a second time.
to which the following amendment was moved:
That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:
"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House:
(1) notes:
(a) Australia has just had the worst decade for productivity in the past 60 years;
(b) boosting productivity is the only way Australia can sustainably increase wages over time;
(c) the Government's agenda to lift Australia's productivity is not comprehensive without considering the role of Australia's industrial relations system; and
(d) in 2023, the Productivity Commission's report Advancing Prosperity recommended that the Fair Work Act be amended to explicitly include productivity as an objective of modern awards; and
(2) calls on the Government to amend subsection 134(1) of the Fair Work Act such that productivity is an objective of modern awards, as per Recommendation 7.13 of the Productivity Commission's report Advancing Prosperity".
Dr GARLAND (Chisholm) (09:48): I'm really proud to speak on this important legislation. The Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025 is delivering on our key election commitment to protect penalty rates, and this is legislation that Australians overwhelmingly supported at the last election. The intent of this bill is simple: if you are a worker who relies on the modern award safety net and you work weekends, public holidays, early mornings or late nights, then this Albanese Labor government believes that you deserve to have your wages protected. We believe that you deserve laws that ensure that pay will not go backwards. That's why it is so important that, as one of the very first orders of business, we're delivering for workers. This will mean a lot to workers in my electorate of Chisholm and for workers right across Australia.
I'm really proud that in our first term, during the 47th Parliament, the Albanese government delivered landmark workplace relations reforms with a clear goal, which was to get wages moving again for Australian workers. We addressed and closed loopholes that undermined principles of fairness and improved access to secure jobs and better pay. We reinvigorated enterprise bargaining and, significantly, put gender equality at the heart of workplace relations. We improved workplace conditions and protections right across the board. And in every single wage review since taking office we have backed, unapologetically—in fact, proudly—minimum wage increases.
A very important memory for me will always be the moment I stood with the then opposition leader, now Prime Minister, when he was asked during the 2022 election campaign whether he supported a $1 pay rise for Australia's lowest paid workers, and he said—famously, now—'Absolutely.' At the time, and I think it's important that we remember this, he was criticised roundly by those opposite for making such a claim. Well, our government, our Prime Minister, has been backing in pay rises for Australia's lowest paid workers ever since, with the support of the Australian community. And of course in our most recent submission to the Fair Work Commission we called for an economically sustainable real-wage increase for workers on the minimum wage. This side of the House is really pleased that from 1 July minimum wages have been increased by 3.5 per cent.
These are significant reforms, and we've fought hard to deliver them. Labor governments will always support workers to receive fair pay and decent conditions. We know that our changes to legislation are being felt by workers in our communities and are delivering improved outcomes, not just for workers but also for their employers. These are really important outcomes that are significant for people in my electorate of Chisholm. These are outcomes that have resulted in thousands of workers receiving up to $60,000 extra in their pay packets each year. One of the greatest joys in my job—and I've mentioned this before, in other speeches to this place—has been to visit some of our frontline service workers. We know that many of our frontline service workers in this country are reliant on minimum wages. I'm proud that I can always look them in the eye and tell them we're doing our very best in this place to ensure that they receive the wage increases they deserve.
It is disappointing—a great shame—that those opposite have not taken the opportunity to support some of our hardest-working, lowest paid workers. Our government has always advocated to the Fair Work Commission for minimum and award wage rises—every single year since we were elected in 2002. That is quite a contrast to when those opposite sat on the treasury benches and put wage stagnation and low wages at the centre of their economic policy. I think that is a real shame for this country.
Labor governments want to see wages increase and to see workers being valued for all they do in our communities. Since we've come to government we've reinvigorated our bargaining system, which means employers and workers can reach agreements in workplaces that do result in higher wages through negotiation and receive better conditions and better productivity. We've ensured that gender equality and job security have become new objects in the Fair Work Act. We've banned pay secrecy clauses. We've criminalised intentional wage theft and we've stopped the underpayment of workers through the labour hire loophole. We've introduced world-leading minimum standards for road transport workers. We've ended the forced permanent casual loophole—which does seem like an oxymoron, but it was the way many workplaces functioned in this country for too long. And we've provided a proper pathway for conversion for casuals who do want that. We've also given workers a right to clock off through the right to disconnect.
It's important to understand, too, that more than half of employers who responded to a recent Australian HR Institute survey have indicated that Labor's right-to-disconnect laws have in fact improved employee engagement and productivity. Worker wellbeing is important to productivity in this country. The latest figures on enterprise bargaining show that nearly 2.7 million Australians are now covered by a current enterprise agreement, which is the highest coverage on record since the system began. Importantly, our laws are working to deliver real wage increases, improved conditions and more cooperative and productive workplaces.
We are continuing that work with this bill, which will protect penalty rates and overtime rates in modern awards. Penalty rates and overtime rates do matter. They are a longstanding feature and a vital part of the modern award safety net which supports some of Australia's lowest paid workers. We know that, right now, the safety net can unfortunately be undermined. Under current rules, penalty rates and overtime rates can be rolled up into a single rate of pay that leaves employees worse off. I would hope that no-one in this place would like to see employees worse off in this country. We know that there are current cases on foot where employers in the retail, clerical and banking sectors have made applications to the Fair Work Commission to trade away penalty rates of lower-paid workers on awards. Sadly, we know that the coalition have always been too willing to back these kinds of positions. We on this side of the House take a very different approach, really wanting to back in fairness for Australian workers. We know that people put their faith in a Labor government to be custodians of the Australian workplace relations system and to look out for workers' best interests, especially where clear and obvious gaps exist.
This bill here before the House is about making sure that we are taking action to ensure that the best interests of workers is at the heart of our workplace relations system. This legislation will mean that proposals, as I mentioned earlier, to undermine worker pay cannot be included in modern awards. It's really ensuring that the safety net remains. We are going to protect the penalty rates and overtime rates of low-paid workers and enshrine protections for penalty rates and overtime rates in modern awards. In practical terms, this will mean workers won't have to worry about that safety net. We have done this because Labor governments are committed to strengthening the modern award system without adding unnecessary complexity. The bill will not stop parties engaging in ways to make awards easier or from ensuring that award terms can be adaptable to modern working needs.
We want this legislation passed as a top priority, which is why we're here in week 2 of the sitting weeks of parliament and this has been introduced. This is really important. We need to do all we can to protect workers from loopholes that could see their take-home pay go backwards. Modern awards are so important in providing entitlements such as pay, hours of work, rosters, breaks, penalty rates and overtime. We really want to protect those gains and ensure that the safety net of minimum wages and entitlements for Australia's lowest paid workers is maintained. We know that people who are covered by these awards are more likely to be women, work part time, be under 35 and also often be employed on a casual basis. So these are marginalised workers as well that we are seeking to ensure are protected.
This is a very important piece of legislation. We, of course, respect the role of the Fair Work Commission as an independent industrial tribunal. They are the umpire. That role is unchanged under this legislation. What we want to see is enterprise agreements deliver better deals for working people, better wages and conditions and more cooperative and productive workplaces. Our government has really been focused on reinvigorating the enterprise bargaining system such that we now have a record-high number of employees covered by federal enterprise agreements, and we are already seeing that these agreements are delivering real wage increases for Australian workers. As of 31 March this year, the Fair Work Commission approved over 9,800 agreements covering nearly 2.5 million employees. Also as of 31 March this year, almost 2.7 million employees were covered by a current enterprise agreement, which is the highest coverage since bargaining began in 1991.
Ultimately this bill is about fairness. It is about respecting the millions of Australians, including thousands in my electorate of Chisholm, who work public holidays, weekends, late nights and early mornings to keep Australia going. In this spirit, I commend the bill to the House.
Ms CAMPBELL (Moreton) (10:00): When I was at school, my local golden arches was a short walk away from my house. I was a frequent visitor to that Macca's. Sometimes it was for a Happy Meal, but mostly it was because I worked there as a casual, like thousands of young Australians all across the country. Back then, my hourly wage had a four in front of it. It wasn't much, but that's what penalty rates were there for and that's why they were all the more important. They remain so for millions of people who rely on them every single day.
Labor has always been at the forefront of making sure that people are paid fairly and of returning penalty rates and other critical award conditions to millions of workers across the country. The Monday to Friday, nine-to-five working day is still the norm in our society. We value weekends as downtime and public holidays as special. The baker who starts at 3 am every day to bake your fresh bread, the barista who makes your coffee on a Sunday morning and the nurse working through the wee hours of the night—all of these people work to serve others. All of these people work to serve our community. Those who work when the rest of us are enjoying time off from work deserve to be recognised with fair pay and conditions.
It was a Labor government and a Labor election commitment to protect penalty rates for 2.6 million workers who are on modern awards. That is exactly what the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025 will do. This is another example of the Albanese government fulfilling its commitment to delivery. The Prime Minister has made it clear from the very outset that this is not a government that just says things, this is not a government that talks; this is a government that makes commitments and follows through on them. We saw that last week. We've seen that this week. We've seen it in 20 per cent off HECS, we've seen it in the introduction of cheaper medicines and now, today, we see it in this bill to make sure that the commitments that we have made to working people across the breadth and depth of this country on penalty rates and overtime rates are delivered.
Modern awards stipulate employee entitlements, such as pay, hours of work, rosters, breaks, allowances, penalty rates and overtime. They are part of the critical safety net of minimum wages and entitlements for Australia's lowest paid workers. If you're on an award and you work on the weekend, this bill is for you. If you work early in the morning or late at night, this bill is for you. If you work on public holidays, this bill is for you. Your wage must reflect that, and your wage must be protected. You deserve to know what your entitlements are, and you deserve to know that your entitlements are secure.
I think it's important, when we talk about penalty rates and when we talk about overtime rates, to acknowledge what penalty rates are. To do that, it's important to understand what they are not. Penalty rates are not a bonus. Penalty rates are not an extra. Penalty rates are not a prize. You'd be forgiven for thinking that penalty rates are any of those things, if you listen to those opposite talk about them.
Penalty rates are fundamentally, at their core, a wage. Penalty rates are an entitlement. And penalty rates are critical to ensuring that those who are the lowest paid in our society are given the entitlements they deserve to help them get through every single day. One of the things that became very clear when speaking to thousands of Moreton residents over the last year was just how much workers rely on their penalty rates. The Albanese Labor government believes in people earning more and keeping more of what they earn, and our No. 1 focus remains continuing to deliver cost-of-living relief for the Australian people.
This bill amends the Fair Work Act 2009. It will establish a clear principle that, when the Fair Work Commission is making, varying or revoking modern awards as per its remit, it must ensure no reduction in penalty rates or overtime rates. It also outlines that modern awards do not include any terms that replace employee penalty rates or overtime entitlements where the result would be a reduction in the employee's take-home pay.
This bill is necessary for several reasons. Firstly, modern awards can roll up penalty rates and overtime rates into one rate of pay which can leave workers worse off, and we are a Labor government and we do not leave workers worse off. Secondly, there is an urgency to this bill. The Fair Work Commission is currently assessing submissions from employers in the retail, clerical and banking sectors to remove the penalty rates of lower paid workers from awards. If these employer applications were successful, workers would stand to lose thousands of dollars each year, and that is something that working people cannot afford and that working people should not cop.
We need to protect these workers' penalty rates. After all, the hard workers in retail and hospitality often work outside those usual nine-to-five hours and work across the weekends, when the rest of us are spending time with our families. Finally, relative to all employees, award employees are more likely to be women under 35 who work part time or casually. The Albanese Labor government will safeguard their wages as well as their participation in our economy.
We know that those opposite will not fight for workers' rights. In fact, they have a longstanding opposition to penalty rates and overtime rates. We've seen it time and time again. We saw it in 2007 with the introduction of Work Choices and with the introduction of AWA and the corrosive effects that those had on our entire society, not just for working people but for their families. They were blatant about their support to cut penalty rates for retail and hospitality workers in 2017, and just yesterday we saw the antics of the shadow minister for industrial relations and employment as he sought to delay a bill which only seeks to secure protections for penalty rates and overtime rates for the working people of this country. In contrast to that, Labor has a proud record for advocating for higher wages for workers.
I've spent much of my working life standing up for and standing beside working people, and, when you stand beside working people when they are facing significant challenges at work, whether that be facing discrimination in the workplace, whether that be facing a loss of wages or whether that be discrimination, an unfair dismissal or being sacked—these are all things that impact working people every day. When you stand next to those workers, you realise how critical pay and conditions are. The only things that those opposite have ever stood for when it comes to workers are stripping their pay, stripping their conditions and making their lives worse off.
This bill continues the work of the Albanese Labor government to implement workplace relations reform, to uphold the rights of workers and, crucially, to get wages moving again. Labor has consistently backed in minimum wage increases at every annual wage review since May 2022. Minimum wages have again been increased from the first of this month by 3.5 per cent. This is direct cost-of-living support for three million workers—one that working people deserve—including cleaners, retail workers and early childhood educators. ABS data in May this year showed that annual real wages have grown for 18 months in a row under the Albanese Labor government. That's growth for six quarters in a row.
Those opposite—we saw them do it during the election campaign; we've seen them do it again in this chamber this week and last week—would have you believe that wages can't be increased without negatively impacting other parts of the economy, but the facts speak for themselves. They said that inflation couldn't come down if we were giving working people more money, and we have seen inflation come down from having a six in front of it to a two in front of it. They said that we couldn't keep unemployment low if we were giving working people more money, and we see unemployment at record lows under this Albanese Labor government. They say it again and again, and what we know to be true is that these are scare campaigns designed to make sure that working people do not have the wages and conditions that they need and deserve, and this bill is there to protect them. This is in stark contrast to the years of stagnation under the former government, where wages fell for five quarters leading up to the 2022 election.
The wage price index grew 0.9 per cent in the March quarter 2025 to be 3.4 per cent higher through the year. Real wages grew one per cent through the year to the March quarter 2025. More than one million jobs were created during the government's first term, and that is a record for a parliamentary term. The landmark same job, same pay reforms delivered pay increases for workers across the country. It ensured that those working as labour hire are not paid less than permanent employees when they are doing the same job. This reform had further benefits in improving culture in the sector, increasing the number of permanent roles and promoting stability across the economy.
Labor has passed legislation that has fairness for workers at its core. The right-to-disconnect legislation protects workers after they've clocked off for the day, and the closing loopholes legislation empowers casual employees, gig workers and truck drivers. Eligible casual employees can now choose whether they want to switch to a permanent basis at work. Those opposite wanted to walk this reform back, but the Australian people told us what they wanted on 3 May. The Australian people told us that they wanted cost-of-living relief. The Australian people told us that they wanted 20 per cent off student debt. The Australian people told us that they wanted cheaper medicines. The Australian people told us that they wanted penalty rates and overtime rates fundamentally protected. These are the things that this Albanese Labor government is delivering—not tomorrow, not the day after, not next year, but today and this week as our first priority as we come into this place.
At the first speech I was able to make last week, I paid tribute to a number of local working people in my community. I paid tribute to Maria, a teacher aide in Acacia Ridge. I paid tribute to Brian, a blind-cleaning company scheduler in Annerley. I paid tribute to Ryan, a young apprentice tradie living in Salisbury. Each of these people have a story to tell when it comes to the economy of our nation. Each of these people make up the bedrock of what keeps our economy moving. And what they deserve is the wages and the entitlements that allow them to keep doing that for our country. So, when we talk about this bill, we are not talking about an amorphous impact on something that we don't understand. We are talking about real working people and the impacts that penalty rates and overtime rates have on them every single day—and not only on them but on their families and their communities.
It is important that this bill be passed urgently so the Fair Work Commission can apply the amended legislation to the cases of the retail, clerical and banking sectors that are currently before it. The amended legislation will come into effect the day after it receives royal assent, reflecting both this urgency to protect working people and the Albanese Labor government's commitment to implementing our election promises, something that we have seen again and again in these first two sitting weeks. This bill ensures the fair and decent treatment of award based workers, hardworking Australians who rely on penalty rates and overtime rates every single day.
And this is in Labor's DNA. It's at our core. It's what we believe in. It's what we do every single day. We wake up in the morning with the drive to make sure that working people have a fair go, and you cannot have a fair go unless you are receiving what you need to when it comes to wages and when it comes to penalty rates. This is what this legislation is designed to do—to protect the fair go of working people in this country.
Only a Labor government will continue to implement cost-of-living support; only a Labor government will stand up for working people; only a Labor government values their contributions, not just on one day but on every day; and only a Labor government will safeguard the penalty and overtime rates that they deserve for their hard work each and every day. I commend the bill to the House, and I want to make sure that people understand that this bill is for everyone who works every day and deserves those penalty rates. (Time expired)
Ms MILLER-FROST (Boothby) (10:15): Australians expect to be paid a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. That's a principle that should be uncontroversial. It's how we as a community share around the benefits of economic activity. We harness our shared efforts for the betterment of the Australian community. If that day's work happens to occur at fairly unsociable hours—early morning starts, evenings, overnights, weekends, public holidays—then your compensation should take account of that additional ask and the impact it has on normal life, sleep patterns, family life, social life and health. If your fair day's work includes overtime, extra hours, then that should be compensated as well.
This bill, the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025, continues the Albanese government's commitment to delivering fair pay and decent conditions for Australian workers, and it delivers on our election commitment to protect the entitlements of around 2.6 million award-reliant employees working in hospitality, retail, health, aged care, transport and clerical sectors, many of whom rely on weekend, holiday, overnight or overtime penalty rates to make ends meet.
I was one of those people who relied on penalty rates. I spent much of my 20s working the night shift in health services. I worked four hours on Thursday night; eight hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights; and four hours on Monday night. I worked every public holiday, including Christmas and Easter. I chose to do shiftwork because it enabled me to earn a sufficient income to live while I completed tertiary education. Penalty rates were a significant part of my wage—not a bonus but fair compensation. I loved my job and I loved being able to afford to study, but working unsociable hours does have a significant impact on your life—your family life and your social life—and, we now know, also on your health. So this bill should be uncontroversial, and really it is surprising it should even be required, but apparently we need to legislate that right to penalty rates and overtime rates, even in the tight labour market we are experiencing in Australia.
Currently, penalty rates and overtime rates in modern awards can be rolled up into a single rate of pay, leaving some employees worse off. Employers in the retail, clerical and banking sectors currently have submissions active before the Fair Work Commission to trade away the penalty rates of lower paid workers in favour of increased base pay. While a pay rise might sound appealing, these proposals would leave many employees financially worse off, depending on their roster patterns. This bill closes that loophole.
These entitlements are an essential part of the pay structure for workers in these sectors, where work often occurs outside the standard nine-to-five hours. These are hardworking Australians who keep the country running on weekends, on public holidays, on late nights and through shiftwork. They deserve a system that fairly compensates them for this work.
We're talking about award-reliant employees working in hospitality, retail, health, aged care, transport, clerical sectors and more, and we're often talking about vulnerable, low-paid workers. The people working in these sectors are often part-time and casual staff, workers under the age of 35 and often women. Their penalty rates are not luxury bonuses; they are lifelines. They need them. Losing these entitlements would amount to thousands of dollars lost annually, often off a low salary base. So this bill goes directly to protecting the rights and the pay cheques of those more vulnerable groups. By legislating protection, the bill delivers certainty for both workers and small-business owners, allowing long-term planning and avoiding destabilising award changes that undermine consumer confidence.
The bill is designed to be simple, fair and workable, providing clarity without additional complexity. It discourages improper award variations by limiting the commission's power to vary awards to reduce penalty rates or overtime rates. Proposed variations that result in lower take-home pay even if disguised via offset provisions must be refused. The changes will apply to any applications to make, vary or revoke a modern award on or after the commencement of the bill regardless of whether those applications were lodged before or after the commencement, but the bill will not apply retrospectively. However, the bill does not alter enterprise bargaining outcomes, award flexibility provisions under section 144 or offsetting mechanisms agreed under enterprise agreements providing they pass the better off overall test and do not unjustly erode loadings.
The explanatory memorandum confirms the bill is consistent with Australian's international human rights obligations, including the right to fair and just work conditions and the right to health and leisure. By reinforcing the modern award safety net, the legislation supports just remuneration and rest entitlements for people working non-standard hours.
I started this speech saying that the concept of a fair day's pay for a fair day's work should be uncontroversial and that people who work irregular, unsocial and long hours should be compensated for it. That should likewise be uncontroversial. We see this bill as a moral and economic imperative. I believe that the concept of a fair pay should transcend partisan politics. So no doubt it will surprise you to know that not everyone has immediately jumped on board. Some employer groups, particularly representing retail, hospitality and banking interests, have opposed it, and the opposition, I understand, is yet to commit to a position. We saw the shadow minister yesterday trying to delay this legislation. Employer groups argue that they should retain the freedom to negotiate away loadings in exchange for higher base pay. However, we know that such deals often disproportionately disadvantage award-reliant workers whose hours coincide with penalty times. The bill does not outlaw bargaining; it simply ensures that no-one ends up worse off. Opposing it therefore seems to indicate an intention to make the worker worse off.
Another criticism is that the bill would undermine the Fair Work Commission's role. However, under this legislation the commission remains free to interpret and apply awards providing it upholds the newly legislated principle. This bill does not remove independence; it ensures awards maintain their purpose as a protective floor.
A third concern raised is that this will affect business viability. While we recognise small businesses face challenges, this bill is carefully crafted to avoid causing undue hardship. It exempts flexibility terms and only restricts award variations that reduce worker entitlements. The government has committed to consulting small-business stakeholders as the bill proceeds.
The Albanese government is a government that cares about the rights of workers. We know that as a society and as an economy we only profit when we all profit. 'No-one held back, no-one left behind' is a statement that says, 'We are all in this together and we need to look after each other.' This bill goes to protecting the rights at work of some of our more vulnerable workers—young people, women, shiftworkers, part-time workers and casual workers.
In the last term of government we passed a raft of industrial relations legislation which went to making the lives of Australian workers better so they can get ahead. The secure jobs, better pay legislation introduced multi-employer bargaining, ended pay secrecy and strengthened gender pay gap measures and pay equity. The Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Protecting Worker Entitlements) Act expanded parental leave and embedded superannuation in the National Employment Standards. Part 1 of the closing loopholes legislation criminalised wage theft and introduced the same job, same pay provision for labour hire workers. Part 2 introduced minimum standards for gig workers. The right-to-disconnect laws allow workers to refuse unreasonable contact outside work hours. We backed a pay rise for minimum paid workers, aged-care workers and childcare workers, and now we are legislating to protect penalty rates and overtime rates.
This is a government that has the backs of workers, and we are legislating to make sure workers also benefit from the prosperity of this wonderful country. This bill is about principles of fairness, decency and dignity. It anchors in law a protection that millions of Australians depend upon. It reflects our commitment to safeguarding lowest paid workers amid economic pressures, and it reaffirms the integrity of Australia's modern award system. I'd like to thank the minister for this latest tranche of legislation, and I commend the bill to the House.
Dr REID (Robertson) (10:25): Today in this chamber it is with great pride that I speak on the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025, a bill that protects the penalty and overtime rates of Australian workers. It is a bill that goes to the very heart of Labor values: the protection and safeguarding of the working men and women of this country.
Penalty rates are a critical pillar in Australia's industrial and employment relations framework and one that Labor has always fought for and will continue to fight for now and into the future. Penalty rates are a lifeline for millions of Australians, and they are not a perk; penalty rates are not a privilege. They are recognition of the sacrifices made by millions of workers—workers who give up their weekends, who give up their night, who give up their public holidays and who give up their precious time with their families, with their loved ones, in order to keep our great country running. It's the retail worker who opens up the shop on a Sunday, the cafe worker who's serving you your coffee, the nurse working on Christmas and New Year's Day and the aged-care worker who, on Anzac Day, is looking after our most vulnerable.
For many, especially our young people, penalty rates can be the difference between scraping by and saving for a better future for themselves and for their family. Yet, time and time again, election after election, debate after debate, we have seen attempts by some to undermine and to cut penalty and overtime rates, and that is a shame. It is often under the disguise of workplace modernisation and workplace flexibility. But let's call this out for what it is. It's the erosion of dignity. It's the calculated effort to weaken the value of the worker, to strip away compensation for unsociable hours and to shift the balance further in favour of profit and further away from people.
The economic arguments made by those seeking to cut or to slash penalty rates are flawed at best. They say cutting penalty rates will create more jobs, but we know it doesn't. They say it'll help small business. Well, we know it won't. And they say workers will benefit in the long run. Well, no they won't. What happens when you cut penalty rates? It means the working men and women of Australia have less money in their pockets. They spend less at their local cafe. They delay filling that prescription. They cancel a class. They cancel a dental check-up. They cancel a trip to see family. The economy slows, not because of this conjured-up concept that people are lazy but because they're stretched too thin. Wage-led growth is not some abstract economic theory; it's common sense. When working people earn a decent living, they often spend that money in their communities. They stimulate demand. They keep our local businesses afloat, and, yes, they pay tax—supporting the very services that we all rely on: our schools, our hospitals and our transport systems. They buy coffee. They buy burgers and meals at our local restaurants.
Conversely, when wages stagnate and when penalty rates are stripped away from workers, what we see is a hollowing out of demand, an increase in casualisation and a dangerous widening of the inequality gap. Penalty rates also matter for productivity too, a major focus of the Albanese Labor government in this term, because when you pay people fairly they stay in their employment, they show up, they learn and they do more. They become experienced. They become dependable. They become proud of the work that they turn up to do. That's how you build a productive workforce, not by slashing the pay and churning through underpaid staff like they're disposable.
Young Australians are particularly vulnerable to these attacks on penalty rates and overtime rates. Let's remember they are overrepresented in sectors like hospitality and retail, which are among some of the lowest paid in our economy. Stripping penalty rates from young workers is more than just unfair; it's short sighted and it is economically reckless. How can they save for a home? How can they plan for a life, when their income is subject to the whims of a workplace deal or a regulatory backflip? We should not be building a future that asks the next generation to accept less—less pay, less stability, less opportunity than the one before them.
The Labor Party stands for fairness—we always have. It's in our DNA. We believe that workers should not have to fight for the crumbs at the end of the table. They deserve a seat at that table. They deserve pay that reflects not just the hours that they work but the hours that they sacrifice—it's the birthdays, the barbecues and the weekends away. It is the time with their children that they are sacrificing.
Penalty rates are about justice. They are about balance. Above all, they are about respect for time and effort and are for the people who carry the weight of this country on their backs every single day, every minute of every hour. To those who seek to abolish them or those that seek to diminish them or those that seek to block penalty rates, like we saw the shadow minister do yesterday, I say this: you aren't pursuing reform; you are pursuing regression. You are not supporting small business; you are punishing workers. You are not modernising this economy; you are eroding its very foundations of fairness and of equality.
Let us be clear here today: the Australia we should all be fighting for is one where work is valued, effort is rewarded and no-one is left behind simply because they don't work Monday to Friday, nine to five. That is why this government, the Albanese Labor government, will always defend penalty rates, whether it be in this chamber or out in our community. We will always fight to secure and safeguard penalty rates. We will stand with every nurse, every retail assistant and every shiftworker who simply wants to be paid fairly for the time that they sacrifice, because, in the Labor Party, we don't just talk about supporting workers; we act.
In closing, to outline the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025, it adds a new section to the act, 135A, to establish a clear principle requiring that, when exercising its powers to make, vary or revoke modern awards, the Fair Work Commission must ensure that specified penalty or overtime rates are not reduced, and:
… modern awards do not include terms that substitute employees' entitlements to receive penalty rates or overtime rates where those terms would have the effect of reducing the additional remuneration … any employee would otherwise receive.
The bill will commence the day after it receives royal assent, reflecting the government's election commitment to move quickly to protect penalty rates and overtime rates for Australia's lowest paid workers. It will ensure award-reliant workers continue to be fairly compensated for working overtime; unsocial, irregular or unpredictable hours; weekends, public holidays or shifts.
The bill preserves the commission's existing powers under section 144 to insert flexibility terms into its awards. That allows employers and employees to enter into individual flexibility arrangements, including to vary penalty and overtime rates, as long as the existing legislated safeguard of ensuring they are better-off compared to the standard terms is met. The bill also preserves the commission's existing powers under section 160 of the act to vary a modern award to remove any ambiguity or uncertainty, or to correct an error. The safeguards in the enterprise bargaining framework will remain unchanged, and parties would still be able to bargain at the enterprise level to reduce existing penalty rates and overtime rates so long as the commission is satisfied the enterprise agreement meets the better off overall test.
Finally, this is a bill that goes to the heart of what Labor values are—and that is ensuring that penalty rates and overtime rates are protected. It is ensuring that we protect the fairness, equality and dignity of all workers right across this country, not just on the New South Wales Central Coast but right across New South Wales and right across Australia. I know that as the federal member for Robertson I will continue to defend that, and I know that everyone on this side of the chamber will continue to defend penalty rates. We know from the shenanigans that were undertaken yesterday by the shadow minister that the Liberal Party really don't have any concept of what workers' dignity or effort is. All they do is simply talk; they don't act. That's what the Labor government does here on this side—act in the best interests of working Australians.
Mr KENNEDY (Cook) (10:37): I'm moving an amendment to the amendment moved by the member for Wentworth, as circulated in my name, because this government has failed to meaningfully consult Australian small businesses on the impact of this bill. We're condemning the government for refusing to allow this bill to be referred to a parliamentary committee for proper scrutiny and stakeholder input.
No regulatory impact statement has been provided to assess how this will affect small business. The government can't even say—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Chesters ): Order, Member for Cook! Just a moment. The amendment hasn't been circulated. If you could, read it out to the House, and we can seek a seconder at the end of your contribution.
Mr KENNEDY: I move:
That all words after "House" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:
(1) notes the Government has failed to consult meaningfully with Australian small businesses on the impact of the Bill;
(2) condemns the Government for refusing to allow the bill to be referred to a parliamentary committee for proper scrutiny and stakeholder input;
(3) expresses concern that:
(a) no Regulatory Impact Statement has been provided to assess how the bill will affect small business employment and operating costs;
(b) the Government cannot say how many small businesses will be impacted by the proposed changes; and
(c) key industry stakeholders, including the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australian Industry Group, Australian Retailers Association and the Minerals Council of Australia, have warned the bill will undermine flexibility, increase compliance complexity and reduce productivity; and
(4) calls on the Government to:
(a) immediately release a Regulatory Impact Statement;
(b) publish modelling of the bill's economic and employment effects on small businesses;
(c) restore a clear consultation pathway for small business stakeholders; and
(d) amend the bill to ensure the Fair Work Commission retains sufficient flexibility to approve award variations that enable higher pay and simpler conditions where supported by both employers and employees".
Because of this failure of consultation, because this government has failed to get proper scrutiny or proper input and because there has been no regulatory impact statement to assess what the impact will be on small business, it is no surprise that under this government over 6,000 companies went into external administration in my home state of New South Wales. It's because of this failure to consult small business.
I see this failure to consult and what's actually happening every day in my electorate of Cook. If we look at Caringbah, a major retail site in the heart of my electorate that is now dilapidated, small businesses are leaving. Mavericks chicken shop has closed. The local dance studios have closed. It's not even just small businesses now closing because of this failure to consult business, like the government has done with this bill. For example, we have a former Franklins supermarket purchased by Aldi that has been closed for 11 years. They cannot open that and every day it is getting worse and worse. In the last financial year alone 6,000 closed.
We need a regulatory impact statement, because otherwise we won't know what the cost to small business will be. This government does not care about the cost to small business. They're riding roughshod over the process, with no transparent economic modelling.
Mr Bowen interjecting—
Mr KENNEDY: I'll take the interjection, because this man has done a lot of modelling. He modelled the energy prices, and he couldn't model those either. It's no surprise he doesn't want transparent economic modelling, because he doesn't want transparent energy modelling either. They don't believe in transparent modelling, because it might say something that they don't like. They know how to rig it—they know how to say it'll give you $275 off your energy bill—but they don't know how to do it properly. They haven't had real consultation with those who carry the payroll.
There's no flexibility. The Fair Work Commission can still award variations when both workers and employers agree to higher pay for simpler terms. These aren't radical demands. This is good governance and good process that respects small business. What's at stake? The businesses in Australia and the businesses in my home electorate of Cook don't oppose fair pay. They don't oppose penalty rates. They support their workers. They know the value of loyalty and hard work.
Every day in my home electorate I see businesses such as Stapleton Meats that put their employees first. They pay their employees first and pay themselves last. I've met business owners up and down Caringbah who are right on the edge. They're telling me they're three or six months away from closing. They're not paying themselves, they're making a loss and they keep that business open so they can help those people who work for them to pay their home loans and send their kids to school. These people feel left out of the conversation. They oppose this legislation. They oppose the complexity being heaped on their shoulders at a time when margins are shrinking and survival, not expansion, is the only goal. Small businesses are shrinking.
The small businesses in my electorate aren't asking for favours; they're just asking for fair process. They just want to be consulted. They just want to know how this bill will impact them when they are struggling. These small businesses in Caringbah that have got their backs against the wall, are fighting for survival and are trying to stay open are seeing businesses flee off that main street. I call on this Labor government, on the Labor state government and on the Labor council in the Sutherland shire to listen to them. Listen to their pleas for help. I hope you'll listen to this amendment. Let's avoid another Caringbah-style example of this government getting its way instead of enabling process that allows small business to be heard. Let's pass this amendment and give our small business a voice, not just a verdict.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Is the amendment seconded?
Mr Chester: I second the amendment and reserve my right to speak.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question now is that the amendment to the amendment moved by the member for Wentworth be agreed to.
Ms FRANCE (Dickson) (10:43): Did you know that some of Australia's biggest employers are trying to reduce penalty rates for retail workers, clerical workers and even banking workers? Big retailers like Coles, Woolworths, Kmart and Costco are currently pushing to scrap penalty rates in the Fair Work Commission. We know, if successful, this would leave hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers worse off. That is why we introduced new laws to protect penalty rates and stop take-home pay packets from being lowered. We know young people, students, families and, in particular, low-paid women need those penalty rates to pay the bills and get ahead.
We promised to protect penalty rates during the election campaign, and now we are delivering. Yesterday, we saw the member for Goldstein try to delay our laws, to delay penalty rate protections. I emphasise the word 'try' because he referred the bill to a committee that doesn't exist. But we know what those opposite think about penalty rates. In 2017, they were supportive of the Fair Work Commission's decision to reduce penalty rates for more than 700,000 workers in retail, hospitality, fast food and pharmacy awards. They argued then that the cuts were 'helpful', that cuts to penalty rates would create more jobs and that penalty rates were 'killing jobs'. Sound familiar? They're saying the same thing today. We just heard the same scare campaign from the member for Cook. He obviously does not support this bill.
The thing is, researchers looked into the impact of penalty rate reductions, analysed employment data of more than 1,800 employees and 200 owner-managers in the retail and hospitality industry. Surprise, surprise, they found no evidence of jobs being created by cutting penalty rates. All it did was reduce the take-home pay of low-income workers and the flow-on effect was less money spent in the wider economy. That means less money spent at local small businesses.
Casual retail workers in my electorate of Dickson earn about $26 an hour for weekday work and about $40 an hour for Sunday work. This can make a huge difference. A retail worker would be $353 worse off over the Easter break. A pharmacy worker would be $1,018 worse off over the Easter break. A cook at a cafe, a chef, would be $562 worse off over the Easter break. These entitlements are essential for workers in sectors like retail, admin and hospitality, where they are often working outside the normal nine-to-five hours. It's the workers at Coles, including at my local Arana Hills, who help us all with our groceries. It's the chef who cooks me up a big Aussie breakfast on the weekend at our local cafe. It's the admin worker who is working overtime in health. They keep the country running on weekends, public holidays, late nights and through shiftwork.
Award reliant employees are more likely to be women, work part-time, be under the age of 35 and be employed on a casual basis. These workers deserve to be paid fairly for missing out on time with their families and loved ones. These are the workers who can least afford to have their pay cut, but we know those on the other side struggle to understand modern-day workers.
Like many members on this side of the House, during the recent election I knocked on so many doors in my community of Dickson. I knocked on so many doors of houses that had people working from home. Many of the people I talked to, that I had a chat with, would often say when I came to the door, 'I have to be quick because I'm working from home.' These dedicated professionals were shocked to hear that those opposite wanted to strip them of their ability to work from home and force them back into the office. We all know what happened next. The coalition, those opposite, performed a spectacular mid-campaign backflip, realising that would mean a huge change, particularly for female workers.
This is just another example of how they don't understand the plight of working people. We know they want to strip workers of their entitlements. The Albanese Labor government is committed to delivering and protecting fair pay and decent conditions for Australian workers. It is part of our core business, and so it should be.
Electorates like mine are made up of good working-class people. They work hard to provide for their families, pay the bills, pay off their mortgage or save for a house. Many work early mornings, late nights, weekends or public holidays to do so. We took to the election a commitment to protect the penalty rates of modern award reliant workers, and that's exactly what we're doing.
This builds on the Albanese Labor government's strong record of protecting and improving workers' rights and conditions. This government has advocated to the Fair Work Commission for minimum and award wage rises every single year since we were elected in 2022. We banned pay secrecy clauses and criminalised intentional wage theft. We stopped the underpayment of workers through the use of the labour hire loopholes. We ended the forced permanent casual loophole, providing a proper pathway to conversion for casuals who want it, and we gave workers a right to clock off through the right to disconnect.
This bill adds new section 135A to the act to establish a clear principle that—when exercising its powers to make, vary or revoke modern awards—the Fair Work Commission must ensure that the specified penalty or overtime rates are not reduced and that modern awards do not include terms that substitute employees' entitlements to receive penalty or overtime rate where those terms would have the effect of reducing the additional remuneration any employee would have otherwise received.
The bill will commence the day after it receives royal assent, reflecting the government's election commitment to move quickly to protect penalty and overtime rates for Australia's lowest paid workers. It will ensure award reliant workers continue to be fairly compensated for working overtime; unsocial, irregular or unpredictable hours; weekends; public holidays; or shifts. The bill preserves the commission's existing powers under section 144 to insert flexible terms into awards that allow employers and employees to enter into individual flexibility arrangements, including to vary penalty and overtime rates as long as the existing legislated safeguard of ensuring they are better off compared to the standard terms is met. The words 'ensuring they are better off' are so important. The bill also preserves the commission's existing powers under section 160 of the act to vary a modern award to remove an ambiguity or uncertainty or to correct an error.
The safeguards in the enterprise bargaining framework remain unchanged. Parties will still be able to bargain at the enterprise level to reduce existing penalty rates and overtime rates, so long as the commission is satisfied the enterprise agreement meets the better off overall test, ensuring that the take-home pay of these low-paid workers is not reduced. That's incredibly important. I say to the people of Dickson who are working this weekend: you've earned every single cent of your penalty rates. Thanks to this bill, we will help protect that right.
Mr GORMAN (Perth—Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service and Assistant Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (10:54): I speak in support of the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025, as introduced by the minister, because millions of workers will benefit from that bill. Penalty rates are not an optional extra; they are essential to the household budgets of millions of Australians. People across this country rely on penalty rates, and that is why the minister and this government seek to protect them.
It shows the priorities of this government, a Labor government, that wants to deliver for working Australians. As the Prime Minister said, when announcing that this would be one of the first pieces of legislation introduced into the 48th Parliament:
Our number one focus is continuing to deliver cost of living relief to Australians. Protecting penalty rates for millions of workers is an important part of that—making sure Australians can earn more and keep more of what they earn.
This is about people who are currently earning money, who are relying on that, and who have been compensated for their hard work, often at unsociable hours, for many years. It is about giving them certainty for their household budgets, making sure that these penalty rates that have been relied upon for many in my electorate and across this country are there for the future.
It's not that long ago, and it's in my memory and the memory of pretty much everyone in this place, that we had a Liberal Party determined not only to cut penalty rates but also to sack 41,000 public servants, because the Liberal Party and the National Party are always finding new cheeky, sneaky ways of attacking working Australians. We remember when WorkChoices fell over, and they said that they'll never go back to it. They then sat in government for nine long years, where they put low wages as 'a deliberate design feature' of their economic plan. In the lead-up to the most recent election, we saw the Liberal Party send one of their senior frontbenchers to the launch of the HR Nicholls Society's paper The employment act: a modern blueprint for the future of work. What is that modern blueprint that the Liberal Party was so enthusiastic to send senior frontbenchers to cheer on? It was a paper that called for the abolishment of all awards. It called for award pay rates to be abolished and to for one lower minimum adult pay rate to be set. It called for the abolishment of the Fair Work Commission and of the Fair Work Ombudsman. And who was there as this paper was launched but senior members of the then Liberal opposition, cheering on as that was released.
Thankfully, the Australian people knew what was at stake when they made their decision on 3 May, and they knew which side of this House backs working Australians. They know that 2.6 million Australians will benefit from this bill when it passes this House. It builds upon a very proud record of achievement in our first term. It was this government who, in the lead-up, in 2022, backed a $1-an-hour pay rise for minimum and award wage earners. At the time, that was roundly criticised by those opposite, but, as we saw and as the history books will show, it was good for working people, particularly at a time when we had high inflation driven by global events.
Over the last term we've brought in legislation to reinvigorate our bargaining system, meaning that employers and workers can reach agreements in their workplace, resulting in higher wages, better conditions and better productivity. That's what the enterprise bargaining process is all about. We introduced and passed legislation that put gender equality and job security as new principles of the Fair Work Act. We banned pay secrecy clauses, which we know were disproportionately affecting women and holding wages back. We criminalised wage theft, making sure that some of the practices we'd seen were well and truly outlawed under the laws of this land.
We stopped the underpayment of workers through labour hire loopholes. Some in this place still advocate for those loopholes to be reopened. We closed them, and proudly so. As I was doorknocking during the election, I bumped into someone who had benefited from the closure of those loopholes around their work in the aviation industry. They said, 'Thank you,' not just for them but for their colleagues. They hadn't felt comfortable being in a workplace where people had unfair pay differences when they were doing the same work. They now have a workplace where everyone is paid the same amount for doing the same work, as it should be.
We also gave workers the right to clock off—the right to disconnect—meaning that work doesn't follow you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Again, our government, is very proud of having introduced that and very proud of recognising that while there is a time for work and there are reasonable expectations that the employer can have about contacting their employees, that doesn't mean that every hour of the day you need to be bombarded by phone calls, text messages and everything else. So, for millions of Australians, at about five o'clock tomorrow they will be able to clock off, disconnect from their workplace and enjoy their weekends, but, if they are working over the weekend, then they will have access to the compensation that is appropriate—that is, penalty rates for weekend and overtime work.
That's what this bill does. It delivers on our government's key election commitment to protect penalty rates. The bill ensures that if you rely on the modern award safety net, if you work weekends, public holidays, early mornings or late nights, then you will have your wages protected. You deserve laws that ensure your pay will not go backwards. Penalty rates matter, and overtime rates matter. They are an essential part of the modern award safety net, which supports some of the lowest paid workers in our country and some of the hardest workers in our country.
Relative to all employees, we know something about those who rely on the award. What we know about those who rely on the award is that they are more likely to be women. They are more likely to work part time. They're more likely to be under the age of 35, and they're more likely to be employed on a casual basis. For many modern award reliant employees, penalty and overtime rates are not optional extras. They are a critical part of their take-home pay. They do rely on this money. If I think about my electorate of Perth, where you've got huge employment in retail and hospitality, servicing some of the busiest workers in our country in some of the most culturally important parts of our city, I think of those workers, and I think I wouldn't be able to look them in the eye if we were to be, in this place, allowing their take-home pay to be drastically cut, especially when they're working in the CBD or Northbridge, late nights, on a Saturday night or on a Sunday, servicing people while others are enjoying their leisure time. That's why it's important that this bill does pass.
I'll go to the specifics of how this bill will operate. What the bill does is add new section 135A to the act to establish a very clear principle that, when exercising its powers to make, vary or revoke modern awards, the Fair Work Commission must ensure that the specified penalty or overtime rates are not reduced and that modern awards do not include terms that substitute employees' entitlements to receive penalty or overtime rates where those terms would have the effect of reducing the additional remuneration that any employee would otherwise receive. In simple terms, for those of us who don't follow industrial relations legislation as closely, it's about fairness. It's about fairness for people who work those unsocial hours. It's about fairness for people who have relied on these penalty rates for years and years and are now seeing some seek to remove that certainty that they've otherwise had. It's also about having incentive for people to do those unsocial hours. It's about making sure that we can have the labour that we need for the services Australian people rely upon in our economy.
Fairness is a fundamental Australian value. We do believe that people should be paid appropriately for the work they do, and we do believe in compensating people for those unsocial hours. Sadly, we have seen a sustained effort from certain employers to roll penalty and overtime rates into a single rate of pay, leaving some employees worse off. We know that the Fair Work Commission is currently considering proposals from employers in the retail, clerical and banking sectors to cut penalty rates of lower-paid workers who rely on modern awards. This bill ensures that, where we have applications like these, no worker sees their pay packet reduced. It protects the integrity of the modern award system and ensures that workers are properly compensated for their work. It also seeks to protect Australia's low-paid workers from future wage cuts. It's about respecting the millions of Australians who work those public holidays, weekends, late nights and early mornings to keep Australia going. It's about making sure the safety net does what it needs to do—protect those most in need.
In my final comments, I want to put this in the context of what we've been able to achieve over the last three years. We are a government that has proudly backed pay rises for those on the minimum wage. We've proudly backed those pay rises. We saw on 1 July of this year a 3.5 per cent pay rise, welcome news for some three million Australians who rely on that national minimum wage decision. But I want to put that in context of what it means over the last three years. Since Labor came to government, we've seen the national minimum wage increase by $4.62 per hour. That's $4.62 more going into the pockets of people every hour they work. Over a year, that's $9,122. That's the cumulative impact of what we've been able to achieve over our first three years in office, and that's a 22.7 per cent increase in wages for those on minimum wages.
It makes a real difference. It's real cost-of-living assistance. This is a government that is proud to back working Australians, proud to back pay rises for working Australians and proud to be standing here in this place today to legislate protection for their penalty rates.
Ms McBRIDE (Dobell—Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health) (11:05): I rise to speak on this important legislation, the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025, which gives action to a critical election commitment of our government. I wanted to start with a local person in my community who will be directly affected by this. Her name is Elissa. She's 43 years old. She has a daughter, and she's worked at a major supermarket in my community for 18 years. During that time, she's missed out on being there for her daughter at nights, after school and on the weekend. She needed to work those hours for the extra pay the penalty rates provided.
She was not there to help her daughter with homework; she was not there to read to her or to tuck her into bed at night. Her daughter missed out on playing sports and other activities of an afternoon or weekend because her mum simply had to work. It also affected her daughter's wellbeing as her mum was not around for her, because her mum had to work those long hours on the evenings and on the weekend. She said that she often went to work when she was sick because, if she stayed home sick, she would lose her penalty rates.
Another worker in my electorate, who is another woman and also a young person, is Emily. She's 27 years old, and she works at a major retail outlet. She said she's currently expecting her first little girl in the midst of moving houses, and on her normal rates it's a struggle to be able to afford the basic necessities. But, with penalty rates, they let her breathe. It gives her room to be able to save a little for her bubba and to help her move to make sure that, as she says, her new little family have a roof over their heads. It also helps in times when the bills pile up and when costs of rent and rego are due, and she said penalty rates help her and other people like her not just financially but with their mental health and wellbeing too. She said people make the sacrifice to work the extra day or extra hours to be able to breathe and relax and to be able to share a dinner with friends and not have to worry about the bills.
That's why this legislation is important, that's why we committed to it in the election campaign and that's why we're making sure that it goes through the House now so that workers, as soon as five o'clock tomorrow night, might know that these penalty rates and overtime rates are protected. In simple terms, the bill adds a new section, 135A, to the act to establish a clear principle that, when exercising its powers to make, vary or revoke modern awards, the Fair Work Commission must ensure the specified penalty of overtime rates are not reduced and that modern awards do not include terms that substitute employees' entitlements to receive penalty or overtime rates where those terms would have the effect of reducing the additional remuneration any employee would otherwise receive.
The timing is really critical. It's important because this bill will commence the day after it receives royal assent, reflecting our government's election commitment to move quickly to protect penalty and overtime rates for Australia's lowest paid workers, including Emily, who's expecting her new baby in my community. It'll make a real difference, a tangible difference. As I've just said, it'll give people the time to breathe, to enjoy their families, to feel supported, to have stability and to know that they're safe. It will make sure award-reliant workers continue to be fairly compensated for working overtime, for working unsocial hours and for working irregular or unpredictable hours, weekends, public holidays or shifts, as so many people do in regional economies around the country that are underpinned by retail, tourism and hospitality, like my region on the Central Coast of New South Wales.
The bill preserves the commission's existing powers under section 144 to insert flexibility terms into awards and allow employers and employees to enter into individual flexibility arrangements, including to vary penalty and overtime rates, as long as the existing legislated safeguard of making sure they are, importantly, better off compared to the standard terms is met. It's worth noting the safeguards in the enterprise bargaining framework remain unchanged. Parties will still be able to bargain at the enterprise level to reduce existing penalty rates and overtime rates so long as the commission is satisfied the enterprise agreement meets the better off overall test.
This bill strengthens the existing protections by preventing the commission from making or varying award terms where they reduce an overtime rate or penalty rate or substitute an overtime rate or penalty rate where it has the effect of reducing the take-home pay attributable to the overtime rates or penalty rates any employee would otherwise receive. This is so important. It matters to so many people and families in regional communities like mine who, as I just mentioned, are relying on this to be able to meet their bills, to have some time with family and to be able to prepare for their growing family.
Importantly, this bill will provide stronger protection than the status quo because the principle is applied over and above the commission's consideration of the modern award objectives, preventing award variations that have the effect of reducing penalty rates and overtime rates. The test applies to the additional remuneration that any employee would otherwise receive, meaning the provision cannot be in a modern award if there is evidence a single employee would be worse off. As the Prime Minister has said so often, no-one will be worse off and no-one will be left behind.
People might ask: why is this change needed? It's very evident why this change is needed. It's clear in the household budgets of people and families right across the country. We have seen a sustained effort from certain employers to roll up penalty rates and overtime rates into a single rate of pay, leaving some employees worse off. The Fair Work Commission is right now considering proposals from employers in the retail, clerical and banking sectors to cut the penalty rates of lower-paid workers who rely on modern awards. This bill—and this is why it's been introduced to the House today and why we are moving on it swiftly—will make sure that, in applications like these before the commission at the moment, no worker will see their pay packet reduced. The bill also seeks to protect Australia's low-paid workers from future wage cuts, something that we are all committed to.
As I said, there is an urgency. This is something that is a top priority for our government. It's something that we committed to in the election campaign. It's something that we're doing right now in this first sitting fortnight because some employers in the retail, clerical and banking sectors have made applications to the commission to trade away the penalty rates of lower-paid workers and leave some workers worse off. That's why we want to see this legislation passed as soon as possible—so that the commission is able to apply this principle in considering those proposals.
Of course, we've already seen the shadow minister come out criticising these laws. We all know the coalition doesn't believe in protecting workers' wages or upholding the award safety net and doesn't really recognise the other benefits of this to people's wellbeing with that certainty, stability and financial security it gives to people and families.
I need to be really clear. This legislation is aimed at protecting existing penalty rates and overtime rates. Enterprise bargaining remains a key pathway for employers to achieve flexibility and productivity gains rather than relying on the erosion of the minimum safety net for wages and conditions. The bill introduces a high-level principle, not a prescriptive rule, making it simple, fair and workable. Penalty rates and overtime rates are fundamental entitlements in modern awards that must be preserved. I note in the chamber is my colleague and assistant minister the member for Cooper, who has dedicated so much of her working life to these principles, advocating for them and upholding them. I'm so proud to stand alongside colleagues like the member for Cooper whilst we debate this legislation.
As Minister Rishworth has made clear, this bill does not impose any additional costs or red tape and does not force employers to bargain. As I said, enterprise bargaining remains a key pathway for employers to directly negotiate with employees—and their unions, importantly. I want to recognise the HSU, the union that I belong to, which stands up for and advocates for some of the lowest paid workers that do such vital work in our communities, and also the SDA and their members for the work that they do in retail and hospitality in communities like mine.
In concluding, we were as clear back in 2023—when we requested the commission commence a modern award review—as we are now that those efforts to make the awards easier to use should not be at the expense of workers' entitlements. This legislation, importantly, builds on our strong track record of achievement in our first term, including advocating to the Fair Work Commission for minimum and award wage rises every single year since we were first elected in 2022; embedding gender equality and job security as new Fair Work Act objects; banning pay secrecy clauses; criminalising intentional wage theft; stopping the underpayment of workers through the use of labour-hire loopholes; introducing world-leading minimum standards for road-transport workers; and ending the forced permanent-casual loophole, providing a proper pathway to conversion for casuals who want it. I know many people that I worked with as a pharmacist who do such important work in communities and who have been able to benefit from many of these changes. We've given workers the right to clock off, the right to disconnect. It's so important for people's mental health and wellbeing in our digitally connected lives.
I commend the bill to the House and look forward to the tangible difference it will make—the real, meaningful difference it will make—to people and families in my community on the Central Coast of New South Wales and right around the country. I also look forward to welcoming Minister Rishworth to my electorate next week to meet with local workers who will directly benefit from this reform. Thank you.
Ms KEARNEY (Cooper—Assistant Minister for Social Services and Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence) (11:17): I rise today to commend not just a piece of legislation but a promise—a promise that has been made to the Australian people, to our workers. It's a promise to introduce the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025, a fight that many of us, including you, Madam Deputy Speaker Chesters, have been waging for years.
I stood with this struggle wearing many hats—as assistant minister in the Albanese Labor government, as the President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, as the secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and, most importantly, as a shift worker myself. As a nurse, as a retail worker and as a hospitality worker over my life, I know what it means to miss birthdays, barbecues, bedtime stories, bath time and precious moments with your kids and your family because your shift ends when everyone else's day begins. I know what it's like to work during those silent hours of night, when your only friends are the owls, the bats or anyone coming home from Revolver! In the aftermath of all those odd hours resides a consistent state of jetlag too.
When I was a young mum with baby twins, my husband and I bought our first house. It was in 1987. He was an apprentice chef, earning, at the time, about $180 a week, which wasn't a great deal of money, even back then. So, with two young babies and with interest rates soaring to around 18 per cent—if anyone can remember when that happened—we were in real dire financial straits. I decided to work permanent night shift, because I knew that the penalty rates would get us over the line. I worked seven nights on and seven nights off. Anyone who has had to do this type of night-time rotation will know it is gruelling. You come home in the morning. I would get the kids ready for daycare. I'd give them their breakfast and get them dressed. My husband would well and truly have been gone by the time that happened. I'd get them to child care. I'd fall into bed and always manage about four hours or, if I was lucky, five hours of sleep before I had to get up and pick them up again. This was really hard. It does terrible things to your circadian rhythms, not to mention your mental health. But I did that for about four or five years. It got us through some really terrible times.
I can certainly tell you that no-one is sacrificing that much of their life for a luxury bag or watch. You see, despite what any unscrupulous employer may tell you, penalty rates are no luxury. For millions of Australians, penalty rates are compensation for missing out on those cherished moments and milestones of life, and for many Australians penalty rates are a survival fund, determining whether someone has enough to eat, enough to be housed and enough to pay their bills. That is because often our penalty rate workers are some of the lowest paid in this country. They're our cleaners, our retail and hospitality workers and our care economy workers. They're in our hospitals, aged-care centres, fast food restaurants, supermarkets, pubs, schools and emergency services. Often their employment is casual, insecure and unreliable. And we know all too well who is more likely to be in casual and insecure work—it's women and those with caring responsibilities and our young people.
I don't believe that anyone who is trying to balance caring for their babies or an ageing parent with work should lose fair compensation. And I don't believe that our young people, balancing TAFE or university with work, should lose fair compensation either. When I was ACTU president, I was asked by a journalist in a public forum how I could possibly justify nearly $100 an hour for a shift worker. I looked at that journalist, who was a very senior journalist, and I thought to myself, 'I wonder how much you actually earn a year.' The worker who was getting nearly $100 an hour on possibly one single day of the year—I can't even remember; it might have been for working New Year's Day—would earn, at that time, around $30,000 a year. These are not highly paid people. I said to the journalist, 'I bet you get paid nearly triple that much, and nobody asks you how we justify your salary.'
The Albanese Labor government believes in fairness and opportunity, and that's exactly what this bill is about. However, fighting to protect penalty rates is not a mere value statement of the Labor government; it's a very real and constant threat. Back in 2015, when I was president of the ACTU, and over that whole period that I was in the trade union movement, we saw employer after employer front the Fair Work Commission begging for cuts. They argued that they needed flexibility and efficiency, but really that was another word for cheaper labour. I used to joke with my members that 'flexibility' was really the F-word.
I remember that the restaurant and catering association argued to abolish loadings, and their CEO famously said, 'Well, unions can't mount this argument around going to church'—implying that nobody actually went to church anymore and that weekends were meaningless, as though time with your kids, your friends and the rest of your community were irrelevant. In fact, a longstanding trope was that weekends no longer existed, that everybody worked 24/7 now, that weekends were not a thing anymore and that workers didn't need to be compensated for it. But, as I said then and will say now, the day they play the rugby league grand final on a Tuesday morning is the day you can tell me there's no such thing as a weekend. The world still runs on a weekly rhythm, and an absolute majority of workers still work Monday to Friday. Yet the cuts keep coming.
I read in the Australian a few months ago that the Australian Industry Group was pushing to gut the Clerks—Private Sector Award, and, if they got their way, workers in admin, banking and finance, many of them young women, could lose up to $16,000 a year. That's a lot of money when you're on a low wage to start with—no penalty rates, no overtime and no breaks, just more profits for the top and less dignity for the people who make those profits possible.
So gutting penalty rates is not a hypothetical. It is happening, and the bill is a line in the sand. More specifically, this bill enshrines protections for penalty rates and overtime entitlements in the Fair Work Act, making it harder for big business and employer groups to strip them away through award reviews. We are ensuring that penalty rates and overtime pay are considered minimum standards. If employers want to negotiate higher pay for their workers in exchange for a higher base rate, for example, they are still free to do that through the Fair Work Commission and through bargaining, alongside their workers and with the unions, and they must do that and still meet a better off overall test. There are no tricks and no loopholes now, and, most importantly, there will be less division of power. You don't have to be a lifelong unionist to know that divided we beg, united we bargain. Before those opposite try to call me a radical again, I want to emphasise that this bill still allows freedom of negotiation between employers and employees; it just balances the power when it happens.
The bill is sensible and fair. And where is the coalition on this bill? They voted against restoring penalty rates in the last parliament. They backed the business lobbyists without compromise or question. The truth is that the Liberal Party has never believed in fair compensation for working people. In recent years, they opposed paid family and domestic violence leave, multi-employer bargaining and the right to disconnect. They also attempted infamously during the election to remove the ability to work from home. They talk about aspiration but for whom—whose aspiration? It's certainly not working people.
This bill is part of a broader vision for our country, a vision that the Labor government is proud to fight for every single day. This builds on work we've already done, including increasing the minimum wage, stronger laws to close the gender pay gap and increased pay for care economy workers—historic investment in secure Australian jobs. Ours is a vision based on a fairer Australia for all. We understand the difference a few dollars can make each week. I certainly know the difference a few extra dollars made for me when I was a nurse raising my kids.
This bill is for our nurses pulling late shifts and night shifts and for young baristas studying during the week, relying on weekend rates just to get by. It's for aged-care workers who go above and beyond to ensure the best possible care at all times. This bill is for every worker who has ever missed a Christmas, a birthday, eight hours of sleep and every precious moment with a loved one. When we protect penalty rates, we protect people and we ensure dignity. I commend this bill to the House.
Ms JARRETT (Brisbane) (11:27): I rise to support the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025. On this side of the House, we will always stand up for working people. At the election, we committed to protecting penalty rates, and now the government is delivering on that promise. If you work weekends, public holidays, early mornings and late nights, and rely on penalty rates through the modern award safety net, you deserve to have your penalty wages protected.
This amendment establishes a principle requiring the Fair Work Commission to ensure that penalty and overtime rates are not reduced. This will protect 2.6 million award-reliant workers across the country. We know that award-reliant employees are more likely to be women, work part time, be under the age of 35 and be employed on a casual basis. Many workers in my electorate of Brisbane deserve and rely on penalty rates to make ends meet. This includes our proud retail, pharmacy, hospitality, hospital, aged-care, casino and airline workers, amongst others.
Many airline workers at Brisbane airport, like Ben, work late nights, weekends and public holidays to connect our community with the rest of the world. Airline workers rely on penalty rates, and Labor's same job, same pay laws saw wages rise by up to $20,000 a year or by 42 per cent for some workers. That's not a small amount of money. But we know that airline companies continue to look for loopholes to undermine this important work.
In Brisbane, hundreds of frontline staff from across the casino industry recently stopped work, many of whom had worked through the toughest period in the industry's recent history, including the regulatory crisis and public scrutiny. Maria, a cleaner for Star, chose to take her first-ever union action by going on strike because reductions to penalty rates would see her $20 worse-off per week. She said that might not sound like much to many people, but for a cleaner who has to watch every dollar it's a huge impact. I stand with Maria and the United Workers Union members who are still fighting to protect their penalty rates and to be respected at that casino.
As we know, hospitals and aged-care services, like the RBWH in my electorate, take care of our community, and they often require staff to work late nights, weekends and public holidays. A paramedic working a typical roster would be roughly $742 worse off over the Easter break without penalty rates. An aged-care worker at a residential facility in Albion working a typical roster would be roughly $620 worse off over the Easter break without penalty rates. This is real money for real people. It's also our bus drivers and train drivers, who transport us across the electorate, who rely on penalty rates. It's workers across the Brisbane community who deserve penalty rates for the essential services they provide to us to make our city operate. Penalty rates are an acknowledgment of the important work of these hard workers in my electorate. They work late nights and on weekends; they have to spend time away from their families and loved ones. I'm proud to be part of a Labor government that continues to support and deliver increased wages and protect penalty rates.
History shows that, when the union movement is strong, the working class can prosper. And we have a proud history in Australia of having a strong union movement that has always stood on the right side of history. Unions fought hard for superannuation reforms. They fought for Medicare. They campaigned hard for women to get the right to vote. They made sure that the decriminalisation of abortion was implemented across states and territories. They have long fought for justice for First Nations people and reconciliation. They continue to fight for gender pay equity, and the list goes on.
In the 1940s, it was the union movement that fought and campaigned hard for the introduction of penalty rates. The concept was simple: an understanding and recognition of working particular hours or days during the evenings, weekends, public holidays or in conditions that might be dangerous or unpleasant. Penalty rates arose as part of a broader desire to recognise working people's needs to physically recuperate, spend time with their family and live a life beyond work, and to properly remunerate them for the sacrifice to work inconvenient hours that may take them away from these important friends and family. Penalty rates were created to make sure workers are properly compensated for the sacrifices they make to work these inconvenient times or under certain conditions. Here we are, 80 years later, and the way we work has not changed, and neither should this principle.
But since the 1940s, we've seen successive governments and industry try to take away penalty rates for hardworking Australians. During the recent election campaign, the coalition refused to rule out penalty rate cuts for Australia's lowest paid workers. And we know the coalition continues to do this; we heard it again earlier today. Peter Dutton voted eight times in parliament in favour of cutting penalty rates. They want cuts to penalty rates for workers, but are happy to support free lunches for bosses. It's a stark difference between a government that wants the economy to work for people and an opposition that continually undermines working people.
We know bosses like to say getting rid of penalty rates will improve productivity, but as the member for Dickson pointed out earlier today a recent study showed no new jobs were created as a result of lower penalty rates. Lowering pay for workers is just a cost-saving exercise to boost business and company profits at the expense of working people. Right now there are submissions before the Fair Work Commission from industry and business associations that want to strip away penalty rates.
The coalition also oversaw stagnation for nearly a decade, which led to inflation rising and left the country with falling real wages. When the Albanese government first came to office, real wages were falling by 3.4 per cent and had gone backwards for five consecutive years. Since taking office, the Albanese Labor government has always advocated for wage increases. Their recent submission to the Fair Work expert panel recommending it award an economically sustainable real wage increase was successful.
Penalty rates and wage increases must never go backwards. If they did, it would erode intergenerational fairness and the concept of a fair go for all. As I mentioned in my first speech, restoring intergenerational fairness is a key part of my focus as Brisbane grows over the next decade. This is an issue that is incredibly close to my heart. I saw the firsthand damage when governments, like the conservative Bjelke-Petersen government, sacked and targeted workers, their families and even my community during the SEQEB dispute. That's why I will always stand to protect penalty rates and wage increases. It makes me incredibly proud to be a part of a Labor team and a union movement that continues to lift wages and, therefore, lift all Australians. Change only happens when workers support each other, the union movement is strong, and governments take action to ensure workers are not worse off.
But we know there is more work to do. Working people continue to face cost-of-living pressures, which is why the Albanese Labor government is doing everything it can to help in this regard. Last term, we delivered a tax cut for every Australian taxpayer. We delivered $300 in energy bill relief for every Australian household and $325 for small businesses. We tripled the bulk-billing incentive for people who need to see their GP most often, including pensioners, concession card holders and families with children. We restored bulk-billing for 11 million Australians, creating an additional six million bulk-billed GP visits. We are delivering cheaper medicines by delivering the biggest-ever reduction in the cost of PBS prescriptions and freezing the cost of PBS medicines. We're making hundreds of medicines cheaper for Australians. Labor also cut student debt and made sure that it never grows faster than wages. We delivered fee-free TAFE. We delivered cheaper child care. We delivered real wage increases for Australian workers. Under this government, real wages are growing again and, with our tax cuts, Australians are keeping more of what they earn. Not only have we seen three consecutive pay rises for Australian workers who are on awards but also Labor has delivered pay rises for aged-care and early childhood educators and care workers.
But it doesn't stop there. We will continue to deliver cost-of-living relief for working Australians by delivering new tax cuts for taxpayers, delivering another $150 in energy bill relief, wiping 20 per cent of student debt and strengthening Medicare with more free GP visits and even cheaper medicine. We will make medicine even cheaper so the most you'll pay for a PBS medicine will be just $25 a script. We're making it easier for Australians to get the urgent medical care that they need. Labor will expand its growing network of Medicare urgent care clinics. We've already opened 87 of them across Australia. Labor will now open 50 more, including one in the inner north of Brisbane, in my electorate. We will also make free TAFE permanent. We will continue to deliver affordable child care closer to home. I'd like to also point out that award-reliant employees are more likely to be women. Gender pay equity is something we must continue to strive for, and this government has achieved a lot in this space. Three million Australians, most of whom are women, are already better off, with a 3½ per cent real pay rise delivered on 1 July. These are three million workers across the country—including cleaners, retail workers and early childhood educators—who are benefiting and who make up the essential fabric of our community. These are industries that are traditionally dominated by women and where historically workers have been paid very little. This pay rise is another step towards realising equal pay for women, and I really commend the government for this. We have seen annual real wages grow for 18 months in a row, now, under the Albanese Labor government.
This is a government that is taking real action and supporting working people, their families and all Australians. This is the impact of a long-term Labor government that has worked hard to create the right conditions for sustainable, real wage growth. Fair protections like penalty rates matter most to the people who can least afford to lose out, including young workers, women, casual workers and those in part-time jobs. While I'm in this House, I want to be able to say, 'I made this country better, and I made it better for working people.' Under this Labor government, real wages are up, superannuation is strengthening, inflation is down, unemployment is low and income is growing. We will always fight to improve the wages and conditions of working people, and that's exactly what this bill does. I commend the bill.
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (11:40): I would like to thank all members for their contributions to the debate on the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025. This bill is a clear, simple and practical amendment to protect penalty and overtime rates as fundamental entitlements relied on by millions of award-reliant Australian workers. The Albanese government is committed to delivering workplace relations reforms with a clear goal in sight: to get wages moving for Australian workers. I've heard strong support for this bill and the fundamental importance of penalty and overtime rates for employees, particularly from some of the lowest paid workers in our country, those who keep Australia running on weekends, public holidays, early mornings and late nights. We promised this bill as one of the first legislative acts of this government, because we will always act to make sure that workers cannot go backwards. Currently, penalty and overtime rates in modern awards can be rolled up into a single rate of pay, leaving some employees worse off. This shouldn't be possible. Award-reliant employees who rely on their penalty and overtime rates deserve guaranteed protection of those entitlements in the minimum safety net.
This bill introduces a clear and simple new principle into the Fair Work Act to protect penalty and overtime rates in modern awards. Specifically, it sets out the important principle that penalty and overtime rates cannot be reduced or substituted in ways that do not fairly compensate employees for the penalty and overtime rates they would otherwise receive. It does this by inserting a clear principle requiring that, in exercising its powers to make, vary or revoke modern awards, the commission must ensure that the penalty rate or overtime rate that employees are entitled to receive is not reduced and that modern awards do not include terms that substitute employees' entitlements to receive penalty or overtime rates that do not fairly compensate employees for the penalty and overtime rates they would otherwise receive. This bill does not affect individual flexibility arrangements, the bargaining framework or the Fair Work Commission's ability to correct errors or clarify award terms. The bill introduces a simple amendment to ensure that penalty and overtime rates in the modern award safety net are protected.
The feedback on this reform has been resoundingly positive. We've heard real-life evidence and examples of what protecting penalty and overtime rates means for the lives and livelihoods of award covered workers. For example, we heard last night from the member for Hasluck about two constituents in her electorate who have relied on penalty rates. The first, John, said his penalty rates provided the security that got him through university and that they have provided him with the means to start full-time work with some savings in his pocket. The member also talked about a constituent named Lucinda, who said, 'As a full-time student, penalty rates are not a luxury but what allowed me to attend class.'
We've heard questions in this debate about how small businesses will be impacted by this bill. To be very clear, this bill does not alter existing employer obligations, including those of small business. Despite the scare campaign being run by the shadow minister, this bill does not introduce new costs or impose additional requirements on small business or any business. I have engaged in detailed consultation on the amendment with both unions and employer groups, including small business representatives, through the National Workplace Relations Consultative Council and the Committee on Industrial Legislation. Employers already have an ongoing responsibility to correctly apply the relevant modern award, including the payment of penalty and overtime rates where required. This bill does not change that. It does not apply retrospectively, and neither does it impose new obligations on employers or disrupt day-to-day operations.
To address questions about the bill's impact on productivity: it has never been and never will be the solution to make workers do more for less. This government is committed to providing productivity and enhancing economic resilience, but we do not accept that sending hardworking award-covered workers backwards through the reduction of their penalty and overtime rates is the way to do this. The path to achieving flexibility and productivity gains can be found in good faith enterprise bargaining, rather than by undermining award entitlements. Our bargaining reforms increased access for workers and employers, including small businesses, to negotiate agreements with their employees and unions. Enterprise bargaining can facilitate innovation and a greater acceptance of new technology, and can foster skills growth for employees, all of which enhance productivity.
Whenever we stand up for workers' pay, the Liberals oppose it. Our position here is simple, and it will never change. We want people to earn more and keep more of what they earn. We, of course, respect the commission's role as an independent industrial tribunal. The commission will continue to interpret and apply the Fair Work Act, including the new principle introduced by this bill. This process will be guided by its usual consultative approach, ensuring all interested parties have the opportunity to present their views. This bill also preserves the commission's existing powers to remove ambiguity and uncertainty or to correct an error in the modern award.
It has been suggested that this bill could require the commission to review all modern awards for compliance with the new principle or to review penalty and overtime rates, even if that is beyond the scope of a specific application. This has never been the intent of our bill, and we are confident that the bill, as introduced, would not have operated in this way. However, this government is committed to genuine consultation, including with employer representatives and unions. We are amending the bill for the avoidance of doubt and to further provide certainty to stakeholders. This bill is unequivocally clear. It will not require the commission to undertake a review of all modern awards, initiate a review of any award terms outside of the scope of application before the commission or exercise its power under part 2-3 of the Fair Work Act to make, vary or revoke modern awards.
For many award-reliant employees, penalty and overtime rates are a critical part of their take-home pay. Earlier this week, we did hear a very long and wide-ranging speech from the shadow minister. He got a lot of his thoughts and feelings out about a lot of things, including our consultation process, but, more concerningly, he is running a deep, disingenuous scare campaign about the impact of this bill on small business. To be very, very clear, our legislation is about protecting what is currently in place. That means, if you're a small business and you're paying your workers by the modern award safety net, the impact is this: do exactly what you're doing right now.
After all the bluster and grandstanding, the shadow minister still hasn't revealed his position on the question that really matters: are he and his party going to back this legislation to protect penalty and overtime rates or not? The shadow minister says he supports penalty rates, but he is also talking this bill down. The question for the shadow minister and for those opposite is: is he going to back in his bluster, or is he going to protect penalty rates? It's a very simple proposition.
As we have heard today, it is low-paid workers, women, and young people who are more likely to be reliant on awards, as well as those working in retail and hospitality, who often work unsociable and irregular hours. This simple and very straightforward bill is about fairness. It is about respecting the millions of Australians who work public holidays, weekends, late nights and early mornings, and it's about making sure the safety net does what it's meant to do—protect those who need it most. I commend the bill to the House.
The SPEAKER: The question before the House is that the amendment moved by the honourable member for Cook be agreed to.
The House divided. [11:53]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)
The SPEAKER (11:59): The question now is that the amendment moved by the honourable member for Wentworth be agreed to.
Question negatived.
Original question agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Consideration in Detail
Bill—by leave—taken as a whole.
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (12:00): I present a supplementary explanatory memorandum to the bill, and I move the government amendment as circulated:
(1) Schedule 1, item 1, page 3 (after line 18), at the end of section 135A, add:
(3) Nothing in subsection (1) requires the FWC to exercise its powers under this Part to make, vary or revoke modern awards.
The amendment introduces new subsection (3) to proposed section 135A, putting it beyond doubt that the changes introduced by this bill do not require or compel the Fair Work Commission to undertake a review of all modern awards to see whether the new principle applies or not; review award terms outside the scope of an application before the commission; or exercise its powers to make, vary or revoke a modern award. It was never the intent of the bill to compel the commission to undertake a review of all modern awards or to review penalty and overtime rates if those terms are outside the scope of the particular application before the commission.
We are and have been incredibly confident that the bill as introduced, without this amendment, would not have operated in this way. However, the government is committed to ongoing genuine consultation, which I have afforded to the opposition but also, of course, to business, employer representatives and unions. We are amending the bill for the avoidance of any doubt and to provide certainty for stakeholders, in good faith. I commend the amendment.
Question agreed to.
Mr TIM WILSON (Goldstein) (12:02): I ask leave of the House to move opposition amendments (1) and (2) together, as circulated in my name.
The SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the House.
Mr Burke: No such amendments have been circulated or exist, so we should continue.
The SPEAKER: I'll just clarify with the clerks. The normal way is that the amendments are presented. I understand the instruction was given to only circulate them after the speech. That's the way consideration in detail works, to keep the smooth running of the House. The Leader of the House.
Mr Burke: There is nothing for us to give leave to because there is nothing that the House is in possession of. People have the choice as to whether they circulate or not. If you don't circulate, you've got to read the whole thing out, which he should now do.
The SPEAKER: We're going to do this efficiently. The member for Goldstein can read the amendment out, then.
Mr TIM WILSON: Sure. Amendment (1) reads:
Schedule 1, item 1, page 3 (line 6) to page 3 (line 18), omit section 135A, substitute:
135A Special provisions relating to penalty rates and overtime rates
(1) In exercising its powers under this Part to make, vary or revoke modern awards, the FWC must be satisfied that:
(a) the rate of a penalty rate or an overtime rate that employees are entitled to receive under the modern award is not reduced; and
(b) modern awards do not include terms that substitute employees' entitlements to receive penalty rates or overtime rates where those terms would have the effect of reducing the additional remuneration referred to in paragraph 134(1)(da) that an affected employee would otherwise receive under the modern award.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply when the—
The SPEAKER: Just a moment, Member for Goldstein, I'll get you to take a seat. The Leader of the House.
Mr Burke: I think what the member for Goldstein is trying to do is move the amendments, which means he has to say at the start that he is moving them and then go through the provisions he is moving, otherwise there will be nothing before the House.
The SPEAKER: Member for Goldstein, you've made the decision to read the amendments out, but, just before you start, to assist the House, could you say formally, 'I move the amendments,' and then begin.
Mr TIM WILSON: by leave—I move opposition amendments (1) and (2) together:
(1) Schedule 1, item 1, page 3 (line 6) to page 3 (line 18), omit section 135A, substitute:
135A Special provisions relating to penalty rates and overtime rates
(1) In exercising its powers under this Part to make, vary or revoke modern awards, the FWC must be satisfied that:
(a) the rate of a penalty rate or an overtime rate that employees are entitled to receive under the modern award is not reduced; and
(b) modern awards do not include terms that substitute employees' entitlements to receive penalty rates or overtime rates where those terms would have the effect of reducing the additional remuneration referred to in paragraph 134(1)(da) that an affected employee would otherwise receive under the modern award.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply when the FWC exercises powers under this Part pursuant to:
(a) section 144 (flexibility terms); or
(b) section 160 (which deals with variation to remove ambiguities or correct errors); or
(c) paragraph 157 (3)(a) (own initiative).
(3) Paragraph (1)(b) does not apply when the FWC exercises powers under this Part in relation to terms of a modern award that substitute employees' entitlements to receive penalty rates or overtime rates where those terms existed immediately prior to commencement of Subsection (1).
(4) Paragraph (1)(b) does not apply when the FWC exercises powers under this Part in relation to terms of a modern award that substitute employees' entitlements to receive penalty rates or overtime rates where those terms are expressed to apply only to a small business employer.
(5) Subsection (1) does not limit the FWC's ability to make a determination to vary a modern award where the determination is made:
(a) to ensure that awards are operating effectively by addressing any anomaly or technical irregularity in the award arising from either the making of the award or past variations to it; or
(b) as an outcome of proceedings commenced by the Commission of its own motion if Commission is satisfied is necessary to achieve the modern awards objective and compliance with section 138, or
(c) following the Fair Work Commission being satisfied that the variation is fair to employees and that it would:
(i) improve productivity; or
(ii) promote employment opportunities or the participation of employees in paid work; or
(iii) assist employees to balance their work and family commitments.
(2) Schedule 1, page 4 (after line 3), at the end of the Schedule, add:
3 Regulatory impact statement
(1) The Minister must cause a regulatory impact statement to be prepared in relation to the operation of the amendments made by this Act.
(2) The persons preparing the regulatory impact statement must complete it within one year after this Act commences.
(3) The persons preparing the regulatory impact statement must give the Minister a copy of the statement.
(4) The Minister must cause a copy of the regulatory impact statement to be tabled in each House of the Parliament within 15 sitting days of that House after the Minister receives a copy of the statement.
We just had a long dissertation on the amendments put forward, even though I understand they have been provided to the Clerk. But the Leader of the House, in his brilliance and capacity to be able to manage the challenges of this parliament, particularly its committee process, is, of course, being a pedant. So be it. There is a simple reality: we support penalty rates. We understand how important it is to support jobs and small businesses, and there are no penalty rates on jobs that don't exist. We have gone directly to the Australian people because the minister has shut down any pathway of understanding the impact of the legislation she is putting before the House. She is not interested in hearing from nor speaking to nor seeing any small business, so we did the minister's job for her.
Let's look at some of the feedback we have from the Australian community on why these changes are so important, to make sure that these voices are heard: 'I run a small business, and I'd like to know what this new legislation is, because I don't know what it entails'; 'Small business requires owners to work in the businesses, be bookkeepers, know all the taxes, know all the fair work laws, know all retail and wage laws and make sure everything is on paper. Penalties are great if not done'; 'Big businesses have accountants and PR and HR professionals—things small businesses can't afford'; 'At present we have good businesses closing down which can't sell'; 'No-one wants the stress, pressure and long hours for what now has little reward. It's easy to have a government job with shorter hours, large penalty rates, holidays, sick leave et cetera.' This is the problem. Without any proper consultation, the government has not understood the consequences of its legislation and the impact it's going to have on small businesses. The minister's understanding of small business, and this government's understanding of small business, is that corner shops have HR departments, legal departments and special advisers.
By the way, that's where all the money for penalty rates for young Australians and people who want to get ahead and get paid well gets sucked into: non-economically-productive activity to manage the realities of laws in this country. When we talk about simplification, we're talking about getting rid of needless legal work, needless accounting work and needless industrial relations advice so you can actually pay Australians more. It's simpler, cleaner and easier so Australians can get ahead, support their families, be in a position to have flexibility in their workplace arrangements and do things like pick up kids from school or manage work-life balance. It seems an entirely logical thing to do, except, of course, if you're part of the Albanese government. If you know this is the reality, and you know this is the consequence of legislation put forward to this House, the questions for the minister, the Prime Minister and, of course, everybody on Labor benches are: Why do they not want to hear from small business, see small business or talk to small business? Why don't they want to have a conversation where they can give the voices of small business a say in this nation's parliament?
We have had sloppy drafting at every stage of this legislation. This is not just my view; it's, of course, the view of industry, who have explicitly said that these are badly drafted laws. To the credit of the minister, she moved an amendment to address some of the sloppy drafting in her legislation, just now, and we supported her. We supported her because we actually want to make sure we get the legislation we need so that we get the outcome that we want for the Australian people. I will take a point of slight hilarity, which is that she's now accusing me of being disingenuous in my approach—through the Speaker, of course. The minister simply doesn't understand. Some of us believe in empowering Australians. Some of us—
The SPEAKER: We're dealing with technical amendments. This is not a general debate. This applies to everyone who moves consideration in detail. I've allowed some latitude here. To assist the House, member for Goldstein, make your remarks about the regulatory impact statement and the reasons behind that, perhaps.
Mr TIM WILSON: One of the reasons we want a regulatory impact statement is that we need to understand the direct consequence of this legislation on those people it's designed to impact. We have a current situation where the minister doesn't want to engage with small business or do a regulatory impact statement. And, even worse, when she's asked how many small businesses in this country are going to be affected, she cannot answer the simple question. It's a simple expectation. You've got legislation. You're trying to effect change. You're claiming it's positive, so tell me how many small businesses in this nation these laws will have an effect on.
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (12:14): The flourishing rhetoric from the member for Goldstein is very reminiscent of Work Choices. I know that, deep down, that IPA Work Choices passion still burns in the shadow minister for small business, industrial relations and employment. I will directly reject the proposition. We will not be supporting this amendment for a number of reasons.
The first reason is that the shadow minister has pretended he supports penalty rates, but, in the provision that he has tabled, the words 'where the Fair Work Commission must be satisfied' are actually a watering down of protections. It is a lower test to protect penalty rates. Our words that include 'must ensure' are the words that provide the greatest protection. So, while he's trying to have a bet both ways here, his substitution and his amendment would water down the test for workers in this country and go to a lower test to protect penalty rates. That is one of the reasons we are rejecting this amendment.
The second reason is—he's a bit rusty on this, and, in his own way, he acknowledged that he'd already accepted our amendment that made sure that there wasn't a requirement to go through any old modern awards—his (1)(b) position is actually completely redundant. It is an unnecessary duplication, and, for someone who has talked about regulatory burden, having a duplication in this bill really doesn't sound very productive to me. It adds complexity to the Fair Work Act, so we are rejecting that part.
He's focused a lot on a regulatory impact statement. He's talked about the 'big change' that this amendment is going to put through all workplaces in Australia, but the impact of this is that there is no change to what is currently operating. So he is asking for a regulatory impact statement—talk about a lot of duplication and red tape!—for something that involves no change whatsoever. He's asked about the direct consequences for small business. That has been his biggest concern. He must have missed my summing-up speech, because, to be clear, this bill does not alter existing employer obligations, including those of small business. It requires employers to do exactly what they are doing now. I am not sure if the shadow minister, through this amendment, is trying to foreshadow that if the coalition is ever elected, he intends to rip away penalty rates and overtime rates, because it doesn't alter any obligations.
There has been flourishing rhetoric about all the small businesses. I'm talking directly to small business all of the time, and my message to small business is that the result of this amendment we are making to protect penalty rates is for you to do exactly what you're doing now. Comply with the law; pay penalty rates, if you pay under the award system and you’re required to do so; and, if you would like to enter into negotiations with your employees, there is an enterprise bargaining framework that is there for you to use. This is a sensible, simple proposition. The shadow minister has got himself all tied up in knots. He's a little bit rusty with the parliamentary procedures. I'm sure that he'll calm.
Finally, I'd just like to mention—talking in good faith—that I have been very open with the shadow minister. I have not only consulted with employers, unions and, of course, workers around this country; I briefed him as well. I would hope that we could continue to work in a collaborative way, even when we disagree. He has clearly put it on the table that that is not the way he wants to work, which I'm fine with. We will get on with the job of protecting Australian workers, making sure Australian workers don't go backwards, and we will reject these amendments entirely.
The SPEAKER: The question before the House is that the amendments moved by the honourable member for Goldstein be agreed to.
The House divided. [12:23]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)
The SPEAKER (12:31): The question now is that this bill, as amended, be agreed to. The member for Goldstein on a point of order?
Mr Tim Wilson: My understanding is that we have discussed the amendment. I now have questions about the legislation as part of consideration in detail. I'm allowed to ask questions, am I not?
The SPEAKER: The question that we just dealt with was on your amendments. That matter has been resolved. We are now moving to the question that the bill, as amended, be agreed to. That's what I'm trying to put. Once I do that, it's all yours. The question now is that this bill, as amended, be agreed to.
Mr TIM WILSON (Goldstein) (12:32): I have a question directly for the minister in relation to this legislation. As we have outlined already, the minister has not engaged with small business on the impact of this legislation—and she has literally just voted to shut down pathways and the regulatory impact statement—so we have done her job for her. We've had a number of people contact us who have questions they want to ask of the minister, and I will read out some of the questions that we are now going to put to her and that we'd like answers to.
Firstly: 'Small businesses require owners to work in the business, to be bookkeepers, to know all tax laws, to know all work-care laws, to know all retail and wage laws and to make sure everything is on paper. The penalties are great if this work is not done. Big businesses have accountants and HR personnel—things small business can't afford. At present, we have good businesses closing down which can't sell. No-one wants the stress, pressure and long hours for what is now little reward. It's easier to have a government job with shorter hours, large penalty rates, holidays, sick leave et cetera.' The question from that point, Minister, is: how large would an HR department need to expand to under this legislation for a small business?
Secondly: 'Industrial relations can be a great thing to protect workers rights when done in moderation; however, when there are too many hurdles or cost hikes for small businesses, they often go broke and then—guess what?—they have to lay off staff.' Can the minister advise the House what assessment has been completed on the number of people who will be laid off as a consequence of this legislation?
Thirdly, as a separate issue: 'I am a parent of a teenager who has actively looked for employment. As an employer and when I speak to other employers there's a real disincentive to employ younger workers. It's certainly something my daughter is experiencing.' The question for the minister is: how many younger workers will be put off as a consequence of this legislation?
Fourthly: 'The security industry, for many years, has operated on 12-hour shifts. This allows for maximum time off and family friendly rosters—a very important thing, I might add. Currently our security patrol officer works seven 12-hour shifts each fortnight. We pay the night shift allowances and Saturday, Sunday and public holiday rates on these days when they are worked. We do not pay overtime on the 12-hour shifts as the advantage to the employee is a trade-off benefit. Currently, a security officer on the standard roster earns about $87,000 a year, working for less than six months of the year. Should the upcoming legislation interfere with the roster system, we would be forced to revert to six-hour shifts each night.' The question for the minister is: have you looked at the impact on the security sector, particularly at the impact it might have on rosters?
Fifthly, people forget that the price of their goods at the supermarkets are inflated to compensate for this variation in wages over the weekend, and, for supermarkets, I think penalty rates come in at about 6 pm. I think the argument from the unions would be that they are unsociable hours. We work out what goods would cost if they added on penalty rates, and that's what small business then has to pay. Of course it has a direct impact on things like the price of coffee et cetera.
Sally McManus was on television this morning complaining about bosses burning their staff out. It's not bosses that are burning people out; it's the current Labor governments, especially the one in Victoria, putting more and more costs into small business, so small-business owners have got no choice but to cut, and the easiest place to cut is, of course, labour. There are a lot of people working longer hours and harder to make up the difference. Has the minister looked into these issues?
Lastly, if not a death sentence for some, this could also mean the difference between employment and unemployment for currently unemployed workers. It's fairly clear that Labor cares more about satisfying the unions by strengthening their monopoly on IR, rather than supporting small business. Of course, this is no surprise as they are all trade unionists. Is this legislation simply designed to feed the trade union movement and pay off their pay masters?
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (12:36): I thank the shadow minister for his circular questions. Ultimately, the proposition he's putting forward is that penalty rates shouldn't be in awards. Effectively, his questions about the impost that penalty rates are on HR departments, as well as his proposition about how bad penalty rates are and how difficult they make things, go to the substance of this bill.
The basic question in the amended bill before the House is: do you support protecting penalty rates and overtime rates in the award safety net or not? That is a simple proposition, and all the scenarios he's put to me in the questions suggest that, deep down in his heart, he would love nothing more than to strip penalty and overtime rates from all awards and every workplace in this country. That is a shameful proposition. If that is what is in his heart of hearts, he should have the guts to get up to the dispatch box and say he's opposing this bill. Is he going to oppose this bill? Does he oppose this bill? He said that he agrees with penalty rates, but, in the proposition of every single one of his questions, he has argued against penalty rates and against overtime, saying that they make it complex.
Is it his proposition that no small business in this country should ever have to pay penalty rates? That is what he's putting to the House. I will answer that question. I disagree with that proposition. I think hardworking Australians deserve penalty rates, particularly those who rely on the safety net and the modern award. So I'm going to repeat this for the shadow minister, because he's a little slow at catching up. This provision does not require any extra impost on small business. There is no extra impost whatsoever. What this provision does is protect what is currently happening. So I will repeat it again for him. If you're a small business and you pay under the award and you're paying penalty rates, then you just keep doing it.
If his proposition is that that is terrible for small business, then he is putting to the House that he disagrees with paying penalty rates. He doesn't support penalty rates. There's no other conclusion that you can make. The shadow minister has got to have the courage to either get up, vote against this bill and say he disagrees with penalty rates or actually back what the Australian people agreed to at the election, and that is the protection of their penalty rates.
Mr Tim Wilson: Point of order on relevance: I did ask a series of specific questions, which is specifically—
The SPEAKER: The relevance provisions are not for now.
Mr Tim Wilson: The point of order is that the minister actually isn't answering the very specific questions I asked.
The SPEAKER: I thank the member. The minister is in continuation.
Ms RISHWORTH: One of the questions he effectively asked was: are paying penalty rates terrible for small business? I am answering that question—I am answering that question very, very clearly. We believe that people should get penalty rates that rely on the award. We are taking steps to protect those penalty rates. This isn't a proposition that hasn't been widely consulted. Of course, I have widely consulted, including with COSBOA and a range of different small business and larger employer organisations.
Ultimately, though, the shadow minister is having difficulty understanding the results of the election. We put this proposition clearly to the Australian people, and they endorsed this proposition. Australians who are our lowest paid workers should not go backwards. They shouldn't have less take-home pay in their pockets. This is what this provision is protecting here, and the shadow minister and the Liberal Party and the National Party need to front up and actually make a decision: do they support people's take-home pay going backwards, or do they want to preserve it? (Time expired)
Mr TIM WILSON (Goldstein) (12:41): We just heard another one of the oratory flourishes from the minister in the context of her legislation. We asked a series of questions, which are not my questions; they're actually questions of ordinary Australians. They're questions that are being put forward by ordinary Australians into this parliament because the minister refuses to do a regulatory impact statement, refuses to have a committee and has explicitly voted against the pathway to have an inquiry into her own legislation after there were deep deficiencies and sloppy drafting and after it was criticised by industry as being badly drafted, to the point where she has now amended her own legislation to address the limitations of the legislation. I see you chuckling there, Minister, but the reality is that we face a situation where small businesses across the country feel like they have no voice and they have been abandoned by this government and the minister, as well as by the minister for small business.
We raised a series of questions. The security industry is saying, 'What is going to be the impact on us?' and I asked a simple question about whether the minister had looked into that—no answer. We asked a simple question about how many teenagers would be at risk of losing their jobs, after a mother contacted us and talked specifically about how there was a risk that there would be a disincentive to their teenage daughter getting a job. We asked how many teenagers would lose their job—no answer. The question was asked in the context of people saying that this might be the basis on which small businesses' backs are broken and how many small businesses would lose their pathway going forward—no answer.
The minister was very open in talking about this legislation with me, and I've been very open and honest with people in saying: 'Yes, we had a briefing. It was a constructive briefing.' We had a constructive briefing. There were a simple series of questions, and both she and all of her staff were there. What were the simple questions? The minister can attest to this. I asked, 'Has the regulatory impact statement been completed?' No. She has confirmed this publicly, so I don't see why it's such a big problem. The second part was, 'How many people are going to be impacted by this legislation?' Nobody had an answer to that, and they had done no study on how many small businesses would be impacted. It's her decision to make that answer up. I would have just said, 'Well, we've actually done the work and actually figured out how many people are going to be impacted by it.'
Then it was: 'What's the engagement around, particularly, small business?' She's listed out large industry associations and, of course, the trade union movement. The trade union movement has always been consulted, and I bet you they're on speed dial and probably SMSing the minister now. The minister has gone and consulted them but not small business. At every point, all we are doing, in an environment where we have record insolvencies, is trying to provide a pathway for consultation with small business to understand what the impact of the legislation will be and how many will be impacted. Then the minister comes in here and says we refuse to reveal our position on penalty rates. Well, I don't know how to make it any clearer. The coalition supports penalty rates. For repetition. I will say it, through the Speaker, to the minister directly: the coalition supports penalty rates.
Now that we've resolved that issue, the question that we have to deal with is: how many small businesses are going to be impacted? The minister seems to want to ask me questions about that. While I am very flattered by that question, Minister, the reality is you have the department and the capacity to do it. At the end of the day, it is your legislation, not mine. You are running a scare campaign to justify it. Then you are turning around and saying it has no impact at all. I don't really understand what the point of that is. We are left in this quandary where one minute it's a necessary provision to protect penalty rates, which are deeply under threat; the next minute it's having no impact at all. And we are all very confused. I get it's confusing for the parliament, and I get it's confusing for the minister, because we are all confused. The question now for us is: how many of the small businesses that operate across this country will be impacted by this legislation? This has been the question at every point; I asked it at the first briefing I had with the minister, and she still cannot answer it. Small businesses employ millions of Australians. They are the backbone of the Australian economy, the basis on which the next generation of Australians get their aspiration, hope and opportunity for the future.
Bill, as amended, agreed to.
Third Reading
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (12:46): by leave—I move:
That this bill be now read a third time.
Question agreed to.
Bill read a third time.
GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH
Address-in-Reply
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That the following Address in Reply to the speech of Her Excellency the Governor-General be agreed to:
May it please Your Excellency:
We, the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, in Parliament assembled, express our loyalty to the Sovereign, and thank Your Excellency for the speech which you have been pleased to address to Parliament.
Ms CHESTERS (Bendigo) (12:47): I am very pleased to be able to stand to continue my remarks from a few nights ago. As I said in the first part of my speech, the Bendigo electorate election was close. It was tough, brutal and nasty. Over $2 million, it's estimated, was spent by my opponents to try and buy the seat of Bendigo. They flooded the town with outsiders. During the campaign I was referred to as a dog by somebody who wanted to be the deputy prime minister. That sent shockwaves through people in my community, because they didn't believe that a member of parliament could refer to another member of parliament that way in 2025. I mention that just to demonstrate to other members that, whilst they were in their own battles, this was the nature of the battle in Bendigo.
But the good news is that we held on despite the negativity, nastiness, misinformation and disinformation. My amazing team of volunteers, the local state MPs and my office held on to the seat. At the conclusion of counting I was 2,983 votes ahead of my nearest challenger, securing my fifth term in this place and equalling that of my predecessor. I'm proud to stand here and say that in the federal seat of Bendigo we've had 28 years of Labor, and counting.
In the future, we hope for elections that are free and fair, honest and respectful. It's the very least that all of us can ask. We want there to be robust debate, but it should be respectful. I ask those opposite who invaded our town during this election to check their language and check their behaviour. It may happen to one of your own one day, and you would be standing in this place demanding that they be respected in the same way that I am doing now. I got asked during the election, 'What will you do?' I said, 'You always have to call out bad behaviour, not necessarily for yourself but for the next woman or the next candidate.'
I'd like to take a moment to thank the amazing volunteers that stood with me during that campaign. We have a fantastic team of rank-and-file members in Bendigo, as well as volunteers, the people who spend hours on prepoll despite the difficult conditions. Despite being stood over, pushed and provoked, they did not bite. They stood their ground, held their heads high and did the job. I'd like to acknowledge the amazing support that I had from my state colleagues—the Hon. Jacinta Allan, Maree Edwards and Mary-Anne Thomas—and my other federal Labor colleagues like Senator Jess Walsh; the member sitting at the front desk, Minister Giles; and the other fantastic Victorian Labor MPs that stood there with us. You really know that you are in good company when you are in the fight of your political life and your friends come and rally around you.
I'd like to thank my amazing team. We knew it was going to be tight and close, and, after what was the most gruelling prepoll and election day, the party was packed up early. They went to bed, got up and went into quite possibly one of the longest ballot counts that we've had in Bendigo since John Brumby's time as the federal member. I'd also like to thank my amazing family—Matt, Daisy and Charlie. My children are now at an age where they really understand elections, and I'd like to thank them for the love and support that they showed me during that period—picking me up after early voting and letting me know that, if they could vote, they'd vote for me. My children, my family and my extended family's support was truly remarkable.
I'd also like to thank the amazing people of Bendigo. Despite our diversity and the rebuilding that we are now doing, I am so proud to represent you in this place. Thank you for instilling your trust in me again to continue as the federal member for Bendigo. It is an honour and a privilege, which I know all members stand in this place and say, but we genuinely mean it. Now is the time to get on with delivering the many commitments that we made during the election—funding for skate parks, funding for Bendigo heritage attractions, funding for changerooms for women so that they can change in a safe and inclusive space, funding for upgrades to the North Bendigo Recreation Reserve, funding for reimagining and restoring the Bendigo Creek, funding to deliver a veterans' hub for veterans and families in the Bendigo and district area and funding for a Bendigo headspace Plus. These are some of the many commitments that Labor and I made to the people of Bendigo.
Mr YOUNG (Longman) (12:53): This was my third election, and it was very different to the first two. The first two elections were fought on policy. It was never personal, and I acknowledge the previous candidates for their professionalism in this area. Unfortunately, this election was very personal from my Labor opponent. There were so many lies told about me, and she brought my children into the campaign, which both sides have always agreed is not on. My staff and volunteers were accused of bullying, which is simply untrue. But of course a little bit of mud always sticks, which my opponent of course knew and went ahead with anyway. For the first time I had corflute signs pulled down, and, in many cases, they were replaced with my Labor opponent's signs.
Of course, the temptation is to fight fire with fire, and I could have pulled her signs down, but I chose not to. I was given some personal information on my opponent which was pretty awful, but I chose not to use it, because I want to be part of the solution not part of the problem. I've said from day one that I'd rather lose playing fair than win playing dirty. It still sticks to this day. Now, we know part of politics is about calling out other politicians or candidates for bad policy, but it should never get personal, especially involving families.
The other challenge that I had, which was a little bit unusual, was to put the Family First candidate last on my how-to-vote card. I had it all sorted out and ready to go, and then I was given some very, very damning information on this particular young man—who I had actually met—and, sadly, he had come out and spoken in a terrible way about women and Jewish people. It was just awful, and he was obviously a confused, young 19-year-old. I took it very hard on having to make a decision, again, on whether to leak that for political gain or to just keep that to ourselves and not put this young man out there for the media to hammer. We took the decision—I think the right decision—to just put him last on the ballot paper and not put him out there to be destroyed by the media, because they can be very, very hurtful.
The problem was that was he disendorsed by the party—and I thought, 'Well, that solves that problem'—but what had happened was the ballot papers were already printed and he still appeared as the Family First candidate. So then I had the Christian community saying to me, 'Why are you putting a Christian last when you're a person of faith yourself?' Then I had to explain it, and that was very difficult as well. It was a pretty messy election, to be honest. But we move on.
Just for a little bit of history, I was very happy in small business before my political career began. I had reached the point of being 50-years old—or young, as I like to say—and getting to the stage where things had got a little bit easier than in those early days in business. We'd navigated those difficult and costly first few years, where 70-to-80-hour weeks and running on fumes was the norm, and the two businesses I had ownership in were 10 years old, and they'd matured. The temptation, of course, at that stage is just to cruise to retirement for the next 20 years and then do a bit of part-time work in the business in retirement, but I don't think I'll ever fully retire.
But I want to reflect on how good this country has been to a kid who was raised in Kallangur and then moved slightly north to Caboolture, which are both very blue-collar, knockabout communities. I left school at 15 and started work as a garage attendant, or petrol pumper as they used to call them in those days, and spent the first four years of my working life working full time on a minimum wage. I understand what it's like to eat vegemite toast for dinner. I worked hard, and I ended up owning businesses and employing young people who were just like me. I wanted to give back in another way to this country that had been so good to me—hence my run in politics.
I'm also driven by the fact that, in many cases, kids who aren't particularly academic feel like they are second-class citizens. If they don't get a degree, then they have no future. I want to give them hope. I want them to know they can make something of themselves, that they have value and as much value as someone with a degree. I despise this hierarchical system that we've created in our society, where people in some vocations are considered by many as more important than others with other types of jobs, simply because they earn more. Monetary worth should never define our value to society or our self-worth. How well we do our job, our behaviour and what we contribute should determine these things.
We all have our place in society, and we're all of equal value, regardless of our gender, sexuality, race, religion or vocation. Of course, different vocations are remunerated in different ways, for many reasons—the market demands, the amount of sacrifice required through training and the amount of risk needed in each vocation, and that's fair enough—but to say that those on higher incomes are more valuable is just not right. The attendants in this place, who look after the politicians so well, are just as valuable, and I thank them for their service.
Being the member for Longman for six years, I've always visited and met with the various community and sporting groups along with the City of Moreton Bay council to find out the needs of the Longman community. I spent most of my life living in the Longman community, apart from a couple of stints away for work, and, as a result, I know the community pretty well. As a result of these meetings and my experience there, I was pleased to obtain 27 election promises if the LNP had been elected on 3 May. Sadly, Labor only made two of the same commitments—so that's 25 much-needed projects that will either not go ahead, be delayed or have to be funded another way.
It means that the Pine Rivers Cricket Club won't get their lights so they can expand their ever-growing junior and female sides, as there's not enough daylight to support extra teams. The Caboolture Sports Football Club—or soccer, if you want to call it that—won't get their electronic scoreboard. North Pine Netball won't get their courts resurfaced. The Moodlu men's shed won't get their much-needed upgrades. The Bribie Island surf club may have to compromise on the size of their extensions to their clubhouse. The Caboolture Snakes rugby league will have to wait longer for their new clubhouse. The kids who use the Bellara skate park on Bribie Island are disappointed. The Narangba Eagles will miss out on stage 2 of their clubhouse redevelopment. The Delaneys Creek Pony Club won't get their building upgrade. The Elimbah Soldiers Memorial Hall will have to wait for its much-needed refurbishment. The Lindsay Road sports complex, Sandstone Point community complex, the Burpengary and Morayfield community halls, along with the Burpengary Pony Club and St Eugene College will all miss out on much-needed CCTV security cameras to protect community assets.
There will be no help with the toilet facilities at the Bribie Island Golf Club or extra shade sails for the Bribie Island Bowls Club or the new cabins at the Bribie Retreat and Recreation Centre so that more camps can be hosted. Stanley Rivers Rugby League Club misses out on a much-needed clubhouse and change room upgrade as their female participation rate continues to grow. The Caboolture netball courts won't get the resurfacing so desperately needed, and the Narangba Crows AFL will miss out on their lighting upgrade to LED.
But the biggest commitment that I was able to obtain was the $74 million for stage 1 of the much-needed Caboolture West connectivity initiative. As one of the fastest growing communities in the country, these projects are vital for the Longman electorate, and the message people of Longman got from Labor during the campaign was they simply don't care about the people of Longman. It's not too late, Prime Minister. If you want to show the people of Longman that you do care, I'll be only too happy to discuss these projects with you and get them underway.
I'm going to continue to advocate for the people of Longman and work with the Crisafulli state government and speak to them about a lot of these vital projects, like the four-laning of Morayfield Road. As I said, we're a very, very fast growing community, and the infrastructure is simply not keeping up with the population growth. In the six years that I've been in this place, the voting population of my electorate has grown from 116,000 to 143,000—in just six years. We have over 200,000 people in the electorate, so we need this infrastructure.
Morayfield Road takes a lot of the burden when the Bruce Highway is congested on a Friday afternoon or Sunday afternoon, with people going to and from the Sunshine Coast. Having two lanes, down to one lane and then back to two lanes is ridiculous. We need four lanes all the way from King Street, in Caboolture, right down to the highway. We need an acceleration in the timeline of the Bribie Island Road and the new bridge, four-laning from the Bruce Highway to the bridge, and then a new bridge. It's currently set for completion in 2039. Bribie has the oldest average population in Queensland. Sadly, in 2039, there might be a few people there now that might not see the new bridge. We need to bring that forward; it's a car park.
The Bruce Highway must have four lanes from the Pine Rivers Bridge to the Bribie Island turn-off, and upgrades are needed at the Morayfield-Uhlmann Road exit and exit 150, Buchanan Road, along with the four lanes and the flyover to Caboolture River Road.
I mentioned earlier the election promise I was able to get for $74 million. This is needed, because they have just started turning dirt on one housing estate in my electorate that will contain 25,000 homes, which will house 70,000 people. To put that in perspective, that's one housing estate that's the same size as the city of Mackay in Central Queensland. These people won't have a way to get to the Bruce Highway, but many of them will be commuting to Brisbane for work. This initiative, planned by the council, will go from Caboolture River Road and the Morayfield Road intersection. A bridge will be built over a shopping centre and a train line to connect to a current two-lane road, which needs to become four lanes, and then it will go out to the highway. I was so pleased to be able to get that promise, but now that it hasn't happened, the council won't have the money to do it on their own—it's a big project for a local council—and that will delay the project another three years, unfortunately.
I also spoke to TMR a couple of weeks ago in regard to the Bruce Highway. I commend the LNP state government for speeding up this process on the Bruce Highway works, including the four-laning from Dohles Rocks Road right up to Bribie Island Road, as well as the extra work on the new exit that I mentioned earlier.
The train crossings at Dakabin, Boundary Road, Narangba Station and Pumicestone Road must be upgraded urgently, as they were neglected by the former state Labor government and their local members for nine long years. We just cannot cope. People are sitting and waiting for two or three light changes to get across a train line, and it's simply not good enough. I grew up in the area, and I can tell you that all these crossings are the same as they were back in the 1970s, when six people and a dog lived in some communities. Something needs to be done because there are a lot of people living there now.
After two years of meetings, forums and development, I will present in October to the Queensland LNP government my solution to fixing the homeless situation created by this government's irresponsible immigration policy. It's a solution that I've worked hard on with state members from both sides of politics, with local councils, with organisations that are in the homelessness space and with a lot of the charities and churches as well, and the local community. We've come up with a really great solution, and I think it's going to work. I look forward to talking to the LNP state government about getting this going. I'd like to see something by the end of the year because the homelessness in my community is horrific. I've never seen anything like it. When I drive around, I see all these tents and people living in cars—and they're working people. It's horrendous.
In my maiden speech I was positive, and I remain so, despite the incredibly negative nature of politics. I've got a slogan on my billboards that says 'Terry Young gets things done'. I'm going to continue to get things done for my awesome community. Common sense, freedom and respect for all Australians' point of view and their right to have their own point of view, even if I don't agree with them personally, are ideals that I'll always adhere to in my role. I will always try to give the people I serve hope, rather than trying to score political points by creating fear and anxiety. As long as I have the honour to serve in this role, I will try and inspire the next generation to have a go, sharing my personal journey with young ears—both the successes and the failures that I've had in my life, because young people need to know it's okay to fail. In fact, failure is not a final destination; it's part of the journey to success, as we learn more lessons from our failures than our successes, and that develops resilience.
I want to thank my volunteers not only for their commitment and hard work during the campaign and nearly three weeks of counting the vote but for their service during the term. I won't mention any names, as to miss one name would be an injustice. You all know who you are and the individual but vital role you played in the campaign. I also want to thank my staff for their commitment and the hundreds of extra hours they did during the campaign, and their commitment to our great party and to me personally. I could not do this without you.
I give a big shout-out to my family and friends, who support me not just practically, by handing out at a polling booth, even though a lot don't like doing that stuff—letterboxing and the like—but also with your love and support during the most difficult and stressful of times. My wife, Alex, and my youngest daughter, Jess, bear most of the load, as they are the ones who live with me! The others have all left home. So thank you, ladies.
Lastly, thank you to the people of Longman for putting your trust in me for a third consecutive term. As always, my door is open to meet with you, and, when you see me out and about, please come and say g'day, because I'd love to meet you. I promise you I will work my hardest to ensure our community gets what it needs. I will continue to speak the truth and use common sense and my life experience to serve you and fulfil my vision to make Longman the greatest community in Australia in which to live, work and play.
Mr BURNELL (Spence) (13:08): It gives me great pleasure to make a contribution to this address-in-reply debate. Before I congratulate other people, Deputy Speaker Scrymgour, I want to congratulate you on your deputy speaker role. I think it is a significant tick of approval to the person that you are and the contribution you have made since joining this parliament in 2022 alongside me. Well done. I do want to extend my congratulations to the Speaker of the House, the member for Oxley. He has been a fantastic contributor in my time here and has really elevated the role of Speaker, in my view, since my election. I also want to extend that to the Deputy Speaker, Ms Sharon Claydon, a very dear friend and someone who has offered me quite a lot of advice over the last three years.
To the Governor-General, on Her Excellency's fine address to this parliament last week: thank you for everything you've done since your appointment to the Governor-General position, but also I really want to extend very warm thanks for the way in which you engaged with my daughter last week during the reception after your address. She met Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, her political idol—but you came in at a very close second. So I do say thank you for that.
To the people of Spence, who have entrusted me for a second term: from the bottom of my heart, thank you very much for the great honour of being able to stand in this chamber and represent your needs on a day-to-day basis. It is by far and away the greatest privilege of my life. As a young boy growing up in Mildura, in country Victoria, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would make it to this place. To have had three years as the member for Spence and then to be re-elected is such a privilege. As I'm sure every member in this place acknowledges, it is an absolute gift to have your name called to speak on behalf of your constituency.
So to every person who voted for me: thank you. And, for those who didn't vote for me, there's still time! Hopefully at the 2028 election you might change your view and swing in behind me, and hopefully we can get that margin up over 50 per cent; that would make my day, for sure. But, any day when I get called as the winner of the seat of Spence, I'll be very happy and eternally grateful and will always put my best foot forward to represent our community. So thank you very much for that.
Whilst I'm giving thanks, I do really want to say thank you to the union movement for having my back over the last three years—a big shout-out to the SDA, AWU, HSU and SA Unions and especially my union, the TWU. To Sam McIntosh and the team down at Chief Street in Brompton: thank you so much for everything you've helped with over the last three years. When I needed help, you guys were always there and really went that extra mile to make sure we got the job done. So I do want to say thank you.
But I also want to acknowledge our great mate, my former boss and a great mentor to me—Ian Smith, the former secretary of the TWSA/NT branch. It's been just over 12 months since his passing. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the contribution and impact that you've had on my life as well as the confidence you had in encouraging me to nominate for preselection and subsequently run as the candidate for Spence in 2022 and re-election this year. Thank you, mate. I'll be eternally grateful for everything you did for me.
Then there are my amazing volunteers. There's not a person in this place who could say, hand on heart, that they got here by themselves. Yes, we get to do all the fancy stuff and turn up to things and get acknowledged for being the member or the candidate. But ultimately we don't get here without the hard, tireless work of hundreds of volunteers in our respective electorates, and mine is no different. I had hundreds of volunteers lining up to letterbox, to doorknock, to help at prepoll, to make phone calls and to help pack booth boxes—to do those little one per cent things that make such a difference for the candidate. There were more than 200 volunteers. There's not enough time on the clock to list everybody and do justice. But, to each and every one of my branch members, to my community volunteers, to those who answered the call to come and help us to re-win this seat, I want to say thank you. We have had a thankyou barbecue, and I am so appreciative of the near-100 people who turned up to that. But, for those who didn't, I do want to say to you today: thank you from the bottom of my heart for every minute, every hour, every day you put in on the campaign. It made a huge difference, and I'll be eternally grateful for it.
To Michael Atkinson, my campaign manager: mate, it was quite a journey. I learnt a bit about you, you learnt a bit about me, but ultimately we got a job done. I am extremely thankful for all of your guidance before, during and since the election. I look forward to our friendship growing over the coming years and will be eternally grateful for everything you have done.
To my beautiful wife, Cassandra, thank you for giving me the opportunity to do this. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't supported me in 2022 to put my hand up. Everybody in here knows that it's a huge commitment not just from us but from our families. It takes a toll on them. We have to make sure that we look after our family when we're home. We can't get absorbed into this role and forget about things outside of it, because it's very easy to. Everybody wants a piece of us all of the time. It is so important that we put aside five minutes every day to make that phone call or tell our staff: 'No, I'm sorry. We're having Sunday as a family day.' That's what maintains our relationships. It's what keeps us grounded in this job so that we don't lose sight of what we're here to do.
Mr Hill: He likes his family.
Mr BURNELL: Thank you, Member for Bruce! My wife has been an absolute rock, and I always look forward to getting home and giving her a kiss and saying thank you, because this is a great honour, but I can't do it by myself.
To my broader family, thank you. As I said earlier, I had my daughter here last week for the opening ceremony. It is such a great thing to be able to take your family for a walk through these halls, behind the doors, not on a public gallery tour but as your family. You get to take them behind the doors and into your office. It's such a special thing to do.
It's quite fitting that I stand in this position now. When I was elected, my seat was just over here and I sat beside—I believe they were my first seat buddy—the former member for Dunkley, Peta Murphy. I subsequently now sit behind the new member for Dunkley, Jodie Belyea. Unfortunately, in the 47th Parliament, we said goodbye to some good people. Peta Murphy was one of those good people. She was a shining light for many colleagues in this place, both on this side and on the other side of the chamber. I know the member for Gippsland was a very good friend. It was very unfortunate that we had to say goodbye to her. But, in her own way, she made sure that she imparted something extremely special to every person in this place. I absolutely benefited from every single contribution she made in her seat. It has made me a better speaker. It has given me a lot more confidence. It would be remiss of me not to say thank you.
But we also said goodbye to our good friend Senator Linda White, a class colleague of the class of 2022. She, unfortunately, did not have enough time in this place to make the contribution that she was destined to make, but in the time that she did have she wasted not a minute. Not a minute did she waste. She ensured that her fingerprints were left in this place for eternity. She should be extremely proud of that contribution.
It's also a reminder to every person elected in this place and the other that we don't have time to waste, that when we come to Canberra we're here to do a job. We're here to represent our constituents, or our state, if you're a senator. We're here to represent the people of Australia and make decisions that will put them in a better place. That is ultimately the responsibility bestowed on each and every single one of us. I choose not to waste a minute of my time here, because it is too valuable, because we don't know when we won't get the chance to have our name called and speak on behalf of our communities. I don't say that just because of the two people I have spoken about. I say that because of the 33 people that didn't make it back to this place. Some of them did not have the opportunity to give a valedictory and yet made significant contributions to this House. They probably did not envisage that their time was going to be called at the last election. It is incumbent on us as elected members of this House to make the most of every single day that we have got, because the next election might be when, unfortunately, you don't get to come back.
I say that in jest to all the excited new members of the 48th Parliament. I watch in envy the contributions that you've already made—the amazing first speeches, so many amazing first speeches, not just on our side of the House but also on the other side. It was an absolute pleasure to sit in this chamber and hear what your story is about you as a person and the contribution that you look forward to making to this place and to our country. You should all be very, very proud of the speeches that you have given so far.
To the Australian Electoral Commission, especially the divisional returning officer Laurence Staiff, who was the overseer for my election: thank you very much to you, to your entire team both at the headquarters and at each of the prepolling locations, and to the staff that you're responsible for on election day. Your team went above and beyond to make sure that not just me but all eight candidates were informed of what was going on and also that the voter experience in our electorate was not like some of the others that we've heard about across the country. That takes good leadership, and it starts with your role, so I want to say thank you, because it is about making sure that voters are encouraged to come back and fulfil their democratic obligation at each and every single election. Thank you very much.
Over the last three years, we have had such a fantastic opportunity to deliver so many great outcomes for our community. I'm going to start with what is probably my most favourite policy front. No, it's not defence, Member for Lalor! It's education because education has the capacity to unlock the door to opportunity, lift people up and give them a chance at a great life. I remember when we got the Australian Universities Accord:interim report. Inside that paperwork, for those who actually took the time to read it, there was a piece that said that regional university study hubs and suburban university study hubs connecting outer metropolitan, regional and rural students to the opportunities of higher education make it more attainable. I looked at it, and I said, 'That's exactly what my electorate needs—exactly what my electorate needs.'
I want to say a huge thankyou to the City of Playford for partnering up with Flinders University and the University of Adelaide and sitting down to have the conversations to make sure we got the right proposal before the selection committee to give ourselves the best chance of delivering a study hub right in the heart of our electorate. We were successful in getting that. The interim hub has been opened. In the not-too-distant future, we will be opening its forever home at the TAFE campus in Elizabeth, and it will change the educational outcomes for thousands of young people in my electorate. It'll change the educational outcomes for thousands of adult-entry students in my electorate.
That is what Labor governments are elected to do: to create opportunity for those who haven't had it in the past and to change the outcomes. We did it through fee-free TAFE. During the election campaign, I had the skills minister come down. We went for a walk through the wet room, played around with a bit of builders' mud and tried our hand at bricklaying. I'd never done bricklaying before in my life, but I did lay a better brick than the good minister! He'll probably come in here and say that's not the case. What we saw was the young people who were doing a fantastic job of getting their skills and their trade certifications so that they can contribute to the housing construction needs of today and tomorrow to provide the houses for those who need them most in our community and communities across the country. That's the power of education and something that I will be forever grateful of our government.
I could go on forever, but I want to close off by saying to my community: thank you so much for the greatest privilege of my life to give back to our community, to represent our community with a strong voice and to fight for what's right each and every single day. For that, I thank the House.
Debate adjourned.
COMMITTEES
Selection Committee
Report
The SPEAKER (13:25): I present the revised report of the Selection Committee relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private members' business on Monday 25 August 2025. The report will be printed in today's Hansard. Copies of the report have been placed on the table.
The report read as follows—
Report relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and of private Members' business
1. The Committee met in private session on Thursday, 31 July 2025.
2. The Committee decided to amend the order of precedence and times to be allotted for consideration of committee and delegation business and private Members' business on Monday, 25 August 2025, as follows, with amended entries marked with *:
Items for House of Representatives Chamber (10.10 am to 12 noon)
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Orders of the day
* 1 REPEAL NET ZERO BILL 2025 (Mr Joyce): Second reading—Resumption of debate (from 28 July 2025).
Time allotted — 20 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Mr Joyce —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
Notices
1 MR WILKIE: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to social security, and for related purposes. (Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Responding to Robodebt) Bill 2025)
(Notice given 29 July 2025.)
Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes — pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.
2 MS STEGGALL: To present a Bill for an Act to establish a national climate change adaptation framework, and for related purposes. (Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) Bill 2025)
(Notice given 29 July 2025.)
Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes — pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.
3 MS LE: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the Higher Education Support Act 2003, and for related purposes. (Higher Education Support Amendment (Fair Study and Opportunity) Bill 2025)
(Notice given 29 July 2025.)
Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes — pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142.
4 MR THOMPSON: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes:
(a) National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) providers and participants will be significantly impacted and hold grave concern regarding changes to the transport allowance arrangements that have been announced in the recent annual price review, at very short notice without consultation by the Government; and
(b) the feasibility for NDIS providers and participants to make the necessary adjustments to service delivery arrangements in such a short time period is not achievable and will be at the detriment of the participant;
(2) condemns the Government for failing to consult with the NDIS sector and failing to understand the needs of participants and providers; and
(3) calls on the Government to:
(a) defer these changes for at least three months to allow for consultation and planning around the changes to service delivery that may result from these changes; and
(b) explain how it expects community-based service providers in particular to adapt to these new pricing arrangements.
(Notice given 23 July 2025.)
Time allotted — 40 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Mr Thompson —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 8 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
* 5 MR ABDO: To move—That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) during National Skills Week, we recognise the importance of Australia's
vocational education and training (VET) sector;
(b) there have been more than 650,000 enrolments in the Government's Free
TAFE program; and
(c) there have been more than 170,000 Free TAFE courses completed by Australians;
(2) commends the Government's successful passage of the Free TAFE Bill 2024,
supporting quality training and putting TAFE back at the heart of the VET sector;
(3) recognises Free TAFE is helping Australians to get skills in in-demand areas like housing construction, nursing and aged care, giving Australians the skills they want, in sectors we need; and
(4) supports the Government as it continues to invest in the Australian people by prioritising training initiatives like Free TAFE.
(Notice given 29 July 2025.)
Time allotted — remaining private Members'
business time prior to 12 noon. Speech time limits —
Mr Abdo —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
Items for Federation Chamber (11 am to 1.30 pm)
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Notices
1 MS BELL: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) the Government's environment credentials are all washed up;
(b) after refusing to even meet with scientists regarding the spread of toxic algal bloom in South Australia for over 18 months, the Minister for the Environment and Water has made a last minute dash in a desperate attempt to avoid scrutiny over the Government's lack of leadership on the matter; and
(c) from recycling to Indigenous cultural heritage and environment protection and biodiversity conservation, the Government has failed to deliver on any of its major promises; and
(2) calls on the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment and Water to attend the chamber to explain the Government's failures on the environment.
(Notice given 23 July 2025.)
Time allotted — 20 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Ms Bell —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
2 MS JARRETT: To move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges the Government's commitment to driving economic equality for Australian women, from closing the gender pay gap and lifting wages for women, to investing in women's health and expanding paid parental leave;
(2) notes that on 1 July 2025 women in Australia benefited from key changes delivered by the Government, including:
(a) expanding paid parental leave to 24 weeks and paying superannuation on it;
(b) lifting the minimum wage by 3.5 per cent; and
(c) commencing the Commonwealth Prac Payment scheme for teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students; and
(3) welcomes the Government continuing to deliver a better future for Australian women.
(Notice given 29 July 2025.)
Time allotted — 40 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Ms Jarrett —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 8 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
3 MS WATSON-BROWN: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) during the 2025 federal election, the then Leader of the Opposition, promised to approve Woodside's North West Shelf gas project in Western Australia within 30 days, and the Government approved it within 15 days of being sworn in;
(b) the North West Shelf gas project is estimated to produce annual emissions totalling more than all of Australia's existing coal-fired power plants combined; and
(c) the Government has accepted more than $1 million in donations from Woodside since 2014, making them the tenth largest donor over the last decade; and
(2) calls on the Government to:
(a) cancel the draft approval for Woodside's North West Shelf gas project;
(b) implement a moratorium on new coal and gas projects; and
(c) commit to addressing corporate influence over our political system. (Notice given 22 July 2025.)
Time allotted — 15 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Ms Watson-Brown —5 minutes. Other Members—5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 3 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
4 DR GARLAND: To move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges the Government's number one priority is helping Australians with
the cost of living;
(2) notes that on 1 July 2025, the following measures started rolling out:
(a) more energy bill relief for every household with $150 off energy bills; and
(b) a 30 per cent discount to home batteries to permanently cut power bills; and
(3) welcomes the Government delivering the better future Australians voted for. (Notice given 23 July 2025.)
Time allotted — 40 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Dr Garland —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 8 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
5 MR LEESER: To move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges the passing of John Owen Stone AO on 17 July 2025;
(2) notes his extensive contribution to public life, including his service as Secretary to the Treasury, and as a Senator for Queensland;
(3) recognises his role in shaping policy and contributing to the national debate on issues from national economic policy and industrial relations to federalism; and
(4) extends its sincere condolences to his family and pays tribute to his lifelong dedication to the Australian people.
(Notice given 29 July 2025.)
Time allotted — 15 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Mr Leeser —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 3 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
Orders of the day
1 SMALL BUSINESS: Resumption of debate (from 28 July 2025) on the motion of Mr T Wilson—That this House:
(1) acknowledges 2.5 million small businesses have been abandoned by the Government;
(2) notes the Government has:
(a) achieved a record number of small business insolvencies this financial year;
(b) done nothing to create an environment for small businesses to thrive; and
(c) made it more difficult than ever to do business in Australia; and
(3) calls on the Government to prioritise the problems facing small businesses by:
(a) removing excessive regulation it insists on applying to small business;
(b) scrapping its plans to impose a family savings tax on unrealised capital gains; and
(c) backing small business to make it easier to employ Australians.
Time allotted — remaining private Members'
business time prior to 1.30 pm. Speech time limits —
Mr T Wilson —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 4 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
Items for Federation Chamber (4.45 pm to 7.30 pm)
PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Notices — continued
6 MS PAYNE: To move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges the Government's commitment to strengthening the paid parental
leave system;
(2) notes that on 1 July 2025:
(a) the Government's paid parental leave increased by two weeks, from 22 weeks
to 24 weeks; and
(b) superannuation was added to Government paid parental leave meaning taking paid parental leave will not mean missing out on superannuation; and
(3) welcomes the Government delivering the better future Australians voted for. (Notice given 23 July 2025.)
Time allotted — 40 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Ms Payne —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 8 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
7 MS PRICE: To move:
That this House:
(1) notes:
(a) that 1 July 2025 marks seven years since the official establishment of the Australian Space Agency;
(b) the former Government committed more than $2 billion towards the civil space sector after the Agency's establishment, as part of our goal to triple the domestic sector to $12 billion and to create an extra 20,000 jobs by 2030; and
(c) the current Government's significant cuts to Australia's space
sector, including:
(i) $1.2 billion from the National Space Mission for Earth Observation;
(ii) $59.7 million from the Technology into Orbit program and the space flight tickets subprograms;
(iii) $18 million from the Moon to Mars global supply chain facilitation; and
(iv) $32.3 million slated for co-investment in space ports and launch sites; and
(2) calls on the Government to reprioritise Australia's space sector, including investing in our sovereign capability.
(Notice given 23 July 2025.)
Time allotted — 40 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Ms Price —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 8 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
8 MS COFFEY: To move:
That this House notes that:
(1) to meet growing need, the Government is putting mental health at the heart of Medicare and services at the centre of communities;
(2) the Government is rolling out a national network of 91 Medicare Mental Health Centres, which offer free walk-in mental health support and care from clinical and non-clinical staff, without the need for an appointment, referral, or mental health treatment plan; and
(3) the Government is delivering services, closer to home, across the whole of the lifespan by opening new Perinatal Mental Health Centres, Medicare Mental Health Kids Hubs, headspace centres, and Medicare Mental Health Centres.
(Notice given 29 July 2025.)
Time allotted — 40 minutes.
Speech time limits —
Ms Coffey —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 8 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
9 MR WOOD: To move:
That this House:
(1) acknowledges the establishment and ongoing implementation of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, a significant bipartisan initiative designed to address chronic workforce shortages in regional and rural Australia;
(2) recognises the role of the former Government in consolidating the Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme into the unified PALM scheme in 2021, streamlining Pacific labour mobility and enhancing regional cooperation;
(3) notes that the PALM scheme provides a vital workforce for Australian farmers, growers, food processors, and regional businesses, particularly in horticulture, meat processing and essential services—sectors that face ongoing labour constraints;
(4) further recognises the mutual benefits of the PALM scheme, delivering reliable employment and remittance opportunities to workers from nine Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste, while strengthening Australia's diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties with our Pacific family; and
(5) affirms Australia's responsibility as a regional partner, upholding its moral and
regional leadership responsibility as a trusted partner in Pacific development. (Notice given 29 July 2025.)
Time allotted — remaining private Members'
business time prior to 7.30 pm. Speech time limits —
Mr Wood —5 minutes.
Other Members —5 minutes each.
[Minimum number of proposed Members speaking
= 9 x 5 mins]
The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.
THE HON D. M. DICK MP
Speaker of the House of Representatives 31 July 2025
BUSINESS
Consideration of Legislation
Ms RYAN (Lalor—Chief Government Whip) (13:26): I seek leave of the House to move a motion to suspend so much of the standing and sessional orders relating to private members' business on 25 August 2025.
Leave is not granted.
Ms RYAN: I move:
That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Selection Committee's determinations for Monday, 25 August 2025 being varied to reflect the terms of the revised report and for the variation to be shown in the Notice Paper for Monday, 25 August under 'Business Accorded Priority' in the House and Federation Chamber.
The SPEAKER: Is the motion seconded?
Ms Chesters: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.
The SPEAKER: The question before the House is that the motion moved by the Chief Government Whip be agreed to.
The House divided. [13:31]
(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)
STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS
Banking and Financial Services
Ms ALDRED (Monash) (13:37): I rise today to speak on the importance of banking facilities in regional communities. Bricks-and-mortar banking in our regions is critical for small businesses, for older Australians, for people with a disability and for anyone who simply can't travel to the next town down the road. The Bendigo Bank recently announced it would close its Korumburra branch in South Gippsland. This is a terrible outcome for our community and one that demands the opportunity for broader national focus.
In 2023 the Senate undertook an inquiry into bank closures in regional Australia. The committee reported in May 2024, after a serious consultation period that ran for 15 months. It had 13 public meetings across Australia and received over 600 submissions. I make special mention of the Korumburra roundtable's fine advocacy on behalf of our community in its submission. There were eight specific recommendations aimed at addressing what was described a growing humanitarian crisis in both regional areas and capital city suburbs.
It is over a year since the inquiry's report was handed down, and, according to the Finance Sector Union, in that time we've seen branches close at a rate of two to three per week. Despite the fact the Albanese Labor government was required to respond within 90 days of the tabling of the report, the recommendations remain unresolved a full year later. On behalf of residents in South Gippsland, who are about to have their last remaining bank branch closed, I call on the Albanese government to get its act together and respond to this report.
Toi Shan
Ms CHESTERS (Bendigo) (13:38): I rise to share with the House the sad news that the Toi Shan Chinese restaurant in my electorate of Bendigo has closed its doors, yesterday being its last day. Why does that matter? Because it is the oldest Chinese restaurant in Australia. It goes back to the early days of the gold rush, when it was called On Loong on Bridge Street. For the last 25 years Toi Shan was owned and operated by Sue and Peter Chee, who bought the business from the Chan family and ran it as most small businesses do. I can remember meeting the many children that they had working there, and, as somebody who grew up in a small-business family, I recall those moments where you help with the cash register, you help with the cooking and you help your parents run the business.
This is a Bendigo icon, and yesterday many people took to social media to share their family stories and connection to Toi Shan. For my own family, this is our Chinese restaurant, and we are now at a loss to think what will be our next family restaurant. Workers shared their stories about how they go down with the billy to get their dim sims and their treat for the week. Families shared their stories about celebrating 90th and 100th birthdays there. It was an institution. Good luck with your retirement, Sue and Peter. You will be missed. Toi Shan will be missed.
Hinkler Electorate: Humpback Whales
Mr BATT (Hinkler—Deputy Nationals Whip) (13:40): Yesterday, in my first speech to the House, I had the privilege of talking about my home of Hinkler, a home I proudly share with the majestic humpback whales. At this time of year, migration season, the mammals play and stay in waters off Hervey Bay, the world's very first whale heritage site. Earlier this month, I attended the annual blessing of the fleet, an initiative of Fraser Coast Tourism & Events. It's a tradition steeped in history, tracing back to the Mediterranean fishing villages where communities sought blessings for protection and prosperity at sea.
In the 1980s, Australia's very first commercial whale watching took place in Hervey Bay, and science shows it's the only place the whales stop for a while. They enjoy the warm and shallow waters. Who wouldn't? They're not in a rush. They don't want to leave. For three months a year, from mid-July to October, around 55,000 tourists enjoy this signature experience. It bolsters our local economy to the tune of between $11 million and $12 million each year. More than a dozen official operators take people into this pristine and natural wonder. You can watch whales from the boat. You can even swim with them. Hervey Bay is known across the globe as the whale-watching capital. I wish all the operators in the tourism sector the very best for a safe and successful season. I invite all members and visitors from near and far to come and enjoy the best whale-watching experience at the home of the humpback whales, Hervey Bay.
Northern Territory: Juvenile Detention
Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (13:41): The Country Liberal Party won the 2024 Northern Territory election and formed government nearly a year ago, so we are close to the end of their so-called year of action, but hopes for evidence based policies have been all but crushed. Deputy Speaker Claydon, it is important, as you know and all honourable members should know, that we listen to experts. Today I echo the advice that 45 paediatricians have provided to the NT chief minister. They say, 'Adolescence is a developmental period which offers a window of opportunity to promote positive connections, to protect from harm and to provide safety.' Their advice includes permanent banning of spit hoods in youth detention; providing early paediatric neurodevelopment assessment, health and education support in youth detention; and prioritising therapeutic, community based diversionary alternatives.
It is clear that the CLP lacks the capability and intent to keep young Territorians safe and to support them. Examples include their move away from diversion and the delay of the federally funded $5 million youth engagement hub in Casuarina, which, despite being shovel ready, is now up in the air. The NT government is responsible for law and order, but it is also responsible for youth services that work.
New South Wales: Honours and Awards
Mr GEE (Calare) (13:43): Last year, it was announced that emergency responders, volunteers and community workers involved in the February and March 2022 floods in northern New South Wales and Queensland were rightly eligible for the National Emergency Medal. However, despite the extraordinary acts of courage and service from our responders and volunteers during the central western New South Wales floods of November 2022, these Australian heroes are still not eligible for this honour and recognition. Eugowra was the scene of the biggest helicopter rescue in Australia's history.
Last year, I wrote to the Governor-General and the Prime Minister requesting that the medal be made available to those who served during that traumatic and tragic time for our region. In July last year, I met with the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister to request that he raise this with the National Emergency Medal Committee. He undertook to do so. During question time last year, I asked the Prime Minister whether the medal would be extended to those who served during the Central West floods. I was told by the then minister for home affairs that the government would liaise with the National Emergency Medal Committee and come back to me with a response. The Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister later confirmed that the medal committee had been contacted. However, to date, no further information has been forthcoming. I once again urge the government and the Governor-General to extend eligibility for the National Emergency Medal to those who served the Central West with such distinction during the devastating floods of 2022. Our community members deserve nothing less.
Banks Electorate: Community Organisations
Mr SOON (Banks) (13:45): I stand to acknowledge some of the 19 fantastic groups in my electorate that are receiving funding from the Stronger Communities Programme. The Padstow RSL does fantastic work supporting our community, especially our veterans. They have received $15,000 to undertake refurbishments and expand their memorabilia cabinet, ensuring that the contributions of our veterans are never forgotten. Every member of this place knows the contributions that scouts groups make to the personal development of our young people. The Oatley Bay Sea Scouts in my electorate are no different, and they have been approved for $10,000 in funding to renovate their boatshed and replace the rusting doors with a future-proof solution.
The Picnic Point Primary School P&C has been approved for $2½ thousand to complete the construction of a war memorial on their school grounds, in conjunction with the Panania Diggers club. Picnic Point was my primary school, and I'm so pleased this government can support it. The Tower Street Public School P&C has received $10,000 to construct a unique outdoor learning space to enable greater collaboration among students and to be a focal point for cultural celebrations. It is also a school I am very familiar with, having gone to after-school care there for a number of years as a young man. Finally, $8,000 has been earmarked for the Lugano Public School P&C to purchase picnic tables for their playground, to double as an outdoor learning space.
I'm so pleased to congratulate these groups in my electorate for their great work.
Climate Change
Ms CHANEY (Curtin) (13:46): This week, the Western Australian Liberal Party state council supported a motion to abandon our net zero target for 2050, and this motion came out of the division of Canning. This brings them in line with the member for New England. Nationals policy seems to be taking over what's left of the coalition. This is an extraordinary step backwards. Once again, it's showing that members of the coalition are refusing to listen to the message of the last two elections. Returning to the climate wars is economic sabotage and a political own goal. They're turning their backs on the prosperity, health and wellbeing of our children.
Businesses and investors are ready and willing to invest in industries of the future, but they need policy certainty, not mixed messages coming from our politicians. We have the best renewable resources in the world, and we can build a future powered by the sun and the wind. We have an abundance of critical minerals that the world wants and experience building big projects. Not many countries have as bright a future as we do in a net zero world, but that is only if we reach out and grab these opportunities. This is a future that the people of Curtin and most Australians are fighting for. The coalition as a whole must decide if it's in favour of Australia having a flourishing economic future on a liveable planet or against it.
Hands Off Foundation
Ms DOYLE (Aston) (13:48): I want to acknowledge the remarkable work of a charity based in my electorate, the Hands Off Foundation, a grassroots organisation making a real difference to the lives of victims-survivors of sexual assault and violence. From emergency accommodation and counselling to transport and relocation costs, they offer safety, dignity and hope in the most difficult moments.
Last Friday night, I had the honour of attending their annual gala dinner, which was an inspiring evening that brought together local communities, survivors, advocates and allies with a shared commitment to end gender based violence. The event was both moving and powerful not only for the courage of stories shared but for the strength of the collective action it represented. We were very privileged to hear from keynote speaker Rosie Batty, whose fierce advocacy continues to lead the national conversation on family violence. Her words were a powerful reminder of the fundamental role that charities play in providing urgent support and resources to victims-survivors.
To all at Hands Off Foundation and, especially, to the wonderful Donna Jordan, the founder of Hands Off Foundation: thank you for showing courage, for taking action and, most importantly, for believing in survivors. Your work changes lives and deserves our deepest respect and support.
Rural and Regional Health Services
National Disability Insurance Scheme
Mr RICK WILSON (O'Connor) (13:49): I rise today to call out the Albanese government for its neglect of regional Australians. Throughout the recent election campaign, the Prime Minister flashed his Medicare card around, stating that this would be the only card needed to visit a doctor. For many constituents of O'Connor, this was never going to be their reality. They may be living in towns that may not even have a doctor, much less one that offers bulk-billing. And, as of 1 July, the changes to the NDIS, particularly the change to the travel labour charge rate, have resulted in even less essential service delivery to the bush. I've spoken to NDIS service providers who say that these latest changes, introduced with only two weeks notice, leave them with little option but to reduce or cease services. We're talking about providers who regularly travel up to 12 hours to service some of O'Connor's most isolated and disadvantaged communities. They're now saying that providing these outreach services will be financially unviable. Due to the tyranny of distance, many O'Connor constituents eligible for the NDIS have never been able to use their plan, and so many more will now be excluded from services that cannot be substituted with telehealth or any other remote form of delivery. Again the people of the bush are left behind by policies designed with only city and suburban voters in mind.
Gorton Electorate: Community Events
Ms JORDAN-BAIRD (Gorton) (13:50): Congratulations to Caroline Springs Rotary Club president-elect Martin Farrugia and a heartfelt thanks to Ronald Moss for his incredible leadership and dedication during his term as Rotary president. Ronald's unwavering commitment to service has been truly inspiring and of enormous value to our community. A huge congratulations on the Rotary club's upcoming 10-year anniversary. I'm looking forward to the celebrations.
At the Albanvale Football Netball Club, the volunteers are its beating heart. Last Saturday, I had the honour of attending the annual ladies day event in Deer Park. Dressed in pink, we raised awareness and funds for breast cancer research. Two footy games were played and medals presented in honour of Julie Smith and Jemma Boyd, two local women lost to breast cancer. I'd like to pay tribute to these amazing women and pass on my condolences to their families during this difficult time. Thank you to our local legends, Saffron and Jo, who coordinated this event. I am already looking forward to next year.
Today I met two inspiring young leaders from the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network. Like for 80 per cent of the Gorton electorate, migration is part of Tumu and Neerja's stories. Tumu is passionate about improving mental health outcomes for young refugees like himself. Neerja's a uni student from Caroline Springs, right in the heart of Gorton. With her initiative, Law on the Go, Neerja hopes to increase access to legal services for CALD communities on employment rights, visas, housing disputes and discrimination. This is critical to breaking down barriers for young people and migrants in our community. Thank you to Tumu and Neerja for being a shining example of the value multicultural youth bring to our wonderful country.
McPherson Electorate: Community Events
Mr REBELLO (McPherson) (13:52): I rise today to share some of the fantastic local events that I've had the pleasure of attending since becoming the member for McPherson. Since my declaration in early June, I've wasted no time in getting to work for the people of the southern Gold Coast. In just nine weeks, I've attended over 110 community engagements, meeting hundreds of locals, small businesses and community groups.
Recently, I had the honour of attending the Queensland Police Service Gold Coast District Medals and Awards Presentation, where I congratulated some of our most dedicated officers. Senior Constable Kurt Foessel received a second clasp to the National Medal for 35 years of service, and Senior Constable Helen Redhead was recognised for her leadership on domestic violence initiatives in Mudgeeraba.
Another highlight was the 95th Mudgeeraba Agricultural Show, a reminder of our region's rich diversity and history. First held in 1928, this iconic event has everything from miniature goats to pig racing. It remains a favourite of mine on the Gold Coast calendar. This year I even found myself with a giant snake draped over my shoulders, which, I suppose, is a fair warning to anyone considering public life.
We also recently celebrated the Cooly Rocks On, an iconic event where the southern Gold Coast steps back in time with classic cars, vintage fashion, old school rock 'n' roll and, of course, the ultimate Elvis tribute artist competition. It was a pleasure to join locals and visitors alike in celebrating what makes our region so unique.
Cessnock Minor Rugby League Club
Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (13:53): In the Hunter, we have a proud record of creating sporting superstars. So many come from our region. But, to make a superstar, it starts with having amazing community sporting clubs, and we have some of the best. They are winning awards left, right and centre. I'm proud to congratulate the Cessnock Minor Rugby League Club, who were recently named New South Wales Rugby League Community Club of the Year. Congratulations to all the hardworking players, coaches, volunteers, families and supporters of the Goannas. This award is for you. You make our community proud every day. In particular, New South Wales Rugby League recognised Cessnock Minor Rugby League Club's innovative mentorship program, which pairs new players with older, more experienced players to help build their skills and confidence. This program has made the Goannas an attractive club to play for, and membership is up 28 per cent to almost 600 players right now. This is a great award, well deserved. As part of this award the Goannas received a $2,000 Steeden voucher, which they paid forward by sharing with other regional clubs around the Hunter. They didn't have to do that, and it shows the great team spirit the Goannas have.
You're good people doing good things. Congratulations to you all. To all the sporting clubs around the country, remember if you're ever hurt on a sporting field, make sure you get down to your local Medicare urgent care clinic to get the help you need, because all you need is your Medicare card.
Parkes Electorate: Federal Election
Mr CHAFFEY (Parkes) (13:55): Yesterday I delivered my first speech in this chamber, and I spoke of the very many who supported my campaign. Now I'd like to thank them personally. I'd like to thank the New South Wales Nationals team—state chairman Rick Colless, state director Tory Mencshelyi, Fran, Connor, Nick, Ivy and Lachie 'Sheep Dog' Sullivan—and give a special mention to Dick Estens for his enormous commitment during the campaign; Alex White, who was born to campaign; Mark Hathway, who spent the week in Cobar; Ryan and Amanda Hunter in Walgett; Tom Chessum in Bourke prepoll; and Lisa and John Minogue in Barmedman, particularly for their special care package on election day.
I'd like to thank Clyde from Broken Hill; Mary and Ross from Broken Hill; Mary and Peter from Broken Hill; Kay and the late Colin from Broken Hill; Heather from Broken Hill; Chris from Broken Hill; Chris and Herma from Broken Hill; Annette and Barry from Broken Hill; Ellen from Broken Hill; Rob from Broken Hill; Chris from Broken Hill; Max and Diana from Ivanhoe; David Lane from Lightning Ridge; Peter Taylor from Moree; Brendon, Catherine and Lisa from Moree; Jocellin and John from Narrabri; Dave from Narrabri; Ang from Gunnedah; Peter and Julianna from Gunnedah; Marilyn, Tony and Cindy Pollock from Gunnedah; Ross from Coonabarabran; Warwick and Julie from Coonabarabran; Donna from Coonabarabran; Max Zell from Gilgandra; Andrew Schier from Gilgandra; Rolly Lawford from Gilgandra; Graham from Coonamble; Pat from Coonamble; Jess from Coonamble; Latta from Coonamble; Richard from Nyngan; George and Margaret from Tottenham; John from Tottenham; Pauline from Dubbo; Shibli from Dubbo; John from Dubbo; Trevor from Dubbo; Michael from Dubbo; Mike and Melva from Dubbo; and so many more. (Time expired)
Eastern Community Legal Centre
Mr NG (Menzies) (13:56): I want to the acknowledge outstanding work of the Eastern Community Legal Centre—based in Box Hill, in the electorate I represent—which continues to be a lifeline for so many across the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Having volunteered at community legal centres myself, I know how vital they are in supporting some of the most vulnerable in our community, particularly victims-survivors of family violence. This is why it's wonderful to hear that the Albanese Labor government will invest $1.865 million in legal assistance services under the National Access to Justice Partnership.
This is part of our record investment, the biggest investment ever made in frontline family violence services, demonstrating our government's commitment to addressing the scourge of family violence. It's something that's often in the headlights and something we need to ensure we maintain a focus on. ECLC will also receive $1.1 million for elder abuse response services. ECLC is a leader in raising awareness of this often underrecognised issue, a form of family violence which affects some of the most vulnerable in our community and which we need to raise further awareness of. This funding will go a long way in supporting ECLC to continue to deliver the critical services in the electorate that I represent, and I want to thank the Attorney-General for taking the time to visit them recently.
Taxation: Superannuation
Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper) (13:58): On this side of the floor we believe in aspiration, a reward for effort and a super system that encourages responsible saving for your own retirement. We support farmers, businesses and entrepreneurs, and we recognise their contributions to the economy. But that's not a belief held by those on that side. Their new dangerous superannuation tax's $3 million balance threshold might make for easy sound bites—they're professing to tax the rich—but the reality is that thousands of family farms, start-ups and small businesses are the ones who will be punished. By taxing unrealised capital gains, they will be taxed on things like rising land values, even if the businesses or farms haven't made a cent. Many will be forced to sell up to pay the bill. It's a real tax on imaginary income.
It's an Australian first, and not one to be proud of, Mr Prime Minister. Without indexation, millions more will be targeted in years to come, but Labor don't care because, by freezing the threshold, they can make the budget look much better on paper. It's no more than accounting trickery to cook the books to mask their impending decade of deficits. This isn't about catching tricky rich folk; it's a desperate move by a tricky treasurer. We all know that, when Labor run out of money, they'll come for yours.
The SPEAKER: In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.
MINISTRY
Temporary Arrangements
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (14:00): I inform the House that the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories and Minister for Emergency Management will be absent from question time today. The Minister for Home Affairs will answer questions on her behalf in relation to emergency management, and the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government will answer questions on her behalf in relation to regional development, local government and territories.
CONDOLENCES
His Holiness Pope Francis
Report from Federation Chamber
Order of the day returned from Federation Chamber for further consideration; certified copy of the motion presented.
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That the House record its sadness at the death, on 21 April 2025, of His Holiness Pope Francis, formerly Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, place on record its gratitude for his life of service, compassion and leadership, and tender its sympathy to Australian Catholics and people of all faiths who mourn his passing.
The SPEAKER (14:01): The question is that the motion moved by the honourable Prime Minister be agreed to. As a mark of respect, I ask all present to signify their approval by rising in their places.
Question agreed to, honourable members standing in their places.
Nixon, Hon. Peter James, AO
Report from Federation Chamber
Order of the day returned from Federation Chamber for further consideration; certified copy of the motion presented.
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That the House record its deep regret at the death, on 1 May 2025, of the Honourable Peter James Nixon AO, a former Minister and Member of this House for the Division of Gippsland from 1961 to 1983, place on record its appreciation of his long and meritorious public service, and tender its profound sympathy to his family in their bereavement.
The SPEAKER (14:01): The question is the motion moved by the honourable Prime Minister be agreed to. As a mark of respect, I ask all present to signify their approval by rising in their places.
Question agreed to, honourable members standing in their places.
Cameron, Mr Martin Bruce
Stone, Mr John Owen, AO
The SPEAKER (14:02): I inform the House of the deaths of Martin Bruce Cameron and John Owen Stone AO, former senators. Martin Cameron died on 24 June 2025. He represented the state of South Australia in 1969. John Stone died on 17 July 2025. He represented the state of Queensland from 1987 to 1990. As a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, I invite all present to rise in their places.
Honourable members having stood in their places—
The SPEAKER: I thank the House.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Energy
Ms LEY (Farrer—Leader of the Opposition) (14:02): My question is to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister explain why 63,000 more Australian families are on hardship assistance arrangements for their power bills today than on the day Labor took office three years ago?
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (14:03): One of the things that my government has done, of course, is introduce energy bill relief—three lots of energy bill relief, all of which were opposed by those opposite. The latest element of energy bill relief began on 1 July and will extend until 31 December. We are engaging, as we have, in the immediate support for people and for small business in energy bill relief.
The second thing that we did as a government—and I'm asked about last term—was to intervene in the gas and coal market to put a cap on prices. That was a very significant intervention, and it's true that it wasn't something that we took to the 2022 election. But it was something that we did in partnership with a responsible Liberal government, led by Dominic Perrottet, in New South Wales. What that was about was making sure that the global spike in energy—the biggest global spike in energy prices and pressure that we had seen since the 1970s—was dealt with in a responsible way. We did that in New South Wales and in Queensland in particular.
Thirdly, yesterday there was a question from the member for Monash—her first question. I congratulate her on her election to the House of Representatives and on giving her first speech in this place. In her first question, she asked in part—not her fault—about permanent reductions in people's energy bills. That is precisely what batteries storing energy from solar panels on roofs does.
The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition, on a point of order?
Ms Ley: The point is on relevance, Mr Speaker. The question was: 'Why are more families struggling?' In outlining these actions, the Prime Minister seems to be confirming that he caused this but is not explaining why families are struggling.
The SPEAKER: The Prime Minister is answering the question.
Mr ALBANESE: Notwithstanding the verballing in that point of order, the batteries program that began on 1 July has already been taken up by 18,000 households. What that will do, of course, isn't just benefit those households, but, because it takes pressure off the grid, it benefits all households. On 3 May, of course, there was an alternative to the government's plan. The alternative was the nuclear plan. The former leader went nowhere near any of the sites.
The SPEAKER: Order! The Prime Minister wasn't asked about alternative policies.
Mr ALBANESE: I wonder if the current leader takes up the opportunity to visit those nuclear reactor sites. (Time expired)
Tertiary Education
Ms CLUTTERHAM (Sturt) (14:06): My question is to the Prime Minister. How will the Albanese Labor government's commitment to cut student debt benefit Australian university and VET students?
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (14:07): I thank the member for Sturt for her question, and I congratulate her on her election to this House and a fantastic first speech in this House. Of course, I had met the member for Sturt before. We travelled in November to Adelaide, to the electorate of Sturt, where we launched this very policy. When we launched it, we said that it would make a difference to around three million Australians, to the tune of $5½ thousand each, putting dollars back into the pockets of Australians—three million of them. But we didn't just do that to deal with the question of intergenerational equity and making the system fairer. Our changes also raise the repayment threshold and lower the rate of repayments, indexing both of them to keep them fair in the future. This legislation passed both houses of parliament earlier today. It means someone earning $70,000 in the member for Sturt's electorate will save $1,300 a year in repayments—a structural and lasting boost in take-home pay.
Now, part of our vision for a fairer future for younger Australians is also changes to mortgage rules so banks don't automatically penalise someone with a student debt when they want to borrow money to buy a house. The combination of the 20 per cent cut in debt, a boost to take-home pay through a fairer repayment system and fairer mortgage rules, when taken together, all aim at helping young Australians to build the future that they want, whether it's buying a home, starting a family or growing their career. Labor is the party of education, and Labor is the party of aspiration. Today, we voted for both. Those opposite went to the election saying that they were opposed to the cut in student debt and to the fairer repayments and to these measures that we put before the parliament after the election. They said it was 'unfair'. They said it was not an 'equitable position' to take forward. They said that we're advantaging university students, even though it applies to TAFE as well. Now, today in the Senate—
Mr Chester interjecting—
Mr ALBANESE: The member helpfully calls out, suggesting that it's vote buying. What it's doing is providing cost-of-living relief, Member for Gippsland—something that they opposed in the Senate today. They all abstained. None of them could even walk into the chamber to vote for this change. (Time expired)
Energy
Ms LEY (Farrer—Leader of the Opposition) (14:10): My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Minister, what is the average monthly household power bill today, and what was it when Labor took office three years ago?
Mr BOWEN (McMahon—Minister for Climate Change and Energy) (14:10): I thank the honourable Leader of the Opposition for the question. It varies from state to state. In New South Wales the average wholesale price today is $127.72. The average at the election was $320.48. In Queensland the average today is $107.39. The average on election day was $347.28. In South Australia the average today is $185.27. The average on election day was $312.30.
Opposition members interjecting—
Mr BOWEN: I was asked the question, Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER: Order on my right. Members on my right—the member for Aston will cease interjecting.
Mr Thompson interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The member for Herbert is not helping. He won't be here to hear anything else if he keeps that up. The Leader of the Opposition is going to be heard in silence when she raises her point of order.
Ms Ley: A point of order on relevance: despite the rapid-fire delivery from the minister, it is clear that he is giving wholesale prices, not household prices. The question was about retail prices, and he does know the difference.
The SPEAKER: Order. Just before we go too far down this road, I'm just reminding the Leader of the Opposition, to assist me and to assist the House, that it's not an opportunity to add extra things. It's just to get up and state the point of order. The point of order that she took was obviously about relevance. The minister was asked about average household power bill prices. He is giving information to the House. There was too much noise, and it will greatly assist the House if I can concentrate on the minister's answer. He's less than a minute in. I will ask him to be directly relevant to the question he was asked about and, where possible, provide the information to the House.
Mr BOWEN: Certainly, Mr Speaker; thank you. Obviously, the honourable member asked me about power prices. I'm providing her, the Leader of the Opposition—
Opposition members interjecting—
Mr BOWEN: The Leader of the Opposition asked specifically about prices today compared to election day, and I'm providing that. In Victoria the average household—wholesale price today is $126.83. On election day, it was $233.
Opposition members interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Order! No. The Leader of the Nationals.
Mr BOWEN: The Leader of the Opposition asked about power prices, and I say—
Mr Littleproud interjecting—
The SPEAKER: No, the minister will pause. The Leader of the Nationals has had a very good go this week. I'm going to ask him to cease interjecting. It's his voice I hear more than anyone else's. Minister, return to the question.
Mr BOWEN: Perhaps I could say that we on this side of the House agree that Australians have looked and will continue to look to the government to do more to assist on household energy bills. The work is far from done. We've delivered three rounds of energy bill relief, but we recognise that, around the world, including in Australia, power prices have been higher than anyone would like. Of course we do. That's why we have taken such action. That's why, for example, after the election, I announced a very significant change to the default market offer—a review to effectively change the way the default market offer works—to put Australian households at the centre, to prioritise Australian households, to stop sneaky price hikes by retailers. For example, there can be only one price rise a year, to prevent customers charged more than the standing offer price if their initial low-cost offer changes. That's the sort of thing we did last term and will continue to do this term.
Now, it's true that the Australian people knew what we took to the 2022 election. They knew what we did in the last term. They knew the challenges we faced with global headlines. They knew that and they cast judgement on 3 May. The then Leader of the Opposition said at the last election:
I'm very happy for the election to be a referendum on energy, on nuclear, on power prices, on lights going out, on who has a sustainable pathway for our country going forward.
That's what the then Leader of the Opposition called for, campaigning across the country, including on several occasions in my own electorate. I campaigned in his electorate, to be fair. I was satisfied with the result in both. The Australian people had a choice. We accept that result. We accept it with humility. I'd encourage those opposite to do the same.
Tertiary Education
Mr MONCRIEFF (Hughes) (14:15): My question is to the Minister for Education. How is the Albanese Labor government helping Australians with student debt, and what support has it received?
Mr CLARE (Blaxland—Minister for Education) (14:15): I thank my good friend the member for Hughes for his question. On 3 May, Australians voted for tax cuts, they voted for free TAFE, they voted for urgent care clinics, they voted for the biggest investment in Medicare ever and they voted for this—to cut student debt by 20 per cent. And, today, we delivered. This will help 17,000 people in the electorate of Hughes, 22,000 people in the electorate of Barton, 18,000 people in the electorate of Lindsay, 23,000 people in the electorate of Cunningham, 19,000 people in Wright, 20,000 people in Greenway, 15,000 people in New England, 21,000 people in Tangney, 17,000 people in Page, 21,000 people in Fisher and, in the great electorate of Oxley, 24,000 people. All up, that's more than three million Australians. This will save millions of Australians thousands of dollars.
The average HECS debt today is about 27,000 grand. This will cut that debt by about $5,500. A lot of those debts belong to young Australians. Young people don't always see something for them on the ballot paper when there's an election, but they did this year and they voted for it in their millions. For young people just out of TAFE, just out of uni, just out of home and just getting started, this will take a weight off their backs.
Now that the legislation has passed, the tax office can get to work. They've now got the certainty that they need to make this a reality. This is a big piece of work. There are about 50,000 lines of code that they've got to write. This will take a bit of time. But now the bill has passed this 20 per cent cut is locked in and will be backdated to 1 June before indexation happened. We are doing that for a reason—to make sure that we honour in full the promise that we made to the Australian people that we would cut their debt by 20 per cent. You will get a text message when it's done. After today, that 20 per cent cut is guaranteed. That's a great thing for millions of Australians.
DISTINGUISHED VISITORS
North Queensland Delegation
The SPEAKER (14:18): I am pleased to inform the House that in the gallery today we are joined by a delegation from North Queensland, including Mr Robbie Katter MP, the state member for Traeger; the Mount Isa City Council mayor, Councillor Peta MacRae; the Townsville City Council acting mayor, Councillor Ann-Maree Greaney; the Cloncurry Shire Council mayor, Councillor Greg Campbell; and workers from the powerhouse city of Mt Isa. Welcome to you all.
Honourable members: Hear, hear!
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Veterans
Mr GEE (Calare) (14:18): My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide highlighted the tragic human cost of our country failing to properly care for our ADF personnel, veterans and their families. Veterans' and families' wellbeing hubs are a step in setting things right. We have thousands of veterans in the Calare electorate, but there are no hubs in the Central West of New South Wales. The Bathurst and Orange RSL sub-branches want to establish a hub in Bathurst and Orange, with outreach hubs in smaller communities. Will you meet with our local veterans and consider this proposal?
Mr KEOGH (Burt—Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel) (14:19): I thank the member for his very important question and very much recognise the place he comes from as an experienced member dealing with veterans' issues as a former minister for veterans' affairs who very much put himself on the line when making sure he was standing up for getting services for veterans.
As the member pointed out, the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide went to and spoke about the importance of dealing with more holistic wellbeing and care for the veteran community. Certainly, when we went to the 2022 election and made our commitment to rolling out 10 veterans and families hubs across the country, we made sure that we selected locations based on the highest concentration of veterans and families around the country as the priority areas to focus on in rolling out those hubs. It means that we are now in the progress of already having open and rolled out some 17 veterans and families hubs. I really like to emphasise the point that these are hubs to support services for veterans—and families as well.
In the final report of the royal commission there were a number of recommendations that went to veteran and family wellbeing—in particular, recommendations going to the ongoing operation of the veterans and families hubs and tying them into the work of one of the other recommendations, which was to establish a specialist wellbeing agency within the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The government has already accepted that recommendation, and we've funded DVA to conduct the co-design work with the veteran community to ensure that there is proper consultation across the veteran community with what that wellbeing agency will look like and how it will interface with the veteran and family hub network across Australia to make sure that veterans—no matter where they are located—are able to access the supports they need to have improved wellbeing.
To that end, I am certainly very happy to meet with the member for Calare and to come out and meet with the Bathurst and Orange RSLs so that I can understand and we can make sure that we are delivering the sorts of wellbeing benefits, services and supports that veterans and families in your area—just as we want across the entire country—get the service and support that they need and deserve. I look forward to coming out to your community to meet with your veteran community as well.
Economy
Mr SOON (Banks) (14:21): My question is to the Treasurer. What preparations are being made for the Economic Reform Roundtable next month? How will the government's efforts help tackle the big challenges in our economy?
Dr CHALMERS (Rankin—Treasurer) (14:22): I thank the outstanding new member for Banks for his question. I congratulate him on his victory and on his first speech as well.
This week we got a really important reminder in the inflation numbers of the progress that Australians have made together over the course of the last three years or so. What is especially heartening is that, at the same time as we have worked to get inflation down to around a third of what we inherited, it has meant that we've got real wages growing again and living standards growing again. We've kept unemployment low, we've delivered a couple of surpluses and we got the Liberal debt down. That is all important and meaningful progress.
No major advanced economy has achieved what Australia has—inflation in the low twos, unemployment in the low fours, three years of continuous economic growth—but we do know that there is more work to do, because the global environment is uncertain, because growth is not what we want it to be in our economy. We've got persistent structural issues in our economy and we know that people are still under pressure. That's why the primary focus of this government in the first parliamentary fortnight of the new government has been to deliver the cost-of-living relief that we promised at the election—to roll that out. It's also why we've got a big economic agenda already when it comes to skills and energy, housing and competition policy, and in other areas.
It's also in these particularly persistent structural issues in our economy, which is why we will be convening the Economic Reform Roundtable next month here in Canberra. This is all about building consensus around next steps and how we deal with these big economic challenges. We've been very grateful for the engagement that we've already seen from right around the country. I thank and pay tribute to the ministers here for the work that they're doing in engaging with stakeholders in their own portfolios. There has been a lot of engagement already. It will be a busy three days, and in the next day or so I will be releasing the agenda for those three days of the Economic Reform Roundtable.
I want to make it clear that we do not expect there to be a unanimous view from everyone who comes to the roundtable—of course not! It would be pointless if that were the case. And we don't expect to solve every single problem in our economy in three days—some of these problems have been building for three decades. But we do expect the roundtable to help set some general directions and to pitch up specific ideas. There will be more work for the government to do after the roundtable and in advance of the next budget.
We have made good progress together in our economy as Australians. We do have a big agenda we're rolling out. This government figures the best way to work out the next steps is to do that together, and that's what the reform roundtable is all about.
Renewable Energy
Mr TEHAN (Wannon) (14:25): My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Will the minister confirm that the government will meet its renewable energy target of 82 per cent by 2030?
Mr BOWEN (McMahon—Minister for Climate Change and Energy) (14:25): I can absolutely confirm it is this government's intention to continue to work towards that target in 2030. Absolutely! And I'm pleased to tell the honourable member that we are making very good progress towards it. It is 2025, we are working towards that 2030 target and we're making good progress. In the last financial year, 4.4 gigawatts of new renewable energy were added to the grid—not investment decisions but gigawatts added to the grid, up and running. But the pipeline was 15.6 gigawatts, which is a massive amount of renewable energy. I know it upsets those opposite to hear those points.
Just this week, it was announced there was a billion dollars to be invested in Australia's renewable energy system by a very large international investor. This is good news—at least we think it is on this side of the House. Just today, AGL announced a multihundred-million dollar investment in energy storage in our country, which is a good thing. All this leads to an addition to the renewable energy pipeline for our country. We think that's a good thing; they think it's a bad thing.
Mr Tehan: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
The SPEAKER: Has the minister concluded his answer?
Mr BOWEN: No.
The SPEAKER: Well, the minister was very clear with his response. He did address the question within seconds of the direct question he was asked. I fail to see how on earth there could possibly be a question on relevance here, when he specifically addressed the question. So I will not take frivolous points of order on relevance. I'm just giving the member fair warning that the minister was asked a question and he responded directly to it.
Mr Tehan: My point of order is on relevance. It's a serious point of relevance, and I would like some reverence as I deal with that relevance.
The SPEAKER: Order! Get to the point.
Mr Tehan: The question very clearly asks: will the government meet? It didn't talk about intentions; it talked about whether the government will meet its renewable—
The SPEAKER: Resume your seat. Look, we're going down a bad path here. People don't like the answer to the question, and we're getting into the semantics of exactly—the minister was being directly relevant within seconds of answering your question. You might not have liked it, but, you know, we've got to be real here, so I'm asking everyone to get with the program.
Mr BOWEN: In addition to that big battery that has been announced today, I can confirm what the Prime Minister told the House just a few moments ago: in the last four weeks, 18,336 Australian households have added a battery to their household under the Albanese government's cheaper home battery policy.
The honourable gentleman opposite asked me, 'Will we meet our targets?' I believe we will. But we also know what that target is, and I believe in it. It takes some temerity from those opposite to ask this side of the House about meeting our targets when they can't agree on whether they have a target! The House, just before question time, voted to bring on the member for New England's bill for a vote next sitting week. Do you know who voted to bring on the bill? This side of the House plus the member for New England. Everybody else over there voted against the House getting the chance to vote on their bill—even the seconder of the bill, the second person in the bromance, the member for Riverina. We know what our targets are, and we know how to get there. We intend to get there. They don't even know what their target is.
I apologise to the member for Riverina for the connection with the member for New England.
The SPEAKER: The standing orders are going to be followed, and I'm going to call the member for Riverina on a point of order. The question's finished. It's not about relevance. I'll ask you to assist the House with what the point of order is on.
Mr McCormack: It's for the sake of accuracy. I didn't second the bill; the member for Flynn did. So get your facts right for once.
Lung Cancer
Ms URQUHART (Braddon) (14:30): My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering life-saving cancer-screening programs, and why is it important that Australians continue to receive cheaper medicines to help with their treatment?
Mr BUTLER (Hindmarsh—Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Minister for Health and Ageing and Deputy Leader of the House) (14:30): Thanks to the member for Braddon. Yesterday I talked about how Australia's PBS gives us all access to the world's best medicines at affordable prices—medicines that have helped to dramatically drive up survival rates for diseases like cancer in recent years and medicines that we're determined to make even cheaper.
But great medicines are only effective with good and timely diagnosis, and this is why survival rates for lung cancer have not improved as much as for other cancers. Although it's only the fifth most common cancer in Australia, it is by far the biggest killer among cancers, largely because it's picked up too late. When symptoms first emerge, treatments like surgery and medicines are basically ineffective. That's why in the 2023 budget the Treasurer announced $260 million to introduce one of the world's first lung cancer screening programs, the first new program for cancer in 20 years, to pick up more cancers early, when they're able to be treated. From the beginning of this month, Australians aged 50 to 70 with a significant history of smoking can access a fully bulk-billed lung scan. Thousands of Australians have already lined up for their free scan, and, already, lives are being saved.
For example, Patrick from Melbourne, who's 65 years of age, happened to get referred after he had a consultation about sleep apnoea. His scan found a stage 1 lung tumour the size of a grape instead of the size of a grapefruit. He's already had surgery, and his prospects are excellent. A thoracic radiologist, Catherine, told me earlier this week, at a lung cancer screening event, that she picked up, in the first two days of the program, a stage 2 lung tumour that within as little as three months would have grown to a stage 4 tumour and almost certainly would have killed that patient.
We're taking this program to rural and remote areas, like the member for Braddon's electorate, as well—areas that don't have radiology clinics in their towns, like many parts of communities that members opposite and on this side represent. Mobile screening trucks that are built right here in Australia, run by Heart of Australia, are going to be rolling out to rural and remote communities right around Australia to ensure that every Australian, no matter where they live, has this new chance of survival. This world-leading program, which is being watched right around the world, is going to save hundreds and hundreds of Australian lives every single year—because we're utterly determined to make sure that no-one is left behind as we go about the work of strengthening Medicare.
Energy
Mr BATT (Hinkler—Deputy Nationals Whip) (14:33): My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Christine from Bundaberg North is a resident in my electorate of Hinkler. Christine is 74 years old and, due to rising electricity prices and rent, has been forced to return to work at a local supermarket just to get by. Will the minister explain why Christine's electricity bill has not been reduced by $275, as promised 97 times?
Mr BOWEN (McMahon—Minister for Climate Change and Energy) (14:34): I thank the honourable member for his first question in the House. What the honourable member would be well advised to let Christine know is why his party voted three times against energy bill relief for her. That would be a useful thing for the honourable gentleman to communicate to Christine. We say to Christine: we know that your energy bill is high. That's why we worked so hard to bring it down; that's why we worked so hard on three rounds of energy bill relief; that's why we've worked so hard on energy market reform—so that Christine and everyone like her gets a fairer go in the energy system. That's why we are reforming the default market offer. These are all policies that we worked on in the first term of the Albanese government and are committed to—
Mr Small interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Order! There is far too much noise. Member for Forrest, you've been interjecting nonstop, every single question. You'll leave the chamber under standing order 94(a) for one hour.
The member for Forrest then left the chamber.
The SPEAKER: It applies to everyone. Whether this is your first term or you've been here for many terms, simply interjecting all the time is not acceptable. We're not having it today.
Mr BOWEN: The honourable member asked me about election commitments we made in 2022 and energy prices over that term. That's fair, and that was well traversed in the House in the last term as well. I pointed out that, at the last election, the Leader of the Opposition called for a referendum on energy prices, and the Australian people spoke very clearly.
But, as you know, Mr Speaker, I'm always looking for a bipartisan note to strike at the dispatch box. I'm always looking for a point of agreement—partisanship does not come naturally to me. So I'm pleased to be able to report that I am able to agree with the shadow minister for energy. I'm able to approvingly quote him, because, after question time yesterday, the shadow minister for energy went on Sky News and said: 'What we've said is we went to the last election with an energy policy. The Australian people have said they supported the approach that was made by the Albanese Labor government and the policies they took to the last election.' I could haven't said it better myself. The member for Wannon has made a fair point. We made commitments in the 2022 election; we sought to implement those; the Australian people cast judgement about that on 3 May. We will continue with the instruction the Australian people gave us—that is, to continue with the work of delivering the cheapest, most reliable and cleanest form of energy, which is renewables.
Opposition members interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BOWEN: They are triggered every time we mention renewable energy—I understand that. They are prejudiced against renewable energy, but the Australian people are showing with the decisions they are making each day, in their take-up of the Albanese Labor government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program and in the instructions they are giving the Australian government, that they want us to keep on with that job.
Workplace Relations
Mr MATT SMITH (Leichhardt) (14:37): My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. What action is the Albanese Labor government taking to protect penalty rates and overtime rates for workers? Why is this an urgent priority for the government?
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (14:37): I would like to thank the member for Leichhardt for his question and, of course, for the work he did in protecting workers' rights before he came to this place but also the work he continues to do right here in this parliament. The Albanese government has delivered landmark workplace relations reforms, with a clear goal to get wages moving again. We fought hard to deliver them because working Australians deserve decent pay and secure jobs. Our laws are working to deliver real wage increases. We are now seeing the strongest rate of annual wages growth in five years. Our work to protect the pay packets of Australians is continuing. We are delivering on our clear election commitment to protect penalty and overtime rates in modern awards.
I'm pleased to advise the House that legislation passed this House earlier today to safeguard fundamental entitlements of around 2.6 million modern-award reliant workers—because these workers deserve laws that ensure their pay does not go backwards. Penalty rates and overtime are a longstanding feature and a vital part of the modern award safety net, which supports our lowest paid workers. Workers who rely on penalty rates are more likely to be women, work part time, be under the age of 35 and be employed on a casual basis. They are people like Erin, who works in a grocery store in South Australia. She said: 'Earning penalty rates makes it worthwhile, while being away from family and not taking a day to be able to rest and recover. It's extra money earnt for choosing to work rather than enjoy a day off.' And there's Cooper on the Gold Coast. He said: 'Penalty rates aren't a bonus; they're an essential part of a modern worker's wage. That income comes at a personal cost: time lost with friends, missed milestones with family and social life sacrificed.' The action we have taken is clear and decisive. It is about protecting workers like Erin and Cooper's penalty rates and overtime rates.
I've been asked why this legislation is urgent. There are currently cases on foot where employers in retail, clerical and banking sectors are proposing to trade away penalty rates, leaving some of our lowest paid workers worse off. That is why our clear commitment is to protect penalty rates and overtime rates, and it is an urgent priority. The passage of our legislation through the House today clearly demonstrates our government is getting on with the job, delivering on our commitments to protect penalty and overtime rates.
Energy
Mr REBELLO (McPherson) (14:40): My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, and I refer to his previous answer about wholesale prices. Is the minister aware of wholesale price reporting released today that showed wholesale prices compared to the same last year rose by 25 per cent in Queensland and 21 per cent in Victoria? Did the minister ignore these figures in his previous answer?
Mr BOWEN (McMahon—Minister for Climate Change and Energy) (14:41): Of course, there are multiple reports out today from our energy regulators, including the one the member refers to. But the figures I was referring to were comparing energy prices today compared to election day, which is what I was asked. I apologise for using the frame that was put to me by the Leader of the Opposition. That was what I was asked to compare, and that's what I did. There are a number of reports out today, and if the honourable member wants to ask me about reports, I'm happy to refer to them, like the Australian Market Commission, which said:
… residential electricity prices in the National Electricity Market (NEM) could be around 13% lower in ten years' time if renewable energy and infrastructure development proceed as expected.
Or the Australian Energy Market Operator, who said:
… the … ISP confirms that renewable energy, connected by transmission and distribution, firmed with storage and backed up by gas-powered generation, is the lowest-cost way to supply electricity to homes and businesses as Australia transitions to a net zero economy.
And do you know what is interesting about renewable energy, backed by gas peaking, backed by storage? That's exactly the plan of the Albanese government; that's exactly the plan that we are implementing, a plan recommended and designed by Australian experts for Australian conditions. That's exactly what we are going about delivering. If the honourable member wants to know about expert reports, I'm happy to keep going. The CSIRO has found that renewables, including costs associated with additional storage and transmission, remain the lowest cost, lowest build technology.
Honourable members interjecting—
Mr BOWEN: Again, I should have issued a trigger warning that I was going to mention the CSIRO and science, because they don't like the CSIRO and science. It offends their sensibilities when the CSIRO, one of the world's premier scientific organisations, points out that renewable energy backed by firming and storage is the cheapest form of energy. That's about prices, I say to the Leader of the Opposition. So those opposite don't like renewable energy, they don't like science, and they don't like the CSIRO. I can't help that. What I can help are government policies to help those Australians who need it when it comes to their energy bills, and that's what this government will keep delivering.
Housing
Ms COMER (Petrie) (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Housing, Homelessness and Cities. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering on its commitment to make it easier to buy and better to rent? What stands in the way of delivering more homes?
Ms O'NEIL (Hotham—Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness and Minister for Cities) (14:43): I thank the member for Petrie for her question, and I want to acknowledge the wonderful and uplifting first speech she gave to this chamber on Monday. She's a real up-and-comer. Landed perfectly.
One of the consistent themes of our Labor first speeches has been the experience of hardship that a lot of our new MPs have brought to this chamber, and for so many of our incoming class of 2025, nothing has been handed to them. It takes so much courage and grit to see those challenges through and to get to a point where you're standing in this place and representing your community, and, again, housing has been so central to so many of the stories we've heard and that pride in being a part of a government that's stepped up on housing.
In our first term, our government took the Commonwealth from being a negligent bystander on housing to building the boldest and most ambitious housing agenda that a Commonwealth government has had since the Second World War. We're investing $43 billion in three things. We're building more homes, we're helping renters get a better deal and we're getting more Australians into homeownership, and this is having a real impact on the lives of the people we represent. In the last term, more than 175,000 Australians got into their first home with the backing of our government, more than a million Australian households benefited from a 45 per cent increase in Commonwealth rent assistance, and half a million homes were built in our country. Home building is turning a real corner. I can report to the House that, just a few hours ago, the ABS released data that shows that building approvals are up 27.4 per cent on the previous year.
This term we're going to be doing more. We're doing more to help first home buyers and we're doing more to build more homes. I want to work with colleagues right across the parliament in order to deliver those outcomes for Australians. Indeed, I met with the crossbench yesterday. We had a really good briefing about some of the challenges that are facing us in construction. It seems to me that we've got a whole parliament of people who want to work together on this national issue, except for those opposite.
Speaker, the first move that the coalition made this term on housing—you're not going to believe it—was to try to block the construction of 80,000 desperately needed new homes. This is not what the Australian people voted for in May. The Leader of the Opposition said that she wanted to do things differently, but Tom Forrest from Urban Taskforce Australia said the move that's being made here is 'a throwback to the failed housing policies of the Dutton leadership'. The opposition has a really clear choice here. They can continue to be housing hypocrites, complaining about a crisis that they were instrumental in creating and then voting against measures to try to address it, or they can do what the Australian people so clearly are asking of this parliament, and that is for us to work together to address this critical challenge in the lives of the people we represent.
Aged Care
Dr HAINES (Indi) (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors. The government's delay to the new aged-care system leaves nearly 90,000 people waiting for a home-care package—nearly 90,000 families under pressure. Despite this, the government ignored the call to fund 20,000 packages to bridge the gap to the new system in November. What are you doing to support these people in the meantime?
Mr RAE (Hawke—Minister for Aged Care and Seniors) (14:47): I thank the member for the question and I acknowledge her genuine interest in ensuring that every older Australian can access safe, dignified and high-quality aged care. In the last term of parliament my predecessor, the Minister for Communications, passed the new Aged Care Act with support from the opposition and constructive contributions from the crossbench. The parliament was able to come together on this work because care for older people should be above politics.
These once-in-a-generation reforms will deliver world-class aged-care services to the older Australians who worked hard to build our country and to whom we owe the very best care. Alongside these reforms comes Support at Home, to which the member's question refers, which will simplify current in-home care arrangements and deliver a system that will help older people stay at home for longer.
As our population ages, demand for home-care packages has grown very fast. It's now operating at record levels. We have more than 300,000 Australians accessing home-care packages, compared with about 150,000 people accessing them five years ago. Last financial year, the federal government spent over $8 billion on the Home Care Packages Program, compared with just $1 billion 10 years ago. The important point here is that we are delivering more care to more people than ever before, but we are going to do it better.
Last month, Minister Butler and I announced, after extensive consultation with older people, with providers and with workers, that we would briefly defer the act through to 1 November, and that includes the introduction of the Support at Home program. This will make sure that all operational, digital and legislative pieces are in place so that the new system is a genuine success. When Support at Home comes into effect on 1 November, we will roll out an additional 80,000 packages in the first 12 months.
The SPEAKER: Order. The minister will pause. The member for Indi, on a point of order?
Dr Haines: On relevance: I asked the minister what the government was going to do to support these people in the meantime. It's three months until 1 November.
Ms Ley interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting. The minister was asked a question about government policies and a specific around that. He does have another minute to go, but I can't direct him to answer it the way you'd like. He is being directly relevant.
Mr RAE: As I said, from 1 November we will roll out an additional 80,000 packages in the first 12 months. Until then, over the course of the period between now and November, my No.1 priority is ensuring that older people continue to receive the care and services that they need, and until November we'll continue to assign packages each and every week in accordance with the national prioritisation system. I can assure the House that older people who are assessed as being high priority will continue to receive their packages within a month.
Our government continues to deliver more care for more Australians, and this brief deferral will give aged-care providers more time to prepare their clients, support their workers and get their systems ready for these historic changes.
DISTINGUISHED VISITORS
Jayo, Mayor Ramon
The SPEAKER (14:50): I'm pleased to inform the House that we have with us the mayor of Hinchinbrook Shire Council, Ramon Jayo. I'm also advised that the member for Herbert's mum is in the gallery. Welcome to you all.
Honourable members: Hear, hear!
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Climate Change
Mr LIM (Tangney) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. How is acting on climate change in the national interest as well as the interest of Australian households? What policy proposal would take Australia backwards, especially Western Australia?
Mr BOWEN (McMahon—Minister for Climate Change and Energy) (14:51): I thank my honourable friend for the question, and I am glad that he has asked me about policies that are in the best interests of households and the country and his great state of Western Australia. I can again confirm that, over the last 24 hours, another 1,000 Australian households have taken up the Albanese Labor governments Cheaper Home Batteries Program, bringing the total to 18,336. But I'm sorry to tell the member for Tangney that his electorate in Western Australia has the second-highest take-up in Western Australia of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which isn't bad, but it's not as good as that of the member for Canning, whose electorate has the highest take-up of the batteries program in all of Western Australia.
The good households of Canning are embracing net zero, cheaper home batteries and renewable energy at a rapid pace, and that comes as little surprise, because the people of Canning know that, if you take up a battery, together with solar, under the Albanese government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program, you can save $2,300 each and every year—a permanent bill reduction which is eerily similar to the benefits for all Australians of net zero. We know that economic modelling shows that net zero will make every single Australian household $2,000 better off.
Mr Joyce interjecting—
Mr BOWEN: The member for New England is whispering an interjection to me which I'm not sure is entirely parliamentary, but he might want to be more complimentary to the Morrison-Joyce government, because the modelling I just quoted was from the Morrison-Joyce government's The plan to deliver net zero: the Australian way—
The SPEAKER: Order, the minister won't use props.
Mr BOWEN: which shows Australians will be $2,000 better off with net zero. It showed that Western Australia was estimated to see 34,000 new jobs in mining and heavy industry by 2025 under a net zero plan. So net zero is good for Australia and good for Western Australia.
Now, the honourable member for Tangney asked me what policies might take Western Australia backwards. Any attempt to unwind net zero would take Western Australia backwards. I'm unfortunately obliged to tell the House that we've seen some attempts to do that. The Western Australia Liberal Party state council voted against net zero. The Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia came out and disassociated himself from that, which earned him an attack from the member for Canning.
The member for Canning will undermine any leader of the opposition that he can find. He's taking a practice run in Perth for what he intends to do in Canberra sometime in the next 12 months, as we all know. He loves undermining leaders of the opposition with his agenda. His agenda is anti net zero, but his constituents have a different view. His constituents are taking up net zero and they're taking up cheaper renewable energy. I know the member for Canning doesn't like that, but then again the member for Canning doesn't like the current leadership arrangements of the opposition either. But we'll continue to deliver for the Australian people.
Taxation: Superannuation
Mr TED O'BRIEN (Fairfax—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:54): My question goes to the Treasurer. Former Labor prime minister Paul Keating has reportedly described Labor's unfair super tax as 'unconscionable'. Mr Keating said young people entering the workforce today will see their super balances rise to hit a higher threshold in the future—the same threshold at which Labor's unfair super tax kicks in. Treasurer, are these views of Mr Keating's wrong?
The SPEAKER: I've got some problems with that question. We're going to make sure that it's within standing orders regarding the media comments and the reports. Anyway, the Treasurer's happy to take the question.
Dr CHALMERS (Rankin—Treasurer) (14:55): I was beginning to wonder where the shadow Treasurer had got to, so I welcome his question today about these changes. His question has a number of important elements. First of all, I want to remind the House that when it comes to the changes that we are proposing to superannuation, this side of the House is cutting taxes for 100 per cent of the 14 million Australian workers in the income tax system, while that side of the House wants to go to the wall for half a per cent of people who already have more than $3 million in superannuation, so there is a difference here between this side of the House and that side of the House.
They wanted to jack up taxes on every single Australian taxpaying worker, but they will go to the wall for half a per cent of people, some of whom have hundreds of millions of dollars already in superannuation. What that tells us is that they haven't listened, they haven't learned and they haven't changed. They weren't listening to what the Australian people told them on 3 May.
When it comes to Paul Keating—first of all, as the Minister for Climate Change and Energy reminds us, you should hear what Paul Keating thinks about you lot. That's the first point. The second point is that I think it's a matter of public record that I value my relationship with Paul Keating. He's someone I've known for a long time and he's someone that I continue to admire. It's possible to admire Paul Keating and to respect Paul Keating and to occasionally have a different view to Paul Keating. That's what's happened on this occasion. I've said that publicly on a number of occasions. I mean no disrespect to Paul when I say it. We speak about this matter from time to time. We speak about a whole range of matters from time to time, and I value the engagement.
The reason this is so important, and the reason this rare question from the shadow Treasurer is so unfortunate, is Paul put out a statement talking about the balance that people have in their superannuation—because he was rightly celebrating the fact that this side of the House is delivering a 12 per cent superannuation guarantee. The reason that's so important is, at every single turn, those opposite have tried to diminish and undermine superannuation. Superannuation is one of the great public policy triumphs of this country, and we are very proud of it. It took three Labor governments to get superannuation from nine to 12 per cent—Paul Keating's government obviously played a decisive role. I pay tribute to former Treasurer Swan and former assistant Treasurer Bowen for legislating the increase in the superannuation guarantee. This government oversaw the 12 per cent superannuation guarantee, and that was what Paul was talking about when he put that statement out. I won't be taking lectures on superannuation from those opposite. They hated superannuation from John Howard on. We believe in superannuation, and that includes making sure that the concessions are sustainable. (Time expired)
Child Care
Mr GREGG (Deakin) (14:58): My question is to the Minister for Education. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to strengthen safety in early education and care?
Mr CLARE (Blaxland—Minister for Education) (14:58): I thank the member for Deakin for his question. Today, the parliament has passed another important piece of legislation. Today, we've passed laws to cut funding to childcare centres that aren't up to scratch and that aren't meeting the quality and the safety standards that our parents expect and that our children deserve. As I said last week when I introduced this bill to the parliament, this is, perhaps, the biggest weapon that we have to wield here, because taxpayers are the biggest funders of childcare centres. We do that through the childcare subsidy—something like $16 billion every year. Childcare centres can't operate without it. It covers about 70 per cent of the cost of running a childcare centre and out-of-school-hours care centres as well. This legislation gives us the power to cut that funding off to centres that aren't meeting those quality and safety standards that we set for them.
To be clear, the purpose of this legislation isn't to shut centres down; it's to raise their standards up. But it's also not an idle threat, and I've directed my department to be ready to act swiftly when the legislation receives royal assent. I want to thank the opposition leader, and I want to thank the shadow minister Jonno Duniam and the shadow assistant minister Zoe McKenzie for the work that we have done together here. I mean it. It's the way it should work.
But this isn't the only thing that we need to do. To be honest, this is the start, not the end. To be brutally honest, this work will never end, and the sickening news that we've heard from the Australian Federal Police in the last few hours is a reminder of why this is so important. There is a lot of work that we need to do together to rebuild trust and confidence in a system that parents need to have confidence in—work we have to do, work the states and territories have to do and work that we all have to do together.
The Attorney-General spoke in this place on Monday about the hodgepodge of different working-with-children check systems in different states and territories, and fixing that is on the top of the agenda when attorneys-general meet in a few weeks time. We also need to be able to track workers who move from centre to centre and, in some cases, from state to state, and that's what a national educator register is all about. That's something that education ministers have already agreed that we need and that our departments are working on right now. We also need mandatory child safety training to make sure that childcare workers have the skills they need to help to identify somebody in a centre who might be up to no good.
There are hundreds of thousands of incredible people who care for our children and educate our children, and they're just as angry and distressed as everybody here at the moment. They feel tarnished; they feel tarred. Some have even been spat on in the street. The truth is they're the best asset that we've got here in this fight to keep our children safe. We need them, and we need to support them. Education ministers will focus on this and much more when we meet in the next few weeks.
Ms LEY (Farrer—Leader of the Opposition) (15:02): on indulgence—Briefly, I thank the minister for working so constructively with Senator Duniam in the other place, the member for Flinders in this place and me in the swift passage of this legislation, and we were happy to work constructively with the government. But I say this to the government: the next part is very difficult. Sitting down with the states and territories, as we have all done in ministerial positions in the past, can just descend into a talkfest, and ministers depart to their states and nothing happens. We cannot afford to have that this time. We still need a national worker register, consistent checks and personal devices banned in centres. We have to have the action that we have not seen from the states, and we as the opposition will not take a backward step in holding the government to account to do just that.
Critical and Strategic Minerals Industry
Mr KATTER (Kennedy) (15:03): Prime Minister, our computers advised that, after Newcastle and Gladstone, Mount Isa is Australia's biggest industrial centre. Most of Mount Isa is to vanish. Can the Prime Minister activate government to detour this pending disaster and reassure us that the essential service, the copper smelter, is to be owned by an entity partly, inter alia, answerable to the Australian people—further, that a gas reserve resource policy be urgently initiated to forestall the closure of this and the thousand-million-dollar-a-year Mount Isa fertiliser plant?
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (15:03): I thank the member for Kennedy for his question. The member for Kennedy is a fierce advocate for his community, his electorate and for North Queensland. I do want to acknowledge firstly the workers affected by Glencore's decision to close the Mount Isa copper mine. The member for Kennedy is right for calling out Glencore on the future of Mount Isa. Workers are losing their jobs and the broader and proud north-west Queensland community is hurting. I also want to acknowledge the Keep Our Copper delegation, who are here in the gallery. You are fighting hard for your industry and for your region at different levels of government as well as the private sector. Mount Isa, which I visited with the member for Kennedy on at least five occasions, is too important to Queensland and to the nation for there not to be Commonwealth involvement. That's why the Minister for Industry and Innovation, Senator Ayres, has been speaking with the Mount Isa community, Glencore and the Queensland government almost daily to protect the national interest and to protect the workers and families of Mount Isa.
Let's be clear about Glencore, though. It is a highly profitable company. Just this year, it paid $2.2 billion in dividends to its shareholders. Australia's been pretty good to Glencore; it's about time that Glencore recognises that it needs to be good to Australia. They should back the town that has backed them and has helped build the wealth of their shareholders.
Our plan for a future made in Australia is about keeping smelting and processing capabilities here in Australia, and the good blue-collar and engineering jobs that go along with them. We've backed this ambition with transformative industry policy: the National Reconstruction Fund, the production tax credits, the Green Iron Investment Fund and investing $2 billion for Australia's aluminium smelters to transition to clean energy. We're getting on with the job of supporting North Queensland and Australian industry.
The critical minerals facility within Export Finance Australia will be expanded by another billion dollars, taking it to $5 billion, to finance critical minerals projects. This facility is making a difference to Queensland. It has provided $160 million for the Alpha High Purity Alumina project, and has delivered more than $30 million to Queensland through the Critical Minerals Development Program. This is not a government-only solution. Companies that own Australian smelters must step up and invest in transforming their facilities to meet future opportunities.
I assure the member that I will continue to work constructively with him, as I always have. I know that the industry minister is very engaged in this issue, along with a whole-of-government response, because we understand how critical this industry is for his electorate as well as for the nation.
DISTINGUISHED VISITORS
Victory Lutheran College
The SPEAKER (15:07): I'm pleased to advise that in the Southern Gallery we have students from the Victory Lutheran College, Wodonga, from the electorate of Indi.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Cybersafety
Ms TEESDALE (Bass) (15:07): My question is for the Minister for Communications. How will the world-leading online-safety measures, implemented by the Albanese Labor government, put Australian families before online platforms?
Ms WELLS (Lilley—Minister for Sport and Minister for Communications) (15:07): I thank the member for Bass for her question and for her beautiful first speech in this place. The Albanese government's social media delay is genuinely world-leading. It is the first of its kind to pass anywhere in the world. Australia should be immensely proud that, as a country, we have decided to prioritise the online safety of children and put families before platforms. This is Australian commitment at its best because, if it were easy, other countries would have done it already. A continent considered disconnected from the world is now showing the world that we can be safely connected.
Social media connects us, it binds us, it fosters connection and social cohesion, but it is also used to abuse, control and harass. We know that social media platforms can target children with chilling control. Now, Australians are taking some of that control back. Here is what Australian parents had to say after the social media minimum age rules were tabled in the House yesterday. Alexandra said: 'I love these laws because it changes the conversations I have with my seven- and nine-year-olds and, hopefully, makes me less of a villain. It's the law. It makes it a little easier.' Jackie said, 'Parents cannot police these things entirely on their own, so having policies that support good practice is a relief.' Rebecca said: 'This feels like a step in common sense as a basic principle. I don't know if I'm the only one, but in the last decade it has felt like we are all spiralling a little, so this is refreshing.' Rebecca, you are not alone. We are all in this fight together, and the Albanese government has your back.
There is no perfect solution when it comes to keeping young Australians safe online, but the social media minimum age will make a meaningful difference. We are giving children three more years to build real-world connections and to build online resilience. There is a place for social media, but there is not a place for predatory algorithms that target young Australians.
Energy
Mr BIRRELL (Nicholls) (15:09): My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. According to today's data from the Australian Energy Regulator, did wholesale electricity prices rise, or did they fall?
Mr BOWEN (McMahon—Minister for Climate Change and Energy) (15:10): The quarterly wholesale prices rose, yes. They did. That's what the report says. Thanks for noticing. Now, the honourable member has very clearly asked me about wholesale energy prices, and, yes, over the quarter they rose. Compared to those at the time of the election, though, they are substantially lower. In New South Wales, the wholesale price was $320.48. The current figure is $127.72.
Ms Bell interjecting—
The SPEAKER: The member for Moncrieff is warned.
Mr BOWEN: In Queensland, the price was $347.28; they are now $107.39. I won't go through it state by state. On average, across the country, the price is currently $126.62. When those opposite handed over, on 22 May, the price was $286.18. This compares with the promise made by the then minister for energy, before the 2019 election, that the wholesale price would be $70 a megawatt hour within three years, and it ended up at $286 a megawatt hour—missed by that much, as the Prime Minister likes to say!
Now, if the honourable member wants to ask me about wholesale prices, I'm more than happy to have the conversation about wholesale prices, because it is not a pretty story for those opposite. They presided over nine years of denial and delay and dysfunction, and that saw Australian households pay the price, because the energy grid was left fundamentally unprepared for shocks. They saw four gigawatts of dispatchable power leave the grid and replaced it with only one gigawatt. When you see a net three gigawatts leave the grid, that sees prices go up and reliability come down. That's the key reason wholesale prices rose so much on their watch. The fact that we have turned that around and, just in the past financial year, seen 4.4 gigawatts added to the grid—connected already, operating today—is one of the key reasons wholesale prices have come down so much since May 2022. So I very fundamentally thank the honourable member for asking me about wholesale prices, and I invite him to have another go.
Albanese Government
Ms FRANCE (Dickson) (15:12): My question is to the Prime Minister. How has the Albanese Labor government been pursuing its agenda this fortnight? And how does this compare to other approaches in parliament?
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (15:12): I thank the member for Dickson for her question. Of course, a highlight of the first fortnight was the first speeches by all the new members in this chamber, particularly, if I can single out one, the member for Dickson, who was quite extraordinary, I think, in outlining her life story and what's brought her to this place and why she will be an outstanding contributor as the member for Dickson.
Our focus this fortnight has been very much on delivering—delivering to improve the living standards of the people we represent: strengthening Medicare through cheaper medicines; protecting penalty rates, which passed the House today; and cutting student debt, which passed the Senate today. This week we've also learned that inflation has come down to 2.1 per cent on an annual basis. That figure of 2.1 per cent is the same as for the last quarter of March 2022, in which the coalition were in government—that is 2.1 per cent in just one quarter, compared with 2.1 per cent across an entire year. We are making a difference, getting inflation down at the same time as we've got wages up and have kept unemployment low. That is the Labor way. That's the Australian way.
I'm asked about the alternative agendas that have been pursued in this parliament. Well, the opposition have certainly been pursuing their own agenda—or, should I say, agendas, because there's more than one over there: fighting publicly over whether climate change is real and over whether they support net zero. At one point this week, I had the TV on in the background. I said last week that the Nats had taken up occupation of the Sky News studio, but it was particularly good this week because they had two shows running on Sky News at the same time. There was the Nationals leader in the studio with Laura Jayes, but in the corner, in the little box there, there were all the Nats renegades out the front along with one or two Liberals. It was a split screen showing a split party.
Ms Rowland interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Order! The Attorney-General will cease interjecting. The Leader of the Nationals. The manager on a point of order?
Mr Hawke: On relevance: the question was tight. It was about the agenda inside the parliament. It wasn't about Sky News or what the Prime Minister has been watching on television.
The SPEAKER: The question was asked about the government's agenda, and the government is comparing that to others. He is obviously answering that part of the question.
Mr ALBANESE: Every time the new Manager of Opposition Business gets up, you feel a little nostalgia for Paul Fletcher! Joni Mitchell was right: you don't know what you've got till it's gone. You've got to bring back the hand signals, the teapot!
This week they tried to abolish build-to-rent schemes. They opposed the student debt relief during the campaign, but they couldn't even vote on it over there. We have a clear agenda of helping Australians. They have an agenda of fighting amongst themselves.
I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.
DOCUMENTS
Presentation
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for the Arts, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Leader of the House) (15:17): Documents are tabled in accordance with the list circulated to honourable members earlier today. Full details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.
MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Budget
The SPEAKER (15:17): I have received a letter from the honourable Deputy Leader of the Opposition proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely:
The Government's addiction to higher taxes and higher spending.
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—
Mr TED O'BRIEN (Fairfax—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:17): Australia is going in the wrong direction. Under Labor, Australia is becoming poorer. Under Labor, Australia is becoming weaker. Under Labor, Australia is becoming more dependent on other nations. And the only way this can be turned around is if the Labor government starts to put the Australian people, rather than the government itself, at the centre. In order to do this, a prerequisite is to fix the budget. We all know—on both sides of this chamber—that the Australian government's budget is not sustainable. We know that Labor also appreciates that, because the Treasurer conceded as much only weeks ago. Herein lies the test for the Labor government: the starting point for fixing the budget is to stop the spending spree.
As a percentage of GDP, spending has gone up from 24 per cent to 27 per cent under this government. To put that into perspective, that means Labor's spending this year is $160 billion higher than when the coalition left office. This equates, on a household level, to $16,000 per Australian household. You can imagine doorknocking your local community and asking them whether or not this year they're feeling value for money, with an extra $16,000 being paid out by this Commonwealth government.
The spending spree is genuinely out of control, and the problem is that what's funding it is more debt. The Treasurer has added more than $112 billion in new debt, which is why, this year, debt is set to reach $1 trillion. Debt hits $1 trillion this year under this Albanese government. Of course, nobody would argue that this is not fiscally irresponsible. But, more than that, this is morally bankrupt, and it is so because every single dollar that this Treasurer borrows goes on the shoulders of the next generation. This is akin to the Treasurer taking the credit card where the words imprinted on it are 'future generation' and just racking up debt. It is like the mums and dads of Australia going into their children's rooms, stealing their credit cards and going out on a spending spree, hoping that maybe one day the kids will pay back that debt. That is where this is so morally repugnant.
We know that Australian families have been doing it tough. They've been in household recession, and what have they been doing? Unlike the government, they have been living within their means. If the everyday Australian family has to do it, why shouldn't the Australian government? That's not fair. That's not genuine. Even the most recent national accounts show that the savings-to-income ratio has gone up to 5.2 per cent. So, at the very time that households are showing fiscal prudence, this government is spending.
Not only are we going to see $1 trillion of debt this year but we will see deficits over the next 10 years. That is this newly elected Labor government's plan for the Australian economy: $1 trillion of debt and 10 years of deficits. This places the Treasurer at a fork in the road. He has a choice here. He can turn right and stop the spending spree, or he can turn left and increase taxes. Is there any guess as to which way the Treasurer might go? Could this treasurer, the member for Rankin, possibly increase taxes?
Often, history is a good record as to where someone might go, and so I dug out the taxes that this treasurer has had something to do with. We're talking here about the carbon tax, the mining tax, the superprofits tax, the resource tax, the safeguard tax, the family car tax, the housing tax, the retiree tax, the family trust tax, the small-business tax and the deficit levy tax—and this is just a sample.
Mr Dreyfus: You forgot one!
Mr TED O'BRIEN: And I take the interjection from the honourable member, because I did forget one.
Mr Dreyfus: It was yours!
Mr TED O'BRIEN: I forgot about the superannuation tax. So you're right. I give him credit. It is superbig—
Honourable members interjecting—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): Okay, we're getting a little bit loud here. Just keep the interjections down.
Mr TED O'BRIEN: and it's superbad. We know it is. I believe those opposite also know it is. In fact, the most egregious part of the tax to which the honourable member referred is the taxing of unrealised capital gains—the notion that you are going to tax theoretical profits that have never even been made. We know already from question times in this sitting that neither the Treasurer nor the Prime Minister would accept stopping the extension of unrealised capital gains at superannuation. In other words, they have every intention of extending unrealised capital gains beyond superannuation. We have heard from the former prime minister Mr Keating in media reports and we have heard from the Assistant Treasurer as well that it's not going to be just a few Australians who are hit. We are going to see everyday young Australians entering the workforce today eventually hit by this new super tax from the Labor Party.
Something that hasn't been mentioned about this super tax is the fact that they are introducing something which is called the Henry VIII clause. For new members who aren't aware of this, the Henry VIII clause basically gives the Treasurer the right, after the bill goes through the House, to unilaterally make his own proclamations of change to the superannuation rules, the tax rules, without having to come back into this parliament, effectively leaving this parliament aside. There's a story here with this Treasurer. He has a history. He was previously titled something in this House when he was on this side of the chamber. You know what it was? Sir Taxalot.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I don't think we'll go into repeating that remark again.
Mr TED O'BRIEN: He didn't like those comments, and I thought it was for that very reason—that, maybe, it was not the sort of thing that one should say. However, with the fact that Henry VIII clauses are coming in, we now realise the reason he was offended. He didn't want to be a 'Sir'. Why be knighted by the sovereign when you can become the sovereign? Why not? Why not become the royal from Rankin? All hail King Taxalot, the Treasurer of Australia!
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Excuse me, member for Fairfax, we just had a discussion about the use of that term. You agreed that it might not be the best way to proceed, so let's not repeat it, please.
Mr TED O'BRIEN: Thank you very much for your wise words, and, of course, I'll take it, Deputy Speaker. I'll just move to the next part of the Treasurer's life. He has a productivity roundtable coming up. He's already made it very clear that he will put a ruler over the ideas that come to the roundtable on the principle that they be at least budget neutral but preferably budget positive. In other words, he is looking for more taxes to feed his spending spree. You do not make an economy more productive by raising taxes.
In contrast, as shadow Treasurer, I will put a ruler over the ideas at the roundtable on the principle that they be at most budget neutral. In other words, higher taxes will not be accepted. It is plausible, of course, that this productivity roundtable is nothing but a ruse by the Treasurer, who knows very well that he has lost control of the budget. He cannot put the spending spree down, and he wants to raise taxes. So he has got 25 people in a room to give him cover to raise taxes. We on this side of the House are not interested so much in 25 people but in 27 million Australians, and they are who we'll fight for.
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for the Arts, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Leader of the House) (15:27): Every day the MPI comes around, and I get asked which frontbencher I will flick it across to. I saw the one today, and I just refused to share. I refused to share, because of what the shadow Treasurer has put forward. Here are the words: the government's addiction to higher taxes and higher spending. His objection, if you look at what they've been standing for, is because they want taxes to be even higher and spending to be even higher. That is exactly what they have just spent and gone completely to the Australian people on. They managed, and the now shadow Treasurer managed, the most expensive election commitment to be taken to any election in the history of Federation. Even when he quibbles with the numbers and picks his preferred lower figure, it is still the most expensive election commitment that has ever been taken to a federal election.
They managed to be offering cuts. We know all the things they oppose. They oppose free TAFE, free medicines and urgent care clinics. They wanted to sack workers left, right and centre. We know all the things they oppose, and, even with their long list of cuts, they still managed to increase debt. They still managed to go to the election delivering increased debt. At the same time, and full credit for their honesty, they were the first opposition to actually go to an election promising that people should pay more income tax. He went through a whole lot of different tax areas that he wanted to talk about in his speech there. He didn't say a word about income tax, did he? He did not say a word about income tax. Every single Australian taxpayer was being told that, if they were on this side of the House, income tax was going to be more, whereas the government's position was really simple: people should earn more and keep more of what they earn. Those opposite opposed both. They opposed people earning more, and they opposed people keeping more of what they earn.
Let's go through the economic stats. One of the most concerning things he just said is that Australia is becoming too reliant on other countries. That was one of his comments. He could only be referring to the fact that, under them, their concept of being less reliant on other countries was to shut down trade. So in country after country we were losing access to trade, which meant we were losing access to business, which meant we were losing Australian jobs. And yet they choose that as the better path. We are proud of the fact that there are more jobs in Australia because we've improved trade. We are proud of the fact that people have more job security because we've improved trade. We are proud of the fact that people are earning more and have more job security.
Mr Ted O'Brien interjecting—
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): Order, member for Fairfax!
Mr BURKE: Go through each of the economic stats—whether it be inflation, wages, jobs, business investment, productivity or the budget—and look at the comparison between their record and the record of this government. On inflation, in the final figures, the March quarter figures, when they were last in office inflation had a '6' in front of it.
Mr Ted O'Brien interjecting —
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Fairfax, you can leave the chamber if you cannot hold your tongue.
Mr BURKE: Not only was it their view that that was proper management of the economy; they also had a passionate view that wages should not keep up with that number. When our Prime Minister said, 'Absolutely,' to people's pay being able to keep up with what was happening with inflation, they were opposed to that. They never saw a pay cut they didn't want to grab. They never found a way of increasing wages that they weren't willing to oppose.
Real wages were going backwards by 3.4 per cent. There were five consecutive quarters where real wages were falling. When we came to office, we changed the laws for workers. We changed the approach the government took to the Fair Work Commission. What did that mean? We were told by them when we started to do that, 'Oh, no, that will cause inflation to go up.' The then shadow Treasurer actually opposed our workplace relations reforms on the basis that they would increase wages. That is what he said. When he was challenged, he said, 'I'm only saying that, if you increase wages, you are going to increase prices as well.' Well, what happened? As real wages went up, inflation fell. As a result of that, where they had five quarters leading up to the 2022 election where wages went backwards, Australia has now seen real wages grow for the last six consecutive quarters.
They talk about the number of jobs. Over 1.1 million jobs have been created. The average unemployment rate under this government has been the lowest of any government in half a century. They then want to go to business investment. Annual business investment under them fell by an average of 1.3 per cent per year for their nine years in office. What's happened in our time in office? It hasn't been falling by an average of 1.3 per cent a year. It's been growing by an average of 4.4 per cent per year, hitting a record high last financial year.
They oversaw the worst decade in productivity growth in 60 years, whereas we are working to restore growth. That's why you deliver free TAFE—because, if you have a skilled workforce, you have a more productive workforce. That's why you get away from the incentives that made people baulk at study through student debt. If you know that you have the government backing you on education, you invest in your own skills as well, just like the government is investing in a future made in Australia.
But, of all things, something that the shadow Treasurer really shouldn't try to talk about is debt and deficit. The way to deal with debt and deficit is to have surplus budgets. That's the way to deal with it. We are getting very close to the point where we will have people voting in Australian elections who have never seen the coalition deliver a surplus budget in their lifetimes. Have they been able to claim they were going to do it? Yes. They did the merchandise. They had the 'back in black'. Their only support for Australian live music ever was, much to the annoyance of AC/DC, to try to co-opt the song. Yet how many budgets did they deliver? How many surplus budgets? How many times, when the final figures came in, was the budget in surplus? How many times? How many times from them? And yet we have had the first back-to-back surplus in almost two decades. Debt is $177 billion lower than what had been forecast at the election. When you do that, you save the nation around $60 billion in interest costs over the decade. We've had from them, over this last fortnight, a whole series of images where they want to look backward. In terms of looking backward, in fairness, the member for Fairfax doesn't win; I suspect the member for Longman has won that prize with the speech he gave in the Federation Chamber earlier this week.
But this government is proud of the fact that we will back workers, back Australian industry and back Australian jobs. One of our proudest boasts, I have to say, is the fact that our laws have done exactly what we said they would do, and the gender pay gap is at the lowest it's been since they started collecting the record. Again, that is a contribution to productivity. That is a huge contribution to productivity. But every measure we've brought in to be able to do that has been opposed by those opposite—right through! The excuses are always the same. They say that it will drive up inflation; well, inflation is lower than it was under them, markedly lower. Or they'll say that it will boost inflation—wrong. They say it will cause a collapse in jobs—wrong. Their other classic one is to say that it would lead to more industrial disputes. Fewer days have been lost to industrial disputes now, under this government, than in the final quarter under them. Under every metric, people are earning more and keeping more of what they earn. They have more secure employment and a more productive economy because those on the other side have not been in charge of any of the decisions.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Before I give the call to the member for Flinders, I'd just like to say that the sledging from frontbenchers was really unhelpful throughout that debate, so let's try and be courteous so that the member for Flinders can be heard, and I'd like the same for the next speaker as well.
Ms McKENZIE (Flinders) (15:38): With that encouragement in mind, I shall bring those on their side back to the topic of today, which is the government's addiction to high taxes and, indeed, high spending. We can often be quite delicate in our approach to the MPI some days, and I'm pleased to contribute to this debate in which we are at least calling a spade a spade. This government loves to portray itself as 'Liberal light', especially the Treasurer, and I might now add the Leader of the House to that. He nails his 'Liberal light' blah blah, telling Australians that he's a responsible economic manager, and he does it without choking, not even a cough. It's quite a miracle. But, when you look at the figures, what you see is terrible economic management—indeed, woeful. It's so bad even a 12-year-old could pick it. It's as simple as this: receipts are down and spending is up. Unemployment figures are misleadingly held up by government spending and Public Service job creation. It's not building the economy. It's not restoring the fundamentals. It's not building the economic pie for this generation and for the generations that will follow.
The unbearable truth for this government is that, under Labor, the household economy is shrinking. Australian households, in terms of purchasing power, are going backwards. The average household is, in fact, in recession. Business investment is depressed, and productivity just continues to fail. Per capita GDP—that is, how much the economy grows for each man, woman and child, the most common yardstick for capturing the living standards of Australians—has grown in one quarter since Labor came to office in 2022. In the last quarter alone, it shrank by 0.2 per cent. In my old business, which was about helping Australians use our global network of free trade agreements, I would pay constant regard to our competitiveness ranking. I'm very sad to report that Australia has dropped from 13th to 18th in just one year. In addition, Australia dropped from 20th to 60th place in real GDP growth per capita since last year. Let me repeat: from 20th to 60th.
Central to this economic disaster is a steep decline in productivity—a five per cent drop, a full one per cent of which was in the last year alone. As a result of Labor's home-grown inflation, interest rates have been too high for too long in this country. Labor try to tell you that the inflation rate is not their fault, but the fact that government spending has gone from 24 per cent to 27 per cent of GDP, the highest level outside of a recession since 1986, proves otherwise. Labor have a long track record of economic mismanagement. They tax big; they spend big. True to form, this Treasurer has taken up Labor's longstanding mission to smash the hardworking Australian with increased tax.
The Treasurer has brought to this parliament a tax on aspiration and family savings—a tax on hardworking Australians who have worked throughout their lives to set money aside and provide for their futures. It's a big, bad tax targeting your savings and prosperity, and that of your family. It doesn't just target the wealthy, though. It's going to impact on communities across the nation and particularly on my own, the Mornington Peninsula. We have at least 1,900 residents who've already reached the threshold, according to research by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia. That's not because the people of the peninsula are particularly wealthy. It's because we've planned ahead, worked hard and put our superannuation into the productive capacity of the nation through small and family businesses, startups, farms, orchards, restaurants—you name it.
While the Treasurer claims that his tax will impact only 80,000 people, with over $3 million in their superannuation balances, the truth is that the unintended consequence of its not being indexed is that huge numbers of people will fall into its remit. The Financial Services Council estimates that about half a million people will hit the cap in their lifetime. It's not just today's retirees caught in this blatant cash grab but many thousands of Australians who'll be swept up in the years ahead, especially in my electorate of Flinders. Australians are industrious; they are ingenious, particularly our young people. Now, those who exercise self-reliance, save diligently and invest in the futures of their families will be punished. Labor's super tax hits assets that haven't even been realised, dollars that haven't even been made, potentially forcing the taxpayer to liquidate assets to foot Labor's bill.
If Labor thinks they can get away with taxing theoretical profit before even a dollar has been made, you know there's more to come. When Labor runs out of money, they go after yours.
Ms KARA COOK (Bonner) (15:43): I rise today to respond to this tired, misleading claim from those opposite and the member for Fairfax. Here are the facts: every single Australian taxpayer is getting a tax cut under Labor—not just the top end of town, not just some but all 14 million taxpayers. Do you know who else is getting a tax cut under our plan? Every woman who is a taxpayer in this country, whether she's a teacher, a small business owner, an engineer or a scientist or works in IT or mining. Yes, women do all those things, and they will pay less tax under Labor. That matters.
Frankly, after the comments from the member for Longman in recent days, comments that revealed a disturbing lack of respect for women, it's more important than ever to call this out. The coalition may not value the economic contribution of women, but Labor does, and our policies reflect that. Labor's new tax cuts are fair, modest and responsible. They'll make a real difference.
From next year, we're cutting the 16 per cent tax rate to 15 per cent, then down to 14 per cent in 2027—the lowest it's been in 50 years. And we're lifting tax thresholds so you can earn more and keep more of what you earn. That means a worker on $40,000 gets an extra $436 a year from 2027 and an average earner on $79,000 gets an extra $536 a year. Combined, Labor's tax cuts will deliver up to $2,500 a year for the average taxpayer or around $50 a week.
Who is against this? Those opposite! They want to reverse these tax cuts, which means raising taxes on every single taxpayer. That includes the workers they claim to support. It includes the very people who would have missed out completely under their original plan: three million Australians, many of them women and low-income earners.
Let me tell you what else Labor is doing to help with the cost of living, because the government isn't just talking about it; it is acting. We're delivering energy bill relief—$1.8 billion to help households and small businesses through to the end of the year; we're growing wages—$2.6 billion for aged-care workers; and we're banning unfair non-compete clauses that stop workers from finding better, higher paying jobs. We're making medicines cheaper, cutting the price of PBS prescriptions to just $25 and investing $1.8 billion to list life-saving medicines.
We're cutting student debt, by wiping 20 per cent off and lifting the payment threshold for graduates. We're strengthening Medicare. We're making it easier to buy or rent a home. We're delivering permanent free TAFE. We're backing families and farmers, strengthening the ACCC and holding supermarkets to account. We're delivering more affordable child care with a three-day guarantee and new centres across the country. That is what responsible economic management looks like. These investments are funded thanks to back-to-back surpluses—
Mr Repacholi: Back to back!
Ms KARA COOK: I'll take that interjection and say it again, if they didn't hear me in the back. Back-to-back surpluses! Meanwhile, those opposite have no economic plan, just scare campaigns and cuts—just like we've seen today. They offer no costed alternative, no vision, just the same stale male policies that failed working Australians for nearly a decade and certainly failed women.
So, when those opposite accuse Labor of being addicted to spending, here's the real question: why do they want to raise taxes on 14 million Australians? Why do they want to take away tax cuts from every woman, every worker, every family in this country? And why do they oppose targeted, funded support that actually helps Australians live better lives? Labor's plan is about fairness, it's about reward for effort and it's about helping Australians to earn more and keep more of what they earn.
Mr WALLACE (Fisher) (15:48): Like most of the members on this side of the House, we've come from small business.
A government member: Like us!
Mr WALLACE: I'll take that interjection. Like you—for sure. Most of the people on this side of the House have come from small business: doctors, small-business people, carpenters or whatever. When I make my way around my electorate of Fisher and I talk to small businesses—because the Sunshine Coast is, according to Bernard Salt, the small-business capital of the country. In my now 33 years on the Sunshine Coast, I have never seen so many Sunshine Coast businesses under the pressure they are right now. Whilst the Labor Party comes in here cock-a-hoop and talks about how good things are, it has absolutely no understanding.
If you want to know how tough times are, come to my electorate and talk to people in the main street of Mooloolaba and see the shops that are closing down in the towns in my electorate. Why? Because small businesses are doing it incredibly tough. They're doing it incredibly tough for many reasons, but I'll just pick two for the time being. They are the cost of energy and the cost of borrowing money. I'll pick another one: the cost of energy and also—I've forgotten what I was going to say, Deputy Speaker, but I'll come back to it in a minute.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): I'm not sure I can help you there!
Mr WALLACE: That's okay. It really breaks my heart when I talk to small businesses, because, having been in that world, I know just how hard it can be—that pit you get in your stomach on a Wednesday night. You are trying to figure out how you are going to pay your staff. For most small-business people, their staff is like their family. I've been there, where I have thought, 'I can either not pay my staff or borrow more money against my house.' Virtually every small-business person in this country will borrow more money against their house because, for themselves and for their business, their staff is their family. They know that it's not just that that family relies upon them but also that they know this person or people. They've worked with them for a long time. They know their families, and they want to be able to provide for them.
The price of energy has gone up since this government's been in power. Electricity's gone up by 32 per cent. Gas is up by 30 per cent. These are real costs that are unable to be avoided. Don't get me started on industrial relations. When I talk to small-business people, I've never seen the degree of pain and angst, and that's why we are now experiencing more small businesses failing—more over the last three years than in Australian recorded history. I want to retract that, because it's not the small business that's failed. That's unfair of me to say that. It's the small businesses that have gone to the wall under this government. It's the small businesses that have been unable to keep their doors open. They've done everything they possibly can. They've borrowed against their credit cards. They've borrowed against their home. But they just can't make ends meet. This government either doesn't care or doesn't know what it is like to run a small business in this country.
Ms Doyle: That old chestnut!
Mr WALLACE: I'll take the interjection—'that old chestnut'. There are tens of thousands of small-business people who are trying to work out how they're going to pay their staff's wages, because this government either doesn't care or has no appreciation for what it's like to run a business in this country.
Mr FRENCH (Moore) (15:53): Here we go again—another lecture from the party that racked up a trillion dollars worth of debt—that's 'trillion', with a t—and now they're clutching their pearls about higher spending. Those opposite want to accuse this government of being addicted to taxes and spending. Let's get one thing straight. Those opposite left Australians with a trillion dollars of debt with little to show for it. I'll stress this slowly for the benefit of those opposite, who clearly aren't great with numbers—a trillion is followed by 12 zeroes. That's nine and three, okay? If you can't count, don't lecture us about balancing the budget. They've doubled the debt, and now they've got the gall to complain about the interest bill they left behind. Come off it!
Let's not pretend the member for Fairfax is worried about average Australian taxpayers, because here's the truth. The coalition voted against tax cuts for every taxpayer—every single one.
Labor is delivering a fairer tax system, where someone who is earning $50,000 gets double the tax cut they would have received under the coalition. But the member for Fairfax wanted someone who is on half a million dollars a year to pocket nine grand while someone on $60,000 got crumbs. That's not economic policy; it's trickle-down fantasy—out of touch, out of ideas—and the Australian people told you that at the election.
Let's talk about the man who was driving that clown car over there, Peter Dutton, the former Leader of the Opposition, the member for Dickson—yes, the bloke who thought the path back to government was through raising taxes for 14 million Australians. And what for? Not for health, not for schools but for a $300 billion nuclear fantasy. There was no business case, no rollout plan, no detail, just a vibe—and a very expensive one. And how did the voters of Dickson feel about that? They voted him out—the first opposition leader in Australian history to lose his seat. That's not just rejection; that is a total write-off of the clown car that the former member of the opposition was driving.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): Member for Moore—no.
Mr FRENCH: Withdrawn. And now the member for Fairfax is out there trying to jumpstart it. Is it nuclear powered? Member? No? Now, contrast that with Labor, the party that actually understands ordinary Australians. We're cutting taxes for every taxpayer. We're making multinationals pay their fair share. We're tightening tax compliance. We're reining in super tax breaks for those with multimillion-dollar balances. We're reforming the petroleum resource rent tax. And we're investing in clean energy, housing and small business. That's not addiction; that is economic stewardship. We've delivered the first surplus in 15 years, and we did it without smashing services or selling off assets.
Now those opposite suddenly care about restraint. Well, where was that restraint when their side was doling out sports rorts, carpark rorts, robodebt notices and grants that mysteriously always landed in opposition seats? Their legacy is one of waste, mismanagement and inequality. And now they're having a dig at us for cleaning up their mess. It beggars belief. Let's take a look at the actual numbers. Inflation's back in the RBA's target band, at 2.1 per cent. Unemployment is steady, at 4.3 per cent. GDP is growing. That's what economic management looks like. You don't fix a budget by slashing Medicare; you fix it by backing Australians and making sure everyone pays their fair share.
I didn't come here with a silver spoon. I've poured beers, wired switchboards and stood beside workers who were shafted. I came here for them—for people who actually turn up, clock on and keep this country running. The people in my electorate of Moore don't want spin; they want support. They want governments that deliver, not deflect.
Mr TIM WILSON (Goldstein) (15:58): I begin by saying I think it's wonderful that we have a member of the House here who says they represent people who pour beers. As somebody who's pulled beers in their past, I think it's an important part of the Australian story: beer, and pulling it and drinking it. But central to that is to create jobs and economic opportunity for the next generation of Australians. We have a challenging reality right now, and unfortunately the Australian Bureau of Statistics is not a friend of the current government when it comes to unemployment data, as we have seen. Unemployment is on this upward trajectory, which is normally not a very good sign for Australians who want to get ahead and want to get their first foot on the economic ladder of this nation.
But it's not just about getting a job. It's actually about getting a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. And of course we know there is a lived reality in this country. There is a per capita recession where Australians are working harder, and it does not matter how hard they work; they are not getting ahead. It doesn't matter what the aggregate data says. It doesn't matter what the speeches from those opposite say. It is not achieving the objective and the lived reality of Australians. There is a simple reason for this, and this has been established by international benchmarks; it's not just something that the opposition is raising. Australia has had the biggest drop in household income in the developed world since 2022, which happens to coincide uniquely—by chance!—with the election of the Albanese government. The Albanese government, despite its boasts and despite the incredible amount of public expenditure, has not actually seen a real and material lift in household income in this country. Instead, people have experienced decline through stagnation—and, of course, we know the curse of inflation that has been there. We are all happy, of course, to see any change off those peaks, but there is a reality that is not translating to rising standards of living. So what we're seeing from the Albanese government is a gold medal for the collapse in household income. When we saw the members of the 1980 Olympic team in parliament this week and celebrated their incredible achievements, it was not for the Labor Party to mimic it and seek to get a gold medal in declines in household income collapse, but that is the lived reality that Australians are experiencing.
We also, of course, have the reality for small businesses. Again, aggregate data disguises and covers the lived reality. We have the biggest number of collapses and insolvencies for small businesses in Australian history. I notice that those opposite have suddenly gone very silent.
Government members interjecting—
Mr TIM WILSON: I do understand their pause for thought on this. I would be taking pause for thought on this, because sitting behind every small business isn't just a number; it is, at the same time, a lost opportunity. It's people's livelihoods—their houses, investments, security, hopes and dreams—not just on the line but now falling off a cliff. It is a national tragedy.
Of course, as soon as I pointed out their silence, they were spirited back to life. They were spirited back to life because they wanted to defend their legacy, but their legacy is nothing but shameful. It is a disgrace to ever want to celebrate, as they seem to have just done, the decline of small businesses in this country, because sitting behind that are real people who have backed themselves and want to give economic opportunity for themselves, their family and, of course, the next generation of Australians. So many of those small-business people hold the assets that they need to thrive in their superannuation.
What we see now is the Treasurer coming with a tax that nobody voted for—the dead hand of the tax office after unrealised capital gains on people's family savings. And this family savings tax, which is directly attacking small businesses and, once on superannuation, will move over to other things like businesses and trusts, is coming after the Australian people. Even at his new summit, we know he's proposing new taxes that no-one else has voted for as well. (Time expired)
Ms COMER (Petrie) (16:03): Australians want to know who they can trust to keep taxes low, invest wisely and make every dollar count. For me and the majority of Australians, the answer is clear: it is Labor. While the coalition talks a big game on the economy, Labor delivers. We've cut taxes, kept spending responsible and returned the first budget surplus in 15 years, all without leaving everyday families behind.
Let's break it down and look at the facts. Last term, Labor delivered tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer. We've also committed to delivering two more tax cuts in 2026 and 2027. Under Labor, Australians are earning more and keeping more of what they earn. By contrast, the two highest taxing governments of the last 30 years have both been Liberal-National governments.
Now, looking at spending: after nine years of coalition mismanagement, we inherited a deficit crisis and a trillion dollars of debt. The Labor Party delivered two surpluses in a row in our very first term. We've also averaged the lowest unemployment rate of any government in the last half-century. Monthly headline and underlying inflation are in the bottom half of the RBA's target band. I know I'm hoping for an interest rate cut in the future; thousands of people in Petrie are eagerly awaiting the possibility of an interest rate cut on the horizon. This is only possible because of the diligent way that our economy has been managed under the Treasurer.
Not only are we keeping the economy on track but we're also doing it without leaving the most vulnerable behind—something those opposite have failed to do again and again. It is a fallacy that you must cut essential services in order to maintain productivity. We know what makes Australia great is access to affordable health care, education and child care. These cannot be cut on the road to prosperity. Even though our economic stats are pretty good, we know that people are still struggling. We are laser focused on easing the financial pressures on families to make their lives that little bit easier. We've delivered three rounds of energy-bill relief. We've increased rent assistance, and we are capping the price of medicines on the PBS at $25. We are also attacking the issue from the other side by prioritising wage growth. We recently delivered a pay rise for every minimum- and award-wage worker, and real wages have been growing for 18 months.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Cameron at my Carseldine shopping centre mobile office. He served as a combat engineer for many years. He now has a young family and decided he needed a career that would allow him to be nearer to his children. Free TAFE made the decision to re-skill an easy one. Paying for a qualification while supporting a family is not easy. My mum raised me while studying for a nursing degree and had to work to afford it. It meant she had little time to spend with her kids. Cameron proudly served his country and now free TAFE has given him the security to reskill closer to home so that he can serve his family.
The OECD employment outlook 2025 confirmed that the government is delivering the lowest personal income tax rates in 50 years, and unemployment levels are below the OECD average. Given this, it's hard to understand how the opposition can justify the claim that government is 'addicted' to raising taxes. We delivered an $800 tax cut for every Australian taxpayer—a tax cut designed to support those earning under $150,000. On the other side, the coalition wanted to increase taxes. My seat in Petrie was held by the Liberal Party for 12 years but voted Labor at the last election. This reflects my community's trust in our government's agenda. We are investing in cost-of-living relief, secure jobs, education and health care. These are issues my community care about and want to see safeguarded. I'm committed to continuous improvement in these areas to make sure that locals are supported.
This can be achieved only if the economy continues to grow, and I am certain we are on the right track. We guaranteed Australians costed, targeted and clear cost-of-living relief, not vague, ever-changing promises. Labor governs with transparency and has a plan for future reforms. We're delivering on tax cuts, responsible spending and a stronger fiscal outlook. For Petrie residents, this means better wages, more affordable living and economic stability. (Time expired)
Mr KENNEDY (Cook) (16:08): This government is addicted to spending. It's addicted to tax. Like any addiction, that comes with consequences—and I'm not talking about the Treasurer walking around, scratching himself, looking for some unrealised gains to tax. It's taxes and it's consequences for real, everyday Australians. For them, it's actually about how they pay their bills. How do they pay for their homes? How do they look after their families? What's Labor's solution? Tax more, spend more—rinse and repeat. This is a government that just can't say no—no to their spending habits, no to their taxes and no to taking more of your money. Since 2023, eight out of the last nine quarters have seen GDP per capita go backwards. What does that mean? That means the average Australian family has gotten poorer. It means your standard of living is going down. That is what has been delivered under this Albanese government.
Productivity has collapsed, down over five per cent. Real GDP per capita has fallen from 20th in the world to now into the 60s. Australia is plummeting, and our living standards are plummeting compared to all developed economies and the rest of our world peers. This isn't drift; this is decline. It's not a coincidence, it's not natural and it's not a predictable result. It's economic mismanagement from a treasurer who's more interested in writing essays and books than delivering economic outcomes.
Jim Chalmers promised to win the peace on superannuation. Instead, he's declared war on aspiration. The first big fight of this parliament is not about a tax on wealth; it's about a tax on imaginary wealth, a tax on gains that don't even exist except in the Treasurer's head—from assets that haven't been sold. It's absurd. But, more than that, it sets a dangerous precedent. If they're taxing unrealised gains right now in your super, what will be next? Will it be the family home, your business or any other asset you may own? Right now, it will only affect about 80,000 people. But, just like our income tax, this policy is not indexed. What does that mean? That means that, for almost half a million Australians sitting out there today, this tax is coming for you. This tax is designed to grow. It's a trojan horse. Australians won't know they've been caught until it's too late and they're caught in the jaws of this tax.
This isn't a government about making hard choices; this is a government about making lazy ones. Why do the hard work on productivity reform when you can just tax more, tax harder and tax more often? Why grow the pie when you can carve it up? Australia's highest marginal tax rate is now at 47 per cent, kicking in at $190,000. We heard from the member for Petrie, 'Income taxes are going down, and we've passed tax cuts.' But that ignores bracket creep, because in the last five years the number of people in this top tax bracket has almost doubled. It's grown to just under $500,000, and it'll soon breach over a million dollars. Everyday Australians are getting taxed more because this cost-of-living crisis sees inflation go up, which sees your wages go up—not as fast as expenses—but then leaves you paying more tax.
Economic experts warn that such marginal tax rates on relatively modest incomes discourage work, entrepreneurship and risk taking. Labor's so-called stage 3 tax cuts that we heard about just a moment ago—we pretend this is cost-of-living relief, but bracket creep is just ballooning and ballooning. Tax receipts will hit a record $349 billion, and almost 52 per cent of all tax revenue will come from individuals. What you do at work and what your husband or your wife does at work—you are funding this country. Actually, it's even worse than that. One dollar in every three produced in this economy finds its way into government hands. That's one in every three dollars. Don't take my word for it; listen to John Kehoe of the Financial Review. This is what he had to say recently:
… Australia relies on taxing personal income and corporate profits more than any other advanced economy while under-utilising consumption taxes, including the 10 per cent GST.
The same article reports that Professor Robert Breunig, a director of the ANU—that right-wing organisation—'said that the combination of a lack of fiscal restraint and an ever-increasing reliance on income tax was already a big problem and will get bigger in the future'. It certainly is, thanks to Dr Chalmers.
Ms CLUTTERHAM (Sturt) (16:13): Today's matter of public importance is about the government's addictions. Today I proudly rise to share with this House the many, many addictions of the Albanese Labor government—and a word of warning: there is no cure for these addictions. There is no medication, no pill and no therapy that could cure these addictions, and I am proud of that.
This government is addicted to providing cost-of-living relief to all Australians. It is addicted to creating an environment where the aspirations of working families are met. It is addicted to listening to the needs of young people as they take steps to educate themselves, start their careers, save to buy a home and raise a family. This government is absolutely addicted to improving health outcomes for all Australians in our cities and in our regions. It is proudly addicted to continuing to invest in and strengthen Medicare so that more Australians have access to primary and preventive health care—and there is definitely no cure for that addiction.
This government is addicted to making sure that women are heard when it comes to their health needs and is addicted to making investments to ensure that those health needs are adequately met. The Albanese Labor government is also addicted to cheaper medicines and addicted to reducing the cost of medications to just $25 for all Australians so that they can access the health care that they deserve without having to cut corners. It is addicted to opening more urgent care clinics and Medicare mental health clinics, addicted to training more doctors and nurses, addicted to paid prac for students enrolled to study to become nurses, addicted to paid prac for students enrolled in study to become teachers. You cannot cure us of this addiction; we are very proud of this addiction.
This government is addicted to the proposition that education lifts people out of poverty, affords them opportunities to contribute to their communities and to provide for their families. This addiction has manifested in the government's initiative to wipe 20 per cent off student debt, which the Prime Minister announced in my electorate of Sturt and which will benefit over 25,000 people living in that electorate.
It also manifests in the government's addiction to free TAFE. I saw this addiction play out when I visited the Gilles Plains TAFE in Sturt and met Rachael, who is studying to become an enrolled nurse. Married with four children, Rachael was in her mid- to late 40s and had spent the better part of 20 years caring for and raising her family. With her children at an age where they had more independence, Rachael wanted to do something for herself and for her community. Rachael told me she would not be able to study to become an enrolled nurse if it wasn't for free TAFE. She couldn't stop work to study full time and pay tuition. Free TAFE means that at the end of this year Rachael will qualify as an enrolled nurse and go out into the community to serve others. Rachael is being empowered by her education, and empowering people through education is something this government is proudly addicted to.
Now, when Rachael goes out into the workforce, earns an income and starts to pay tax, she will benefit from another one of this government's addictions: lowering taxes for all working Australians—lower taxes for all working Australians, not higher taxes for all Australians as those opposite proposed. The Albanese Labor government's addiction to lowering taxes for all working Australians will see the delivery of two more tax cuts to every Australian taxpayer in 2026 and 2027, adding to the first round of tax cuts that Labor delivered in July last year. Every Australian taxpayer gets another tax cut from next year—all 14 million, not just some.
Now, this addiction to lowering taxes was well observed, loudly and clearly, by the Australian people on 3 May 2025, and it's an addiction that was roundly accepted by the Australian people. It is an addiction that the Australian people never want to see cured.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): Time for this discussion has now concluded.
BILLS
Universities Accord (Cutting Student Debt by 20 Per Cent) Bill 2025
Customs Amendment (Australia-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Implementation) Bill 2025
Customs Tariff Amendment (Australia-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Implementation) Bill 2025
Early Childhood Education and Care (Strengthening Regulation of Early Education) Bill 2025
Returned from Senate
Messages received from the Senate returning the bills without amendments or requests.
Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) Bill 2025
First Reading
Bill received from the Senate and read a first time.
Ordered that the second reading be made an order of the day for the next sitting day.
Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2025
First Reading
Bill received from the Senate and read a first time.
Ordered that the second reading be made an order of the day for the next sitting day.
COMMITTEES
Intelligence and Security Joint Committee
Membership
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ) (16:21): I have received advice from the Prime Minister nominating members to be members of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
Dr MULINO (Fraser—Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services) (16:21): by leave—I move:
That, in accordance with the provisions of the Intelligence Services Act 2001, Ms Claydon, Ms Lawrence, Mr Laxale and Dr Reid be appointed members of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
Question agreed to.
GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH
Address-in-Reply
Consideration resumed of the motion:
That the following Address in Reply to the speech of Her Excellency the Governor-General be agreed to:
May it please Your Excellency:
We, the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, in Parliament assembled, express our loyalty to the Sovereign, and thank Your Excellency for the speech which you have been pleased to address to Parliament.
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (16:22): At the outset I wish to thank the people of the Riverina for sending me back here to represent them for a sixth term. It is a great privilege, duty and honour to represent the Riverina in the federal parliament.
The Riverina these days, according to the Australian Electoral Commission, extends from Matong to the Illawarra. The boundaries are vastly different from the ones I inherited when I first stood for and won the seat in 2010. There were changes made in 2016, and we saw another huge alteration again this election. We lost the local government areas of Bland, represented by Mayor Brian Monaghan; Forbes, where Phyllis Miller OAM is the mayor; and Parkes—Neil Westcott is the mayor of that fine council. I want to thank each of those mayors and, more importantly perhaps, the people in those councils for their wonderful contribution to Australia. They very much contribute mightily to this nation's fortunes—in West Wyalong, Forbes, Parkes and other areas in between—and I loved representing them.
But the boundaries changed. The eastern end of Hilltops, taking in Boorowa, was added to the electorate, as was Snowy Valleys. The mayor of that LGA is Julia Ham. There's the Upper Lachlan, where we have Paul Culhane, and Yass Valley, where the indefatigable Jasmin Jones is the mayor. I have very much, in the short time I have been representing those three-and-a-bit shires, enjoyed that experience because they are wonderful places. Coolamon, Cowra, Cootamundraand Gundagai just de-merged, and that will be happening very, very soon. Hilltops, Junee, Lockhart, Temora, Wagga Wagga and Weddin have remained in the Riverina electorate boundaries, and I will do everything I can every day to give them the representation they need, expect, want and deserve. It's a great honour to be in this place, whether you are on the backbench or the front bench, and I've been in both places. I've been everywhere, man! I still very much love this job and this role. Whilst the electorate is now more than 52,410 square kilometres—and it is a lot more driving—the people are indeed just the same. They have the same aspirations.
We've got everything from heavy industry to farming. We manufacture a lot. We grow a lot. It's a great area to represent. Interestingly enough, the new parts of the electorate have come with some challenges. There are proposals by multinational companies to place a lot of wind towers, solar factories and battery energy storage systems in many of the new parts of the electorate and indeed many of the parts of the electorate that have been there for quite some time. The people—particularly in Bookham, Bowning and Binalong—are very, very concerned by a proposal from Wind Prospect to place 90 wind towers, 260 metres high, across their arable farmland. They are very much looking to me and indeed to others to support them in their cause to say that they don't want to see this spoiling their vista and, more importantly, taking up valuable, beautiful countryside that would otherwise be used for farming. In recent times, I've met Emma Webb, a sheep farmer who is married to Lachie, has three young children and is the daughter of Angus Oberg. They are very concerned, in Bowning, at this proposal to place this number of wind towers in their beautiful backyards, and I will support them every step of the way.
Elsewhere in the electorate, battery energy storage systems are being put in place at Gregadoo, Mangoplah and Talbingo in the Snowy Valleys. The difficulty there is that the local rural fire services say that they absolutely will not go and put the fires out because of the potential toxicity of the flames. When you've got volunteers who have lived in and around those districts for many, many years, and they are pushing back and saying, 'Enough's enough,' you have to listen. If you're not listening and acting then you're not doing your role as the member sent here to Canberra to do a job for them and on their behalf. I will stick up for these people, and I will represent them. I hear their concerns, but, moreover, not only will I listen to their concerns; I will act on their concerns.
This reckless rollout of renewables is having such an effect in my electorate. As Jasmin Jones, the mayor of Yass Valley, so correctly points out: why do we have to keep doing the heavy lifting for our metro mates who are not carrying their share of the renewable burden and are not carrying their share of the heavy lift when it comes to this supposed fairytale of net zero? I will fight every step of the way for and on behalf of the people who are pushing back and saying, 'Enough's enough.' Whether it's up at Crookwell, the Yass Valley or the Snowy Mountains, people are pushing back, and they don't want the 28,000 kilometres of transmission lines, much of which is going to end up in the Riverina. They don't want these BES systems, which could potentially be a fire hazard. They don't want their view and, moreover, their arable farmland taken up with these monstrous wind towers. People can fact check this all they like, but councils are not taking some of the blades from the wing towers and many of the solar panels for recycling. Some of it's recyclable, yes, but a large lot of it's not. The councils do not want to have their landfill used up with these, which leach into the soil and which get in the waterways. They are saying that enough is enough.
Debate interrupted.
ADJOURNMENT
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Claydon ): It being 4.30 pm, I propose the question:
That the House do now adjourn.
Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program
Ms STEGGALL (Warringah) (16:30): Earlier this month I had the privilege of visiting the Torres Strait Islands with Senator Tammy Tyrrell as part of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program, which enables MPs to experience life and work alongside our incredible ADF personnel. It was such an amazing experience, and I feel so incredibly privileged and lucky to have had the opportunity to participate and see firsthand the incredible dedication and the sacrifice that is made by our Defence Force personnel.
I joined the Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Program, AACAP, a partnership between the Australian Army, the National Indigenous Australians Agency and the 19th Chief Engineer Works. If you haven't heard about it—especially the new members in this place—please go and find out. It was such an incredibly eye-opening experience, and it's one we should all really participate in to appreciate the value of the work being done. AACAP delivers vital infrastructure, health and dental services, and vocational training and education to remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, as well as giving our defence personnel an opportunity to do a deployment and practice the logistics and the skills that are so essential for their role.
I spent time with the health and training teams on Warraber and Erub islands, and on Horn Island and Thursday Island as well. They are all so incredibly remote. Being there gave me a real firsthand appreciation for just how remote these communities are and how difficult it is for them to access the services that we take for granted. While I was there, I had the opportunity to meet with local council members and understand their challenges and frustration around housing and accessing a lot of services. There are very real challenges for them. I also had the opportunity to visit the 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment, based on Thursday Island. Again, we hear a lot about our closest land border being with Papua New Guinea. It was incredibly interesting for me to go and visit.
In one community on Warraber Island, the Defence Force personnel—dentists and two nurses—are providing over $50,000 worth of dental care to community members who in some instances, had not accessed dental care for over 10 years. It's incredibly important to understand the value of that for that local community. Some of the residents were, in fact, receiving treatment for the very first time.
The Army was also there upgrading and constructing critical infrastructure which helps them to develop their skills and also delivers something the community is calling for and needing. As you can imagine, it was so incredibly remote that the logistics of planning for this—where everything, including all of the construction materials, had to be taken to these remote locations—was an incredible logistics exercise. I'm deeply grateful to the defence personnel who generously shared their time, their stories and their expertise with me, and I'm grateful for their contribution to this program, because it requires many of them to be away from their loved ones for over four months of the year. It's a big sacrifice in an environment where I can say there were no luxuries. We slept on camp beds and we were in the same conditions that the defence personnel are in.
The Productivity Commission's Closing the Gap report shows that we're only on track to meet four of 19 targets when it comes to First Nations Australians' disadvantage, and health outcomes remain incredibly concerning. There are minimal gains in health assessments and declining use of GPs and chronic disease management services. Nearly 25 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are unable to access dental care when needed, and costs remain a massive barrier, with 10 per cent unable to afford a dental visit. As you can imagine, on these islands the cost of everything was exacerbated by remoteness.
So I would argue that AACAP is an incredibly valuable program. It delivers real outcomes, builds stronger communities and builds our Defence Force capabilities. I was quite shocked to hear that, despite its success, AACAP may not continue. It has not been funded past 2026. It is a co-partnership between Defence and Prime Minister and Cabinet, and so I am calling on the government to ensure it continues to be funded. The year 2027 would be its 30th anniversary and, at the moment, it's up in the air whether or not this incredible program will continue. I want to thank all those that I spoke to for their incredible service and for sharing their experiences with me.
Pearce Electorate: Health Care
Ms ROBERTS (Pearce) (16:34): I rise to give a detailed update on several very important healthcare projects taking place in Yanchep in my electorate of Pearce in Western Australia. These projects will make a genuine and lasting difference to the lives of the people in my local community.
Firstly, I am very pleased to report that the Yanchep Medicare urgent care clinic is progressing well. This clinic was a major commitment at the 2025 federal election and it is on track to open before the end of this financial year. The clinic will be bulk-billed and available for walk-in patients who need urgent care. This clinic will reduce the pressure on emergency departments. Many people in our community often visit hospitals with conditions that can be treated in an urgent care setting. By providing local access to these services, we can improve timely care and reduce waiting times across the health system. Yanchep and the surrounding suburbs are among the fastest-growing corridors in Western Australia. The population in this corridor is expected to grow by over 400 per cent by 2046, which is significant. This rapid growth places increased demand on existing healthcare infrastructure, and the new Yanchep Medicare urgent care clinic is designed to meet this growing demand, ensuring that families in this area will have better access to urgent health services nearby.
The Edith Cowan University Health Centre precinct in Yanchep continues to show excellent progress. The advancement is thanks to a strong partnership between the Australian federal government, the Western Australian government and Edith Cowan University. Together, these partners have committed $20.7 million to establish a multipurpose primary care centre. This centre will also support important clinical training and health research activities. The ECU Health Centre in Yanchep will feature two co-located integrated health facilities designed to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the expanding Yanchep community. Stage 1 of this precinct is ECU Health Centre Yanchep East, which opened in August 2024. The centre provides a wide range of primary care and mental health services and not only increases access to quality health care but also builds the health workforce by offering training opportunities to students and staff in the local community. Building on the success of the first stage, the second stage, ECU Health Centre Yanchep West, is under construction, with plans to open by mid-2026. This expansion will significantly increase the precinct's ability to meet the healthcare demands of our growing population.
Importantly, this health precinct will be located within walking distance of the Yanchep Central Shopping Centre and will be serviced by bus routes. This location will make it easy for people to access the services they need without long and difficult journeys. The Yanchep Medicare urgent health clinic and the ECU Health Centre precinct represent a forward-thinking healthcare strategy for this region. They offer both immediate urgent care solutions and long-term primary care services. This coordinated approach ensures that no member of our fast-growing community will be left waiting for essential medical care. I commend everyone involved in delivering these projects. Your dedication and hard work demonstrate a real commitment to supporting the health needs of Yanchep now and well into the future.
In conclusion, the future of health care in Yanchep looks very positive. With the urgent care clinic progressing and the ECU Health Centre precinct expanding, we are building a healthier, stronger community. We are ensuring that people living in Yanchep and surrounding suburbs have access to the care they need when they need it, which is close to home and with services that are respectful, effective, and definitely easy to reach.
Norden, Private Richard Leslie, VC, DCM
Defence Exercises
Ms LANDRY (Capricornia—Chief Nationals Whip) (16:40): Earlier this month in Rockhampton, something truly profound happened that will be remembered not just by our region but by our nation. In a deeply moving and historic ceremony, Private Richard Norden was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, Australia's highest military honour, for his extraordinary bravery during the Vietnam War, and it was not in Canberra nor in Sydney or Melbourne but in the regional city of Rockhampton, where Private Norden's family call home. The Governor-General of Australia, Her Excellency Sam Mostyn, personally travelled to our region to present the medal to Richard's family. What an honour; what a moment. It was a moment that brought our entire community together. Veterans, children, civic leaders, defence personnel and local residents all gathered to bear witness to something deeply significant—the rightful recognition of a young soldier who gave everything for his country.
Private Richard Norden enlisted in the Australian Army at just 18 years of age. In December 1967, he was deployed to Vietnam with the 1st Australian Reinforcement Unit. His actions on 14 May 1968 in the battle of Coral-Balmoral are now etched in the history books. When his platoon was ambushed, he didn't hesitate. Under relentless and withering enemy fire, Richard advanced again and again. He risked his life to carry wounded comrades to safety. He recovered the body of a fallen mate. Despite being seriously wounded himself, he continued to engage the enemy and protect his platoon. His selflessness, unshakeable bravery and refusal to back down saved lives and turned the tide of battle. His actions went far beyond the call of duty.
Tragically, just a few years later, Richard's life was cut short in a motorcycle accident while serving with the Australian Capital Territory Police. He was only 24 years old. He left behind a young wife, Robynn, and two small sons, Scott and Shane. A number of years later, after Private Norden's passing, Robynn met her now husband, Lance Freeman, who along with Robynn's young boys moved to Rockhampton. So earlier this month, it was at Rockhampton, in the city that welcomed this incredible family, where Robynn accepted the Victoria Cross on Richard's behalf. It's hard to describe the emotion that was in the room—the pride, the reverence, the grief, the love. This wasn't just a medal presentation; this was a nation finally standing tall and saying, 'We see you; we honour you; we are grateful.'
For far too long, Vietnam veterans like Richard were not treated with the respect they deserved. They came home to silence, misunderstanding and rejection, but, with this award, that wrong was in part made right. It took years of tireless advocacy, especially from retired Lieutenant Colonel George Hulse, who formally submitted the application in 2020. Though the Department of Defence initially rejected the request, the veteran community did not give up. The Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal eventually agreed that Richard Norden's actions fully met the criteria for a Victoria Cross. On Remembrance Day last year, Richard Norden was formally awarded the VC. It's the highest honour we can bestow.
Right now, as we honour the bravery of the past, our region continues to serve the nation through Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest military training exercise since its inception. Shoalwater Bay is once again the stage for a global defence operation, with over 35,000 troops and 19 allied nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Fiji, training together on our soil. What began as a bilateral Australia-US exercise has grown into a world-class demonstration of unity, readiness and strategic cooperation. From precision missile drills to amphibious landings, Shoalwater Bay has proven time and time again that it is one of the finest military training environments anywhere in the world.
The former coalition government recognised the strategic importance of Shoalwater Bay and, in partnership with the Singapore government through the Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative, delivered a $1 billion investment for the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area. This funding enabled the construction of a new field kitchen, dining facility, admin building, medical centre, exercise control centre, landing zone, logistics infrastructure and other vital support systems. Such a significant investment ensures our troops have the world-class training environment they need to remain prepared and capable, particularly in a time of increasing global uncertainty. These brave men and women make immense sacrifices to protect our nation, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they have the tools and facilities to do so.
When we speak of service, sacrifice, bravery and legacy, let us remember Private Richard Norden VC, a soldier of unmatched courage, a young man who gave everything for his mates and his country. Lest we forget.
Waratah Park
Ingleburn RSL Club
Mr MONCRIEFF (Hughes) (16:45): In July, I was really excited to be able to attend the opening of the Waratah Park upgrade on behalf of Minister Kristy McBain. The park is another fantastic facility for families in the Sutherland Shire. It's a park that reflects the unique history of our area, and it is going to provide many benefits to our community's children and the next generation for many years to come. The Sutherland community has advocated for a long time for increased access to playgrounds, especially ones that reflect the diverse needs of our growing community, and there was a real joy in the community as this government has been able to deliver for them, thanks to $1.2 million in funding from the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program that went towards Waratah Park playground through Sutherland Shire Council. It's just another example of how the Albanese Labor government is delivering for the Hughes community and delivering much-needed infrastructure right across the country. I want to thank Minister McBain for her commitment to the program, which is making a real difference in my community.
The Waratah Park followed the highly successful all-abilities playground at Cooper Street, Engadine, which opened just over a year ago. I drive past that park quite regularly and I've rarely seen it empty. It has been great to see the success and popularity of this inclusive facility, with families with all abilities enjoying it. That success has been replicated at the Waratah Park since its opening.
What I love most about Waratah Park, apart from the inclusive nature of its all-abilities status, is the incorporation of the local elements—things like the native waratah flower and the Sutherland-Cronulla steam tramline which has been incorporated into the equipment at the park. At the opening, it was great to see the children passing through this icon of New South Wales, the waratah, our state floral emblem. As a bit of a public transport nerd, I love that part of our local transport history is being recognised with the Sutherland-Cronulla tramline being reflected in it.
I want to thank the Sydney Tramway Museum, just across the road from the new park, for their additions to the park, including real artefacts from the tram heritage of Sydney. I also want to thank the Menai Men's Shed for their contribution to the park. They built a miniature tram stop, including a ticket station and a 'next tram' display. I know that the kids of the shire will be enjoying this fun piece of equipment for decades to come. I'm so happy that they'll have this link to the heritage of the area as they grow with the community.
Thank you to our mayor, Councillor Jack Boyd, the D Ward councillors, especially Diedree Steinwall and Peter Tsambalas, and the staff of the Sutherland Shire Council for all your work on this project, and thanks again to Minister McBain and the Albanese Labor government for delivering for the people of Sutherland.
In June, I was lucky enough to attend an event for the Ingleburn RSL, which has been a stalwart of the community for generations. Recently, it celebrated 50 years at its Chester Road location. The CEO, Glenn Cushion, and the board of directors welcomed life members, sub-branch executive and members, 50-year members and guests, including the mayor of Campbelltown, Councillor Darcy Lound, to attend this memorable event celebrating this fantastic milestone. I want to thank Glenn, the board and Councillor Lound for some great stories on the history of the area and the club's positive impact on the community. One of those stories that stood out to me was that the Chester Road location was opened by the local member at the time, a young man by the name of Gough Whitlam, who also happened to be the Prime Minister.
But this wasn't just in time for self-congratulations from the club. Like the community that they are, the club used this milestone to give back. As part of their commitment to the community, they donated a total of $50,000 to five incredible local organisations: the Formal Project, Lifeline Macarthur, the Top Blokes Foundation, the Rotary Club of Ingleburn and the Campbelltown Domestic Violence Committee. Each received $10,000 to continue their vital work within our community, and I know that that money will make a real difference to the lives of those that are helped by those fantastic organisations. Congratulations to Glenn and the team from Ingleburn RSL for reaching this fantastic milestone and, more importantly, for the 50 years of giving back to the community. Here's to the next 50 years of Ingleburn RSL.
Berowra Electorate: Scouts
Berowra Electorate: Mental Health
Mr LEESER (Berowra) (16:49): I rise to speak on three matters of local importance to the Berowra community. It was a pleasure to join the 1st Hornsby Heights Scout Group recently to recognise an outstanding young woman from our community, Alyssa Eden, who received the King's Scout Award. Alyssa is the first King's Scout from Hornsby Heights in its history. The King's Scout Award is the highest honour a Venturer Scout can achieve, and Alyssa has earned it through years of commitment, service and leadership. She joined Scouts at the age of eight and has completed every stage—Cubs, Scouts and now Venturers—completing leadership courses in each level.
As part of her King's Scout journey, Alyssa led a six-day expedition in Tasmania, including four days on the Three Capes Track. She has taken part in Dragon Skin, whitewater kayaking and two jamborees, and she has earned certificate II qualifications in both workplace skills and outdoor recreation. Alyssa has served on the unit council. She has performed in the Hornsby Gang Show since 2019 and supported younger Scouts as a youth leader. She has bushwalked over 500 kilometres and camped 95 nights and continues to contribute as a Rover. Alyssa is a role model in every sense, and our community is incredibly proud of her achievements.
A wonderful milestone in our community occurred recently with the Epping Scout Group. The Epping Scout Group has some of the best facilities and traditions in scouting in my community, and they have a wonderful scout hall, which they hire out to other community groups in the Epping electorate, and that scout hall turned 100. The hall's construction was completed in 1925 at a cost of 695 pounds, and it's been used continuously ever since. The Epping Scout Group is one of the oldest continually running groups in Australia, formed in 1915. From aerial soccer to meetings and Scout sleepovers, the hall has hosted it all. In 1975, it even hosted a concert by the local band the Clones, putting it into the Australian Music Database. A plaque to commemorate the hall's centenary was unveiled at the recent celebrations.
Incredibly, in attendance at the events were locals who have been associated with the scouting group for more than 60 of its 100 years. I want to acknowledge Epping Scout Group leader Simone Haider and chair Hannah Chim for their wonderful work in organising the celebrations. We also saw the recognition of several scouts on that day, including twins Zara and Zoe Williams, who earned the Australian Scout Award, the peak award for Scouts in the Scout section, and spoke with great enthusiasm for everything that Epping Scouts had meant to them in their lives. Peter Buckley, the eternal leader of the Epping Scouts, also received a certificate of recognition.
Today, I want to touch on an issue that's deeply personal to me. As many know, I am a strong advocate when it comes to better mental health and suicide prevention policy. Every day, we lose nine people to suicide in Australia. For every death, there are approximately 20 attempts. Locally, 4,041 people presented at the North Shore public health network emergency departments with suicidal thoughts and other intentional self-harm in 2021. In 2023-24, that increased to 4,681 people. These aren't just numbers; they're someone's parent, someone's son, someone's daughter, someone's partner or someone's mate.
Over the past year, I've come to know a man in my community called Adam. Adam is a man of great courage. He's 25 years old. He's faced hardship, and instead of staying silent he has chosen to speak up, and he's called on me to speak up today. He's been a strong advocate for improvements to our local health system, highlighting the strain that Hornsby hospital and its mental health unit are put under every single day. Doctors and nurses on the front lines are completely overwhelmed by the high number of patients being admitted. Not only does that impact those seeking support from our health system, but it significantly impacts the wellbeing of those trying to provide essential care and support.
Adam's story and his advocacy are a reflection that we have so much more to do to make the system work in our community. That's why I'm calling on the New South Wales government and the federal government to invest more in the Hornsby mental health unit and the associated community wraparound programs so that we can properly deal with mental health and suicide prevention in the Berowra electorate. Adam's story is one of resilience, but, more than that, his willingness to talk openly about his challenges in mental health is something that is so important in today's society. It is so important because we cannot allow the stigma of mental health and suicide to silence people. We must encourage Australians, when they get that sixth sense that something is wrong, to ask their friends directly, 'Are you contemplating suicide?' and take their friend to get the help that they need.
Singleton Business Awards
Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (16:54): Business Singleton has once again held their annual Singleton Business Awards. Our local businesses are the lifeblood of the community, so thank you for all your hard work that you put in. The Singleton Business Awards recognise individuals and organisations across Singleton who have gone above and beyond over the past year. There are some exceptional finalists in this year's Singleton Business Awards.
The individual finalists for Young Business Leader of the Year were Keelie Bell, Chantel Merrick and Shylie Simpson. The finalists for the Business Leader of the Year included Rachel Baigent, Jeremy Brett, Kelly Cooper, Lesley Cooper, Sue Gilroy and Stacey Munzenberger. For the top award of Employee of the Year, the finalists were Ella Coleman, Jackie Ernst, Jamie Illinfield-Bell, Jane Denton, Tegan Cox and Tiahna Ball. The finalists for Excellence in Supporting the Veteran Community were Singleton Legacy Group, Singleton Defence Family & Community and Singleton RSL.
There were also a stack of businesses named as finalists in a range of business categories. Congratulations to Amelia Rose Skin & Beauty, Aqua Legal & Conveyancing, Confetti Finance, Hollydene Estate Wines & Vines Restaurant, Hunter Valley Supports, iSimplify, Loop Organics, Meyn Street Meats, Morgan Engineering, Red Amp Electrical, Redbournberry Clothing Co, Renue Wellness, Salon Franc, Singleton Medical Centre & Skin Clinic, Singleton Neighbourhood Centre, Singleton Striders, Star Club Equestrian Program, Starline Alpacas Farmstay, Stepz Singleton, Wine Country Lavender and Witmore.
Now I'll go to the winners of this year's Singleton Business Awards. The big award of Business of the Year was taken out by Hunter Valley Supports. The President's Award was presented to Dyson Family Foundation. The Excellence in Large Business Highly Commended went to Morgan Engineering. The award for Excellence in Small Business went to Singleton Medical Centre & Skin Clinic. Renue Wellness were recognised by being awarded Excellence in Micro Business. Business Leader of the Year 21 Employees and Over is Jeremy Brett. Business Leader of the Year 20 Employees and Under went to my old political opponent Sue Gilroy. Good on you, Sue; great work. We don't always see eye to eye, but you do fantastic things and support our community so well.
The winner of the award for Outstanding Young Business Leader was Keelie Bell, and the winner of the big award of Employee of the Year was Jackie Ernst. The award for Outstanding Community Organisation went to Singleton Neighbourhood Centre. The important award of Excellence in Supporting the Veteran Community went to Singleton Legacy Group. Good on you, guys. I know how much you do for our veterans, and you certainly make a world of difference to the lives of those who have given so much for our country. This award is well deserved.
Starting a new business is one of the hardest things anyone can do. It takes time, commitment, hard work and resilience. So, congratulations to Confetti Finance for taking out the category of Outstanding New Business. The category of Excellence in Sustainability Highly Commended went to Loop Organics. We know, when we talk about tourism, the Hunter is on the top of the list of the places to go, so the category for Outstanding Visitor Experience is extremely important. We wouldn't be the tourism hub that we are today without our local businesses making us the place to go. I say a very special congratulations to the team at Starline Alpaca Farmstay resort for taking out this category.
In the category of Excellence in Health, Wellbeing & Lifestyle, Star Club Equestrian Program brought home the award. They also, today, topped off the night by being awarded Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion. The category of Excellence in Professional Services went to Hunter Valley Supports. And, finally, the award of Excellence in Retail was given to Meyn Street Meats.
Thank you to all the great businesses of the Hunter.
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for the Arts, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Leader of the House) (16:59): I move:
That the question be now put.
Question agreed to.
Original question negatived.
COMMITTEES
Intelligence and Security Joint Committee
Membership
The SPEAKER (16:59): I have received advice from the Hon. the Prime Minister nominating members to be members of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for the Arts, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Leader of the House) (16:59): by leave—I move:
That, in accordance with the provisions of the Intelligence Services Act 2001, Mr Hastie, Mr Taylor and Mr Wallace be appointed members of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
Question agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for the Arts, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Leader of the House) (17:00): I move:
That the House do now adjourn.
Question agreed to.
House adjourned at 17:00
NOTICES
Presentation
The following notice was given:
Mr Georganas to move:
That this House:
(1) notes that 24 August 2025 marks three and a half years since Russia's illegal, immoral and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine;
(2) reaffirms Australia's continued support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity;
(3) condemns Russia's:
(a) attacks on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity since Ukraine gained independence in 1991;
(b) backing of separatist militias in the Donbas;
(c) illegal attempted annexation of Crimea; and
(d) full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as its interference in Ukraine's domestic politics;
(4) supports:
(a) the Government's:
(i) efforts since the full-scale invasion to provide military, humanitarian, energy, reconstruction and recovery assistance to Ukraine; and
(ii) measures that impose costs on Russia for its violations of international law, including trade sanctions and targeted financial sanctions; and
(b) Australia's continued calls on Russia to fulfil its obligations under international humanitarian law and end its illegal invasion of Ukraine; and
(5) endorses the Government's commitment to continue to support a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
Federation Chamber
T he DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms S harkie ) took the chair at 09:30.
T he DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms S harkie ) took the chair at 09:30.
CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Tertiary Education
Dr RYAN (Kooyong) (09:30): A few weeks ago in my electorate of Kooyong, I sat down for coffee with a group of students undertaking mandatory placements as part of their tertiary studies. Among them were future psychologists, veterinarians, social workers and educators. Each shared their story, some with quiet resilience, some with visible frustration, all with a common theme of their wanting and needing more support for their prac placements. These placements often require hundreds of hours of hard work. While the changes effective from 1 July mean that students in education and social services are now supported, many in the care sector are not. One student was undertaking a PhD in psychology. She has to cover the cost of her professional registration, her working-with-children and police checks and her travel and accommodation, all while being limited by her university to just six hours a week in her part-time job. Another student, who is studying social work, described the exhausting process of trying to secure placements. He said, 'It's highly competitive. It's far from home. My university offers little support, but I'm still required to pay for the unit as if it were a regular class.'
The stories I've heard from students in Kooyong are not isolated. Every time I raise this issue on social media, my comments and DMs are flooded with hundreds of stories from students around Australia, each reinforcing that placement poverty is real and that it is hurting our future workforce. Some students are being forced to choose between continuing their studies and eating. Some are sleeping in their cars during placements, and that's why they're having to defer or go part time unnecessarily. This issue places immense pressure on students who are dedicating themselves to careers in the care industry, education and community service. These are professions which are the backbone of our society. These are the people who will care for Australians in our hospitals, our classrooms, our clinics and our community centres. If we don't support them during their studies, we risk losing them before they even enter the workforce.
Education should be an opportunity, not a financial burden. For far too many, mandatory placements mean worry, stress and anxiety, not participation, engagement, fulfilment and learning. So I call on the government to recognise this crisis. We owe it to the next generation to do better for our students. If we invest in them now, we invest in the future wellbeing of all Australians.
Mental Health
Mr CONROY (Shortland—Minister for Pacific Island Affairs and Minister for Defence Industry) (09:32): Mental health is something that touches every family, every workplace, every school and every part of our community. It's something we need to talk about openly, honestly and locally. In my electorate of Shortland, covering parts of Lake Macquarie in the Central Coast, I've seen firsthand the struggles that people face, whether it's a young person battling anxiety, a parent under pressure, someone doing it tough financially or an older Australian feeling isolated. There are real challenges faced by real people in our community. So, when my community told me they needed better mental health support, I took that seriously.
That's why the Albanese Labor government is delivering a free Medicare mental health centre in Shortland—so people can get the help they need when they need it, close to home. This centre will be open to everyone—no referral, no appointment and no out-of-pocket cost. Just walk in and get the help you need, because mental health care shouldn't be a luxury. It should be accessible, affordable and local, not just for people in the big cities but for people in the regions too. These centres will relieve pressure on families and the broader health system by providing a one-stop hub for support. They'll be staffed by mental health nurses, psychologists, peer support workers and other allied health professionals, working together to deliver tailored, expert care. Whether someone is in crisis or simply in need of someone to talk to, they'll find a team ready to respond quickly, compassionately and effectively. People will be assessed onsite and connected to the right evidence based care. That might be short-term support, longer-term help or a referral to other local services. This is part of our broader commitment to strengthen Medicare and invest in the health of every Australian, because mental health is health. We're not just talking about better mental health care; we're delivering it. The centre can also help connect locals with other services to provide support over the long term, like housing or help finding a job. These centres are built to look at the whole picture and make sure people have the right support to move forward.
We want fewer people falling through the cracks, less pressure on our hospitals and more lives changed for the better. That's what good government does. It acts, and it delivers real outcomes for real people. Under Labor, that's exactly what we'll continue to do.
Nicholls Electorate: Infrastructure
Mr BIRRELL (Nicholls) (09:35): A very, very welcome addition to the electorate of Nicholls is the township of Kilmore. I've had ongoing engagement with the community. It's a great community. It's actually the community where I went to school. There are a lot of priority projects that that community needs, including the bypass, which has long been mooted but never really progressed, and also the link road. It's got some challenges. It's got a very narrow streetscape, but it's a growing community. The infrastructure issues in Nicholls are very important to the constituents. It's a regional area. It requires infrastructure upgrades. I've written to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government about these priority projects. I hope to get a response, and I hope to get some positive action towards some funding towards these critical infrastructure projects.
A critical one in the region around Nagambie is Kirwans Bridge. I've raised this directly with the minister, and we've made a number of funding applications for this, but we haven't been able to get a resolution. Kirwans Bridge is a heritage bridge. It's a wooden bridge. It was damaged in the 2022 floods. As a result of that damage, it was closed down. The Strathbogie Shire estimate that it would cost in the vicinity of $7 million to $8 million to repair it to the point where it could be opened up again and connect two communities. The two communities have been completely isolated from each other because of the inability of this bridge, which spans the Goulburn Weir, to be opened, so I'm hoping we can get a resolution on that.
I also made commitments that, if we formed government, we would provide funding towards the redevelopment of the Shepparton Sports Stadium, which is a critical part of Shepparton's visitor economy; the Shepparton bypass; and the completion of the final stages of the Welsford Street arterial road. Shepparton's a growing community, as are many of the communities in Nicholls, and the infrastructure needs to keep up. In my experience, before I came into this place, it did keep up with investment from the coalition government, but that's been lacking a bit in the last three years. So I'm hoping that the Labor government focuses on regional infrastructure and that we can get some things moving. The projects that funded those were the Roads of Strategic Importance, the Building Better Regions Fund, the Regional Airports Program, and the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.
I do give credit to the Labor government for their Growing Regions Program. There was $15 million for the Seymour Community Wellbeing Hub and $11 million for upgrades to Echuca's Victoria Park. That's welcome, but Growing Regions has ended now, and there doesn't seem to be any budget allocation to continue it on for the other infrastructure projects that are needed. I'm hoping that that happens, and that regional infrastructure becomes a priority of this government as it was of the previous coalition government.
Isaacs Electorate: Cambodian-Australian Community
Mr DREYFUS (Isaacs) (09:38): I rise to recognise the 40th anniversary of the Cambodian Association of Victoria and to acknowledge two longstanding Cambodian-Australian community leaders in my electorate of Isaacs: Dr Richard Lim OAM and Mr Youhorn Chea. The Cambodian-Australian community has deep roots in my electorate of Isaacs. Many in the community arrived as refugees seeking safety following the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime. Over four decades, the community has made enduring contributions to Australia's social, intellectual, cultural and civic life.
My friend Dr Richard Lim OAM was born outside Phnom Penh and began studying pharmacy before the Khmer Rouge came to power. Targeted during the regime's persecution of intellectuals, he narrowly avoided execution due to a clerical error and lived for years under threat. He later undertook a long and dangerous journey by bicycle across Cambodia, eventually reuniting with his surviving siblings near the Thai border.
Richard arrived in Australia in 1980. With his qualifications lost, he returned to high school at the age of 24, working long hours to support himself. He went on to establish Lim's Pharmacy in Springvale, offering vital pharmacy services in multiple languages to our local community. Lim's Pharmacy also raises money for Cambodia Vision, who carry out vital cataract procedures and provide medical care for Cambodians in rural areas. Richard also mentors young Cambodian Australians and co-founded the Cambodian Youth Association. He later served as deputy mayor of Greater Dandenong. In 2014, Richard received the Order of Australia Medal for his extraordinary service to our community.
My friend Mr Youhorn Chea arrived in Australia with his family as refugees in 1980, also having escaped from the Khmer Rouge. He helped establish the Cambodian Association of Victoria, serving as its president for more than 20 years. In 2001, he became the first Cambodian mayor in Australia for the City of Greater Dandenong, and he has served several terms as mayor of Greater Dandenong. Youhorn has led youth programs, language classes and welfare services that have supported countless families. He remains a very respected leader in the Cambodian Australian community.
Richard Lim and Youhorn Chea are not alone in their experience and their contribution to our nation. Many Cambodian Australians in my electorate of Isaacs have overcome profound hardship and gone on to serve others. Richard and Youhorn exemplify that civic spirit. I'm grateful for the enduring friendship that I have shared with members of the Cambodian Australian community in my electorate of Isaacs. I commend the Cambodian Association of Victoria on its 40 years of service to our community, and I thank Richard Lim and Youhorn Chea for their extraordinary commitment to public life.
National Disability Insurance Scheme
Dr SCAMPS (Mackellar) (09:41): I recently hosted a roundtable with allied health providers in my electorate of Mackellar. They had written to me with serious concerns about the NDIA's pricing review changes that were introduced on 1 July. They told me that these changes are already having a significant impact on both their ability to provide care and the wellbeing of their NDIS clients. A key concern was the lack of consultation with the sector before the changes were implemented. Physiotherapists and occupational therapists explained that the new pricing structure doesn't reflect the real cost of running a clinic or mobile practice. Rising expenses, including fuel, rent, wages and insurance, are not being matched by pricing adjustments.
Allied health professionals are delivering complex, high-quality care, yet many now earn less than unqualified support workers. The sector feels undermined by pricing decisions that favour growth in the support workforce while devaluing qualified clinicians and by the fact that this has been done without adequate evaluation of the long-term impacts on participant outcomes or cost benefits.
One of the most damaging changes has been the cut to travel allowances. Mobile services are already reducing coverage or shutting down, particularly in areas where services are limited. I was told that mobile allied health services are already being withdrawn from my electorate on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, leaving scant coverage. This means thousands of participants will be forced to travel to clinics, which is often impractical, inappropriate and likely to cost the NDIS more.
The changes also ignore the importance of delivering therapy in homes and community settings. Early sector analysis suggests that without home based physiotherapy, nearly 30 per cent of participants may require hospitalisation. There is also concern that the pricing review relied on inappropriate comparisons to Medicare and private health insurance, systems that don't reflect the complexity, duration or structure of NDIS funded consultations. Added to this is the inconsistency in how and when plans are reviewed and the delay in rolling out foundational supports. Some participants have already had funding withdrawn, despite no replacement foundational services being in place. This is causing immense distress and disrupting therapeutic continuity.
The allied health sector wants to work constructively with the government to fix these problems, including restoring travel allowances, setting clinically informed pricing, consulting meaningfully on foundational supports and ensuring genuine co-design with providers and participants.
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
Richmond Electorate: Medicare
Mrs ELLIOT (Richmond) (09:45): The Albanese Labor government is absolutely committed to strengthening Medicare and has been doing that since day one of being in government. This week in the parliament, we introduced legislation for cheaper medicines. This means a prescription under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will cost Australians no more than $25 from 1 January 2026. This builds on action we've already taken to deliver cost-of-living relief through cheaper medicines. We had the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the PBS, with the 60-day prescription saving time and money and freezing the cost of PBS medicines. For pensioners and concession cardholders, their scripts stay at $7.70 until 2030—a vitally important issue in my region, where I have many pensioners and concession cardholders.
This cheaper-medicines policy is another key cost-of-living measure that this government has brought in. For the people of the North Coast, all our initiatives have made a huge impact on them when it comes to health care, particularly the tripling of the bulk-billing rates; making MRI scans more affordable; new health services to support those experiencing homelessness; a new headspace in Ballina, which is already open and providing important services for our younger people; and, really importantly, changes to the Modified Monash Model for the township of Murwillumbah.
I've told this House many times the situation in Murwillumbah. The Morrison government changed the classification of the wonderful small regional town of Murwillumbah from 'regional' to 'metropolitan', which was completely absurd. That meant they were unable to bulk-bill many people and they couldn't attract many doctors. The situation was devastating, and I was very pleased that the Minister for Health and Ageing came to Murwillumbah, met with local doctors and heard firsthand about the impact of this classification. Only a few months ago, it was changed; Murwillumbah is classified as a regional area again, and I am very pleased to report that many local doctors and local residents are telling me that bulk-billing has increased. We've now got a lot of doctors that want to move there because the incentives are in place. Again, it's about Labor listening and acting. For this town in my region, it was a huge improvement when it came to health services.
During the election, I made the commitment to getting an urgent care clinic in Tweed Heads—it is absolutely important that people can access that, and they will just need their Medicare card to do it—and a Medicare mental health centre in Tweed Heads, which will be free and bulk-billed. Both those services will be so important for the Tweed and the North Coast region.
Yet again, it's a Labor government that continues to deliver and strengthen Medicare after so many cuts and rebates being frozen under the previous government. It's now the Albanese Labor government delivering for my community and, indeed, right across Australia.
South Australia: Marine Environment
Grey Electorate: Stronger Communities Program
Mr VENNING (Grey) (09:48): I spoke on Tuesday about being smarter as we go about the business of representing the people of Australia, of tackling solutions, not headlines, of listening to people and acting before the symptoms blow up and become unmanageable. There's no greater example of the need for Labor governments to do better than the algal bloom that has been crippling South Australia's coastline, killing marine life in the Gulf of St Vincent and now affecting the Spencer Gulf, in Port Lincoln and now Franklin Harbour, where they're closing down mussel and oyster operations.
It took four months for the South Australian government to take any meaningful action. During that time, marine scientists, oyster farmers, fishers and small-business operators were desperately calling out, to raise the alarm. The calls went unanswered until the story finally made headlines, when thousands of dead fish and marine life washed up on Adelaide's suburban beaches, not Edithburgh's. It took public outrage to drag the government to West Beach, where they kicked around some sand, posed for some photos in front of dead fish and announced a $14 million package. Even then, the support on offer appeared rushed and inconsistent. For example, a caravan park might qualify but a B&B won't. A tackle shop is eligible but a surf shop misses out. This is yet another case of a flat-footed Labor government hoping a problem will quietly disappear instead of listening to those directly affected and acting—or, worse, refusing to take responsibility and blaming it all on climate change. Governments must do better. Our coastal communities and the seafood industry deserve more.
Last week I had the great pleasure of calling 10 volunteer led organisations across my electorate to let them know they had been approved for funding under the Stronger Communities Program. Three groups, based in Oodnadatta, Smoky Bay, Minnipa, Kyancutta, Coffin Bay, Port Germein, Burra, Melrose and Wallaroo, do incredible work for their communities. For many of them, the grant funding will make a real and immediate difference. That's especially important at a time when so many volunteer organisations are doing it tough, stretched thin by financial pressures and now burdened with additional ATO reporting requirements for not-for-profits. That's why I'm deeply disappointed to learn the Labor government sought to axe this program prior the last election. At the eleventh hour, they reinstated it, now with much narrower eligibility criteria. Many small groups, especially in the regions, found themselves shut out of capital improvement funding altogether, a further slap in the face for volunteers who have already weathered years of drought.
I hope there will be a round 10 of the Stronger Communities Program. I urge the government to restore the original guidelines, which worked well. Regional Australia is the backbone of the country. We should be backing our volunteers, not making it harder for them to get the support they need.
Dickson Electorate: Education
Ms FRANCE (Dickson) (09:51): No matter where you live, how much you earn or how much is in your bank account, everyone should have the opportunity to further their education. That's why the Albanese Labor government is cutting student debt by 20 per cent and why the Albanese Labor government opened Queensland's very first Suburban University Study Hub at Strathpine in the great electorate of Dickson. The new study hub, on Gympie Road, is providing student support and facilities for students who are studying a university or TAFE course without having to leave the community. At the opening of the hub with Minister Clare, I met students Jackie and Charlene, two third-year law students who love the new hub at Strathpine, and I just received an update on their studies. Jackie, who studies law at QUT, recently got a high distinction in constitutional law. She also volunteers with the Women's and Men's Alliance, a local group that provides support for First Nations people. Charlene, who also studies law at QUT, got a high distinction in contracts law. Charlene recently started a paid role as a paralegal at a local law firm. I'm told these were the first high distinctions in law they have both achieved since beginning their studies. Jackie and Charlene attribute their success, in part, to having the great facilities at the hub available for them to study together, particularly in the lead-up to their exams. They also take advantage of on-site tutors. These are just two examples of many of the great results achieved by the hub students.
Currently, around 45 per cent of young people in their 20s and 30s have a university degree in Australia. That's not the case in Dickson. In Strathpine that number is only 12.4 per cent. The evidence shows that, where study hubs are, university participation goes up. Bringing education closer to where people call home will mean more people can go to university, particularly those who might not have thought it was possible before. That's why the Albanese Labor government has opened a new study hub in Strathpine. It's why we are funding paid prac for nurses, teachers and social workers. It's why we are delivering more free TAFE. It's why we are reducing student debt by 20 per cent.
Mental Health
Mr TAYLOR (Hume) (09:53): I want to bring to your attention two important projects in my electorate that are improving the lives of constituents. I recently had the privilege of attending the official opening of the new headspace centre in Oran Park. Headspace, initiated under the Howard government, of course, is a health program for Australians aged between 12 and 25 that offers highly effective free or low-cost support for mental health. Figures from the ABS show almost two in five young Australians aged between 16 and 24 faced a mental health disorder in the past year. It's an extraordinary number. Like many outer suburban areas in south-western Sydney, Oran Park has seen a rapid increase in our youth population and a real need for adequate mental health services.
Early intervention is critical in improving mental health outcomes; we've known that for a long time. It's particularly true for young people. They are the future, and it's vitally important to have a safe and welcoming place where they can talk to someone and just be themselves. The teenage years can often be the most difficult in anyone's life; young people are navigating who they are and what they want to do with their lives, and finding their place in the world. There are also challenges from peer pressure and the more recent challenge that we have seen from smart phones and social media in particular, which wasn't around when so many of us in this place were growing up.
Unfortunately, lots of young people fall through the cracks. That's why it's so important they have someone to talk to who can point them in the right direction. I'm pleased to report the staff at headspace in Oran Park are beginning to fill that gap. Young people can call directly or ask a teacher, a parent or another family to contact headspace for them, and from there they can be referred to any number of specialists, including psychologists, doctors, social workers, and alcohol and drug workers. An outreach service is available at Narellan as well to complement the Oran Park headspace. I really congratulate that South Western Sydney Primary Health Network Grand Pacific Health for making the project a reality in my electorate. I know staff have worked tirelessly for a long time to make it happen.
It was an absolute privilege to attend the official opening of the Camden Men's Shed in my electorate a few weeks back. The project has been five years in the making. A lot of wonderful people have donated time and money to get a facility up and running. I know men's sheds play an important role in the community by providing an environment where men can develop new friendships and learn skills. There are more than 80 fully paid members at the Camden Men's Shed, and that figure is only growing. They meet three times a week, instead of once a week, and take part in several activities—woodwork, metal work, welding and so on. They're also building wheelchair ramps at the homes of seniors who have accessibility issues. This is an absolutely fantastic initiative. Well done, Camden Men's Shed.
Hunter Electorate: Men's Sheds
Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (09:56): I want to take a moment to reflect on some fantastic visits I've recently had across the Hunter electorate at local men's sheds. These spaces do far more than just offer a place to tinker with tools; they are, in every sense, lifelines for connections, conversations and community. At the Singleton Men's Shed, I was blown away by the range of activities happening under one roof, from woodworking and gardening to metalwork, art-painting, small motor repairs, and even catering most of the local men's sheds events with their food and barbecue trailer. It's a hive of creativity, skill and social connection. It's clear that it isn't just about keeping busy; it's about staying connected and healthy and looking after one another.
I also had the chance to go to the Toronto Men's Shed alongside the Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, and legendary singer John Paul Young. It was a great morning, with three blokes from very different walks of life brought together to support the same important message that men's health and wellbeing matters. The shed is doing great and is in great hands, with woodwork, metalwork, welding and repair of motors, mowers and line-trimmers.
I was recently lucky enough to go to the Wangi Men's Shed. Yet again, I saw some stories unfold: mateship, mental wellbeing and about 25 different bloody magpies. It was huge! Just last week, I was lucky enough to go to the Christmas-in-July event at the Cessnock Men's Shed, and may I say that spit roast was absolutely delicious and I'm looking forward to going again. You guys do a great job out there, so keep up the good work.
The smiles, the stories and the sense of purpose you see in every corner of these places are something truly special. But it's not just about what is happening locally. Nationally, our government understands the value of men's sheds; that's why we've continued to back them with real funding. We recently announced a commitment of $8.3 million to extend the Men's Shed Initiative to support the Australian Men's Shed Association. Grants of up to $10,000 per shed will provide better facilities, new equipment and good healthy education programs. We know that men's sheds play a crucial role in addressing social isolation, mental health challenges and the need for safe, welcoming places where men can talk, share and support one another. We're backing that work in not just with words but also with real ground support.
I'm looking forward to getting out there to the rest of the men's sheds across the Hunter electorates in the coming months, because every visit, every conversation, every cuppa reminds me just how important they are and how much these places mean to men and the communities they serve. To all the volunteers and members that keep our sheds running: thank you for building a healthier and better community. If you're a bloke who's looking for something to do during the week, to get out there and have a conversation with a few blokes, get to your local men's sheds. They're fantastic organisations and a fantastic bunch of blokes that do great work for our communities. They're always there to have a listen.
Drought
Western Highway Upgrade
Mr TEHAN (Wannon) (09:59): I received an email from Aden Gilding this week, and I just wanted to read a little bit of it out because I think it's something that the federal government need to hear. He says:
I'm writing to you as a deeply concerned resident of southwest Victoria. Our region is in the grip of a devastating drought, and the time has come for stronger and more immediate support from government at both federal and state levels.
… … …
As a result—
of this devastating drought—
many local farmers have been forced to truck in water, de-stock, or walk away from generations of work. The financial strain is unbearable. But what's even more heartbreaking is the mental toll that this is taking.
The email goes on, but I thank Aden for writing to me, because he's picked up the sentiment of what's happening at the moment across south-west Victoria and in large parts of South Australia as well. I once again call on the federal government to support, in this instance, the Victorian state government in providing more support for our farmers at this time. They need it. They desperately need it. I say to the agriculture minister: please come down again, but, this time, make sure you let local members of parliament know you're doing it so we can take you out and so you can hear firsthand what is happening on the ground.
I also say to the Prime Minister: you returned my text message through a phone call. We had a very good conversation about what's happening on the ground, but, please, Prime Minister, the time for talking is over. We need more help and more support on the ground right here and now. I call on the government to act and act immediately.
The Western Highway is the main thoroughfare between Melbourne and Adelaide. We have begun the process of duplicating that highway from Melbourne through what is meant to be Stawell, but the sad reality is that duplication has stopped just west of Buangor. I'm calling on the federal government, because the money is there, to continue the duplication of the Western Highway to Ararat. What we have seen in the last couple of years is, sadly, lives being lost because this project has stalled. There is no good reason as to why this project should be stalled. We have to get on and finish the job because, otherwise, sadly, more lives are going to be lost and more people are going to be injured because of road trauma. This highway needs to be finished to Ararat and needs to be finished now.
Tertiary Education
Mr FRENCH (Moore) (10:03): Those who know me know how much I value the power of education. After qualifying and working as an electrician, I retrained as a lawyer—a journey that opened doors I never thought I'd walk through and that ultimately led me to this place. Education transforms lives. It builds skills, unlocks opportunity and helps people realise their potential, no matter where they start. But I also understand how burdensome student debt can be.
Like many Australians I felt the weight of a HECS loan, especially when trying to buy a home, start a family or simply make ends meet. Australia's HECS system is a good one. It removes the upfront cost of university and ensures your ability to study isn't determined by your postcode or your parents' bank balance. But, let's be honest, the system hasn't kept pace with reality. Debt still accumulates. Indexation can take people by surprise, and, for many, the finish line feels like it keeps moving further away. That's why I'm proud the Albanese Labor government is delivering meaningful relief, cutting every eligible student debt by 20 per cent. It's a bold and fair reform that reflects the pressures students and graduates face, and it will ensure the system works better into the future.
More than three million Australians will benefit from this reform, including over 18,000 people in my electorate of Moore who together hold more than $465 million in student debt. That includes over 12,000 young people under 35, many of whom are just starting out in their careers. The average debt among them is around $27,000—not a small figure in today's economic climate. This is not an abstract policy; it's a local issue with real impacts.
Moore is home to Edith Cowan University's Joondalup campus, one of WA's leading tertiary education institutions and a cornerstone of the local community. Future nurses, teachers, engineers and midwives study here. Many are in Commonwealth supported places and will directly benefit from this 20 per cent HECS cut. I was recently privileged to tour, with Professor Karen Strickland, through the upgraded midwifery school, where students will also be assisted by the paid prac program.
This reform reflects the values I bring to this place: fairness, equity and the belief that education should be a ladder, not a burden. No-one should be punished for getting an education, and no-one should have to choose between building their future and affording their present. This reform is about more than just numbers on a balance sheet; it's about restoring fairness to a system that too often leaves people behind.
Insurance Industry
Mr THOMPSON (Herbert) (10:06): The cost of insurance in Townsville has spiralled out of control, placing an unbearable burden on families in the electorate of Herbert. Residents are grappling with premiums that have tripled or quadrupled, pushing many into despair. One resident told me: 'Last year my insurance was $2,800; now, it's increased to over $30,000 annually. This is a ridiculous increase. How can it be allowed?' Another told me, 'Insurers are making living in this beautiful region a dreadful, unpredictable nightmare,' with their strata insurance rising almost 400 per cent in the last couple of years. No family should be forced to choose between putting food on the table and paying these outrageous insurance bills.
It's a disgrace that insurance companies are hiking up premiums, often in low flood-risk areas, while the Albanese Labor government fails to hold these insurers to account. The reinsurance pool launched in 2022 was meant to make insurance affordable in areas like Townsville. The ACCC's report last week shows that it's provided minimal relief and that insurance remains out of reach for far too many in the regions. Neville, a Garbutt homeowner, told me, 'I just want to take insurance out like most other people,' but he faces quotes of up to $14,000. Shockingly, the ACCC report shows that premiums have actually risen for those at low to no flood risk. As one constituent said, 'I've never been flooded, and I'm not in a flood zone, yet insurance companies have listed me down as a high flood risk. We have no option but to sell and move.'
It's clear the scheme is failing to deliver on its promise. The government's legislative review into the cyclone reinsurance pool is ongoing, and it must include direct feedback from those people who are being let down. That's why I wrote to the ARPC chief executive, Christopher Wallace, and Labor's assistant treasurer, Daniel Mulino, demanding urgent action. My letter called for mandatory compliance to ensure insurers pass on cost savings, for a real-time data dashboard showing savings by insurers and for accountability to the consumer. Expecting locals to navigate a 94-page report is absolutely absurd. I also invited the ARPC board to our community to hold a forum to hear directly from the residents. The ARPC has responded, promising to consider my letter and acknowledging my invitation to visit, but we need accountability and action now. Townsville deserves fair, affordable insurance, and I won't stop fighting until we get it.
Stronger Communities Program
Dr GARLAND (Chisholm) (10:09): We in this place all know that we have some outstanding community groups in our electorates, and I'm always so inspired and impressed by those in my electorate of Chisholm. These are groups that do an amazing job of supporting locals and building community, keeping our electorates vibrant and flourishing. We also know that a lot of these groups do most of what they do on very limited resources and, of course, on the tireless support and effort of their wonderful volunteers. That is why I'm delighted to inform the House of the successful recipients of the round 9 Stronger Communities Program in my electorate of Chisholm. The objective of this program is to deliver infrastructure projects that provide social benefits for local communities. The intended outcomes of the program are to encourage and support participation in local projects, improve local community participation and contribute to vibrant and viable communities.
This year my electorate had many worthy applications, with the process being extremely competitive, and I thank everybody who took the time to apply. I'm pleased to advise the House of the successful organisations for this round. They are: Ewing Kindergarten, Boroondara Writers, Alamein Neighbourhood and Learning Centre, the Scout Association of Australia Victorian Branch, Camberwell Lacrosse Club, Craig Family Centre, Pied Piper Toy Library, the Scout Association of Australia, Baptist Union of Victoria, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, Eastern Dragons Cricket Club, Umbrella Dementia Cafes, Notting Hill Community Association, Richmond Cricket Club, Laburnum Cricket Club, Cerebral Palsy Education Centre, Box Hill United Pythagoras Soccer Club and Burwood City Football Club.
Congratulations to all successful recipients. Thank you for your efforts and all you do in our community. I hope that the support received from our government will be helpful in ensuring that you can extend your work. I look forward to visiting the organisations to see how the implementation of the projects develops and how the funding is going to be put to use in the not-too-distant future. It is a great pleasure to support so many local community groups, and I congratulate everybody once again.
Beecroft Rotary Youth Awards
Mr LEESER (Berowra) (10:11): It was a real privilege to attend and present awards at the Beecroft Rotary Youth Awards. These awards are an initiative of the Beecroft Rotary Club as a way of encouraging and celebrating the remarkable young people in our community who have gone above and beyond for the future of our community.
I presented the Youth Volunteer of the Year award to Chenuli Jayasekara, a year 12 student at Loreto Normanhurst. Chenuli is simply outstanding in her commitment to community service. From supporting a local orphanage in Sri Lanka through to volunteering in our community with St John Ambulance, she's made service part of her everyday life. Young Sportsperson of the Year award was shared between two very impressive young people, Sarah Hicks, who's in year 11 at Mount St Benedict College, and Mayher Singh, who's in year 12 at Turramurra High School. Both have shown real dedication and perseverance in their sporting pursuits, balancing their studies with training and competition. Young Journalist of the Year was awarded to year 12 student Mia Burdack, who, I have no doubt, we'll be hearing lots more from, covering groundbreaking stories and shedding light on local heroes in the years ahead.
The performing arts were well represented, too, with Ella Beattie and Anita Trairattanasirikul, both in year 12 at Loreto Normanhurst, jointly awarded Young Performing Artist of the Year. As shadow minister for the arts, I want to see the pipeline of the development of young artists being particularly healthy, so it's wonderful to see Ella and Anita showing off their talent on the world stage. In the world of STEM, Emma Peters from Mount St Benedict College took out Young Person in STEM of the Year. In a rapidly changing world, when we hear stories of fewer students undertaking STEM subjects, young people like Emma give us confidence that there will be a generation of scientists, engineers and innovators stepping up.
Young Environmentalist of the Year was awarded to Annaliese Dunn, also from Mount St Benedict College, reminding us that protecting our environment starts young and starts locally. Young Entrepreneur of the Year was awarded to Ruhaani Chadha, who's in year 11 at Mount St Benedict College. Creativity and drive in our people should be recognised, as people like Ruhaani will be the problem solvers of the next generation.
Sanuki Fernando, a year 11 student at Cheltenham Girls' High School, was named Young Changemaker of the Year for her advocacy and leadership. Sanuki is the kind of student who reminds us what it means to stand up for others and work towards lasting change. Young Creator of the Year went to two outstanding people, Joanna Cheng from Cheltenham Girls' High School and Ava Muir from Loreto Normanhurst. Their creative talents are a clear local stand-out, and I hope they continue to contribute their creativity to our local area and arts scene.
Finally, the Bill Grant Memorial Award for Future Educator of the Year was presented to Benjamin Jesperson, a year 11 student at St Leo's Catholic College. Benjamin's passion for learning and his commitment to helping others show he's already on the path to inspiring the next generation of learners. Congratulations to the Beecroft Rotary Club, and particular congratulations to Daniel Dummer, their retiring president, and also to Isha Deodhar, who is about to take on the reins.
Guru Nanak Society of Australia
Mr GEORGANAS (Adelaide) (10:15): Today I rise to congratulate the Guru Nanak Society of Australia on their upcoming 20th anniversary. The Guru Nanak Society was launched on 15 November 2005 to coincide with the 534th birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first guru of Sikhs and the founder of Sikhism. I'd like to thank Mr Mahanbir Grewal, a great South Australian, a leader in the Sikh community and one of the founders of this particular temple in Allenby Gardens in my electorate. I'd also like to thank him for his friendship and for encouraging me to turn up to the temple and be part of their community—a great community.
The society runs a temple in Allenby Gardens where they serve as a beacon of spirituality and community engagement. On average, the society serves 3,500 vegetarian meals a week to members of the community, not just the Sikh community but members of the community wide and spread—anyone can attend and get a meal. They are really great community workers when it comes to outreach programs as well. They also have a Punjabi language school that's grown from six children in 2006 to over 150 children. The society has expanded from its base in Adelaide and now has branches in Port Augusta, Whyalla and Port Pirie. The Sikh community make up a growing section of our community, having grown in South Australia from 8,812 in the 2016 census to 17,259—including in my electorate in Adelaide, in which the census showed 4,099 people of Sikh faith.
Last year, I had the privilege of attending the 36th Australian Sikh Games. Over the course of the three-day event, over 100,000 people attended Ellis Park in Adelaide. They watched 3,500 athletes compete in various sporting events, including the showpiece kabaddi event, and it's in events like these that the Guru Nanak Society play a massive role in feeding the public and hosting.
The Guru Nanak Society have also hosted an annual Lohri Mela every January, since the inaugural Lohri Mela of 2010. This is a great party that has great food, great community, music et cetera. I'd like to wish the Guru Nanak Society a happy 20th anniversary, and may there be more to come. I look forward to visiting them again very soon.
Mooroolbark Girl Guides
Casey Volunteer & Community Awards
Mr VIOLI (Casey—Opposition Chief Whip) (10:17): Saturday night was a perfect night for a run around Kiloran Park in Mooroolbark with the Mooroolbark Girl Guides. I was glad that my kids and I could join the guides for a two-kilometre run as part of their Ranbooree Fun Run to raise funds for the girls to get to the international jamboree event in New South Wales. The two-kilometre run was nothing for guide parent Chris, who ran 100 kilometres on the day, passing every guide hall in the Yarra Ranges, including Mooroolbark, Lilydale, Yarra Glen, Yarra Junction, Healesville, Montrose and Mount Evelyn. He also stopped at the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery and the Silvan Football Netball Club. I'd like to congratulate Chris on his huge efforts to get help to the girls so they can get to the jamboree. I wish the Mooroolbark Girl Guides all the best with their fundraiser, and I can't wait to hear about the experience at the New South Wales jamboree.
Events like this wouldn't be possible without the hardworking volunteers and families who give so much to ensure the smooth running of local community groups. In Casey, we are fortunate to have many local volunteers and community groups who give so much without ever asking for anything in return. To recognise their dedication, I'm pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the 2025 Casey Volunteer & Community Awards. These awards are an opportunity to recognise the outstanding individuals and groups who make our community stronger and more connected through their service. Whether it's a tireless volunteer, a grassroots organisation or a quiet achiever who goes above and beyond, our volunteers deserve to be celebrated. It's an opportunity to think about the people in your life: RSL members, Rotary members, men's sheds, Probus, a sporting club, the CWA or perhaps someone who volunteers with our emergency services, works with animals or supports our young people. It could be someone who helps keep local organisations running or otherwise goes out of their way to support others in need and make our community stronger. If someone comes to mind, I encourage you to put their name forward and nominate them for the 2025 Casey Volunteer & Community Awards. I'm looking forward to seeing the room packed with volunteers and community groups at the awards this November.
These awards are so important because these volunteers do so much. They are so humble. They don't want praise. They don't want recognition. Every time one of these award winners receives it, they say someone else is more deserving. But they are deserving. They give so much to our community, and we need to and we should celebrate them. Thank you to all the previous winners. I look forward to celebrating with all of those volunteers later this year.
Scullin Volunteer Awards
Tertiary Education
Mr GILES (Scullin—Minister for Skills and Training) (10:20): Last month, I had the very great honour of bringing together some of the incredible community members in the Scullin electorate at my annual Scullin Volunteer Awards, paying tribute to nearly 50 volunteers—people like Mabruka Mohamed, the co-founder and the President of the Libyan Women's Association, someone who's dedicated over a decade to service and advocacy as a volunteer for a significant emerging community group in the northern suburbs. Ms Mohamed is strengthening cultural connections and health education. She's someone who's doing so much to build a stronger and better-connected community. I'm so proud of so many people like her amongst the diverse communities, the sporting clubs, the scouting groups, the neighbourhood houses and the social enterprises in the Scullin electorate. There are groups like the Lalor & District Men's Shed, the Mill Park Football Club and Whittlesea Community Connections—the lifeblood of a diverse and united community. Across all of these groups there are so many dedicated and passionate volunteers who turn up week after week, never seeking recognition for themselves but contributing to making the suburbs of the Scullin electorate such a special community. In this place, Australia's parliament, I want to say a big thankyou to every volunteer in the electorate of Scullin. You do so much for so many. I want to encourage others to think about the contribution they can make in their communities and also to give a shout-out to those who they see around them making a difference for others.
Earlier this month I had the opportunity to take a look at the progress being made in the construction of the Epping study hub with my friend the member for Calwell. The northern study hubs in Epping and Broadmeadows will transform the lives of people in the northern suburbs, and I'm incredibly optimistic for the contribution this will make for the future of our communities. In Labor, where you live should never be a barrier to completing a tertiary qualification. The study hub will bring university and TAFE closer to home with not just a place for students to study but a place for students to receive tailored academic support and build stronger connections with their fellow students. The City of Whittlesea has a university attainment rate of just over 23 per cent, well below the rate of about one-third across metropolitan Melbourne. This simply isn't good enough. This hub will make a real difference, and where it's located—right next to Epping train station, next to the plaza and located at the Melbourne Polytechnic Library—will make a real difference. The hub is also right over the road from St Monica's College, inspiring the next generation of students to pursue opportunities in university and TAFE.
For my constituents in Scullin, the Epping study hub is open for online registration for university and TAFE students. I encourage everyone to register.
Wine Industry
Mr SMALL (Forrest) (10:24): The 50th anniversary of the National Wine Show of Australia was celebrated in style at Parliament House on Thursday 12 June this year. To be eligible for the National Wine Show of Australia, wines must first win a gold or silver medal at a qualifying state, capital city or regional wine show, making this a true showcase of Australia's best of the best. Wines from the Margaret River region, despite representing just two per cent of the national grape crush, took home eight of the 23 national trophies. This is the highest number of trophies awarded to any single region this year, underscoring the exceptional quality and reputation of Margaret River producers on the national stage. In the hotly contested battle of the wine region electorates, Forrest took the top honours this year, collecting an impressive eight national trophies. Mayo followed closely with six. Barker and Bendigo each secured two. Wineries in the Hunter Valley, Flinders, Indi, Bass and Clark brought home one apiece, highlighting the breadth of diversity of Australia's top-performing wine regions. The award-winning wines represented an outstanding quality across a wide price range, with retail prices from $16 to $138 a bottle. Notably, some 16 of the 23 trophy winners are priced under 50 bucks a bottle, making this year's champions both accessible and exceptional in value. Forrest's trophy winners came from tripe.Iscariot, Hamelin Bay Wines, Xanadu Wines, Deep Woods Estate and Evans & Tate.
The Decanter Worldwide Wine Awards, the world's largest and most respected wine competition, is in its 21st year this year and is regarded as one of the most rigorous and influential wine competitions in the world. Amongst the 57 countries participating, Australia ranked fourth overall with only France, Italy and Spain in front. Margaret River, of course, emerged as the most awarded wine region in Australia, securing a total of 104 medals at the show, including 22 Top-Tier awards, one Best in Show award, four Platinum medals and 17 Gold medals. According to Decanter, only 50 wines globally received a coveted Best in Show accolade, representing just 0.3 per cent of all entries. This year, Xanadu's Reserve Cab Sav 2022 picked up a Best in Show gong. Cape Mentelle, Deep Woods Estate, Fermoy and Gralyn Estate all picked up Platinum awards, whilst Gold awards went to Amelia Park, Brookland Valley, Brown Hill Estate, Cape Mentelle, Deep Woods Estate, Domaine Naturaliste, Flametree, Forester Estate, Gralyn Estate, House of Cards, Howard Park, Nocturne, Once & Well and Stella Bella. It is really no wonder that the Margaret River wine region is renowned on the global stage as one of Australia's premier wine regions.
50th Anniversary of Vietnamese Settlement in Australia
Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for the Arts, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Leader of the House) (10:27): Thank you very much, Acting Deputy Speaker, and can I congratulate you on your reappointment to the Speaker's panel.
This year, Australia marks one of the most significant moments in the immigration history of Australia: 50 years since the arrival of Vietnamese refugees. The anniversary holds a particular meaning in my part of Sydney. When I talk to families who made that journey, I find it unimaginable to think of that moment 50 years ago when they had to make the decision to flee, seeing democracy fall behind them and not knowing what was ahead. For most families, like mine, you just presume you'll be in the country of your birth your life, and those Vietnamese families had all started with the same view.
In my first term, when I was first elected, I went to the Philippines—this was back in 2005—on a visit that had been organised by members of the local Vietnamese community. Back then, there were still stateless Vietnamese in the Philippines. They had failed in their refugee claim because of the speed of processing at the time, even though they were in identical situations to those who had successfully gone through their refugee processing. That was 30 years after the fall of Saigon. Thirty years after they started their journey, they were still trying to find refuge. I'm pleased that, in the years to follow, Australia, together with Canada and a couple of other countries, continued to take the remainder of those stateless Vietnamese.
We know that as their journey started on those vessels, so many people didn't make it. Others made part of the journey and then got stuck somewhere in the world. Those who made it to Australia arrived with very little physically but brought with them resilience, courage and a deep commitment to building a better future. It's been a long journey, but, speaking as Australia's immigration minister, I hope that so much of the pain has, over time, become more a moment of reflection and a moment where some of that hope that was there as those vessels embarked has been realised here in Australia.
A candlelight vigil and prayer service was held at the Vietnamese Boat People Monument, in Bankstown—a moving tribute to those lost at sea. When you look at the monument, no-one's looking back; they're all on a tiny vessel, looking ahead as democracy fell behind. At the commemorative service I noticed a sign beside me that said thank you to Australia, from the Vietnamese community. I say to the community: never underestimate how much Australia says thank you to you. We're a stronger nation because you are here, we are capable of more because you are here and we are grateful because you are here.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Dr Haines ): In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.
STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE
Moscow Olympic Games: Australian Team
Consideration resumed.
Mr THISTLETHWAITE (Kingsford Smith—Assistant Minister for Immigration and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade) (10:30): I grew up in Maroubra. Like every kid growing up in Maroubra in the seventies and eighties, I learned to surf and swim. When I was swimming at Heffron Pool, the people that I idolised as a kid were a few lanes down, swimming under the tutelage of the great John Rodgers—the likes of Max Metzker, Ron McKeon, Graeme Brewer, Michelle Ford and Trevor Cracknell. I saw the gruelling sets they used to get put through by JR and how hard they trained for that one shot at representing their nation in the pinnacle of sport, the Olympics. I imagine it's the same for every Olympian in every sport they train for, day after day, month after month, year after year, waiting for the opportunity to fulfil their dream of representing their country at the Olympics. For the 1980 team, to have that dream ripped away would have been heartbreaking and harrowing, particularly in circumstances beyond their control. In an unfair manner, sportspeople were asked to undertake a boycott but in other facets of society, most notably in the economy, we still continued to trade with Russia.
It was fitting that those 1980 Olympians were welcomed home yesterday by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition here in the parliament. We thanked them for coming to Canberra, we thanked them for coming to parliament and, most importantly, we thanked them for representing our nation with pride and distinction at the 1980 Olympics. It was a tribute to their courage, to their conviction and to their hard work in representing Australia at that time.
That team gave Australia one of its greatest Olympic moments ever. Who could ever forget those iconic words of Norman May in calling the men's 4x100 medley relay; he uttered those immortal words—
Mr Tehan: 'Gold, gold!'
Mr THISTLETHWAITE: 'Gold, gold to Australia!'—the member for Wannon remembers it! Since that time, every athlete that competes at the Olympics for Australia hopes to hear those iconic words being called in their race. That team gave that moment to us, to our nation and to every Olympic athlete after that, and for that we truly thank them.
I reckon the best time I've ever experienced as an Australian, and the proudest that I've ever been, was during the Sydney Olympics. The feeling and the buzz around Sydney at the time was unbelievable. Everyone had a smile on their face and everyone was proud to be Australian because the world had been invited to that spectacle of the Olympics, and Australia had done such a good job in putting it together. I imagine it would have been the same in 1956, as it will be in 2032 in Brisbane.
The Olympics is humanity at its best, and that is something that should be celebrated and that we should be very proud of. Those Olympians we paid tribute to yesterday, and the fact that they came to Canberra with no bitterness, no animosity and no regret, symbolise that Olympic spirit, and that is something that they should be very, very proud of. That is why it was appropriate that we, as a government, as a nation, welcomed them home finally after 45 years and said: 'Thank you. Thank you for representing Australia with pride and distinction. Thank you for being proud Australians, and thank you for continuing the Olympic dream.'
Ms STEGGALL (Warringah) (10:35): I was deeply moved yesterday by the attendance of the 1980 Moscow Olympic team in the chamber. I thank the Prime Minister for acknowledging the incredible sadness and weight the actions of our nation and the politicisation of the participation in the Moscow Olympics had on so many people—those who went, those who didn't go and those who were prevented from going. The lead-up to the Moscow Olympics was one of the most difficult periods for Australian athletes. The Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan disrupted their moment of pride, turning a celebration of athletic competition into a battleground of political tension. There was intense pressure from the Australian government, sporting administrators and so many commentators pushing for a boycott of the Games. The Australian Olympic Committee voted narrowly to attend. Many sporting federations and individual athletes were pressured into withdrawing, sacrificing dreams and years of dedication. Grateful to have the opportunity, others who went were met with incredible treatment by the Australian people and were never celebrated in the way they should have been.
To be selected on an Olympic team is such an incredible opportunity, a dream. It's the culmination of so many years of training and sacrifice. To have that dream and ambition tarred and marred by so many others—externals—who have no real comprehension of what it has taken to get to that point is incredibly frustrating and sad. I think it's a moment in Australian history that we need to learn from and make sure we don't repeat.
I'm really grateful to have the opportunity to speak now, and also yesterday, to some of the members of that team who were so wrongly put in the crossfire of politics. The intense public pressure not to compete continues to hurt many of those athletes. There were tears yesterday when people told me of their experiences—both going and not getting the opportunity to go. I acknowledge that devastation for those athletes, what they experienced and continue to experience. I hope that with yesterday's moment there was finally a moment to celebrate that entire team—those who went and those who didn't go.
I talked to one member who spoke of being part of the women's hockey team. It was going to be historic—the first ever women's team to participate—and they were favourites to do very well. A week before they were due to go, the federation made the choice that they would not attend, that that sport would not participate. She had her uniform—the Australian Olympic blazer and the whole kit—but was never able to put it on. She was in tears talking about it. Even yesterday she wasn't sure whether she should have been there, whether she belonged in that moment of recognition, because we were also pointing out the lack of welcome home we gave the athletes that did go and participate. Yesterday was a moment for that whole team to finally feel united and recognised as a whole team, to thank those that did Australia proud and, in particular, to celebrate the incredible sporting achievements of those who competed.
There has been a dark shadow cast over those Olympic Games, and it should not reduce the success and the efforts of the Australian team. The team came home with nine medals: two golds, two silver and five bronze. Two gold were in the swimming, for Michelle Ford in the women's 800-metre freestyle and for the men's 4x100 medley. These were Australia's first gold medals since the Munich Olympics of 1972. This should have been a cause for celebration, and I can't help but wonder what would have been if we had had the full team there. There was no fanfare and no 'welcome home' parade and our athletes were shunned by sections of the Australian public. That is shameful, because that is the public that is putting upon them their feelings, and it just should not happen.
As an Olympic athlete myself, I absolutely know the sacrifice and the dedication you have to go through to qualify for the Olympics. What it requires is perseverance through many highs and lows. In the media we tend to celebrate the highs, right? When it works, when everything goes well, we see that, and the Australian public recognises it. But there are many other dark times, hard times, where you really have to be resilient to continue to push through. There is immense pressure and dedication that goes into continuing, and all too often that is on very young people.
I had the opportunity to participate in my first Olympics when I was only 17 years of age. The pressure and the momentousness of that occasion, when I look back on it now at a higher age, I think was just extraordinary—to be so young and to have such an opportunity. Then, when I try and imagine the pressure that was put on those young athletes of that 1980 team, it is just unimaginable—the distress, the pressure, their families, their friends and everyone around them. They all should have been celebrated.
In the early 20th century, the father of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, wrote that the competition ought to be free from political interference. That purpose is also reflected in the 1958 Olympic Charter. I know that can be difficult at times, especially when nations and human rights are being ignored and there are calls to try and use the audience of an Olympic Games to highlight that. But we have to think of the Olympic Games as highlighting it for good. It is a platform and an arena where we want to celebrate the best of humanity and all that is possible. It's about where we emphasise unity, neutrality and celebration of athletic excellence beyond borders and ideologies.
There has been a lot of positive diplomacy and participation in the Olympics. Sport has a really strong power to unite us all, to lift us and to reflect the very best of who we are and who we can be. Politicians should not grandstand or stand in the way of athletes pursuing their dreams. I would argue they have very little idea of just what it takes to get there.
Mr Repacholi: A couple do.
Ms STEGGALL: A couple of us do! There are prominent examples of the power of sport to unite and not divide us. Just at the last Olympics, during the Paris Games, the refugee Olympic team made up an independent Olympic participation because they can't compete for their own countries. It was so incredibly compelling to see that team compete without the kinds of resources and support the national teams get. Athletes compete independently, unable to represent their home countries due to conflict or displacement. But visibility for that refugee team is incredibly important. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Cindy Ngamba—I won't do justice to her name—a refugee from Cameroon, won the refugee team's very first medal, a bronze in the women's middleweight boxing. Now, that is historic and important.
We must continue to acknowledge the pain caused when politics interferes with sport. Athletes were let down when their moment of pride and achievement came in 1980 and was overshadowed by political decisions. We must ensure that never again athletes are asked to sacrifice their dreams for political purposes. I thank the Prime Minister for yesterday recognising the Australian Olympic Committee for their efforts in bringing together the 1980 Olympic team and celebrating those athlete in the way they deserve.
Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (10:43): Yesterday was a very important day in the Olympic history of our nation. Forty-five years later, the team that represented our country at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow has been properly recognised—finally. The Prime Minister welcomed them into the parliament to officially give them the recognition they all deserve. We honoured their contributions, celebrated their athletic achievements and, importantly, recognised their pain. Representing Australia on the world stage is one of the greatest honours.
I was lucky enough to represent Australia at five Olympic Games. Each time, I was representing a country that was proud to be sending us off and cheering us on. The athletes were celebrated, and so too were their achievements. I competed with the feeling that Australia was behind me. But this wasn't the case for the 1980 Olympians.
Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Australian government followed other nations, including the US, and publicly pressured the Australian Olympic Federation and our athletes to boycott the Moscow Olympic Games. Despite months of intense political and media pressure, the Australian Olympic Federation remained defiant and sent the team. What a great decision that was.
The politics of the time should not take away from the achievements of these athletes. Regardless of what was happening politically, it does not change the fact that these athletes of the 1980 Australian Olympic team had put in the work to get to the highest stage of their sporting careers. They dedicated their lives to their sport and achieved the ultimate goal of every athlete: representing their country on the Olympic stage. Not only should these athletes be recognised; but they should be celebrated, as all other Olympians are in this country.
To qualify for the Olympic Games, exceptional talent is only the start. It requires so much more than that. To perform at that level you need grit, character, courage, focus, years of hard work, absolute dedication and sacrifices from family, friends and loved ones. Athletes, their families and their teams spend a huge amount of time and energy in pursuit of trying to win in the Olympic Games or even just making an Olympic team.
When that effort pays off, you are selected to represent our great nation, don the green and gold and compete for Australia on the biggest sporting stage in the world. It should be a moment of pride and something you cherish for the rest of your life. When you walk into the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games behind the Australian flag, you should draw strength from knowing that the whole of Australia is with you. When you compete, you should feel that Australians of all sorts—from everyday punters watching at home to our leaders, our commentators and anyone in general—have your back and are all there watching you and cheering you on. On your return, you should be welcomed home and celebrated for the inspiration you have brought to the next generation of Australians.
The Australian government's boycott of the 1980 Olympics put our athletes in a terrible position. It unlocked a wave of public pressure to drop out of the games. Some of our athletes were only teenagers and, instead of being able to focus on their sport with the backing of their nation, they had to navigate abuse and pressure like no Olympians have had to navigate ever.
Ultimately, 121 athletes represented Australia, where they competed on the world stage and won this country nine Olympic gold medals. There was extraordinary achievement among those nine medals. Australians won their first gold medal with Michelle Ford winning in the women's 800-metre freestyle and also won gold in the 4 x 100-metre medley. These were Australia's first gold medals since the Munich Olympics of 1972. That's a very long drought, and not one that we want to achieve again, yet the returning athletes were not celebrated as heroes. Instead, they were given the cold shoulder or, worse, were treated like traitors, and it's absolutely disgusting that they went through that.
Yesterday in this place we did our bit to fix the historical record. Yesterday, on the 45th anniversary, we recognised all these amazing athletes' achievements and acknowledged that they were there, they were competing for our country and they did an amazing job. Thank you for going over and doing that. These Olympians should take pride in both their athletic achievement and the strength of character they had to stand up for themselves and their country and go and compete for their country.
There were also 17 people that actually didn't make it to an Olympic Games teams. To those 17 people I say sorry for all the hard work that you put in and all the sacrifices that you, your family members and your loved ones were put through for a sport that you loved and wanted to compete in at the highest stage. We recognise you and we are also standing with you on this day.
To the team of 1980: you are Olympians; you are great Australians; you have earned your place in the sporting history of our nation. You are an inspiration, and 45 years later we honour and welcome you home. Thank you for your strength, thank you for your courage and thank you for your Olympic spirit.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens in Los Angeles in 2028 and seeing our athletes competing over there. I'm getting ready for the next crop of Olympians to come through and for the amazing atmosphere that there will be in Brisbane in 2032. It's going to be a spectacle like no other. It's going to make Sydney look like it was an amateur; I'm really looking forward to seeing it. That's a high bar to have. And I am from New South Wales, so it's a very high bar to have. The Sydney Olympics were amazing, and what Brisbane is going to do is outshine every other Olympics that has been had in the world. I'm really looking forward to seeing it.
To every Olympian out there: thank you for all your hard work and your dedication. To the families and friends of Olympians as well: you guys are the driving force behind us that gets us to wake up every day and make sure that we can go and compete at our best. For the training, dedication and time given by our coaches and all the support staff—everyone involved in making the Olympics happen—thank you, and remember: once an Olympian, always an Olympian. Cheers.
Mr TEHAN (Wannon) (10:50): I have the unenviable task of following two Olympians! I will try and do that the best justice that I can. I'd also like to just bring a little bit of realism to the debate as well because, while ideally we would love sport to take place in a vacuum outside of the political landscape around it, sadly that's never going to be the case.
What we saw in 1979 in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was an event which led to the deaths of what is estimated to have been between one million and three million people. We saw an event which was very much an indication that the Cold War was still at its height and that the Soviets were still looking to expand their empire and to do everything they could to take the liberties, freedoms and democratic principles that we hold so dear away from people. It was under that cloud that very difficult decisions were taken as to whether our athletes, and also the athletes of many other countries, should go to the Moscow Olympics, because people had no doubt—no doubt whatsoever—that the Soviets would use the Olympics for their political purposes. If the Soviets weren't going to use the Olympics for their political purposes, you can understand that we would have had very different circumstances. But everything the Soviet Union did at that time was all about building their empire and trying to take liberties and freedoms away from countries right across the world. That's why difficult decisions had to be taken.
Those difficult decisions, which were taken by sporting organisations in this country and in other countries across the world, were taken by former Olympians. They were taken because they thought at the time that they were doing the right thing. I think it was important yesterday that we were able to acknowledge those who went and the treatment that they got, especially on their return, because no Australian deserves to be treated without respect. The fact that we were able to acknowledge that yesterday was incredibly important. It's also important, though, to recognise those who took the principled position not to attend, and some were of a very young age. Any who were forced to take a principled position, though—that doesn't sit easily with us.
So what we have to do is make sure that we understand the complexity with which these decisions were taken. Even though we can stand here today and say, 'This should never occur again,' I think we also have to understand the conflict there could be between us saying those words and the actual reality, because we could be faced with a situation like this again. I don't think any of us should underestimate that that could take place, because the sad reality is that trying to divorce life from sport and sport from life is nigh on impossible. We see that on a regular occurrence, even today. So what we have to do is make sure that we know and understand that what we always have to do is live with the ideal that we should always respect people, no matter the circumstances of the decisions that they've undertaken, especially when, ultimately, they're decisions of conscience.
We should treat the athletes who went and achieved the goal of being an Olympian with the respect they deserve. For those who didn't go, we should also acknowledge and respect the principles under which they took those decisions. For those who had to take those decisions, who had the geostrategic complexities of those times as part of the considerations that they took, those Olympic sporting bodies who said yes or no—I say again there were Olympians who sat on those bodies—we need to acknowledge and understand the difficult decisions they had to take.
We've got to acknowledge and understand that, even though we would like these decisions to operate in a vacuum, that is never going to be the case. Human rights abuses, sadly, continue today, like they took place in 1979 and 1880. We also have to understand that, although the Olympic ideals are ideals that we would all love to see time and time again, especially when the Olympics take place, sadly there will be governments who will use the Olympics for political purposes. We cannot be blind to that.
I turn my attention, like the five-time Olympian before me did, to what's coming. We can all unite, rightly, with the two venues ahead of us. Los Angeles is coming up. And, to all those young Australians who are trying to qualify, who are trying to represent their country at the Los Angeles Olympics: I wish you all the best. There are young people in my electorate who are striving to represent our nation in Los Angeles and then in Brisbane. I hope your dreams and your desires come to fulfilment. Nothing would give me greater joy than to see you representing our country at those Olympics.
To everyone who is working tirelessly hard and dedicating themselves to try and be part of our team for the Brisbane Olympics: good luck. Representing your country at a home Olympics seems, to me, an outsider but a sport lover, like the greatest thing that you could ever achieve. We all saw that with Cathy Freeman in the Sydney Olympics. We hope that there are more Cathy Freemans when it comes to the Brisbane Olympics.
To all of those—and we shouldn't forget this—who have the huge task of making sure that the Brisbane Olympics are the greatest Olympics of all time, because that is the ideal—
An honourable member interjecting—
Mr TEHAN: That's the ideal. Sydney was the greatest at that time, and Melbourne in 1956 at that time was the greatest Olympics of all time. But we have to strive to make sure that we can say at the end of the Brisbane Olympics that it was the greatest Olympics of all time. Although we have had New South Wales and, before that, Victoria, when it comes to the Olympics, we should be able to put state of origin behind us and we should be able to all join together and say that we hope Brisbane does us proud.
But let's not underestimate that that is going to take a power of work, a power of planning, and all of us coming together at the federal level, the state level and the local government level to make sure that those facilities and all of the organisation that goes around it is absolutely world-class.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr Burnell : I move:
That the Federation Chamber do now adjourn.
Hospitality Industry
Housing
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (11:00): I've just had a very interesting meeting with Wes Lambert. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association Limited, and he painted a dire picture of where the hospitality sector is. Indeed, 11,000 hospitality businesses have collapsed in the past 12 months. As Mr Lambert just said, 'They've shut their doors and they won't reopen.' Eighty per cent of those are in metropolitan areas; 20 per cent regional. There are a number of factors as to why these hospitality businesses are going belly up, but it's on Labor's watch. Small business is doing it so very tough at the moment.
According to this latest report, Financial year 26 policy priorities: supporting Australia's restaurant and cafe future, published by the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association or ARCA, 3.8 per cent is the average restaurant profit margin. That is meagre. So you can see the thin margins under which these restaurants are operating. The average cafe profit margin is 3.3 per cent. You can charge only so much for a cappuccino. You can charge only so much for a coffee. The power prices for these businesses are just going up and up and up. We can hear the climate change minister in question time going on all he likes about power prices falling—he isn't living in the real world. He's certainly not getting out and talking to the likes of Mr Lambert. He's probably enjoying his latte—his magic—but he's certainly not speaking to the person who's making it, or to the owner of the business who is employing that barista, because the power prices are going through the roof.
In this report ARCA is talking about staff shortages. There is a total of 48,217 staff shortages, everything from chefs to cafe managers, wait staff, baristas, bar tenders, hosts and hostesses. It is a dire situation. They suggest that the government fund a nationally available, fully subsidised hospitality job-ready short-course program covering RSA, food safety, barista, bartender and knife skills—not a bad idea. The government talks a lot about—and talks up—its HECS relief that it has put in through the parliament this week. It talks up free TAFE—there's no such thing as free TAFE, it's actually not happening. Labor can talk it up as much as they like. They can pretend there's free TAFE, but there's not. There are a lot of asterisks with 'see the clause beneath' here. I think the government would do well to listen to and meet Mr Lambert—and I know a couple of ministers have—and, more importantly, get out to their local restaurants, get out to their local cafes, meet the people there and ask them about energy prices, because they're going through the roof and it's on Labor's watch.
It's not only that—today we've had a report in the Daily Telegraph about construction insolvencies per financial year. Again, this is grim reading. In 2014-15, construction insolvencies were 611. I'll just go forward to 2019-20, which had 498. What is it today? In 2024-25—wait for this—it's 1,567 construction firms going to the wall. The trouble is, they're not building walls—they've hit the wall! It's a brick wall and it's causing such pain. Again, we come back to the situation where Labor is talking up its HECS debt relief. What about the tradies? What about the bricklayers? What about the sparkies? What about those people who are building houses?
Labor wants to build 1.2 million homes—good luck with that! We heard in question time yesterday the number of homes that Labor are suggesting they've already built. No; Labor hasn't built a single house. It's the bricklayers, the sparkies and the tradies who are building the homes. The number of homes quoted yesterday is in no way, shape or form in line with what is occurring in real time. Labor needs to get back to its real values—that is, helping the workers in the building and construction sector and in the hospitality industry.
Sydney Electorate: Community Organisations
Petition: Animal Welfare
Ms PLIBERSEK (Sydney—Minister for Social Services) (11:05): I'm delighted to speak in the adjournment debate today about some of the organisations in my electorate of Sydney that have been successful in recent grant funding rounds, and the marvellous work they do. Most recently, 11 organisations in my electorate were successful in the Stronger Communities Program. While I can't go into all the details of the work that each of them does, I will give three examples. The Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of New South Wales was successful in receiving a grant to support its participation in the 2025 NAIDOC Week celebrations. Rainbow Lodge, an amazing organisation that supports men who have just come out of jail to transition back into the community, received a grant to provide new furniture for their accommodation. And Gardeners Road Public School has set up a fantastic new inclusive playground for children with disability to support the kids in the inclusion classes at Gardeners Road.
I'd also like to mention that the most recent round of financial wellbeing and capability grants run by my own department has seen a number of organisations right across the country, including in my own electorate, receive funding to continue the vital work they do in supporting Australians who are really doing it tough. In my own electorate, the Salvation Army, Anglican Community Services, Mission Australia, Prosper, Serving Our People, St Vincent de Paul, Workskil Australia and Wesley Community Services will receive, between them, $3.8 million over the next five years, giving them the vital ability to help people who are really doing it tough—people who need a supermarket voucher to buy some food for the kids or who need immediate financial support. These organisations are also helping with financial counselling, to help people through longer-term changes to their financial wellbeing, and gambling counselling; we know that too many Australians are experiencing the negative consequences of problem gambling. These organisations are the ones that help people who are falling through the cracks when there is no other support available.
I'd also like to tell you, Deputy Speaker Haines, and to tell this place that the government has doubled support for food relief organisations. National organisations OzHarvest, Foodbank and SecondBite have, between them, seen a doubling of food available, and we've seen another organisation join the ranks for the first time—Good360, which does much the same for goods like toiletries and small consumer goods as the food relief organisations. They redistribute perfectly good stuff, which would otherwise end up in landfill, to the people who need it. It's good for the people who receive the assistance and it's good for the environment as well if we stop good consumer goods with very small errors in their packaging from ending up in landfill.
As I draw my comments to a close, I want to end by tabling a petition. The petition has been certified as in order by the Petitions Committee, and I have checked with the opposition that it's acceptable to them for me to table it today. This is a petition which calls for a publicly accessible national animal cruelty offenders register. It's gathered more than 4½ thousand signatures. As I said, I can confirm that it's been certified by the House Petitions Committee. We absolutely should always be encouraging the direct participation of our citizens in our democracy. I take real pleasure in tabling a broad range of petitions. I know that citizens who take the time and put in the effort to gather signatures like this do it because they're passionately committed to the issues that they're campaigning on and because they want to see our parliament recognise the importance of this issue to them. Congratulations to Ms Gina Stokes, the chief petitioner here, for her work to end animal cruelty. I table the petition.
Coyne, Mrs Lillian
Harris, Mr Melville
Burgin, Mrs Peg
Mr LLEW O'BRIEN (Wide Bay) (11:10): I rise to pay tribute to the lives of three people who each, in their own way, served our community and our country. In June this year, one of Wide Bay's last surviving World War II veterans passed away. Lillian Coyne was a much loved and respected family and community matriarch. Lillian was 99 when she passed away, and her kindness, wisdom and sharp wit are sorely missed.
Born in Bauple in 1926, Lillian served in the Women's Royal Australian Navy during World War II in a clerical role, mainly as a member of HMAS Moreton. After the war, Lillian returned to Bauple, where she raised her children and became deeply involved in the community. Lillian was one of the residents who helped establish the Bauple Museum. Her knowledge of the history of the Bauple district was immense. She authored several books documenting the history of the region, and she was a local legend in her own right.
I had the pleasure of meeting Lillian several times in 2020. I presented her with a commemorative medallion marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and, in 2023, a certificate of appreciation for her war service. Our last meeting took place at Groundwater Lodge in 2024, where she shared her memories of Wide Bay and her wartime experiences in the Women's Royal Australian Navy.
In 2025, the Wide Bay community also farewelled Melville Harris of Tiaro. Mel was married to Linda Harris for 56 years, and, throughout their lives together, they travelled extensively as a family, encouraging their three daughters to learn about different cultures and experience the world around them. Mel enjoyed working with his hands, and his work went well beyond putting up election signs. He won two Fraser Coast heritage awards for his restoration and renovation work, and he shared his skills and talents with the community.
Mel and Linda devoted much of their life to public service. Mel joined Rotary over 50 years ago and was a proud Paul Harris Fellow for his outstanding service and commitment to Rotary's ideals. He was actively involved in the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program and numerous Rotary fundraisers. Even after their retirement, Mel and Linda's strong commitment to their community and volunteering continued. Mel was bursting with pride when Linda was awarded an OAM in 2023.
Mel and Linda have been steadfast friends and strong supporters of the National Party since the 1980s, and then the LNP, having assisted in every election held over the last 40 years. I thank them both for their efforts. Mel was a man of quiet achievements, a generous spirit and a deep love for his family and community. His presence will be deeply missed.
Peg Burgin passed away this year. Peg was an amazing person who reached the age of 97 years old. Peg was born in Melbourne and lived with her husband Cecil on a rural property in Victoria before moving to Tewantin after Cec retired from his career as a Liberal member for Polwarth in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1970 to 1985. Peg spent many years actively supporting the Liberal Party and often spoke about handing out how-to-vote cards for Sir Robert Menzies in her younger days.
After Cec passed away in 2003, Peg continued her strong and loyal support for the Liberal Party and the LNP in Queensland, including starring in my first election campaign ad in 2016. Peg was a member of the state council and the women's council. She attended party conventions, donated to campaigns and hosted party functions and fundraisers in her home. Peg continued her voluntary work up until close to the end of her life, and she is remembered as a warm, friendly, engaging lady who was always willing to help others.
South Australia: Marine Environment
Ms MILLER-FROST (Boothby) (11:14): I wanted to give the House a brief update on the unprecedented algal bloom affecting much of the South Australian coast. Of course, we've had short-term algal blooms in South Australia before, and they occur around Australia and internationally from time to time, and they usually resolve within a matter of weeks. This algal bloom started south of Adelaide in Mayo in March, and initially it was also expected to last a couple of weeks. But it didn't, and it grew. The algal bloom is now affecting metropolitan beaches, coastal waters around Yorke and Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. The bloom is twice the size of the ACT, affecting over 4,000 kilometres of coastline, and, in places, it's about 20 metres deep.
Scientists identify three major causes: nutrient-rich floodwaters from the Murray floods; an unprecedented upwelling of nutrient-rich waters from deep off the continental shelf, caused by changing ocean currents; and a marine heatwave of around 2½ degrees. This has been complicated by a long, warm summer with calm weather and a late winter onset which meant the waters were relatively still. We've been warned of climate change and marine heatwaves decimating marine environments for a long time, and, like the apocryphal frog in warm water, we haven't paid enough attention to the early warning signs, so now we have a late warning sign. What is happening in South Australia is what we were warned about. While those opposite squabble about net zero and whether climate change exists or is worth responding to, our marine environment is dying. Dolphins, sharks, rays, skates, fish, squid, penguins, turtles and shellfish are dying. Their carcasses are washing up on our beaches. Under the water, the reef and seagrasses are now a barren, sludgy wasteland.
This is obviously having significant effects on my community as well. Local residents are devastated by the marine carnage they see. We love our beaches and we love our marine life. People are avoiding the beach because of the reaction to the algal bloom, which in humans causes sneezing and watery eyes. It's also affecting our economy. South Australia is renowned for its quality seafood industries—bluefin tuna, King George whiting and renowned Coffin Bay oysters just to name a few. All are suffering downturns in catches, and some of the aquaculture industries are facing closures. An oyster farm in Cowell on the Eyre Peninsula announced its closure today. Commercial fishers are experiencing significant declines in catches. Our tourism industry is affected. A local boat tour operator told me they've had pretty much no income since March. A recreational fishing shop told me their income has dropped by 75 per cent.
An algal bloom of this scale and this duration is unprecedented, and, unfortunately, the scientists can't tell us how or when it will end. There's no cure that we can apply—nothing we can add to the water, no process to remove the algae and nothing we can do to protect the animals. The federal and state governments have jointly committed $28 million to provide support, and that's up to $100,000 for seafood businesses and up to $10,000 for other businesses—money to help with the clean-up of the beaches and for research to try and find how we can prevent this happening again in the future and what can be done to remediate the marine environment after this is over.
I know what my community wants is for the animals to stop dying. They want a cure. They want a fix. And there is nothing in the short term that will make a difference. But this is a sign that we need to continue our action on climate change. Our energy transition, which has been supercharged under this government—80 large-scale renewable projects approved and 130 more in the pipeline. The home battery subsidy will help fast-track the change and make your energy bill significantly cheaper. The faster we transition our energy system, the faster we get off fossil fuels. Climate change is not a theory. It's not fiction. If you want to see the future under climate change, come and see our beaches. This is not the time for grandstanding about net zero; now is the time we should be racing for solutions. The impacts of climate change we were warned about are happening now. They're happening on my beaches. They are impossible to ignore, or, at least, they should be impossible to ignore.
Medicare
Mrs McINTOSH (Lindsay) (11:19): When I'm out in my community speaking with people, one of the top issues that comes up is the cost of health care. Health, in my community in Western Sydney, is an extraordinarily difficult issue. We have some of the highest rates of obesity in New South Wales, which puts pressure on our local public hospital due to chronic disease, and we've also got some of the highest rates of mental health issues. I hear often from local constituents about wait times, their inability to get into the hospital and the mental health beds and, of course, their inability to see a doctor that will bulk-bill.
That has really been the theme of this week—asking the Prime Minister about the truth in his claims that all an Australian needs to see a GP is their Medicare card. We clearly know that people now need both their Medicare card and their credit card. It is something that people are writing to me: 'Ask this question of the Prime Minister this week.' Not only have they written to me from my community; I've had emails and phone calls from right across the country saying: 'This is true. We are really struggling in this cost-of-living crisis to pay our bills, to pay our electricity bills, to send our kids to school, and we're also struggling to see a doctor.' It's extraordinary in this country, but it's extra extraordinary because the Prime Minister promised that all you need is your Medicare card. He certainly blundered his way through his response in question time. It was noted in my social media how terrible his answer was and how much of a lie that is now—a broken promise to the Australian people.
When we're talking about seeing a GP, it's always about the ability to be bulk-billed. The truth of the matter is under the coalition bulk-billing was at 88 per cent. It's now 11 per cent lower under this Labor government, at 77 per cent. People from Lindsay and right across Western Sydney can't afford these higher costs, particularly if it is a regular check-up. As I mentioned at the outset, we have some really high rates of chronic disease in my community. It is putting real pressure not only on individuals but on our local health system.
As well as families and individuals going to the doctor, we're really concentrating on the impact this is having on seniors and age pensioners, who, as we know, go for a lot more check-ups as they get older. A pensioner contacted me this week, and they aren't from my community. As I said, I'm getting letters from right across the country. They said they're now paying hundreds of dollars to see their local doctor for regular procedures which they used to pay nothing for. This is the state in which we have our primary health care right now.
I had another person contact me saying they are paying $110 to see their GP. She gets just $40 back on Medicare. The gap fee means it's getting harder and harder for so many Australians to see a doctor right now. People are reaching out because they have real-life stories and real-life struggles that the government is completely ignoring, while the Prime Minister continues to wave his Medicare card around. It's a real slap in the face for people struggling right now to be told that everything is so wonderful and that they don't need anything else but their Medicare card. The truth and the reality is people aren't able to get to their GP and aren't able to get the health care they need.
We talk about Medicare urgent care clinics. I've got one in my electorate. It was opened by a Labor member that is not from my area. I wasn't invited to that opening, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is the local community. I've had constituents not able to access this clinic due to short operating hours and the clinic's inability to take certain walk-ins. It's extraordinary. Under the fanfare of 'we're going to make things easier for people in my community', once again it seems like the Albanese government is trying to hoodwink people in my community, and it's just not good enough. We'll keep pressuring the Prime Minister on his claim that you only need a Medicare card, because what you need is both a Medicare care and a credit card, and Australians deserve so much better.
Tertiary Education
Mr SOON (Banks) (11:24): Last week, in my first speech in the House, I spoke about my belief in education as a tool that can transform the lives of our young people and the importance of promoting intergenerational mobility. I'm so pleased to be part of an Albanese Labor government that is acting to make our higher education system fairer and more accessible and to help more Australians with the burden of student debt.
The legislation that was introduced last week and passed by the House on Tuesday will cut the debt of over three million Australians, including 20,509 people in my community of Banks. That is 20,509 people for whom the student debt burden is lighter. It is 20,509 people who have got qualified, have invested in themselves and will now have more money in their pockets. While some in this place had derided this policy as something that will give no benefit, the Australian people, particularly young Australians, know that this will be incredibly beneficial to them. No matter whether they studied at university, TAFE or took up an apprenticeship, if they have student debt it will be cut by 20 per cent.
The legislation introduced last week is not just about reducing student debt but also about making the system fairer by raising the minimum threshold and changing the system that calculates minimum repayments. Instead of the current system, which calculates this based on your whole wage, the marginal system we are introducing will see repayments calculated on the amount you earn above the minimum threshold. The average income earner in my electorate earns about $78,000 a year. In effect, the average income earner who holds a student debt will pay $850 less per year while still having the option to pay down their debt more quickly if they wish to do so.
This is not just about student debt relief and reform. It is a tangible cost-of-living relief for so many people in our communities. This is not the beginning nor is it the end of the Labor government's investment in and reform of higher education. On this side, we supported changes to indexation in response to inflation last year which, when combined with our 20 per cent cut, will see $20 billion of student debt forgiven. We've established the Australian Tertiary Education Commission to drive reform of the sector. We are making it easier for more people from the outer suburbs and regional Australia to go to university and realise their potential. We've worked with relevant agencies to remove HELP debt from debt-to-income reporting and made it easier for those with student debt to take out a mortgage and get into a place of their own. I've spoken to young people across my electorate about this and benefits have already started to be reaped across our great country. We've made fee-free TAFE permanent and protected 650,000 students enrolled in fee-free courses from having to shoulder a debt while they get qualified for some of the jobs and skills we want most in this great country. We've expanded FEE-FREE Uni Ready courses to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds to get ready for higher education. We've introduced legislation to combat gender based violence at universities and ensure that campuses across our country are safe for every single student. We've also established paid prac payment support for 68,000 students of teaching, nursing and midwifery, and social work so that they can complete their compulsory practical training without ending up worse off. Again, I've talked to dozens of young people in my electorate who've already benefited from this paid prac payment, making their study and work-life situation a little bit easier.
This side of the chamber is delivering on its ambitious agenda to support young people to get qualified and experience the transformational power of tertiary education, an experience that I myself have had and that so many people in this chamber have had. Labor went to the election promising to protect fee-free TAFE and cut student debt. The Liberal Party told Australia's young people that, not only would they not help with their student debt, they would also be sending more students into debt by axing fee-free TAFE. When the Liberals and Nationals um and ah about whether to support our students, this Albanese Labor government is providing relief to young people, protecting the integrity of our HELP system and expanding access to the transformational power of higher education for every single Australian.
Federation Chamber adjourned at 11:29