Wayne Swan's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2019-07-02T23:05:25+00:00
items: Government Procurement | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Valedictory | Parliamentary Representation | House debates
items: Taxation | Adjournment | House debates
items: Exports, Broadband | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Pharmaceutical Industry | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Workplace Relations | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Economy | Adjournment | House debates
items: Lilley Electorate: ALP Shield, Lilley Electorate: Welcoming the Babies | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Broadband | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: g118.8
items: g118.6
items: g118.4
items: g118.1
items: Immigration Detention | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: BHP | Adjournment | House debates
items: Kentwell, Mr Alister | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Aged Care | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Treasury Laws Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Employer Register) Bill 2017; Second Reading | Bills | House debates

Government Procurement | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: We could not hear it back here. It was not working.
encoded: We could not hear it back here. It was not working.
date: 2019-02-20T14:36:00+00:00

Government Procurement | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: I couldn't hear the member when he was asking the question. There was clearly something wrong with the sound. I believe he should be given the chance to ask it again.
encoded: I couldn't hear the member when he was asking the question. There was clearly something wrong with the sound. I believe he should be given the chance to ask it again.
date: 2019-02-20T14:36:00+00:00

Valedictory | Parliamentary Representation | House debates
type: item
description: I was fishing for that! When I first drafted the speech, I did want to reach out across the chamber. I actually thought I would be able to ask people, perhaps, to remove their party blinkers and...
encoded: I was fishing for that! When I first drafted the speech, I did want to reach out across the chamber. I actually thought I would be able to ask people, perhaps, to remove their party blinkers and at least try to understand a bit more about why people take the policy stances they do, even if they're disagreed with. From my point of view, that's particularly the case in what I had to say about the global financial crisis and so on. It's not just a question of Labor good, Liberal bad or anything like that. It's just that if we do have another crisis we are going to need a response like that, and the current demonization of that response is not going to be consistent with our national interest at any time in the future. But I'm even more pessimistic about other things, because, unfortunately, there's been a divisive tone that's pervaded this place in the past week. It has made me realise that reaching out to the other side is perhaps impossible. I say this because I was here during the Tampa episode in 2001, and I do recall the way it changed us. The night John Howard sprung his Tampa trap in the parliament, otherwise known as the Border Protection Bill, I actually wasn't here. I was on the couch at home recovering from prostate cancer surgery, and I watched the events unfold with growing trepidation. In the weeks that followed, the politics of fear drowned out domestic political issues. And, of course, before that event covert appeals to racism and xenophobia were regarded as unworthy of our country's elected representatives. When the ship was turned back, something else floated into our harbours in its wake: American race based dog-whistle politics. That politics is not new; it's as old as politics itself. We all thought it had died some time well before 2001. But we were wrong. During the eighties, it was brought back to life in America during the 1988 presidential election. There was a determined strategy to link the black community with violent crime. It worked. It …
date: 2019-02-19T16:18:00+00:00

Valedictory | Parliamentary Representation | House debates
type: item
description: Mr Deputy Speaker, I seek your indulgence to make some remarks. First of all, I want to thank all of the people who have travelled here today and, in particular, all of those who are listening to...
encoded: Mr Deputy Speaker, I seek your indulgence to make some remarks. First of all, I want to thank all of the people who have travelled here today and, in particular, all of those who are listening to and viewing this broadcast. When I announced my impending retirement some time ago, there was a crusty old COMCAR driver who said to me as I was opening the door at the side entrance, 'I see you're getting out while you're still alive.' I thought at first he was referring to his driving, but I soon realised he was congratulating me on making a wise life decision. There was a time, when Australians didn't tend to live so long, that the only two ways out of this place were through the ballot box or in a wooden box. Thankfully I've survived long enough to make the decision all on my own. I've been a member of this parliament almost continually since 1993, with a one-term 'holiday' at the suggestion of the voters between 1996 and 1998. So I've had eight wins and one loss. That loss in 1996 was a crushing defeat for the party and a gut-wrenching loss for our family—a family anxious about the future with three young children under 10. That was very uncomfortable, but it did make me a much better politician, so I was re-elected in 1998, and now I've attended 1,422 sitting days—that's just under four years of continuous parliament. Just imagine all that before you! In that time, there have been seven Treasurers and 11 Speakers. Had the Speaker been here, I would have said I regarded him as one of the best. I wasn't expecting to have that compliment returned! The pace of political life is now absolutely brutal, particularly when it involves shadow ministerial responsibility or ministerial responsibility, and that was the case with myself—six budgets, three budget replies, stimulus packages, IGR, and trading schemes. The list is long, and it is for anyone who's serving in a very senior position. Three years in the House of Representatives in the early nineties would easily squeeze in…
date: 2019-02-19T16:18:00+00:00

Taxation | Adjournment | House debates
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description: For many years Australia's largest company, BHP, has been gaming our tax system, and it has been involved in disputes with the ATO over unpaid taxes in excess of a billion dollars. BHP has been...
encoded: For many years Australia's largest company, BHP, has been gaming our tax system, and it has been involved in disputes with the ATO over unpaid taxes in excess of a billion dollars. BHP has been joined by other large multinationals like Rio Tinto and Chevron in fleecing the Australian taxpayer through the use of tax havens and tax shields such as Singapore. BHP's Singapore tax shield and other tax havens exist to smuggle profits out of Australia. Last month BHP's status as one of Australia's largest tax evaders was laid bare by its settlement with the tax office on disputes which go back as far as 2003. The settlement confirms what BHP has repeatedly and publicly denied, that its Singapore marketing hub was used for tax evasion using transfer pricing. This settlement with the tax office was made possible by laws I passed in 2012 and 2013 as Australian Treasurer. Over our six years in government the Liberals opposed every measure introduced by Labor to close corporate tax loopholes, which had in themselves been opened up by previous Liberal governments. The laws that delivered the settlement were opposed by the current Prime Minister. But, thanks to the Labor Party, the full impact of these laws in the years ahead will return many billions of dollars back to the Australian taxpayer. I first raised the issues at the core of the BHP settlement with the tax office in 2015. BHP's duplicity and hypocrisy in this matter was laid bare in the Senate tax inquiry of that year. The finding of the Senate inquiry gave BHP the chance to come clean, reform their practices and rejoin the majority of Australian businesses that do pay their fair share of tax. Sadly, they chose the path of concealment. Since then, at every turn BHP have continued to deny the true purpose of their dual structure, which it continued to defend aggressively in all its public statements. But now, in this agreement with the tax office, it has shut down. I said then that the full impact of their activities was…
date: 2018-12-04T19:30:00+00:00

Exports, Broadband | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: Sanofi Consumer Healthcare is a complementary medicine manufacturer located in Virginia in the electorate of Lilley. It employs more than 300 locals and annually produces around 360 million soft...
encoded: Sanofi Consumer Healthcare is a complementary medicine manufacturer located in Virginia in the electorate of Lilley. It employs more than 300 locals and annually produces around 360 million soft gels and 1.8 billion tablets. Currently its products are eligible for the Australian Made label, which acknowledges the high quality of Australian-made products. This label assists Sanofi to secure its lucrative $1.2 billion export market for complementary medicine. The Australian Made label has given Sanofi and other Australian based companies a competitive advantage in export markets, particularly in China. The nature of the Sanofi supply chain means some raw ingredients need to be imported because certain ingredients are not able to be grown domestically due to the Australian climate. In March, changes to the Australian Made guidelines will mean Sanofi and others won't be able to use the Australian Made label from 1 June 2019. These changes to the guidelines don't recognise the work that is done to imported raw ingredients to create this uniquely Australian product. For over six months, Sanofi has met with the government, trying to reach a solution. However, the government has been dithering—simply paralysed—and has done absolutely nothing to fix this problem. So Sanofi will soon have to begin the process of removing the Australian Made label from its products, and this will damage its standing in critical export markets. This will mean production shutdowns and staff lay-offs can be expected, as the manufacturers adjust to anticipated reduction in demand. There is a simple solution to this. It has been sitting on the desk of Minister Andrews for a long time. It's been with both prime ministers for a long time, but in 'Liberal-world'—now 'Morrison-world'—simply nothing ever happens, even when there are very simple solutions. There are some quick steps the government could take to avert these lay-offs, fix this problem and protect a vital export market. The export market fo…
date: 2018-11-28T10:20:00+00:00

Pharmaceutical Industry | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: I rise in support of the pharmaceutical success story in my electorate of Lilley. Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, based in Virginia, employs more than 300 locals at their manufacturing facility....
encoded: I rise in support of the pharmaceutical success story in my electorate of Lilley. Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, based in Virginia, employs more than 300 locals at their manufacturing facility. Sanofi has tapped into the lucrative Chinese market, with a trusted Australian-made labelling on its product that has helped drive sales in that region towards $1 billion. By making the decision to set up manufacturing plants in Australia, Sanofi has chosen to pay a level of wages consistent with our status as an advanced economy. There are 300 workers in my electorate who benefit from Sanofi's decision to set up in Virginia, on Brisbane's north side. Inevitably, some aspects of Sanofi's supply chain are not Australian made. The raw ingredients for many of its supplements simply cannot be grown on a sufficient scale in the Australian climate and must be sourced from overseas. Nevertheless, there should be no reason to deny Sanofi's deep connection to Australia or to question the Australian-made endorsement its products receive, particularly when the same endorsement is given to other goods assembled, manufactured or elaborately transformed in Australia by Australians from local or imported ingredients. I commend Sanofi for their ongoing service to the electorate of Lilley and for their commitment to the Australian-made ethos; long may it continue. I also refer to the ongoing blatant tax avoidance by many of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. An Oxfam report released today has found that four of the biggest pharmaceutical companies operating in Australia have avoided four times as much tax as they have paid. Tax avoidance by these four multinational companies amounts to $215 million in Australia, the equivalent of five million medical prescriptions each year. Nor is the tax-dodging behaviour of these big four confined to Australia. Oxfam estimates that their tax avoidance costs advanced economies nearly $4.8 billion in lost revenue and robs developing countries of an a…
date: 2018-09-18T16:06:00+00:00

Workplace Relations | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: I rise in support of a constituency that's been consistently left out in the cold by the coalition government and by some of this country's biggest businesses. As a proud member of the Australian...
encoded: I rise in support of a constituency that's been consistently left out in the cold by the coalition government and by some of this country's biggest businesses. As a proud member of the Australian Workers Union for nearly all of my adult life, I stand in solidarity with the 1,600 AWU members working at Alcoa in Western Australia. The employees of Alcoa at five sites across Western Australia are the latest casualties of the merge, purge and gouge mentality of some multinationals. Following more than 20 months of enterprise bargaining negotiations, Alcoa's workers have taken indefinite industrial action against their multinational employer. The workers are simply asking the company to preserve existing workplace conditions. Instead, Alcoa wants to terminate the current employment contract and force workers to accept an inferior offer, an offer which introduces forced redundancies, keeps casual workers casualised and locks in a real pay cut for thousands of employees. When this substandard workplace agreement was put to Alcoa's 1,600 strong workforce, some of whom have worked for the company for more than 30 years, over 80 per cent voted it down. Nobody enjoys a strike. It's not just the act of standing out in the cold, wind and rain—an appropriate metaphor for the contempt that this government and some of its big business backers have for working people—and it's not just the loss of income. Each Australian worker in Western Australia has already given up thousands of dollars in pay. The Alcoa workers simply want secure jobs and fair conditions, the jobs and conditions that they fought for decades to establish. The coalition government claims to hate regulation, but it's the first to break out the red-tape dispenser if it can be used to restrict the right of workers to take industrial action against unfair conditions. The truth is that when it comes to driving down wages and ripping up workplace conditions, this government and their multinational backers like Alcoa are …
date: 2018-09-12T11:29:00+00:00

Economy | Adjournment | House debates
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description: Ten years ago, almost to the day, almost to this minute, I held a press conference in this building after the fourth largest US investment bank Lehman Brothers had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy...
encoded: Ten years ago, almost to the day, almost to this minute, I held a press conference in this building after the fourth largest US investment bank Lehman Brothers had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It was clear then that the financial system was ripping apart at the seams. As I said that night, no country in the developed world was in a better position to handle these events than ours. That night, I drew attention to Australia's strong and well-regulated financial system, which had been strengthened and enhanced thanks, in large part, to the joint efforts of the Reserve Bank and the new Labor government. During our first 10 months in office we put in place reforms the previous government had refused to do. It's crucial to have an accurate record of these events so that when the next crisis comes we can look back and assess the effectiveness of all of those things that we did. On the weekend, the Financial Review published a feature on how Australia responded and rescued our banks. The article spoke of the tireless actions of the RBA during the crisis, which are an enduring tribute to our central bank and the public servants at its helm. These facts are beyond dispute. The Financial Review, however, neglected to outline how Australia's financial system had been strengthened by the new Labor government, working with our world-class regulators. It neglected to outline how, in February and in April, our Labor government met with the Council of Financial Regulators to discuss how best to buttress the financial system. It didn't outline how, in May, our Labor government increased the issuance of Commonwealth government securities and granted new investment powers to the Australian Office of Financial Management. It failed to outline how, in June, our Labor government announced the Financial Claims Scheme, which would provide the backbone to the bank guarantees we announced in the wake of Lehman's collapse. It neglected to say how we outlined new powers for our r…
date: 2018-09-10T19:30:00+00:00

Lilley Electorate: ALP Shield, Lilley Electorate: Welcoming the Babies | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: This weekend in Lilley we have a double-header of family and community events. On Saturday I'll be proud to cheer on the under-sevens playing in the 2018 ALP Shield, which is hosted this year by...
encoded: This weekend in Lilley we have a double-header of family and community events. On Saturday I'll be proud to cheer on the under-sevens playing in the 2018 ALP Shield, which is hosted this year by the mighty Aspley Rugby League Football Club. Hundreds of junior players and 20 teams from across the north side will battle it out in a friendly round robin competition. The ALP Shield has a long and storied history, kicking off in 1982 with sponsorship from the Labor Party. Five teams participated in the inaugural competition: Norths, Aspley, Sandgate, St Joseph's and, the winners, Banyo. Labor has proudly continued its sponsorship of the shield over the past 3½ decades, during which time the competition has expanded to include all the current affiliates of the Northern Broncos. The ALP Shield is the premier training ground for future Rugby League stars to learn the rules, develop their skills and enjoy the game. I'd particularly like to thank the Norths Devils for all of their assistance with the competition. Also, on Sunday, 19 August I'll be hosting my 19th Welcoming the Babies ceremony, my last as the member for Lilley. I'll be joined by Labor's dynamic new candidate for Lilley, Anika Wells, whose daughter Celeste we welcomed as a baby last year. Welcoming the Babies is another proud north side tradition. This year it will be held at Taigum Square shopping centre in conjunction with the Taigum Square Family Fun Day. After the fun of the shield on Saturday, I encourage young families in the area to pop down the road to Taigum to help welcome the babies and to enjoy the fun day on Sunday from 10 am. Kids are sure to love the free activities and entertainment, including Peebo and Dagwood the clowns, Super Steph the puppeteer, and a special guest and super coach Laurie Lawrence. As master of ceremonies, Laurie is the heart and soul of Welcoming the Babies. His passion for young people and their water safety brings him to our event every year. We're lucky to have him. I'd l…
date: 2018-08-16T10:55:00+00:00

Broadband | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: Last February, I raised matters in the House about the quality and rollout of the NBN in the electorate of Lilley. Since then, there has been no significant improvement. Since coming to...
encoded: Last February, I raised matters in the House about the quality and rollout of the NBN in the electorate of Lilley. Since then, there has been no significant improvement. Since coming to government in 2013, Mr Turnbull and the Liberals have done just about everything possible to destroy the NBN. They’ve taken a world-class fibre-to-the-home network, which should have been completed by 2016, and turned it into 'fraudband'. Entire communities have been delivered a substandard service with low speeds and unpredictable connectivity. Labor created the NBN to bring Australia into the 21st century and to make us competitive as an advanced nation. But this government has now put us decades behind. Around 20,000 fortunate households in Lilley have received Labor's first-class broadband. They've received fibre. But, across the rest of the area, there are approximately 40,000 premises that are receiving 'fraudband', mostly the old HFC network. Around 20,000 households in places such as Chermside, Chermside West, Geebung, Kedron, Northgate, Nundah and Wavell Heights have received absolutely nothing. Now they're falling even further behind, because the government has announced further delays because there are substantial problems with the HFC network. For those who have been connected to the inferior HFC network, the problem is that speeds and services that were promised have not arrived, and people have been left in limbo. Some people have no service whatsoever. Some people have services that drop out. This is particularly the case in the bayside suburbs in my electorate. The standard HFC network has been more degraded in the bayside suburbs, leading to cost blowouts, long wait times and very, very poor service. Other problems faced across the electorate include faulty installations and missed appointments. Worse still, when trying to seek a resolution of the issue, people are experiencing blame-shifting between the NBN and telecommunications retailers. The NBN is too important …
date: 2018-06-27T10:17:00+00:00

g118.8
type: item
title: Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2018-2019, Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2017-2018, Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2017-2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: You can waste a bit more time if you like. Over the last five years, our two prime ministers have seen real wages flatlining. The cost of living has risen steeply, driven chiefly by health...
encoded: You can waste a bit more time if you like. Over the last five years, our two prime ministers have seen real wages flatlining. The cost of living has risen steeply, driven chiefly by health insurance, housing and energy prices, and Australians are suffering from precarious and insecure forms of work. We've got record high labour underutilisation and record levels of wage theft in our workforce. All of these things should be within the government's power to change, but not this government. The Prime Minister gives the least to those who need it the most and the most to those who need it the least. The budget holds low- and middle-income Australians hostage to tax cuts for the top end of town while delivering $80 billion to big business, including a $17 billion gift to big banks, whose rank malpractice has been on disgusting display at the royal commission. Having been involved in a few budgets myself, I can attest that preparing budget documents means that you need to keep both eyes open: one eye on the global conditions and one on the great majority of Australians that you represent. But, looking over this year's budget, it's plain to see that the Prime Minister has kept one eye on the top end of town—high-income individuals and big companies—and the other eye entirely closed, meanwhile winking at the wealthy, who are the Liberal Party's natural constituency. The personal income tax cuts in this budget are set to drive a steamroller right through Australia's progressive tax system. If the Turnbull government gets its way and if it's re-elected twice more, the tax cuts proposed in this budget will see someone on $41,000 a year and someone on $200,000 a year paying exactly the same marginal tax rate. Mr Turnbull, the Prime Minister, and Mr Morrison, the Treasurer, have a plan to impose regressive income tax cuts. Of course, it follows the same script that we've seen with the company tax cuts farce: throw a few crumbs to the many whilst hosting a feast for the few. This…
date: 2018-05-29T16:16:00+00:00

g118.6
type: item
title: Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2018-2019, Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2017-2018, Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2017-2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: I said 'Mr Abbott and Mr Turnbull'; is that correct?
encoded: I said 'Mr Abbott and Mr Turnbull'; is that correct?
date: 2018-05-29T16:16:00+00:00

g118.4
type: item
title: Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2018-2019, Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2017-2018, Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2017-2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: I said 'Mr Abbott and Mr Turnbull'.
encoded: I said 'Mr Abbott and Mr Turnbull'.
date: 2018-05-29T16:16:00+00:00

g118.1
type: item
title: Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2018-2019, Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2017-2018, Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2017-2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: In this debate on Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, I wish to make a few remarks about the budget, and, in particular, I want to talk about tax. At the heart of this budget is what I'd call...
encoded: In this debate on Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, I wish to make a few remarks about the budget, and, in particular, I want to talk about tax. At the heart of this budget is what I'd call the Turnbull trickle-down trifecta—that is, massive tax cuts for the wealthy, very large tax cuts for large corporates and, of course, wage suppression for everybody else. At a time when global growth is closing in on four per cent—at least according to the latest OECD figures—in Australia, GDP growth is struggling to reach 2½ per cent. We've got the best global conditions in more than a decade, and this government is out there celebrating its enduring mediocrity. Over the last five years of Mr Abbott and Mr Turnbull, real wages have flatlined.
date: 2018-05-29T16:16:00+00:00

Immigration Detention | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: I did, and I withdraw.
encoded: I did, and I withdraw.
date: 2018-05-24T14:16:00+00:00

BHP | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: I rise to speak about the continuing tax avoidance and evasion of BHP. BHP is using political muscle to continue to eat away, like a tax termite, at the integrity of our company tax system and...
encoded: I rise to speak about the continuing tax avoidance and evasion of BHP. BHP is using political muscle to continue to eat away, like a tax termite, at the integrity of our company tax system and royalty system. BHP continues to hit new lows of corporate behaviour. In recent times, in the Queensland Supreme Court, it has sought to suppress further evidence of tax evasion on royalties payable to the Queensland government. According to The Australian, a new assessment has now been issued to BHP by the Queensland Office of State Revenue, believed to be in the several hundreds of millions of dollars. The hearing of this latest claim begins in the Queensland Supreme Court on Monday, 28 May. It will add to BHP's existing $300 million dispute with the Queensland government over royalty avoidance through transfer pricing. Altogether, this pushes claims against BHP's marketing hub from state and federal governments to $1.8 billion. No wonder BHP has done its best to ensure its misdeeds are not examined in the court of public opinion. BHP has sought orders from the Queensland Supreme Court to suppress key evidence relating to the price it charges its customers for coal and the amount that it told the Queensland Treasury that it should pay royalties on. In open court next week these documents will be revealed. BHP is one of the biggest tax dodgers in the country, if not the biggest. Its Singapore marketing hub is a blatant exercise in tax minimisation, a fiction confected to aggressively reduce BHP's tax bill and minimise its contribution to Australia. The Queensland government is demanding that BHP pays royalties on the amount that the final coal customer, typically in China, pays to BHP's Singapore marketing hub. True to form, BHP only wants to pay royalties on a much smaller amount—namely, the amount that the Singapore marketing hub pays to the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance in Australia for its own coal. This is the information that BHP has sought to suppress in the Supreme Court of…
date: 2018-05-23T19:39:00+00:00

Kentwell, Mr Alister | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: I'd like to acknowledge the extraordinary role played by one of my constituents, Mr Alister Kentwell, in the forging of peace as Japanese forces surrendered in Borneo more than 70 years ago. Born...
encoded: I'd like to acknowledge the extraordinary role played by one of my constituents, Mr Alister Kentwell, in the forging of peace as Japanese forces surrendered in Borneo more than 70 years ago. Born an Australia citizen in Kobe, Japan, in 1925, Alister was bilingual from a young age. He was only 18 when he enlisted with the AIF in Brisbane in 1943. On 10 September 1945 Alister's skills placed him at a pivotal point in our wartime history. Photos held by the Australian War Memorial show the young Corporal Kentwell, who was acting as an interpreter for Brigadier Wood, listening intently as Japanese Rear Admiral Nomura spoke during the surrender ceremony in the jungles of Borneo. After hostilities ceased, Alister was assigned as a translator assisting the New Zealand contingent in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. He returned to Brisbane in 1947 at the ripe old age of 22. The Centenary of Armistice is a unique opportunity to reflect on the great weight placed on young soldiers in conflict. I can only marvel at the black-and-white pictures of a calm, collected Corporal Kentwell, taking in his stride the momentous role that he played as the conclusion of the war unfolded. I know his family are incredibly proud of him. On behalf of our community in Lilley, I thank him for his service.
date: 2018-05-21T16:35:00+00:00

Aged Care | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: Senior Australians who have worked hard all their lives to make our country great are being neglected by the Turnbull government. The government are holding older Australians in a vice grip. On...
encoded: Senior Australians who have worked hard all their lives to make our country great are being neglected by the Turnbull government. The government are holding older Australians in a vice grip. On one side, they've slashed funding for aged-care facilities, ripping out $1.2 billion in the 2016 budget. On the other side, they've fallen pathetically short in funding in-home care. While more than 100,000 older Australians languish in the queue for in-home care packages, this government only found funds for a pitiful 3,500 packages in the budget. Just last Sunday, the Minister for Health and Aged Care said: 'It's going to be a very good budget for health and for aged care in particular.' If the government consider their budget a very good one for aged care, I'd really hate to see a bad one. But, of course, this is a bad budget for aged care and older Australians. It does nothing to address the crisis in aged care which we are seeing playing out in aged-care facilities across the country, and these matters will be revisited before the next budget, because the crisis is acute. Basic elements of care, including showering, brushing teeth and providing food and water to senior Australians, are being neglected and missed more and more frequently. Aged-care providers have cut staff numbers so deeply that it's not uncommon for one registered nurse to be allocated to up to 200 elderly residents. Understaffing means that rather than receiving four or more hours of nursing a day our most vulnerable older Australians are losing one-third of this crucial time needed for showering, toileting and being medicated, dressed, fed and more. Vital care has been missed, which has real and sometimes fatal consequences. I understand that moving into an aged-care facility can be an emotional and stressful time. That's why it's vital that we as legislators work to make aged care decent and comfortable for older Australians. This begins with legislating minimum staffing requirements and adequate skil…
date: 2018-05-10T10:13:00+00:00

Treasury Laws Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Employer Register) Bill 2017; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I rise to oppose the Treasury Laws Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Employer Register) Bill 2017, which seeks to strip away protections from a uniquely vulnerable group of people in Australia,...
encoded: I rise to oppose the Treasury Laws Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Employer Register) Bill 2017, which seeks to strip away protections from a uniquely vulnerable group of people in Australia, working holiday-makers. This bill is ripped, if you like, straight out of the trickle-down playbook of the Turnbull government. To businesses who wish to employ working holiday-makers, the Turnbull government says, 'We'll quietly remove the need for you to publicly list on the Australian Business Register.' The Turnbull government says to these businesses: 'You can be a nonentity. You can employ working holiday-makers, treat them however you like and pay them whatever you like.' Instead of shedding light on the galling practices of these employers, the Turnbull government is going to shed darkness. That's par for the course with this government. At the mention of any movement towards the bright light of transparency, whether it's for big business or for shonky operators, the government recoils like a vampire. The government sides with shonky operators, basically because it's prepared to tolerate this exploitation. We've seen them oppose Labor's moves on tax transparency. When we proposed that public companies tell us what they pay in tax, the coalition ran away from the light. We saw their resistance to transparency, indeed, in the parliament this afternoon, when the Treasurer couldn't or wouldn't reveal the cost of his company tax cuts or the yearly cost of the income tax cuts. We're seeing it in this bill as well. It is a chance for the Turnbull government to step into the light and expose employers who overwork, underpay, harm and mistreat working holiday-makers in this country. Labor will not take a backward step in exposing and opposing the practices of these businesses. We will expose and oppose the practices of the Turnbull government, as they are, in some instances, allied with exploitative employers. This bill is merely another bungle that the Turnbull government has …
date: 2018-05-09T17:27:00+00:00