Bert Van Manen's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2025-09-07T23:05:12+00:00
items: Budget | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Forde Electorate: Tropical Cyclone Alfred | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Albanese Government | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Medicare | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Electricity Infrastructure Legislation Amendment Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2024-2025, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2024-2025, Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2024-2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Cost of Living | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Manufacturing Industry | Adjournment | House debates
items: Forde Electorate: Australia Day | Adjournment | House debates
items: Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Small Business | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Workforce Shortages | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Forde Electorate: School Awards | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Free TAFE Bill 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: National Broadband Network Companies Amendment (Commitment to Public Ownership) Bill 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Energy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Forde Electorate: Eagleby Achiever Awards | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Queensland State Election | Statements by Members | House debates

Budget | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: This week we have seen a budget which really encapsulates what we already know about this government: it is a government that is bereft of ideas, it is a government that has given up and it is a...
encoded: This week we have seen a budget which really encapsulates what we already know about this government: it is a government that is bereft of ideas, it is a government that has given up and it is a government that has lost the plot. Every Australian—and particularly every resident of Forde—is poorer now than there were three years ago when this government came to power. This was the budget that they did not want. In true form, it is a budget for the next five weeks, not for the next five years or even the longer-term future of this country. It's all about short-termism and getting a government re-elected. At a time when living standards have suffered the biggest collapse on record, Labor's budget has failed to deal with the economic challenges our country faces. Our constituents waited with bated breath to see how this government planned to meaningfully bring down the cost of living, and this budget failed to achieve that. You will have $5 more in your pocket, but some 15 months down the track. The government thinks that is something you should shout from the rooftops, that you'll be able to really splurge and treat yourself. But let's not forget, shall we, that your food has gone up some 13 per cent. Let's not dwell on the fact that your electricity has gone up 32 per cent or that insurance, rent, health and education expenses are all at all-time highs. Comparatively, tonight the coalition will outline our plan to get Australia back on track. We will put forward meaningful change—something we didn't see for any of my electorate. We were once again left out to dry by this Labor government. There is nothing for the electorate of Forde in this budget, and it demonstrates that this Labor government has no consideration for our people. Labor has always taken the electorate of Forde for granted, whereas the LNP and the coalition over our time in government has delivered a wide range of projects for the electorate. We have seen a range of projects, such as the Chambers Flat …
date: 2025-03-27T09:48:00+00:00

Forde Electorate: Tropical Cyclone Alfred | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: When the worst hits a community, we see the best in that community rise to the surface. I never need a reminder of how incredible our Forde region and its people are, but Tropical Cyclone Alfred...
encoded: When the worst hits a community, we see the best in that community rise to the surface. I never need a reminder of how incredible our Forde region and its people are, but Tropical Cyclone Alfred probably reaffirmed this for many others. Seeing people band together at sandbag stations and dig deep to help their fellow community members—likely strangers in many cases—was so heartening. People were literally brought to their haunches after shovelling sand for hours on end for many, all in the name of doing their community duty—and it was terrific to see so many people there at the Beenleigh Showgrounds. Natural disasters such as Alfred or the 2022 floods might tear holes in homes or flood homes, yet I never cease to be amazed by the willingness of our community to get out and support those in need. I want to give my sincere thanks to so many who individually helped across the electorate in the course of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. In particular, I give a heartfelt thankyou to the SES, Energex, and the volunteers and workers at Bethania Community Centre, Beenleigh lifestyle centre, Pimpama Sports Hub and the three recovery hubs in and around Forde, as well as many others. These wonderful volunteers are what make our community such a great place in which to live. Thank you once again for supporting those in need at a difficult time.
date: 2025-03-26T13:28:00+00:00

Albanese Government | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: My question is for the Prime Minister. Tomorrow it will be 1,000 days since the election of the Albanese Labor government. The Prime Minister promised a $275 cut on power bills and life would be...
encoded: My question is for the Prime Minister. Tomorrow it will be 1,000 days since the election of the Albanese Labor government. The Prime Minister promised a $275 cut on power bills and life would be cheaper under Labor. Instead, working households are now paying up to $1,000 more for energy than promised, the cost of living has increased by nearly 20 per cent, and people are suffering the longest recession on record. Why won't this Prime Minister apologise to Australians for his weak leadership, bad decisions and wrong priorities?
date: 2025-02-13T14:30:00+00:00

Medicare | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: Over the past week, we've heard the government talk endlessly about their success on Medicare. We've seen them roll out an advertising campaign—'Mediscare' 2.0. The only 'Mediscare' 2.0...
encoded: Over the past week, we've heard the government talk endlessly about their success on Medicare. We've seen them roll out an advertising campaign—'Mediscare' 2.0. The only 'Mediscare' 2.0 that applies in my electorate is the fall in bulk-billing rates, from 96 per cent in 2019 to 84 per cent today. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, the government is waxing lyrical over there about their Medicare success, yet the people in my electorate of Forde are paying the price for their failure each and every day. They are seeing fewer and fewer bulk-billed medical services and are paying an increased cost to get health care. So whatever this government says in this space, I say to the people in the electorate of Forde: do not listen to what the government is saying to you, because nine times out of 10, it is completely and utterly the opposite of what they're doing. They have presided over a fall in the provision of bulk-billed Medicare services in the electorate of Forde since 2022. We see that in the figures each and every day. The people in Forde are paying higher fees as a result in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. Shame on this government for their failure!
date: 2025-02-13T13:30:00+00:00

Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: It's a pleasure to follow the PM's contribution on the Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025 and good to see that a few of my colleagues across the chamber are here...
encoded: It's a pleasure to follow the PM's contribution on the Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025 and good to see that a few of my colleagues across the chamber are here for my contribution to this debate, in particular the member for Spence, who's made some important contributions during my debates this week, which is greatly appreciated. I appreciate the Prime Minister's attempt to defend the validity and rationale of this policy. And I agree with some of what the Prime Minister has had to say, as well as other colleagues in this debate. We do want to see a high-quality, robust early childhood sector, with high education standards, to ensure that our young Australians get the best start in life that they can. And I want to take this opportunity to thank the early childhood educators across my electorate of Forde for the wonderful job they do each and every day trying to do exactly that. For many kids in my community, the fact that they have access to child care makes an enormous difference to their lives given the situation that some of them, sadly, find themselves in on the home front. But when I look at this bill I see a bill that doesn't address what I see as the fundamental issues facing many in my community: lack of access and lack of affordability. Any number of centres I've spoken to over the past 12 months do not have spare places; they have waiting lists. I have also spoken to many people whose out-of-pocket costs have grown, despite increased childcare subsidies. As I look at the structure of this bill, I see that it is only going to make the situation worse. At least now the situation is that the places in the childcare centres that are available are available to families who, for whatever reason, need two incomes—and increasingly that is largely as a result of the government's failure to deal with the cost-of-living issues that we've spoken about in other debates in this House over the course of this and previous weeks. Removing…
date: 2025-02-13T11:35:00+00:00

Electricity Infrastructure Legislation Amendment Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: 'What happened to that?' the shadow minister at the table quite rightly asks. Well, it has only been closed doors, non-disclosure agreements and a failure to be transparent with the Australian...
encoded: 'What happened to that?' the shadow minister at the table quite rightly asks. Well, it has only been closed doors, non-disclosure agreements and a failure to be transparent with the Australian people. With this piece of legislation we see exactly the same process being rolled out. Now, it's interesting to note that the government has steamrolled ahead with offshore wind zones without any proper consultation, with a backlash across the country from the affected communities. But, interestingly, major players have also abandoned offshore wind projects due to cost blowouts, regulatory uncertainty and economic unfeasibility. Importantly—and incompetence is a hallmark of this government, so I'm not really that surprised—the government keeps pretending that offshore wind is booming. But the market says otherwise. So where are we with all of this? Well, we're here today because the Labor government have been so rushed to get more onshore wind that they forgot to finish writing the regulations. As usual, it's about politics and not about the quality of the policy. The government is attempting to push a bill through parliament without scrutiny before the election so the minister—and I'm pleased to see that the minister is in the House for the final bits of this debate—can make announcements during the campaign. They're very good at making announcements, but the follow-up tends to be rather lacking. As I said in a previous contribution in this House today, nine times out of 10, if you listen to what they say, it's complete nonsense in reality. There's a vast gulf between what they say and what they actually do. As we look at the government's energy plan overall, there's a continuing blank cheque for higher power bills. I remember, as the shadow minister at the table would remember and as my colleague the member for Fadden would remember, the Prime Minister promised 97 times during the election campaign that Australians would get a $275 cut to their power bills. Instead, we are…
date: 2025-02-11T20:33:00+00:00

Electricity Infrastructure Legislation Amendment Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: It is a pleasure to rise on the Electricity Infrastructure Legislation Amendment Bill 2025. It's interesting that the government wants to ram these provisions through the House, given that the...
encoded: It is a pleasure to rise on the Electricity Infrastructure Legislation Amendment Bill 2025. It's interesting that the government wants to ram these provisions through the House, given that the bill is still under review by a Senate committee. It tells us much about this government's agenda and what they want to do. I know in some brief conversation I had with the member for Spence in the lead-up to my remarks, I noted that once again we see the government waxing lyrical about its green energy plans. As usual, the promise of the government's programs and policies bears little resemblance to the actual delivery and the impact on the ground. But we're used to that now, and the Australian people are increasingly waking up to that reality. What we find is that Labor refuses to tell Australians how much offshore wind will cost and how much they will have to pay on their power bills. In fact, we have no idea what Labor's grand green scheme of 82 per cent by 2030 is going to cost the Australian people because they refuse to even make an attempt to detail what the true cost will be. As the member for Forrest rightly pointed out, there is a multitude of holes in this policy big enough to drive a Mack truck through. Now, in this case, Labor is changing the rules after the fact, which creates uncertainty for investors and raises the risk profile for energy projects in Australia. The government has completely ignored industry stakeholders on this bill, rushing through legislation that directly affects major investment decisions without proper consultation. Well, knock me down with a feather. This isn't the first time this government has done this. They have a track record over the past three years of ramming legislation through this place, with a fig leaf of consultation. But, when you actually scratch the surface, there has been no consultation, or maybe at best, to give them a little bit of credit—which they're probably not due, but I'll give them a little bit—they've made som…
date: 2025-02-11T20:33:00+00:00

Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2024-2025, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2024-2025, Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2024-2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: It's always a pleasure to rise in this place and speak on an appropriation bill. These bills necessarily provide appropriations for the continued delivery of government services and to fund the...
encoded: It's always a pleasure to rise in this place and speak on an appropriation bill. These bills necessarily provide appropriations for the continued delivery of government services and to fund the decisions in the 2024-25 budget. In total, these bills appropriate some $12 billion for the remainder of the financial year, the majority of which, some $7 billion, is directed to ordinary annual services of government. Now, of course the coalition supports these bills to ensure the smooth operation of government and the uninterrupted provision of services that Australians rely on. However, while we support the bills as a matter of necessity, we must also use this opportunity to highlight the grave economic mismanagement that has led us to this point, that sees Australians right across the country, not just in households but in small businesses, under increasing pressures, both through cost of living and cost of doing business. There is nothing this government can do to hide their economic mismanagement. They appear to have tries every trick in the book with little, if any, success because they simply don't understand how a market economy works, because none of them over there have worked in the private sector, or very few. It is why we have seen inflation far too high for far too long under their management. Now, much of their increased spending is through the increase of ordinary government services; I accept that. But there are many parts of their additional spending which could have been much more carefully thought through given the inflationary impacts of the spending and the consequent impact on Australian households. In real terms, we have seen Australian households go back by the best part of nine per cent, an extraordinary number that Australians alive today, most of whom would never have seen their standard of living fall by over nine per cent in three years, let alone a longer period of time. The evidence continues to mount, as we see this government's failure to d…
date: 2025-02-11T17:45:00+00:00

Cost of Living | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
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description: Much as I like the member for Hunter, and appreciated his attempted comedy routine, it did nothing to support hard-working Australian families who are struggling every day with the cost-of-living...
encoded: Much as I like the member for Hunter, and appreciated his attempted comedy routine, it did nothing to support hard-working Australian families who are struggling every day with the cost-of-living crisis that the member for Hunter and the government opposite have presided over for the past nearly three years. I might remind the member for Hunter of a few figures that may be worthwhile for the member for Hunter's consideration. Health costs are up some 10 per cent. Education costs are up 11 per cent. Food is up over 12 per cent. Housing is up 14 per cent. Rents are up over 17 per cent. Insurance costs are up over 18 per cent, and, very importantly, electricity costs are up over 32 per cent. It doesn't matter how the member for Hunter wants to cut the mustard; electricity was up 32 per cent even before the rebates, and it is having a material negative impact on the cost of living not just for everyday Australians but for our small businesses and businesses right across this country. I know many businesses whose electricity costs have increased by far more than 32 per cent under this government—some in the order of 200 per cent. Some of these are charities and other community organisations that take the scarce resources they receive in donations and grants and put them back into the community, and they are now less able to do that purely because of the cost of electricity. It is also then meaning that the cost for businesses to do business and keep their doors open—our cafes, clubs and pubs—is tough. The cost inputs to business through electricity alone are magnified through every single part of the supply chain. Everything we do has electricity somewhere in it. The member for Hunter, in his contribution, referenced child care. I can say to the member for Hunter that a number of childcare centres I've spoken to in my electorate have decided it's too difficult to deal with the government's bureaucracy and red tape for the new childcare subsidy provisions—but they are giv…
date: 2025-02-11T16:28:00+00:00

Manufacturing Industry | Adjournment | House debates
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description: I'm pleased to share with the Federation Chamber that innovation is alive and well across my electorate of Forde. Since its early days in 1884, when Australia's first rum distillery opened in...
encoded: I'm pleased to share with the Federation Chamber that innovation is alive and well across my electorate of Forde. Since its early days in 1884, when Australia's first rum distillery opened in Beenleigh, to the recent grand unveiling of the tech start-up eLumina, my electorate of Forde is renowned for its pioneering ideas and innovations. We now have another, who has not only been recognised by myself previously, but recognised at the 'Oscars of innovation'. At the end of last year, Loganholme based tech company, BlockTexx, won the Manufacturing Innovation Award at the InnovationAus 2024 Awards for Excellence. Their recycling solution of bringing a 'fibre-to-fibre' future to the fashion industry saw them recognised for their achievements. BlockTexx took out the award for its solution for transforming difficult-to-recycle textile waste into sustainable products. They also took out the Australian Hero Award at the InnovationAus Awards, which was the top award of the night. BlockTexx is aiming to address a huge problem of wastage in the fashion and textile industries with 113 million tonnes of fibre produced; much of this is very difficult to recycle. With the growth of fast fashion and wastage, this number is expected to steadily increase in the coming years. BlockTexx has developed a tech solution that is capable of significantly boosting the ability to recycle these types of polyester so it can be reused in other products. They collaborated with the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Queensland to conduct a pilot of this technology. The company designed, built and commissioned the first-ever commercial-scale chemical recycling facility, which has the ability to take in hard-to-recycle polyester and cotton blends. It deconstructs them and separates the cotton from the polyester. This factory now has expanded to be able to take in 10,000 tons of textile waste a year. It gathers textile and fashion waste from large companies, government agencies, …
date: 2025-02-06T12:02:00+00:00

Forde Electorate: Australia Day | Adjournment | House debates
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description: It's been more than a week since Australia Day passed, but this is a great opportunity to not only talk about how important Australia Day is to the electorate of Forde and to recognise what a...
encoded: It's been more than a week since Australia Day passed, but this is a great opportunity to not only talk about how important Australia Day is to the electorate of Forde and to recognise what a wonderful country we live in but, in that recognition, acknowledge that the reason we live in a wonderful country is because of the tremendous contribution that members of our local communities make at both a local and a state level. We should be very proud of that and the opportunity to share with the House some of those successes in the electorate of Forde today. One of the things that bring the community together like no other is an awards ceremony. Not only were some of Forde's best and brightest heralded at the Logan City Council's Australia Day awards but one individual from Shailer Park received one of the nation's foremost honours, the national 2025 Young Australian of the Year. Dr Katrina Wruck, a resident of Forde, has long advocated for First Nations knowledge and shared her passion for science with others. Dr Wruck's findings are giving back to remote communities, and, based on her research, Katrina set up a profit-for-purpose business which is set to alter the consumer goods sector by harnessing the power of green chemistry while inspiring others to step into STEM. Her method of converting mining by-products to zeolite LTA, which can remove contaminants from water that cause hardness, will be commercialised. Her postdoctoral research examines how to break down dangerous forever chemicals into benign ones. Altogether, Katrina's work is a possible footing for reducing global contamination. Her work has been recognised with several awards, and she is already well known in her field for her efforts. I commend her for all of her remarkable achievements to date. Closer to home, 180 constituents from 41 countries became new Australian citizens. Logan City Council held their annual event at the Beenleigh Events Centre, welcoming new citizens to Australia. To be an Australi…
date: 2025-02-04T19:40:00+00:00

Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
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description: I admire the member for Parramatta's attempt to defend the indefensible. Maybe, for the benefit of this discussion, it's worth the member for Parramatta looking at some other indices. If we look...
encoded: I admire the member for Parramatta's attempt to defend the indefensible. Maybe, for the benefit of this discussion, it's worth the member for Parramatta looking at some other indices. If we look at the Selected Living Cost Indexes for the last quarter—this is an ABS figure—we see that there was an annual rise in the employee living cost index of 4.7 per cent. Yet at the same time wage growth was at 3.5 per cent. So, on average, employees in this country over the past 12 months have gone backwards by 1.2 per cent. That's in addition to all of the other quarters and all of the other months where the cost of living has far exceeded any wage growth that has eventuated. Therefore, households in real terms have gone backwards. That is exactly the point the shadow Treasurer is making. Households in this country have gone backwards over the past 2½ years of this government. Those opposite seem to forget that they took from the Australian people the low and middle income earner tax offsets. They promised the Australian people that they would take $275 off their power bills, yet their power bills have gone up by well over 10 per cent. They have said, 'Well, we've given you back some tax relief.' That's fine, but your mortgage repayments have gone up in total by some $35,000 a year, so you're well underwater on your mortgage repayments. There is not a single piece of economic data other than the broad economic context which maybe provides some fig leaf of cover for the government. But the real everyday Australian people that the member for Braddon spoke about yesterday are feeling the pinch. They are not feeling better off under this government. Why is that? Because for three years we've seen this government make poor decisions and have wrong priorities. At the last election, the Labor government, led by the Prime Minister, promised that under them Australian households and businesses would have cheaper energy, cheaper mortgages and a better life. Instead, we have seen the Lab…
date: 2024-11-26T16:02:00+00:00

Small Business | Private Members' Business | House debates
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description: I move: That this House: (1) notes that small businesses are struggling under the: (a) burden of the Government's cost of living crisis; and (b) weight of the Government's additional...
encoded: I move: That this House: (1) notes that small businesses are struggling under the: (a) burden of the Government's cost of living crisis; and (b) weight of the Government's additional administrative red tape; (2) acknowledges that according to the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman: (a) conditions for small business: (i) have deteriorated by 3.5 per cent; and (ii) continue to be well below the long-term average; (b) the operating environment for business has been in decline for the past two years with rising concerns about regulations, increased costs and slowing demand; and (c) fewer people are considering starting a small business and businesses are less likely to invest in expansion; and (3) calls on the Government to address its failure to support small business, the backbone of Australia's economy. We all know that small business is the cornerstone of many of our communities. They are out there every day employing locals, seeking not just to create wealth for themselves as the owners of those businesses but also to create opportunity, employment and wealth for their employees and for the nation as a whole. But it's not just about the people they employ. It's also about what they give back to the community. Many of our small businesses are intimately involved in our local community groups, sporting organisations and other community activities. They're out there each and every day. You see them at presentation nights, when they're thanked for supporting a local charity in its work in, for example, supporting the homeless. Or you'll see their signs or their advertising on the jerseys of your local sporting clubs through the sponsorships they pay to help these clubs get through the season and cover their costs of operation. But, as we've seen often over the past nearly three years, small business and the importance of small business seems to be anathema to this government. What we already knew after three years was confirmed in Labor's recent …
date: 2024-11-25T16:45:00+00:00

Workforce Shortages | Private Members' Business | House debates
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description: I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) reform is required to retain workers in the building and construction industry; and (b) Master Builders Australia has reported that there is a...
encoded: I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) reform is required to retain workers in the building and construction industry; and (b) Master Builders Australia has reported that there is a critical workforce shortage, with a 14.7 per cent decrease in the number of construction industry apprentices completing their studies since 2022, and the total number of construction apprentices also decreasing by 22.4 per cent for the same period; and (2) acknowledges that the: (a) Government has delivered a business insolvency crisis, with over 23,938 business insolvencies since taking office, including over 6,399 construction business insolvencies; (b) Government's Fee Free TAFE program has delivered a 13 per cent completion rate to date and the Government has refused to reveal the dropout rate; (c) Government is failing Australian businesses and the construction sector; and (d) Opposition's Housing Infrastructure Program aims to deliver up to 500,000 additional homes and contribute to the growth in employment in the building and construction industry by direct employment to residential development infrastructure. As we stand here in this chamber today, once again we're debating an issue that the government has failed to address. We see, each and every day, Australia's need for more building and construction workers. We know that there are not enough workers joining the industry each year to keep up with demand, and this is putting significant pressure on the workforce at a time when Australia is experiencing a housing and construction crisis. In its September 2024 report The future of the workforce: the building and construction industry, Master Builders Australia reported that since 2022 there has been a 14.7 per cent decrease in the number of construction industry apprentices completing their studies, and the total number of construction apprentices has decreased by some 22½ per cent for the same period. We all know that, to be able to keep up with current and future demand,…
date: 2024-11-25T10:26:00+00:00

Forde Electorate: School Awards | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: All of us in this place, I'm sure, have the privilege at this time of year of attending a number of school graduations, and over the past couple of weeks I've had that privilege, attending some...
encoded: All of us in this place, I'm sure, have the privilege at this time of year of attending a number of school graduations, and over the past couple of weeks I've had that privilege, attending some of the graduation ceremonies and award ceremonies in my electorate, particularly for our high-school students. These ceremonies are momentous occasions where the students get to reflect, and they have a sense of anticipation for what comes next but also a sense of celebration for finishing 13 years of schooling. To all of the school leavers and graduates across the electorate of Forde, congratulations on reaching this incredible milestone in your educational journey. One of the great things we get to do at some of these awards nights is recognise terrific students right across the schools. I'd like to congratulate some of these students that had the privilege of winning the various awards I sponsor across a variety of my local schools: Orlando Chen from Beenleigh State High School, Oliver Neil from Calvary Christian College, Vinya Eda from Chisholm Catholic College, Madeline Delaney from Coomera Anglican College and Yvette Aspden from Loganlea State High School. Over at Marsden State High School—the largest school in Queensland, with more than 4,000 enrolled students—I presented two awards: one to a grade 9 student, Carine Makiriro, and one to a year 12 student, Caleb Breitkreutz. The Parklands Christian College award went to Gabriella Neil, and Park Ridge State High School's award went to Jacob Brindle. All of these students are a tremendous testament to their communities and the wonderful work they do. At Rivermount College, Alex Burd won the award. And there were awards to Joseph Webster at Shailer Park State High School, Jaryn Oliphant at St Stephen's College, Bodhi Sheppard at Windaroo Valley State High School and Ebony Nielson and Kieran Epiha at Upper Coomera State College. Also, we have the primary awards coming up over the next few weeks. I'll congratulate all of tho…
date: 2024-11-21T09:47:00+00:00

Free TAFE Bill 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: It was interesting to listen to the comments from the member for Cunningham and, earlier, the member for Gorton. I can say there is much in those comments I agree with, having seen firsthand the...
encoded: It was interesting to listen to the comments from the member for Cunningham and, earlier, the member for Gorton. I can say there is much in those comments I agree with, having seen firsthand the benefits of TAFE education and skills education for my brother, who is a ceramic tiler, and for many others across my electorate of Forde who are tradespeople of great excellence, skill and talent and do a tremendous job in our community each and every day. If we don't have tradespeople, we don't have buildings like this. So a trades and vocational education training regime is critically important to the future of this country. None of us on this side of the House have an issue with that; we recognise the importance of that. We did much in our term of government to encourage and build on that. We can go back to the Howard-Costello government and look at the industry skills training centres that the Howard-Costello government set up. One in particular, which is not quite in my patch but I know a number of students from my electorate of Forde certainly go to, is the Industry Trade College, formerly the Australian Industry Trade College, down at Robina. I know of students that travelled from the west of my electorate, from Park Ridge, to go down there not only to complete their education but also to start on their apprenticeships. I know a number of businesses that have taken the opportunity to engage with the Industry Trade College to train their workforce or find young, keen tradesmen and women who want to pursue a career in vocational education and the trades. The success rate of their graduates getting a job when they leave the college is extraordinary; it's somewhere in the order of 95 per cent. What I find interesting with this bill—and many of the points have been well made by my colleagues in their contributions to this debate—is that the first and most important part of this bill is a complete and utter fiction. Why do I say that? I say that because there is not a sing…
date: 2024-11-21T13:11:00+00:00

National Broadband Network Companies Amendment (Commitment to Public Ownership) Bill 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: As much as I like the member for Fenner and as much as I could agree with some of his comments, he went through a litany of privatisations in his contribution but he forgot to include the myriad...
encoded: As much as I like the member for Fenner and as much as I could agree with some of his comments, he went through a litany of privatisations in his contribution but he forgot to include the myriad of privatisations that have occurred under state Labor governments over the past 30 years, particularly in Queensland. The only state government in Queensland that has privatised any state assets is the state Labor government. People should never forget that it was state Labor in Queensland that privatised a myriad of assets, including toll roads, which Queenslanders are now paying for more than ever. So, when I listen to the member for Fenner and the other contributions from those opposite, I find their recent conversion to the notion that privatisations are bad quite interesting, because the piece of legislation that we're talking about is actually a Labor piece of legislation that was put in place when they created the NBN back in 2011. So I suggest that they maybe go and have a discussion with the former communications minister, Stephen Conroy, to find out why this was inserted into their own bill in the first place back in 2011. This is nothing more than a political stunt. It's what you do as a government when you are facing difficulties and headwinds in other areas and you don't want to deal with those issues or face up to your shortcomings as a government, because they are myriad and plenty. I know the member for Hume at the table could list an extraordinary list of their failures, and we would find that the government has an incredible talent for misdirection. We know the Australian people are facing a cost-of-living crisis, yet what do we see this government doing? Nothing—or, at best, fiddling at the edges, to be gracious to them. They are failing the Australian people abysmally, and then they come into this place and introduce a piece of legislation such as this, which is just a pure, pathetic, political stunt. It says everything you need to know about this govern…
date: 2024-11-19T17:25:00+00:00

Energy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: As much as I like the member for Spence, as per many of the other contributions from those opposite in this debate, there was little substance in his response to this debate. Let's have a look at...
encoded: As much as I like the member for Spence, as per many of the other contributions from those opposite in this debate, there was little substance in his response to this debate. Let's have a look at what we're actually talking about. We're talking about the Frontier Economics report and their assessment that Labor's energy plan will cost in the order of $652 billion and will be a disaster in the making. It would cost five times more than what the government has previously admitted to. That is an enormous cost to the Australian economy, but it got me thinking. I remember reading a piece of research done not so long ago on an economy in Europe that has decided to follow the path that those opposite in government wish to pursue, so I thought I'd dig that little piece of research out. This was a piece of research done by a professor of civil engineering from Norway's NTNU, and it was an assessment of the consequences of Germany's switch away from nuclear power, in this case, as their affordable and reliable source of base-load power, to their ambitious green renewable energy target, under their energy turnaround policies. It was interesting to read that the analysis by this professor suggests that somewhere in the order of $330 billion of costs to the German economy have resulted from this switch away from nuclear power to their so-called green energy revolution. That is an enormous cost. If those opposite—actually, I will correct the record. It's some 600 billion euros that it's cost them, and that doesn't cover all the costs. But that covers things like construction costs, expensive grid upgrades, subsidies et cetera, and what has the German economy got to show for it? Some of the highest energy prices in the world. This is the path that those opposite want to take us down. Here's a real-world example of your policies in full action, and I would estimate that the cost will be far greater than the $642 billion that Frontier Economics outlined in their report. We had this …
date: 2024-11-19T16:06:00+00:00

Forde Electorate: Eagleby Achiever Awards | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: In a wonderful, leafy eastern pocket of my electorate, you'll find the proud and storied suburb of Eagleby, with more than 14,000 residents living there. One of the mainstays of the Eagleby...
encoded: In a wonderful, leafy eastern pocket of my electorate, you'll find the proud and storied suburb of Eagleby, with more than 14,000 residents living there. One of the mainstays of the Eagleby community over the past four decades has been the Eagleby Community Association Inc. Last Saturday night it was my privilege to attend the association's annual Eagleby Achiever Awards. Ably led by President Arthur Joyce, the association received 42 nominations across nine categories. Let me tell you that the number of worthy nominees and recipients from that community is far greater than could be acknowledged in any one evening or in this speech. It was my great pleasure to personally present the Business of the Year award to Cafe in Eagle—an exceptionally worthy recipient and a wonderful little cafe in the Eagleby shopping centre. The first cab off the rank for the awards was the Arts Achiever of the Year award, which went to the Eagle Rock choir from Eagleby State School. Sports Achiever of the Year went to Amulek Ford. Senior of the Year was awarded to the wonderful Sue Bischoff. William Baldock was named Eagleby's Young Person of the Year, while Educator of the Year was Amy Hopewell, and Volunteer of the Year went to Katherine Fludder. Nightlight Outreach homeless service won the Community Organisation of the Year award, and the Spirit of Eagleby award went to Haydon Campbell Pearce. Thank you to all of our wonderful community.
date: 2024-11-19T13:30:00+00:00

Queensland State Election | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: As the dust begins to settle, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the new Premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli, and his team on their successful campaign. Whilst we, at a federal...
encoded: As the dust begins to settle, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the new Premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli, and his team on their successful campaign. Whilst we, at a federal level, would like to let our state colleagues do their thing, I'm looking forward to working collaboratively with the new team. I want to take this opportunity to recognise our state candidates and the wonderful job they did during their campaigns and celebrate with a couple but sadly commiserate with the others. Close to home, it came down to a few hundred—or a bit over a thousand—votes in Macalister and Springwood. Susanna Damianopoulos and my brother, Rob van Manen, did exceptional jobs with their campaigns, but, sadly, they didn't quite get there. Jacob Heremaia ran in the seat of Waterford, and Mathew Owens ran in the seat of Logan. They both ran wonderful campaigns in very difficult seats. Matt got a nine per cent swing to him, and there was nearly a 13 per cent swing in Logan for Jacob, so it was a great result. I congratulate Michael Crandon and Mark Boothman, in Coomera and Theodore, for winning overwhelmingly. I look forward to working with them again. I look forward to working with all state colleagues and congratulate again the new state government.
date: 2024-11-18T16:27:00+00:00