Andrew Broad's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
Valedictory | Parliamentary Representation | House debates
Mr Deputy Speaker, on indulgence: today I have the privilege of giving my last speech in the House of Representatives. Some very good members who lose their seat at election time never get this...
Mr Deputy Speaker, on indulgence: today I have the privilege of giving my last speech in the House of Representatives. Some very good members who lose their seat at election time never get this chance. Thus is the nature of politics. I wish to speak a little about our nation, about the electorate I have represented and then about some personal matters. I have given 10 years of my life to the service of regional Australia, first as the vice president and then the president of the Victorian Farmers Federation and then as the federal member for Mallee. When I started, I couldn't even tie a tie. I remember offering what inadequate support I could to communities in the aftermath of the Black Saturday bushfires as they grappled with the loss of livelihoods and loved ones. I assisted and fought for communities destroyed later by floods and have always defended hardworking rural Australians, who contribute so much to our culture, environment and economy and who often don't get adequate services in return. I have always said that parliament is made up of less-than-perfect people governing less-than-perfect people. I mentioned Theodore Roosevelt in my first speech in this chamber, arguably one of the greatest presidents of the United States of America. Later in life, when reflecting upon his time as president, Roosevelt was reported to have said that he got it right about 50 per cent of the time. I don't know if I got it right 50 per cent of the time, but I've always tried to listen to both sides of any debate and make a considered judgement at that time. I am proud of the fact that, during my six years in office, I have never been thrown out of this chamber. Some members appear to think that being thrown out is something to be proud of—there's still time! I would remind them that the children of Australia are watching and they expect and deserve better. This is a place for passion, however. The battle for ideas and the future direction of our country should be a place for rigorous debate—debate and then compromise, because we must govern for a result for everyone. I take personal satisfaction in the fact that I have friends on all sides of the political spectrum. When I was chair of the House of Representatives environment and energy committee, I oversaw a report into how to future-build Australia's electricity grid and reached a consensus report with the member for Melbourne, the member for Hughes and the member for Shortland—Liberal, National, Labor and Greens agreeing on energy policy. I believe there are some areas of national policy that still need to be addressed. I remain concerned about the level of fuel reserve Australia holds for Defence. I have always felt uneasy about a ticketing-system approach to guarantee fuel supply if we encounter another major conflict. The defence of the Australian people is the most important role of the Australian parliament, and a military without enough fuel ceases to be effective. I have always held to the belief that the resources of the Commonwealth are the wealth of the common people. The east coast of Australia should have a 15 per cent natural gas reservation policy, such as is implemented currently in Western Australia. Access to natural gas at a lower cost would fundamentally lower electricity prices and, due to the instant nature of gas generators, would allow for more renewable energy to reliably come onto our electricity grid. The two essential elements for Australian people to prosper are the ability to get a job and to achieve homeownership. I am proud of our government for its strong focus on getting the economic settings right for job creation. In my electorate, the opportunities and jobs that have come through international trade agreements have produced a confidence that is very visible. We must reward those who take a risk and who get out of bed early and work harder than those who don't. A country is only wealthy when its citizens, through their private endeavours, become wealthy. I do, however, remain concerned about the credit squeeze and the reluctance of banks to back families to buy a modest first home. There are many in my community whose rental payments exceed what their mortgage repayments would be if they were able to access finance. I believe that, if a family or an individual has a perfect three-year rental history, then this should reduce the initial deposit required to access finance. Getting Australians into homeownership sooner is the best way to ensure financial stability for our country. I have always been a strong and forceful advocate for Australia's aid budget. I am disappointed that it was reduced from $5 billion annually to $3.8 billion before being increased to $4 billion. To many Australians this seems like a lot of money, but, put in context that the federal government's expenditure on all projects is $470 billion or thereabouts annually, our aid budget is less than one per cent of total expenditure. When I talk about our aid being used as medicine for children, microfinance for women and girls in developing countries, agricultural information exchange so people can grow their own food, law and order assistance so there is increased security, and food parcels so people don't starve and they stay in their own countries instead of joining the millions on the move seeking refuge, people tend to grasp why I have a passion for this area. I have refused to allow Australian aid to be Left or Right in politics. This is about who we are as a nation—a generous, compassionate people who believe that a fair go extends to all citizens of the world, not just Australians. Whatever we spend in this area must be done wisely, but we must celebrate and be proud of Australia's contribution to the poorer people of the world. Whilst I come to Canberra, I prefer the sweeping wheat fields of the Wimmera-Mallee and the people who live there. I will miss being an advocate of the good people who live in these communities. In many ways, a member of parliament is their last line of defence when the system has failed them. My office staff and I often assisted with Centrelink, immigration and other personal problems. The best part of the job is being out in the electorate encouraging, assisting and gaining their ideas and bringing them back here. Australia-wide intervention orders for victims of family violence, Safe Haven Enterprise visas for refugees to live and work in the country and free continuous glucose monitors for children with type 1 diabetes are all policy ideas that came from the Wimmera-Mallee and are now national initiatives. We have addressed many of the mobile phone blackspots across the electorate so people can run first-world businesses as well as feel connected and safe. We have three new headspace youth mental health facilities to support children; a cancer centre in Horsham; an irradiation bunker for cancer sufferers to be built in Mildura; better programs around attracting and training doctors for our regions; more money for roads, rail and bridges; a weather radar; new sports and community infrastructure under planning; and construction right across the Wimmera-Mallee. We're now into our second billion dollars of federal funding into our communities in the time that I've been their federal member. We now have modernised water infrastructure and a sense of prosperity and optimism that our communities haven't seen in a long time, and substantially more money going into the education of our children. I took the view that I would work constructively with community groups, mayors and council CEOs in all 12 local government areas across the Wimmera-Mallee. I always had their list of priorities and projects. My office would use this as the basis to advocate for funding to ministers, and often we were successful. I thank those ministers for putting up with my painful advocacy and persistence. I have always maintained that, when each level of government—local, state and federal—works professionally together, we get the best outcome. I want to personally thank them for their cooperation and friendship. I would often smile to myself when some energetic character on social media, often hiding under the cowardly banner of anonymity, would write, 'Broad doesn't do anything.' I would think to myself, 'Imagine if it was just me,' for I often had between seven and 10 staff working with me, and they all worked incredibly hard. I think I can speak on behalf of all members of this chamber when I say that the dedication of all our staff is truly amazing. Yours is a service to the people of Australia. I have been so privileged to have such quality people in my team, often arguing furiously against my views on some issues—sometimes even changing my mind—but always loyal to serving the people who live in the Wimmera and the Mallee. Thank you so much. I want to pay particular attention to my chief of staff, who's in the gallery, Tracey Mooney. You are admired by all for your courage, loved by all for your decency and respected by all for your professionalism. Your dedication to me and Rachel is undeserved but greatly appreciated. Thank you, Tracey. To the clerks and attendants of the parliament, to security and the Commonwealth car drivers: thank you for your service. There is a dignity maintained in this place by your presence and your conduct. Now to my beautiful Isabelle. Upon telling my daughter that I would no longer be the federal member for Mallee, her first and instant reaction was, 'Yes! You'll be home.' Isabelle, I missed the first six years of your life through foster system and the last four through politics; I'm not going to miss any more. It was said to me recently that, at the end of everyone's professional life, we each get to go to our place of work, pack up our things, put them in a box—I've done that; it all fitted in one box, actually!—and then to walk into our house and either find children who are estranged from us and a house that is empty, or a house with a welcoming family and a partner who still loves us, and this is when we can measure success. My story is a story of redemption and grace. I look forward to living out many chapters ahead with my wonderful wife, who's in the gallery—long-suffering and very forgiving—and our daughter. It has been an amazing privilege to serve the people of the Wimmera-Mallee and the Australian people.
Fogel, Mr Jack, Intolerance | Statements by Members | House debates
Last Sunday, whilst seeking inspiration for my final week in the parliament, I visited the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne. There an elderly gentleman, short in stature and hard of hearing,...
Last Sunday, whilst seeking inspiration for my final week in the parliament, I visited the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne. There an elderly gentleman, short in stature and hard of hearing, offered to show me and others around. His name was Jack Fogel. While showing us around, Jack showed us the number on his arm: 140934, the number that was tattooed on his arm at 15 years of age in Auschwitz as a Jewish prisoner of Nazi Germany. Jack instantly had my attention. Jack was 94 years old. Jack's story was: two years in Auschwitz, surviving two death marches, moving across numerous concentration camps in Germany, being loaded into one of four ships as prisoners, only to have three of those ships shot down and sunk by Allied bombing—and surviving. Jack lost his mum, his dad and all his brothers and sisters in the Second World War. In 1949, speaking no English, Jack came to Australia. He said to me, 'I haven't made a lot of decisions, but the decision to come to Australia was the greatest decision I ever made.' Jack reminds us that we must never forget what humans can do to each other. Jack volunteers his time, speaks to young Australians and is a voice for remembering the past and also to say that we should not judge others by their race or their religion. Jack, you were born in Poland, but you are a great Australian. Thank you for the two hours of your time. It was a privilege to be beside you.
Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment (Land Scheduling) Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
Can I just thank the member for Solomon for painting the picture of this particular piece of land like a local member who has that knowledge. I myself, being a farmer, have—though not to...
Can I just thank the member for Solomon for painting the picture of this particular piece of land like a local member who has that knowledge. I myself, being a farmer, have—though not to the historic extent of our Indigenous brothers—that understanding of what land can mean and that sense of place. I just wanted to speak briefly on this bill and reflect a little bit from my family's experience. In the early 1970s, my parents were involved in Indigenous missionary work, actually, in Western Australia. It was on the reserves, when people were dying and when the standards of living were horrendously worse than now. My father took the secretariat notes for the federal minister for Indigenous affairs, who came to Carnarvon and Onslow. As they took the notes, they were trying to work out whether the federal government at the time would buy a fishing boat for the Yamatji people of the Gascoyne and Murchison region so that they could have purposeful employment. The government—thinking it knew what was best, coming from Canberra—went there, and the Aboriginal elders sort of listened and nodded. And, when they'd finished, dad—who was just a bit of a quietly-spoken farmer before he got involved in this work—turned to the elders and said, 'Who's going to hop on the boat?' because the Yamatji people are land people, and they said, 'Well, we think the water is salty.' So it was a classic example of a government thinking that it knew what was best and coming in with an idea that actually never was a success because they couldn't get the people to hop on the boat—they were not sea people. So what we have discovered is: when you work with communities you actually get the best outcomes, and when you can actually give a sense of ownership you get the best outcomes. So, as we have progressively moved across to granting rights and allowing people to use that land in a productive way, to gain meaningful, purposeful activity, you actually get a lot more positive outcomes. This is something that I think we have learnt, from where we were many, many years ago. In my region, which has a strong Indigenous community around Mildura, we have a group called Sunraysia Regional Consulting. They have said, 'We have a choice for our town: we can actually include our Aboriginal people in our economy in purposeful activity, or we can exclude them.' Instead, they've gone very much for purposeful inclusion. I talked to a guy called Alan Fisher, who owned a chain of IGA supermarkets in our region. He would take young Aboriginal kids and give them meaningful employment. What he found was that, when they had the pressure of a death in their family and sorry business, there would be pressure in their home life and from their family to have to attend, and then they would feel too ashamed to come back and work for him because they'd feel that they'd let him down. Once he understood the cultural sensitivities, he was able to address that, so that he could get these people back and get them working. So sometimes misunderstandings can be overcome by businesses that want to play a very active role, and that has been wonderful in our community. Sunraysia Regional Consulting is a group that works very closely with partnering Aboriginal people—in particular, young people—in the Mildura region to get jobs. The federal government gave them $1.7 million to support them in this program. We now have 180 jobs as a direct result of that money and those people have continued to have gainful employment. We are going to announce another $1 million to do another 100 jobs. It actually works. When you can create an understanding of one another, when you can create employment settings and when you can incentivise people to gain meaningful employment, you actually lift the standard of living. My parents are coming up to their 50th wedding anniversary. The first thing they did as a married couple was head off and do Aboriginal mission work in the early seventies in Western Australia—Norseman, Onslow, Carnarvon, Wittenoom and all over the place. When they travel back to those communities now, they take some comfort in the fact that things have improved. There is still a lot to do, but things have improved—because we have started to listen and work constructively to help people get involved in the economic activity of this country and we have an understanding of what land rights are and what that means to them. This is a small piece of legislation but it is supported by both sides of the chamber. It shows the maturity of the government in dealing with the challenges. The challenges are still there, but we are making process and I think that is a good thing.
Mallee Electorate | Adjournment | House debates
On this quiet Wednesday evening I want to take the opportunity to reflect. I'm only on borrowed time now, Mr Speaker, before I finish with my term as the member for Mallee. No-one chooses to go...
On this quiet Wednesday evening I want to take the opportunity to reflect. I'm only on borrowed time now, Mr Speaker, before I finish with my term as the member for Mallee. No-one chooses to go out in disgrace, and, as I look back over the time, I note that there are some great things that we have achieved for some really decent people across the Wimmera and Mallee, and I want to reflect on those. When I came into Mildura as a federal member of parliament, it was a town that needed significant investment. We put some surety back into the irrigation scheme with the Sunraysia Modernisation Project phases 1 and 2—$106 million. We invested $10 million to upgrade the airport so that people could come into the town. We also upgraded the railway line with $240 million, and we put in 11 NBN towers around Mildura. We also did something for the homeless and the people who support those going through difficult times, with $2.4 million for MASP, the Mallee Accommodation and Support Program. There was $20 million to upgrade the Calder Highway with some overtaking lanes. I am very pleased to see a contribution of federal money to see Mildura getting a radiation treatment bunker. We also stood by the people of Horsham with cancer issues. We secured $1 million, the community raised $1 million and then the state government subsequently chipped in some money to deliver cancer services in Horsham. There was $900,000 for the Horsham North Children's Hub. There are mobile phone towers all across the area. You can now make a mobile call area nearly anywhere in the electorate of Mallee. We fought pretty hard for the Wartook Valley after it was burnt out and Sheep Hills. There was $10 million for the Grampian Peak Trail; $800,000 to do up Stawell's streetscape; $800,000 for Charlton Park and their sports facility, which is now under construction; and $450,000 for Donald and their sports facility. The Silo Arts Trail got $200,000 from the federal government. I remember having a discussion when the minister said, 'What; you want to paint silos? How is that going to be regional development?' It's been a real success. We stood by the Korean refugees in Nhill and got some money to get the Paw Po store open. There was some money to upgrade facilities at Lake Charlegrark and lakes around Wooroonook and others lakes. There was $670,000 to build a recreational lake at Ouyen. There was funding for Edenhope for their town hall and for Harrow for their sports facility. There was also $16.8 million to upgrade the riverfront in Swan Hill, which is going to take place, and about $800,000 for their saleyards. We've stood by Robinvale and got some money for those communities and the sister city of Villers-Bretonneux, to make them very proud of the heritage. I'm particularly proud that we worked with children with type 1 diabetes. The advocacy was started in the Mallee, and now every child in Australia with type 1 diabetes gets a continuous glucose monitor subsidised by the federal government. Australia-wide intervention orders came out of our office, so that you can be on either side of the Murray River and be protected from someone who's a perpetrator of family violence. Safe Haven Enterprise visas—a compassionate approach to deal with people who've lived and worked in regional areas and give them a pathway to eventually settle in Australia—was something that also came out of our office. Unfortunately, I won't be here to see some of the further projects that need to be done, but I want to put them on the record because they are good projects. We should fund $12 million for the Mitiamo Water Pipeline Project. It beggars belief that it hasn’t been funded already. We should put 30 full-time jobs from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority actually where the Murray and the Darling are located, which would be Wentworth and Mildura. There is $8.9 million required to upgrade the Wimmera Intermodal Freight Terminal. It's time that there is a $50 million commitment towards a new hospital in Swan Hill—it's the oldest hospital in Victoria and it's falling down—and $20 million commitment towards building a bridge in Swan Hill. A commitment of $10 million is required to build the AFL outdoor ovals. I'm pleased that AFL Australia want to run a pre-season game there and outline our opposition to family violence—that champion footballers don't hit women—and role model that for our kids. There's $5 million required for Mildura riverfront upgrade stage 2, and $5 million for the Wimmera riverfront. A lot's been done, but there's more to be done, and the people deserve it. House adjourned at 20:00
Bombing of Darwin: 77th Anniversary, National Security | Statements by Members | House debates
On 7 December 1941, with the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Japan entered the Second World War. On 15 February 1942, Singapore fell, with the capture of 80,000 troops. And on 19 February 1942, 77...
On 7 December 1941, with the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Japan entered the Second World War. On 15 February 1942, Singapore fell, with the capture of 80,000 troops. And on 19 February 1942, 77 years ago today, Darwin was bombed, with the loss of about 325 people and the wounding of 400. In 1942, in the House of Representatives in the Old Parliament House, they actually closed the Hansard and the parliament prayed for wisdom. Such was the peril that Australia was under. They discussed drawing a line between Brisbane and Adelaide as the fallback position from which Australia would be defended. It was 10 weeks from when Japan entered the war in 1941 until when Australia was under attack. We must have a strong standing defence system, and we must not fall in the trap of also being underprepared. It concerns me that we still have not addressed our fuel reserves. There is no point in having a standing military if we run out of fuel. We have relied on imported fuel. The loss of refining does leave us exposed. Let us learn the history from 77 years ago and be well prepared so that we can defend our nation if ever we have to again. This is a history we must learn from.
Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Kenya and Ethiopia, 3 to 9 June 2018 | Delegation Reports | House debates
I present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Kenya and Ethiopia, 3 to 9 June 2018. I ask leave of the House to make a short statement in connection with the report. Leave...
I present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Kenya and Ethiopia, 3 to 9 June 2018. I ask leave of the House to make a short statement in connection with the report. Leave granted. I was very pleased to present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Kenya and Ethiopia, 3 to 9 June 2018. My fellow delegates and I welcomed the opportunity to visit Kenya and Ethiopia. As one of the few delegation visits to Africa in recent years, it provided an opportunity to reflect on the existing relationship with each country and to discuss opportunities to strengthen these relationships into the future. The delegation sought to explore issues of common interest in relation to humanitarian aid, mining, agricultural production, governance, education, trade and investment. A significant part of the delegation visit was to Kakuma refugee camp in north-west Kenya. Located in northern Kenya, it's one of the country's most impoverished and marginalised areas. At the time of the delegation's visit, Kakuma was home to 186,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers, who had arrived from a range of countries. More than 100,000 of those people were from South Sudan. Kakuma was divided into two camps. The delegation had the opportunity to visit both camps. I wish to extend the delegation's appreciation to representatives of the UNHCR and World Food Programme for their hospitality and facilitation of our visit. I point out that most of those in those camps would return to their country of origin after about seven years in the camps, and we saw evidence of Australia's involvement in the World Food Programme, which was bringing people back from the brink of starvation to being healthy and then able to ultimately return to their country. It made me proud as an Australian to think that we contribute to these programs. We should sing from the hilltops more about the good work that we do with Australian taxpayers' money in things like the World Food Programme, and we should, frankly, commit a bit more funds to that. In addition to humanitarian issues, the delegate was focused in Kenya on areas of common interests, including agricultural production. Kenya exports huge amounts of cut flowers into Australia. Our visit went to a farm that was being leased by an Australian Nuffield scholar, Stuart Barden, and his wife, Annie. They offered the opportunity to discuss innovative agriculture techniques that are common practice in Australian agriculture that are now able to be rolled out in Kenya and are increasing their food reliability as a result. Discussions with parliamentary counterparts, including the speaker of the National Assembly, the majority leader, the vice chairperson and many of the Defence and Foreign Relations Committee, ranged across many topics, including governance and efforts to address corruption. We also had the opportunity to meet with a diverse group of Australians working in Kenya and to gain the perspectives of Kenya's Australia Awards alumni. There is a lot of value in giving people from Kenya and other parts of the world the opportunity to do short courses in Australia. It builds those people-to-people relationships, and it also builds capacity in those countries. In Ethiopia, the delegation undertook a range of meetings with state ministers, the foreign affairs committee and the Ethiopian Investment Commission. Some of the themes arising from these meetings were agriculture, resources, mining and security, as well as investment and other opportunities. I encourage Ethiopian Airlines, which run a very modern fleet, to look at direct air links between Ethiopia and Perth, which would, of course, give the opportunity for more chilled meat cuts to go there and to allow more domestic abattoir works in Australia to take those products there, as well as open up the opportunity for adventure tourism into Africa and into Ethiopia. The delegation was particularly privileged to visit Dr Catherine Hamlin, an Australian. Perhaps you could describe her as the Mother Teresa of Ethiopia, and she comes from Australia. Together with her late husband, Reginald, she established the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa in 1974. A range of important issues affecting Ethiopian women were also canvassed during a productive lunch meeting with a group of prominent Ethiopian women. It was inspiring, I have to say. If I could say this on behalf of every member of the delegation, it was terribly inspiring to see the work that Catherine Hamlin has done and to be so proud that this is an Australian changing lives in other parts of the world. The final aspect of our program was the Lalibela World Heritage site, a 13th century complex of 11 medieval cave churches that remain a place of pilgrimage and devotion today. On behalf of the delegation, I wish to extend the delegates' appreciation and thanks to all of those who contributed to the visit's program. The delegation greatly appreciated the efforts that went into producing such a productive visit and the hospitality that was extended to the delegation in each country. I thank Australia's diplomatic staff in each country, including High Commissioner Alison Chartres in Kenya and Ambassador Mark Sawers in Ethiopia. I just want to thank the UNHCR and the World Food Program. Finally, I thank my fellow delegates, the members for Cowper, Gellibrand and Moreton. When we were held up because of weather and we had to wait for the river to go rushing past, myself and the member for Moreton wandered across to some tribespeople. He handed them his business card, which they looked at with some amusement because they didn't have a mobile phone and they had been herding their goats and their sheep up and down these lands for thousands and thousands of years. We attempted to make communication. When we left, they handed him back the business card. The member for Moreton concluded that they must be National voters! It is clear that Australia, Kenya and Ethiopia share many common values and interests and that opportunities exist to build and strengthen our relationship with these countries. I commend the report to the House.
Murray-Darling Basin | Constituency Statements | House debates
This is a constituency statement, so I want to reflect on some of the concerns that have been raised in my community about the fish kill in the lower Darling recently. Over the summer, we have...
This is a constituency statement, so I want to reflect on some of the concerns that have been raised in my community about the fish kill in the lower Darling recently. Over the summer, we have seen over a million fish killed in the lower Darling. There seem to be a lot of people who are angry about it, and rightly so, but there is a lot of lack of knowledge around the two different systems, the Murray and the Darling. One of the easiest ways to describe them is that the Darling River is more like a tin roof—when you get a large rainfall event, you get a large downfall of water that comes down the Darling River. In contrast, the Murray River is more like a tank—you've got snow melt, you've got more winter based rainfall and you can hold that in Hume and in Dartmouth. Just to get an understanding of how the two different river systems work is very pertinent if you're going to understand what the issues are on the lower Darling. The Darling, of course, runs down to the Menindee Lakes. The Menindee Lakes are a high-evaporation storage, but they are the last storage on the Darling River. Under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, increasingly there have been efforts to find ways to offset water losses in order to achieve a certain amount of water that makes its way down into the Lower Lakes, Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert, and the Coorong. One of the offsets has been to say that we should drain the Menindee Lakes more quickly, to eliminate that evaporation, in order to have that water for the Lower Lakes. But unfortunately we are now seeing that there are greater consequences, because we are seeing drier times down the lower Darling. There has also been an effort to try and run water out of the lower Darling and down the lower Darling Anabranch. The question we've got to start to ask ourselves, if we're going to look after the fish stocks in the Menindee Lakes and the lower Darling, is: should we be trying to keep the anabranch as well as the Darling healthy? I think we can really only do one. And we really probably need to look at some engineering works in the Menindee Lakes that can hold more water in there. Whilst it is a high-evaporation storage, it is still the last storage on the Darling River and it still is important that we look after the fish stocks by holding some more water there. In the last few seconds I have, can I just offer some commentary. We've got to be very careful not to fall into the trap of bagging out cotton and rice in Australia and just say that permanent plantings are irrelevant, because we have a wetting and drying cycle. When it is very wet, we can of course grow annual crops, but, when it is dry, those annual crops don't get planted, and we prioritise things like almonds, vines for wine and table grapes, oranges, stone fruit and olives. My community needs to be very smart not to bag out one area out of the other. We can run this properly but I believe we need to hold more water back in Menindee and focus on the lower Darling, not the lower Darling Anabranch. (Time expired)
Mitiamo Pipeline | Statements by Members | House debates
The Mitiamo pipeline had a business case commissioned by the federal government and had a commitment by the state Labor government of $10 million, yet we have failed to deliver it. We need to...
The Mitiamo pipeline had a business case commissioned by the federal government and had a commitment by the state Labor government of $10 million, yet we have failed to deliver it. We need to give some money towards this project. Having been a farmer myself, I know that there is nothing more soul-destroying in a drought than having to cart water and feed. If we can build a pipeline that delivers water to a property permanently then we should get on with it. I ask the Deputy Prime Minister to hurry up and deliver this project. The state Labor government has delivered $10 million. We want $10-12 million from the federal government. It is not very much money. This will connect 87 rural houses and 180 customers. It's 375 kilometres of pipeline. There is nothing better than building infrastructure, particularly to say to drought-affected communities: we believe in you and believe that you have a future. There is an added advantage, because, when you build pipeline infrastructure, the farmers then put tanks and troughs on their own properties, which stimulates the country towns and the little businesses that sell those things. We have procrastinated about this long enough. This is a drought-affected community. It should be built. I call on the Deputy Prime Minister to deliver this and get on with it.
Live Animal Exports; Consideration of Senate Message | Resolutions of the Senate | House debates
It gives me good pleasure to talk about the Australian red meat industry, because I am a red meat producer. I have a farm of my own, which I bought at 22, and I've been involved in livestock for...
It gives me good pleasure to talk about the Australian red meat industry, because I am a red meat producer. I have a farm of my own, which I bought at 22, and I've been involved in livestock for a very long time. I actually got the deposit for my farm by working in shearing sheds. So it does surprise me that people are willing to make decisions in this place without taking the time to go out and learn and to actually gain a greater understanding. I would argue that better decisions are made in this place when people take the time to do their research before forming an opinion based on a Four Corners program or an email campaign. I extend an opportunity to any member in this place to come to my farm, have a look at the animal welfare standards that the red meat industry has taken part in, and gain an understanding. Come and see that sometimes when you've got livestock, particularly when tough seasonal conditions are around, you also have dead stock, and that, when you transport sheep in trucks, sometimes they do get down and sometimes you do have fatalities. I might point out, when they talk about long-haul sheep exports, that I once purchased sheep from Tasmania, and the losses on that journey, travelling across from Tasmania to Victoria, were four per cent. There would be no-one in this House—particularly on the Labor side, considering they hold all but one of the lower house seats in Tasmania—who would argue that we should shut down our national highway there, across water, to live sheep. If you care about animals then you care about all animals—whether that animal is born in Australia, whether that animal is born in South Africa, whether that animal is born in Argentina or whether that animal is born in New Zealand. If you care about animals, it stands to reason that you should want to lift the animal welfare standards of all animals. I have been very fortunate to have travelled and looked at the live export industry from start to finish, and I can tell you that Australia's involvement in the live export industry actually lifts the standard of animal welfare globally. It doesn't just lift welfare standards for Australian animals; it lifts them globally. The reason for that is that Australia produces very good quality livestock, and that means purchasers want our stock and are prepared to jump whatever hurdles we put in front of them in order to get our stock. When I was in Indonesia I was looking at a live cattle receival site and was looking at what they were doing around Indonesian cattle. They said the Indonesians had adopted the Australian principles for their own cattle because it was lifting their animal welfare standards. I say that those who are passionate about shutting down the industry should be careful what they wish for. If you take Australia out of the live export industry, you will play a key role in diminishing around the world the welfare outcomes of animals used for human consumption. We want to be very careful. You could feel good about yourself and say: 'Yes, we've shut down the Australian industry. Yes, we've put Australians out of work. Yes, we've made truckies go broke. Yes, we've made farmers make less money. We feel good at night because we've shut it down.' But what you've actually done is deliver worse welfare outcomes for animals around the world. You feel good, but you've had a counterproductive outcome. The live sheep export industry is predominantly out of Western Australia. I was over there a number of weeks ago. Whilst I was there I physically went on and inspected a live sheep boat that was going to get loaded. I saw it with my own eyes. I didn't look at it through the eyes of a lobbyist. I didn't look at it through the eyes of someone who didn't know what they were looking at. I looked at it through the eyes of someone who has had 20 years experience in the livestock industry and someone who has eight generations of farmers on both sides of his family. I knew what I was looking at and I could see whether the animal welfare standards were good or bad. I have to say that I was impressed with what I saw. If you create uncertainty in any industry, you stifle investment in that industry and as a result you fail to see better outcomes for that industry. What the Labor opposition have been trying to do creates uncertainty in the live export industry, and that has the perverse outcome of stifling investment. A number of years ago when I was at a feedlot in Indonesia that had 10,000 cattle that had been exported from Australia, the lady in charge of the feedlot said: 'Can you guarantee that, if a Labor government is elected, the live cattle industry won't be shut down? If you can guarantee that, we will spend millions of dollars on new facilities and make sure that they are at an even higher standard than those we have got now.' I couldn't give her that guarantee. I could not give her a guarantee that a future Labor government would not shut down the Australian industry, that a future Labor government would not shut down Australian jobs and that a future Labor government would not shut down the live cattle export industry, particularly to Indonesia. Because of that lack of certainty we are seeing the perverse outcome of there being less incentive to invest. If you want to get the best outcome for live sheep that are exported, you do so by creating certainty so that new boats are built to higher standards than they currently are. That's a very pertinent point. You can put dehumidification on sheep export ships. You can have better airflow. You can have better access to water. You can have better access to feed. If you are carting a valuable product—and sheep are very expensive—you will make it very clear that you will invest in that product. Our government has form of standing by industry to open up industry and opportunity. This is for Australian jobs, and that's what we're all about. That's what we're going to stand by. That's why we believe there continues to be a long future for the live animal export industry in Australia.
Pensions and Benefits | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
It is important to talk about age pensions and it is important to talk about our senior Australians. It was said to me once that when you get to about 50 years of age you start to think about...
It is important to talk about age pensions and it is important to talk about our senior Australians. It was said to me once that when you get to about 50 years of age you start to think about what your financial plan is. There are many Australians who are concerned about their financial plan as they prepare for their senior years, and also for age pensioners who are receiving benefits from the Commonwealth. The government doesn't have any money; it has your money. It administers the money of Australians. We will be handing down a balanced budget next year at the next budget in April. What that simply means is that the money that we collect equals the money we spend. That is called responsible government. If you spend more money than you collect, you accumulate debt. As a result of that debt, what you are doing, effectively, is borrowing from our children and our grandchildren. Instead, if we're proud Australians, we should be investing in our children and grandchildren and not leaving them with a legacy of debt because we haven't lived within our own means. People on age pensions in Australia are fortunate that we have sound, responsible government that enables them to receive an age pension. Not only do our senior Australians receive an age pension; they also receive the benefits of our health budget. To remind Australian people who might be listening just how fortunate we are, living in a country with a population of 25 million and with the 15th biggest economy in the world, if you added up the total gross domestic product of the 40 poorest countries in the world and you put all that money into one bucket, that would be the same amount of money as Australia spends on our health budget for 25 million people. Just think about that for a moment. We invest in the health of Australians substantially. We also invest in the welfare of Australians substantially. Australians spend $115 billion a year on health—$70 billion from the federal government and $45 billion from the states—largely for our senior Australians. On welfare, Australians spend $174 billion—a third of our total expenditure as a country. That is for five million Australians. If the criticism here today is that somehow we're a little slower than we should be at paying out that welfare, because we want to make sure that when someone applies that we do our due diligence and we administer it properly, then that is a criticism I'm prepared to take. Because I want to know—if we're going to run a balanced budget and not borrow from our children and our future children—that the people who are applying for benefits are bringing the right documentation to us and are legitimate in their claims. We say to Australians, 'If you are going to receive an age pension, you know when that date is coming.' It's not like an unemployment benefit. If you're unemployed, you might be working one day, you turn up to work, and the next day you're out of work. In that instance, you do need payment instantly. But if you know that you're coming towards the time that you'll be eligible for your pension, you have time to plan to get your paperwork in, and it is appropriate that there is integrity in our welfare system. We are very fortunate to have such an essential welfare system. If you talk to people in my electorate, our retirees and our pensioners, they want the capacity to be able to earn a little bit of money as well as receive their pensions. We have just made changes that allow them to go from earning $250 a fortnight to $300 a fortnight. And another benefit in this is that they can earn that in a lump sum. Because of the seasonal nature of my electorate—which has almonds, olives, table grapes—we are now seeing more and more of our senior Australians coming in, working, and earning up to $6,500 in a lump sum. This does not affect their pension eligibility, and they then go off and spend that as they travel around regional Australia. Our government is delivering for pensioners. Our government is delivering a solid budget, a stable budget, so pensioners can have confidence that their pension is going to be paid. They can have confidence that they're not living at the expense of their children and grandchildren. That is what good government is about it. That is why we're a great country. It is not just an accident; it's because we manage the economy well. Our senior Australians know that. They trust us, and that's why they're going to vote for us at the next election.
Higher Education Support Amendment (VET FEE-HELP Student Protection) Bill 2018; Third Reading | Bills | House debates
by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
Higher Education Support Amendment (VET FEE-HELP Student Protection) Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I thank those members who spoke on the Higher Education Support Amendment (VET FEE-HELP Student Protection) Bill 2018 and those who came to hear my riveting wrap-up speech! The bill amends the...
I thank those members who spoke on the Higher Education Support Amendment (VET FEE-HELP Student Protection) Bill 2018 and those who came to hear my riveting wrap-up speech! The bill amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to establish a remedy for students who incurred a VET FEE-HELP debt due to the inappropriate conduct of their VET provider or their VET provider's agent. The bill also amends the Ombudsman Act 1976 to allow the VET Student Loans Ombudsman to make recommendations to the secretary of the Department of Education and Training regarding remitting the VET FEE-HELP debts of individual students. This bill demonstrates a concerted attempt by the government to remove VET FEE-HELP debt incurred by many students through the inappropriate behaviour and rorting of the VET FEE-HELP scheme by some VET providers. The bill allows the secretary to remit the student's debt upon application by the student and at their own initiative. The secretary's power to recredit a student's VET FEE-HELP debt includes debt incurred at any point over the VET FEE-HELP scheme. In deciding whether to recredit a student's FEE-HELP balance, the secretary must be satisfied that the person did not complete the requirements for the relevant VET unit of study and that it is reasonably likely the VET provider or its agent engaged in inappropriate conduct towards the student, in relation to the unit or course of which the unit formed a part. In response to a request from the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills, I now present an addendum to the explanatory memorandum. It provides further information about why it is appropriate for delegated legislation rather than primary legislation to provide for what constitutes inappropriate conduct by providers.
I get your brochures in the mail.
Mallee Electorate: Regional Growth Fund | Constituency Statements | House debates
I've got my parents as constituents—that's a concern! We will upgrade the caravan parks in Boort, in Wedderburn and in Pyramid Hill. These country towns are full of country people who work...
I've got my parents as constituents—that's a concern! We will upgrade the caravan parks in Boort, in Wedderburn and in Pyramid Hill. These country towns are full of country people who work very, very hard. People are often astounded when they realise that my part of the world contributes a bit over $9 billion to the Australian economy out of 112,000 voters, 150,000 people so our contribution is really substantial. I've always said that you should be able to drive on a decent road, you should be able to make a mobile phone call, you should have decent education opportunities for your children and you should know that, if you're unwell, there will be a doctor. These are things that people in the cities often don't have to think about because they're there, but these are challenges for people who live in my part of the world. To actually get some funding to make our towns a better place to live, to enjoy, to spend time with your family is very satisfying. The Regional Growth Fund, $16.8 million, will be matched with another $16.8 million from those councils. This is about delivering for the people who I seek to serve as their federal member.
One of the things I always said when I was running as a candidate for the electorate of Mallee was I would look after the people in our country towns. We're very pleased to be announcing that...
One of the things I always said when I was running as a candidate for the electorate of Mallee was I would look after the people in our country towns. We're very pleased to be announcing that we've got $16.8 million in the latest round of the Regional Growth Fund. Whilst last round we got $10 million for an indoor sports facility in Mildura, the country towns that also matter are the towns of Swan Hill, Robinvale, Koondrook, Charlton, Donald, Bridgewater, Boort, Wedderburn and Pyramid Hill. This money will transform the township of Swan Hill. Swan Hill has the river and the town. This will open up access so that people will very much have the river as a connection to their town. They'll be able to walk straight from their central business district to the beautiful parks that are going to be opened up to the town of Swan Hill. There will also be waterfront beautification in Robinvale, a wonderful part of the world with pop-up cafes and restaurants. In Koondrook, there will be waterfront upgrades, so lots of things along the Murray River. In Charlton, we're going to put the weir boards back so there will be water in the main street of Charlton, a beautiful part of the world. And in Donald, there'll be walking paths and barbecue areas and upgrades to the Donald River precinct. In Bridgewater On Lodden, we'll upgrade the river foreshore. It's personally satisfying. I have only become the federal member for Bridgewater in the last redistribution but that's where I went to primary school and to actually get something for my own home town straight away is very good.
Infrastructure | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
I withdraw, Mr Deputy Speaker. But I will say it is good if the member for Grayndler decides to come down and look at the road that was not built—$1.3 billion to not build a road. So, when...
I withdraw, Mr Deputy Speaker. But I will say it is good if the member for Grayndler decides to come down and look at the road that was not built—$1.3 billion to not build a road. So, when you sit in congestion in Melbourne, I want you as a voter to think, as you come up to the Victorian election on 24 November, that you didn't have to sit there. In fact, things could have been built. In my patch, we have seen what can happen if a government does want to build things. The federal government in my patch has delivered money for airports. The federal government has delivered money for roads, and we have driven on those. We have delivered mobile phone towers across the electorate of Mallee and across the country, including the state of Victoria. These have not been delivered by the Daniel Andrews government. The member for Grayndler put up this MPI on the Victorian Labor government's failure to invest in nation-building infrastructure. I've got to say I commend him for putting that up as an MPI. People will make a judgement call in the state of Victoria in a little over a month, and they will say to themselves, 'Why am I sitting in congestion and yet paying money?' They will say to themselves, 'Why couldn't I make a mobile phone call in that country area?' They get nothing. I've got to say: you have a choice, people in Victoria. The people in Victoria have a really clear choice: a government who can deliver for them, which will be the coalition government in Victoria, or a government that will spend their money and deliver nothing, and that will be Daniel Andrews. Throw him out. He's not worthy of it. What people want is taxpayers' money to deliver things, not taxpayers' money spent and still having nothing to show for it.
There was $1.3 billion for a road that wasn't built. I was in Melbourne the other day. I visit there, unlike the member for Grayndler. When I was there I could see what could have been built. I...
There was $1.3 billion for a road that wasn't built. I was in Melbourne the other day. I visit there, unlike the member for Grayndler. When I was there I could see what could have been built. I don't mind a road not getting built, but I think Victorians object to spending $1.3 billion to not build a road. I think that is the thing that really frustrates people about the Daniel Andrews government. In their time—and they've had four years—we've had more corruption than we have ever had, more congestion than we have ever had, and more crime.
My friend is leaving me because he knows I have capable hands. If you look at the Victorian government's failure to invest in nation-building infrastructure, you will see the Murray Basin Rail...
My friend is leaving me because he knows I have capable hands. If you look at the Victorian government's failure to invest in nation-building infrastructure, you will see the Murray Basin Rail Project. You might be familiar with this project. This government committed $240 million to this project. The previous Victorian coalition government committed $200 million to this project. I got to see it being built—well, I got to see part of it being built. The Mildura line was built, but then it stopped getting built. Then they had to fix it up. Another two lines were going to get built—the Manangatang line and the Sea Lake line. What's happening to them? They've been pushed out to 2022. They might get built. When it comes to the delivery of projects in Victoria there has been a complete failure by the Daniel Andrews government. In fact, they have delivered three things for Victoria. They all begin with the letter C. They have delivered corruption in Victoria, they have delivered congestion in Victoria and they have let crime get out of control in Victoria.
If he had visited Victoria recently, he would realise that the MPI 'The Victorian Labor government's failure to invest in nation-building infrastructure' would have been very accurate.
I'm getting a little old. I think I might need glasses because when I first read the MPI I thought it said: 'The Victorian Labor government's failure to invest in nation-building infrastructure.'...
I'm getting a little old. I think I might need glasses because when I first read the MPI I thought it said: 'The Victorian Labor government's failure to invest in nation-building infrastructure.' I thought the member for Grayndler was being insightful in realising what has been going on in Victoria. I know he's a New South Wales boy and I know he loves to be a good DJ, but I didn't realise he had visited Victoria recently. Mr Hill interjecting—