Anne Aly's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
Cowan Electorate: Australia Day | Constituency Statements | House debates
I want to recognise two outstanding contributors to the Cowan community. They're also the recipients of the City of Stirling's 2026 Community Citizen of the Year Awards, and their work reflects...
I want to recognise two outstanding contributors to the Cowan community. They're also the recipients of the City of Stirling's 2026 Community Citizen of the Year Awards, and their work reflects the very best of who we are. The first is the Perth Rhinos Basketball club. It's more than just a sporting organisation; it's a lifeline for young people seeking connection, belonging and opportunity. The club was originally established to create elite pathways for South Sudanese youth, but it has grown into a truly inclusive club that welcomes everyone. For many young people who have experienced disengagement or social isolation, the Rhinos offer something that cannot be measured on a scoreboard: a sense of inclusion and safety, mentoring and a place to grow with confidence. Through mentors from diverse backgrounds, the Rhinos are building resilience and leadership in the next generation, and their recognition as winners of the Active Citizenship Award is well deserved. It reminds us that grassroots organisations are often the quiet engines of social cohesion. What they give these young people is dignity, empowerment and a sense of belonging that strengthens our entire community. I also want to acknowledge the remarkable Vicky Young. She's the president and co-founder of Dandelions WA, and she's been named Community Citizen of the Year by the City of Stirling. Vicky's work is grounded in compassion and action—the kind of combination that really has an impact on changing lives. This year alone, Dandelions WA will provide 17,000 backpacks to children who might otherwise start school without the essentials that many of us take for granted. But the impact of Dandelions WA goes far beyond backpacks because, under Vicky's leadership, they now support people experiencing homelessness, women and families fleeing violence, individuals in hospital and others navigating hardship. Vicky ensures that people in crisis feel seen and that they are supported and treated with dignity, and she shows us that leadership doesn't always come with grand gestures. Often it's the steady, thoughtful work that makes the greatest difference. Both worthy recipients embody what it truly means to lift others up. Their commitment to inclusion, dignity and opportunity speaks to values that we should all hold dearly here, and together they remind us of the extraordinary power of community and what is possible when we choose to lift one another up.
Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
I will take that opportunity, then, thank you.
If I may, I've heard time and time again the quotes from those opposite as they're using them through their speeches. I just want to clarify that that's not what I said, and I think that those—
I will not sit here and watch the shadow minister, with his confected outrage, when he has never ever brought up the subject of— (Time expired)
My apologies, Deputy Speaker Claydon. I want to talk a little bit about our National Small Business Strategy. The fact is you cannot deliver and you cannot say that you deliver for small...
My apologies, Deputy Speaker Claydon. I want to talk a little bit about our National Small Business Strategy. The fact is you cannot deliver and you cannot say that you deliver for small businesses if you don't have a strategy. Our small business strategy, which I again remind the House is the very first national small business strategy, looks at three pillars. It looks at how we help businesses grow, it looks at cutting red tape and it looks at creating an even playing field for small businesses. These are the three things that small businesses always raise with me when I speak to them. They tell me: 'We just want an even playing field. We just want a fair go.' They tell me, 'There's too much red tape,' and often that red tape is over different levels of government, which is why it's important to speak to states and territories. And they tell me that they want to be able to grow and they want to be able to thrive. And if you have those three pillars as the basis, the principles, upon which you base the work that you do in small business, then you are able to deliver for them. Under those three pillars, there are a number of things that we have delivered. I want to talk a little bit about the instant asset write-off, which we extended. It's a $20,000 instant asset write-off. It allows small businesses to purchase the equipment that they need to keep going. I want to talk about the many supports we have for businesses around digital solutions. A lot of small businesses are a bit reticent to uptake AI, to utilise digital solutions. I want to tell small businesses that there is help out there, to help you utilise digital solutions, to grow your business and to keep your business going. I want to talk about the targets that we've set for government procurement. We've increased the target of government procurement for businesses under 20 billion to 40 per cent, and that means that any government contracts under 20 billion, 40 per cent of them must be small or medium enterprises. That really gives small businesses a fair go and an even playing field when it comes to getting government contracts. One of the greatest issues that a lot of small businesses talk to me about is red tape. We've got states and territories committed to reducing red tape, getting rid of the clutter, so that small businesses can continue to get on with their core business and run the businesses they need to run. I've heard some pretty interesting stories about red tape, but we're also going to be looking into white tape—that's something that ASBFEO, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman recommended. We are looking at white tape, which is that regulatory burden between corporate business and small business. I'll go back to the fact that those opposite like to say they care about small business. They like to talk about small business, but the proof is really in the pudding. The proof is very much evident in the fact that in the nine months I've been the small-business minister, not once have they ever asked a question about small business. Not a single time. Not a single question.
I actually welcome those opposite finally focusing on something important to Australia and to Australian communities and to the Australian economy, and that is small businesses. I can't help but...
I actually welcome those opposite finally focusing on something important to Australia and to Australian communities and to the Australian economy, and that is small businesses. I can't help but wonder though, given the shadow minister's recent performance, whether it was a job interview or perhaps all of this is just another distraction from the chaos, discord and infighting that we're seeing over the other side. I do welcome them actually asking a question about small business and focusing on something other than themselves for once. So I will take this opportunity to talk about small business. First of all, though, I want to thank the many small businesses I have visited, whether in the member for Wills's electorate, the member for Moore's electorate or the member for Aston's electorate, who have taken the time to sit down with me and to go through some of the issues that they're experiencing. I can't tell you how valuable their feedback and their input is into the work that we are doing here as a government—real work that is built on Australia's very first National Small Business Strategy, a strategy that those opposite didn't have in the whole time that they were in government—and into things that we take to the small business ministers meetings, meetings that those opposite didn't convene once when they were in government. Since we've been in government, we've had seven small business ministers meetings, and I'm really pleased to say that I've convened two of them. The previous minister had convened five before that. How do you work with small businesses and deliver for small businesses if you don't talk to the states and territories, if you don't bring together small business ministers meetings, if you don't go out and talk to small businesses and listen to them? Before I continue, I want to address a piece of misinformation. I hope that it is not purposeful, though I doubt that it isn't purposeful. I think that perhaps the shadow minister was being very purposeful in his selective use of the statistics and the figures around the number of insolvencies. I want to clarify the number of insolvencies and address specifically the point that the shadow minister made, because he is correct that the number of corporate insolvencies has increased compared to the previous 12 months; however—and here's the important bit—the level of corporate insolvencies as a proportion of total companies was 0.41 per cent. That is lower than the long-term historical average for insolvencies. So it is quite disingenuous of the shadow minister to stand here and say it's the highest number of insolvencies ever and to yell and scream like a banshee, banging on the table about the number of insolvencies when he should know how to read statistics. And if he doesn't know how to read statistics, there's a 'Statistics 101' course that he can take.
As I was saying, I actually welcome this MPI. I really do want to thank the member for Goldstein, the shadow minister, for bringing this because it gives us an opportunity here to speak about a...
As I was saying, I actually welcome this MPI. I really do want to thank the member for Goldstein, the shadow minister, for bringing this because it gives us an opportunity here to speak about a really important issue. So far I've been the Minister for Small Business for nine months, and I've spoken many times in this place about small business. I know that the member for Goldstein started his contribution by talking about the lack of opportunity to ask questions about small business. I can tell you that in the nine months that I have been the Minister for Small Business in this place, I have not received a single question from the Liberal opposition about small business. They don't care about small business. They want to pretend that they care. They want to stand here and confect outrage, and they want to bang on the table and talk about small business. But do they actually care about small business? Look at their actions. Look at how many times they've sought to ask questions.
I actually really do want to thank the shadow minister and member for Goldstein for bringing this—
Translating and Interpreting Services Bill 2025; 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.
Bolkus, Hon. Nick | Condolences | House debates
I too want to record my deep sadness on the death of the Hon. Nick Bolkus and honour his outstanding service to our nation. Senator Bolkus was a pillar of the Australian Labor Party, as the...
I too want to record my deep sadness on the death of the Hon. Nick Bolkus and honour his outstanding service to our nation. Senator Bolkus was a pillar of the Australian Labor Party, as the minister outlined in his speech just then, and he was also a pioneer of multicultural Australia. As the first federal cabinet member of Greek heritage, he demonstrated to many of us who were watching from the outside that representation is not just symbolic; representation matters. Senator Bolkus didn't simply inherit the story of migration; he lived it. And he lived that story through his longstanding career advocating for people from every background. He was a minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, and in 1993 he was appointed Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs and the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Multicultural Affairs. In both of those positions he worked relentlessly to ensure that the immigration system of this country was fairer and more inclusive. He understood what many in the labour movement understand: inclusiveness is not just an abstract exercise; it has a profound impact on the day-to-day lives of ordinary Australians in their ability to secure employment, in their ability to access services, in having their views heard and in their sense of belonging to this nation. Senator Bolkus was the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs at a time when the Keating government asked Australians to look outward to Asia and inward to our own social cohesion. He understood that multiculturalism had to be about inclusion and participation, not just about food and festivals, and that we recognise a community not just because their food tastes like chicken but because of the many contributions that they bring to Australia. One of his greatest legacies was his stewardship of the Racial Hatred Act 1995. He was the early architect of the legislation that protects Australians from hateful attacks based on their heritage, the colour of their skin or their place of birth. It's unsurprising that this was, of course, a hotly contested ideological battleground back then, but sadly that is still the case today. Senator Bolkus at that time had to navigate some contentious debates within the other place, and he had to build cross-party agreement in order to get the bill passed. He did that by championing the argument that, in a successful multicultural democracy, freedom of speech does not include the right to destroy another person's dignity because of the colour of their skin or their heritage, and his speeches from that period reflect a clarity of purpose that continues to inspire us today. He said then that Australia's future lies not in assimilation but in the rich tapestry of cultures that weave our national identity, and indeed those words are true today. In that same sense, we acknowledge that Senator Bolkus was behind the formation of the Multicultural Advisory Council, a standing body of coordination and advice to government, ensuring that our most diverse communities had input into how multiculturalism was shaped, and it formed the foundation of today's Australian Multicultural Council, which continues to do that important work. Prior to Senator Bolkus, the then ethnic affairs portfolio was responsible for delivering government services to non-English speakers. He took the portfolio in a different direction, a direction that would have been perceived as being groundbreaking at that time, rightly arguing that our diversity is in fact an economic asset. He recognised that our diaspora communities are not just people in need of assistance but, rather, bridges to the global economy. He advocated the view that Australians who speak Greek or Mandarin or Vietnamese or Arabic are our competitive advantage in a globalised world. He, in fact, moved multiculturalism from being at the periphery of social policy to the centre of economic policy. Every time we refer today to cultural capability in business or in government, or when we refer to the trade links created through people-to-people relationships, we are drawing upon the same arguments that he advanced 30 years ago. That is some legacy. When I was a child, we didn't practise our cultural heritage or traditions publicly. We listened to Umm Kulthum and Abdel Wahab in the quiet of our living room. We fasted for Ramadan by politely refusing food and drink so we were not having to answer questions about why we didn't drink water during the day, and we broke fast quietly over home cooked meals in our dining rooms. We didn't practise publicly. Something changed that, and one of the most profound things that changed that for my family was SBS. SBS gave us leave to speak our language publicly, to eat our food publicly and to celebrate our cultural traditions publicly. Under Senator Bolkus's leadership, SBS grew. He really championed it and advocated for expanding SBS. It developed from this specialised broadcaster into what it is today: a national organisation that reaches millions of Australians with news and programs in over 60 languages—a broadcaster that truly reflects the diversity of our nation. He also made significant advancements in Australia's refugee policy—as if all of that wasn't enough, there's more. In response to humanitarian crises around the world, he streamlined visa processing for those fleeing persecution, and, as many before me have noted, in 1993 he played a critical role in granting permanent residence to tens of thousands of Chinese students and their family members—those who had come prior to the Tiananmen Square incident, which is recalled quite vividly by those of us who can. That decision garnered international recognition, and in his valedictory speech many, many years later, he referred back to that moment with great pride, stating: 'The sky didn't fall in and the hordes didn't invade.' Sadly, though, those same expressions of border anxiety exist today. The passage of time proved that Australia, when tested, rises to the challenge and holds firm on our values of equality and humanity—values that Senator Bolkus put into practice all those years ago in 1993. Today, we also draw inspiration from his steadfastness in holding these values, even while other political and social forces seek to exploit division, appeal to fear and undermine our democracy. Arguably, his most lasting legacy is in relation to the status of citizenship itself. Senator Bolkus believed that Australian citizenship should be a celebratory occasion, not just an administrative requirement. I've heard this described variously as moving beyond formal citizenship to citizenship actually being something that we feel, that we celebrate and that we that we take in, in the way in which we practice our lives. He worked to enhance the significance of the pledge of commitment. He wanted the experience of becoming Australian to be a moment of profound inclusion. Like many members in this House, I attend citizenship ceremonies quite regularly. At the most recent one, there were about 200 people taking the citizenship pledge, and I reflected with them on that part in the citizenship pledge where we pledge allegiance not just to Australia but to Australia and her people. I asked the people in the room to look around and take in the environment and the atmosphere of that citizenship ceremony and to recognise that they were about to stand up and pledge their loyalty to the people in that room with them today, as well. I watched the faces of the people who were getting their citizenship as I spoke this and watched them again as they spoke those words when they took the citizenship pledge. I saw the intense pride when they spoke those words, the intense pride and the recognition that becoming Australian meant that you were pledging your allegiance to a people—to sharing their values and their democratic beliefs, as well as their rights and responsibilities. Indeed, every time I'm fortunate enough to attend a citizenship ceremony, I reflect on just how significant Nick Bolkus's impact was in making sure that they are celebratory moments, as is that very significant part of the citizenship pledge. I've spoken a lot about Senator Bolkus's contributions to multiculturalism and to modern Australia because they matter to me. They mattered to me as a young woman growing up in Australia, being able to look at somebody in the parliament who reflected my own feelings, my own voice, my own desires and my own sense of what it means to be Australian and what it means to belong in this nation. I think that gives you all a sense of just how significant and just how impactful Senator Bolkus was as a minister in the government here in this place. I never knew him. I never got to meet him, and I never got to shake hands. I would have loved to have had the kinds of experiences that the minister for health was speaking about. I would have loved to have sat with him and garnered some of his wise words and just drunk all of that in. But I am living proof that what he did mattered. I am living proof that what he did had an impact and will continue to have a lasting impact on this nation. In closing, I just want to also extend my sincerest condolences to Senator Bolkus's wife, Mary, and his children. We mourn the loss of a great advocate for migrants and a distinguished parliamentarian. I hope that his family finds comfort in the knowledge that his contribution to Australia in opening the hearts and the minds of successive generations will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Senator Nick Bolkus, and may we continue to build the inclusive Australia that he spent his life striving for. Debate adjourned. Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:29
Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
I guess, just a couple of weeks shy of Christmas, most Australians would have been doing the kinds of ordinary things that we do around that time—prepping for school holidays and for...
I guess, just a couple of weeks shy of Christmas, most Australians would have been doing the kinds of ordinary things that we do around that time—prepping for school holidays and for Christmas, a time to rest and recoup and spend time with family and friends. For Australia's Jewish community, 14 December was the start of Hanukkah, the festival of light over darkness. Over the course of the history of this great nation, Australians have been tested, through wars and conflict and through droughts and floods. Through each of these challenges something really extraordinary has happened: the Australian spirit has prevailed. It's a spirit that embraces every single Australian in true kinship and genuine mateship, a spirit that says to all Australians, regardless of who they are or where they were born, regardless of their religion or skin colour: you are us and we are you. The day of 14 December 2025 is marked in our nation's collective memory as a day of tragedy. The mass-casualty terrorist attack was not indiscriminate, as most terrorist attacks are; it was an attack that targeted Australian Jews on a day of celebration for who they are. This was anathema to everything Australian—to every value that we hold dear in this country and, indeed, to the very values of humanity. But the day is also remembered for the incredible acts of love, kindness and bravery, and it's that love, kindness and bravery—that light—that will guide us collectively, as a nation, through the dark, as it always has in this country. I take this moment to extend my deepest condolences to the Jewish community. To the families and friends who lost loved ones, to those who were wounded and to those who witnessed horrific scenes that they will never be able to forget, I say: your pain is felt throughout this nation, from our most remote communities to our largest cities. Your pain is Australia's pain and your sorrow is Australia's sorrow. To our Jewish community: we will not look away. We will not let your grief go unanswered. We will not let you grieve alone. We will wrap our arms around you and we will say to you: you are us and we are you. I want to take a moment today to honour the heroes of Bondi, who put themselves in danger to protect their fellow Australians, and the everyday Australians who performed these incredible acts of bravery and assistance to those in need. Boris and Sofia Gurman, the couple who many have already spoken of, took the initiative to run towards danger, something that many of us would find pretty much against our first instincts. They confronted the terrorists before they tragically lost their lives. Jessica Rozena, pregnant, shielded a little girl from the gunfire, as did many people, putting their own bodies in the way of harm in order to shield others. Ahmed al-Ahmed also bravely ran towards danger to disarm the gunmen, risking his own life to protect strangers—people who he didn't know. He had never met them, but he nonetheless felt that sense of kinship and mateship for them. I also want to acknowledge the first responders—police, paramedics, doctors, nurses, lifeguards and veterans—who came to the aid of fellow Australians. Each one of these acts of bravery was done by a person or people who are Australians—Australians who stood up for the safety of our community, Australians who took action against hatred. Their actions on that day compel us—not just those of us in here today and not just for today but every one of us, every Australian, every day at all time—to stand up against those who divide us, to be vigilant against hatred in all its forms, to open our eyes and be vigilant against this ancient hatred of antisemitism and to stand together, as we always have as Australians, against the challenges that confront us: with love, with kindness, with bravery and with the Australian spirit.
Translating and Interpreting Services Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Australia's translating and interpreting services have a long history and play a vital role in our community. This bill will establish a new act...
I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Australia's translating and interpreting services have a long history and play a vital role in our community. This bill will establish a new act to provide a clear statutory foundation for these services, reflecting the government's commitment to the work of the Translating and Interpreting Service—TIS National—and the important role it plays in our modern, multicultural Australia. The Australian government began providing translating services in 1947, and interpreting services commenced not long after that. These were introduced to support post World War II migrants. The government recognised then, as it does today, the critical importance of these services to migrants making their new homes in Australia. Since 1947, these services have continued to grow and evolve to meet the needs of the Australian community. In 1973 Australia established the world's first telephone interpreting service, which remains a core component of the services today. The government's translating and interpreting services are now provided by Translating and Interpreting Service, or TIS National, in the Department of Home Affairs. TIS Nation's services facilitate communication between people with limited English proficiency and the agencies and businesses that they rely on for vital services. TIS National operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provides more than 1.3 million interpreting services each year in more than 150 languages. Australia is a diverse, multicultural society with a rich Indigenous heritage and a successful migration story. More than one-quarter of us were born overseas, having migrated from more than 200 countries. The diversity of the Australian population provides us with a variety of languages, beliefs, traditions and cultures, and that is why we have the Multicultural Access and Equity Policy—a key policy ensuring that all Australians, whatever their cultural or linguistic background, are able to access government programs and services. This, in turn, means they can fully participate and contribute to our society. The services that TIS National provide are vital in upholding this commitment to Australians. Beyond helping us achieve access and equity outcomes, the government's translation and interpreting services also play a vital role in supporting social cohesion in our multicultural nation. Australia's multicultural diversity is fundamental to the character of our nation—it is who we are—and all Australians have an equal right to participate in the social, political and economic life of our country. However, this often isn't always the experience of diverse Australians, and this is why the government recently established an Office for Multicultural Affairs and elevated to cabinet for the very first time the standalone position of Minister for Multicultural Affairs. The government's translating and interpreting services play a vital role in supporting a multicultural Australia. Over the years, new migrants and humanitarian entrants have relied on these services to engage with the community and build their lives as full participants in Australian society. Services like this help new Australians navigate the complexity of our country and access essential support. They make it easier for people to engage with government and community services. For patients, these services can mean better access to health care, and the ability to explain their symptoms in their own language and receive the care they need. During the height of the COVID pandemic, translating and interpreting services were absolutely vital. For families with limited English, a simple call to TIS number 131 450 meant they were able access life-saving information on where to get vaccinated, how to stay safe and the latest health advice when they needed it most. Day-to-day, we know that TIS National provides an invaluable service, with its free interpreting service available to all parliamentarians, ensuring that their constituents are able to access assistance and support from their representatives regardless of their English ability. Ultimately, the government's translating and interpreting services help us to harness the economic and social benefits of our diversity and build a more productive and socially cohesive Australia for all of us. This bill does not seek to change the way in which the services of TIS National or provided or funded. It will simply provide a clear legislative framework for the services, providing certainty and ensuring their continued availability to support our community into the future. To achieve this, this bill will establish express legislative functions for TIS National, as functions of the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs. These functions include the provision of translating and interpreting services to government departments, across all levels of government, and private sector entities to facilitate communication by and with people with limited English language proficiency, including visa holders and newly settled migrants. The functions also enable the operation of TIS National's 24/7 phone interpreting service, which supports calls to triple 0 emergency services. Further, the functions will enable the development, training and support of translators and interpreters, and ensure ongoing powers to enter into contracts and arrangements to provide these services. The bill also includes provisions to make clear that arrangements entered into before commencement of the legislation, including those arrangements that continue to be in force when the legislation commences, will continue to have effect. This appropriately ensures that established arrangements are able to be maintained and provides certainty for all parties—and reinforces that the purpose of this legislation is to provide a statutory framework for existing, longstanding functions and services provided by TIS National. The bill will also provide a power for the minister to make rules—a disallowable legislative instrument—to prescribe matters required or permitted by the proposed act, or necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to the act. This will enable the minister to specify further functions to support and sustain TIS National's operations and important role in the provision of translating and interpreting services for the Australian community, into the future. The bill sends a strong signal about the government's commitment to a united and prosperous multicultural Australia. I commend this bill to the chamber. Debate adjourned.
Racial Discrimination Act 1975: 50th Anniversary | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
Says another class of 2016 person sitting next to me, the member for Bruce! One of the very first debates that I got to participate in in this place was the debate to protect section 18C of the...
Says another class of 2016 person sitting next to me, the member for Bruce! One of the very first debates that I got to participate in in this place was the debate to protect section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act makes it unlawful to undertake any act that is reasonably likely to 'offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate' a person or a group because of their race, the colour of their skin or where they were born. In a country that prides itself on Australian values—the values of mateship, a fair go and equality—this should not be controversial. It should not be controversial that we take a moment to ensure that we are not offending, humiliating, insulting or intimidating our fellow Australians because of their race, the colour of their skin or where they were born. This should not be controversial. At the time of that debate in 2016 the Attorney-General—appointed by Prime Minister Turnbull at the time—said that people have a right to be bigots, and those opposite mounted an argument against section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. It was an argument that pitted Australian against Australian and rights against rights. They argued that the right to free speech trumped the right to feel safe and trumped the right to live your life without offence, without being humiliated, without being insulted, without feeling like the 'other' and without being made to feel like the lesser. I'm incredibly passionate about this, as is anyone who has been on the receiving end. If you have been on the receiving end of discrimination, if you have been insulted, if you have been humiliated and if you have been offended because of the colour of your skin or because of your race, then you know how deeply it cuts. You know how it carries you. You carry it inside you like a little piece of a broken bone your entire life. You know how much it impacts you. So we went to that debate in 2016, I am proud to say that we won the debate and that section 18 remains a vital part of the Racial Discrimination Act. As I said in my first speech in this place, I will fight for every person's rights. I will fight for the right of free speech for every Australian. But I will not stand by and watch others get brow beaten into accepting second-class citizenship because of the colour of their skin. This government believes in the right of all people to be protected from bigotry, from vilification, from discrimination and from hate. We will continue to foster respect, belonging, understanding and inclusion, and we will continue to create real change in the lives of Australians. Because while the Racial Discrimination Act has guided us for 50 years, we need to make sure we have the right measures in place to protect multiculturalism in Australia for the next 50.
With the launch of the Office for Multicultural Affairs we now have a means to truly drive a cohesive and renewed approach to multiculturalism that fits in with our modern multicultural...
With the launch of the Office for Multicultural Affairs we now have a means to truly drive a cohesive and renewed approach to multiculturalism that fits in with our modern multicultural Australia. It's an opportunity not only to celebrate the richness of our diversity—the member for Moreton spoke so eloquently on what that means. She spoke about how we move beyond celebration and how we move beyond the valuing of food—as long as it tastes like chicken!—colours and festivities to valuing and acknowledging multiculturalism as a fundamental aspect of who we are. Multiculturalism is the mainstream. It's not a semicolon-and. It's not a postscript. It's not a nice-to-have. It's not an afterthought. It is Australia and it is Australians. Today it is woven into the social and cultural fabric of a modern Australia, from Lunar New Year to Eid or Diwali or Rosh Hashana. These events are celebrated in small towns and big cities from coast to coast. For 50 years, time and time again, the Racial Discrimination Act has helped us strengthen our multiculturalism and strengthen our identity as a multicultural nation. The act has made enormous strides in improving racial equality, including shining a spotlight on wage theft of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and invalidating laws that discriminated against First Nations land rights. It also set the foundation for future antidiscrimination protections on age, sex and disability. In that regard it was quite revolutionary—a watershed moment in Australia's history. Unfortunately there are still those who are made to defend their very presence and belonging in Australia, which harms not only those directly involved but also our whole society. I want to go back to my first term in parliament—elected in 2016.
I congratulate the member for Moreton on her excellent contribution on this occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Racial Discrimination Act. It is, indeed, an honour to serve with her in this...
I congratulate the member for Moreton on her excellent contribution on this occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Racial Discrimination Act. It is, indeed, an honour to serve with her in this parliament. As the member for Moreton mentioned, today we mark the 50th anniversary of the RDA, or the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. It was the first law to recognise and protect the right of everyone in Australia to be free from discrimination based on race. Fifty years on, Australians take great pride in our free and democratic country, where all of us have the right to live without fear of discrimination and free from acts of intimidation and violence on the basis of race, ethnicity or cultural heritage. Modern Australia is a migrant nation. It is who we are. The Racial Discrimination Act underscores and protects this vital part of this proud nation. Our multicultural success belongs to all Australians, every single one of them, no matter where you came from, no matter where your parents came from and no matter how you came to be here. Half of all Australians were born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas. My story is one of those stories. I'm an Australian, but I'm also a migrant. At the age of two, my family chose Australia, settling in the Western Suburbs of Sydney. We quickly became a part of our local community. We had neighbours from Britain and New Zealand, but also from China, Greece and the former Yugoslavia. My Australia is defined by my childhood, in the suburbs where we would gather under the hot sun to play a game of legendary Aussie driveway cricket. We improvised wickets out of garbage cans, pausing only intermittently to move the wicket to allow cars to pass by. There we played for hours under the hot sun, on the hot tarmac, interrupted only by the cry of parents standing on the front porch letting us know that it was time to come inside for dinner. And as each child's name was called out into the dusky sky, a different accent could be made out—Greek, Italian, English, Irish, Indian, Swedish, Chinese, Arabic, Australian. Nobody made fun of each other's strange names or the funny way our mothers or fathers would call out for us. Under this 48th Parliament, our House of Representatives is the most diverse it has been in the history of this nation—and it is richer because of it. At the 2025 election, Australians across the nation voted overwhelmingly for a parliament that looked like the community it represents. A study by the Scanlon Foundation earlier this month found that 83 per cent of Australians think that multiculturalism is good for our country, and they're right. The Albanese Labor government unequivocally stands for multiculturalism reflecting our national identity. I am honoured to be appointed as the first standalone cabinet Minister for Multicultural Affairs. Honourable members: Hear, hear! An honourable member: You're a fantastic minister, too. Thank you to my colleagues for their interjections there.
Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Financial Systems and Other Measures) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
It certainly does. They also told me that the instant asset write-off and the extension of the write-off helps them to manage those challenges of daily cash flow. An example is the Indian grocer...
It certainly does. They also told me that the instant asset write-off and the extension of the write-off helps them to manage those challenges of daily cash flow. An example is the Indian grocer who buys a freezer so that their business can not just expand but also diversify and start selling naan breads that people can take home and cook at home. If anyone has not tried them yet, I highly recommend them. For small businesses needing to repair or replace items in order to continue to operate safely or efficiently, the write-off allows them to claim the full deduction immediately. That then eases the financial pressure to maintain day-to-day operations—for example, you might have a small manufacturer replace some machinery in order to avoid production stoppages. For small businesses wanting or needing to modernise, the ability to upgrade technology or equipment can improve efficiency, reduce costs and indeed enhance competitiveness. For startups and new small businesses, the write-off provides immediate financial relief, helping new businesses invest without having to build up profits. An example would be a startup online retailer buying storage equipment or a young photographer, who is embarking on a career as a sole trader, going out and buying a new professional camera and lens. The expansion of the write-offs gives them the ability to buy what they need today. The items might be small in nature, but, when we look at small businesses, the diversity of small businesses, the breadth of small businesses and the fact that a large number of small businesses are indeed sole traders who do not operate from a physical premises, the instant asset write-off—though it can provide for small items—can actually make a humungous difference to these small businesses. And I don't think we should be dismissing the impact that the instant asset write-off has for the small businesses that, often, we don't think about. I'm going to be very honest here and say that we don't think about our translators and interpreters as small businesses yet they operate with ABNs. We don't think about those small businesses for whom a relatively small piece of equipment is actually essential to them being able to establish their business, start up their business, grow their business or continue their business. For that reason, this measure supports fairness, because big corporations can more easily absorb shocks. They can more easily access finance and they can more easily take advantage of complex depreciation systems. Small businesses don't necessarily have that luxury. They don't have the luxury of being able to wait years to recover a cost through depreciation. They don't have big reserves to dip into when something breaks or needs repair or replacement. The instant asset write-off lets small businesses reinvest and expand and employ people in their local communities. It's the difference between putting off an upgrade and improving businesses today. And I know, from speaking to business owners right across Australia, that this is one of the most impactful ways that we can back small businesses and help them through. But I also know that this doesn't fix every problem for every small business and that there is more to do. Another issue I hear about among small businesses wherever I go is about red tape. I know it's a bit of a motherhood statement, red tape, so I've charged the small businesses that I meet with to actually give me some examples of what red tape means. Inevitably and consistently, what small businesses come back to me with is that red tape is a kind of shorthand for the fact that small businesses have to navigate three levels of government, often all at once. It can be confusing. It can be time-consuming. Sometimes they have to apply more than once or more than twice for permits and so forth. That's what I'm hearing from small businesses everywhere, and that's something that we want to tackle as well. The National Small Business Strategy outlines how governments will work together. That is the key here: governments working together to support small businesses by removing some of the complexities, making it easier for them to operate and creating environments in which they can operate and therefore thrive. We are working with state governments to basically cut the clutter for small businesses—actively working and looking, together, for ways to reduce or eliminate this red tape or these layers and layers of compliance, without reducing or impacting quality. It's a big job and it is ongoing, but the enthusiasm of all the ministers from the different jurisdictions is inspiring. I would like to thank them and commend them for their passion for supporting small businesses in line with the federal government's own passion for supporting small businesses. We are also working to level the playing field for small businesses, ensuring that the power imbalances that they face when dealing with larger businesses are addressed, recognising that they often lack market power as well, and increasing the pressure on large businesses with poor payment practices by highlighting the best and worst payment performers and strengthening communication challenges to promote prompt payment as an environment, social and governance obligation. In closing—small business is big business. That's what it is. There are over 2 million small businesses around Australia. They employ over 5 million Australians, and 1.5 million of those are sole traders. If we don't back in small businesses, it means that we're also not backing in communities. It also means that we're not backing in economies where small businesses form the backbone of those economies. We understand that small business is at the heart of community and that small business isn't just about the economy; it's about people: the people who run small businesses every day, the people who dedicate their blood, sweat and tears to growing a business not for themselves but as a legacy, often for their families, and so that they can contribute. We recognise, I might add, as Minister for Multicultural Affairs as well, that over 30 per cent of small businesses are started by migrants. In my state of Western Australia 40 per cent of small businesses are started by migrants. In extending the $20,000 instant asset write-off, we're not just supporting businesses but also backing people: people who take risks, people who work long hours and people who keep local economies alive. Labor will always stand with them because we know and understand that every piece of equipment, every tool and every shopfront opened represents something bigger. It represents confidence and the chance to build a better future. That's what this measure delivers, and that's what this government delivers.
I rise in support of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Financial Systems and Other Measures) Bill 2025. Whilst I support the bill in its entirety, it would be natural for me to focus on...
I rise in support of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Financial Systems and Other Measures) Bill 2025. Whilst I support the bill in its entirety, it would be natural for me to focus on a part that is particularly important to my portfolio of small business, which is schedule 7. Schedule 7 extends the $20,000 instant asset write-off until 30 June 2026 for eligible businesses. What this measure does is make a real difference to 2.6 million small businesses in Australia. That includes 1.5 million small businesses that are sole traders and who are also benefitting and have also benefitted from our government's tax cuts. As everyone in here knows—because I hear it head said often enough that people support small business in this House—small business owners are out there every day, and they're working hard. They're working hard to fulfil their dreams. They are your Indian grocer. They are the place you go to to get your eyebrows threaded. They are where you get your Vietnamese pancakes. They are the translators and interpreters who operate with an ABN. They fix your cars. They cut your hair. They cater your birthday parties. They resole your shoes. They help you with your tax returns. An example of a small business is My Aunt's Handmade Noodles, which I visited the other day with the member for Reid and the local mayor in her electorate. This is a family owned business, run by a formidable mother and daughter duo, and they craft these handmade noodles using time honoured techniques. The passion and care that My Aunt's Handmade Noodles brings to each and every bowl of these perfectly chewy and flavoured noodles is a level of dedication that I see in the small businesses that I visit and that I meet with right across the country. The Albanese government is backing small businesses just like My Aunt's Handmade Noodles to ensure that they have the support that they need to thrive, because we know that not only are they building a better life for themselves and for their families, but they are also building a better future for Australia. They employ locals. They train apprentices. They give young people jobs, and they keep regional communities alive. They sponsor local sports clubs, and they donate to school raffles as well. They are not just the engine room of the economy, as is often said; they are also often the beating hearts of communities. That's why our government developed Australia's very first National Small Business Strategy. You would think that an intimate understanding of small business would necessitate a strategy that brings together all levels of government to look at how we can collectively support small businesses to grow and to thrive. You would think that this is something that would have been done a very long time ago, but, in fact, this was done by this government, the very first National Small Business Strategy, bringing together different levels of government and focusing on three key areas: levelling the playing field for small businesses, easing the pressure on small businesses and supporting small businesses to grow. The extension of the instant asset write-off is a really key part of our commitment under this national strategy. What it means is that small businesses with an aggregate annual turnover of less than $10 million will continue to be able to immediately deduct eligible assets costing less than $20,000. That's $20,000 per asset, not just once but right across the business. Let's have a look at what that means. What that means is that restaurants, cafes, grocers, hairdressers, tradies, accountants and small retailers can actually start to buy the equipment that they need today to keep their businesses going, today and into tomorrow. No matter where I go, when I speak to small businesses, the one thing that constantly comes up is how important the instant asset write-off is in helping them grow and modernise and the extension of the instant asset write-off, giving these businesses the confidence to plan, to budget and to invest as well. For small businesses looking to grow, the instant asset write-off frees up cash flow so that they can purchase new equipment that allows them to expand their operations or open new locations. At a recent roundtable that I attended in the member for Swan's electorate, in Belmont, a group of small businesses there told me that managing cash flow was one of their biggest daily challenges. Really, that makes sense, doesn't it?
Social Cohesion | Questions without Notice | House debates
I want to thank the member for Lalor and Chief Government Whip, who is an absolute champion for her diverse community. I am incredibly proud to be a member of a government where a child with a...
I want to thank the member for Lalor and Chief Government Whip, who is an absolute champion for her diverse community. I am incredibly proud to be a member of a government where a child with a name like Ryan, or Soon, or Ng, or Ambihaipahar, or Abdo, or Smith, or France, or Albanese can look at this parliament and say, 'I belong there'; a part of a government that has a vision of an Australia based on fairness and equality, where everyone—no matter who you are, who your parents are or where you were born—feels valued. But we know that our social cohesion is fragile. As long as we treat people with a gritted-teeth tolerance instead of mutual respect, our social cohesion will remain fragile. This Albanese Labor government governs for all, because we believe that every Australian, whatever their race or religion, wherever they or their parents were born, should be able to feel safe and at home, without prejudice or discrimination. This should not be a partisan issue. Over this week I've spoken to members of our Indian diaspora and they've told me that they did not feel safe—and they did not feel secure—after the rallies that we saw on Sunday. They've also told me that comments by some political leaders have exacerbated their fear and shattered their sense of security. To Indian Australians, this is our message: you do not have to justify your belonging in this country. We know you. We value you. We thank you for everything you have contributed to Australia—to communities, to charities, to business, to politics, to our medical profession and to our economy. We stand with you as we always have. When the immigration of Lebanese Australians was described as a mistake, that was wrong. When the African Australian community were unfairly stereotyped, that was wrong. When the Chinese Australian community were accused of being spies, that was wrong. And the scapegoating of Indian communities, designed to undermine their sense of safety and belonging, is wrong. Every member of this Labor government stands by the communities that they represent, and we will always call out attempts to divide us because it is by calling them out that we will strengthen our social cohesion.