Damian Drum's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2022-07-06T23:05:42+00:00
items: Echuca-Moama Bridge | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Education | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Valedictory | Parliamentary Representation | House debates
items: Coalition Government | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Murray-Darling Basin | Statements by Members | House debates
items: COVID-19: Regional Australia | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Nicholls Electorate: Volunteers | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Cost of Living | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Forestry | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Agriculture Industry | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Visa Holders | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Nicholls Electorate: Community Events | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Nicholls Electorate: Building and Construction | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Stronger Communities Program | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Climate Change | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Infrastructure: Regional Australia | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: National Disability Insurance Scheme Workforce | Private Members' Business | House debates

Echuca-Moama Bridge | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: It is with tremendous pride that I bring to the House's attention that, on Sunday 10 April, the largest transport infrastructure project in northern Victoria, the Echuca-Moama bridge, is set to...
encoded: It is with tremendous pride that I bring to the House's attention that, on Sunday 10 April, the largest transport infrastructure project in northern Victoria, the Echuca-Moama bridge, is set to open. This $323 million project has been driven by the Nationals in government in three different jurisdictions. I was part of the state Nationals in 2013 when we put $96 million on the table, and then, in 2016, as a candidate for Nicholls, we were able to negotiate with our federal minister, Darren Chester, and also the New South Wales National Party roads minister to put their two parcels of money on the table at the same time. This new river crossing will transform the region and offer a second crossing in border towns that, for 140 years, have simply been putting up with a single river crossing. Currently 25,000 vehicles a day, including 1,500 heavy vehicles, use the existing bridge. The new river crossing will reduce traffic going through the main street of Echuca by 10,000 cars a day, making it much safer. Most importantly, the new crossing over the Campaspe and Murray rivers will slash operating costs for the freight industry. More than 400 direct jobs and more than 1,100 indirect jobs were created during the construction phase, and many local businesses were able to take advantage of those jobs. The new Echuca-Moama Bridge is a testament to the Nationals in government delivering for regional Australia.
date: 2022-03-30T13:34:00+00:00

Education | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: I want to commend the member for Dunkley for putting this motion on the books today. It's a great opportunity to talk about a range of educational settings within my electorate. Firstly, in...
encoded: I want to commend the member for Dunkley for putting this motion on the books today. It's a great opportunity to talk about a range of educational settings within my electorate. Firstly, in relation to TAFE college and training, we have an amazing TAFE college, GOTAFE, based in Shepparton in the Goulburn Valley. But it needs to have an enormous amount of money spent on the facility. We potentially need $100 million spent on GOTAFE and its five or six different campuses. The Victorian state government has simply stopped spending money on our Shepparton campus. When you go inside and look at the motor mechanic, there are trucks there that simply cannot get their bonnets off because they don't have enough headroom. When you're learning to be a mechanic, you need to have access to the electronics that enables you to dial into Berlin, and Berlin will then tell you what's wrong with the car. That's what the modern mechanic needs. You can't get that sort of training in Shepparton, because the state government won't invest in the TAFE college to give them not world-leading but basic training to be a mechanic. We need a state government that stops talking about the rubbish and starts supplying some funding so that these TAFE colleges have the correct facilities. We know that apprentices are at an all-time high right now, and all those apprentices are getting half their wages paid by the federal government. Again, the Victorian state government can talk this rubbish up; however, it's the coalition that is helping them in every way. The Greater Shepparton Secondary College, which is also a member of Hands on Learning, is one giant school that the Victorian state government built for Shepparton. So there's only one government secondary school for parents to choose to send their children. That school would potentially need a trade school added to it and a smaller campus for children who come from a region with a small primary school, who would do better in a smaller setting rath…
date: 2022-02-14T11:51:00+00:00

Valedictory | Parliamentary Representation | House debates
type: item
description: on indulgence—Firstly, I'd like to thank the House for its indulgence to allow me to make a valedictory speech. To the Deputy Prime Minister and to the ministers and shadow ministers, thank...
encoded: on indulgence—Firstly, I'd like to thank the House for its indulgence to allow me to make a valedictory speech. To the Deputy Prime Minister and to the ministers and shadow ministers, thank you for this opportunity. It only seems like yesterday that the 2016 election was held and we were summoned to Canberra for an induction for a couple of days. It was very interesting and it was an opportunity to meet all the new members from all over Australia from all the respective parties. While it has been six years, it certainly feels like it was only a few days ago. I see today as an opportunity to thank the many people that help you as a member of parliament when you come to this place, and I want to thank the people that have enabled me to be the member for Murray and then the member for Nicholls. Firstly, there are my staff. My first office manager was Alison Foscholo. Then I had Claire Ewart-Kennedy and Lyndal Humphris. They have all been wonderful at managing the office and they've enabled me to concentrate on the job at hand of being the MP. My media adviser in the office is the wonderful and talented Luke Griffiths. I also have two incredible staffers who have been with me for the full six years: Mark Skilbeck, as my lead adviser, and Tessa Harris, who has managed the diary and been at the front of the office since day one. A big thank you to all of those staff. I also want to say a huge thank you to Di Andrews who is in the position of whip's clerk. It's a huge job, and Di has been wonderful in that role. I also need to thank Tory Mencshelyi, who has been a huge help, not just to myself but to the entire National Party team. As MPs we are all only as good as our staff, and I think all of us should, every now and again, take time to reflect on how good our staff are and how much work they actually do for us each and every day. When I talk about the Nationals team, I really want to thank all of my team here today for all of your support and friendship. Sometimes this …
date: 2022-02-10T09:31:00+00:00

Coalition Government | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: To have the Labor Party effectively put forward a motion accusing the government of focusing on itself doesn't quite ring true when you look around regional Australia, certainly when you look at...
encoded: To have the Labor Party effectively put forward a motion accusing the government of focusing on itself doesn't quite ring true when you look around regional Australia, certainly when you look at the National Party, at my colleagues and their electorates—I'm sure Liberal Party seats would be no different. What are we doing here? We're coming to Canberra so that we can meet with our ministers so that we can bring home the projects and programs that we need for our people. When you look around the seat of Nicholls, you can see that the Echuca-Moama bridge has just been completed. That's not a government focused on itself; that's a government focused on a project that needed to be built for the last 60 years. We've gone and built it. It's an investment of over $130 million just from the federal government but also with $100 million from Victoria and $100 million from New South Wales. We got that project built. We've got $208 million sitting on the table to get the Shepparton bypass started. That's not a government focused on itself; that's a government focused on what our people need. When you drive into Shepparton, you'll see a couple of enormous museums. One is the Museum of Vehicle Evolution, which has an incredible history of cars, trucks, motorbikes and a whole range of other fantastic items. Then you drive a little bit further on and you'll see the Shepparton Art Museum. They're huge investments by this government, giving that region what it needs as its most important projects. We've got $5 million going into a new building for La Trobe University on the city campus in Shepparton. It's a fantastic project. One of our most liked and respected organisations, ConnectGV, has just been able to build a brand-new home for people in the Goulburn Valley who are dealing with disabilities. This federal government has provided them with $2.5 million for a new home there. We've also got a rail upgrade going into the Shepparton and Seymour area. There will be $400 million of t…
date: 2022-02-08T16:15:00+00:00

Murray-Darling Basin | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: Over 2.2 million people live across the most productive agricultural region in Australia, and that is the Murray-Darling Basin. Those 2.2 million people are in extreme fear of a Labor government...
encoded: Over 2.2 million people live across the most productive agricultural region in Australia, and that is the Murray-Darling Basin. Those 2.2 million people are in extreme fear of a Labor government and the Greens party in relation to their water policies. When a senior journalist recently interviewed the shadow water minister, the member for Griffith, and asked whether they would increase buybacks out of agriculture, buying water off desperate farmers—and there is a 100 gigalitre cap in this area—the shadow minister would not answer the question. This is the most destructive policy you can have for over two million people who live around the Murray-Darling Basin, and she was noncommittal about increasing the cap on buying water from farmers. When it came to an additional 450 gigalitres that the plan is demanding be flushed down the rivers—again, this water cannot be delivered without causing incredible pain and damage to the agricultural sector—again, the member for Griffith's was noncommittal and would not comment on another 450 gigalitres being taken away from agriculture. These issues are critical to the two million people living up and down the Murray-Darling Basin, and it is a real and genuine concern that the Labor Party will simply go after desperate farmers and buy their water. (Time expired)
date: 2022-02-08T13:35:00+00:00

COVID-19: Regional Australia | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the Deputy Prime Minister please outline to the House how regional Australians have helped to drive the nation's recovery from the pandemic?
encoded: My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the Deputy Prime Minister please outline to the House how regional Australians have helped to drive the nation's recovery from the pandemic?
date: 2021-12-02T14:12:00+00:00

Nicholls Electorate: Volunteers | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: Ahead of International Volunteer Day this Sunday, I'd like to pay tribute to the almost nine million volunteers across Australia who give their time for their communities. In particular, I'd like...
encoded: Ahead of International Volunteer Day this Sunday, I'd like to pay tribute to the almost nine million volunteers across Australia who give their time for their communities. In particular, I'd like to thank the volunteers in my electorate of Nicholls for the tireless work that they do. As such, it gives me great pleasure that 42 volunteer organisations in Nicholls will share $120,000 of funding as part of the Liberal-National government's 2021 Volunteer Grants round. Among the groups to receive funding are the Echuca Moama Search & Rescue Squad, with Lyn Chaplin and James McKenzie-Ross, who are going to use their money for an infrared camera; Cobram Barooga RSL, where Sue Nicholson, Edelweiss Cortes, Glenda Mann and John Hanlon are going to use their money for a computer for their volunteers; Broadford Scouting Group, where Tanya Malward and David Dixon are going to purchase some camping equipment; Murchison CFA, where Jon Crowley and Tino Catania are going to undertake a kitchen upgrade for their facilities; Riding for the Disabled Association Echuca, where Tanya Lucas and Edwina Boase-Stratford are going to subsidise the cost of their camps; the Lions Club of Tatura with Malcolm Campbell and Glenda McLeod are going to create a website to attract more members and more volunteers; and Shepparton FoodShare, with Grace Grieve and Kate Smith, are going to purchase a pallet scale. I can see firsthand the impacts that volunteering has in the Goulburn Valley and how hard these local volunteers work to strengthen our communities. I want to thank each and every one of them for the work that they do.
date: 2021-12-02T13:49:00+00:00

Cost of Living | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: On the last speaker's notes: all of those stories are horrendous. They're well and truly noted, but there is nothing that this government has done, in relation to its policies, that has driven...
encoded: On the last speaker's notes: all of those stories are horrendous. They're well and truly noted, but there is nothing that this government has done, in relation to its policies, that has driven any one of those people out of their accommodation and forced them to live in their cars. The concept of housing that is now seeing prices go through the roof is, purely and simply, a matter of the cost of money in Australia, which has never been this cheap. Australians everywhere are taking advantage of it and trying to get into the market. The market is heated beyond belief. However, this is not because of government policy; it is simply the fact that, through these last two years, we have had record-low interest rates. Money is at its cheapest rate ever, and therefore people are taking this incredible opportunity and they're putting themselves in incredible debt. A throwback of that is that there is a very diminishing pool of rental houses available. To throw that into this area here, where that somehow or other this is because of government policy—it's just not true. What this government has done is really give Australians an opportunity to make sure that they can secure the job they want. That's what our policies are doing—driving the private sector, which employs 90 per cent of all Australians. If we as a government can get the private sector to grow, we'll continue to create the pool and the demand for workers, for labour, that we've currently been able to achieve—a 5.2 per cent unemployment rate. We've got to be proud of that. In my electorate—and I'm sure it's happening in everyone else's electorate—workers are harder to get. Job vacancies are everywhere. Workers are hard to get. Workers now hold the upper hand. Every cafe, every hospitality area, is hiring. Jobs are available. In agriculture jobs are on the land. In mechanics, diesel mechanics, jobs are available. The work that we are doing to try and encourage apprentices into apprenticeships has been incredibly suc…
date: 2021-12-01T16:18:00+00:00

Forestry | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: I withdraw that remark. We're intending to go and pillage all these other forests in countries that have very little regulation and simply have a net negative environmental impact.
encoded: I withdraw that remark. We're intending to go and pillage all these other forests in countries that have very little regulation and simply have a net negative environmental impact.
date: 2021-11-30T16:15:00+00:00

Forestry | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: DRUM (—) (): The issue that I wish to raise this afternoon has to do with the supply of timber in Australia, and certainly in Victoria and Western Australia. Court injunctions and industry...
encoded: DRUM (—) (): The issue that I wish to raise this afternoon has to do with the supply of timber in Australia, and certainly in Victoria and Western Australia. Court injunctions and industry uncertainty in Victoria—driven by the state Labor government's early move to limit access to timber, a decade ahead of its 2030 ban on native timber harvesting—are already stopping the supply of new logs. We are now faced with the absurd situation of serious disruptions to not only the building industry but the entire supply chain. It's even going down now to wooden pallets, which are making exports unavailable simply because we cannot use the forklifts to pick up our produce. With this disruption, we are really going to have an incredible, incredible problem. Obviously, the state Labor government in Western Australia has caved to green pressure by banning native logging forests from 2024. But Australia's total imports of products continue to increase. Whilst we have the opportunity to be self-sufficient here in Australia when it comes to timber products, we choose not to be self-sufficient, and we put these ridiculous bans on using our own forests in a sustainable manner. We have possibly the most highly regulated forests for sustainable harvesting and thinning. We put a ban through that, and we then have to go and import to look after the demand of timber into Australia—into Victoria. We've got a huge demand for housing. Housing demand has risen by about 22 per cent. We've got a huge demand for timber and furniture products. We have the capacity to do it ourselves and become self-sustaining, and in Victoria, with the Labor government, Daniel Andrews's government, we are choosing not to do that. The consequence of us not doing that is that we have to import this timber from countries that have heavily unregulated timber-harvesting agendas. What happens now? We used to get most of our wood from New Zealand and Canada. We now get most of our timber products from China. Of course, C…
date: 2021-11-30T16:15:00+00:00

Agriculture Industry | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia. Will the minister explain to the House how the Morrison-Joyce government's substantial investment in agriculture innovation...
encoded: My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia. Will the minister explain to the House how the Morrison-Joyce government's substantial investment in agriculture innovation will boost productivity, jobs and prosperity in regional Australia and assist agriculture in reaching its target of being a $100 billion industry by 2030?
date: 2021-11-30T15:07:00+00:00

Murray-Darling Basin | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: The current wet season across the Murray-Darling Basin has resulted in the basin being at near-saturation point. High flows in our catchments have resulted in storage capacity running at near...
encoded: The current wet season across the Murray-Darling Basin has resulted in the basin being at near-saturation point. High flows in our catchments have resulted in storage capacity running at near full, particularly in the southern basin. On the Murray, the Dartmouth Dam is at 85 per cent, and the Hume is at 98 per cent. The Goulburn storages have Eildon at 87 per cent and the Goulburn Weir and Waranga Basin both above 95 per cent full. I'd particularly like to draw attention to Lake Buffalo, on the Ovens River, which is at 98 per cent full. Lake Buffalo has reached 100 per cent capacity every year since 2003. There is real concern that further rain will create substantial flooding which will bring some serious damage to many of the Murray River communities. Lake Buffalo was built in 1965 as a 24-gigalitre dam. That was just the first stage of a major project. The Victorian government owns all the surrounding land, and it was originally intended that Buffalo wouldn't be 24 gigalitres but would be 1,000 gigalitres. We have an opportunity now to build 'big Buffalo', construct it properly. This would act as a flood mitigator—which would enable people right now to avoid hundreds of millions of dollars of damage—plus, when we go through our dry periods, we would have this incredible amount of water for productive agriculture. It should be a win-win.
date: 2021-11-29T16:02:00+00:00

Visa Holders | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: I appreciate the previous member's contribution. However, if he wants to sit in on hearings of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration, where we talk about bringing new Australians in to work...
encoded: I appreciate the previous member's contribution. However, if he wants to sit in on hearings of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration, where we talk about bringing new Australians in to work in Australia, bringing people in from overseas, he will see that it's the Labor Party that opposes it every time. It's the Labor Party that says, 'These workers who are going to come into Australia are going to steal our jobs.' It's the Labor Party, driven by the unions, that oppose all of this. It's a bit rich to have someone all of a sudden saying this is a coalition fear. I think what we really have to understand is that the overseas workforce is such an important, critical component of not just agriculture but so many other industries. We need to embrace overseas workers—temporary, seasonal and also permanent. Greater Shepparton City, Moira Shire and Campaspe Shire councils have fought hard to create a Designated Area Migration Agreement for Goulburn Valley. These DAMAs are going to be critically important, as is the ag visa that Minister Littleproud has put together. They're going to be critically important for so many areas that need overseas workers. It's been put by people opposed to these types of labour schemes that they're rife with people being exploited. It's not good enough if one per cent of one per cent is exploited. We have to do everything we can to ensure that overseas workers here in Australia are fairly paid and that exploitation is wiped out, but we also have to be careful that we don't let these people make this issue bigger than it actually is. They are simply weaponising this underpayment and wage theft issue to try and scuttle these programs. This is neither honest nor truthful. It is an incredibly minute number of people who have been exploited. We need to make sure that never happens so that the credibility of these overseas labour schemes is 100 per cent. That's something that is critically important for my electorate and critically important for …
date: 2021-11-29T11:54:00+00:00

Nicholls Electorate: Community Events | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: As the proud member for Nicholls in this government, I rise to bring to the House's attention some of the work that the government has recently been delivering for the people of Nicholls. Last...
encoded: As the proud member for Nicholls in this government, I rise to bring to the House's attention some of the work that the government has recently been delivering for the people of Nicholls. Last week, I was honoured to participate in the opening of the Shepparton Art Museum, a $50 million project that this federal government has contributed $15 million towards, while $15 million has also come from the Greater Shepparton City Council and $7 million from the SAM Foundation, along with $10 million from the state. SAM will display works from over 200 artists, with 160 Indigenous and First Nations artworks in addition to a ceramics collection that is unrivalled anywhere else in Australia. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Deputy Prime Minister for his role in the opening last week. The weekend prior to the opening of the SAM, we also had an opportunity to open the Museum of Vehicle Evolution, better known as MOVE. MOVE has been transformed after a $5.3 million upgrade, which the federal government contributed $2.5 million towards. MOVE has now been expanded to just under 10,000 square metres. It houses the museum's collection of cars, motorbikes, trucks and vintage clothing and also acknowledges the rich history of transport throughout the Goulburn Valley region. It will now highlight a collection of trucks that will be unrivalled anywhere else in Australia. I wish to acknowledge and congratulate every person in Nicholls that has helped bring these two amazing projects to fruition.
date: 2021-11-25T13:40:00+00:00

Agriculture Industry | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison-Joyce government has responded to labour challenges posed to...
encoded: My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison-Joyce government has responded to labour challenges posed to agricultural industries and how the government will secure the industry's future by providing access to a long-term, reliable workforce.
date: 2021-11-22T14:51:00+00:00

Nicholls Electorate: Building and Construction | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: I'd like to congratulate the previous speaker, the member for Macnamara, on sticking up for travel agents. They've gone through a horrible time. In my constituency statement I would like to...
encoded: I'd like to congratulate the previous speaker, the member for Macnamara, on sticking up for travel agents. They've gone through a horrible time. In my constituency statement I would like to explain how exciting it is to be in Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley at the moment. We are very excited about coming out of COVID and very excited to see some of the freedoms that have been given to those in Melbourne. Obviously many Melburnians are looking forward to venturing into the regions over this long weekend in Victoria. Those visitors who will come to Nicholls over the coming days and months will have the opportunity to experience a lot of 'first times', because, due to some of the significant contributions by the federal government, the Shepparton Art Museum will be officially opened. This was a $15 million contribution towards a $50 million art museum. It is going to become one of the best regional art galleries in Australia, and the region is very excited about having that building completed. At the same time, about four kilometres away, the Museum of Vehicle Evolution is being completed. Again the federal government was a major stakeholder in building that museum. We've contributed $2½ million to this museum, and it will highlight an amazing array of trucks—historical trucks and brand-new trucks—and other vehicles like bicycles and motorbikes. An incredible women's fashion collection is also on display. It's a 10,000-square-metre facility and it will be unique in Australia. At the same time work is just commencing on a $17 million overhaul of the Shepparton Maude Street Mall. About 40 years ago a decision was made to stop vehicles entering the mall so that pedestrians had right of way. Shepparton is one of the first cities in Australia that is going to reverse that and have slow-moving traffic allowed back in the Maude Street Mall. It's a $17 million investment all up, and the federal government has contributed over $8 million for that project. It will be a game-c…
date: 2021-10-28T10:03:00+00:00

Stronger Communities Program | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: The expressions of interest have opened for around 7 of the Stronger Communities Program, which gives local governing bodies and community groups the opportunity to nominate projects of up to...
encoded: The expressions of interest have opened for around 7 of the Stronger Communities Program, which gives local governing bodies and community groups the opportunity to nominate projects of up to $20,000. Round 7 will provide $22.65 million across 151 federal electorates. The Stronger Communities Program delivers infrastructure and equipment to our community organisations for them to continue to grow and be successful. Previous rounds of this fantastic program across my electorate have seen football, netball, tennis, soccer, cricket and golf clubs; heritage centres; search and rescue volunteers; men's sheds; and childcare and community centres receive grants. These grants have been for kitchen upgrades, appliances, air-conditioners, security, lighting, play equipment, fencing, flooring, computers, a silo art viewing area, storage sheds, hot water services, toilets for the disabled, wheelchairs, and electrical upgrades. The townships across my electorate that have always been able to access these grants are places like Tungamah, Undera, Congupna, Nagambie, Kyabram, Nathalia, Rochester, Tallygaroopna, Numurkah, Mooroopna, Girgarre, Murchison, Tatura, Seymour, Echuca, Wunghun, Yarrawonga, Tongala, Merrigum, Gunbower, Dookie, Katamatite and Waaia. It's a fantastic program that helps an amazing group of small communities, and I want to thank the government for bringing round 7 to fruition again.
date: 2021-10-28T13:43:00+00:00

Climate Change | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: It's always great to stand up and talk about the achievements that the coalition government has achieved when it comes to emissions reduction. It's incredible how, in such a highly informed place...
encoded: It's always great to stand up and talk about the achievements that the coalition government has achieved when it comes to emissions reduction. It's incredible how, in such a highly informed place such as the Australian Parliament House, everybody from the Labor Party, somehow, would rather forget to mention the fact that Australia is leading the way when it comes to rooftop solar. We are leading countries like Germany and Japan. We are leading every country in the world, and not just by a small way; we are leading the world by the length of the straight. With the uptake of rooftop solar sitting somewhere around one in every four to one in every three houses, we have a great opportunity to build on that start. People from the Labor Party and the Greens want to say, 'How can you trust the coalition to go forward without legislation?' Well, the greatest indicator of future behaviour is always past behaviour. We're standing there in front of the Australian people saying, 'We signed up to previous agreements in Kyoto, Kyoto 1 and Kyoto 2, and we beat those targets easily.' Up until about two years ago, the term 'net zero by 2050' wasn't actually a thing. The criticism from the climate warriors of the world was all about, 'Australia, you're not going to meet your commitments from Paris,' the agreement that we signed in 2015. Effectively, that was talking about base figures from 2005 and how we were going to go against that base year by the time we got to 2030. We were criticised continually by those opposite, saying, 'You're not going to get there, and the only way you're going to get there is with some sneaky form of accounting.' Well, all that stuff was wrong. They were wrong then and they're wrong now. The opportunity is for the Australian government to look the Australian people in the eye and say, 'We're going to go to Glasgow and we're going to make this commitment but, at the moment, the technology doesn't quite exist for us to get there.' That's just being honest …
date: 2021-10-27T15:58:00+00:00

Infrastructure: Regional Australia | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on how the Morrison-Joyce government is delivering both significant national infrastructure and local...
encoded: My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on how the Morrison-Joyce government is delivering both significant national infrastructure and local projects supporting our communities and regional economies? How will this benefit my home state of Victoria, and is the Deputy Prime Minister aware of any alternative policies?
date: 2021-10-27T14:10:00+00:00

National Disability Insurance Scheme Workforce | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: The opportunity to talk about the NDIS is always a great opportunity for those in the coalition, as members of the government responsibility for bring it to fruition—an incredible...
encoded: The opportunity to talk about the NDIS is always a great opportunity for those in the coalition, as members of the government responsibility for bring it to fruition—an incredible responsibility. This is a life-changing program for many, many families and many, many Australians with disabilities, enabling them to have greater fulfilment in their endeavours and a greater chance of reaching their full potential. This is a program that really has had a life-changing impact on thousands and thousands of Australians. Yes, it has had many issues. We've had people given very poor plans. I believe that in the early stages of this program the planning quality wasn't up to speed; therefore families had to go back and appeal that they hadn't received an adequate plan compared with the program they'd been on under the old state model. But as the scheme has evolved we have continued to hone the individual cases within the NDIS, and we now have a program that over 530,000 participants are taking advantage of. The other component to the NDIS is the impact it has had on the workforce in aged care. This new industry, the caring industry, has jumped up in Australia with such prominence that we now have a situation where the NDIS, in quite a few cases, is competing against aged care for workforce. We therefore have to look at that. One thing the coalition can be very proud of is that we have funded the NDIS. I know the Labor Party like to say it was already funded, but it wasn't. We had to find many additional billions of dollars to get the NDIS funded. It is now funded, albeit there is always an incredible need to put more and more money into the NDIS. Between now and 2024, the aged-care sector and the disability sector will grow by 31 per cent and 20 per cent. That is going to be an incredible impost on the finances of this nation. But the coalition government are confident, having funded this scheme to date, that we are going to fund it into the future. The National Disability Insu…
date: 2021-10-25T18:06:00+00:00