Ged Kearney's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Bill 2026, National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I rise to speak in strong support of this bill, the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Bill 2026. I have to say that I'm very proud to do that...
I rise to speak in strong support of this bill, the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Bill 2026. I have to say that I'm very proud to do that while you're in the chamber, Deputy Speaker Scrymgour, because I know that you have been a longstanding champion for this to happen over the years. Thank you for the work that you've done. I want to acknowledge that I'm standing on the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, and I pay respect to their elders, past and present. They are the people who occupied this land long before this building was erected here, long before the nation-state of Australia was even established. For millennia, the First Peoples of Australia lived on and cared for this continent's land, waterways and environment, passing down their knowledge and cultures, generation to generation, as the oldest continuous culture in the history of this Earth. This is something that we as a nation should be proud of and that we celebrate. Even during the most brutal history of colonisation and invasion, First Nations people have persevered, protecting and nourishing their culture—ensuring its survival in the face of state sanctioned brutality. But we know the toll that colonisation has taken on First People, a toll that is reflected in cold, hard statistics—a national shame for this country. Nowhere is this more evident than when we look at the challenges facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. First Nations children and young people face high and persistent levels of disadvantage. They are 11 times more likely to be in out-of-home care and 27 times more likely to be in youth detention than non-Indigenous children. Data released last year by the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing revealed that only one in three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are on track developmentally. Incarceration rates have climbed, suicide rates and out-of-home care rates are getting worse, and the aspirations for healthy baby birth weights have slipped. Let me be clear. This is not a failure of First Nations people. Unlike some of those opposite, we as a government understand that this is not a moral failing on the part of Indigenous cultures and communities—no. We understand the legacy of colonialism, of structural racism, of institutional punishment and systemic disadvantage. We acknowledge the history of the Frontier Wars and the Stolen Generations. We know that, despite efforts from more recent, well-meaning governments, if policy and laws are created without genuine partnership and power transfer to Aboriginal people, we will not create meaningful change and we will only perpetrate the brutal, racist history. The Albanese Labor government is committed to improving life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. We know that this requires a systems based approach, one that works with and champions First Nations people, creates genuine partnership and truly transforms the lives and future of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I heard the member for New England's hopes and aspirations for First Nations people, but I fail to understand why he doesn't see that the establishment of this commission will work towards those very goals. It's why I am honoured to speak to this bill to establish the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People. By introducing this bill, we are delivering on our commitment to establish a legislated, independent, empowered commission. This is a bill that has come about after years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advocates calling for the establishment of a legislated national commissioner, over an extended period, with over 70 organisations uniting behind this request. We didn't just dream this up. This didn't just drop out of the sky as a good idea. This has come about through long and hard stakeholder consultation, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and community advocates calling repeatedly for this to happen. The current and ongoing national commissioner, Adjunct Professor Sue-Anne Hunter, has been involved in developing the bill, and I know that she is in the gallery, in the chamber, with us today. I'll say a bit more about Professor Hunter shortly. I'd also like to acknowledge that Katie Kiss is in the chamber with us today—the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner. It's a great honour to have you here, listening to the introduction of this bill. The national commissioner fills a gap to ensure the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are strongly reflected in advice to government. This position provides a strategic, nationally coordinated focus to raise systemic issues and Australia's human rights commitments. The bill will provide an independent, dedicated agency focused on the systemic failures affecting outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people right across Australia. It will drive the accountability to support all governments to achieve better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It's truly an important, systemic piece that will help drive system-wide change. The national commissioner's functions are centred on identifying systemic issues and informing advice to government to directly influence policymaking. This includes powers to inquire into systemic matters affecting the rights, the interests, the development, the safety and the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people and to make recommendations to government. Importantly, the national commissioner can publicly advocate for the rights, the interests, the development, the safety and the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people and can amplify their voices and strengths. Already, I know, the commissioner has been meeting with community controlled organisations and leaders—with state, territory and national commissioners and with guardians and advocates—to build stronger relationships and to identify opportunities for collaboration and change. Sue-Anne Hunter is a First Nations woman with extensive experience in governance and leadership. She has practised as a qualified social worker and is a recognised leader in the First Nations child and family services sector. She, too, has lived and breathed the issues that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families face. She's widely recognised for developing rights based, transformative practice responses that empower Aboriginal people to heal from the continuing effects and processes of colonisation. Her work across these sectors will be vital to ensuring that the rights, the interests and the wellbeing of First Nations children and young people are protected. I have known Sue-Anne for many years, and I know her to be a powerhouse. She will be a powerhouse in this role. Late last year, when Sue-Anne had been in the role for just a few short weeks, she and I attended a roundtable with young people from across the country in Sydney with Minister Plibersek. This included First Nations kids, and they talked to us about their experience with domestic and sexual violence. It was incredibly powerful for those First Nations kids to have the commissioner there with them. I remember one young Aboriginal person saying that they experienced family and sexual violence and that they would not have survived without their wonderful aunties, who surrounded themselves around that young person, supported them and loved them. It may not have been a traditional response to that child's needs, but it was what they needed. I know that Sue-Anne understands the unique perspective of these young people. I've got to say that I'm really very proud to be working with her. This legislation will join other work that the Albanese Labor government is doing in partnership with First Nations people to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. One such commitment was demonstrated further this morning when I enjoined the Minister for Social Services to launch Australia's first-ever dedicated plan to end violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children. This was developed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and state and territory governments. 'Our Ways—Strong Ways—Our Voices: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence 2026-2036' is Australia's new national plan to address the high and disproportionate rates of violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children. It sits on equal footing with the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022 to 2032. The plan announced this morning will be backed by $218.3 million dollars in new funding over four years. As an immediate step, the funding will invest in a national network of up to 40 Aboriginal community controlled organisations to deliver community-led specialist support services that help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and families who are experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence. The new funding will support programs like crisis responses, such as mobile teams in remote areas to work with families after a violent incident or safe transport and emergency accommodation; planning to help victims leave violence safely and continued support once they have; therapeutic supports, like community playgroups, where mums and bubs can connect with elders, receive parenting support and be linked to early help and healing; and behaviour change and education, like outreach programs for men and boys. I know just how important this work is. Last year, I visited Kununurra in Western Australia. When I was there, I saw firsthand the impact that such programs are having on young kids. I met with the Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service and Wunan Health service. The work that they are doing there is unbelievable. It is community controlled, culturally appropriate and immediately responsive to the needs of those communities. One such program, supported by the Department of Social Services, is the Stronger ACCOs, Stronger Family project. It was designed to strengthen partnerships between Aboriginal community controlled organisations and non-Indigenous service providers in the child and family sector. Through meaningful collaboration, the initiative aims to create a culturally responsive and cohesive system that empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families. I want to thank everyone who has been involved in the development of this legislation and Our Ways—in particular, the First Nations people who shared their stories with government and who advocated so firmly and persistently for their communities. This legislation doesn't represent the end of this journey but the next step in our shared commitment to support First Nations children and young people. They deserve more. We owe it to them. They deserve to live and grow free from violence. They deserve to live and grow safely in their own homes, on country and with their communities. They deserve to have their strengths acknowledged and celebrated. They deserve the recognition that their communities have the solutions and that they're already doing the work. And they deserve to be supported and to heal. I have to say that I'm proud to be part of a government that will work to turn these words into a lived reality.
Cost of Living | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
Today in this building we have heard 15 names, each one etched into our national memory. They are the names of those whose lives were taken far too soon at Bondi's horrific terrorist attack. This...
Today in this building we have heard 15 names, each one etched into our national memory. They are the names of those whose lives were taken far too soon at Bondi's horrific terrorist attack. This profound act of violence has shaken our nation. This was an attack on our shores in a place so special to many, an iconic place we all know and love. The names of those we've lost represent an Australia that is forever changed. We are a nation now in mourning and in shock that this happened in our home. As a mother, grandmother and sister, I carry the fear of losing a loved one with me every day. Anyone who has lost someone they love knows that grief does not end. It stays with you, and it eternally comes in waves. For each life lost there remains empty chairs at family tables, faces no longer at community gatherings and a warmth missing from the moments that shape a life. Even the moments that should be joyful are forever marked by absence. Today and every day I extend my deepest condolences to the families whose lives have been torn apart by the attack at Bondi. I want to take a moment to especially acknowledge the parents of young Matilda. No parent should ever have to bury a child. There are no words that can ease your pain, but I'm so deeply sorry for your loss. I also extend my condolences to the broader Jewish community, because the loss of these 15 lives was not random. This was a targeted antisemitic act of terror, an attack directed at Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, a time that should be marked by light, faith and celebration. Australia has been a place of refuge for so many Jewish people in the aftermath of the Holocaust. We are a country that promises peace, safety and solace not only for Jewish people but for so many people who migrated for a better life or travelled to our shores as refugees seeking safety. We are a fiercely proud multicultural society. It's part of our national character and one of our greatest strengths. Our promise of peace must never be broken by any of us. While Bondi will mark Australia forever, the question now is how it will do that. We must remember that this attack was not only an assault on 15 people nor only the Jewish community. It was an attack on all of us, on our values, our social cohesion, our belief that people should be able to practise faith freely and live free from fear. Every one of us must be vigilant against attacks on our values, attacks on peace, and we have to be vigilant against the embedding of hatred towards Jewish and other communities in our society. We must hold those who seek to divide and harm others accountable. As the member for Macnamara said today: Not every act of hate ends in violence, but every act of violence begins with hate. Through the pain, we should remember all those who showed up for others in the wake of Bondi. They showed who we truly are. They showed us love, and they rejected hate. The ambulance officers, the police and first responders who ran towards danger, the nurses and doctors who treated the injured, and healthcare workers and thousands of Australians who lined up to donate blood, with queues stretching across the country. I also think of Australians who risked their own lives to protect strangers on that terrible day, including Ahmed al-Ahmed. In the aftermath, al-Ahmed's father has said: 'When he did what he did, he wasn't thinking about the background of the people he's saving. He was think of the people dying in the street.' I think of those who refuse to stay silent in the face of hate and all those who showed up for the Jewish community in grief, in love and in respect for humanity. In the aftermath of Bondi, I met with local Victorian Muslim leaders alongside Basem Abdo, the member for Calwell; and Premier Jacinta Allan. They spoke with deep compassion for the Jewish community, and they condemned the atrocity without hesitation or qualification. Despite their differences in faith, background or politics, they stood united in humanity, anxious to find the way through this tragedy and to do what they can to prevent this happening again. This is the Australia we must hold onto. This is who we must remember we are—an Australia where difference does not divide us, where kindness is not weakness but courage. Social cohesion rests on respect for one another, for our institutions and for the opportunity for every person to live with dignity and safety. All of us in this building carry a personal responsibility to stand against hate, not fuel it.
Energy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
We have the Leader of the Opposition taking the last MPI of the year in what sounded like a desperate leadership-saving speech. We have leaders on this side who don't need to make...
We have the Leader of the Opposition taking the last MPI of the year in what sounded like a desperate leadership-saving speech. We have leaders on this side who don't need to make leadership-saving speeches because we're respected around the world as leaders. Australia is stepping onto the world stage with credibility and purpose, and those opposite cannot stand it. They cannot stand that Australia is respected once again as a powerhouse around the world for change and for good—that we have a government that understands both climate change and affordable energy, and that we're united, coordinated and actually delivering. Instead of celebrating Australia's world leadership, the coalition is wandering around with their heads in the sand—sandhills filled with denial, delay, dysfunction and division. They're the Ds that the Leader of the Opposition should be talking about. The tail is wagging the dog, with the Nationals calling the shots, and the Liberals are letting it happen. Meanwhile, this government is building the modern energy system Australians deserve. The Liberal Party once claimed it would 'meet voters where they are'. Well, Australians overwhelmingly support climate action, clean-energy jobs and cheaper renewable power. The problem for the Liberals is that they've walked away from every one of those priorities and are wandering in a wasteland. They abandoned their commitment to net zero by 2050—a commitment backed by business, by agriculture, by energy investors and by the vast majority of Australians. Just months after promising to stick with it, the Leader of the Opposition dumped the target entirely. They are so far away from where Australians are it's beyond belief. Their argument that they can walk away from net zero while still honouring the Paris Agreement simply doesn't stack up. The treaty requires countries to show progression and ambition. Backsliding breaks trust, damages our credibility and holds back our national economic interest at the very moment that global markets are shifting. The coalition love to talk about power prices, but for a decade they refused to replace ageing coal plants they knew were breaking down and indeed closing down. When coal breaks down, your bills go up. Twenty-four out of 28 closures were announced on their watch. They left households exposed, the grid exposed and prices vulnerable—and now they want to lecture us on energy. Please! Because of that, we're now playing catch-up on the fact that of the mere 23 energy policies they announced, they couldn't land a single one. Their new plan boils down to two fantasies: (1) coal will magically last forever, and (2) nuclear reactors will arrive overnight—never mind the cost, the laws, the timelines, the geography or the expert advice. The experts are crystal clear: nuclear is the slowest, most expensive, least flexible form of energy. Every credible authority—the CSIRO, the Australian Energy Market Operator, Treasury—says the same thing: the cheapest new energy is renewable energy, backed by storage and transmission. The CSIRO's latest GenCost report confirms this again. No amount of political spin changes the economics or the facts, yet the coalition cling to nuclear like a life boat. Except it's not a life boat, it's a sketch on the back of a napkin. It won't deliver a single watt until the 2040s or the 2050s, and only after taxpayers foot a multimillion dollar bill. They claim they'll cut subsidies for renewables, but what they're really cutting is the cheapest energy available to Australian people. Investors know the truth. In 2024, two-thirds of global energy investments went to renewables. The market has chosen, and the coalition hasn't noticed. While they fantasise, we deliver. In just a few years, the government has supported around 1,000 Australians a day getting behind the wheel of a cleaner, cheaper-to-run EV or hybrid. We've just recorded the strongest year ever for electric vehicle sales. Big batteries are coming online at record speed. Transmission upgrades are underway across the country. Renewables have hit 50 per cent of the national grid for the first time. In September, renewables hit 70 per cent for half an hour on 81 per cent of days. We've green lit 111 renewable projects, enough to power more than 13 million homes. More than 1,000 home batteries are installed every day; there are more than 500 new solar households every day. That means that one in three households now has rooftop solar, more than four million installations. More than 120,000 household batteries have been installed since July alone. We're also reforming the energy market so consumers come first. That means stopping sneaky price-hikes by capping retailers to increase one a year, ensuring no customer pays above the standing offer when their discounted plan ends, banning excessive fees, guaranteeing fee-free payment options and putting a stronger obligation on retailers to support hardship customers. Our Solar Sharer plan will also require energy retailers to offer three hours of free electricity each day during the peak solar generation period. This is real reform, real action flowing directly into people's homes. We're not stopping there. We've launched the Solar Saver retail offers. We've made home batteries cheaper. We've capped gas prices. We've delivered bill relief, and wholesale electricity prices fell by a third last quarter. The Australian Energy Market Commission has warned that delays to collecting renewables and transmission will push prices up. That's why we're pushing ahead, not dragging our feet like those opposite. Let's not forget, when we came to government, the coalition had kept hidden from the Australian people a 20 per cent electricity price rise. They hid it from Australians and they want to lecture us about energy costs. Under the coalition, emissions flatlined for a decade. Under Labor, we're already 29 per cent below 2005 levels and tracking towards 42 per cent by 2030. We've delivered the biggest fall in non-land emissions ever recorded outside the COVID lockdowns. And now the world is taking notice! Australia has secured the presidency of COP31, not just a seat at the table, but chair of negotiations. Do we remember the empty rooms the former prime minister spoke to in Glasgow? That will not be us. We will be leading global climate negotiations from the end of COP30 through to COP31 in partnership with our Pacific family. We'll host a Pacific pre-COP. We will elevate the voices of those most vulnerable to climate impacts. We'll help shape the global agenda and Turkiye will host the summit in 2026—a partnership built on trust, respect and real diplomacy. This is leadership. This is what it looks like when a government takes climate and energy seriously. This is what it looks like under the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, who I believe is the strongest minister the portfolio has ever had, supported by an exceptional team, including the member for Fremantle and the member for Jagajaga. The opposition want Australians to be stuck with unreliable coal from the 1970s, nuclear reactors that won't exist for decades and rising power bills. Labor wants Australia to become a clean energy superpower with investment certainty, good regional jobs, energy security and cheaper, more reliable power for households. That's what Australians want. It's what they deserve, and it's what they will get from an Australian Labor government—an energy system that works for them, not one mired in chaos, denial and division. We will keep going. We will keep building. The coalition can either come with us or keep their heads in the sand, where they can only dream of the coordinated and wonderful action that this side of the House is taking. The Labor Party cares about Australian people. We know where they are, we know what they want and we are here to deliver it.
Rayner, Ms Jenny | Constituency Statements | House debates
Today I rise to honour Jenny Rayner. She's a longstanding and beloved community worker who recently retired after 18 years of service to the most vulnerable members of my electorate, Cooper....
Today I rise to honour Jenny Rayner. She's a longstanding and beloved community worker who recently retired after 18 years of service to the most vulnerable members of my electorate, Cooper. Jenny's retirement from the Jika Jika Community Centre, a local neighbourhood house, gave us all pause to reflect on her work over almost two decades. Jenny ran playgroups at the beginning, critical for connection between parents and for the development of children. She then worked providing outreach to the residents at the Walker Street public housing estate, where she ran homework programs and advocated for the public housing tenants there. At the High Street housing estate, Jenny ran everything from cooking classes to putting in vegetable gardens and caring for the residents there. She organised hampers for Christmas, delivered meals and ran activities like the popular chalk drawing competition during COVID. All these programs and activities are about connection. They're about people centred, community centred care. They are programs designed to meet real need on the ground, programs that can't be easily accessed elsewhere and that foster healthy, connected living while addressing unmet need and essential support for anyone who needs it in our community. When I think of Jenny and her work, she embodies the essence of community work done right across Victoria through our neighbourhood houses. It reminds me of the many wonderful community workers now in retirement. And, while these are not exclusively female domains, it happens to be women from neighbourhood houses who have provided timely and effective services to the community over many decades—great women like Marie Goonan, Angie Davidson, Gina Wittingslow and Colleen Duggan, who all left our community stronger and more resilient through their tireless work and advocacy. I thank sincerely Jenny and all the workers in neighbourhood houses. These are amazing spaces designed to meet hyperlocal needs centred in neighbourhoods with the diverse needs of each location in mind and in heart. They are spaces that provide friendship, support, learning and wellbeing. I don't know of any other space where anyone can drop in for a cuppa to reduce their isolation, collect a food parcel, speak to a support worker, learn a skill, volunteer, join an activity group and the list goes on. All of these activities provide support to improve the wellbeing of community members. This is not a flippant statement; it is a fact. Neighbourhood houses contribute $21.94 of value for every dollar of funding they receive. I'm sure there's not an MP amongst us that doesn't appreciate the value of neighbourhood houses. To all the workers in neighbourhood houses across Victoria: thank you for putting community first. Your responsiveness is what brings care, compassion, knowledge and dedication.
Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
There's 30,000 people here on PALM, Michael.
Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025, Environment Information Australia Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Customs Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Excise Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (General Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Restoration Charge Imposition) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I rise today to speak on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and the proposed reforms. These reforms will ensure the future and prosperity of our beautiful country and...
I rise today to speak on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and the proposed reforms. These reforms will ensure the future and prosperity of our beautiful country and environment. Of course, while speaking on these beautiful lands, it would be remiss not to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples and indeed all First Nations people. For tens of thousands of years, they have cared for and acted as stewards of the lands, air, waterways and oceans of this country. It is within this tradition of stewardship, protection and care that I speak on these bills. Australia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, from mountain ranges in the east to breathtaking beaches in the west. It is home to a rich biodiversity unlike anywhere else on the planet. Even in my own electorate of Cooper, despite being better known for some of Australia's best lattes and coolest streets, we are home to an abundance of beautiful lands, including waterways like the Merri Creek, the Darebin Creek and Edgars Creek. They are benefiting right now from federal government investments to rewild and protect them and also from the ancient knowledge of Indigenous rangers, including groups that do cultural burns on the waterways, exposing ancient Indigenous grasses and plants that haven't been seen for decades and possibly centuries. In addition to our wonderful First Nations groups who have protected these beautiful lands and waterways, it's been the environment and climate movement and thousands of activists young and old who've played such a big role in championing and protecting our natural environment. In Cooper we have many groups focusing on protecting the environment: Friends of Edwardes Lake, headed up by the indomitable Kate Jost; Darebin Climate Action Now, a tireless group of climate and environment campaigners; friends of all of the creeks I mentioned above, who tirelessly plant trees, remove rubbish and volunteer every weekend; amazing individual warriors like Cath Rouse, who showed me Toolangi Forest for the first time, and the amazing Carolyn Lunt, who helps locals convert their gardens to native Indigenous wonderlands; and, of course, our local Labor members who make up LEAN, the Labor Environment Action Network. I love working with these groups. It's truly one of the highlights of my role as a local representative. Indeed, it's one of the hallmarks of Labor governments to work constructively with the environment movement to bring about real, lasting change for the environment. Whether it be working with protesters in Tasmania to save the Franklin, championing First Nation groups to protect the Daintree and Kakadu or collaborating with unions on green bans, Labor has delivered real change for the environment. But the reality is that all this is under threat because Australia's national environmental laws are no longer fit for purpose. The EPBC Act is 26 years old now. In 2020 Graeme Samuel tabled his report for the then environment minister—now the Leader of the Opposition—the member for Farrer. The report showed that environmental laws in this country were broken and in desperate need of reform. The laws do not work for the environment, they do not work for industries and they do not work for the Australian people. This report was delivered with clear directions on next steps, and it sat there for years. Is it any wonder our environment fared so badly under the Liberals and Nationals when, in the last decade, they repeatedly axed climate laws; failed to fix Australia's broken environment laws despite having a widely supported blueprint to do so; sabotaged the Murray-Darling Basin Plan; promised $40 million of Indigenous water plans but never delivered a drop; set recycling targets with no plan to deliver them—the list goes on. Today we are trying to correct the record after inaction and neglect. After turning their back on the environment while in power—and now actively working against progress—the Nationals and the Liberals are standing in the way of creating a sustainable country. Every day we delay, every day we let them drag their feet, the more it costs us. It costs our country, our beautiful landscapes, the chance for a protected natural environment that will be here long after us. It's why it's an honour to speak on these bills, and I extend my congratulations to the environment minister as well as the former environment minister, the member for Sydney, for all their work. Moreover, I extend my congratulations to everyone in the community who has worked constructively with the government on developing this legislation. In particular, I note, again, the work of the Labor Environment Action Network. They have been champions of these reforms for years. These bills deliver modern, fit-for-purpose national environmental laws. These laws are a targeted package of reforms to the EPBC Act centred on three key pillars: stronger environmental protection and restoration; more efficient and robust project approvals; and greater accountability and transparency in decision-making. These are stronger environmental protection and restoration laws that won't just deliver better protections for our species and our special places but restore and regenerate them for future generations. There will be more efficient and robust project assessments and approvals that will allow us to better respond and deliver on national priorities like the renewable energy transition, a future made in Australia and the housing that we so desperately need, and greater accountability and transparency in decision-making to give all Australians confidence in these laws. All in all, the government has been guided by Graeme Samuel's seminal report. It's our priority to deliver the Samuel report recommendations as a critical first step. History shows us that progress comes in steps. The steps proposed in these new laws are huge. There's always more to do, but those who wait for the final step before we even start often end up taking no steps at all. We have seen this before. I still wonder, to this day, how far down the track we'd be if we had introduced a CPRS over a decade ago. We need to start protecting nature now. These bills will do just that. What are some of the key components of these bills? Under the proposed reforms we will establish Australia's first ever independent National Environmental Protection Agency. This will be a proud Labor legacy, delivering on an election commitment that was proudly campaigned for by ALP branch members. The newly-established National Environmental Protection Agency will be a strong independent regulator with a clear focus on ensuring better compliance with and stronger enforcement of Australia's new laws. It would exercise a range of powers independently of the minister such as compliance and enforcement of the laws and project conditions, and the auditing of state and territory processes for project assessments and approvals against new national environmental standards. It is a needed regulator that will ensure environmental protections. There will be reforms to allow the environment minister to meet the national environmental standards. These standards will set the boundaries for decisions to ensure they deliver improved environmental outcomes. Standards will protect the environment, give businesses clear rules and help decision-makers be fair and consistent. What this means on the ground is that we can get to work on protecting, conserving and restoring important environmental areas and species. We can truly make up for the environmental damage of the past—try and reverse what has happened under the Liberals' and Nationals' neglect. We'll support better decision-making for the future and help the public understand and comment on projects. Another area where this bill will make real and lasting change is in ensuring a net gain for our environment. This means that, on the bottom line, we are contributing positively to the environment. Where an organisation can't, there are other avenues to offset that impact. When we enter any of our national parks, we each make a pledge to take only memories and leave only footprints. It's a reminder of our place in this world: to tread lightly, to not damage. This message should be for all individual people and big corporations. If you can't leave the environment how you found it, it's only right you contribute in other ways to its sustainability. This bill will ensure that projects must leave the environment better off by introducing the concept of 'net gain' for environmental offsets. This is a shift from the current rules threshold, which is a 'no net loss' concept. This will shift the dial towards restoration, giving our native populations the opportunity to regenerate, recover and become more resilient. It means more steps towards improving our environment, not just accepting the way things are. We want to make renewable energy and sustainability the way of the future. This bill package recognises that a more efficient regulatory system is needed to enable better and faster decisions. More efficient and robust project assessments and approvals will allow us to better respond and deliver on national priorities, like the renewable energy transition and a Future Made in Australia. We're making strides in the area of renewables. Around half of all electricity in the national grid came from renewable sources in September 2025—the highest monthly rate on record. We are tackling emissions and are confident we have the policies in place to deliver on our ambitious 2030 emission reduction targets. We are also here fighting to get this bill passed and these environmental protections enshrined. We cannot allow for more division and inaction, and we cannot continue to delay. I stand here as a proud representative of my electorate, Cooper, whose people view the environment and the protection of our biodiversity as top of the agenda—our most pressing issue. Some parties have been arguing that the bill should contain a climate trigger. In his review, Graeme Samuel cautioned against trying to make the EPBC Act the mechanism to limit emissions directly. There is already legislation that limits emissions, called the safeguard mechanism. These bills, however, will require proponents to disclose their emissions and provide plans around how they will reduce their emissions in line with their safeguard mechanism obligation. These requirements, along with the establishment of an independent EPA and enforcement of the safeguard mechanism, will go a long way. In fact, Graeme Samuel has been publicly calling on the Greens and other parties to agree with this. The steps proposed in these bills are huge. The steps proposed in these bills are important. The steps proposed in this bill will go a long way to making a difference in protecting our environment now and into the future. We need to pass them now. We need to start that work right away. We cannot wait any longer. As I said earlier, there's always more to do, but those who wait for the final step, before we even start, end up taking no steps at all. We've seen this before and we are committed to not letting that happen again, because every day we delay is a day our environment is degrading. The government remains in communication with environment groups, and the environment movement, about what future steps we can take. I look forward to continuing to work with the minister and the environment movement, but at this exact moment I congratulate the minister, the government and the environment movement on developing these bills and taking the first steps to make change happen. For the environment, for the climate, for the future, I commend these bills to the House.
Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation) Bill 2025, Superannuation Guarantee Charge Amendment Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I rise to speak in support of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation) Bill 2025. This is a bill that represents the Labor Party and the union movement at its best. It's a bill that...
I rise to speak in support of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation) Bill 2025. This is a bill that represents the Labor Party and the union movement at its best. It's a bill that supports working people, women and older Australians. It's a bill that builds a system and a country that is fair, that is just and that supports people to live a life of dignity. That is what the Australian Labor Party is about: working hard, looking after one another and assuring that everyone, not just the wealthy, can live that life with dignity. One of the key ways that the Australian Labor Party has supported this vision for our society is through the mighty superannuation system. Superannuation is one of the proudest achievements of the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Labor movement. It is the absolute embodiment of a simple but powerful idea: that after a lifetime of work, every Australian deserves dignity, independence and financial security in their retirement. Let me tell you this: it did not come easily. Superannuation wasn't handed down by very generous employers. No, it was fought for, tooth and nail. It was envisaged to be part of that great idea of the social wage. This was a view and a vision of the Hawke-Keating era and of that great trade unionist Bill Kelty. It was established along with other great measures of the social wage like Medicare, another great implementation that we are incredibly proud of on this side of the House. In the 1980s, unions and the Hawke and Keating Labor governments came together to tackle one of the great injustices of our economy: that only the wealthiest Australians could have a decent retirement. At that time, it was only a small percentage of Australians—and, I've got to say, mostly men—in fairly high-paying jobs that had any form of superannuation at all. These superannuation funds were run by their employees. They were industry based and all run under different legislation and different rules. We wanted that to be uniform and available to everyone, and, through bold Labor reform, that changed. The introduction of universal compulsory superannuation in 1992 transformed our entire economy. It definitely transformed the lives of millions of Australians. It extended the promise of a decent retirement to women, casual workers, people in low-paid jobs and those who were too often left behind. It established the three pillars of retirement: the pension, superannuation and personal savings. Today, the superannuation industry holds trillions of dollars in superannuation savings that belong to the workers of this country. That's not just an extraordinary asset. It's a testament to the power of a collective vision, to hard work and, yes, to sacrifice. Many people might forget that at the establishment of the superannuation industry, workers forewent a three per cent pay rise in one year to establish their funds, putting that hard-earned money, or that hoped-for pay rise, not directly into their pockets that year to spend but into a superannuation fund that would grow with compound interest—that amazing thing—over their working lives to give them a decent retirement. Some of these workers were very low paid, so foregoing a three per cent pay rise was actually a great sacrifice to them. Not everybody supported the concept. Definitely, I would say people on the conservative side of politics and a lot of employers did not support it, but neither did a lot of people on the progressive side, including some workers and some unions. They thought that that money was better off going directly into the pockets of workers and not into a fund. So there was a lot of debate and a lot of discussion about establishing the superannuation industry. But thanks to union legends like the great Tom McDonald—the late Tom McDonald, I'm sad to say. He was the national secretary of the Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia at the time. He believed passionately that superannuation was going to be one of the most important assets that workers could have. He ran an amazing campaign with his building workers at the time to convince them that this was a good idea. He did that. He held a members meeting one day, and they voted to forego their pay rise to establish their superannuation fund. And when the Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia got that over the line with their members, other unions followed. It was an amazing beginning. Tom McDonald went on to be a great supporter of the superannuation industry, and I'd like to acknowledge his contribution today. Superannuation has made Australia one of the most secure retiree nations in the world. But, like any system, we know it can always be improved. There's always more work to do. It seems that those on the other side want to spend a great deal of their time tearing down some of our great institutions. We know what they've tried to do to Medicare over the decades and over time. We've heard that many times in this House. They have constantly launched attacks on our superannuation system. They seem to think that it is an absolute anathema that workers should accrue such capital. Even more offensive to them is that workers have control of that capital. You see, workers sit on industry superannuation fund boards and are part of a very important governance structure of that industry. When I was president of the ACTU—and, indeed, secretary of the nurses' union—we fought off attack after attack from conservative governments on that system. We on this side of the House are in absolute agreement that we need to build on these systems. That's why, in the last term of government, the Albanese Labor government expanded paid parental leave to include the payment of superannuation, to ensure people who take time away from work for parental leave don't miss out on lost super. And, my goodness, it will go a long way to closing that gender pay gap. That's why we are here today. We know that too many workers are missing out. They're missing out because some employers only pay super once a quarter or, worse, fall behind all together. When super isn't paid every payday, workers lose out on the compound interest that makes super so powerful. It's their money, earned through their labour, and it should be in their account when they're paid, not months later. In addition to this, quarterly payments make it harder for workers to track what they're owed, and it's easier for those dodgy employers—and I want to make the point that there are not many of them, but there are some out there—to delay or avoid paying super at all. In fact, the Australian Taxation Office estimates that $5.2 billion in super went unpaid in 2021-22 alone. That's $100 million every week that workers earned but never received, $100 million that should have gone to support their retirement, $100 million a week that would have supported them to live their lives with dignity. This issue isn't impacting the top of the town. It disproportionately affects younger workers and those in insecure work. These are people who can least afford to miss out on their retirement savings. These are the people who the Australian Labor Party is here, proudly, to support today with this legislation. People like my stepdaughter, who worked casually in hospitality, like so many people young people have done and still do. She would check her pay packet regularly. She just happened to see there was a super payment there, but didn't really take much notice of what was in her super account. It became apparent that she had not been paid her super for years. She worked for the one employer; she trusted him and he let her down. For three to four years he'd put no superannuation in her account at all. When we discovered this, she alerted her fellow employees and, just as the previous speaker my good friend the member for Bendigo said, the employer went bankrupt and disappeared. He had no money to pay what was owed to those employees. This is a story that we've heard time and time again. I'm very proud to say that, years later, my stepdaughter is a mum, she has a good career and she is also a union delegate. One of the things she is absolutely fiercely passionate about is making sure that all her fellow employees know how to check their super and make sure they're getting paid. Labor believes super should be paid on payday, just like wages. It's a simple idea that makes a big difference, ensuring every dollar workers earn works for them straight away. It's why the Albanese Labor government is introducing this bill, and why I am speaking so passionately in support of it. This legislation is a once-in-a-generation reform to fix unpaid super, and from 1 July 2026 employers will be required to pay superannuation guarantee contributions at the same time as wages. Employers must ensure that contributions are received by the employees super fund within seven business days of payday. This change will make it easier for employees to track their super, and for the ATO to detect missed payments earlier, before debts become unrecoverable—this is a critical part of this legislation. It also updates the superannuation guarantee charge, which is the penalty employers face when they fail to pay super on time, because failing to pay working people what they are owed is not okay. Under the new framework, the super guarantee charge will apply for each payday an employer fails to pay super in full and on time. The updated super guarantee charge includes notional earnings, and this compensates employees for the investment returns they missed out on due to late payment; an administrative uplift, which is an additional charge to reflect the cost of enforcement and to incentivise voluntary rectification; and choice loading, an additional penalty if the employer fails to pay into the employee's chosen fund. Employers who continue not to pay, even after the ATO has raised an SG charge, will face higher penalties of up to 50 per cent of the unpaid amount. These changes are designed to prompt employers to fix mistakes quickly and ensure workers are fairly compensated when employers fall short. If employers want to avoid these penalties, all they need to do is the right thing and make sure workers get paid their super on time into the right account with the right amount. Superannuation is a vehicle for fairness, for long-term investment and for nation building. We're incredibly proud of our superannuation industry. I think around $4 trillion is now held in assets for workers in this country. That is amazing money that is being invested in infrastructure, in health care, in all sorts of things that make this nation better. But we must always remain vigilant. We can't listen to those opposite who, every few years, try again and again to undermine the superannuation industry. Labor will always defend superannuation, because we know what it stands for: fairness, security and shared prosperity. The story of superannuation is a story about what Labor does best. We take good ideas and we make them universal. We don't just look after a few; we build systems that lift everyone up, and we improve those systems as time goes on. And that's what we'll keep doing. We'll keep defending the superannuation system for the workers who rely on it. We'll keep strengthening it. We'll keep defending it when it's under attack. And we will keep ensuring that the next generation of Australians can look forward to a retirement with dignity, built on those three pillars. They will have a retirement that is not uncertain and precarious but one built on security and dignity, knowing that they have worked hard all their life to achieve it, and that is exactly what will happen.
Women's Health Week | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
Women's Health Week is not just a reminder for women to prioritise their own health; it's a call to confront the sexism that still runs through our health system. And I must say that the former...
Women's Health Week is not just a reminder for women to prioritise their own health; it's a call to confront the sexism that still runs through our health system. And I must say that the former speaker, the member for Leichhardt, expressed it so beautifully as a great ally amongst the men in the Labor Party, and it's great to see that the men are now comfortable speaking about these things. See what happens when you have a majority women government? I know the sexism that runs through the health system not just from my experience as the former assistant minister for health but also from my own life and from my decades as a nurse, and I am surrounded by my women colleagues here today whom I know have had their own experiences. Too many times I saw women in tears; they were dismissed and ignored, their pain left untreated until their health worsened. I also experienced it in my own life, and it was then that I truly understood how it felt. In my 50s, I thought that heavy periods—or, as they're medically known, menorrhagia—and exhaustion were just a normal part of menopause. And then I found out that they weren't. But it took me collapsing at work with a haemoglobin level that was 'simply not compatible with life', as the doctor told me, before something serious had to be done. Just how far do women have to go? How bad does their health have to get, before it's taken seriously? I know my story is not uncommon. Almost every woman I speak to has their own version. The #EndGenderBias survey found that two in three women had experienced discrimination or bias in the healthcare system, with 70 per cent saying that that experience was via a GP clinic and half saying that it happened in our hospitals. Women have told me stories of being told their pain surely wasn't that bad or that they were exaggerating it somewhat. There were stories of being shamed by family and friends for actually speaking up. This isn't just bad luck or bad practice; it's what we call medical misogyny. It's why conditions like endometriosis, PCOS and chronic pelvic pain take years and years, sometimes decades, to diagnose. It's why too many women still, to this day, feel shame when talking about their menopause symptoms. It's why too many unplanned pregnancies happen, simply because women can't afford the contraceptives that work best for them. But something is changing. For the first time, I believe Australia is turning a corner. The Albanese Labor government has made the single biggest investment in women's health in our nation's history—almost $1 billion worth. This investment comes from the incredible advocacy of Labor women, many of whom are in this room, because when a government has more women in the room, its priorities change—and what a change we've made. Our investment in women's health is delivering real, practical change, including cheaper contraception, with more pills on the PBS and higher rebates for IUDs and contraceptive implants. This has been decades in the making, particularly with listing these drugs on the PBS. We have better rebates for GPs now to insert IUDs or contraceptive implants. This is going to make a huge difference for women, for whom the cost of having an IUD or long-term contraceptive was absolutely prohibitive. Nurse practitioners will be able to provide the service to women to insert IUDs or contraceptive implants, which means access will be greater. This is going to be a great boost, I believe, for rural and regional women who simply cannot access their GPs in a timely manner. The cost of contraception, the cost of unplanned pregnancies—these are costs that are predominantly borne by women. This has definitely been a gendered issue that the Labor government has been absolutely prepared to address—and we have. There's expanded menopause care, including new PBS listings, Medicare rebates for longer consults and our first national menopause guidelines. I can't tell you the difference this has made to women's lives. Women have been going to the chemist, taking a photo of their receipt and sending it to me, saying they cannot believe their menopause treatment is now accessible and so much cheaper. One lady said she just wanted to smother it all over herself! I didn't advise that; just take the recommended dose. But she was so happy, absolutely so happy with that. Our national menopause guidelines will mean, hopefully, that more health professionals will understand menopause and will understand how to treat women appropriately. Something that I am particularly proud of are the 33 new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics. These will now be supporting women with perimenopause and menopause. So many women have told me the huge difference this has made to them. They walk in to get health care, they are heard, they are believed, their pain is validated, and they get expert treatment. I want to give a big shout-out to all health professionals working in those endometriosis clinics, who are trying new, innovative and very holistic ways to treat women with that disease. Medicines will be capped soon at no more than $25, giving women across the country real cost-of-living relief. We have had some data released today that shows more than 715,000 cheaper prescriptions have been accessed, including contraceptives, menopause therapies and endometriosis treatments. Since July, my goodness, the Medicare funded menopause health assessments have seen 20,000 women access those services—20,000 women who now are getting better care for menopause. From 1 November, even more changes will take effect, with women accessing those IUDs and contraceptive implants at a much cheaper rate. The cost of medications will reduce even more because we've passed a bill to freeze the cost of medicines at $25. This builds on our broader agenda of making health care affordable for all Australians right across the country. These are life-changing reforms, and this is why leadership matters. This is why having strong advocates in this space matters. And there's no stronger advocate than the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Rebecca White. The assistant minister is not just a leader; she is a change-maker. With years of experience and a deep understanding of the barriers women face, Assistant Minister White will combine compassion with determination. She will fight to ensure that women's health is never pushed aside again, and I know she will make the system fairer, and she will ensure that every single woman, no matter where she lives or who she is, will get the care she deserves. As for me, I'll be working closely with Assistant Minister White on the intersections between health and family and domestic and sexual violence, because we know violence and trauma can be incredibly detrimental to a woman's physical and mental health, and often health services are victims-survivors' first point of contact when disclosing violence. This government has already invested record amounts of funds into family, domestic and sexual violence. It's over $4 billion. But we aren't stopping here. The Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher, the Assistant Minister Rebecca White and I are determined to end the scourge of family, domestic and sexual violence in this country. We want all women to be healthy. We want women to feel safe. We want women to live their very best lives. As a government, we have introduced so many measures, including great measures through the health system. We are the party that built Medicare. We are the party that legislated paid family, domestic and sexual violence leave. We are the party that had the first woman prime minister. Now we are the party that is championing women's health, safety and economic equality. This Women's Health Week, we are absolutely determined to make sure that we will celebrate how far we've come. We will absolutely commit to finishing this job, which may never be finished, but we need Labor governments, like our government, the Albanese Labor government, that has a majority of women, that has an equal number of women in cabinet, that is sitting around the table, that is changing the priorities and that is fairly and squarely putting women's issues on the agenda. Whether it is health, family and domestic violence or women's economic equality, we are standing up for women all the way. We are a government that is majority women, and we are a government that has great allies in the men in the party as well. We are determined to lead—and that's just what we will do.
Address-in-Reply | Governor-General's Speech | House debates
I rise to speak in reply to the Governor-General's address, and I thank her most warmly for her wonderful service. Well, the 2025 election was won by an Albanese Labor government, and it was won...
I rise to speak in reply to the Governor-General's address, and I thank her most warmly for her wonderful service. Well, the 2025 election was won by an Albanese Labor government, and it was won on the basis of a belief in moving towards a more equal and caring Australia, with greater opportunity for all. The Australian people chose a future based on positivity, on hope and on trust over negativity and division. Reflecting upon it all has been such a positive experience. Our pitch to the Australian people was more cost-of-living support, free TAFE, lower HECS, safer penalty rates, action on climate change and cheaper energy, more bulk-billing, cheaper medicines, the valuing of workers, and cheaper contraceptives and women's health care—just to name a few things. The women's health package was particularly popular in my electorate of Cooper, as were the wonderful Medicare urgent care clinics. During the campaign, while traipsing the streets of Preston, I met a lovely woman, about 50 years of age. Let's call her Sue. Sue is a public servant and manages her life by working from home. Her house seemed beautifully chaotic and full of life. The sound of her dog barking and her teenage daughter yelling in the background made me reminiscent of when my three girls and my son used to all live at home with me. Sue told me that her life is difficult but fun and full of love. When I told her how the government is slashing the cost of Estrogel, she was actually ecstatic. Then, when I told her about how we are cutting the cost of contraceptives and endometriosis care, her face lit up again. Sue was so happy to hear that a government is not just taking women's health seriously but prioritising it. The hundreds of dollars Sue would save through cheaper medicine for herself and her daughters would be life changing. It gave Sue more room to breathe and more room to enjoy her beautiful and chaotic life. Her experience is emblematic of so many women I met on the doors during this campaign. It struck me that what women want is really simple: to be heard, to be seen, to live with respect and to feel equal. It isn't luxury; it is safety and it is time—time to be with family, time to be their own person. What they want is to live, not just to survive with their heads bobbing above the water. It's what I always wanted, too, because hearts starve just as bodies do. Sue's story was echoed right across my electorate of Cooper, from the cafe belts of Northcote to the sporting clubs of Reservoir. It didn't matter what class or background women came from; that desire for dignity, for fairness and for joy, not just the daily grind, is what I heard again and again. I know this not just from my own conversations but from all the conversations my incredible volunteers had. I'd like to take a moment to thank all those who committed so many hours during the campaign, rain, hail or shine. In Cooper we ran a people powered campaign. We relied on volunteers having real conversations with community members, whether it was knocking on thousands of doors across the electorate, phone banking night after night, or spending early mornings at train stations or long hours at prepoll. It was the principled and driven members of Cooper Labor that made the campaign so successful. Thank you to the incredible people who sacrificed time out of their weekends and lives to help deliver a historic victory in Cooper. This win is your win. To Daryl, Stefan, Astin, Tharun, Thomas, Shelley, Kristine, Vasilios, Matt, Emily, Tracey, Phil, Geraldine, Peter, Kate, Georgie, Cheryl, John, Jordan, Kiz and Div, David, Ramy, Koda, Riley, Jane, Marko, Andy, Mirsada, Aljalil, Brendan, Jane, Charlotte, James, Chris and so many others: thank you so much. And of course all of the Northcote and Preston Labor branches, uni Melbourne Labor, La Trobe Labor, my staff, and my wonderful family: thank you. Your energy, your care and your belief in something better were the heartbeat of the Cooper campaign. During the election, we spoke to thousands of women and men across Cooper about their concerns, and we had some very frank conversations. They were good conversations, and we made some very big promises. Cooper is a place of radicals and pragmatists, workers, business owners, professionals and academics and people from every background and walk of life, and people in Cooper are incredibly politically engaged. They keep me on my toes, and they know my every movement. They hold me accountable. So often I would knock on the door and the person who answered it would recognise me, lean on the side of the door and say, 'Ged Kearney, I have got something to say to you.' Sometimes I would worry, but most times it was because they cared deeply about the many things that I care about, like the environment and climate change, in particular. In fact, during the campaign, there was one man in his 40s who I met in Reservoir who managed to list almost every single climate initiative from the Future Made in Australia Bill to our solar initiatives and subsidies for home batteries. As a young father to young daughters, he expressed a terrible sense of dread about their future, yet, when he was met with a choice between voting for me or the Greens candidate, he chose me. He chose to vote for me because he knew that only a Labor government would deliver practical change and he knew that I would fight for that delivery. I do not take his vote lightly. My fight is quite easy with a minister for climate change and energy like Minister Bowen, who made some genuinely progressive and impressive commitments during the election. During that time, I was also proud to announce $3 million to support the local environment in my electorate, including much-needed funding for Edwardes Lake, Merri Creek, Edgars Creek, Darebin Creek and our local grey-headed flying-fox colony. I also got to announce upgrades for the Darebin Falcons, upgrades for Reservoir and Northcote senior citizens' centres, funding for Preston Lions, supports for Northcote Baptist Church, the Melkite community hall, Kouchkovski social club and the Darusalam Community Centre, and, importantly, $3 million to the Aborigines Advancement League, to see our women and girls' sport and wellness centre built in the next year. All of these go into my theory of change and are why I think Cooper gave me the honour of representing them. I believe change should be grounded in the simple belief that every person and every community matters. I believe in the politics of empathy—where we build community, where we don't drive competition, where governments don't step back but step up to support people to live with dignity and opportunity. We need a government that cares, that acts and that leads, like a government that fights for gender equality, for example, so all women can thrive, that backs strong unions, that lifts all workers and that takes bold climate action which leaves no-one behind. I also believe that change happens and matters at every single level, from sweeping national reform to local community driven work. Everything that we do in this building, no matter how big or small, has the power to shape someone's life. That's why we must always ask: who is this policy helping? At the end of the day, policy is not abstract; it's very personal. One of the promises closest to my heart and one that truly defines who I am as a former nurse, a unionist and a feminist is our commitment to women's health. This includes listing medications for endometriosis and menopause and new contraceptive medications on the PBS for the first time in decades, of which all have now been capped at just $25. I'm so proud of this policy because, when we announce policies targeted towards women, we're saying: 'We see you. Your pain is real, your needs matter and your health matters.' We're also saying: 'You deserve to do more than just survive; you deserve to live.' This is just one part of the broader feminist agenda. On top of this, the Albanese Labor government is also changing the way we value care. We've expanded paid parental leave to six months, with dedicated time for both parents, and, from this year, we'll pay superannuation on that leave for the first time ever. We're also making child care cheaper. This was a very popular promise with both women and men during the election, because by pushing costs down we are pushing opportunity up. What was also popular was our support for a real pay rise in feminised industries, because for too long too many industries and unscrupulous employers have relied on a historical sexist presumption about women's work and the care economy. On top of this, we've introduced employer level gender pay gap reporting and achieved our lowest gender pay gap on record. We are also working to end all forms of family, domestic and sexual violence. Already we've made a record investment of over $4 billion in new prevention and support services to combat family, domestic and sexual violence, and we're investing in incredible programs that are working to address sexual violence, including Consent Can't Wait, Teach Us Consent, Stop it at the Start and Our Watch. We've almost completed the development of the First Nations national safety plan, Our Ways—Strong Ways—Our Voices. Today I have the privilege of working alongside the new Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek, who is committed to transformational change for women. The Attorney-General is also doing some transformative work, building on reforms initiated by the former attorney-general to strengthen justice responses to family, domestic and sexual violence, including through harmonising consent and sexual assault laws across jurisdictions and increasing supports for those navigating the judicial system. The Minister for Housing has done some incredible work in making housing more accessible, including by investing over $1 billion for housing for women and children fleeing family and domestic violence. And Minister Wells in the Communications portfolio is delivering much-needed safety measures. There are reforms that she has introduced in banking and financial abuse, protecting women. Of course, last term we also delivered 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave, something I am particularly proud of because I had been fighting for this for over a decade, including when I was President of the ACTU. I fought alongside the mighty ASU and so many other unions for paid family and domestic violence leave, because no woman should choose between fleeing to safety and putting food on the table. This initiative also supports women to continue their careers, because they shouldn't have to choose between surviving and thriving at work. As the Assistant Minister for Social Services, working with Minister Plibersek on the prevention of family violence, I'm as fired up as ever to keep fighting. I'm fired up for people like Hope in my electorate. Her story tells the insidious nature of family and domestic violence, because it's not just the moment of an attack that's painful. Abuse seeps into every aspect of life. Hope and her mother experienced terrible abuse in the home, with one attack leaving Hope's mother deaf in one ear. People would ask Hope and her mum, 'Why don't you just leave?' Hope told me of the shame she felt whenever that question was asked—a shame that should never have been felt and a question that should never have been asked, because the reality for Hope was that, when she and her mum did flee, they were met with increased threats, financial abuse, intimidation, stalking and an attempt to set their home on fire. After they received a protection order and many other supports that got them to safety, the mental recovery began, which took years. Hope is now doing very well. Actually, she's not just doing well; she's thriving. She's thriving because she had access to social security, free mental health support and good legal support. But what she wants people to know is that violence isn't just physical and fleeing isn't so simple. We must stop violence before it starts, and we must address it in all forms, including coercive control, sexual violence, financial violence and verbal abuse. If we want to stop violence, we need to make a concerted effort across all government departments and all parts of society. That's why all of us in the Albanese Labor government are deeply committed to stopping family, domestic and sexual violence in a generation. I want to quickly acknowledge the incredible prior work in this portfolio by my dear colleagues Minister Rishworth and the member for Richmond, Justine Elliot, who have enacted incredible change, making the Albanese Labor government the largest investor in women's safety in history. Now it's time to grow and build on that, and grow rapidly. To get there, we must fight for cultural and social change, and that means working with men and boys. That means building healthy relationships and attitudes towards women from a young age. That means talking about consent, respect, digital literacy and healthy masculinity, but it also means fighting those factors that we now know lead some men and some boys down a path of violence, including social isolation, mental ill health and addiction. It means prioritising and protecting children, fostering their recovery and stopping the cycle of violence for them. None of these circumstances excuse the use of violence, but they do explain how it can happen, and we must do everything possible to stop that violence before it starts. This is part of our feminist agenda, and it's a feminist agenda focused not just on survival; it's an agenda focused on truly living. To Sue and Hope, and all the Sues and Hopes out there, this is one of the main reasons I came to this place: for you, for your safety, for your life—to look at the heart and not just the body. We want women not just to survive but to thrive and to have choices, opportunity, love and family, and we want the same for our men and boys. I'm deeply proud to do this in a Labor government. I'm deeply, deeply proud that the people of the electorate of Cooper elected me to represent them. I know that they care about the things that I care about. I know that they want me to stand here and speak up for them over and over again and to fight for policies that actually change their lives. The women of Cooper have spoken. They have told me that the policies we enacted in the last term of government have changed their lives. They have told me that they can now absolutely afford the medications that they need. So many of the women in Cooper have sent me pictures from their phones of how much their bill is—the actual dockets from when they go to the chemist, pick up their medication and see that no longer are they paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars every year for their medication; they're now getting it for so much less. So many women have cried. I've heard wonderful stories about our endometriosis clinics; they have changed people's lives. Women have said to me that for the first time ever, when they walk into these clinics, they are heard, they are believed and they are given treatment that absolutely validates years and years of their pain and suffering—years of being gaslit and being told, 'There's nothing wrong with you,' 'It's all in your head,' or 'It's just a woman's lot to put up with it.' And that is not the case. We can do something about that. And then there are the wonderful organisations in my electorate who work every single day and volunteer to make sure that their communities are kept safe, are not isolated and have somewhere to go. Amazing organisations like the Kouchkovski Social Club, the Elderly Citizens Club and our football clubs do so much for our communities, making sure people are fit and mentally well and that they can have a life that feels fulfilled. Isolation is a terrible scourge in our community, and supporting our very important social clubs is an incredibly important part of making sure we have a cohesive and strong society. Working with our First Nations communities is also incredibly important to me. I have a vibrant and amazing First Nations community in my electorate, which, I'm very proud to say, is also home to so many of the peak bodies that do great work in Victoria and beyond. The Aboriginal Advancement League is an amazing organisation that promotes wellbeing and a healthy future for our Aboriginal community. It was with great pleasure that we announced $3 million to support their women's wellness and sports centre. I know that this sports centre will make a huge difference to that community. It's been in planning for a long, long time. Finally showing that the federal government is willing to support that meant that the state government was also willing to come on board and deliver much-needed funding. Not only will the community gain a beautiful new centre for their women and girls to partake in sport, to stay well, to stay connected and to be proud of their culture, but we will also have brand-new turf for the much-beloved Fitzroy Stars Football Club. I'm very proud to be part of that. I'm very proud that we have been able to deliver for the people of Cooper. Sitting suspended from 13:35 to 16:00
Rearrangement | Business | House debates
I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would remove the time limit for the whole debate on the motion to take note of the Housing Australia Investment Mandate...
I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would remove the time limit for the whole debate on the motion to take note of the Housing Australia Investment Mandate Amendment (Delivering on Our 2025 Election Commitment) Direction 2025. Question agreed to.
Housing | Ministerial Statements | House debates
I move: That the House take note of the Housing Australia Investment Mandate Amendment (Delivering on Our 2025 Election Commitment) Direction 2025. Debate adjourned.
Darebin Child Care and Kindergarten, Assistance Dogs | Constituency Statements | House debates
In October 2023, I stood with early childhood educators, kindergarten teachers, parents and community members against Darebin City Council's plans to cut community childcare centre leases to just...
In October 2023, I stood with early childhood educators, kindergarten teachers, parents and community members against Darebin City Council's plans to cut community childcare centre leases to just two years—an ordeal that not only was costly but would've created instability for educators and for parents and their bubs. After our grassroots campaign, the council were forced to act, and I acknowledge Kat Theophanous, the state member for Northcote, and Nathan Lambert, the state member for Preston and Reservoir, for their hard work on this issue. Darebin Child Care and Kindergarten and 17 other community-run childcare centres and kindergartens fought and won five-year-plus-five-year leases. I'll never forget standing with directors, staff and families, making it clear just how important certainty and stability are for these crucial services that support our youngest Cooper residents. Last week as part of Early Learning Matters Week, I returned to Darebin Child Care and Kindergarten—not to protest but to celebrate with their director, Tina, and her team. It was moving to see the educators' pride in their work and the gratitude of families who rely on their care, and there was more to celebrate. At last these educators who have been undervalued for far too long will see a 15 per cent pay rise back paid, recognising the extraordinary difference they make every single day. This is about respect and dignity and about saying the work of caring for and educating our youngest citizens matters. I'd like to raise the issue relating to standards for training and accreditation of assistance dogs. My constituent Charles has an assistance dog that is vital to his wellbeing as someone who suffers from severe PTSD. He has told me stories that no Australian should have to tell—stories of being refused entry to libraries and supermarkets, turned away from public transport and interrogated when trying to get into rideshare services with his much-needed furry companion. Instead of being supported, many are made to feel humiliated, and these stories are not unique. Thousands of Australians with guide dogs, hearing dogs, psychiatric support dogs and more face this same battle every single day. At the heart of the problem is a lack of national standards, which creates inconsistencies between states and across borders internationally in accreditation, in enforcement and also in recourse for discrimination. The message is simple. Australians with disabilities deserve equality. They deserve dignity and certainty, not confusion and exclusion. I will continue to advocate on this issue to make our standards better and more consistent because people's lives and independence depend on them, and Australians who rely on assistance dogs deserve better.
Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) Bill 2025, Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I rise proudly today to speak on the Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) Bill 2025. This is a bill that should have been...
I rise proudly today to speak on the Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) Bill 2025. This is a bill that should have been introduced long ago, because, for too many years, female students have endured violence, harassment and abuse on our campuses, while many governments and institutions looked away. For too long, survivors have been left unsupported, unheard and disbelieved. So I stand here not only in support of this bill but in recognition of the generations of students, advocates and survivors who've fought relentlessly to make this moment possible. I also stand here as a woman who has experienced sexual harassment. The truth of the matter is that most women you know will have experienced sexual harassment, attempted assault or assault at some point, because, unfortunately, rape culture is deeply embedded in many parts of our society. I remember the first time, as a younger woman, I experienced sexual harassment. I felt deeply threatened and shocked. It makes me nervous even to stand here and talk about it now, because there's still a great deal of stigma associated with having been sexually assaulted. A man ran his hand up my skirt as I served him his meal in a restaurant that I was working in as a waitress. I was told, when I reported it, that working in hospitality, as I did, just goes hand in hand with this type of thing. As I got older and started going out and started going to university, for me, too, the harassment began to feel, well, just normal—'That's life. Just put up with it.' And this isn't a good thing. Women should feel shocked when facing harassment. It should feel strange, like something we've never heard of before. Instead, I remember, as a young woman, always being prepared, and moving in packs with the sisterhood. And this is how most young women live. We'd always have a friend accompany us to the bathroom. We'd have code words or looks to get a friend to intervene, or we'd hold hands over each other's drinks, or we'd have sleepovers, because no-one was allowed to go home alone. We were always ready to get into a fight for one another and we were always ready to be a social buffer to a man making unwanted advances, because, as a woman, you couldn't just say no; that would hurt a man's ego. And you never know how a man with a hurt ego will react. Will he become aggressive? Will he become abusive? Will he simply walk away and take no as an answer? As girls, we knew we had to defend each other, because we didn't know what our institutions would do. Would they believe us? It certainly felt like they wouldn't, if your perpetrator was someone you'd previously had an intimate relationship with. And we all knew, of course, we'd be asked, 'What were you wearing?' or, 'How much did you drink?' or we'd be accused of leading a man on and getting ourselves into these situations. And of course too many women are met with, 'Well, what are you going to do? You don't want to ruin his career, do you?' or, worse, lose your own job for speaking up, because victim-survivors are left to live with lifelong consequences and a trauma that could shape their career, their relationships and their mental health forever. I know many women really struggle to connect with their own body in the aftermath, too, saying that it doesn't feel like their own anymore. Many struggle with feelings of shame and isolation that never really truly leave. Every time my three daughters would go out, I would fear for them. I would find myself being one of those people looking at what they were wearing—are their skirts too short; are their necklines too plunging—and telling them to stick together, to not go on the streets alone, to not leave a place alone, to call me if they couldn't get a taxi. I was teaching my girls the way to behave and to act in society, out of my fear for them. I especially feared when they were at university. I fear for every young woman, really, because the numbers are stark. Right now, one in six students experiences sexual harassment at university; one in 20 are sexually assaulted. Almost half don't know how to report it, and only one in two students felt like they were heard when they did make a complaint. We now know that our Indigenous students are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing sexual assault at university too—so too are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and non-binary students. Students with disability and our international students and students from migrant and refugee backgrounds are all at greater risk. Most of us in this building will know someone who falls into one of these statistics. For me, it's Matilda, a young woman from my electorate. After a university ball one year, she returned to student accommodation with her friends, where, in front of others, a young man repeatedly groped her. Each time she said 'stop'. Each time no-one intervened. No-one came to her help. When she resisted, he pinned her against the wall, put his hand up her dress, and, when she fought back, he chased her, kicking at her door and screaming abuse. What happened next? Nothing. None of the other boys responded. Not even the other girls came to her aid. No-one knew what to do. There was no action from the university, and there were no social consequences for him. Instead, she was left isolated and treated as the problem. This is the culture that we are fighting to end. This is the culture that we must end—a culture where violence is normalised and survivors are penalised. And they're penalised whether or not they choose to speak up, because, frankly, women who have been abused are treated as pariahs, and we have a culture where women who react, 'ruin the fun' or insult perpetrators are treated very negatively. So we have this bill, the Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) Bill 2025, and this bill is about trying to change this culture. It's a huge task, but this is a great moment, because this establishes a new, standalone regulatory framework to prevent and respond to gender based violence in higher education. It gives the Minister for Education the power to set a binding national code. A code will require universities to make campuses, workplaces and accommodation safe and respectful; to actively prevent gender based violence, not just respond to it; to support survivors with trauma informed care; and to hold leaders—vice-chancellors and senior executives—personally accountable for compliance. For the first time, there will be real oversight, real transparency and real consequences. This isn't something that's just happened overnight either. It has come from the incredible work of survivors, advocates and student unions who have pushed for this reform for years, often at great personal cost. There would be many in positions of power who wouldn't have wanted these changes—who would have been fearful that they'd be held accountable themselves. So I want to acknowledge the powerful advocacy of all those who fought for this change, including all the victims-survivors from the STOP Campaign, from End Rape on Campus and from Fair Agenda. I know that last term, when they met with Minister Clare, they described their experiences on university campuses as deeply traumatic. University is supposed to be time of learning new skills, making new friends and setting yourself up for life, and often this is not what ends up happening. The victims-survivors described a terribly inconsistent complaint process, a lack of materials on how to even make a complaint, a lack of education on consent and the lack of feedback when a complaint was made. One student described it this way: 'I'm sick of my friends being assaulted. I'm sick of begging to feel safe. I'm sick of feeling ignored.' To everyone who shared their own stories and experiences: thank you. I know how traumatic reliving your pain can be, but none of it is in vain. I also want to acknowledge the incredible of work of the Minister for Education, Jason Clare, and his leadership. It's so important that we have good male leadership and representation in our fight against gender based violence. This bill builds on his work establishing the National Student Ombudsman earlier this year, ensuring students finally have somewhere independent to turn to when universities fail them. The ombudsman has also ensured a national perspective and experience of what's going on across our universities and gives students a consistent complaints process. So, whether you're in Melbourne, Perth, Wodonga, Cairns—it doesn't matter where you are; you'll get the same quality of response and care. The ombudsman is making important contributions towards the wider fight to end gender based violence, and in my own patch of social services, too. These bills are part of a much bigger story, because the Albanese Labor government is leading a whole-of-government effort to end gender based violence. It really will take all of us. Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for Social Services, and I are building on the incredible work done by the former social services minister, Minister Rishworth, including a record $4 billion investment into family, domestic and sexual violence prevention and response services. This includes prevention services that work with our men and boys to help them navigate their own trauma and unlearn sexist attitudes. This is important when it comes to our young men because we know sexist attitudes, what it means to be a man and sexist views about women are honestly going backwards right now. The research shows us it's getting worse. We must keep up with the times and respond to some of the terrible misinformation and hate that is being perpetrated online. We must catch harmful sexist attitudes even before our young men go to university. I know the Attorney-General, Minister Rowland, off the back of the incredible work of the previous minister, Mark Dreyfus, is strengthening our legal system so it's safer for victims-survivors and easier to navigate, because we know right now that 92 per cent of female victims-survivors of sexual assault committed by a male did not report their most recent incident to police. Ninety-two per cent did not report. This is not good enough. And we mustn't forget the social drivers of gender inequality, because while women are economically disadvantaged they are less likely to be able to flee abuse. That's why we're making record investments in education, housing, health and social services and we're increasing wages in female-dominant industries. Ending gender based violence will take every level of government, every institution and every community. Tackling economic inequality is vital to repairing the gender inequality that exists in our society. Right now, it is not good enough for victims-survivors to carry the voices of trauma for the rest of their lives alone, constantly telling them that their body and agency were taken from them, constantly interfering with their mental health, career and relationships. Every student deserves to feel safe. Every parent deserves to know their child is protected. Every victim-survivor deserves justice, dignity and support. This bill is about ensuring that no student's future is stolen from them by sexual violence. I'm deeply proud to support it. I commend the bill to the House.
Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I rise today to commend not just a piece of legislation but a promise—a promise that has been made to the Australian people, to our workers. It's a promise to introduce the Fair Work...
I rise today to commend not just a piece of legislation but a promise—a promise that has been made to the Australian people, to our workers. It's a promise to introduce the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025, a fight that many of us have been waging for years, including yourself, Madam Deputy Speaker Chesters. I stood with this struggle wearing many hats—as assistant minister in the Albanese Labor government, as the President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, as the secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and, most importantly, as a shift worker myself. As a nurse, as a retail worker and as a hospitality worker over my life, I know what it means to miss birthdays, barbecues, bedtime stories, bath time and precious moments with your kids and your family because your shift ends when everyone else's day begins. I know what it's like to work during those silent hours of night, where your only friends are the owls, the bats, or anyone coming home from Revolver! In the aftermath of all those odd hours resides a consistent state of jetlag too. When I was a young mum with baby twins, my husband and I bought our first house. It was in 1987. He was an apprentice chef, earning, at the time, about $180 a week, which wasn't a great deal of money, even back then. So, with two young babies and with interest rates soaring around 18 per cent—if anyone can remember when that happened—we were in real dire financial straits. I decided to work permanent night shift, because I knew that the penalty rates would get us over the line. I worked seven nights on and seven nights off. For anyone who has had to do this type of night-time rotation, they will know it is gruelling. You come home in the morning. I would get the kids ready for daycare. I'd give them their breakfast and get them dressed. My husband would well and truly have been gone by the time that happened. I'd get them to child care. I'd fall into bed and always manage about four hours—if I was lucky, five hours—of sleep before I had to get up and pick them up again. This was really hard. It does terrible things to your circadian rhythms, not to mention your mental health. But I did that for about four or five years. It got us through some really terrible times. I can certainly tell you that no-one is sacrificing that much of their life for a luxury bag or watch. You see, despite what any unscrupulous employer may tell you, penalty rates are no luxury. For millions of Australians penalty rates are compensation for missing out on those cherished moments and milestones of life, and for many Australians penalty rates are a survival fund, determining whether someone has enough to eat, enough to be housed and enough to pay their bills. That is because often our penalty rate workers are some of the lowest paid in this country. They're our cleaners, our retail and hospitality workers and our care economy workers. They're in our hospitals, our aged-care centres, fast food restaurants, supermarkets, pubs, schools and emergency services. Often their employment is casual, insecure and unreliable. And we know all too well who is more likely to be in casual and insecure work: it's women, and those with caring responsibilities, and our young people. I don't believe that anyone who is trying to balance caring for their babies or an ageing parent with work should lose fair compensation. And I don't believe that our young people, balancing TAFE or university with work, should lose fair compensation. When I was ACTU president I was asked by a journalist in a public forum how I could possibly justify nearly $100 an hour for a shift worker. I looked at that journalist, who was a very senior journalist, and I thought to myself: I wonder how much you actually earn a year. The worker who was getting nearly $100 an hour on possibly one single day of the year—I can't even remember; it might have been for working New Year's Day—would earn, over the year at that time, around $30,000 a year. These are not highly paid people. I said to the journalist, 'I bet you get paid nearly triple that much, and nobody asks you how we justify your salary.' The Albanese Labor government believes in fairness and opportunity, and that's exactly what this bill is about. However, fighting to protect penalty rates is not a mere value statement of the Labor government; it's a very real and constant threat. Back in 2015, when I was president of the ACTU, and over that whole period that I was in the trade union movement we saw employer after employer front the Fair Work Commission begging for cuts. They argued that they needed flexibility and efficiency, but really that was another word for cheaper labour. I used to joke with my members that flexibility was really the f-word. I remember that the restaurant and catering association argued to abolish loadings, and their CEO famously said, 'Well, unions can't mount this argument around going to church'—implying that nobody actually went to church anymore, and that weekends were meaningless—as though time with your kids, your friends and the rest of your community is irrelevant. In fact, a longstanding trope was that weekends no longer exist, that everybody works 24/7 now, that weekends are not a thing anymore and workers don't need to be compensated for it. But, as I said then, and I will say it now: the day they play the Rugby League grand final on a Tuesday morning is the day you can tell me there's no such thing as a weekend. The world still runs on a weekly rhythm, and an absolute majority of workers still work Monday to Friday. Yet the cuts keep coming. I read in the Australian a few months ago that the Australian Industry Group is pushing to cut the Clerks—Private Sector Award and, if they get their way, workers in admin, banking and finance, many of them young women, could lose up to $16,000 a year. That's a lot of money when you're on a low wage to start with—no penalty rates, no overtime and no breaks, just more profits for the top and less dignity for the people who make those profits possible. So gutting penalty rates is not a hypothetical. It is happening, and the bill is a line in the sand. More specifically, this bill enshrines protections for penalty rates and overtime entitlements in the Fair Work Act, making it harder for big business and employer groups to strip them away through award reviews. We are ensuring that penalty rates and overtime pay are considered minimum standards. If employers want to negotiate higher pay for their workers in exchange for a higher base rate, for example, they are still free to do that through the Fair Work Commission and through bargaining, alongside their workers and with the unions, and they must do that and still meet a better-off-overall test. There are no tricks and no loopholes now, and, most importantly, there will be less division of power. You don't have to be a lifelong unionist to know that divided we beg, united we bargain. Before those opposite try to call me a radical again, I want to emphasise that this bill still allows freedom of negotiation between employers and employees. It just balances the power when it happens. The bill is sensible and fair. And where is the coalition on this bill? They voted against restoring penalty rates in the last parliament. They backed the business lobbyists without compromise or question. The truth is that the Liberal Party has never believed in fair compensation for working people. In recent years, they opposed paid family and domestic violence leave, multi-employer bargaining and the right to disconnect. They also attempted infamously during the election to remove the ability to work from home. They talk about aspiration but for whom—whose aspiration? It's certainly not working people. This bill is part of a broader vision for our country, a vision that the Labor government is proud to fight for every single day. This builds on work we've already done, including increasing the minimum wage, stronger laws to close the gender pay gap and increased pay for care economy workers—historic investment in secure Australian jobs. Ours is a vision based on a fairer Australia for all. We understand the difference a few dollars can make each week. I certainly know the difference a few extra dollars made for me when I was a nurse raising my kids. This bill is for our nurses pulling late shifts and night shifts and for young baristas studying during the week, relying on weekend rates just to get by. It's for aged care workers who go above and beyond to ensure the best possible care at all times. This bill is for every worker who has ever missed a Christmas, a birthday, eight hours of sleep and every precious moment with a loved one. When we protect penalty rates, we protect people and we ensure dignity. I commend this bill to the House.
Crowley, Hon. Dr Rosemary Anne AO | Condolences | House debates
I rise today to offer my deepest condolences and to honour the life of a truly remarkable woman, former senator Rosemary Crowley. Rosemary was a trailblazer, a dedicated advocate for women's...
I rise today to offer my deepest condolences and to honour the life of a truly remarkable woman, former senator Rosemary Crowley. Rosemary was a trailblazer, a dedicated advocate for women's rights and a tireless champion for justice and equality. Her passing marks the end of an era, but her legacy continues to inspire us all, including myself and, I'm sure, many generations to come. Rosemary was born in Melbourne on 30 July 1938, which was a tumultuous period to spend some of your most pivotal early years. Like me, Rosemary was from a large Catholic family; hers had six children. Her mother, Monica, kept a busy home humming, while her father, Everard Willis, worked as an accountant. Rosemary's Roman Catholic upbringing and education at Kilmaire Brigidine Convent in Hawthorn instilled a passion for social justice and a vocation for community service within her. She was a bright young girl in a period that did not value girls' education. Despite this, she obtained a Commonwealth scholarship to complete a medical degree at the University of Melbourne. In her early years, Rosemary worked as a resident medical officer and as a pathologist. In 1964 Rosemary married James Raymond Crowley, and they moved to Berkeley, California. During this period, Berkeley was a hub of political activism, from the civil rights movement to the anti Vietnam War movement and the beginnings of the women's movement. I imagine being witness to it all left a deep impression on Rosemary. In 1969 Rosemary and James returned to Australia, this time to Adelaide, where she lived with their three sons, Stephen, Vincent and Diarmuid. In Adelaide Rosemary worked at children's hospitals as a parent education counsellor, as a lecturer on childbirth and as a foundation member of the South Australian Mental Health Review Tribunal. Rosemary's experience at Berkeley was matched with a period of significant political and social movement in Australia. Notably for Rosemary, it was the election, leadership and then dismissal by the Crown of Gough Whitlam, one of our most momentous and progressive leaders. It was during this period that Rosemary joined the Australian Labor Party. By 1983 Rosemary was on the Labor ballot and won a spot in the Senate for South Australia. I very much enjoyed hearing my previous colleagues' recollections of how she gained success in that endeavour. She was one of the first two female Labor senators for South Australia. Her election to the Senate was not just a personal achievement but a powerful statement in a time when women's voices in politics were still very much the exception rather than the rule. From the outset, Rosemary carried with her a fierce determination to make sure that women's perspectives were not just heard but acted upon, particularly when it came to health care and social welfare. Rosemary's prior experience in health care and community care deeply influenced her time in parliament. In reflection on her political put career, she said: 'My medical work was very much highlighting ill health that no individual doctor could solve. There was a lot of ill health, unemployment, lack of transport, and politics seemed the arena where decisions could be made to try to solve these problems.' Like Rosemary, I worked in health care and as a nurse for two decades. I saw how class and poverty were strongly interlinked with poorer health outcomes. Rosemary's passion for fighting the implications of class on health is something that's always inspired and resonated with me. I have tried to carry on this fight throughout my time in parliament and as the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health. In her own time in this building, Rosemary served as Minister for Family Services from 1993 to 1996. During this time, she fought relentlessly to improve the lives of Australian families, particularly women and children. Her contributions were not just about policy and politics; they were about people—something that we all should endeavour towards. She knew that true leadership required empathy, understanding and a commitment to uplifting those who were most vulnerable. As a Senator in the Hawke-Keating governments, she helped deliver instrumental changes to family payments, maternity allowances, disability support programs, carers' pensions, student assistance and youth training allowances. These initiatives have poured whole generations out of poverty, supported the first person in the family to go to university and enabled women, people with disability and pensioners to live with dignity. I think what many women empathise with is that you cannot have self-determination or autonomy without financial freedom. This is an understanding that is exemplified when you have more female voices in the room. It was not only her policy achievements that made Rosemary such an extraordinary leader. Rosemary was one of the founding members of EMILY's List Australia, an organisation that has been instrumental in promoting progressive women's voices in our parliaments. Her work with EMILY's List was not just about getting women elected. It was about making sure that women's issues were front and centre in our political debates and decision-making. EMILY's List is the reason abortion is legal across Australia. It's the reason we have paid parental leave and the reason we've had our first female prime minister, Julia Gillard. With EMILY's List, Rosemary played a key role in the Australian Labor Party's historic adoption of affirmative action measures in 1994. She was integral in the push for the party's commitment to having women preselected for 35 per cent of winnable seats by 2002. This was a bold, ambitious target at the time, and Rosemary was one of the most passionate advocates for seeing it realised. I believe this target is part of the reason that I am speaking with you today. Rosemary's work laid the foundation for the incredible progress we've seen within the Labor Party over the past few decades with regard to women. Very proudly, I can say that we're now the first party in Australia to achieve a majority female government, with women making up over 50 per cent of our parliamentary caucus. This is not just a symbolic achievement. It has real, tangible impacts on the way we govern and the issues we prioritise. Rosemary's legacy can be seen in so many of the decisions we make today. Just recently the Albanese government announced a historic women's health package: an investment of over half a billion dollars to improve healthcare access and outcomes for women across the nation. From funding for endometriosis and pelvic pain treatment to more affordable reproductive and menopause medications, this package will change the lives of countless women. We believe no-one should miss out on health care because of the size of their wallet or because of their sex. This is a core value and focus not just for me but now for the whole Labor Party. Once again I say that, if you have more women in the room, your priorities change. I'm incredibly proud to be part of a Labor Party that now better reflects the diversity of our society and that actively works to promote women's leadership, but I acknowledge that we still have a long way to go for accurate representation, including of people from diverse cultural backgrounds, those from the LGBTIQA+ community and people with a disability. EMILY's List has stood as an example for newer movements within Labor, including Rainbow Labor, multicultural Labor networks and Labor disability action networks. I can't wait to see what they achieve. Rosemary has changed Labor and Australia for the better forever. But, beyond her achievements, I think it's also important to remember that Rosemary was more than just her career discography. Above all, she was a deeply compassionate and generous person. She mentored many women, offering them her wisdom, her guidance and her friendship. She was someone who genuinely cared about people, their stories, their struggles and their successes. To her family, friends, colleagues and all those whose lives she touched I offer my heartfelt condolences. It's difficult to lose someone of such importance, but we can take comfort in the knowledge that her legacy will continue to shape our nation for the better. Rosemary Crowley's name will be remembered not only as a pioneer in Australian politics but also as a powerful force for change. Her legacy is embedded in the very fabric of our party, in the policies we champion and in the progress we continue to fight for every day. May she rest in peace knowing that her work was not in vain but has made great change. Rosemary, we honour you, we thank you and we promise to carry your vision forward.
Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples: 17th Anniversary | Ministerial Statements | House debates
Today marks a sombre but important occasion—a day that reminds us to reflect on the past of this country, examine the present and look to the future for what we as a society should be and...
Today marks a sombre but important occasion—a day that reminds us to reflect on the past of this country, examine the present and look to the future for what we as a society should be and what we can be. It's an important day—a day for reflecting on our nation's brutal and dark history and for acknowledging the pain that has occurred and is still occurring. It is a day for transformation and for committing to doing better and being better as a country. Of course, 13 February is the anniversary of the day in 2008 when the then Labor Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, issued his apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to the stolen generations—people whose lives had been blighted by past government policies of forced child removal and assimilation. It is a time that is a stain on our country and one we can't ignore—one that we must acknowledge and commit to never letting happen again. I, like so many Australians, remember that day very well. It was a watershed moment. I remember being on the lawns in front of Parliament House. At the time, I was working at the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, and I stood proudly on the lawns with my colleagues from the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives. We stood there listening to those amazing words—those moving words, those important words—from Kevin Rudd. There were tears. There was relief. There was joy. There were lots of hugs. At this morning's Sorry Day breakfast, the Prime Minister reflected on how, when we first apologised for the atrocities inflicted upon our First Nations people, we collectively became a better country, a country ready to take the next step to moving forward. Just as we acknowledged that history in 2008, today we commit to being a better country for now and into the future. Earlier this week, the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, tabled the Closing the gap annual report and implementation plan. As the minister said, and as our Prime Minister reiterated, the National Agreement on Closing the Gap is a landmark partnership. It brings together all levels of Australian governments and the Coalition of Peaks. It's an agreement that not only prioritises the government's deep partnership with Indigenous Australians and their organisations through the Coalition of Peaks but is one for all Australians, all political parties, all communities, all businesses and all schools. I thank the First Nations leaders who are working with the government on closing the gap. I particularly acknowledge the amazing Pat Turner, the lead convener and co-chair of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap. We know that, when policies and programs are created and delivered in partnership, when the community controlled sector is strengthened, when mainstream institutions are transformed and when data and information are shared with community, we see real positive changes in the lives of First Nations Australians. This is the key for transformation and for closing the gap. Our annual report and implementation plan show the progress made across the government and detail our plan in the priority areas of economic empowerment, cost of living, mental health and wellbeing, and giving our children the best start in life, health, education and housing. In 2024, I had the immense honour of being appointed the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health. It's not a role that I take lightly. I'm absolutely honoured to continue the work that Minister McCarthy undertook in this portfolio, and I'm privileged to continue to work with her in her new role as the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, an important portfolio. We also thank Linda Burney for all her incredible work in that portfolio. From the get-go, my approach to this role has been listening to First Nations people. It's why I've travelled across the country to meet with communities from Brisbane to Perth, Badu Island to Naarm and the Torres Strait to Adelaide. I had the great privilege of travelling to the Torres Strait, to Badu Island, where we announced that we would have four dialysis chairs there for that community. We had an amazing meeting. This is a tiny island, with 2,000 to 4,000 people, very close to Papua New Guinea, very remote and in dire need of dialysis chairs. Without those chairs, the people on Badu Island have to go to Thursday Island for treatment. Many have to say goodbye to their communities because they know that they will not return. It's a very sad thing when they have to leave the island simply to get health care. So one of the areas I'm particularly proud of is providing community controlled health care in the communities where people live and they can stay with their families. We are particularly proud of strengthening the community controlled sector. When the Albanese Labor government came into office we committed to strengthening the community controlled sector. We know that we get better outcomes when we work in genuine partnership with the people on the ground who know their communities so well. One of the key pieces of feedback we received from the sector was the need for long-term, sustainable and flexible funding to ensure that ACCHOs can focus on their core business of delivering culturally appropriate high-quality care to First Nations people across the country. From July 2024 we were proud to invest an initial $300 million to implement rolling funding agreements to provide certainty and flexibility for ACCHOs, bringing the total ACCHO investment under the Indigenous Australians' Health Program to $2.7 billion. What we know now that our forefathers did not acknowledge is that First Nations people are more likely to achieve better health outcomes when they receive health care from First Nations led organisations rather than from non-First-Nations-led organisations. Take, for instance, birthing on country. For thousands of years First Nations women have given birth on country, surrounded by culture, knowledge and community. Birthing on country is not just a health practice; it's a sacred connection to land, ancestors and identity for many. When First Nations women lead their own maternal care, we see better health outcomes. In fact, we've seen evidence that birthing on country leads to increased attendance at prenatal check-ups, higher rates of smoking cessation, the reduced likelihood of preterm births and greater rates of exclusive breastfeeding upon hospital discharge. The practice of forcing women to leave community security and home, often for environments that have felt unsafe, is disempowering and wrong. We also know that hospitals, like many other government run facilities, were a place where babies were stolen. It will take generations for our nation to rebuild that trust. It the responsibility of all of us to ensure First Nations women have choice and control over their health care and that culturally safe options are available. Today we acknowledge that progress has been achieved, mostly led by First Nations Australians, and that there is continuing work that must be done. On National Sorry Day I want to add my voice to the millions of others and say, on behalf of our government and ancestors, I am deeply, deeply sorry. I acknowledge that, while no words will ever be enough to rectify the pain that has been caused, we must always endeavour to mend the pain in any way possible—not just through words but through actions too. I thank everyone who fought for the national apology, many who are from the stolen generations themselves and who are still with us here today. We heard a number of their testimonies this morning at the breakfast here in this house. It was extremely moving. Their goodwill to continue to come to this house, to continue to work with the Australian people and to continue to work with the government to do more to repair the past wrongs is extremely generous. We want to do more, we will do more and we must do more.
Women's Health; Reference to Federation Chamber | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
by leave—I move: That further statements on women's health be permitted in the Federation Chamber. Question agreed to.
Health Care | Constituency Statements | House debates
I'm pleased to inform this chamber of an important step that will save lives and help Australians make informed choices about their health care. It was community advocates, parents and patients...
I'm pleased to inform this chamber of an important step that will save lives and help Australians make informed choices about their health care. It was community advocates, parents and patients here in Australia, my electorate of Cooper and indeed around the world that raised awareness of the neuropsychiatric side effects of taking montelukast, a prescription asthma and allergy medication. These advocates experienced trauma, confusion and, sadly, even the death of their children. Last month the TGA issued a safety alert to better highlight these side effects, including a new warning at the start of the consumer medication information sheets on montelukast products and additional information for doctors and patients on what to do if serious behaviour and mood related changes happen. I thank everyone who has raised this issue with me and fought so hard. This will help doctors and families across the country be better informed. It won't bring back young people we've lost but it will help save future lives, so thank you. I also wanted to express my pride about the Albanese Labor government's commitment to women's health. As assistant health minister, I often meet with women to hear their stories and to inform our policy. I heard one such story only last week from Carmen Lahiff-Jenkins, a social justice advocate in my community of Reservoir. At the age of just 13, Carmen suffered from undiagnosed adenomyosis and diverticulitis, and was told by a doctor that 'women just have pain'. Throughout her life, her pain is constantly dismissed. At times, Carmen lost her vision or the use of her hands and arms. Over the course of two years, she constantly asked the doctor if this could be MS. What did her doctor do? He ordered a blood test for MS just to placate Carmen, but Carmen later discovered that there's no such thing as a blood test for MS; he was merely mollifying her. Carmen went to another doctor who ordered proper tests, and what showed up was deeply troubling. With concerning neurological symptoms and bilateral changes in her brain, it appeared that Carmen may have had up to 11 strokes. Carmen was later diagnosed with Antiphospholipid syndrome, or APS. This is shocking, I know. But, working with Carmen, I'm pleased to bring attention to APS today, because I share Carmen's grave concern for the underdiagnosis of stroke and other autoimmune diseases such as APS in women. The vast majority of people who suffer with autoimmune diseases are, in fact, women. No woman, and no person, should go through what Carmen went through. This government has made a lot of progress addressing medical misogyny, but as I stand in this place and reflect on Carmen's story I am reminded of just how much more there is to do.