Katie Allen's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
Budget | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
It appears to me that Labor is stuck in the past. They do not understand the fundamentals of a modern economy, nor do they seem to understand that we have been through a global pandemic with an...
It appears to me that Labor is stuck in the past. They do not understand the fundamentals of a modern economy, nor do they seem to understand that we have been through a global pandemic with an economic shock that has not been seen for more than a century. It's important for us to understand that we, on the side, get economics. We get finance. We understand that one of the best ways to increase wages is to decrease tax. That means that families, individuals, Australians can take home more pay. We understand this. This is fundamental to the way that we approach things, and we have been doing this from the very first time that I came to this House. I'm very proud, as a member of this 46th Parliament and a member of the Morrison government, that we have been supporting tax cuts from the get-go. We have been supporting them to ensure that Australians keep more of what they earn in their pocket. We have legislated more than $320 billion in tax cuts, including more than $130 billion through stage 3 tax cuts. In fact, it was the very first thing that I voted on as a new member of parliament and something I'm enormously proud of. We've provided more than $40 billion in tax cuts, which have now flowed to more than 11 million Australians since the start of the pandemic. And around $12 billion in support will flow to more than 10 million Australians when taxpayers lodge their tax returns from 1 July 2022. More than $16.5 billion in tax cuts will flow to more than 12 million Australians in this next financial year because of our permanent tax cuts implemented in the 2020-21 budget. More than $93 billion in tax cuts will flow to more than 13 million Australians over the three years in the forward estimates. What does this mean? What are the practical implications of these massive tax cuts for the Australian people? Someone who's on a median income and earning around $60,000 will be $7,980 better off by the end of this financial year compared with the 2013-14 income tax settings. An average full-time income earner on around $90,000 will be $8,655 better off by the end of the 2022-23 financial year compared with the 2013-14 income tax settings. So we understand the fundamentals that tax cuts mean Australians can take home more pay, and that means they have more spending power in the economy. By contrast Labor took $387 billion of higher taxes to the 2019 election—$230 billion in higher personal income taxes, $57 billion in higher taxes for retirees, $31 billion in higher housing taxes, $27 billion in higher family business taxes and $34 billion in higher superannuation taxes. The people of Higgins told me that, right there, that was a tax on their aspiration—their aspiration for a better life for them, for a better life for their family, for a better life for the prosperity of Australia. And that's because Labor has a fundamentally different approach to finance and the economy. It's in their DNA. They think it's Labor's money. They don't understand that it's the taxpayer's money. The government is spending it on behalf of the taxpayer. That is an absolute fundamental. Despite the biggest economic shock this country has faced in a century, we have been working hard to make sure that more people are in work. We understand the dignity of work and how important it is for people to have a job. As a result of the work that we have done through our measures through COVID, including JobKeeper, the cash flow boost, the instant asset write-off—all the things we have done to support businesses—we now have unemployment at four per cent, the equal lowest in 48 years. That is nearly two million more Australians in work today than when we came into government. This is something to be so enormously proud of, because this government understands fiscal responsibility, the economy and how to do the right thing at the right time at the right place in our history.
Budget | Questions without Notice | House debates
My question is to the Minister for the Environment representing the Minister for Women. Will the minister please outline to the House how the Morrison government's plan for a stronger future...
My question is to the Minister for the Environment representing the Minister for Women. Will the minister please outline to the House how the Morrison government's plan for a stronger future makes significant investments in the long-term safety, health and economic security of women across Australia?
Health Care | Constituency Statements | House debates
Australia has been termed the allergy capital of the world. One in 10 infants and one in 20 adults have food allergies. Each of these Australians lives with the ever-present risk of...
Australia has been termed the allergy capital of the world. One in 10 infants and one in 20 adults have food allergies. Each of these Australians lives with the ever-present risk of life-threatening anaphylaxis. At each snack or meal they need to literally walk the allergy tightrope. This is an issue close to home in Higgins because research has shown that Melbourne has the highest rates of food allergy anywhere in the world. If we extrapolate national data, there are about 72 hospital admissions just in Higgins each year from allergic reactions. That is why the Walking the allergy tightrope report with its 24 recommendations, which was produced by the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport, is so important. As a member of this committee, I was proud to contribute to such a report on an issue I worked with in my professional life. As a young paediatrician I had rooms in Higgins and as a professor of paediatrics my team was the first to confirm the rising allergy epidemic in Australia. That's why I'm fighting for a $28 million investment in the next budget to enable the creation of a national allergy council and a national allergy centre of excellence. Funding of the NAC and NACE would increase access to quality care as well as providing further education, translation, prevention and treatment of allergy and anaphylaxis. This funding could potentially reverse the deadly trend of increased allergies and anaphylaxis in Australia. It would provide relief and hope to literally thousands of Australians and their families. This investment would include $7.7 million towards a shared care program to cut wait times to see a specialist by at least 50 per cent. Importantly, it would also improve access to care, especially for Australians in regional and rural areas—and I can tell you, Mr Deputy Speaker, I have seen people wait for over two years to see me as an allergy specialist, and it's so hard for rural patients. It would allow our healthcare professionals to be connected with access to education and resources and to more efficiently support patients. An additional $4.9 million would be allocated to education and training for allergy researchers to answer the most probing questions in this important field. I'm proud to be a strong advocate for the National Allergy Strategy, and this funding would surely be a step in the right direction. My thanks to: Preeti Joshi and Maria Said, the co-chairs of the National Allergy Strategy; Jill Smith, CEO of ASCIA; Sandra Vale, NAS manager; and Kirsten Perrett, the director of the Centre for Food and Allergy Research. Together you are making a massive difference for those children with food allergy, and I thank you.
Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Bill 2022; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I rise to speak on the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Bill 2022. Critical infrastructure is: …those physical facilities, supply chains, information...
I rise to speak on the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Bill 2022. Critical infrastructure is: …those physical facilities, supply chains, information technologies and communication networks which if destroyed, degraded or rendered unavailable for an extended period would significantly impact on the social or economic wellbeing of the nation, or affect Australia's ability to conduct national defence and ensure national security. Typically, these assets are used in the supply of services critical to us all: communications, defence, food and water, health care and, of course, critical transport sectors. It goes without saying, therefore, that critical infrastructure is pivotal to the functioning and prosperity of every one of our lives and, indeed, the proper functioning of our nation. Any disruption to this critical infrastructure could be devastating to Australian businesses, leading to supply chain and service industry failures affecting us all. Designed to strengthen critical infrastructure assets, this bill will protect the assets to ensure the continuity of essential services in this country. The potential risks of a disruption to critical infrastructure are significant, with the Australian way of life at risk without adequate protections in place. We could see shortages or destruction of essential medical supplies; supply chain issues for food and water; and the failure of our telecommunications network, so crucial to communication in this country. In addition, our transport and traffic management systems could be disrupted. The finance sector could be shut down, and business and government may be unable to function. These are risks that cyberwarfare and other threats may pose. They may sound apocalyptic, but that's because they are. Australia is lucky to not have experienced any of these at scale in any significant way just yet. But we cannot be complacent about the very real threats that our dependence on the internet, the cyberworld and data generation pose to the functioning of society. Those threats are very real. For instance, in just the last three years there have been numerous cyberattacks on the federal parliamentary network. Further, malicious actors have conducted cyberattacks on health organisations and medical research facilities. Moreover, logistics businesses transporting groceries and medical supplies have also been subject to attacks attempting to derail these systems. Quite extraordinarily and very concerningly, the Australian Cyber Security Centre handled over 1,600 cyber incidents in the last two years alone, with approximately one-quarter of these incidents affecting entities associated with Australia's critical infrastructure. That's 400 times where Australia's communications, food and water supply or defence systems were under threat of malicious activity. The immensity of these risks has itself called for action. In line with the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security's advisory report on the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020, the bill before us today aims to address these very real threats to our safety and the prosperity of our nation. This advisory report, alongside over 12 months of industry consultation, has informed the reforms within this bill. There are two key obligations of this bill which I will outline now. Firstly, critical infrastructure entities must maintain a risk management program whereby any potential material risks for the assets are identified and a concerted effort is made to reasonably mitigate the risks. This program would be then reported to a board, council or governing body of some kind to ensure compliance and effectiveness of the reporting. In doing so, the impact of hazards will be mitigated and the operation of critical infrastructure assets ensured. As the member for McPherson and Minister For Home Affairs noted, this kind of risk management is increasingly important, considering the interrelated nature of our critical infrastructure systems whereby Australia's economy, security and sovereignty are at stake. Secondly, this bill provides that critical infrastructure systems that are nationally significant would have to be declared as a governing body. Due to this, critical assets will be identified and any interdependencies of assets across key sectors will be noted. This will allow for the potential consequences of the asset's failure to be recognised early and then risk-managed accordingly. Under this bill's reforms, the secretary of home affairs may require the development of cybersecurity incident response plans, cybersecurity exercises to build cyber-preparedness, vulnerability assessments to identify vulnerabilities for remediation, and the provision of systems information to build Australia's situational awareness. These reforms are crucial, as they will not only mitigate the risk of crisis but also improve Australia's ability to respond if just such a crisis does, in fact, arise. There are, of course, other measures within this bill which are being considered as well, and these measures include compilation using feedback received from stakeholders and aiming to improve the efficacy and efficiency of the statutory framework. Some of these measures include amending the classification system of critical infrastructure assets, and clarifying their impacted stakeholders, who have a right of reply to any ministerial decision enforced. While the government notes the urgency of these reforms, they have been made in a considered fashion, with extensive industry consultation. To find the balance between maximising additional security for the nation and minimising compliance costs is difficult, but I trust that this bill, with so much consultation put forward, has found the right mix. Even post passage of this bill, the government will continue to collaborate closely with relevant industry professionals to ensure that the reforms are not only effective but do not place any excessive regulatory burden on these entities. This bill is the second step in our plan to strengthen Australia's critical infrastructure in the national interest. This bill comes after extensive consultation with industry and will create a risk-management program, enhanced cybersecurity obligations, the systems of national significance, and updated information-sharing provisions. The obligations do not apply automatically and must be selectively 'switched on' by the minister. This bill has been developed by the Minister for Home Affairs and recognises the supply chain challenges due to the pandemic that the transport and food and grocery sectors are still managing. The best approach to managing our critical infrastructure from attacks is partnership between business and government that leverages expertise and reflects the complex and evolving nature of the threat. These reforms are a key part of the government's Cyber Security Strategy 2020 and help protect the security of essential services that Australians rely on every day and the sovereignty of our nation. While those on this side are working hard to keep Australia and its critical infrastructure safe, those on the other side are complaining needlessly—in fact, those opposite have come into this debate to complain about us bringing on this important legislation. The protection of our critical infrastructure, however, is not something that can be delayed. Just to outline the progress of this legislation and the consultation engaged in, the key elements of this bill were first introduced in the parliament in December 2020. They were part of the critical infrastructure package that was extensively viewed by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. The bill was split late last year, and the first half passed. The exposure draft of this bill, the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Bill 2022, has been out since the end of last year. The government worked extensively across the summer to consult widely with industry on the further development of this bill, and, in particular, on the risk management plans that formed the main element of this bill. The minister personally hosted nine round tables with the sector to hear their views. The important Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has received several iterative briefings on this bill, including a briefing just last week on the finalised bill. So it is disingenuous for those opposite to say they haven't had time to consider this bill properly. The bill has been, appropriately, referred to the PJCIS, and the committee will report back before the bill is debated in the Senate. But let's be clear: this is important and urgent legislation. It is national security legislation. If those opposite want to play political games and whinge and complain in this place, it pretty much sums up their approach. It's not about what's in the national interest; it's all about political pointscoring to them. The importance of this bill cannot be understated in a time of ever-increasing security threats. We can see that the world, post COVID, is becoming more unstable. We hear from the Northern Hemisphere that a great deal of security issues are potentially at foot—most notably, cybersecurity threats. We might feel that the Northern Hemisphere is a long way from here—but the cyberworld has brought the world closer to us. We had the tyranny of distance; we now have the power of proximity. But with that wonderful connection through the internet comes ever-increasing security threats. We must make sure that Australian businesses and governments keep up and stay ahead of these risks. The Morrison government is committed to ensuring the security of Australia's critical infrastructure. By securing these assets from any shocks, the availability of vital services will be maintained for all Australians. This bill will ensure the prosperity of Australia by ensuring the assets maintaining our way of life are not at risk of any threats—whether that be malicious actors, national disasters or other perils. For that reason, I commend the bill to the House.
COVID-19: Morrison Government | Private Members' Business | House debates
I have to say that quite frequently the member for Macarthur and I are in furious agreement. That's because we're both paediatricians. We both understand the healthcare system, including the...
I have to say that quite frequently the member for Macarthur and I are in furious agreement. That's because we're both paediatricians. We both understand the healthcare system, including the public healthcare system, and we both understand the difficulties that this country has faced with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is something that's happening not just here in Australia but right around the world. But, in this instance, unfortunately, I have to violently disagree with the member for Macarthur's private member's motion today. In fact, I find it quite astounding, as someone who sits on the National COVID-19 Health and Research Advisory Committee, that he put this particular motion in writing. The reason I say that is this: I understand the member for Macarthur knows how difficult the situation has been, globally, over the past two years, but I'm disappointed because this is about Labor having to talk down the COVID response. I understand that in opposition it is important to pick out things that you'd like to point out or highlight, and it is true that this has been an awfully difficult period in Australia's history. But, if we take a step back as a country and look at the leadership that the federal government, the Morrison government, has provided to Australia, it has been quite simply extraordinary. That leadership started from the get-go with an understanding that Australia as a country was going to have to learn to live with the virus. We knew that this was here to stay. This is a prime minister who had the maturity to realise this wasn't a short-term thing, that it wouldn't be over in two weeks, that there was going to be a very different approach in the weeks, months and years to come. Further, I think the Prime Minister's leadership has clearly shown that he understands the balance between lives and livelihoods, that we need to be able to get the balance right, that saving lives is absolutely essential—every life needs to be saved—but the impact of this COVID pandemic on livelihoods also needed to be given consideration. Unlike premiers, who are actually being assessed for their impact on healthcare outcomes, the federal government is being judged on both health and economic outcomes. With that in mind, we acted quickly and we acted decisively. Throughout this pandemic, on critical issues, we've acted responsively, flexibly and nimbly. That started with the closure of international borders. It moved through to the development of the national cabinet, which has brought all the state and territory leaders together with the federal government. There's been an enormous amount of work on expert committees. The member for Macarthur and I sit on one of these bipartisan expert committees, which enables all the experts in Australia to provide information and expert evidence to government. That's been incredibly important. One of the biggest bugbears for Australia has been securing our supply chains. There's absolutely no doubt that there have been rolling critical issues with supply chains. That started right back in March 2020, when we as a country had issues with obtaining personal protective equipment. It's hard to remember now, but we had problems with masks. We were running out of masks. We've had problems with toilet paper. We've had problems with all sorts of things with regard to sovereign supply. The minister for health, under the guidance of the Prime Minister, had secured these supply chains by stepping up local manufacturing capability. And then there were the COVID PCR tests in April 2020. Again, it is hard to believe these things. We were moving at speed to respond with diligence and care to all of these things. More recently we moved to the vaccine rollout, which we have now delivered ahead of time, actually. In fact, I was in the media saying that I was hoping that we might have 'freedom day' by Melbourne Cup. In fact, we had freedom day well ahead of that. The vaccine rollout had difficulties—there is absolutely no doubt about that—but the government's hard work was able to deliver the outcomes that this country so vitally needed. We move to rapid antigen tests. There is no doubt that the PCR testing for COVID was the gold standard for delta. We needed aggressive suppression because delta had a much higher mortality rate and had a different underlying set of data behind it. But, when you look at omicron, it's been more important to move to having access to rapid antigen testing. And there is no doubt that this government has moved very quickly, in a number of weeks, to rolling out RATs and to making sure the general community can have access. We've also made sure that the fringe benefits tax availability for businesses means that businesses can use them more readily. And we've also made sure there's concessional card support for those who can least afford RATs. It is worth mentioning that this government has provided an excellent outcome for Australia.
Energy | Statements by Members | House debates
Just over a year ago in Canberra, I went to see a demonstration project involving bidirectional energy charging technology funded by ARENA. For those who don't know what bidirectional energy...
Just over a year ago in Canberra, I went to see a demonstration project involving bidirectional energy charging technology funded by ARENA. For those who don't know what bidirectional energy charging is, it basically enables your car to become a mobile battery—if you have electric vehicles, that is. That can be a very resourceful use during power outages. It means you can charge your electric vehicle car from your rooftop solar panels, and then, after you've finished driving for the day, you can use your car battery to power up appliances at home. Bidirectional energy charging is literally putting power in the hands of people. But the best part of this is that it can use renewable energy, which then helps to drive down emissions. I can't believe how quickly this technology has developed and become commercially viable, all thanks to a federal government grant of $3.5 million. That means the future is here. JET Charge, in Melbourne, is leading the way in making bidirectional energy charging a commercial reality. I recently visited this impressive company and met their founder, Tim Washington, who happens to be a Higgins constituent. JET Charge is a real-life example of how our government's commitment to technology R&D is the right approach to driving down emissions. You need smart, sensible investment, and that means investing in technology, and that's what this government is doing—driving down emissions by supporting clean technology, research development and commercialisation.
Higgins Electorate: Australia Day Awards | Adjournment | House debates
I'm delighted again to see so many constituents in the Higgins community recognised in the Australia Day 2022 Honours List. This year, there were 18 award recipients from Higgins—men and...
I'm delighted again to see so many constituents in the Higgins community recognised in the Australia Day 2022 Honours List. This year, there were 18 award recipients from Higgins—men and women who have served our community with distinction and dedication; men and women who have given back to the community in a variety of ways. The honours list provides a great opportunity for all Australians to recognise the value of those people who go above and beyond to make a difference to all of our lives. One of the many honour day awardees I would like to thank is my good friend Dr Alan Finkel AC, who has been elevated to the Companion of the Order of Australia, a merit of the highest degree of service in Australia. Dr Finkel was honoured for eminent service to science through energy innovation and research infrastructure initiatives, to climate change policy, for his contribution to Australia's COVID-19 response, and to science and engineering education. It is no surprise I am standing here today to speak of Dr Alan Finkel AC's service to Australia. Alan commenced as Australia's Chief Scientist in 2016, bringing to the role extensive experience as an entrepreneur, engineer, neuroscientist and educator. Prior to becoming Chief Scientist he was Chancellor of Monash University and President of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. He also holds a PhD in electrical engineering from Monash. Alan led the amalgamation that formed the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health—coincidentally, my father-in-law, Charles Allen, also a Higgins constituent, was the chair of the board at the time. He has been chair of the Australian Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics and was director of the ASX-listed diagnostics company Cogstate Limited. Some people do not know that Alan is passionate about science education. He cofounded Cosmos Magazine, which, in addition to magazine publishing, operates a secondary school science education program. He also established the Australian course in advanced neuroscience to train early career neuroscientists and is patron of the Australian Science Media Centre. Quite simply, Dr Finkel is an extraordinary Australian. I was also pleased to see a number of incredible medical professionals honoured for their important work, including Dr Andrew Cattermole AM for his significant service to dentistry, and Ms Helen Crowe AM for her significant service to neurology and oncology. She is a local nurse practitioner whose research and work with prostate cancer patients is remarkable. Dr Sharan Johnson AM was honoured for her significant service to community health for her work in occupational hygiene and with the Australian Safety and Health Professionals Association. I also want to thank and congratulate Professor Prudence Francis AM for her significant service to medical research in the field of oncology, and Associate Professor Leeanne Grigg AM for her significant service to cardiology. Professor Robert Power AM was honoured for his significant service to medicine in the field of international development and research. His leadership at the Burnet Institute, right on the edge of Higgins, has led to better health outcomes right across the world. I am delighted their outstanding contributions are improving the lives of those who suffer and for this to be celebrated in this way. This year's honours list also includes recognition for two sporting champions: cyclist Paige Greco OAM and rower Rosemary Popa OAM for service to sport for a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Higgins sure does produce some amazing and strong women. Higgins is also represented in the Australia Day Honours list for significant service for intellectual property law granted to Mr John Downing AM and for the significant service to business and to the community awarded to Dr Alan Wein AM. Finally, Australian Police Medals were awarded to senior Sergeant Bradley Mason and Superintendent Sharon McKinnon as well as an Ambulance Service Medal to Ms Glennis Winter. I thank them for their service, in particular for keeping our community safe. I commend all of the Higgins residents and, indeed, all Australians represented in the Australia Day Honours List this year and express my deep appreciation for their important contributions. Service to the community is one of the things that is so central to the love and support that our community provides for us and the recognition that community is central to a good society. I am very proud of the fact that Higgins is recognising these wonderful individuals and the important contribution they have made. There are so many others in the community and I am very proud of the fact that we have a community Higgins award that is a warded for volunteers. Federation Chamber adjourned at 11:34
Aged Care | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
I rise because I think we need to put the record straight with regard to aged care. The first thing to say is that our aged-care sector is one that's going through massive transition, and that's...
I rise because I think we need to put the record straight with regard to aged care. The first thing to say is that our aged-care sector is one that's going through massive transition, and that's not just here in Australia but in fact right around the world, and that is because—because of fantastic health outcomes and medical technology—Australians are living longer, as are those in other countries in the developed world. They're living longer and they're living better. That is putting a massive impost on the aged-care sector, because Australians want to live at home longer, and so then, when they go into the aged-care sector, they are older and more frail and often have more co-morbidities. So there is a massive change that is happening, as we speak, in the aged-care sector, and this is being fuelled by baby boomers in our population, so that we'll see, as we reach the 2030s, a massive explosion of older people in the aged-care sector. This government has seen this coming and has been prepared to put real money on the table, along with real reforms to help transition the aged-care sector. But it is a sector that is under stress and will remain under stress as baby boomers age into their 80s. It is fair to say that, in the aged-care sector, people are older and more frail, but we also know that older Australians are getting the choice that they want, which is to age at home with dignity and grace. There's no doubt that the royal commission into aged care has been shocking. It's been shocking, because the system has been under stress. This is a government that has stood up and said, 'We are going to invest record funding into the aged-care sector and we are going to do it in a way that deals with the changes that are occurring.' We have five important pillars that address this. Firstly, home care. We understand that Australians want to age with dignity, grace and respect. They want to age at home, and we want to provide that opportunity for them. So, in the last budget alone we have provided 80,000 new packages. That's 80,000 Australians who can age at home with dignity and respect. We've also provided substantial funding to residential aged-care services to help make them sustainable, improving and simplifying residential aged-care services and access. We've also provided significant funding into quality and safety. Now that doesn't just come with funding; it also comes with a lot of new legislation that we have enacted here in this parliament. I'm very proud of the fact that, as a member of parliament—as those on the other side should be—we've introduced things like the Serious Incident Response Scheme to make sure that the accountability for safety in the aged-care sector is front and centre. A fourth pillar is looking at the workforce. We know that our workforce needs to grow and we need a better skilled care workforce. That is essential, and we need to make sure that the standards remain high and continue to improve. There's a whole lot of legislation that's been introduced, including things like ensuring that aged-care workers get dementia training. We know that about 50 per cent of those in aged care now have dementia, which is an incredible increase over the last few years. It's not because more Australians are necessarily getting dementia; it's just that, of those who are in aged care, a large proportion have comorbidities such as dementia. In the past aged-care homes used to be nursing homes. Now we talk about aged-care facilities, but in fact what people want is a home but they also want nursing capacities. In some ways we're returning to that idea of being able to provide a hospital in the home for aged-care services. That is an important change to our system, but it's one that needs to be funded. With that, we need to have better governance and we've got new legislation and stronger governance that have been provided in this term of government. Every year under us home-care packages are up, residential care places are up and aged-care funding is up. The Australian government is delivering a once-in-a-generation change through a total of $18.3 billion to support aged-care reform, and this includes a $17.7 billion package just announced last year. I'm proud that I advocated for this, because I know that it's important to each and every one of us in this parliament. We are all ageing. We are all going to have to deal with this. Our loved ones are going to have to deal with this, because the alternative is not worth thinking about. I welcome the changes that we've made and the fact that we've invested so heavily in this important sector where we can treat every Australian with dignity and respect.
Economy | Questions without Notice | House debates
My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer inform the House of how the Morrison government's strong economic management is driving thousands of new jobs around the country every week,...
My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer inform the House of how the Morrison government's strong economic management is driving thousands of new jobs around the country every week, which has the unemployment rate on the path to its lowest level in 50 years, and is the Treasurer aware of any alternative approaches?
Higgins Electorate: Percy Treyvaud Memorial Park | Constituency Statements | House debates
If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it's that we are using and appreciating facilities in our local neighbourhoods more now than ever before. With that, we as a government are cognisant of...
If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it's that we are using and appreciating facilities in our local neighbourhoods more now than ever before. With that, we as a government are cognisant of the need to invest more in our communities. This includes improving our local sporting amenities that help keep us safe and connected. Malvern East is in my electorate and soon to be home of the biggest-ever investment in sporting infrastructure, with the highly anticipated Percy Treyvaud Memorial Park redevelopment finally underway. I was proud to attend the site of the new development with the mayor of the City of Stonnington, Councillor Jami Klisaris; the CEO, Jacqui Weatherill; and the president of the Stonnington City Netball Association, Kate Campbell, for the official sod turning to mark the momentous occasion. We did throw dirt in the air and the cameraman asked us to throw it at their camera! So we have a cameraman covered with dirt as a result, but hopefully the camera is okay. This marks the commencement of works made possible by $4 million in the federal government contribution, helping turn this dream in my community into a reality. As a mother of four kids who have all played sport locally, I understand the importance of these new courts for our community. This is particularly because there are a record number of women playing sport in Higgins. Recent data shows that of 2,785 registered netball players living in Higgins, 1,656 are forced to play outside their local area due to a significant lack of suitable facilities. I have lived that myself. Clubs, including the Malvern Netball Club, Sacre Coeur Netball Club and other local schools in Higgins, are travelling far to participate in community sport. The Morrison government is proud of the huge intake in women's participation in sport, which has increased substantially in the past decade. But with this growth in female participation comes a need for new, modern, safe and inclusive sporting facilities to meet the demand. The Percy Treyvaud Memorial Park will be home to four indoor sports courts for basketball and netball, spectator seating for each court, scorer and team benches, new offices, accessible change rooms and a first-aid room. Further, the local Chadstone Bowls Club will also get a stunning new eight-rink synthetic bowling green and lighting for night-time bowling. The Morrison government is transforming a community asset, nearing the end of its useful life, into a community facility that's contemporary and which will be used and enjoyed by so many clubs. I'm proud of this investment in Higgins and look forward to meeting the next Ash Barty on the tennis courts in early 2024, when they come online. This is a good day for sports in Higgins.
Higgins Electorate: Volunteers | Adjournment | House debates
I think we can all agree on one thing: 2021 has been a very challenging year indeed—challenging not just because the world has had to navigate the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic...
I think we can all agree on one thing: 2021 has been a very challenging year indeed—challenging not just because the world has had to navigate the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic but also because the flow-on effects to our local communities have been profound and in some cases devastating. I've been heartened in Higgins by the enormous outpouring of support from our local community volunteer organisations. These groups have weathered the pandemic storm and been a beacon of light, supporting some of our most vulnerable in their darkest of times, and today I want to acknowledge them. Each year I have the privilege of hosting the Higgins community volunteer awards to recognise the outstanding efforts of the local unsung heroes of the Higgins electorate—the men and women of our local sporting clubs, Rotarians, scout groups, churches, toy libraries and the many other local clubs who make our community great. This year 30 individuals were recipients of the prestigious community volunteer awards and were acknowledged for their efforts by their peers at the award ceremony in November. The story of these community leaders touched my heart, and I want to thank all of those who submitted nominations this year. Collectively, our recipients contributed over 260 years of service to their local organisations, which speaks volumes to their ongoing commitment to our community. I want to also place on record my sincere thanks to our extra special guest speaker, none other than three-time Olympic athlete, including the recent Tokyo Olympics, and bronze medallist at the Olympics, Anabelle Smith—who also happens to be a Higgins constituent. Anabelle shared with the volunteers her experience competing as a triple Olympian and her admiration for volunteerism in her sport. As an athlete, passionate sportswoman and local champion, Anabelle has spent her career surrounded by dedicated volunteers who've made an enormous contribution to her success. I want to thank her for joining us on the evening and for being so inspirational. I want to take the opportunity to name for Hansard the following individuals, who are this year's recipients: Christine McKillop from the Great Valley Road community; Andrew Othen from Malvern Baseball Club; Geoff Colson from the Murrumbeena Park Bowls Club; Deborah Negri from the Currajong School; Ky Ngo and Pham Ho from the Vietnamese Senior Cultural Association; Gillian Manson from Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria; Heidi Sutherland from Prahran Cricket Club; Juanita Olding from the Malvern Special Needs Playgroup; Nigel Stanford from 13th Malvern scout group; Julie and Peter De Verceilli from Very Special Kids; Ros Crommelin from mecwacare Noel Miller Centre; Frances Clancy from Cabrini; Marcia Fyson from Inclusion Melbourne; Leigh Machin from the Probus Club of Malvern; Claire Valentine from Carnegie Toy Library; Piero Vasconi from JoCare; Herman and Heather Koppens from St James Anglican Church, as well as Elizabeth Hoath in the op shop; Elaine Hillier from Stonnington City Brass; David Purcell, Arnie and Judi Maskiell from the Self Help Addiction Resource Centre; Anita Rumba from Vision Australia; Rosie Potaznik from the Australian Friends of Tel Aviv University; Karlene Coker from the Ashburton Shopping Centre Traders Association; Ben Beccari from the VICSES Malvern; and finally Lil Barac-Macey from the Craig Family Centre. Congratulations to all for your efforts, not just during the pandemic but for some who have literally taken care of their community for decades. The Morrison government will always support our hardworking volunteers, and it gave me great pleasure this week to notify 37 community groups across Higgins that they were recipients of federal funding for volunteer grants. A total of $130,945 will be shared across these groups in a huge boost that will mean they can continue to play their crucial role in society, especially as we move forward out of the pandemic. Volunteering helps to reduce marginalisation. It increases community participation. Importantly, but often not recognised, it provides many with a proven pathway to work. Well done to all our volunteers across Higgins. I look forward to celebrating with each of these recipients in person very soon, as we'll be hosting a morning tea, now that Melbourne is out of lockdown, early next year. I look forward to meeting all of them and saying congratulations in person.
Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve's Law) Bill 2021; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
I rise to make a clarification around a technical point, as a paediatrician and someone who has worked in stem cell research and, in fact, worked for a long time at the Murdoch Children's...
I rise to make a clarification around a technical point, as a paediatrician and someone who has worked in stem cell research and, in fact, worked for a long time at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, where Professor David Thorburn, who's one of the pre-eminent scientists in the area, works. I have a significant amount of background in this area and have also worked in the area of the ethics of new technology. We know that throughout history new technology has been something that has benefited Australia and, indeed, the world over and over again. Every time there is new medical technology that has an ethical dimension to it, it comes to places like this parliament to make important decisions. It's probably worth reminding that at each point it's important that the conversation and the debate is had right across the whole spectrum of belief systems, but sometimes there can be some technical things that people are confused about. For example, 40, 50 years ago there were a lot of concerns about organ transplantation and donation. In fact, some faith based communities believed it would create monsters of humans. There were many debates and ethical concerns about whether indeed we would have Frankenstein people as a result, because where is the soul based? Is it based in an organ or in the soul of a person? There have been a lot of changes over many decades. IVF is another example where there has been a change in technology. When it comes to the question raised by the member for Menzies, the two types of techniques that are being discussed do make a big difference to whether this technology is likely to be successful or not. The PNT, the pronuclear transfer, technology is the one that is leading the way with regard to the technology discoveries that are being talked about. If we were to support the MST, the maternal spindle transfer, technique, that is less likely to be successful. So, if you are to vote for one over the other, then you are more likely to vote against the technology being able to be supported and therefore being successful in the treatment of this condition. I just wanted to make that technical point. I also want to finally make the point that, as a doctor—and I know that you, Mr Deputy Speaker Freelander, will have had this experience—over and over again I find that people will be very clear about their views until they have to face those medical ethical questions themselves. Organ donation is a great example. So often people will say it's incredibly distasteful to think about organ donation for a loved one, but if you ask, 'Would you like to receive an organ donation?' their views can often change. I'd like to just point out that the member for Mayo made a very wonderful speech last night. I think, for anyone who would like to have a look at it, it's a beautiful speech expressing how it's impacted her family. As a paediatrician—I know you, Mr Deputy Speaker, feel like me about this—I think it's very important we remember that the theories we're talking about here have a direct effect on individuals, and it could be one of us in the room at some point. I'm very supportive of the fact that we're talking about these different techniques, but the technique that we're talking about with the member for Menzies is not the technique that is likely to be successful for this technology going forward.
Online Safety | Questions without Notice | House debates
My question is to the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts. Will the minister please update the House on how the Morrison government's strong record on online...
My question is to the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts. Will the minister please update the House on how the Morrison government's strong record on online safety has been further bolstered by our world-leading anti-trolling laws and today's initiation of a parliamentary inquiry to put big tech under the microscope?
Higgins Electorate: Small Business | Statements by Members | House debates
If there's one thing I hear from small businesses when I'm out and about in Higgins, it's that they're looking forward to a strong Christmas trading season. Businesses in my electorate have had...
If there's one thing I hear from small businesses when I'm out and about in Higgins, it's that they're looking forward to a strong Christmas trading season. Businesses in my electorate have had to close their doors for nine of the last 19 months due to COVID lockdowns. It's an unprecedented impact on their ability to do business and prosper. That's why I'm enormously proud of the unprecedented economic support this government has provided. My constituents know this government has their back when they need it most. In my electorate of Higgins, JobKeeper has supported 10,600 businesses to keep their staff afloat. The instant asset write-off helped 27,000 businesses to have access to cash flow when they most needed it. Just as importantly, our government has helped taxpayers to keep more of what they earn. Around 65,700 constituents have already benefited from tax relief of up to $2,745 this year alone. That's more money in the back pockets of the people of Higgins—money that I hope my constituents will spend in local businesses in the lead-up to Christmas. Working together, we can all help secure Australia's economic future post COVID. This Christmas we should all go local first. It's about our future together.
Health, Aged Care and Sport Committee; Report | Committees | House debates
I rise today in recognition that better health for all Australians is key in our development and success as a country. I would like to thank all the members of the House of Representatives...
I rise today in recognition that better health for all Australians is key in our development and success as a country. I would like to thank all the members of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport for their report, entitled The new frontier: Delivering better health for all Australians. I extend a special thanks to the member for North Sydney for his work in chairing this inquiry and to the deputy chair—Mr Deputy Speaker, the member for Macarthur—who, as a paediatrician, along with me, is a former brother-in-arms on the front line of health care. Alongside the secretariat supporting the committee, the member for North Sydney and the member for Macarthur have overseen the development of 31 recommendations to ensure the best opportunity for health for everyone in Australia. I am delighted that I was asked to be a supplementary member of the committee. It has been a very bipartisan committee. It has been a great experience for me. It is truly something to be recognised in this parliament as something that is actually progressing outcomes for all Australians. So thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for your participation, and thank you for allowing me to participate as well. We know—indeed, most Australians know—that Australia enjoys one of the best health systems of any country. Medicare sits at the foundation of our health system and, combined with private health insurance and private health networks, forms a strong foundational framework of health care that delivers for the benefit of all Australians as part of a universal healthcare system. Indeed, all levels of government are involved in the running of our system, and it is clear that it is a successful system. In fact, as an outcome, Australia ranks eighth in the world for life expectancy. By and large, metrics of health rank Australia in the top 10 worldwide; in fact, some metrics have us at number two. But, of course, there is always more that we can do. We can never be satisfied; we must always strive for better. It is the least we can do for all Australians. That is why I am very delighted with this report, which has made numerous recommendations towards ensuring that the system works better for all Australians. Each of these 31 recommendations were considered and developed in light of current challenges in the health sector, with tangible benefits for all coming from the adoption of these recommendations. Some recommendations I would like to highlight include the following. The first is recommendation 1: the committee calls for the establishment of a centre for precision medicine and rare diseases. As you know, I was a professor at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, which began life as the Murdoch Birth Defects Institute. It is a pre-eminent medical research institute that specialises in both genetics and stem cell research. So it is with great pleasure that I talk about this recommendation, which, if implemented by the minister, will increase the ability of the Department of Health to provide Australians with access to breakthrough drugs and novel medical technologies, particularly for children with rare diseases, because, as you and I know as paediatricians, there is often very little hope for these children. We are currently in the House debating 'Maeve's law', a very important law reform which may offer new hope to people who have this very rare genetic condition through the mitochondria, so it is great to see there would potentially be a centre to focus on new technologies, precision medicine and rare diseases. On top of this, the proposed centre would provide a comprehensive horizon-scanning unit for the aforementioned drugs and technology to support patients. This centre would be well placed to advise the Department of Health as well as the Medical Research Advisory Board. Recommendation 3 is another recommendation that I'm particularly proud of—that is, the creation of an office of clinical evaluation within the Department of Health. This office would evaluate both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions as well as establish a 'living evidence' function to ensure that health assessments are informed by the most up-to-date and accurate data. We all know, having been through COVID, how important knowing what the most recent tests, diagnostic as well as therapeutic, are for the care of patients. The opportunity for research to be in a 'living evidence' function would be useful to Australia, as would having external horizon scanning so that we can connect with countries overseas. As an aside, Deputy Speaker Freelander, you and I know that medical types in Australia keep up with what's happening internationally through international medical conferences. Australians are great travellers, but health professionals in Australia, particularly doctors and medical researchers, are fantastic travellers, and they have served us well as a sort of subterranean global health diplomacy in this country. You and I both know, being members of the National COVID-19 Health and Research Advisory Committee, that there is a lot of data gathering across jurisdictions by the health professionals in this country that feeds into this NHMRC supported committee and provides evidence for the government and for policy within this country. But it would be great to have an office of clinical evaluation that does this on a continual basis, not just during periods when we're facing health pandemic, such as we are now. By gathering this information and then sharing it with state and territory governments, the proposed office would ensure continuity of the best quality and most effective treatments. In my role as co-chair of the newly formed Parliamentary Friends of Medical Technology, I'm particularly pleased by a number of recommendations pertaining to the emergence of new medical technology that will help ensure Australian patients get fast and efficient access to the best available devices and digital products as and when they emerge. Many people watching this will absolutely understand that one medtech that has been of great benefit to all Australians is telehealth, a form of digital interaction with clinicians, which means you don't need to travel to congested inner cities or travel long distances in rural and remote parts of Australia; you can get access to scripts or to review appointments at the drop of a phone call or a videoconference. We want to make sure we can bring these new technologies, which Australia has been at the forefront of developing, to market more quickly and through the regulatory process more efficiently. To this effect, the committee's recommendation 19 suggests reforms to one part of the medtech sector, the Prostheses List, by firstly addressing the lack of coverage for non-implantable devices under the current arrangements and, secondly, ensuring that there is improved coordination between the Medical Services Advisory Committee and the Prostheses List Advisory Committee to provide faster access for patients. Further, the New Frontier report recommended that the independent health technology assessment review reassess relevant aspects of the health technology assessment process to ensure there are future pathways for treatments and therapies that do not fit neatly into the current system, such as for rare cancers, antimicrobials, orphan drugs and precision medicines. As a paediatrician, I would emphasise that it's imperative that appropriate clear pathways are considered for inclusion for paediatric medicines and technologies. The committee was of the clear view that precision medicine approval pathways will require a different application assessment process than current approaches designed for treatments for common conditions, with their large datasets and comparative evaluations. Finally with regard to medtech, the committee recommends that the Department of Health introduce an equivalent to the managed access programs for medical devices. The report recommended that the details of this scheme, including the eligibility criteria and duration, should be formulated in consultation with patient groups, clinicians and industry. I know that recommendation 21 is of particular interest to you, Deputy Speaker, as it is to me. The committee calls for the standardisation of newborn screening across Australia—and about time too, I would say. On top of this, the committee recommended an expansion of the newborn screening program in light of the increased understanding of genomic testing. We know, again from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute but also the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, that genomic research is pre-eminent here in Australia, and we should take advantage of that not just for our patients and for Australians but also for the business opportunities that this provides to Australian businesses. Preventative health care is immensely important to me, considering my background in paediatrics, and accurately screening our youngest Australians is crucial to make sure that we can detect those early conditions as early as possible, to give them the best possible chance for a good start to life. The committee's recommendation for increased patient voice is something I see as paramount for moving forward. The committee implores the Department of Health to bring patient voice upfront into the health technology assessment system. This includes representation of peak patient bodies in the system, refreshing every three to five years. Particularly importantly, we did as a committee recognise that there was a dearth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as voices with regard to, particularly, medicines that may have specialty in their situation. I'm very pleased that we have identified this as a gap in our healthcare system. We know that they experience everything, and we need to make sure that patient voice is pivotal to improving our healthcare services in general. Australia's health system is oft lauded as one of the best in the world, but complacency and satisfaction will not improve the lives of Australians in the health system. We must continue to deliver better health for all Australians. This indeed is a time for the new frontier, and COVID has focused that more now than ever. Looking at this part of health technology delivery in Australia will help give every Australian the opportunity for better health. I commend this report to the House.
Global Polio Eradication Initiative | Private Members' Business | House debates
I move: That the House: (1) notes that: (a) the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) leads the world's efforts to end polio, bringing together Rotary International, the World Health...
I move: That the House: (1) notes that: (a) the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) leads the world's efforts to end polio, bringing together Rotary International, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and many others including in the private sector with a common objective to eradicate polio; (b) when the GPEI commenced, more than 350,000 cases of polio paralysed and killed children in 125 countries annually; (c) in 2021, polio is 99 per cent eradicated and wild polio remains in only two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the entire African continent certified as polio-free on 25 August 2020; (d) this success has been driven by the GPEl's extensive worldwide community-driven vaccination program, the largest of its kind in the world, to safeguard children from polio worldwide; (e) safe and effective polio vaccines have been the single most important factor in achieving 99 per cent eradication of polio so far; (f) Australia has been a strong supporter of polio eradication for more than three decades and has invested more than $135 million in polio eradication over that time; (g) 2022 will be a critical year for polio eradication as the GPEI sets out its strategy to achieve polio eradication by 2026, and that this will be a key opportunity for Australian leadership; and (h) Australian organisations lead the effort to see continued support for polio eradication from Australia, including Rotary International Australia, UNICEF Australia, Global Citizen and Results Australia; (2) acknowledges that: (a) the work of the GPEI is a testament to the great power of vaccines and that the equitable and timely access to those vaccines is critical to the program's success; (b) progress made toward polio eradication is facing new challenges with the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan impeding vaccination efforts and increasing the risk of new polio outbreaks; (c) additional measures will be required to manage the risk of polio in Afghanistan in an effort to ensure that no widespread polio outbreaks occur; (d) Australia is a long-term champion of polio eradication along with many other Commonwealth nations including the United Kingdom and Canada, who all share an interest in ensuring the success of the polio program and its important contribution to global health security; and (e) the current parliaments of Australia and other countries have the opportunity to be recognised as the elected representatives who ensured that polio was completely eradicated; and (3) calls on the Government to continue its strong ongoing support for the GPEI. Battling a pandemic is not an easy task. We're learning this more every day as we deal with yet another variant of concern in the form of omicron in COVID. But this is not the first time that a coordinated global health effort has successfully responded to a highly infectious disease in the community. For a masterclass in an extraordinary global response to a significant health threat, we need only look to the story of polio. In the early 20th century polio cases surged in the United States, leading to widespread outbreaks which quickly spread around the world. Australia was no exception; more than 1,000 people died of polio in Australia during the first half of the 1950s alone. It has haunted the childhood of many, and left as many as 40,000 Australians with lifelong paralysis. In 1952, a successful vaccine was finally found but a global response was needed to bring polio under control. To that effect, in 1988 the World Health Organization founded the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The newly founded organisation took on the ambitious aim of eradicating polio worldwide. Excellent vaccine uptake did well to control the spread of polio in developed countries, and in 1994 polio was declared eradicated from the Americas. Australia achieved the same milestone at the turn of the century in 2000. However, a greater challenge remained. The world's most vulnerable people were still exposed to the ravages of polio. Australia has been there from the beginning, stepping up to provide financial and technical support to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative as it set out on the largest community driven vaccination program in history. The initiative developed a strategy and implemented vaccination drives across the world. A broad coalition of community members took up the task of immunising the world's children against polio. As a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, I am particularly proud of the hundreds of thousands of Rotarians worldwide who have raised money and contributed more than $1 billion to the effort so far. As co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of UNICEF, I know firsthand the extraordinary contribution UNICEF has made to polio eradication. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative leads the world's efforts to end polio, bringing together not just Rotary International and UNICEF, but the World Health Organization, Global Citizen and, here in Australia, Results Australia. Of course, there are many others, including in the private sector, with the common objective of eradicating polio. When the Global Polio Eradication Initiative commenced, more than 350,000 cases of polio paralysed and killed children in 125 countries annually. Fast-forward to today, and in 2021 polio is 99 per cent eradicated. Polio remains in only two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the entire African continent certified as polio-free just last year on 25 August. It is an amazing achievement. Some had considered the challenge of polio eradication, particularly in India, insurmountable. Nonetheless, with the extraordinary dedication of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and its partners, vaccination drives continued. In fact, in a single day in 1998, more than 134 million children in India were immunised against polio. The pay-off wasn't instant. In fact, it wasn't until 2014 that India and the rest of South-East Asia were finally declared polio-free. But now, in 2021, we have almost completely eradicated polio. What's more, we are seeing only a handful of cases in those two countries where it remains, Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are remarkably close to finally ending polio forever. Australia has much to be proud of in the fight for polio eradication. We stood side-by-side with global health organisations. Come next year, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative will set out the final stages in this great journey to achieve complete eradication of polio by 2026. It means a major opportunity for Australia to reaffirm its commitment to polio eradication. As much of an achievement as polio eradication will be, it is also a rare chance to affirm the power vaccines have to change the world. As parliamentarians, we can all support this.
Higgins Electorate: Victorian Tunnelling Centre | Statements by Members | House debates
It's not every day you get to a specialist tunnel-training facility, but I had a great reason to visit one recently. As the recipient of $419,000 in the Morrison government's National Careers...
It's not every day you get to a specialist tunnel-training facility, but I had a great reason to visit one recently. As the recipient of $419,000 in the Morrison government's National Careers Institute Partnership Grants program, Holmesglen Institute were keen to show me what this funding will do to help train the next generation of tunnel engineers and workers. With infrastructure projects sprouting across the nation, the tunnelling industry can't keep up with enough skilled workers. This funding will help those who are thinking about a career in tunnelling to find out what it's all about in replica and virtual environments. I want to thank Andrew, Gary, Ross and Tina from Holmesglen, who showed me around the incredible Victorian Tunnelling Centre. They explained that people need to experience working underground in a realistic way to know if it's the job for them. During the tour, I tried on some stylish 3D virtual glasses which transport you to a replica mine tunnel and then to a replica boring machine, using the exact type of equipment used on the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project. Holmesglen are helping to build the engineers of the future and these engineers will build our future. This is yet another example of the Morrison government investing in technology, backing in industry, creating more jobs and securing our future.
Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve’s Law) Bill 2021; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
We've heard many incredibly moving speeches this evening. I would like to thank the speakers before me for the contributions they have made, including the member for Dunkley for her contribution,...
We've heard many incredibly moving speeches this evening. I would like to thank the speakers before me for the contributions they have made, including the member for Dunkley for her contribution, and to add my voice to supporting this bill, the Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve's Law) Bill 2021. As we've heard, each week in Australia one baby is born with a severe genetic disorder called mitochondrial disease. It's a largely inherited genetic disease. The prognosis for these children, the ones with severe mitochondrial disease, is that most of them will die within their first five years of life—in fact, most in their first year or two. I remember learning about this condition in a textbook as a young medical student. It sounded horrible: Leigh syndrome is a severe neurological disorder that usually becomes apparent in the first year of life. This condition is characterized by progressive loss of mental and movement abilities (psychomotor regression) and typically results in death within two to three years, usually due to respiratory failure. That is very clinical, very cold and very factual. But as a young paediatrician I saw that the reality is not just horrible; it is devastating. It's a devastating condition. It is devastating for the infant; it's a horrible way to die. It is devastating for the parents as they struggle with diagnosing a puzzling set of symptoms. Imagine picking up a child that, over days, weeks and months, becomes progressively floppy. A baby that might once have rolled stops doing it. First the parents are a little worried. They go and see a doctor. They become increasingly worried. Strange things are happening. They're confused. They seek help from different specialists. It's not a particularly common set of symptoms and conditions. They can see many doctors before it is finally diagnosed. And the diagnosis itself is completely devastating, not just for the family but also for the friends around that family and for the community. I can tell you that the conversation you have as a paediatrician is the hardest conversation you can have. It's a conversation that you know will profoundly change the lives of these people sitting in your room. You know it's going to change not just the life of that child but the lives of their siblings, parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins—everybody. We are trained as doctors to be caring and supportive and to break news gently. But you know, as that doctor, that the minute you say what is essentially a death sentence they can't hear anything else. It's like a white wall comes down; they're not going to hear anything, so there's not much you can do to make the conversation easier. You do all you can to try and make it as gentle as possible, but it is an awful thing to have to deliver to a family. Many of us probably know someone who has lost a child. It is indeed a parent's greatest fear. In fact, I said in my first speech that there are words, like 'widow' and 'orphan', that articulate and describe our loss. But there is no word in the English language for the loss of a child. In fact, I've yet to find a language anywhere in the world that in fact describes that, because it is almost unimaginable. It is not something we want to be able to describe. It's a devastating loss. So you can imagine how much devastation families experience and how there are so many wonderful people who have taken this grief and converted it into a drive to provide hope for others. They have taken a loss, a pain that will never go away, that will never really dull, and they have used that for the betterment of others, to try to provide hope to those who have had to deal with pain, this loss, this suffering and this grief. We heard earlier this evening the deeply moving speech by the member for Mayo, whose family has been affected by this condition and its devastating outcome. Then there are also people like Maeve, for whom this bill is named, and her family. That's essentially why we are all here today. I would like to thank the Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon. Greg Hunt, for chaperoning this bill through careful processes that engaged parliamentarians throughout the chamber and across the divide in a careful, supportive way that allowed people to come on the journey of discussing what is an incredibly profound decision that this parliament will be making. I think it is wonderful that we are to be given a conscience vote. I know there are many people who have struggled with making decisions around what is an incredibly important form of legislation. The purpose of the Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve's Law) Bill 2021 is to amend existing legislation to allow for mitochondrial donation to be introduced into Australia for research and human reproductive purposes. This bill will allow women whose children would otherwise be predisposed to severe and life-threatening mitochondrial disease to have a biological child who will not inherit that predisposition. For those predisposed to this genetic disease and who carry this genetic disorder, if the bill passes, they will now have the hope that they can process a mitochondrial donation to limit some of the risks of having a child, or having another child, with mitochondrial disease. Mitochondrial donation is in effect an assisted reproductive technology that, when combined with invitro fertilisation—and I make note of the fact that Australia has been incredibly world-leading in the area of invitro fertilisation, commonly known as IVF—will provide the potential to allow women whose mitochondria would predispose their potential children to mitochondrial disease to have a biological child who does not inherit that predisposition. The technique is a complex process to create an embryo which includes nuclear DNA from the man and the woman seeking to have a child and mitochondrial DNA from a different woman, the mitochondrial donor. Mitochondrial donation can therefore minimise the risk of transmission of the prospective mother's mitochondria and, in doing so, aims to prevent future generations from inheriting these severe and debilitating diseases. To explain this more simply, we all have mitochondria in our cells. They are essentially the batteries of the cell. They are the energy stores of the cell. Those suffering from mitochondrial disease have faulty batteries. It is a bit like this: if you think about a chicken's egg, there is the yolk in the middle, which is the nucleus, and then there is the white part, which is the cytoplasm. In that, there are little batteries that are the mitochondria. Mitochondrial donation, however, cannot be used to cure people with existing mitochondrial disease, nor can it prevent mitochondrial disease caused by changes occurring in an individual's nuclear DNA. So this is specifically to do with mitochondrial DNA. I'd like to address the report that sometimes raises its head in the media that mitochondrial donation is 'three-parent IVF'. This is not an accurate description of mitochondrial DNA. In fact, it's unfair. Children born using this technology still have only two biological parents: a mother and a father. That is because these children will inherit their characteristics and personality traits from their biological parents through their nuclear DNA—the egg yolk of the fertilised egg. A female donor involved in the mitochondrial donation process only provides healthy mitochondria—only the batteries of the cell. While mitochondrial donation techniques result in change to the genome, they do not involve gene editing of either the nuclear DNA or mitochondrial DNA, which has been expressly prohibited by this bill. To put it simply, the donor does not affect the colour of a child's eyes, hair or the like. It's only the parents who will provide those heritable traits to the offspring. A two-stage implementation approach is proposed to introduce mitochondrial donation in Australia. Stage 1 will see mitochondrial donation initially legalised for certain research and training purposes and to support selection and licensing of pilot programs to deliver the mitochondrial donation for impacted families. Under stage 2, mitochondrial donation would be permitted in clinical practice more broadly, after results of the pilot program. This provides that the necessary checks and balances are in place. Under both stages of the program implementation, the use of specified mitochondrial donation techniques would be subject to strict licensing and regulatory conditions, which would be overseen by the Embryo Research Licensing Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council, which is a very esteemed body, extremely careful and diligent in the processes that it undertakes, and has its own very careful framework in which to assess these things. This will mean that the Embryo Research Licensing Committee of the NHMRC will be expanded under the bill to include licensing and oversight of research and training licences, a clinical licence for the initial pilot site, and future clinical practice licences using mitochondrial donation techniques. Approval of individuals seeking access to the treatment will also be required and will be based on clinical recommendations. That means doctors will need to assess whether the patient and family are in need of this technique. The bill also aligns to other Australian laws preventing exploitation and incentivisation for donors. I repeat: this is a very important law within Australia because in other countries there is permission for certain sorts of incentivisation, which can lead to exploitation of donors for donor organs and suchlike. But in Australia we operate under a very important ethical framework, and it's very important to make sure that there's a separation of these sorts of procedures from any form of recipient of funding or financing. Donor rights and responsibilities for Australian mitochondrial donation egg donors would be largely aligned to current artificial reproductive technology regulations. This would include that mitochondrial donation egg donors would not be considered legal parents, in line with current ART—or artificial reproductive technology—sperm and egg donors, under the Family Law Act 1975. This is very important. Children conceived with mitochondrial donation would have the right to apply for identifying information about their donor only when they turn 18 years of age, as is the case for other sperm and egg donation. Donor eggs may be provided voluntarily from family members, from friends or from individuals who agree to donate eggs or have eggs that are excess to their own needs in IVF clinics. Not only as a member of parliament or as a paediatrician but as a parent—having four beautiful, healthy children—I ask that all members take a moment before voting on this bill. Put yourself in the shoes of a parent who carries these genes, or a parent who has a child who suffers from mitochondrial disease, or even a parent who's tragically lost a child prematurely to this disease. Often we find, as doctors, that people have one view until it happens to them or their family members. It's very powerful to understand living in someone else's shoes. So I ask members opposite who may be unsure about this: put yourself in the shoes of others, speak to the experts and make sure your questions are addressed before you make this conscience vote. We all have the power to unite on this and deliver hope for a future without this cruel disease. I commend the bill to the House.
National Health Amendment (Enhancing the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) Bill 2021; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I rise to talk on the National Health Amendment (Enhancing the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) Bill 2021. Australians view the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or PBS, as it's known, a bit like the...
I rise to talk on the National Health Amendment (Enhancing the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) Bill 2021. Australians view the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or PBS, as it's known, a bit like the way people in England view the NHS. It is something that people know, that they care about and that they trust, and they want their government to deliver the best PBS possible. That is because every Australian knows that at some point in their life they may have to rely on the PBS, and we know that many millions of Australians currently rely on the PBS. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme serves to give Australians affordable access to quality medicine. It is something that everyone in this House should be proud of. The PBS is being supported by this government but has been supported over many, many years by many, many governments in Australia. Importantly, since this government came to power in 2013, nearly 2,800 new medicines have become available through the PBS. They are all government subsidised to ensure that the health of the citizens of our country is maintained. The amendments in this bill reflect the new five-year agreements with Medicines Australia and the Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association. These agreements seek to ensure Australia has a strong supply of medicine, with Australians able to access breakthrough medicines as early as possible. These new agreements that the government and the medicines industry have co-developed as a comprehensive package of reforms for the PBS will ensure that Australians can continue to gain access to new breakthrough medicines as early as possible but also deliver a robust and uninterrupted supply of medicines needed and used every day by Australians. It will just as importantly keep the PBS on a long-term sustainable footing. The industry agreements will achieve this by securing commitments from the medicines industry which will result in new savings from improved statutory price reductions which will be reinvested in the PBS, as they should. This reinvestment will in turn help to make headroom on the PBS for listing new medicines. This is very important because we need to get the balance to enable headroom to be provided so that we can get new drugs onto the PBS. This bill will see patients save on average due to the decrease in price of a large number of PBS medicines. The reforms are expected to save nearly $2 billion over the five-year remit and will target Commonwealth investment towards securing a strong supply of commonly prescribed medicines that have suffered supply chain issues in recent years. Moreover, this bill guarantees over $5 billion of new investment in PBS medicine listings over the lifetime of the agreements to 2027. It seems like an odd year to say, 2027; it's just around the corner, though! This commitment will help guarantee that the government can list new medicines as recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee as and when they become available and approved. The bill will reinforce a strong supply chain to ensure that Australians are not left struggling to find the medicines they need. We all know we have been through a pretty dramatic COVID pandemic. Through 2019 and 2020, over 500 medicines listed on the PBS wrestled with medium to critical impact shortages, particularly medicines sold for $4 or less per pack. These were found to be most susceptible to these shortages. This bill seeks to reconcile these issues. The medicines suffering shortages included those that treat depression, schizophrenia, high blood pressure and many more illnesses. Certainly these patients cannot afford to have supply chain interruptions. I know; I have family members affected by some of these conditions. Supply chain interruptions are devastating to those patients. It's important that they can be sure of a secure supply of medicine. Through COVID last year, I know that there was particularly a supply chain issue of paracetamol, for example. I don't think many people knew some of the struggles that this government had to ensure it dealt with in a pandemic coming at us at speed. It was like being in a great aircraft with both the Spanish flu and the Great Depression coming at us at speed. There were a lot of things that had to be dealt with. The minister for health, the Hon. Greg Hunt, was dealing with some of these supply chain issues himself. I have a constituent in my electorate who is the CEO of Australia's largest generic pharmaceutical company, Arrotex, Dennis Bastos. He called me up and said, 'Katie, I am having trouble with the supply chain of paracetamol as the CEO of one of the largest generic pharmaceutical distributors.' We had to work through DFAT and diplomatic engagement. Finally we actually had to take it right up to the top level, to the prime ministers of both our countries, to solve the supply chain issue with India in order to access paracetamol. Can you imagine the babies of Australia not having access to paracetamol, or the people who are dealing with fever, who are unwell at home, not having access to paracetamol? It was actually quite a critical shortage. I know there have been many shortages over the last couple of years, and they have been dealt with because the minister for health is very effective at securing supply chains. He gets in front of the problems before they can actually cause problems to patients. We know that he is having to deal with these problems behind the scenes and on behalf of Australians, and legislation such as this will help the minister of the day, in this case Greg Hunt, to deal with supply chain issues. In order to maintain a strong supply chain in this country, medicines with prices at or below $4 will not have their price reduced under this act. Moreover, medicines with very cheap ex manufacturer price will undergo modest price increases to ensure that manufacturers can secure strong source of supply in the global market. In light of the increased investments by the medicines industry to ensure this strong supply chain, a price reduction floor will be introduced to support the pharmaceutical industry. This is the balancing act that the minister of health needs to do to make sure that we get the best outcome for all Australians and, of course, that the taxpayer's dollar gets well invested. This amendment serves to support low-cost medicines so that these manufacturers can compete in what is a very aggressive global market as well as invest in supply chain resilience. When a PBS listed brand is protected by the price reduction floors previously mentioned, they will be under strict obligation to hold large amounts of stock in Australia. This will ensure the supply chain issues are not damaging to the Australian environment. This bill acts to employ stockholding requirements, requiring manufacturers to hold at least four months of typical demand of stock on hand. This amendment will almost universally apply to all medicines with prices below $4 to ensure that those struggling in this country with illnesses that are affected by these medicines can rest assured that they will not have their important lifeline of medicine cut by supply issues. The amendments in this bill will ensure sustainable supply for the Australian people of the medicines they need as well as supporting the medicines industry to invest in holding greater stock of medicines most at risk of global shortages and investing in greater supply chain resilience. Since October 2013, the coalition government has approved approximately 2,800 new or amended medicine listings on the PBS, at an overall investment by the government of $14 billion. This is something that taxpayers should be very proud of—the investment of their funds to make sure that Australians can get access to secure, reliable, highly efficient, highly impactful medicines at a very reasonable cost. The Morrison government has a demonstrated history of support for the PBS. In the 2020-21 budget, nearly $900 million was invested by this government in new and amended listings as part of the scheme. This includes for breakthrough treatments for cancer, depression, eczema, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, pulmonary arterial hypertension, asthma, migraine and Parkinson's disease, just to name a few. Notably, a medicinal cannabis product, cannabidiol, is now included on the PBS for use in treating Dravet syndrome, which will save more that 100 Australians and their families over $24,000 a year in costs. This is really important because these children—it is usually children who are affected by Dravet syndrome—often have very difficult lives and do not necessarily have the means to support themselves with this incredibly helpful drug, which makes such a significant difference to their lives and their quality of life. Further examples of what's being listed on the PBS include ofatumumab. I'm giving the generic name, because it's very important that we list generic drugs. This is listed on the PBS for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. I know so many people—family members, friends and patients—who've had multiple sclerosis. It can be a devastating condition. Around 5,000 patients a year will benefit from this listing. Without subsidy, patients could pay $28,000 per year of treatment. You can imagine that someone who's affected by multiple sclerosis may, because of their chronic health condition, not have the employment to be able to afford a treatment that costs $28,000 per year. That's an enormous undertaking, so you can imagine what a relief it is for patients who have relapsing-remitting—meaning it keeps coming back and getting worse—multiple sclerosis to be able to have a treatment that will offer them support and better quality of life. It is indeed something that we should all welcome and feel very proud of. A further drug, listed from 1 September 2021, is cariprazine—getting the names right can be quite tricky even for a doctor—which is listed for the treatment of schizophrenia. This means that 39,500 people will benefit, each being saved $1,200 per year for treatment. From 1 October 2021—I'm really going to struggle with this—brolucizumab is listed for patients with age related macular degeneration, a terrible chronic eye condition that causes blurred vision or a blind spot in the visual field. People can lose vision, and it can be quite a serious condition. With the listing, 12,800 patients will each save around $8,800 per year for treatment. These are treatments that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars per year, and they could be out of reach for so many, but instead, on the PBS, they will pay $41.30 per script, or $6.60 per script if they have a health concession. Another drug that has been listed from 1 June 2021 is progesterone, or Oripro, to prevent women going into premature labour, saving around 14,250 women up to $300 per course of treatment. A further drug is lisdexamfetamine, the listing of which has been expanded to include patients who are diagnosed with ADHD after they turn 18 years of age. We know ADHD is a problem that affects so many people, particularly children. As they grow older, if they want to continue to take treatment, around 20,000 patients could access comparable treatment for this condition and could benefit from this new treatment option. Without PBS subsidy, patients might pay $1,200 per year for treatment. Finally, the listing of ipilimumab will be expanded for use in combination when treating patients with unresectable malignant mesothelioma, which is a lung condition that can occur when people have had unexpected exposure to asbestos. Over 700 patients a year may benefit from this listing. Without the PBS listing, patients might pay around $130,000 per course of treatment, a huge amount of money. It's wonderful that these drugs are available for conditions that affect only a small number of Australians—but it could be any of us. Recently, a family friend picked up some tiles when he was renovating an apartment block and found, to his horror, that there was asbestos underneath these tiles. Hopefully, he hasn't had a harmful exposure, but it was a fright that he got, and obviously you never know when you may get exposed to asbestos. So it's great to know that our medical system and our health system are protecting people and supporting people to protect lives and save lives. This bill will serve to offer low medicine prices for Australians whilst improving the supply chain that helps Australians get what they need. The Morrison government's commitment to the success of the PBS is clear, with a strong record of new medicines being listed and now this bill being brought forward so that the Australian people can continue to have faith in this government's management of medicines listed on the PBS and so that they can work well, hand in glove, with the pharmaceutical companies and Medicines Australia to ensure a balanced outcome that supports a cost-effective way of ensuring that both supply chain issues and the cost of medicines are kept in check. It is vital that every Australian retain their ability to access medicine. Any shortage is unacceptable as this country strives for a system whereby each and every one of us can access affordable and effective medicine. I commend this bill to the House.
Corporations Amendment (Meetings and Documents) Bill 2021; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I thank the member for Mackellar for his eloquent contribution to the public discourse of this bill. I rise to support the Corporations Amendment (Meetings and Documents) Bill 2021. The changing...
I thank the member for Mackellar for his eloquent contribution to the public discourse of this bill. I rise to support the Corporations Amendment (Meetings and Documents) Bill 2021. The changing world is led by the changes of business, and the legislation passed in this place needs to keep up with this fast-paced environment. As someone who has worked in the real world, outside of this place, I know how frustrating it can be when legislation does not keep pace with the real world. But the bill before us today stands to recognise this, understanding that regulations forcing business to hold in-person meetings and sign documents by hand are outdated and that a technology-minded approach allows for easier running of companies. This bill reduces the regulatory burden on Australian businesses, allowing our companies to operate more efficiently and more competitively. And, in a post-COVID economy, speed and efficiency are going to be what helps the Australian economy recover. We need our businesses to be globally competitive. The pump-primed economy that the Morrison government has delivered to Australia means consumers are ready to spend as we move into a post-COVID economy. This bill serves to allow companies to hold hybrid meetings, with shareholders either attending in person or remotely, and to use technology to execute and sign relevant documents. In May of last year an amendment of the Treasury laws under Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 1) Act 2021 allowed companies and registered schemes to hold virtual meetings and electronically sign and send documents, an amendment which serves to continue until 31 March next year. Of course, this was due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic and was referred to as 'temporary relief'. This bill serves to make the change permanent as well as some further modifications to provide even greater flexibility and technology-neutral provisions. I'm a bit of a tech head, I would say. I believe healthtech, smart tech and new energy climate tech are going to help lead this country to a brighter future. This bill is going to be very helpful as a technology-neutral provision and will help an outcome focused approach to the introduction of legislature as opposed to a technology based approach. This is an example of how COVID has provided the world with an opportunity to do things differently. In fact, in 2021 I think the most popular word that I heard was 'pivot'. The world was pivoting to doing things in a new way. Companies have obligations under the Corporations Act 2002 in relation to meetings and documents. This bill serves to reduce regulatory burden, as traditional means of holding meetings physically, sending documents in hard copy and executing documents physically no longer need to be adhered to. Of course we're in favour of a more streamlined and efficient approach of utilising technology. Instead, technology-neutral laws give the option to meet obligations using technology which makes conducting business quicker, simpler and more cost effective. The Morrison government has been considered in the writing of this bill, with three options examined—firstly, allow the temporary relief to end with no further legislature on this issue; secondly, make the temporary relief permanent; and thirdly, and ultimately the pathway this government has taken, make the temporary relief permanent but modify and improve the legislation to benefit the businesses of this country. This third option has incorporated broad stakeholder feedback to ensure that this government's legislation is informed by the very people it acts to serve. This option was selected so that where the statutory requirements can be met using digital technologies the law will allow companies to do just that. Moreover, there is a provision that will ensure that a review of the effectiveness of the legislative reforms will be undertaken in two years from commencement to ensure that this legislation is serving its purpose. While this bill broadly serves to extend existing legislation, there are numerous new features also included. The government has determined these features to be beneficial through accessing the stakeholder feedback that it had undertaken, because this government understands that legislation must be motivated by the requirement for real change. This government understands that industry is core to Australia. Make no mistake: this bill has broad importance. In fact, an estimated $430 million per year for 10 years will be saved by this reform. You might say, 'How can this be?' Well, we all know the old adage that time is money, and businesses saving time allows for businesses to work more efficiently and therefore save on costs. Decision-makers will no longer be forced to travel extensively simply to fill the archaic requirements of hand-signed documents. I know that the passage of flights between Melbourne and Sydney is one of, if not the, busiest air routes in the world, and that is because Melbourne and Sydney are the financial centres in Australia. We will possibly see less movement along the air passage because of this bill today. This bill serves to allow businesses to streamline in the way they should be allowed to: to not focus on printing paperwork and signing it, but to designate their ingenuity to productive business activities—producing goods and services. That's what this side of parliament stands for; we stand for supporting businesses to prosper. We understand businesses are the backbone of the economy, and enabling those businesses to flourish, to function efficiently, means the economy will function efficiently, the economy will be strong and Australia will prosper. That prosperity enables us, therefore, to invest in the essential infrastructure, hospitals, schools and climate action that this country needs. The benefits of this bill cannot be limited just to efficiency, however. The bill also works to increase accessibility of the workplace to all Australians. Gone are the times when staying at home caring for children meant an end to career aspirations. In fact, at a roundtable forum at which I was speaking, a very eminent businessman was asked what he thought was the most important outcome from COVID, from a business activity point of view, and he made the comment that he thought the future would mean a more flexible time for Australians in the workplace and the ability to work from home. My response to that was that it would be an increase in flexibility for men to work from home, since I think it's pretty reasonable to say that women have been leading the way for some time with regard to flexible workplaces and working from home. With the government recognising this, women especially are now more supported in the workplace than ever, with the comfort of increased accessibility to business activities. In fact, workplace participation is of crucial importance to the Morrison government, and small steps like this will lead to a more equal playing field in the future. On top of this bill, we've seen similar virtual technologies find great success. Most notably, we've seen that, with the global pandemic, people have moved to using telehealth here in Australia. That's something that I think is well and truly a great success story, not just here in Australia but right around the world. Since 2011, in fact, phone and video calls with medical professionals have been available in Australia, helping to ensure that people in regional and remote Australia have access to high-quality health care. As a former medical professional myself, I've certainly used telehealth frequently, but its use hasn't had the uptake that you would hope for. What I would say is that, with COVID, the pivot to the use of telehealth has been enormously beneficial to people in Australia. At the beginning of COVID, we found that it allowed medical professionals who may not have had access to PPE, or personal protective equipment, in the early stages of the COVID pandemic to work safely via the telehealth Zoom line. This meant that, when we were having shortages because of supply issues with PPE around the world, we could keep our healthcare professionals safe in the early stages of the COVID pandemic. It also meant that people could dial in more easily and efficiently for their scripts and save time so they wouldn't have to take half a day off work and sit in a medical doctor's office while waiting for their appointment. So the enormous benefits of telehealth have been made clear not just in regional areas but also for those who live in cities, which can be congested. You no longer have to wait for a doctor if you can access a telehealth care line. The COVID-19 pandemic has served to illuminate the need for such services, with 88,251 practitioners delivering 79.6 million telehealth services to 15.7 million patients since March of last year. This is an enormous change in the way that digital health has helped Australian patients. Even this very parliament has used video teleconferencing to aid its operation. Of course, I'm sure we are all well and truly Zoomed out, but nonetheless it has allowed important work to go ahead despite the COVID pandemic. This bill serves to expand accessibility of operations in the sphere of business, as has already been done in the areas we've talked about, health care and politics. Setting aside the immense savings born out of efficiency, this bill stands to reaffirm the Morrison government's commitment to Australian business—to listen to business, to understand what will help them and then, most importantly, to act and to deliver on their behalf. A government like ours is rooted in making sure we are attuned to the changing world. It is a government that is proving yet again an ability to adapt, in ways that benefit not just businesses but all Australians, to ensure our future prosperity. COVID-19, of course, has been a great tragedy, but it's also been a catalyst for change—a catalyst that Australians are embracing with enthusiasm to pivot to new ways of doing things. It's opened doors for more transparent and accessible business operations. It is now our opportunity to take advantage of the positives we've discovered in light of the virtual world that we've lived with over the last two years. This bill serves a simple purpose. It allows businesses on Australian soil to run more efficiently and be more competitive by removing red tape that has been limiting their operations. Legislation passed in this place must keep up with the real world. The bill before us today is yet another example of the Morrison government's awareness of issues faced by Australian companies and our commitment to supporting businesses in this country. This bill reinforces the temporary relief provided by the government, turning this into legislation that will be a legacy for the future. On this basis, I commend the bill to the House.