Anne Webster's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2026-02-10T22:05:33+00:00
items: Jonceski, Mr Ljupco (Luch) | Condolences | House debates
items: Law and Justice Legislation Amendment (New South Wales Local Court) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Aged Care | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Sunraysia Softball Association | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
items: Cost of Living | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
items: Mallee Electorate: Energy | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
items: Disability Services | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Aviation Industry | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Communications, the Arts and Sport Committee; Reference | Committees | House debates
items: Regional Australia | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Energy | Questions without Notice | House debates

Jonceski, Mr Ljupco (Luch) | Condolences | House debates
type: item
description: Yes—impromptu. I do want to speak about Luch, because, when I first came to Parliament House in 2019, it was Luch, and his friendliness and his warmth, welcoming me as a new MP—Luch...
encoded: Yes—impromptu. I do want to speak about Luch, because, when I first came to Parliament House in 2019, it was Luch, and his friendliness and his warmth, welcoming me as a new MP—Luch just had that beautiful personality that was open to everyone and friendly towards everyone and just wanted to be helpful. I agree with the minister's characterisation of Luch but also of every attendant in this House and all those who serve us. You know, we, sometimes, get a little bit precious about how important we are. We're elected; that's true. But we couldn't do what we do without the support of the people who work in this House, and every one of them is valued. I always think about the culture that is developed here, and the fact that it doesn't matter whether we're from opposition parties, or whether we're walking beside someone, or someone's coming towards us who might the cleaner for the day—everyone is friendly; everyone treats one another with respect. It is a real delight, and it's an enormous privilege to work in this House, to represent the people of my electorate in Mallee, but also for every MP—and senator, to be fair—to work in this House, for the people of Australia. I think people don't understand, and I was very interested to hear the minister say just then, that this House is 38 years old. It's still kind of feels new to me, and that has to do with the upkeep and the care, and the fact that people do take their jobs very seriously here. Once again, I would just thank every person who serves in this House. They're not just doing a job; they are supporting the democracy of Australia. And it is a wonderful thing for us to be involved in and a true privilege.
date: 2026-02-10T17:22:00+00:00

Law and Justice Legislation Amendment (New South Wales Local Court) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: What? It's insanity.
encoded: What? It's insanity.
date: 2026-02-10T17:01:00+00:00

Aged Care | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: This Labor government said they would put the care back into aged care, but instead they are blithely presiding over an aged-care crisis. Every week, I am contacted by Mallee locals who are worse...
encoded: This Labor government said they would put the care back into aged care, but instead they are blithely presiding over an aged-care crisis. Every week, I am contacted by Mallee locals who are worse off under the new aged-care system that commenced on 1 November 2025. Older people in my electorate in Mallee are paying more for services and getting less out of their packages. It's not only this; distressed Mallee constituents are reaching out to me appalled that their loved ones cannot get the home care they need and deserve. The wait time for an aged care assessment has doubled in the period from 2021 under the coalition to 2025 under this Labor government, with too many people waiting up to six months just to get an assessment. It's worse than that; older people are waiting up to two months for any form of reply from My Aged Care. It's like ringing up and not getting a call back. Amazingly, one residential aged-care provider in my electorate reports having empty beds due to the lack of assessments being done. Then we must talk about the time from approval, once the assessment has taken place, to access granted. It has doubled, increasing from four months in 2023-24 to almost eight months on average, with many waiting a year. One elderly resident from Murrayville waited for more than two years to be able to access the Commonwealth Home Support Services she was assessed as eligible for. This is a very unamusing joke on behalf of an inept Labor government. Service providers covering this lady's area have no capacity. Sadly, during that time, her husband passed away. This is not an uncommon story in the regions, where people are literally waiting years before accessing services. My constituents just can't understand why they are being left behind. COTA, the consumer group, and Ageing. Australia have come out swinging, saying that urgent action on home-care packages is required and that no-one should ever have to wait more than 30 days for the care they need. I wish that f…
date: 2026-02-10T16:05:00+00:00

Sunraysia Softball Association | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: I rise today to pay tribute to the Sunraysia Softball Association in my electorate of Mallee. It was a great privilege to attend this event on Saturday. The community gathered to honour dedicated...
encoded: I rise today to pay tribute to the Sunraysia Softball Association in my electorate of Mallee. It was a great privilege to attend this event on Saturday. The community gathered to honour dedicated volunteers and supporters, who contribute so much to our local communities. We remembered with deep respect late life member Peter Wade, whose legacy of service continues to inspire. His contribution to local sports are well known, and Judy, his wife, was present to share the tribute. He will not be forgotten. I was pleased to congratulate Megan Hammond, the current president, on her well-deserved induction as a life member for decades of outstanding commitment. To every sponsor and every volunteer who coaches, umpires, maintains the fields, organises and cheers, thank you. You are the backbone of this association. In our regional communities, sporting clubs like Sunraysia Softball do far more than teach the game. They keep families active and healthy, forge lifelong friendships, provide opportunities for young people and build the social capital that makes regional towns great places to live, work and raise a family. Community sport is the glue that binds us. I commend the Sunraysia Softball Association.
date: 2026-02-10T13:47:00+00:00

Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I move: (1) Schedule 1, page 12 (after line 4), at the end of the Schedule, add: 37 Application of amendments (1) The amendments made by this Schedule apply only if a declaration under subitem...
encoded: I move: (1) Schedule 1, page 12 (after line 4), at the end of the Schedule, add: 37 Application of amendments (1) The amendments made by this Schedule apply only if a declaration under subitem (2) is in force. (2) The Minister may, by notifiable instrument, declare that the amendments made by this Schedule apply on and after a day, or throughout a period, specified in the declaration. (3) However, the Minister may make a declaration under subitem (2) only if: (a) a trial of nurse prescriber treatments (within the meaning of the National Health Act 1953) is conducted in at least one State or Territory; and (b) after the end of the trial, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia conducts a review of the trial; and (c) the review demonstrates a suitably supportive evidence base for the safety and effectiveness of the amendments made by this Schedule. I rise to speak to the amendment circulated in my name to the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025. This bill seeks to enable eligibility for PBS rebates for medications prescribed by a new category of prescribers, 'authorised registered nurse prescribers'. It acknowledges the essential role nurses play in our health system, especially in the regions, and the important work they do. It also acknowledges that nurses are the largest component of the health system and the most well-distributed workforce in regional Australia. The Nationals want to see improved access to health care and progress for the nursing profession and for multidisciplinary care more generally. However, I am moving an amendment because implementation of new policy must have appropriate testing to ensure it is safe, effective and won't have unintended consequences. The Nationals have two key concerns. The bill is not evidence based, as it fails to follow normal processes where testing of any new model of care occurs in a state or territory in Australia prior to the application of PBS rebates, and this bill d…
date: 2026-02-05T11:17:00+00:00

Cost of Living | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: It's $7 in the Hunter. There you go. The member for Hunter probably knows. The fact is that people can't afford to go out to a cafe any more. If they want to purchase a meal at a pub, the price...
encoded: It's $7 in the Hunter. There you go. The member for Hunter probably knows. The fact is that people can't afford to go out to a cafe any more. If they want to purchase a meal at a pub, the price is through the roof. I know because I take my family to the pub. Then we go into all the subsidies. What drives this 13th rate increase? It comes because inflation is out of control. And guess what? It's on this Labor government's watch. It was not happening under the coalition. It is happening under this Labor government. They need to take responsibility for continually giving out subsidies. We've now got a new subsidy for EVs—another $50 million. 'That's not going to hurt anybody!' Yes it will, because it comes out of taxpayer pockets. The way this government spends money to make up for or to put a bandaid on what is a broken economy is appalling. It will only cost taxpayers more. It will only continue to see inflation rise. I actually feel a little sorry for the RBA and for its chair. These are the stories they have to keep coming out to tell the Australian people while trying not to annoy the current Labor government, which is where the responsibility needs to sit. Then we've got things like policies, great policies, like the gun buyback—$15 billion, Member for Hunter! Where's that going to come from? Oh, the Australian taxpayer. One more time: a terrible policy that was just simply a repeat of 1996, when John Howard was doing the right thing. Here we have a government and a Prime Minister who have made a decision for gun buybacks because he wanted to cover over a massacre that should never have happened on his watch. The fact is this government is responsible. It needs to take responsibility. We will continue to work to make it take that responsibility seriously.
date: 2026-02-04T16:31:00+00:00

Cost of Living | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: This MPI is about the government's reckless agenda, which is driving up the cost of living for Australian families. It's not actually a question. It is a statement that the policies that this...
encoded: This MPI is about the government's reckless agenda, which is driving up the cost of living for Australian families. It's not actually a question. It is a statement that the policies that this government has brought in since 2022 are hurting Australian families. When families are paying, on a $500,000 mortgage, $23,000 more since Labor have come into office, that hurts. That hurts families. We have more families who cannot even think about purchasing a home because the housing market can't give them a home at a price they can afford. The policies that this government has implemented are hurting Australian families. When they go to the supermarket—I'm not going to say the names. When they go to any supermarket, the prices that they're paying for eggs and for bread and for milk and for all the ordinary daily needs of a family are through the roof. Sixteen per cent is the current figure. Then you add in the electricity costs. Electricity is something that people need. In our society, people need electricity. Costs are up 40 per cent—40 per cent! How is that reasonable? For the government—from the Minister for Climate Change and Energy to the Treasurer and the Prime Minister—to go on with the hubris and the arrogance that we've listened to today, it shows that they are all, every one of them, singing from the same hymn sheet: 'Not our fault. Not our fault. Don't look at us. It was actually those 10 years of waste and deficit.' It's 'the dog ate my homework'. This government needs to take responsibility. They've been in government for four years. When are they going to take responsibility? Australian families are hurting. Whether it's paying school fees, whether it's putting fuel into their cars, it doesn't matter which way they go. They can't afford to live. A cup of coffee in 2022 was $4. How much is it now? It's $6 for the average latte, and that's a small one.
date: 2026-02-04T16:31:00+00:00

Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: The Prime Minister has been at pains to tell us repeatedly that the only card that we need take to a medical appointment is the Medicare card. He's told us that the Labor government's changes to...
encoded: The Prime Minister has been at pains to tell us repeatedly that the only card that we need take to a medical appointment is the Medicare card. He's told us that the Labor government's changes to incentivise bulk-billing would make primary health care free to all those who need it. But across Mallee my constituents are lucky if they can get an appointment with a GP at all, let alone not pay a gap fee. The average GP gap fee, or out-of-pocket cost, is now over $50. The national out-of-pocket GP costs have more than doubled, from $780 million in 2021-22 to $1.66 billion in 2023-24. Out-of-pocket costs have risen steadily across all socioeconomic areas according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Bulk-billing, under the coalition, was at 88.9 per cent in 2021. Despite Labor rhetoric, it has fallen. In 2024-25, the latest figures, it was 77.6 per cent. That's an 11 per cent drop in bulk-billing. The fact is remote, outer regional and inner regional areas have lower bulk-billing rates than major cities. So your Medicare card is not all that you need, Prime Minister. That is another fabrication from this arrogant and secretive Labor government. This is a government that is all about the headline or the catchy three-second hook on social media to halt the doomscroll but not so much about doing the hard yards and policy grunt work to make lasting change. The Nationals' perspective on health care, the Mallee experience—when I asked my electorate of Mallee late last year about their biggest concerns, I received more than 5,300 responses, with Mallee residents telling me their No. 1 priority was better hospitals and access to health care. When asked about primary health care, the top concern of my constituents was wait times to see a doctor, followed by out-of-pocket costs and then wait times to see allied health professionals. Health care access and affordability is front of mind for my constituents and regional Australians more broadly. But this Labor governme…
date: 2026-02-04T11:31:00+00:00

Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I do note the Prime Minister's comments that, as people around Australia raise a glass in a pub, the price won't go up for the next two years. If it were only dependent on this excise freezing,...
encoded: I do note the Prime Minister's comments that, as people around Australia raise a glass in a pub, the price won't go up for the next two years. If it were only dependent on this excise freezing, that would be one thing, but we know that wages have gone up. We know that electricity has gone up. We know that the cost of living continues to rise under this government, so beer will go up. It's just the excise that will be frozen for the next two years. We commend this bill. We support this bill, but we think it should go further. We think it should actually include—and I endorse the member for Cowper's amendments that will be asking for or recommending that we also freeze the excise on spirits in pubs, hotels and clubs. Our pubs and our clubs do incredible work in our community. They really become the beehive, if you like, of social connection for so many people. Whether it's sporting clubs or whether it's families wanting to go out for a cheap meal, it's no longer cheap. I'm just stating the facts. When I take my family out, I can assure you, it costs me well over a hundred and something dollars—sometimes $200—just to go to a pub meal. To pretend that this excise freeze for the next two years is going to solve all the problems is complete and utter rubbish, and every Australian knows it. I think about the cost of coffee. When Labor came to government in 2022, the cost of a cup of coffee or a latte at your favourite cafe, which we all enjoy, was around $4. Now, we're paying $6 for a cup of coffee. 'Nothing to see here,' says the Labor government. 'Nothing to see here,' says the Prime Minister. Let's just talk about freezing the excise on pouring beer in pubs. Don't get me wrong, I support absolutely that our pubs and clubs need this support. They need more support than that though, and this government is absolutely not supplying it. I don't want to talk about every pub in my electorate, because, believe you me, there are far too many. I'm bound to leave out about, I don'…
date: 2026-02-04T09:20:00+00:00

Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
type: item
description: It's with profound sorrow that I rise today to speak about the horrific events of 15 December at Bondi Beach and to acknowledge the grieving family members who have been in this House. Bondi...
encoded: It's with profound sorrow that I rise today to speak about the horrific events of 15 December at Bondi Beach and to acknowledge the grieving family members who have been in this House. Bondi Beach is an iconic Australian landmark that should symbolise joy, freedom and unity. Instead, it became the scene of unimaginable tragedy. Fifteen innocent lives were stolen by Islamic extremists driven by hatred and intent on inflicting maximum harm. This was not just an attack on Jews; it was an attack on every Australian and our way of life. It was the worst terrorist atrocity in Australia's history, and it has shaken every one of us to the core. What happened that day is utterly unthinkable. Families who had gathered to celebrate Hanukkah, a festival of light and hope, were gunned down in cold blood—children, parents and grandparents all targeted simply because of who they are: Jewish Australians. We watched in horror as the news unfolded, moving from disbelief to grief and then to haunting questions. How could this happen here? Why such hatred? Who could commit such evil? This is not Australia. This is not the nation I grew up in and that we cherish. Since 7 October 2023 antisemitism has surged alarmingly across our country. We have seen Jewish Australians harassed, threatened and vilified; homes graffitied; cars and synagogues firebombed; and businesses coerced into closure. Synagogues and schools and childcare centres have been forced to tighten security as fear grips the community. Our fellow Australians, our neighbours, our friends, now feel like strangers in their own home. It is disgraceful, it is unacceptable and it must stop. Equally disturbing are the scenes of aggressive mobs in our streets, celebrating violence, chanting hatred. This is not free speech. This is incitement. It corrodes the very fabric of our society. When any group is targeted, whether for their faith, ethnicity or identity, it is an attack on all Australians. We cannot and must not stand by, beca…
date: 2026-01-19T11:21:00+00:00

Mallee Electorate: Energy | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: I rise to express my great pride in the farmers of Mallee. They are facing an uphill battle right now. They have the Victorian government and their tentacle subgroup TCV, Transmission Company...
encoded: I rise to express my great pride in the farmers of Mallee. They are facing an uphill battle right now. They have the Victorian government and their tentacle subgroup TCV, Transmission Company Victoria, coming onto farms. Well, that's what they want to do; they want to enter farms. Instead we have farmers standing inside the fence saying, 'Access denied.' Access is denied to TCV and to the Victorian government for seeking to railroad my communities. These farmers are on the edge of harvest. They are literally about to start harvest. We also hear in this space that we have Chinese made brake pads with asbestos in them. Asbestos is illegal. It is illegal to bring it into Australia. But here we have companies all over Australia who are bringing in wind turbines with asbestos as part of the works of each turbine, creating biosecurity hazards, I would suggest. I'm not an engineer, but, if a wind turbine goes on fire, what happens with that asbestos? There is food growing under these turbines. It is an absolute disgrace that the Labor government has allowed these turbines to come into Australia with no checks and balances. What is going on is that these products are all over Australia now, by the thousands—maybe hundreds of thousands. Renewables absolutely cost farmers. I have farmers in my electorate, and I'll name a few of them: Andrew Weidemann, Ross Johns, Julie Weir, Marcia McIntyre, Ben Duxson and Gerald Feeny. All of these farmers and the myriad that are coming to support them are standing at the gate, stopping TCV coming in. Now, TCV don't actually have court orders to be able to enter the properties. They have no right. But, I tell you what, they're intimidating and they're bullying our farmers. It is outrageous—at the beginning of harvest. We hear today that the Victorian government have put out a consultation about the five new RESes—I think there are six now—doubling the gigawatt hours that they require to put on farmland. Seriously? That's a consultation over …
date: 2025-11-26T10:21:00+00:00

Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I rise this afternoon to speak about the Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Bill 2025. As the member for Mallee and the shadow minister for regional development, I emphasise...
encoded: I rise this afternoon to speak about the Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Bill 2025. As the member for Mallee and the shadow minister for regional development, I emphasise how agriculture—particularly horticulture in Mallee—relies on migrant workers. Workforce shortages are a fact of life in regional Australia, and Mallee is no exception. Businesses in Sunraysia—in Mildura, Robinvale and Swan Hill—and even further south in the Wimmera, in Horsham and beyond, need migrant workers, especially during seasonal peaks in workload. Without these migrant workers, our region would not be the productive powerhouse that it is. Speaking of which, tonight, at the Australian Export Awards, Select Harvests from Wemen are up for the Regional Exporter award for 2025. They are a finalist, and I will be there cheering them on. They are a local success story, with a $116 million turnaround last year and record sales—the best almond prices they have ever received. I come to this debate familiar with the migration portfolio area, having been the Deputy Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration in the 47th Parliament. I worked closely, in a healthy and bipartisan way, with the then-chair and now retired Labor member for Calwell, Maria Vamvakinou. I was proud to take the migration committee for a public hearing in Robinvale, in my electorate, in May 2023 to contribute to the committee's report, Migration, pathway to nation building. We met with the council for the Robinvale area, the Swan Hill Rural City Council, and with horticultural businesses and associations. Key themes we heard in that hearing were the following. Workforce shortages were structural, not temporary, and regional industries—including agriculture, horticulture, food processing, health, aged care, transport and hospitality—were facing acute labour shortages. Employers consistently reported they could not fill roles locally, even after advertising widely. Labour shortages were a constraint on …
date: 2025-11-26T17:39:00+00:00

Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: by leave—I move opposition amendments (1) and (2) on sheet 2 together: (1) Schedule 1, item 3, page 25 (after line 3), after subsection 121FZO(1), insert: (1A) To the extent that the report...
encoded: by leave—I move opposition amendments (1) and (2) on sheet 2 together: (1) Schedule 1, item 3, page 25 (after line 3), after subsection 121FZO(1), insert: (1A) To the extent that the report relates to the service's total program expenditure for Australia for the year of the report, the report must provide information about where that expenditure was incurred by reference to the following: (a) major cities of Australia; (b) inner regional Australia; (c) outer regional Australia; (d) remote Australia; (e) very remote Australia. (2) Schedule 1, item 3, page 25 (after line 7), after section 121FZO, insert: 121FZOA Publication of annual report (1) As soon as practicable after receiving a report under subsection 121FZO(1), the ACMA must give a copy of the report to the Minister. (2) The Minister must cause a copy of the report to be tabled in each House of the Parliament within 15 sitting days of that House after the Minister receives the report, upon which time it must be published on the ACMA website. This parliament is being asked to set the rules for a new era in Australian storytelling. For the first time, global streaming giants will have obligations to invest meaningfully in Australian content. This is welcome. But unless this parliament insists on proper transparency, we will never know whether those investments are genuinely supporting the breadth of Australia—not just the big cities, not just the same postcodes but all Australians wherever they live. My amendments are simple, practical and vital—transparency on where money is actually spent. My first amendment inserts subsection 121FZO(1)(1A). It requires streaming services, when they report their annual Australian program expenditure, to tell us where in Australia that money was spent—not vaguely, not selectively, but clearly and consistently—across the ABS remoteness categories, firstly major cities and then inner regional, outer regional, remote and very remote Australia. This matters. Right now, we have no l…
date: 2025-11-25T16:03:00+00:00

Disability Services | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: I highlight an urgent situation for the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme to address concerning specialist disability accommodation potentially ceasing to exist by 31...
encoded: I highlight an urgent situation for the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme to address concerning specialist disability accommodation potentially ceasing to exist by 31 December, leaving vulnerable Australians homeless. Noreen is a constituent in my electorate of Mallee and is in her mid-80s. Noreen's son lives in a specialist disability accommodation service within my electorate. Noreen's son faces eviction from his specialist accommodation from 1 January due to the Commonwealth squabbling with the Victorian government, whose transitional funding ends this year for those like Noreen's son, who will soon rely exclusively on the NDIS for funding for their home—funding that doesn't go far enough for specialist homes. This feels like the government's aged-care bungling all over again. The Age reported in early September: Thousands of Victorians with profound disabilities face the prospect of eviction from their group homes and the loss of carers they have relied on for years due to a funding stand-off between private providers, the state and the federal government. Where is the minister responsible for this failed handover of accommodation and arrangements? This needs urgent attention.
date: 2025-11-25T13:30:00+00:00

Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I rise as the first shadow minister for regional communications in Australia—yet another principled position the Nationals took to ensure that, in the 21st century, there is a continuous...
encoded: I rise as the first shadow minister for regional communications in Australia—yet another principled position the Nationals took to ensure that, in the 21st century, there is a continuous focus on regional connectivity. This bill mandates the production of Australian content, and nothing is more Australian than regional Australia. From The Flying Doctors, filmed in my electorate of Mallee at Minyip, to Mad Max, Crocodile Dundee and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the star of the show has been the people and the landscapes of regional Australia. As we see the capital cities grow at breakneck pace under Labor governments—federal and state—I come to this debate with an unashamed and strong emphasis on regional Australians. That is why—and I foreshadow—I will be moving an amendment to ensure transparency on how much of the Australian production proposed through this bill will actually occur in regional Australia. Let's remember the regulatory space we have here. Our media regulations were made during the 20th century of television towers and antennas on roofs. Now, builders do not even put antennas on house builds. This is the 21st century, and regulation has not caught up to the reality where many Australians—if not the majority—are digesting the bulk of their news and entertainment over the internet through the NBN broadband internet, 5G, 4G or whatever else they use. Critically, regulation hasn't caught up to the fact that we have strictly regulated the Australian broadcasters while regulation does not effectively touch the international broadcasters such as those this bill seeks to regulate. Australia's media is not a free market. This is a failed market, and the Nationals know about interventions in market failure situations all too well, as we see the need for it time and time again in regional Australia. Free-to-air television broadcasters face many barriers. There are laws and rules that apply to our commercial broadcasters that do not apply to …
date: 2025-11-25T12:35:00+00:00

Aviation Industry | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) under the Government two regional airlines have collapsed and the domestic aviation sector has become more concentrated with just two airline groups...
encoded: I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) under the Government two regional airlines have collapsed and the domestic aviation sector has become more concentrated with just two airline groups representing 98.3 per cent of the market; (b) major airlines have centralised activities, withdrawing staff, service provision and investment from the regions, closing bases and maintenance facilities in Mildura, Tamworth, Hobart and Canberra; (c) the Government has committed up to $160 million to extend the Regional Express airline in administration but remains unable to guarantee regional services or affordability, nor whether regional creditors will be paid; (d) programs to support regional airlines investing in capital upgrades and security screening services have been withdrawn; and (e) the Government has botched the transition of air services for Australia's island territories; and (2) calls upon the Government to ensure regional Australians retain access to competitive, affordable, sustainable and safe aviation services. Air travel is part and parcel of life in regional Australia. My home town of Mildura is the most remote regional centre in Victoria. It is more than six hours drive from Melbourne and almost 4½ hours drive from Adelaide. Sunraysia's geographical isolation means that there are many instances where road travel takes far too long, is just not appropriate and, can I say, dangerous. Air travel is essential not least to access health care and to visit family and friends but also as a connector and driver for our regional businesses and economies. Under this Labor government, two regional airlines, Bonza and Regional Express, have collapsed, leaving the domestic aviation sector more concentrated than ever. Nationally, just two airline groups, Qantas and Virgin, now represent 98.3 per cent of the market, according to the latest data. This duopoly strangles competition, drives up fares and abandons regional routes to the whims of big city boardrooms. Not only t…
date: 2025-11-24T13:06:00+00:00

Communications, the Arts and Sport Committee; Reference | Committees | House debates
type: item
description: (): I second the motion. I spoke recently in this House about Christine from Cumnock in New South Wales, who had to travel an additional kilometre after a car accident to call triple 0...
encoded: (): I second the motion. I spoke recently in this House about Christine from Cumnock in New South Wales, who had to travel an additional kilometre after a car accident to call triple 0 on a landline at a nearby house because she didn't have mobile phone reception. I also mentioned Joe from Meckering in Western Australia, who called in while I was on a Perth radio station, saying he has regular visitors at his home on the transcontinental highway asking to use his landline because, contrary to network indications, there is no mobile phone reception on his section of the highway. Like it or not, landline services remain essential to connectivity in regional Australia. They enable people to access emergency services in times of need. They give people the ability to work or run a business, access health care and essential government services, and maintain social connection. Affordable fixed-line voice services—in other words, landline services—may no longer rely on the copper wiring, but the fixed voice services remain critically important. Mobile connectivity remains sketchy at best in large swathes of regional Australia, and it has been made worse by this Labor government's abysmal failure to manage the 3G network shutdown effectively. While the country has been rightly shocked at the devastatingly tragic outcomes of Optus's recent triple 0 outage—and I hear there has been another one this afternoon—I feel compelled to highlight the fact that large parts of our vast country have no access to triple 0 at all on their mobile phones. That is because they don't have any mobile phone service. The point is often overlooked, but it is not lost on people who live in the regions. Thankfully, redundancy has been built into the telecommunications system for the most part, due to legislative provisions like the universal service obligation and the statutory infrastructure provider regime, to ensure minimum service levels for fixed voice and high-speed broadband. The Nationals are…
date: 2025-11-05T16:31:00+00:00

Regional Australia | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: That's right, everybody knows what I'm talking about. They're going back to those because they haven't got connectivity. This is a huge problem and it's on this government's watch. What are they...
encoded: That's right, everybody knows what I'm talking about. They're going back to those because they haven't got connectivity. This is a huge problem and it's on this government's watch. What are they doing about it? They've got Accenture doing a report and a review with some mapping using Australia Post trucks. That'll be excellent! The report will come out in 2027. Thank you for that. In the meantime, three years will go by and people won't have connectivity and will have to find other means and ways to call their loved ones or call 000 when they need it. It is seriously and absolutely not good enough, and it is completely on this government's watch that these failures have taken place. Lastly, I want to briefly reference the hopelessness of the 'reckless renewable rollout'. Brett Hosking of the VFF, whose farm is in the line of TCV, is featured in theWeekly Times. I don't have time to quote him, but I tell you what: Labor should look his story up.
date: 2025-11-05T15:36:00+00:00

Regional Australia | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: It has been highly entertaining, listening to the minister—my counterpart, in point of fact. I first want to address how this government is devastating regional...
encoded: It has been highly entertaining, listening to the minister—my counterpart, in point of fact. I first want to address how this government is devastating regional communities—effectively, abandoning regional communities. I particularly want to point out that the minister's statement regarding the lowering of default speed limits is actually not accurate. I have in front of me the department of infrastructure consultation that we are referring to, which clearly says that—as to this consultation on potentially lowering the default speed limit on sealed and unsealed regional roads which are unmarked—one of the benefits is to reduce fatalities. Nobody is going to dispute that we all want to see fatalities reduced. Also it's to reduce fuel consumption costs. I didn't know they cared! And, thirdly, it's so that emissions from fuel consumption will be lower. Now, seriously! I've heard them say, 'This is not a climate change issue at all.' I'm sorry—as I have said several times this week, this has the Minister for Climate Change and Energy's fingerprints all over it. What this consultation actually shows is that the cost to those who live in the regions is going to be about slower travel time. Really? Is that actually accurate? Yes. Parents will take longer to get their kids to school. Parents will take longer to get their kids to sport. Parents will take longer to take their children to the doctor. This is the cost of this ridiculous notion. Now, I have spoken to the member for Riverina about this very consultation, which, I would like to clearly say, we did not implement, because it is so foolish. I will be very interested to see what the consultation paper—and we called for it to be extended, because it was brought out under the cover of darkness; nobody knew that this consultation was taking place until this last week. It is an incredibly ridiculous notion—to make people in the regions just simply drive slower, rather than expending money on roads. On that point, I would …
date: 2025-11-05T15:36:00+00:00

Energy | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: My question is to the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister agree with the member for Solomon there will be a 20 per cent decrease in power bills over the next decade?
encoded: My question is to the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister agree with the member for Solomon there will be a 20 per cent decrease in power bills over the next decade?
date: 2025-11-05T15:00:00+00:00