Andrew Willcox'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: Public Works Joint Committee; Report | Committees | House debates
items: Australian National Flag | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Government Spending | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Ovarian Cancer | Adjournment | House debates
items: Energy | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Queensland: Infrastructure | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
items: Energy | Adjournment | House debates
items: Mt Challenger Wind Farm | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Energy | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Medicare | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Small Business | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: g126.1

Public Works Joint Committee; Report | Committees | House debates
type: item
description: by leave—I rise today to speak on the 89th annual report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works. I'd like to start by acknowledging our chair, the member for Makin, Mr Tony...
encoded: by leave—I rise today to speak on the 89th annual report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works. I'd like to start by acknowledging our chair, the member for Makin, Mr Tony Zappia, and thank him for his diligence, hard work, professionalism and leadership through this committee. I would also like to acknowledge the chair from the 47th Parliament, former member for Moreton Graham Perrett, and the deputy chair from the 47th Parliament, former member for Hinkler the Hon. Keith Pitt. And I thank committee members from the 47th Parliament and the 48th Parliament. I'd also like to thank the hardworking staff: Jeff Norris, our committee secretary; Danton Leary, our inquiry secretary; Liana Leilua, our senior researcher; Grace Cremen, our researcher; and Tanya Pratt, our office manager. These folks go above and beyond. They look after us. The quality of information that we get from them, in the research that they do, is second to none. Tanya Pratt, from the office, makes sure we're all in the right place at the right time, and we do a bit of travel with this. I thank them all very much for everything they do. The chair has described eloquently the number of referrals and the amount of money that's involved in what comes through our committee, so I won't reprosecute that. It's very high. But I would like to brief the parliament on some of the scrutiny that we have undertaken as part of our work. One of these things is cost. We've had a really good look at the cost per square metre for works in the private sector and in the public sector, and we've done some analysis of how that works. When you have a detention centre, compared to an office building in Canberra, obviously the fit-out costs are very high, but we can use some of our research and our expertise to see how they compare to make sure that we're getting the best bang for our buck. The committee also expects to receive proposed works projects with a P80 level of confidence, which some of the projects …
date: 2026-02-10T16:14:00+00:00

Australian National Flag | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: The Australian flag is far more than cloth and colour. Under this flag, generations of Australians have fought and fallen. They gave their lives to protect this land and to protect the freedoms...
encoded: The Australian flag is far more than cloth and colour. Under this flag, generations of Australians have fought and fallen. They gave their lives to protect this land and to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today. Those freedoms include the right to free speech, but they do not include the right to deliberately desecrate the very flag that represents our nation. Twice in recent months the Labor government has been asked to act. In September last year and again in January this year, proposals to criminalise the burning and desecration of the Australian flag were put forward, and on both occasions the Albanese government refused to act. Australians have made their views crystal clear. In less than 24 hours, more than 2,000 Australians signed my petition calling for the Australian flag to be protected under law. That is Australia saying: the current laws are not good enough. A country that cannot protect its flag cannot honour those who fought under it. I ask this government: can you look a veteran in the eye and explain why the flag they served under, the flag they buried their mates beneath, means nothing to you? The Australian flag deserves protection. I am demanding it, and the Australian people are demanding it.
date: 2026-02-10T13:53:00+00:00

Government Spending | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: The most expensive sound in Australia today is the silence of a shopfront where the door no longer swings open. It is the heavy, suffocating silence of a ledger book filled with red ink—a...
encoded: The most expensive sound in Australia today is the silence of a shopfront where the door no longer swings open. It is the heavy, suffocating silence of a ledger book filled with red ink—a ledger that a small-business owner in Mackay or a farmer in the Burdekin stares at late into the night, wondering what went wrong. A financial crisis arrives in the quiet erosion of a bank balance. It's the unsettling realisation that, despite working long hours, despite cutting every luxury, the numbers simply no longer add up. For the people I represent, the Australian dream is being replaced by a daily struggle of survival. We heard from the Prime Minister last year that interest rate rises were a thing of the past. We were promised a different path. We remember the Prime Minister standing before the nation making a definite vow; he said life will be cheaper under Labor. But as we stand here in 2026 those promises have been shattered. The reality is that Australians are struggling more today than when the Albanese Labor government came to office. Australians are experiencing a Labor-created cost-of-living crisis. It is a mathematical reality that when this government spends, prices rise and it's the families in our regions who pay the price. I've been speaking to families right across my electorate of Dawson. They've just finished the back-to-school run, and they are looking at the receipts with genuine fear. They're staring down the barrel of a world where everything costs more. Electricity prices are up, insurance prices are up, grocery prices are up, housing prices are up and mortgage costs are up. Mums and dads across Dawson are feeling poorer because they are poorer. They are being governed by an Albanese administration that cannot stop spending taxpayers' money—and, folks, we all know what that means: when Labor run out of money, they come after yours. This is the highest-spending government in 40 years outside of a global pandemic, with $50 billion of new discretionary sp…
date: 2026-02-09T11:52:00+00:00

Ovarian Cancer | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: The words fall like stones in a silent room, heavy, cold and irreversible. A diagnosis doesn't arrive gently; it crashes in, shattering the quiet of an ordinary day and turning life as you know...
encoded: The words fall like stones in a silent room, heavy, cold and irreversible. A diagnosis doesn't arrive gently; it crashes in, shattering the quiet of an ordinary day and turning life as you know it upside down. In that moment, the world you knew just seconds ago vanishes, replaced by an unsettling shadow. Fear begins to coil around you—fear of the unknown, fear of the fight and the terrifying question of what this means to you and the people you love. This is the reality for thousands of Australian women, and this is why I rise today to give a voice to those fighting in the shadows and to advocate for the life-changing work of the Trudy Crowley Foundation. Yesterday was World Cancer Day, a global day of unity in the fight against this disease. But for those living with cancer, the fight is not a single day on the calendar. It is the lived reality that requires a community led response. February is also Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, a time when we don the teal ribbon to shine a light on what is devastatingly referred to as the silent killer. It is a call to action to remember those whom we have lost and to bolster the courage of those currently in the fight. Ovarian cancer is a particularly brutal disease. Symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain and fatigue are vague and easily dismissed as something else until it's too late. This is why the message of 'know your body, know your normal' is so vital. These were the words of the foundation's former ambassador, Bridgeen, and they are the words that now define the foundation's mission. Bridgeen battled ovarian cancer for many years with spirit—the foundation of the foundation. Despite her stage 4 diagnosis, she remained a fierce advocate for ovarian cancer awareness. As we mark the first anniversary of her passing this month, her legacy lives on through every woman who hears her words, 'Know your body, know your normal'. It's a plea to get women to trust their intuition, and it is a demand for our medical system to liste…
date: 2026-02-05T13:02:00+00:00

Energy | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Given the Prime Minister's broken promise that households would be $275 better off on their power bills by 2025, and with families...
encoded: My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Given the Prime Minister's broken promise that households would be $275 better off on their power bills by 2025, and with families now being smashed by higher electricity prices under this government, on what exact date will retail electricity prices actually fall—or was the $275 promise never going to be delivered?
date: 2026-02-04T15:16:00+00:00

Queensland: Infrastructure | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: That's not what Senate estimates says.
encoded: That's not what Senate estimates says.
date: 2026-02-04T14:49:00+00:00

Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I'd like to thank the member for Kennedy for his assistance with this speech! These places aren't just businesses. They're where our people come together—locals...
encoded: Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I'd like to thank the member for Kennedy for his assistance with this speech! These places aren't just businesses. They're where our people come together—locals after work, tourists chasing a real taste of local life and mates catching up for a yarn. In the Whitsundays, hospitality is the lifeblood of our economy. People travel from all around the world to sip our fine Australian beer on a beach in paradise. And up in Townsville, our garrison city, there's no-one more deserving of a cold one than our fine men and women from our Australian Defence Force. They train, they serve, they protect our country, and they've earned a frothy at the end of the day. That's why protecting the affordability of beer isn't just symbolic; it's cultural. It's the Aussie way. Behind every bar in North Queensland—from the Burdekin to Airlie Beach, Mackay to Townsville—there's a hardworking local doing their bit to keep the economy turning. Across Australia, around 176,000 people work in the alcohol and hospitality industries. They are students, parents, part-timers and full-timers, pouring beers, cleaning glasses and greeting guests. They're the heartbeat of our pubs and clubs. When we're talking about freezing the beer excise, we're not just talking about tax policy; we're talking about real people, real jobs and real communities. When a pub shuts down in a small town, it's not just a business that's lost. It's a meeting place, a fundraising venue and a social hub. It's where raffles raise money for the footy club and where stories are told. Pubs define who we are. But here's the rub: if Labor were serious about fixing the problem, they'd call for a comprehensive review of the alcohol excise system. The Nationals also believe this excise relief should be extended to include spirits on tap. It's hard to believe, I know, but not every Australian drinks beer. We get patchwork fixes from this government that sound good on the news but barely make a dint in reality…
date: 2026-02-03T18:08:00+00:00

Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: Well, mates, anyone in North Queensland will tell you our one day of winter normally falls on a Wednesday! For the rest of the year, it's prime beer drinking weather. There's nothing quite like...
encoded: Well, mates, anyone in North Queensland will tell you our one day of winter normally falls on a Wednesday! For the rest of the year, it's prime beer drinking weather. There's nothing quite like the sound of just cracking a coldie open after a long hot day. Whether you're pulling up crab pots out in the creeks of the Burdekin, knocking off after a shift in Paget or wrapping up a week of training in Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, that first sip of frosty beer is one of life's simple pleasures. It's not just about the drink; it's about the moment, the mateship, the laughter, the stories told over the bar, the sense that, no matter what's going on in the world, you're among good people. And that's what this debate is really about. It's about protecting our way of life, protecting the local pubs, the clubs and the breweries that keep our communities connected. We are talking about the Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, and, look, any relief for our pubs, sporting clubs and brewers is a good thing. The Nationals support this freeze on draught beer excise because we'll never stand between a cold pint and the Aussie public. But let's be honest—this move from Labor is but a drop in the schooner. When you crunch the numbers, this so-called beer tax cut works out to be less than 1c per pint. That's not cost-of-living relief; that's a headline dressed up as a happy hour. The real pressure on Aussie families doesn't come from the bar tap. It comes from the bills on the kitchen table. Inflation has smashed through the RBA's target band. Mortgages are up, groceries are up, electricity is up, and it's all being driven by this government spending that is going faster than the economy can grow. Government spending is running at more than four times the rate of the economy, and Australians are paying the price. Since Labor took office, mortgage holders are, on average, paying $1,800 more per month. Families are paying 16 per cent more for food, 22 per cent more in ren…
date: 2026-02-03T18:08:00+00:00

Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I rise today to speak against the proposed Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026. These should not even be in the same sentence—this is totally...
encoded: I rise today to speak against the proposed Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026. These should not even be in the same sentence—this is totally ridiculous! This bill is a diversionary tactic. It will not stamp out antisemitism, hate or extremism. This bill will not change the culture of antisemitism, hate, extremism and radical Islam that has been allowed to flourish due to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's weak leadership. All this will do is punish law-abiding firearm owners that are being used as a scapegoat. Australia already has the strictest gun laws in the world and the most stringent licensing. They do thorough background checks and withholding periods both before you get a licence and before you obtain a firearm. The coalition supports law-abiding firearm owners. The coalition supports the National Firearms Register. The question is this. Everything is already in place for the gun register's introduction. It's been in place for two years. Why hasn't the Albanese Labor government implemented it? That's the question. As a fully licensed firearm owner myself, who shoots rifles, pistols and shotguns for pest control and recreation, I'd like to explain to the parliament why shooters use so many different guns. The reason is, essentially, they do different jobs. They're for different purposes. For the destruction of birds and other pests that destroy crops, farmers might use a .22 calibre, which could be a .22 calibre long rifle, a .22 calibre Hornet or a .223 for longer range. They all have different jobs. They're the same calibre, but they shoot further. For rats and rabbits, you might use the same sort of calibre, but you might change what projectile you use. For a pig, you might use a .30-30, if you're in the scrub at close range. You might use a .308 if they're out on the open. Pigs come in and rip up your tomatoes and capsicums and make a mess. The golfers have to understand why golfers need so many different club…
date: 2026-01-20T09:44:00+00:00

Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
type: item
description: We've heard a lot of sadness and sorrow today from all corners of this parliament. Today we all share similar sentiments, and we've come together to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives...
encoded: We've heard a lot of sadness and sorrow today from all corners of this parliament. Today we all share similar sentiments, and we've come together to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives at the hands of terrorists at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025. I too wish to offer my condolences to the victims' families. The loss for those families is unimaginable. No words can undo the pain and grief those families have experienced, are feeling right now and will carry forever. I am terribly sorry for your loss. I would further like to extend the condolences from my constituents of Dawson. Many people in my region have reached out to show their support, to send their love and well wishes, and to share their stories of reflection. My electorate of Dawson may be almost 2,000 kilometres away from Bondi, but the people of Dawson are standing with you in spirit, with many prayers being sent your way. Fifteen innocent lives were lost at one of our country's most iconic locations. Bondi will now be forever synonymous with the worst terror attack on Australian soil. This hate filled rampage by two hate filled terrorists has devastated families, shattered communities and scarred a nation. It should never have happened. This occurred at a family event, a love filled celebration, a place where ordinary Australians felt they were safe and could never have anticipated that this would be a place of such horror. It was a place where kids ran around and played, had their faces painted and patted animals at a petting zoo. This religious event could have been any event in any community across Australia. I reflect and think about the many times I took my own kids to similar events. The one that sticks out to me most is our local carols by candlelight, where I would take my children each year. I'd watch them, with joy on their faces. They sang along with the Christmas carols and played with other kids. Many others have drawn connections with other events they've attended as a family. In …
date: 2026-01-19T12:05:00+00:00

Energy | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: Across this nation, families are sweating—not just because they can't afford to run the air conditioner, but because they fear the next power bill landing in their letterbox. Small...
encoded: Across this nation, families are sweating—not just because they can't afford to run the air conditioner, but because they fear the next power bill landing in their letterbox. Small businesses are closing—not from a lack of customers, but because their energy bills have become the silent partner taking the biggest cut. What kind of economy is Labor running when a cafe can afford coffee beans but can't afford the electricity to boil the water? Australian manufacturers aren't being beaten by better products. They're being beaten by competitors with access to cheaper power overseas and a government that makes them pay more to produce less. And, through all of this, Labor has gone to war with the very industries that keep this country running. They've demonised gas, and now they're trying to write coal out of Australia's economic future. Paget is one of the most important industrial precincts in Australia, and it sits in my electorate of Dawson. It's the largest industrial hub in Queensland, outside the south-east corner. Every day in Paget, thousands of highly skilled workers design, build and manufacture the heavy machinery that keeps our mines operating, our exports moving and our national economy afloat. If Paget stops, the coal supply chain stops. If the coal supply chain stops, billions in export revenue completely disappear. It is the engine room of regional Queensland. Let's not forget our future industries. Hydrogen doesn't appear from thin air. Its production requires a lot of energy. Critical minerals don't refine themselves. Advance manufacturing doesn't run on hope. They all rely on the energy backbone of coal and gas. Every engineer, every economist and every serious energy analyst knows this. The government knows it too, but they won't admit it. So I ask: why is Labor so eager to destroy the industries that pay for everything else? The future of our economy will not come from weakening the industries that have made it strong. It will not come from strangli…
date: 2025-11-27T11:21:00+00:00

Mt Challenger Wind Farm | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: In Dawson, the quiet of Crystal Brook and Kelsey Creek is under siege from the threat of a wind farm that would steal a sunrise, drown out the dawn bird chorus and loom over homes and farmlands....
encoded: In Dawson, the quiet of Crystal Brook and Kelsey Creek is under siege from the threat of a wind farm that would steal a sunrise, drown out the dawn bird chorus and loom over homes and farmlands. The Mt Challenger Wind Farm is not a minor project. It is an industrial-scale intrusion placed within minutes of family homes, farms and one of our region's most treasured recreational landscapes, the Peter Faust Dam. Residents were blindsided. A handful of landholders were approached in private. Turbine locations are vague. There is no genuine consultation. In response, more than 120 residents have now united, through the Whitsunday Wind Farm Action Group, to defend their homes, their health and their livelihoods. Their concerns are not hypothetical and they are not political. They are real health concerns—sleepless nights, persistent headaches and other known documented effects of ultrasound. Some of these turbines will be less than two kilometres from homes. There'll be increased heavy traffic movement on narrow rural roads. And this is not to mention the heightened threat to our delicate ecosystem, which is home to eagles, brolgas and the Proserpine rock-wallaby. Above all, there is the destruction of peace that generations have enjoyed. These are proud rural Australians—people who have already invested in solar, batteries and sustainable practices. They support clean energy. What they do not support is a project forced upon them without respect, without honesty and without proper scrutiny. Crystal Brook and Kelsey Creek are not suitable locations for wind turbines. They are farming communities. They are residential communities. They should not be the dumping ground for poor planning and poor policy shortcuts. Yet, while these communities fight to protect their homes and farmlands, Australia is being asked to tolerate something extraordinary—an energy minister bestowing the virtues of energy and climate across the globe while power bills here have surged nearly 40 per ce…
date: 2025-11-26T10:27:00+00:00

Energy | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: It is on relevance. Government members interjecting— No, I'm listening to exactly what you said, sir, but I want to know when—Peter wants to know when it will come down. He's doing it...
encoded: It is on relevance. Government members interjecting— No, I'm listening to exactly what you said, sir, but I want to know when—Peter wants to know when it will come down. He's doing it tough, sir.
date: 2025-11-25T15:02:00+00:00

Energy | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Peter Doyle, a canefarmer in Dawson, fears he will lose money by harvesting his crop because his average power costs have doubled....
encoded: My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Peter Doyle, a canefarmer in Dawson, fears he will lose money by harvesting his crop because his average power costs have doubled. Despite installing solar, Peter is still going backwards. Minister, when will the power prices come down?
date: 2025-11-25T15:01:00+00:00

Energy | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: Last week, I stood in a field of sugarcane and saw a man pouring his heart and sweat into the land. Despite doing everything right, cane farmer Peter Doyle is shackled by soaring electricity...
encoded: Last week, I stood in a field of sugarcane and saw a man pouring his heart and sweat into the land. Despite doing everything right, cane farmer Peter Doyle is shackled by soaring electricity bills that punish hard work and ambition. He has invested heavily in solar and he chases every tariff and every saving available, yet his power bills keep rising. This is why Australians deserve a cheaper, better and fairer energy system. Imagine every farmer across Australia in the same position. Producers should be focused on feeding the nation and instead are being forced to manage their energy use like another full-time job. Families feel the pain at the checkout because, when a farmer's costs increase, the whole country pays for it. When electricity is unaffordable, everything is unaffordable. Peter should be concentrating on producing the best possible crop, but instead he navigates wind, tariffs and irrigation schedules just to avoid being punished for turning on the pump. That is not fair, and it is not sustainable. Behind Labor's flawed energy policies are thousands of farmers like Peter doing everything right and still falling behind. We owe them an energy system that sparks opportunity, not one that leaves them powerless. The coalition has a cheaper, better and fairer energy policy, and I say bring it on for Australia's sake—the sooner the better.
date: 2025-11-25T13:33:00+00:00

Medicare | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: Australians are being told that they've never had it better than they have under this government, but families know the truth every time they tap their card at the doctor's reception desk....
encoded: Australians are being told that they've never had it better than they have under this government, but families know the truth every time they tap their card at the doctor's reception desk. Out-of-pocket GP costs are now pushing, on average, $50. That is a worrying statistic. That is a barrier to care. When the coalition left office, bulk-billing rates were nearly 90 per cent. Today, bulk-billing is collapsing in 32 electorates. The Prime Minister's famous promise, 'You'll only need your Medicare card, not your credit card,' is now nothing more than a punchline in doctors' waiting rooms. Throughout Australia, people are handing over their credit cards every time they visit a doctor, and many simply can't afford that anymore. In my electorate of Dawson, what used to be a routine GP visit is now a financial decision. We have no fully bulk-billed GP clinics in Mackay, a city of around 130,000 people. None! The government says bulk-billing will reach nine out of 10 visits by 2030, but in Dawson this promise is a mile from reality. That is not strengthening Medicare; that is slow disintegration of it, and GP practices are sounding the alarm as loudly as their patients. They tell me the same story. They simply can't keep bulk-billing when costs just keep going up. To quote Family Health Care Mackay Rural View: … the incentive does not cover the full cost of providing high-quality care. Therefore, our clinic will continue to charge an appropriate out-of-pocket fee for some consultations to ensure we can keep delivering high-quality care to our community. Power bills have climbed. Commercial rent is climbing. Insurance costs are climbing. Everything is going up and the Medicare rebates aren't keeping up with 'Jimflation'. This is not economic management. This is a cost-of-living crisis delivered through the front door of every medical practice in regional Australia. You cannot blame the doctors for walking away from bulk-billing when the numbers no longer stack up. Only 13 p…
date: 2025-11-24T18:32:00+00:00

Small Business | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: I thank the member for Goldstein for raising this important topic. Small businesses aren't just part of our economy; they are the backbone of our economy. They are the beating heart of every main...
encoded: I thank the member for Goldstein for raising this important topic. Small businesses aren't just part of our economy; they are the backbone of our economy. They are the beating heart of every main street and every regional town—someone with a dream decides to have a go. They are the bakers opening before dawn, the mechanics working late and the cane farmers handing down the family legacy from one generation to the next. They are the families who back themselves often risking everything, and today that spirit is under threat like never before. Small and family businesses right across Australia are being hit by a tidal wave of pressure that the government either can't understand or simply refuses to acknowledge. This motions asks the House to confront an uncomfortable truth—small and family businesses are being crushed not by market forces but by government choices. Costs are spiralling. Power bills are sky rocketing. Leases are rising. Insurance is blowing out. Interest rates are pushing many to the brink. Every week I hear the same thing: 'I'm working harder for less, and I don't know how long I can keep it going.' That is not economic management. That is economic neglect. The reasons are clear. The government's industrial relations changes have replaced flexibility with confusion, fairness with compliance, and replaced opportunity with fear. Business owners are scared of making paperwork mistakes, worried about hiring and terrified of growing because every change seems designed for big unions and big corporates, not the people who actually create the jobs. Labor needs to stop looking after their election cash cows and start looking after real Australians. Power bills for shops, cafes, small manufacturers and workshops have surged because of this government's reckless energy experiment. Small businesses operate for customers and production timetables, not electricity markets. In regional Australia, where distance adds cost, these increases aren't inconvenient; they a…
date: 2025-11-24T11:10:00+00:00

Small Business | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.
encoded: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.
date: 2025-11-24T11:00:00+00:00

Energy | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: My question is to the Prime Minister. When asked about the Prime Minister's promise to reduce power bills by $275, the Labor member for Solomon said, 'How long are you guys going to hang on to...
encoded: My question is to the Prime Minister. When asked about the Prime Minister's promise to reduce power bills by $275, the Labor member for Solomon said, 'How long are you guys going to hang on to that $275 piece?' Prime Minister, are power bills $275 lower now than in May 2022?
date: 2025-11-06T14:55:00+00:00

g126.1
type: item
title: Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025, Environment Information Australia Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Customs Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Excise Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (General Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Restoration Charge Imposition) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: If good policy is met with greater prosperity, this government seems intent on salting the soil. After three years of promises, backflips and bureaucratic composting, Labor has finally planted...
encoded: If good policy is met with greater prosperity, this government seems intent on salting the soil. After three years of promises, backflips and bureaucratic composting, Labor has finally planted its so-called Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 and six associated bills. Make no mistake, this isn't a plan to make Australia greener; it's a plan to make Australia slower, poorer and tangled in so much red and green tape that no-one can tell where the vines begin or end. These bills, around 1,500 pages long, are a legislative jungle. They were dropped on the parliament floor like a storm-felled tree. Now Labor wants to rush them through before anyone has had a chance to read the warning signs carved in the bark. The coalition cannot and will not support these reforms in their current form because, instead of protecting the environment, they threaten to choke our economy. This is the most significant environmental overhaul in a generation, yet the government is trying to push it through in just weeks. Stakeholders from the Business Council to the mineral sector, from farmers to housing developers, have all asked for more time to read, analyse and consult. They want to make sure this reform is workable. The Business Council of Australia has been crystal clear: without significant changes, we risk embedding a system that is even slower, is more complex and lacks the clarity and certainty needed for investment. In other words, Labor's so-called reform is not fertilising growth; it's strangling it. Yet, after four years and two elections, Labor still haven't delivered the environmental protection agency they keep promising. They've had more false starts than a wind farm without wind. In the last parliament, Minister Plibersek attempted to push through ridiculous reforms. They were so extreme left that the Premier of Western Australia contacted the Prime Minister, and overnight those bills were stopped. Wow! That's saying something when it's too left for the Premier of WA. T…
date: 2025-11-05T18:27:00+00:00