Keith Wolahan's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2025-09-07T23:05:16+00:00
items: Budget | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Menzies Electorate: Hong Kong Club | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Albanese Government | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Road Safety | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Menzies Electorate: Lunar New Year | Adjournment | House debates
items: Albanese Government | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Cost of Living | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Australian Defence Force | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Spence Electorate: Curtis Road | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Menzies Electorate: Greg Sher Memorial Award | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Menzies Electorate: Parkruns | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Victoria: Local Government | Statements by Members | House debates
items: National Broadband Network Companies Amendment (Commitment to Public Ownership) Bill 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: International Relations | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Menzies Electorate: Neighbourhood Watch, Menzies Electorate: St Bishoy and St Shenouda's Coptic Orthodox Church | Adjournment | House debates
items: Online Gambling | Questions without Notice | House debates

Budget | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: There is a sense of despair in Australia, and it is not just about the cost of living, which has seen the price of milk go up 18 per cent, bread go up 25 per cent and eggs go up 35 per cent. It's...
encoded: There is a sense of despair in Australia, and it is not just about the cost of living, which has seen the price of milk go up 18 per cent, bread go up 25 per cent and eggs go up 35 per cent. It's not just a sense of despair at mortgages being up 57 per cent or rents up 32 per cent. It's not just a sense of despair that transport costs are up 17 per cent. In the budget on Tuesday, the Treasurer stood there and handed down a budget that showed, for the very first time, that Commonwealth debt is forecast to go beyond $1 trillion. When you look at that clock, I have 90 seconds and it's ticking. In just about every second the Commonwealth will owe $1,000 in interest on debt. This Treasurer and this Prime Minister had no plan to address it. The sense of despair is particularly acute in Victoria, because, if you want to know what a second term Labor government looks like here, look to the third term of the state Labor government in Victoria. It has got the highest debt, the highest taxes, the most rubbish and the most graffiti. It is a state in despair. I take no pride in saying that. When you look at household incomes in Victoria, they are at 2014 levels. If you want to know what the next term of this government looks like, look to Victoria. It's not pretty.
date: 2025-03-27T13:54:00+00:00

Menzies Electorate: Hong Kong Club | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: It's hard to hold onto good friends over time, but you've got to make an effort. So, when a club that was formed by friends celebrates its 60th anniversary, we shouldn't just celebrate it; we...
encoded: It's hard to hold onto good friends over time, but you've got to make an effort. So, when a club that was formed by friends celebrates its 60th anniversary, we shouldn't just celebrate it; we should find out what they did and then learn from it. I was really pleased to join Amelia Hamer and Katie Allen at the 60th anniversary of the Hong Kong Club—60 years. The current president, Michael Tse, was there, and the founding president, Kam Leung, was there as well. To see both presidents bookended by 60 years of friendship was an amazing thing. Just imagine when they came as students in the 1960s, a lot of them at RMIT but some at Melbourne university and Monash also. They didn't have any friends, didn't know anyone, had to learn the language and had to try strange food. They got together, learned from each other and gave each other a leg-up through tough times. They had a magazine; it was called Flight of the Southern Geese.For those of you who don't know your birds, southern geese fly across the whole planet. They do so in a V-shape, and they take turns being at the lead. What I noticed about this club is they don't have ballots for president; they take turns being president because being the head of that is tough. I want to say to all of the committee—the past president Emily Tang as well as David Wong, Maria Hui, Paula Lau, Kendy Tat and Patrick Leung—I admire you, and I really appreciate being your member in this place.
date: 2025-03-26T13:40:00+00:00

Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
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description: Shortly, we will hear from the Treasurer about the state of the economic books for the Commonwealth. That matters in two key respects. First, it directly matters to the state of household budgets...
encoded: Shortly, we will hear from the Treasurer about the state of the economic books for the Commonwealth. That matters in two key respects. First, it directly matters to the state of household budgets and how they are doing. Second, it matters when we zoom out. I see there are schoolchildren visiting up above, and you are very welcome. It's good to see you. There's a document here that's about you. It's called the Intergenerational report. It is a report that first started in 2002, and it's designed for us in this place to look forward 40 years to see how we're doing and what the impact might be on you. I'm sure most of you may be about 10, 11 or 12—I apologise if I got that wrong. Imagine yourselves about our age, what this economy looks like and what our country looks like. I want to briefly tell you what it looks like in the last Intergenerational report, which was done in 2023. It looked forward to 2063. On page 144, there is a graph that matters to you and that should matter to all of us. The report says that real Australian government spending per person before COVID was $22,000. Immediately after COVID it was $24,000. It's now peaking at $28,000 per person. That's a lot of money, especially when you consider that the average household, the average person, earns just over $100,000. Half of Australians earn $65,000 or less. In this document it said, if that spending is not addressed, then adjusting for inflation, when you are our age, you'll be paying $40,000 per person. Imagine you're earning $100,000, as the average wage, and $ 40,000 of that is just for what we spend here! Then there's state spending and your local government. You won't have much left over. When the Treasurer wrote this document, 'Capitalism after the crises', published 1 February 2023, he didn't mention the Intergenerational report. Instead, he questions the fundamentals of capitalism, and how has that worked out for families? Let's test the numbers. When you look at actual family budgets right …
date: 2025-03-25T16:23:00+00:00

Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I second the amendment and reserve my right to speak. Debate interrupted.
encoded: I second the amendment and reserve my right to speak. Debate interrupted.
date: 2025-02-13T16:21:00+00:00

Albanese Government | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
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description: It is not lost on me that in the chamber right now are nine members of the class of 2022. I just want to say at the outset that it has been a pleasure serving with all of you if this is our last...
encoded: It is not lost on me that in the chamber right now are nine members of the class of 2022. I just want to say at the outset that it has been a pleasure serving with all of you if this is our last time, and we'll find out soon. In a previous life I was a barrister, and I learned the most from a particular silk who, when he gave me the most constructive feedback, said, 'You know I love you,' and then would give me the feedback. So to the class of 2022 on that side I say: 'You know I love you—but.' I go back to my first speech here, which was in September 2022. From time to time, we should go back to our first speeches because they should be a guidebook for all of us when we have tough decisions to make. And there is no tougher decision for this country right now than easing the cost-of-living pressure on Australians, because it's affecting their daily lives. We can rattle off the numbers on inflation. We can do: 'This is your fault. No, this is your fault.' We can do the Punch and Judy show. But let's imagine you are a young family at a supermarket buying essentials. Let's narrow it down to the ones that count: milk, bread and eggs. Milk is up 18 per cent this term. Bread is up 25 per cent this term. Eggs, an essential protein, cheaper than steak and other foods, is up 35 per cent this term. For those of you who don't use compound interest calculators much, I ask you to put 35 per cent in, divide it by three and see how long it takes to double it. It doubles every six years. If we continue that trend in the next term, it means eggs have doubled in two terms of your government—doubled! These are basic essentials to have breakfast at the table for a family, and there's not much change from $20. So, when we say Australians are doing it tough, that's the practical reality of what we're talking about. I haven't touched on the big bills of insurance, the monumental bills of mortgage or rent, or the lack of hope that comes with that when you do live pay cheque to pay cheque. …
date: 2025-02-13T16:09:00+00:00

Road Safety | Private Members' Business | House debates
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description: I want to thank the member for Barker and the member for Wannon. We represent different parts of Australia. The members for Barker and Wannon represent rural and regional Australia for the most...
encoded: I want to thank the member for Barker and the member for Wannon. We represent different parts of Australia. The members for Barker and Wannon represent rural and regional Australia for the most part, and I represent metropolitan Australia. I just want to acknowledge that this is an issue that covers every electorate, but it disproportionately affects rural and regional Australia because of the obvious fact that you have more trees on the side of the roads, cars going at speed directly opposite each other, and greater fatigue. That is why the road toll is, to our national shame, higher in rural and regional Australia. So I thank those members for their advocacy. We're not just talking about numbers on a page. The member for Barker noted that the road toll per 100,000 is at 4.8. Every September, the MCG is full for the grand final, and at capacity it holds about 100,000 people. Imagine your one game of the year is that grand final, and the price you pay for that is that about five people in that stadium that day will not survive. That's the price you pay for attending that one game a year. All we are asking, and all both sides of politics have committed to, is to reduce that to two. We would move heaven and earth if five people died attending the grand final every year, but that sense of urgency isn't here. The criminal law is a blunt instrument, and very few road accidents are about deliberate, intentional criminal activity. They're mostly in the field of negligence or recklessness, mostly by young men. There are three tools at our disposal to reduce the road toll: technology, training and infrastructure. As to technology, I myself survived a car accident because of technology. When I was a baby, our car was hit head-on by a truck, and, but for advances in seatbelt technology, I wouldn't be here. In terms of training, we know that young men are more prone to taking risks. You see it on the road. When a car shoots past you, zooms into a lane or cuts off another car, m…
date: 2025-02-10T11:21:00+00:00

Menzies Electorate: Lunar New Year | Adjournment | House debates
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description: There are over 1.4 million Australians of Chinese heritage, and we have recently seen the culmination of the lunar new year festival period, also known as spring festival or Chinese new year. As...
encoded: There are over 1.4 million Australians of Chinese heritage, and we have recently seen the culmination of the lunar new year festival period, also known as spring festival or Chinese new year. As the electorate in this place that, on the new boundaries, will have the largest Chinese diaspora—at 29 per cent in the census—I want to say how grateful I am to represent this community and also how much I enjoy attending so many festivals in the community. This is the Year of the Snake. I was born in the Year of the Snake. Can I say—and apologies in advance to Hansard—xin nian kuai le, gong xi fa cai. With that, I thank all of the organisers of the many events, including Michael Zhou of the Zhejiang United Association. We gathered at Riverstone Estate in the Yarra Valley and were joined by a lovely crowd, including the founding president, Jing Chen. I also thank the FCA, who organised an event in Springvale. Derrick Chen is the head of the FCA and also a constituent of mine in my electorate. I also want to thank his vice-president, Chunjiang Wu. This was an event that took a lot of work. I want to thank everyone who put it together. The signature event in Melbourne which attracts the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and, I think, just about every MP in Melbourne and beyond is the ABAW lunar new year event in Box Hill. I thank ABAW's president, Bihong Wang, its vice-president, Richard Shi, Tim Chen and their committee for their hard work and dedication. You are professionals in every sense of the word and that was a superb event. It was attended by over 100,000 people. Earlier in the day, I attended the light offering and world peace blessing ceremony in Box Hill. I want to thank Linda Chea, the president of this association. It was organised by Fo Guang Shan Melbourne and the Buddha's Light International Association of Victoria. It was also attended by the venerable Jue Min, superintendent of Fo Guang Shan Melbourne. I want to thank the lunar new year committee …
date: 2025-02-10T19:49:00+00:00

Albanese Government | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: My question is to the Prime Minister. The last time the Prime Minister stood with his close friend and factional ally Premier Jacinta Allen, the Prime Minister thanked the Premier for her...
encoded: My question is to the Prime Minister. The last time the Prime Minister stood with his close friend and factional ally Premier Jacinta Allen, the Prime Minister thanked the Premier for her 'leadership'. But Premier Allan has tanked Victoria's economy, piled up the debt and made Melbourne suburbs less safe. Why is the Prime Minister taking the failed policies of the Victorian state Labor government to a national level?
date: 2025-02-10T14:54:00+00:00

Cost of Living | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
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description: I listened carefully to the contribution by the member for Chisholm. We are electorate neighbours, and I have inherited an area that used to be part of Chisholm in Box Hill. We heard the same old...
encoded: I listened carefully to the contribution by the member for Chisholm. We are electorate neighbours, and I have inherited an area that used to be part of Chisholm in Box Hill. We heard the same old trope that is wheeled out every election, a 'Mediscare' campaign, which no doubt will be a feature of this campaign. I'd like the member for Chisholm to think of somewhere I hope she visited when she was the member, which is healthAbility in Box Hill. I recently visited healthAbility, and they've had their funding cut by $500,000 under a Labor government. This is what happens when you see a Labor government manage the economy as it has in Victoria. That is where the future of the national economy will go. So you can run the 'Mediscare' campaign all you want; it's dishonest. It is dishonest. It is wrong. The only record that counts on health is the Labor government's record in Victoria, and it is about cutting essential services. Now, I was quite worried about coming here again after our holidays, because when we do that the Treasurer gets thought bubbles in his head that have real consequences for this country, and they're quite serious. We had him come back after one thought bubble and write an essay saying he would reinvent capitalism. But what we have seen from this Treasurer, two years after he wrote that infamous thesis, is that he has not reinvented capitalism; he has repeated history's mistakes. We're not the first capitalist economy to experiment with what happens when you blow out government spending. We are not the first. We know where that ends. Yet this Treasurer has copied that in a way that has hurt Australians and affected frontline services. Right now, families are going back to school, and the question was put to the Prime Minister, 'How much has food gone up on your watch?' He refused to answer it. Let's go to specifics. Some foods are essentials; some foods are luxuries. Let's go to the essentials. Milk is up 18 per cent in this country. Bread is up 25 pe…
date: 2025-02-04T16:17:00+00:00

Australian Defence Force | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: Like so many in this place, I wasn't born here but I learnt some truths about our sacred stories. There is no more important sacred story than the war memorial up the road, and it was appropriate...
encoded: Like so many in this place, I wasn't born here but I learnt some truths about our sacred stories. There is no more important sacred story than the war memorial up the road, and it was appropriate that both sides of politics were there last night. I also learnt an important truth about that place—that service is not defined by ancestry but marked by duty, courage and sacrifice. We are a multicultural society. It's important to note that there are pages of that story that include multicultural Australians, and many who weren't born here are on that memorial, having given up all their tomorrows for our today. That's why I was so pleased to see us announce, as a coalition, that we will fund a memorial sculpture in Box Hill to acknowledge the pages of that story written by Chinese Australians, including: Billy Sing in World War I; flying officer George Fong in World War II; Peter Liefman, a good friend of mine who served in Vietnam; and Grange Chung, who has served in contemporary conflicts. The memorial sculpture will be in Box Hill. While the Prime Minister and defence minister are here, it's also important to note that service is not defined by politics either. Who you vote for was irrelevant to me as a platoon commander; it's irrelevant to the names on that memorial. I plead with the Prime Minister and the defence minister: it would be wonderful if you matched that commitment and we celebrated it together.
date: 2025-02-04T13:57:00+00:00

Spence Electorate: Curtis Road | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: by leave—I table the names of winners of the Greg Sher Memorial Awards for this year.
encoded: by leave—I table the names of winners of the Greg Sher Memorial Awards for this year.
date: 2024-11-26T16:23:00+00:00

Menzies Electorate: Greg Sher Memorial Award | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: Australia's Jewish community are not just a part of Australia; they helped build it, and many lost their lives defending it. One of them was a good friend of mine, Greg Sher, who died in...
encoded: Australia's Jewish community are not just a part of Australia; they helped build it, and many lost their lives defending it. One of them was a good friend of mine, Greg Sher, who died in Afghanistan on 4 January 2009—almost 15 years ago. The community gathered on 14 November to acknowledge him, to be with his family and to award recipients of the Greg Sher Memorial Award in Caulfield North. It was my great honour to be there for the third year in a row. Briefly, Greg was curious, kind, loyal, selfless, resilient, fearless and a hero to this nation and to his community. He didn't just serve in the ADF; he was also a key member of the Community Security Group, who were there to host the event. I thank them, their volunteers, their donors and Justin Kagan, who leads it. Greg's parents, Felix and Yvonne, were there. I also want to acknowledge his brothers, Steven and Barry, and their partners, Ronit and Nim, and their children—many, many children whom Greg never got to meet, but I know they're proud of him. I can't list all the winners, but I'll list the schools. Beth Rivkah Ladies College had four students, two from year 5 and two from year 11. Bialik College had four—again, two from year 5 and two from year 11. The King David School had two from year 5 and two from year 11—and you see a pattern here; those are the key years that have been acknowledged. Leibler-Yavneh College had four students, again, from each of those year levels; Mount Scopus Memorial College had four—two from each year level; Scholem Aleichem College had two from year 5; Yeshiva College had two from each year level; and, finally, United Jewish Education Board in their various campuses had three from year 5 and two from year 11. At this moment in time, I know that Greg would probably be doing two things. He would still be a reserve commando, serving his nation and prepared to go to war. He would also be giving up his time to help the Jewish community, whether it be in front of places of worship, on …
date: 2024-11-26T16:17:00+00:00

Menzies Electorate: Parkruns | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: Happy birthday, Dawn, and thank you for that precedent you just set. I would like to give a shout-out to the parkruns my electorate and one just on the boundary of my electorate. Parkruns meet...
encoded: Happy birthday, Dawn, and thank you for that precedent you just set. I would like to give a shout-out to the parkruns my electorate and one just on the boundary of my electorate. Parkruns meet every Saturday morning and are run by volunteers for the community. Running is a key part of my life and a key part of our family life. I run with my children every Tuesday and Friday, and sometimes they join me for the parkruns on Saturday. We say the hardest part of it is putting your shoes on. Always turn up; never give up. Running is a metaphor for life. To the three parkruns in my community, including the Warrandyte parkrun, where almost 8,000 people have finished and there have been 233 volunteers, I say thank you. To those in the Westerfolds parkrun—73,000 finishers and over 700 volunteers, and those hills are brutal. I experienced that recently. Just outside my electorate in the member for Chisholm's electorate is the Gardiners Creek parkrun, but many from my electorate use it. There have been 79,000 finishers and 992 volunteers, and you've got to dodge the off-lead dogs in that area. To the timekeepers—those who scan the barcodes, lift morale at the start, keep the pace and are there for you at the end—I want to say thank you. These are a wonderful part of our community, and I'm very grateful to all of you.
date: 2024-11-25T16:17:00+00:00

Victoria: Local Government | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: We recently had council elections in Victoria, and I want to single out those who lost their wards or retired and to thank them for their service. It is often said that government is most...
encoded: We recently had council elections in Victoria, and I want to single out those who lost their wards or retired and to thank them for their service. It is often said that government is most effective when it's closest to the people. Local councils play a vital role in grassroots democracy. They don't just bring services to the community; they bring communities together. I will always work closely with the local counsellors. From Whitehorse, I want to thank Andrew Munroe, Trudy Skilbeck, Amanda McNeill, Denise Massoud, Mark Lane, Tina Liu and Raylene Carr. Many of you served as mayors and deputy mayors. I don't just count you as colleagues, in serving the community, but as friends. Cynthia Watson, in the Boroondara ward that will overlap the new Menzies, I thank you for your service. Finally, to the three councillors in Manningham, Tomas Lightbody, Stephen Mayne, who many will recognise, and Michelle Kleinert, all of you, in all three local government areas, have gone above and beyond to serve your wards. I appreciate what you have done for our communities, and I look forward to working with those who take the mantle from you. To that end, I acknowledge the new mayors and deputy mayors of Manningham and Whitehorse. To Deirdre Diamante and Andrew Conlon, and to Andrew Davenport and Prue Cutts, I look forward to working with you to serve our communities.
date: 2024-11-20T13:37:00+00:00

National Broadband Network Companies Amendment (Commitment to Public Ownership) Bill 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: If I were to stand in this place, express a fear about a future government banning Anzac Day and then present a bill that said, 'This will stop a future government doing that,' I would be laughed...
encoded: If I were to stand in this place, express a fear about a future government banning Anzac Day and then present a bill that said, 'This will stop a future government doing that,' I would be laughed out of this place because I'm not taking it seriously. If I were to say that I'm scared and worried about a future government banning Christmas and 'here's a bill to stop a future government banning Christmas,' I would be rightly laughed out of this place. If I were to say, 'I'm worried about a future government legislating to kill all firstborn males, and here's a bill to stop it,' I would quite rightly be laughed out of this place. And that's all this is—this is a joke by the Labor government on the Australian people. It's a joke that goes for six pages and is designed for one purpose: to be put on a tile on social media or a DL in your letterbox. So, to Australians watching, if you get one of those DLs in the next few months or you see it pop up on an ad, know that this government is not treating you with the respect that you deserve, because the other thing you are getting your letterbox, other than a DL that has this rubbish on it, is your increased power bills, your increased insurance, your increased gas. And there is nothing coming from this government to address those problems. Instead, they sat around in a tactics meeting with empty pizza boxes thinking: 'What are we going to do? What's some issue we can manufacture to scare people—not to inspire people but to scare them?' On that I would like to reference the Prime Minister's own words. The Prime Minister, in 2012, in a Press Club speech, said this about an Australian opposition leader: In Australia we have serious challenges to solve and we need serious people to solve them. Unfortunately, Tony Abbott is not the least bit interested in fixing anything. He is only interested in two things; making Australians afraid of it and telling them who's to blame for it. Those words were given at the Press Club in 2012 by t…
date: 2024-11-19T18:14:00+00:00

International Relations | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: The title of an MPI is quite important, and often, as the member for Parramatta did, we stray from the actual title. The title here is 'The importance of Australia's relationship with our key...
encoded: The title of an MPI is quite important, and often, as the member for Parramatta did, we stray from the actual title. The title here is 'The importance of Australia's relationship with our key allies'. The day after the United States election, we really are referring to the United States, but I would like to refer to the word 'importance' because, when it comes to our relationship with the United States, its importance is everything. That's how important it is, and I want to illustrate that through one example. I want to take the chamber back to a time before anyone here was born: 1942, 4 to 7 June. It was six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. Japan had taken Hong Kong, the Philippines, British Malaya, Singapore and the Dutch East Indies. Japan sought to eliminate the US as a strategic power in the Pacific. They correctly assessed that the source of that power was their carrier forces—each carrier being a floating 'death star', for those more familiar with Star Wars. Midway is a small atoll 2,000 kilometres north-west of Hawaii. The Japanese felt that, by attacking it, they would compel the Americans to defend it, and it would shift the trajectory of the war. Assumptions were made on intelligence and, thanks to the ingenuity of young US officers, the Japanese naval code was broken, and they were able to guess not only where but when and how the attack would occur. The battle was immense. The Japanese lost 3,000 men and four carriers. The US lost 300 and one carrier, and it struck a fatal blow to the Japanese military machine. This was the Allies' first victory, and, had the US not won, the war would have taken a different course, including for Australia. There are two points to note about that one battle that shaped the course of that war and why it is known as one of the most consequential battles in military history. The first was industry. The US had an inferior capability in terms of equipment, they had lower…
date: 2024-11-07T16:05:00+00:00

Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I will take the interjection. They include the introduction of a new additional disablement amount. They include the introduction of presumptive liability. For those who don't understand what...
encoded: I will take the interjection. They include the introduction of a new additional disablement amount. They include the introduction of presumptive liability. For those who don't understand what presumptive liability means, it means that the Commonwealth assumes responsibility. If you are a veteran and you have been injured, you don't have to prove that that was because of the service that you had. It consolidates household and attendant care. It has an increase of $3,000 for the funeral allowance and the availability of reimbursements of funeral expenses up to $14,000 for all service related deaths. I do want that to be widely known. Too often veterans will pass away and not only did they not tell enough of their stories and their service to their family but they didn't tell their families that this benefit was available. So I think it's important that families of veterans know that. There will be a higher reimbursement amount for travel when a private vehicle is used to travel for treatment. We heard many stories of veterans being out of pocket just to drive to the place where they needed care. There will be the standardisation of allowances and other payments and the introduction of an instrument enabling the Repatriation Commission to determine circumstances where a veteran must receive financial advice before receiving a lump sum payment. And that is important. Not every veteran is in a position where the influx of a payment will necessarily make their life better without advice. That is an important change. I spoke at the start about an MCG full of Australians who died serving this nation. We have six MCGs full of veterans in this country who are alive now and deserve and need our care. This bill will go a long way to making that process simpler and fairer and to giving people the comfort to know that this next phase of their life will be a little easier and, more than that, that a nation recognises the sacrifice that they have made and supports them in every way…
date: 2024-11-04T18:57:00+00:00

Veterans' Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Bill 2024; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: Go out that door and turn right and you will see a clear line all the way through to the War Memorial, where 103,000 names are etched on a wall. Those 103,000 names are from every corner of this...
encoded: Go out that door and turn right and you will see a clear line all the way through to the War Memorial, where 103,000 names are etched on a wall. Those 103,000 names are from every corner of this country, and they are from every background, many not born here. They were people whose politics we didn't know and we shouldn't know, because it's irrelevant. So to speak on this topic and to hear the member for McEwen engaged in the most partisan speech was really disappointing and beneath him and beneath this place. I want to take you back to an event that happened in my electorate recently. It was an event to acknowledge Vietnam Veterans' Day, which used to be called Long Tan Day. Gathered there were so many Vietnam veterans from my electorate. Amongst them was one that I knew, because his son sits in this place over on that side: the member for Solomon. In that address, I singled him out because I wanted to make the point that service is above politics and beyond politics. Those who put on our uniform are patriots, no matter who they vote for, whether they're a socialist or way to the right. It doesn't matter. They're a patriot either way. They risked their life for a better tomorrow. To clarify, the member for Solomon's not a socialist—I just want to be very clear about that! He's not a socialist. But it is important. We need to look at the numbers, because that wall that you can walk down the memorial to isn't just a piece of public architecture. It's an acknowledgement of the sacrifice and service that has come before us. One hundred and three thousand names sounds like a lot, and human brains aren't very good at thinking of large numbers. There are some Victorians in this place and we're thinking of our fellow citizens, who are deservedly having a long weekend back in Victoria. But, when we think of large numbers in Victoria, we think of that other great icon in our state, the MCG. One hundred and three thousand names is a full MCG with veterans spilling over onto t…
date: 2024-11-04T18:57:00+00:00

Menzies Electorate: Neighbourhood Watch, Menzies Electorate: St Bishoy and St Shenouda's Coptic Orthodox Church | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: I rise to talk about an institution in my electorate that is dearly valued—our Neighbourhood Watch. Recently I have been doorknocking in my electorate, and the top three issues are cost of...
encoded: I rise to talk about an institution in my electorate that is dearly valued—our Neighbourhood Watch. Recently I have been doorknocking in my electorate, and the top three issues are cost of living, housing and crime. We have seen an uptick in crime in my neighbourhoods, particularly aggravated burglaries. Aggravated burglaries are not just another property crime; they're a crime where a person is at home and where the sanctity and safety of a family is threatened. I have seen CCTV footage of people violently breaking through front doors to steal car keys and other valuables. When I met with Neighbourhood Watch, I thanked them for the work they do in keeping our community safe. I met with Geoff Kloot, Angie Lew, Ian Morris and Herman Harberts. They wanted me to stress that it's all the volunteers in Neighbourhood Watch that make a difference. In fact, it is one of the largest neighbourhood watches in Australia. Recently they have been giving up their own time to help our community and inform them. They have been doing letterboxing in Templestowe, delivering crime prevention pamphlets. They have been running a campaign to prevent motor vehicle theft and a campaign to prevent burglaries. They spoke to me about a campaign they ran at the Park and Ride, where people's number plates were getting stolen so the car could be used for another crime. There's a particular screw you can get from Bunnings that, if you put it in, is almost impossible to pull out—and it's a very cheap one, so to those watching: please do the same with your number plates. Thank you, Neighbourhood Watch, for all you do and for giving up your time. It is greatly appreciated by me and our entire community. I have many churches in my electorate, and I single out one that I attended recently for a key event: St Bishoy and St Shenouda's Coptic Orthodox Church, in Bulleen and Donvale. The history of the Coptic Orthodox Church is an old one. It was founded in Egypt by St Mark in 43 AD and is one of the world…
date: 2024-10-10T12:40:00+00:00

Online Gambling | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: My question is to the Minister for Communications. Minister, it has been 470 days since the late Peta Murphy's report concerning online restrictions for gambling was tabled. Along with the member...
encoded: My question is to the Minister for Communications. Minister, it has been 470 days since the late Peta Murphy's report concerning online restrictions for gambling was tabled. Along with the member for Hughes, the member for Cowper and many others in this place, I signed that report. Australian parents are expecting the government to deliver on its promise of reform. Will the government make a decision this month?
date: 2024-10-10T14:37:00+00:00