Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The start of the 48th Parliament last week was extraordinary, thanks to some incredible and moving speeches from new members of parliament in this place. What was also extraordinary was the contrast between this side of the House and that side of the House. The very first bill we introduced as a Labor government was to cut student debt by 20 per cent and raise the HECS repayment threshold, delivering help for three million Australians. What was the very first question in question time from those opposite? It was about the coalition defending generous tax concessions for 80,000 Australians with more than $3 million in their super. The contrast here speaks volumes about their priorities, which we're seeing again this week.

This morning I hosted an event to bring Labor members together to hear from experts from the Climate Council and to discuss our emissions targets for 2035. While Labor are discussing our path to get to net zero by 2050, those opposite are looking in the rear-view mirror. The member for New England has launched a retrograde crusade to repeal net zero, calling it 'lunacy'. The member for New England's bill, the Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025, is not just backwards; it's bizarre. It's nostalgia masquerading as policy. While the world moves on, they're stuck in the past.

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