House debates

Thursday, 3 December 2020

  • Parliamentary Representation (0 speeches)
    • Members Sworn (1 speech)
      I have received a return to the writ which I issued on 26 October 2020 for the election of a member to serve for the electoral division of Groom, in the state of Queensland, to fill the vacancy...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Statements by Members (0 speeches)
    • International Day of People with Disability (1 speech)
      I rise to mark the International Day of People with Disability, 3 December. Today is the day which was created by the United Nations and initiated in 1992. It is a day when we recognise the...
    • Wentworth Electorate: Schools (1 speech)
      With no cases of community transmission of COVID-19 in New south Wales over the last few weeks, I was delighted to be able to visit several local primary schools in my electorate to congratulate...
    • Immigration Detention (1 speech)
      I rise to remind the House of a shameful anniversary. On this day a year ago this parliament voted to repeal the medevac laws. On this side of the House and in the Australian community, we...
    • Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program (1 speech)
      This week I had the pleasure of hosting Commander Jacqueline Swinton of the Royal Australian Navy in my office here in parliament—and she's in the gallery—as part of the outstanding...
    • Werriwa Electorate: CNA-Italian Australian Services (1 speech)
      I recently had the pleasure of attending the opening of the CNA-Italian Australian Services community garden. Work on the My Garden Your Garden project began in August and aims to promote...
    • Australian of the Year: Dr James Muecke (1 speech)
      Yesterday, Dr James Muecke, the Australian of the Year, was here at Parliament House. Since he was elevated to that august title this year, his focus has been on raising awareness of diabetes and...
    • Australian Parliament Sports Club (1 speech)
      There's a sports competition going on at the moment , with t he Australian Parliament Sports Club playing a variety of teams made up of members o f our Australian Federal Police and Australian...
    • Queensland Government (1 speech)
      It's just 33 days since the Queensland state election, and already the state Labor government has delivered a multibillion-dollar broken promise, and it's going to seriously hurt my community in...
    • Petition: Kurdish People (1 speech)
      I rise on behalf of the Kurdish Society of Tasmania to table a petition that has been considered by the Petitions Committee and found to be in order. The petition calls on the Australian...
    • Forde Electorate: STEPS 4208 (1 speech)
      I rise today to talk about a fantastic Christmas initiative that happened in Forde on the weekend. Community group STEPS 4208, based in Ormeau, arranged for a motorcyclist to dress as Santa and...
    • Brooke, Mr Don (1 speech)
      Twenty years ago Don Brooke had throat cancer; he survived. Ten years ago Don had prostate cancer; he survived. In March this year, pancreatic cancer was strike 3; this time the treatment didn't...
    • Bonner Electorate: Lindum Rail Crossing Upgrade (1 speech)
      Following the disappointing election announcement by the Queensland Labor government that they would not fund an upgrade to the Lindum level crossing, I have been working directly with Councillor...
    • La Trobe University (1 speech)
      () (): I am deeply concerned that La Trobe University are moving their arts degree online only for regional students. An online-only option for arts will mean that many students may not choose to...
    • Mallee Electorate: Agricultural Shows and Field Days (1 speech)
      This week I had the pleasure of informing 16 agricultural show committees that they were recipients of funding through the Supporting Agricultural Shows and Field Days Program. Every...
    • Pensions and Benefits (1 speech)
      I rise today in this place to call for a royal commission into the government's robodebt scandal. I do so because of the number of people in my electorate who were impacted by this diabolical...
    • Ryan Electorate: Coo-ee Walk (1 speech)
      Last week I had the honour of attending St Andrew's Catholic Primary School in Ferny Grove for the official opening of their Defence Family Memorial. Located near the Gallipoli Barracks, St...
    • Wavecare Inc. (1 speech)
      I would like to take a moment to talk about an invaluable organisation based in Glen Waverley. I had the pleasure of recently attending the AGM of Wavecare Counselling and following up with a...
    • Employment (1 speech)
      It's good to see the Prime Minister is going to be back in parliament again with long pants on. He'll be missing the close company of his image advisor. He can cover his knees, but he can't cover...
    • International Day of People with Disability (1 speech)
      How we treat the most vulnerable in society is truly a mark of our humanity. That we seek to uphold the dignity of each individual person marks our society—indeed, I would say, our...
    • Prime Minister (2 speeches)
      I rise to welcome back our Prime Minister to question time, in the flesh—our marketing-man Prime Minister! Last question time, I counted the number of references to the advertising company...
  • Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
    • COVID-19: Income Support Payments (12 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Social Services. Can the government confirm that Australians who withdrew their super early and have it in the bank are now subject to...
    • People with Disability: Employment (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Minister for Government Services. Will the minister update the House on what the Morrison government is doing to...
    • COVID-19: Income Support Payments (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Social Services. Can the minister confirm that the cost to a single person of the half-year waiting period for a payment like...
    • COVID-19: Economy (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister inform the House how the Morrison government is ensuring it gets the balance right on the health and economic challenges of the...
    • Pensions and Benefits (2 speeches)
      My question is also addressed to the Minister representing the Minister for Social Services. Hasn't the government, on the one hand, encouraged people to take $20,000 out of their super but now...
    • Climate Change (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Prime Minister. Next week Boris Johnson's Conservative government will host the global Climate Ambition Summit, at which countries will be required to outline their plans...
    • COVID-19: Regional Infrastructure (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. Will the Deputy Prime Minister inform the House how the Morrison-McCormack...
    • COVID-19: Hotel Quarantine (6 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Health. I refer to confirmation today that a worker in Sydney who tested positive to coronavirus worked at two hotels, only one of which is a quarantine hotel....
    • Economy (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer please explain to the House how yesterday's national accounts figures demonstrate how the Morrison government's strong and decisive economic...
    • Qantas (14 speeches)
      My question is to . This week Qantas sacked 2,000 workers, bringing the total jobs lost by the national carrier to 8,500. Why is the minister for transport congratulating himself and using...
    • Economy (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Treasurer. I wonder if he could explain to the House how the coalition government's economic plan is bringing Australia's economy back to life.
    • Workplace Safety (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations. Today I met with—and I understand the minister also met with—Linda, Pam and Kay. They're in the gallery. They lost their...
    • COVID-19: Vaccine (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister please update the House on how the Morrison government's COVID-19 vaccine strategy will help protect Australian lives as well as...
    • Employment (5 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Energy. In September the government announced it would support Australia's four oil refineries, including Viva, which employs 700 workers in my electorate....
    • COVID-19: Health Manufacturing (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison government is supporting Australian health manufacturers as part of our...
    • Workplace Relations (5 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations. Yesterday the minister confirmed he would not be a party to legal action involving printing company Ovato, which is denying 300 workers'...
    • National Security (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison government is working to keep Australians safe from the threat of terrorism and violent...
    • Ministerial Arrangements (4 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Government Services. Who was the social services minister who announced the illegal robodebt debt scheme in 2015? Who was the Treasurer who announced $2 billion...
    • National Security (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the Attorney please update the House on how the Morrison government is working to ensure our world-class national security agencies have the tools...
    • Pensions and Benefits (12 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Government Services. If the government has done nothing wrong on robodebt, why did the government agree to pay $1.2 billion to its victims, including $112...
    • Agriculture Industry (2 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management: Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison-McCormack government is assisting farmers to maintain and...
    • Pensions and Benefits (3 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Government Services. Did the Prime Minister's illegal robodebt scheme cost lives and cost taxpayers $1.2 billion?
    • COVID-19: Energy (3 speeches)
      My question is to the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government is focused on development and deployment of new technology as...
  • Statement by the Speaker (0 speeches)
    • Chief Opposition Whip (3 speeches)
      I have a brief statement members will be interested in from the Chief Opposition Whip and member for Fowler, Chris Hayes. He's asked me to update you, if that's okay. He's been in the building...
  • Documents (0 speeches)
    • Presentation (1 speech)
      Documents are tabled in accordance with the list circulated to honourable members earlier today. Full details of the documents will be recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.
  • Personal Explanations (0 speeches)
    • (8 speeches)
      Mr Speaker, I would like to make a personal explanation.
  • Matters of Public Importance (0 speeches)
    • Pensions and Benefits (21 speeches)
      I have received a letter from the honourable member for Maribyrnong proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely: The Government's...
  • Bills (0 speeches)
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • Covid-19 (1 speech)
      The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest health challenge of our time. As I speak, more than 1.4 million have died from the virus and more than 63 million people have been infected. While we have...
    • Australian Defence Force (1 speech)
      On 1 July 2020, at the launch of the 2020 Defence strategic update, the Prime Minister said: The enduring responsibility of Government, though, is timeless—to protect Australia's national...
    • Petition: Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code (1 speech)
      I rise to table and present a petition on behalf of the publican, staff and patrons of the Duke of Brunswick Hotel. The petition has been approved through the petitions committee. The petition...
    • Chisholm Electorate: Box Hill City Oval (1 speech)
      I would like to take this moment to discuss an exciting opportunity that has been proposed in my electorate of Chisholm: the redevelopment of the Box Hill City Oval. This project would enormously...
    • International Day of People with Disability (1 speech)
      We are getting towards the end of quite a difficult year. Many of us are thinking about our families and thinking about ourselves. But today is actually a very significant day; 3 December marks...
    • International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (1 speech)
      On 25 November, we marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Gender violence, sexual violence and physical violence against girls and women is a reality for many...
  • Constituency Statements (0 speeches)
    • Dobell School Awards (2 speeches)
      For many school students, this year has been a marathon with hurdles along the way. When lockdown started, COVID-19 restrictions meant students were forced to step away from their normal lives....
    • Byrnes, Mr D'Arcy (1 speech)
      I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents and a great Far North Queenslander who recently passed away. D'arcy Byrnes of Byrnes Quality Meats will be fondly remembered by all of those...
    • Fielding, Ms Tina, Brand Electorate: Schools (1 speech)
      Tina Fielding is a remarkable woman from my local community who is achieving things that most people can only dream of; so remarkable, in fact, that WA's screen funding development agency,...
    • Trade with China (1 speech)
      Australia has a proud history as a trading nation. Whether it be primary production, mining or manufactured items, we've always punched above our weight, contributing to the high standard of...
    • Corio Electorate: Geelong (1 speech)
      Geelong is defined by the beautiful bay on which we are located, after which my electorate is named: Corio Bay. For as long as I've been here, I've been advocating for a walking path from Eastern...
    • Australian Training Awards (1 speech)
      The North West, the West Coast and King Island are world class in so many areas. Our region is geographically dispersed and made up of hundreds of small towns, but those living in the electorate...
    • COVID-19: Mass Participation Sporting Events (1 speech)
      In a usual year, there are 21,000 mass participation sporting events across Australia, including fun runs, ocean swims, community cycling events and challenging obstacle course races. They...
    • COVID-19: Country Shows (1 speech)
      Hot off the press! We all know that COVID-19 has created a lot of issues throughout Australia and particularly with country shows. In my electorate of Grey, not one of our country shows was able...
    • BlazeAid, Turbans 4 Australia (1 speech)
      The challenges of 2020 have highlighted the painful fragility of our human existence, and of our human structures and way of being. We must harness the fear and helplessness that comes with that...
    • Calare Electorate: Community Events (2 speeches)
      Today I rise to acknowledge some of the wonderful people in my electorate doing great things and setting an example for their fellow Australians about what it means to be part of a local...
    • Christmas Island: Phosphate Resources Ltd (1 speech)
      This evening on Christmas Island there will be a great celebration for the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Phosphate Resources Ltd's phosphate mine on Christmas Island. Phosphate mining...
    • Petrie Electorate: School Chaplains, Petrie Electorate: Youngcare (1 speech)
      As COVID-19 was unfolding around us earlier this year, the chaplains in my electorate of Petrie observed that anxiety levels amongst students in the schools were rising. In some cases mum and dad...
    • COVID-19: Travel Agents (1 speech)
      COVID-19 has hit every industry in Australia hard, but some have suffered more than others and some have had more help than others. One of the first things to happen when the virus appeared was...
    • Williams, Aunty Eileen (1 speech)
      I want to pay tribute to one of our significant elders in the Logan community, Aunty Eileen Williams, who, sadly, passed away on 27 September 2020. Aunty Eileen was a Yugambeh elder, a daughter,...
    • International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (1 speech)
      Last Wednesday was International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It launched 16 days of activism that will conclude next week. I want to use my time today to talk about two...
    • Torrens, Mr Kevin, Grafton Clock Tower (1 speech)
      I'd like to acknowledge the life of Uncle Kevin Torrens, an elder of the Western Bundjalung people from my community. Uncle Kevin was born in Casino in 1952, and he grew up in Tabulam. Since he...
    • Ipswich Show: Thomas, Mr David (Rusty) (1 speech)
      Previously, the Ipswich Show had been cancelled only twice before—both times during World War II and World War I—but, sadly, this year it was cancelled. While the show is not run to...
    • International Day of People with Disability (2 speeches)
      Today, 3 December 2020, is International Day of People with Disability, and events have been planned all around the country to celebrate this. In my speech this morning I thought I would try to...
    • Economy (1 speech)
      I think that wanting something better for our children is actually evolution in action. At the moment, our children are facing an uncertain future and, possibly, greater hurdles than anyone has...
    • Go Local First Campaign (2 speeches)
      The government has launched, as we know, the Go Local First campaign. That's really all about helping the economic recovery post COVID. There's nothing better that any Australian can do than...
  • Motions (0 speeches)
  • Committees (0 speeches)
  • Adjournment (0 speeches)
    • COVID-19: Northern Territory (1 speech)
      I want to pay tribute to the people of Darwin, Palmerston and the greater Darwin area. Their work and their solidarity with each other, with all Territorians, during COVID have been absolutely...
    • Cammeraygal High School, Climate Change, Electric Vehicles (1 speech)
      Cammeraygal High School in my electorate is one of the newest high schools on the North Shore. It is a fantastic school that has now been in operation for six years. The teachers of Cammeraygal...
    • Morrison Government (15 speeches)
      That was kind of cute, actually, with Professor Kelly over having to listen to a speech from the government about climate change. It's almost like they didn't run the scare campaign at the last...
    • Cashless Debit Card (1 speech)
      I rise today to add my support for the continuation of the cashless debit card. As the member representing the constituents of the Goldfields cashless debit card trial sites, I call out the...
    • North-West Sydney: Infrastructure (1 speech)
      Hallelujah! After a decade, a decade of fighting, Doonside residents finally got the New South Wales government to agree to fund the installation of lifts at the Doonside railway station, one of...
    • Higgins Electorate: Cycling Infrastructure (1 speech)
      Investment in cycling infrastructure and other modes of active transport has clear environmental and health benefits for the community. As an avid cyclist, I love getting out into my community on...