House debates
Monday, 12 October 2026
- Committees (0 speeches)
- Petitions Committee; Report (1 speech)
Congratulations, Mr Speaker, on your election as the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. It is an absolute amazing achievement. I present the 16th report of the Petitions Committee for...
- Petitions (0 speeches)
- Presentation (1 speech)
On behalf of the Standing Committee on Petitions, and in accordance with standing order 207, I present the following petitions:
- Responses (1 speech)
Ministerial responses to petitions previously presented to the House have been received as follows:
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Motions (0 speeches)
- Heart Health (10 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) notes that World Heart Day will be held on 29 September 2026, raising awareness of cardiovascular disease and the importance of prevention, early detection and...
- Veterans (9 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) notes: (a) the Government's proposal to introduce a $5,000 annual cap on allied health services for veterans, which has caused significant concern amongst veterans,...
- Private Members' Business (0 speeches)
- Health Care (7 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) private hospitals perform more than two-thirds of planned surgeries, and deliver essential healthcare across Australia, including in regional areas;...
- Privilege (0 speeches)
- Federal Court of Australia: Subpoena (2 speeches)
Deputy Speaker, I wish to raise a matter of privilege under standing order 51. I raise it at the first opportunity, since I was served with a subpoena on 30 September 2026. The matter concerns...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Business (0 speeches)
- Orders of the Day (2 speeches)
I declare that Federation Chamber order of the day No. 1, government business, Carbon Credits and Other Legislation Amendment (Integrity and Transparency) Bill 2026, stands returned to the House...
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Statements by Members (0 speeches)
- Raise Our Voice in Parliament (2 speeches)
I'm delighted today to read a speech by Dylan as part of the Raise Our Voice in Parliament program for 2026. Dylan said: 'I first realised the seriousness of Australia's invasive species crisis...
- New South Wales: Local Government (1 speech)
I rise today to condemn a profound failure of transparency that strikes at the heart of our federal funding dynamic and threatens the survival of local governments in New South Wales. The...
- Veterans (1 speech)
Our veterans have given so much to our country. They deserve the care, respect and support they have earned. That is why I was pleased to co-host an RSL roundtable in Melbourne's south-east with...
- Roads (1 speech)
The Bathurst 1000 on the weekend was an outstanding success, but, as we watched the long queues of cars struggling to get back over the sandstone curtain, we were once again reminded of the...
- Raise Our Voice in Parliament (1 speech)
In answer to the question of 'What is one big issue shaping your future, and what is a meaningful action you want parliament to take on it?' 10-year-old Aarush from my electorate of Sturt spoke...
- Banking and Financial Services (1 speech)
Higher taxes, higher power bills and a botched surcharge ban—when it comes to small business, Labor keeps hitting 'decline'. Under pressure from this government, the Reserve Bank banned...
- Raise Our Voice in Parliament (1 speech)
I rise today, as part of the Raise Our Voice in Parliament campaign, to read a speech written by Sophie Mitchell from my electorate of Bullwinkel. It reads as follows: My name is Sophie Mitchell,...
- Small Business (1 speech)
Time and time again we see this Labor government backing down and reversing decisions, so let's hope, for the sake of small businesses in Hinkler, they get on with fixing more of the mess that...
- Middle East: Iran (1 speech)
The conflict in Iran has not gone away simply because the media headlines have moved on, and the repression of the Iranian people has not gone away. Last month, the United Nations fact-finding...
- Lawes, Mr Wayne (1 speech)
I'd like to acknowledge in the gallery today Wayne Lawes. He's joined by his wife, Alice, and friends David and Gaynore. David is a former swimming coach. As a local Berwick resident, Wayne has...
- Raise Our Voice in Parliament (1 speech)
This year, students in my electorate of Hunter took part in the Raise Our Voice campaign. Today, I want to read a speech from young student Phoenix: I wish to address an urgent issue within our...
- Banking and Financial Services (3 speeches)
Apparently, the Prime Minister has discovered yet another independent institution. First, it was the independent Reserve Bank. Now it's the independent ATO. It's funny how everything becomes...
- Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence (1 speech)
We've seen one very high-profile case of strangulation in the past week in Queensland, but there have been 440 alleged domestic violence related strangulation cases in Queensland in just two...
- Small Business (1 speech)
Small businesses are the beating heart of my electorate of Barker. These are the people who start early, finish late and carry communities on their shoulders. The role of government, of course,...
- Cybersafety (1 speech)
There's a quote attributed to Walter Isaacson that I've been thinking about. He wrote: The technology that promised to connect us found a better business model in dividing us. I reckon that...
- Banking and Financial Services (1 speech)
Labor should be backing small business, not breaking it. Nobody likes card surcharges, but you can't make a cost disappear just because it's no longer on the receipt. It has to go somewhere....
- Ukraine (1 speech)
Earlier this month, I joined with the Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs, the member for Bruce, at a citizenship ceremony welcoming more than 500 new...
- Banking and Financial Services (1 speech)
This morning, cafes served their first cup of commercial hope before dawn. It was to a sparky making their way to their first job of the day—often a local small business, like the...
- Paterson Electorate: Roads (2 speeches)
Thank you, Speaker, and congratulations on becoming the 32nd Inter-Parliamentary Union president. It was just over a month ago that we had the Prime Minister in my part of the world to open the...
- Statements on Indulgence (0 speeches)
- Afghanistan War: 25th Anniversary (3 speeches)
Yesterday I had the enormous honour of speaking at the Australian War Memorial to mark 25 years since the beginning of Operation Slipper, the dawn of Australia's mission in Afghanistan. In New...
- Israel Attacks: Third Anniversary (3 speeches)
Last Wednesday, we paused to mark the third anniversary of the terrorist attack in Israel on 7 October 2023. With pain in our hearts, we reflected once more on the devastation that the terrorists...
- Condolences (0 speeches)
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Small Business (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. Australians are pleading with this Prime Minister to end his war on small business. Since Labor came to power, over 50,000 businesses have gone bust, killed...
- Artificial Intelligence (2 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government making sure artificial intelligence works in Australia's interest, and why is this agenda so important?
- Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
- Acknowledgement (3 speeches)
I am pleased to inform the House that on the floor of the parliament today is His Excellency Surangel Whipps Jr, President of the Republic of Palau, as well as First Lady Mrs Valerie Whipps. I...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Banking and Financial Services (10 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. After Labor's bungled ban on small business using credit cards to pay their tax bills, one of your aspiring backbench Labor colleagues made the following...
- Economy (2 speeches)
My question is to the Treasurer. Why are the Albanese Labor government's budget savings, sensible tax reforms and responsible economic management so important? What would be the consequences of...
- Distinguished Visitors (0 speeches)
- Acknowledgement (1 speech)
I'm pleased to inform the House that present in the gallery today is a delegation of senior Vietnam government officials visiting Parliament House as part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and...
- Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
- Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Defence because Defence normally categorises defence deployments. Minister, the decision to recategorise Rifle Company Butterworth is welcome, but other...
- Superannuation (3 speeches)
My question is to the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services. How is the Albanese Labor government demonstrating responsible economic management by strengthening Australia's...
- Small Business (16 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Small Business. After Labor's bungled ban on small business using credit cards to pay their tax bills, one of your Labor colleagues said: We have a small...
- Wages and Salaries (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. How is the Albanese Labor government supporting Australian workers to get ahead, and what could place this progress at risk?
- Banking and Financial Services (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Small Business. When was the minister first informed of the credit card ban, and by whom?
- Avian Influenza (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. How is the Albanese Labor government responding to H5 bird flu, including by helping Australians know what to do?
- Reserve Bank of Australia (6 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Small Business. Did the Reserve Bank of Australia make the decision to ban credit card payments to the Australian Taxation Office?
- Cybersafety (2 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Communications. How is the Albanese Labor government working to protect Australians from online harms? Why is it particularly important to protect young people...
- North Queensland (3 speeches)
My question is to the Prime Minister. You're aware that North Queensland's state government is 3,000 kilometres away. Queensland's budget is $70 billion. This is also the amount that will be...
- Cybersafety (2 speeches)
Thank you, Mr Speaker, and congratulations. My question is to the Minister for Education. What action is the Albanese Labor government taking to combat bullying in our schools and online? What...
- Banking and Financial Services (4 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Small Business. Last Friday, the Treasurer confirmed that he was informed by the ATO, not the RBA, about the credit card ban 'in the lead-up' to the decision....
- Critical Minerals Industry (3 speeches)
My question is to the Minister for Resources. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to grow Australia's critical minerals industry and deliver a Future Made in Australia, and what are the risks?
- Statements on Indulgence (0 speeches)
- Speaker (7 speeches)
Mr Speaker, one of the very few things that there is no political divide on—from every member of the House of Representatives—is our regard for you and the job you have done as...
- Questions to the Speaker (0 speeches)
- Questions in Writing (2 speeches)
In accordance with standing order 105(b), I wish to draw your attention to an overdue question in writing, question 234. On 11 August, I asked the Minister for Health and Ageing critical...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Auditor-General's Reports (0 speeches)
- Report Nos 5 and 6 of 2026-27 (1 speech)
I also present the following Auditor-General's audit reports for 2026-27: No. 5, performance audit Artificial intelligence and Medicare benefits integrity: Department of Health, Disability and...
- Documents (0 speeches)
- Presentation (1 speech)
These 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.
- Bills (0 speeches)
- Adjournment (0 speeches)
- Boyce, Dr Edwin (Ted), OAM (1 speech)
Tonight I'd like to honour Dr Ted Boyce. Ted Boyce is more than just a principal and leader of the Pacific Hills Christian School and one of the great people in the broader Christian education...
- Artificial Intelligence (1 speech)
Artificial intelligence and efficient and effective regulation can coexist. Government and industry can collaborate with respect to AI for the benefit of the Australian people. The private sector...
- National Security (1 speech)
The first responsibility of any government is to keep Australians safe. Tonight I want to raise serious concerns about whether Australia's national terrorism threat framework remains fit for...
- Labor Government (1 speech)
I'm proud of our record of delivery and our unwavering focus on easing cost-of-living pressures facing Australians. We know people want to see practical action that makes a real difference to...
- Taxation, International Relations: Armenia and Azerbaijan (1 speech)
Why is it that the Labor member for Bentleigh, Nick Staikos, supports the Prime Minister's high taxes on investors, property owners and small business? This is the problem. Before the last...
- YiSSA (1 speech)
I rise today to speak on an immensely important issue back in the Northern Territory, the YiSSA facility. I'm here to speak on the inhumanity and the incompetence of the Northern Territory...
- Constituency Statements (0 speeches)
- Gas Industry: Taxation (1 speech)
If I said, 'Let's sell off all of our public schools and have them all run for profit,' I'd rightly be called a nutter. If I said, 'Let's flog off all our public hospitals and let the private...
- Hawke Electorate: Child Care, Mental Health Month, Hawke Electorate: Infrastructure (1 speech)
It was great to drop by Goodstart Early Learning in Sunbury last week to talk about Labor's commitment to local workers in our area. Quality learning begins with quality educators, but for too...
- Banking and Financial Services (1 speech)
Cameron, from my electorate of Mallee, is an engineer who wrote to me on 2 October. Cameron runs multiple businesses and farms and consults with mines in our region and around the world. He asked...
- Medicare, Redcliffe Peninsula Rail Line (1 speech)
The Murrumba Downs Medicare urgent care clinic is turning three years old. And what a difference it has made to our community! Whilst the clinic sits just outside of my electorate of Petrie, it...
- Raise Our Voice in Parliament (3 speeches)
I rise to recognise Nate Ralph from Mackay, whose speech was selected by the Raise our Voice committee as the winning entry from Dawson. Nate's speech is as follows: The future of Australia is in...
- Laverton Hospital (1 speech)
I rise today to acknowledge a landmark achievement for the Northern Goldfields town of Laverton and the many remote O'Connor communities that it serves. Last week, the new Laverton Hospital...
- Clifton Hill Scouts, Yeronga State High School Mental Health Week, Yeronga Devils (1 speech)
If you've ever wanted to know how to pitch a tent, how to start a fire or how to tie a knot, all you have to do, if you live on Brisbane's south side, is ask Brolga, Scorpion or Badger. These are...
- Goldstein Electorate: Community Events (1 speech)
Raise Our Voice Australia is an initiative that gives young Australians the chance to speak directly into the nation's parliament. Each year, students write a speech on an issue that matters to...
- Barton Electorate: Community Events (2 speeches)
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the jubilee community celebration hosted by the Moslem Alawi Youth Movement at Gough Whitlam Park. The event brought together local families, community...
- Private Members' Business (0 speeches)
- Climate Change (6 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) extreme weather caused $4.8 billion in insured losses in Australia in 2025, according to the Insurance Council of Australia; (b) home insurance...
- Consumer Protection (9 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) recognises that backing consumers and competition helps to keep prices down, expand choice and reward businesses that innovate and treat their customers fairly; (2)...
- National Disability Insurance Agency (7 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) notes that despite the Government increasing the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) workforce by more than 5,700 public servants since the 2022 election,...
- Agriculture Industry: Machinery (7 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) recognises that: (a) modern agricultural machinery is increasingly sophisticated and digitally enabled; (b) farmers can face significant costs when machinery breaks...
- Cost of Living (9 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) condemns the Government for failing to ease the cost of living crisis, with inflation still at 3.5 per cent and housing costs rising 5 per cent over the year to July...
- Pregnancy Loss, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death (7 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) October is Pregnancy and lnfant Loss Awareness Month and that Thursday, 15 October 2026 marks Pregnancy and lnfant Loss Remembrance Day; and (b) this...
- Gun Control (6 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) calls on the Government to: (a) repeal the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Act 2026, and reverse laws that were rushed through...
- Statements by Members (0 speeches)
- Artificial Intelligence (1 speech)
We cannot trust OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI companies to regulate themselves, and we can't trust the US government to do it either. This is my clear takeaway from the first week of hearings in...
- Newcastle Electorate: Newcastle Knights (1 speech)
I rise to congratulate the Newcastle Knights on an extraordinary season. While the result of the grand final wasn't what Novocastrians had hoped for, this team gave our city something truly...
- Rural, Regional and Remote Australia: Services (1 speech)
Regional Australia is being buried alive, and the people who dug the grave won't pay for the funeral. The government didn't stumble into this; it built it. For decades, policy has gutted regional...
- Raise Our Voice in Parliament (1 speech)
Raise Our Voice is a fantastic campaign that invites young people to submit a speech to their MP. Today I want to give a speech on behalf of Olive, the 15-year-old winner from my electorate, who...
- Bathurst 1000 (1 speech)
Yesterday the eyes of the nation, and of millions of viewers around the world, were glued to another incredible great race at Mount Panorama. A massive crowd of over 204,000 fans made it the...
- Raise Our Voice in Parliament (3 speeches)
I rise to give a speech I selected from entries in the Raise Our Voice competition from 11-year-old Royce in my electorate of Isaacs. It reads: I would like to share why I think the government...
- Migration (1 speech)
Since Labor was elected, we've seen more than 1½ million people arrive in Australia. That's a population roughly the size of Adelaide. Under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the numbers have...
- Raise Our Voice in Parliament (1 speech)
Today I want to share the words of 17-year-old Sam, as part of Raise Our Voice in Parliament. Sam is a local from my part of the world, on Brisbane's southside in Moreton, and in a few short...
- Nicholls Electorate: Raise Our Voice Australia (1 speech)
Dougal from my electorate is a 15-year-old, and I want to read his contribution to Raise Our Voice. He wrote: As someone living with Type 1 Diabetes, I want to alert you to a very important issue...
- Tertiary Education and Training (1 speech)
The best lessons in a trade aren't learnt from a textbook. They're learnt from someone who has spent 20 years on the tools, knows the tricks of the trade and has probably made a few mistakes...
- Banking and Financial Services (1 speech)
Labor should be backing small business not breaking it, but, instead, we see another ATO credit card ban circus, a stay of execution funded by taxpayers. Labor is handing out a taxpayer funded...
- Tuckwell Scholarship Program (1 speech)
The Tuckwell Scholarship Program is an undergraduate scholarship program in Australia awarded to up to 25 school leavers each year. It offers talented and motivated students the opportunity to...
- Coomera Cutters Rugby League Club (1 speech)
It's with a heavy heart that I rise to deliver a condolence message to the Coomera Cutters Rugby League Club family. To the president, Joe Smith, and all of the members of that club, I am...
- Griffith Electorate: Community Events (1 speech)
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of joining Brisbane's Cypriot community for the Cyprus Halloumi Cultural Festival, hosted by the Cypriot Community Association of Queensland at Cyprus House in...
- Parkes Electorate: Community Events (1 speech)
It's a blessing to be the member for the Parkes electorate, which covers 51 per cent of the great state of New South Wales. It means that every month, every day, in just about every community,...
- Alkimos Aquatic and Recreation Centre (1 speech)
() (): The incorporated speech read as follows— I am thrilled to see the Alkimos Aquatic and Recreation Centre finally nearing its opening later this year. For many years, I have been a...
- Raise Our Voice in Parliament (2 speeches)
The Raise Our Voice Australia campaign allows our young people to express their vision and their priorities for the Australian parliament. Today I'm thrilled to speak on behalf of Chloe, who is a...
- Citizenship (1 speech)
At every citizenship ceremony I attend, I ask the same thing of our newest local citizens. That is: 'Please find a way to give back to the community you have chosen to be a part of.' Today I'd...
- Raise Our Voice in Parliament (1 speech)
This speech was written by 14-year-old Alexandra in my electorate as part of the Raise Our Voice Australia campaign: Many teenagers experience bullying, anxiety, depression, and thoughts of...
- Mort's Mates Gala Fundraising Dinner 2026, Young Australians, Groom Electorate: Artificial Intelligence (1 speech)
A quick shout-out to Charlie Moreton and the iconic brand of Moreton & Co. for the Mort's Mates fundraiser we held in our region. It's a great night out, the third iteration of it. They...
- Parent Pathways (1 speech)
Too many parents who are ready to work are held back by barriers outside of their control. Parent Pathways in Cannington in my electorate of Swan is helping change that. This service has helped...
- Whyalla Steelworks (1 speech)
You can't understand what Whyalla is going through from Canberra or New York; you have to show up. As a local member, that's why I demanded shadow minister for energy Dan Tehan and South...
- Prime Minister's Spelling Bee 2026 (1 speech)
Aarika Harsha is a hardworking year 6 student from Holsworthy Public School in my electorate in southern Sydney, and she has just won the years 5 to 6 category of the 2026 Prime Minister's...
- Woolgoolga Wolves (1 speech)
I congratulate the Woolgoolga Wolves on winning the 2026 North Coast Football Men's Premier League grand final. The Wolves won 1-0 in a hard-fought grand final at Coffs International Stadium. Tai...
- Blak Cede (1 speech)
October is Indigenous Business Month, an opportunity to celebrate the incredible work of Indigenous businesses right across our country. On Thursday, I popped into the Blak Cede Gunyah cafe in...
- Raise Our Voice in Parliament (1 speech)
Today, as part of the Raise Our Voice initiative, I'll be reading the words of 17-year-old Jordan from the electorate of Moncrieff: The biggest issue shaping my future isn't one policy area. It's...
- Blair Electorate: Nepalese Community (2 speeches)
On Saturday, I was delighted to attend the Nepalese Association of Queensland, or NAQ, multicultural celebration. This is a 20-year milestone for the organisation, and it was terrific to welcome...
- Private Members' Business (0 speeches)
- Electric Vehicles (11 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) notes: (a) the record uptake of electric vehicles in Australia, with more Australians choosing cleaner and cheaper-to-run cars; (b) Australians now have access to a...
- Private Health Insurance (12 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) condemns the Government's $3 billion cut to the private health insurance rebate, with almost $1.6 billion of that cost falling directly on age pensioners; (2) notes...
- Employment (15 speeches)
I move: That this House: (1) recognises that workers should be able to use their skills, change jobs, and pursue better opportunities without unreasonable restraints on their mobility; (2)...
- Cost of Living (8 speeches)
I rise to support the motion moved by the member for McPherson and to highlight the continuing financial hardship experienced by Australian households under the Albanese Labor government. Across...
