Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a great honour to be returned to this place for a sixth term. Indeed, I will continue to work just as hard for the people of the Riverina, albeit a vastly different Riverina than the one I was first elected to represent in 2010. I have some interesting statistics from the most recent election. In the federal election held in 2022, the coalition went from 77 seats to 58 at a 35.7 per cent primary vote. In the same election, Labor went from 68 seats to 77 to form government on the back of a 32.58 per cent primary. When you look at the figures from this election just completed in May, the 2025 election, you see the coalition went from 58 seats to 43 with a 31.82 per cent primary, whereas Labor went from 77 seats to 94 with a 34.56 per cent primary. Compare Labor's primary vote this time, at 34½ per cent, with 94 seats gained, to the coalition losing government in 2022 on the back of a 35.7 primary vote. That's extraordinary. That's absolutely remarkable. They have about 1½ per cent less primary and yet they have 94 seats and are crowing about being in government again, compared to the coalition losing government in a rather resounding way at the 2022 poll.

You also look at the changes in boundaries. You look at the fact that New South Wales and Victoria each lost a federal seat, Western Australia picked up one and the House of Representatives has gone from 151 seats in the 47th Parliament to 150 in this term. I mentioned before the boundaries of the Riverina. The Riverina is the most altered seat in federal history. Indeed, my seat almost represents from Matong to the Illawarra. But Riverina, if you look on the Riverina Wikipedia page—not that Wikipedia is anything to gauge anything by; it's only as good as the editors who upload information to it—for the area designated on that particular web page for Riverina, I do not represent any of that area, geographic, weather or otherwise, in the federal parliament.

The Riverina is basically from Narrandera west. Riverina was long considered the gateway to the Riverina. Throw in Wagga Wagga to get the population necessary to form a federal seat, which at the time which was about 100,000 to 110,000 people. These days, that Riverina area belongs now in Farrer, represented by the Leader of the Opposition. The Riverina in the boundary changes of 2016 added Grenfell, Weddin Shire; Parkes; Forbes; Cowra; and part of Hilltops. I now the represent the entire Hilltops Council area. I have picked up Boorowa and all that eastern end of the Hilltops Council local government area and, of course, have added Upper Lachlan, Yass Valley and Snowy Valleys. I have represented Tumut and Tumbarumba shires before. I'm pleased to say the New South Wales minister Ron Hoenig visited the area just last week to talk about a demerger.

Irrespective of the boundaries and the local government areas, I am very happy to be back here and I thank the people of Riverina—albeit by name, not necessarily nature—for placing their faith in me to continue the representation that I have given.

Speaking of ministers and state governments, particularly New South Wales: in Sydney at the moment, the leaders of the two major parties are working themselves into a lather over how high to go when it comes to the housing crisis. High density housing is the only way to go, they say. We're looking at a situation—I appreciate that this is state politics, but it does have a lot to do with what we are discussing in this chamber and in this place. Sydney's Moore Park Golf Course was partially repurposed into parkland to provide open space for a high-density development.

They're looking at TG Millner Field in Marsfield, the home of Eastwood Rugby Club—and indeed at Rosehill Gardens racecourse, which first operated for thoroughbreds in 1885. And what do they want to do there? They want to build high-density housing. There are only so many green spaces in metropolitan cities. This is madness.

Just the other day, on Sunday 17 August, at two o'clock in the afternoon, a light plane was forced to crash-land at Mona Vale golf course. If we fill in all our green spaces with high-density housing, what happens to those planes which take off from the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, or indeed from Kingsford Smith at Mascot, if they get into trouble? But, more than that, for the life of me I cannot fathom the shortsightedness of our city politicians when it comes to housing.

As an aside: on Saturday, I drove from Picken Oval in Croydon Park to Gladesville. It took me nearly an hour to travel the 15 kilometres. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Yet we have the Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, and, dare I say, the Liberal opposition leader, Mark Speakman, who want to just go up and up and up. Why? And they're looking for ways and means to have epiphanies when it comes to policy. Well, here's a policy idea: What about the regions? What about west of the great divide, in those great expanses, where we've got cities large and towns small looking for people to come west—looking for employees and for families to establish themselves? But we've got two leaders of two major parties who seem oblivious to the fact that regionalism is the way to go. I just don't understand why this is so. And it's not just New South Wales; it's endemic right across all of our capital cities and all of our state parliaments, where you've got city based politicians who cannot see the wood for the trees, quite frankly, because they think that the only way to proceed, to address the housing crisis, is to build high-density housing in already choked, clogged-up central business districts and beyond.

We've got a real situation in Australia. We've got a housing crisis, but we've also got an immigration crisis. Now, I know there's been a bit of to-and-fro between the Australian Bureau of Statistics—an organisation I know well—and media outlets about migration numbers. But data published by the ABS in December shows that net overseas migration was 446,000 in 2023-24—albeit down from a year earlier. But that is 1,221 people per day arriving in this country—1,221 people who need housing; 1,221 people who, arguably, need jobs, though some of them will be children.

But we've got a situation where we've got open expanses in regional Australia. You go down any high street, any main street, in a rural setting and you will see signs in windows that say, 'Apply within. Jobs available.' And yet we've got city based politicians in state governments—and in this place; I don't let the city based politicians here off the hook—who think that the only way to address the housing crisis is to go up, to build more blocks on top of one another, and to clog up our cities and make sure there's more pollution and there are more traffic jams. And I for one don't get it. I just don't understand it.

I want to give a few thanks to the people who've been very close to me and very supportive of my re-election. Ken Grimson recently retired after having served my office so splendidly well since 2017, but before that he worked as a journalist at the Daily Advertiser at Wagga for 33 years. He and I worked together from 1985 until I left the paper in 2002. Ken has been such a loyal servant to me, and I owe him the greatest debt of gratitude. I wish him and his lovely wife, Robyn, all the very best for a healthy and happy future.

I want to thank Barney Hyams, who was my campaign director for the fourth time. Barney from Batlow, as always, did a good job.

I also want to pay tribute to Mikelli Garratt, without whom the booths would not have been as successfully supported as they were. She did a power of work—she and so many other young people who helped out with the campaign, Young Nationals such as Josef Winkler and many others besides. They are the future, and I do thank them for the work that they contributed.

You cannot do this job without a supportive family, and my beautiful wife, Catherine, I do thank so very much. This was the first ever election in which I kissed a baby, and I'm proud to say I did. It was my granddaughter Adeline Bell. She brought her parents, Georgina and Daniel, up from Melbourne, to support me in the campaign. She had a 'Vote 1 Michael McCormack' onesie on, a little yellow and green number. I took time out from a press conference to kiss Adeline on the cheek. She was just three weeks old. I do thank her and her parents very much—Georgina in particular, who has never missed one of my campaigns. I actually think she likes it a bit more than even I do.

It was a tough campaign. It was a challenging campaign. It was probably the nastiest campaign—not probably; it was the nastiest campaign—I've ever been involved in, but the Nationals came through because the Nationals deliver. I do thank all of those people who voted for me. I do, very earnestly. But I also thank those people who didn't, because I will represent them as fiercely, as proudly and as passionately as anybody in this parliament.

Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today with gratitude as the re-elected member for Bennelong. Of course, I would like to start by saying thank you to all those who live in Bennelong for putting their trust in me, some for the first time and some for multiple times. I've had a few goes around in local government, I ran for state government once, and now I'm re-elected as the federal member. So a big thank you to the people who re-elected me. I don't take this win for granted. It's an absolute honour to be re-elected to represent my home in this place, and I'll keep working every day to make that trust count.

This election marks something historic: for the first time, a Labor member was re-elected in Bennelong. That's not just a personal milestone; I think it's a reflection of something bigger. It was a vote of confidence in the kind of politics that puts communities at the centre of the decision-making process. I want to thank my family: my kids—Harry, Madeline and Amelie—and, of course, my wonderful partner, Jo, and her kids, Will and Alfie. They put up with the odd hours, the time away and the fact that everyone in Bennelong owns a little bit of me. It's a job that truly belongs to the people of Bennelong. I'm incredibly lucky to have my family in this corner. To my parents: thank you for teaching me the values that brought me to this place—fairness, hard work and compassion.

To my campaign team and electorate staff—Michael, Maddy, Oliver, Daniel, James, Karma, Angela, Bailey, Katie, Callan, Enzo, Garth and Pauline—and to the local Labor branches of Gladesville, Lane Cove, Ryde, Eastwood, Hunters Hill, Willoughby-Castlecrag, Epping and Macquarie Park: a huge thank you. Some of those branches have a Labor member representing them for the first time in history. In fact, Hunters Hill, a foundation branch of the Labor Party, way back in the late 1890s, has a Labor MP for the first time. I'm particularly excited that I'm back in this place.

There were so many volunteers and champions that got us over the line. In particular, a huge thank you to Racheal, Linda, Lyndal, Cathy and Ethan. These people, in particular, helped us coordinate our volunteers to walk the streets, knock on the doors and listen to locals. They and plenty of others—too many to name—helped me run a campaign smoothly and professionally and get the results. Every one of us in this chamber knows that we don't do this alone.

I come to this place shaped by my community, my home and by the role I played in it. Before federal politics, I served as a councillor and the mayor of Ryde for a decade. That time taught me something simple but powerful: the best politics start close to home. It's not about shouting the loudest or promising the world; it's about solving day-to-day problems, listening, showing up and making people's lives a little bit easier, fairer and more secure. People don't always have to agree with you, but they want to know that you care and that you're accessible. That's the approach I've taken my entire career. As councillor, I turned up; as mayor, I delivered; and now, as the member for Bennelong, I'll continue to do both.

This is the type of representation that every community deserves. Granted, we all do it a bit differently. The minister there at the front desk runs marathons. It's not something I'm proposing to do, but it's about turning up and connecting with your community. I'm determined to continue to do that and deliver for Bennelong. It's not just a job but a relationship that we have with our community built on trust, visibility and real connection. Whether it's attending cultural festivals in Macquarie Park, eating out in Rowe Street, Eastwood, visiting schools in Lane Cove, or talking about housing and skills with students in Meadowbank, I make it my job to listen first and then act, because being present and listening is how you build trust. It's how you understand what's actually happening in people's lives. Representation doesn't just happen here in Canberra; it happens in these everyday conversations we have on doorsteps, in classrooms, on main streets, at the shopping centre—like when I get pulled up and asked a few questions in Coles—and at community centres as well. That's where you hear what's really going on, and that's where the work really starts.

That local-first mindset has only grown stronger in my time as a federal MP. I've now seen from an even closer perspective how national decisions land in real households. I've seen the cracks people fall through, and I've seen how good representation—compassionate, accountable and community focused—can make a real difference. That's the kind of representation I've worked really hard to deliver—visible, practical and grounded in community, whether it's here in the chamber or out on the streets chatting to people who just turn up to have their say. I've tried to make sure that people in Bennelong feel seen, heard and supported.

Over this past term—and now into this one—I've carried that approach into everything I've done. It's shaped how I advocate to the government and within it, and I'm proud that that's led to real outcomes and tangible improvements in people's lives. That work has obviously taken different forms. Sometimes it's been backing in national reforms in this chamber, and sometimes it's been pushing for local priorities back home, even if they're not all within my responsibility. A lot of people just want to talk to a politician to make sure they're heard and to make sure that their voice goes to the right place. Be it a state issue or a local issue, I've always tried to help people, and I've always tried to be their voice. My focus has always stayed the same: getting things done for the people I represent.

Over the term, the Albanese Labor government has made real progress, and I've worked hard to make sure Bennelong sees the benefit of that work. In health care, we delivered the single largest investment in Medicare's history to strengthen the system, which will mean more than 1.8 million extra bulk-billed visits in Sydney, including at clinics in Bennelong. It'll mean GP practices are better supported and more accessible, and it'll mean families will spend less to see a doctor. That's a good thing. We've made medicines cheaper, cutting the maximum PBS co-payment from $42.50, and it will go down all the way to $25 from 1 January, the same price it was in 2004. If we had done nothing, that price would be $50 now, but it will be $25 from 1 January, the lowest level in nearly two decades. That's already saved people in Bennelong more than $8.6 million in real savings to the household budget. We've introduced 60-day dispensing to halve the trips to pharmacies and doctors for people on long-term medications as well.

Our urgent care clinics have been rolling out. There's one in Top Ryde and one on its way in Chatswood. These clinics mean families can get urgent bulk-billed treatment after hours without having to wait hours at an emergency department. We've committed to delivering a Medicare mental health centre right in the heart of my electorate, in Ryde, because access to mental health care should be local, affordable and immediate, not something that people put off or go without. In cost-of-living relief, every household received an energy rebate, and 92,000 local taxpayers will get a tax cut under Labor's top-up tax cuts. We've made child care cheaper, delivered HECS relief and made free TAFE permanent so people can train and retrain, get a better job, earn more money and get ahead, not be left behind.

We have backed serious local investment in Bennelong, with more than $330 million delivered in the last term into our electorate for roads, schools, parks, sporting facilities, community groups and really-big-ticket infrastructure—big projects—and the quiet ones: the things people see everyday and the ones that keep our neighbourhood and our community groups running behind the scenes.

I'm so proud of what we've achieved together, but I'm even more focused on what comes next. In this term, I'll keep doing what I've always done—listening to the people of Bennelong, taking their concerns seriously and working hard here in this place, publicly and behind the scenes, to deliver for them.

I'll be working really hard to deliver our urgent care clinic in Chatswood and our mental health centre in Ryde and to get those up and running as soon as possible. Critical investments in people's wellbeing are vitally needed in our community, particularly in mental health. They'll help take pressure off our hospitals whilst making care easier to access close to home.

Housing, of course, is a huge priority for this government, and you heard a lot of that today in this place. Many people in Bennelong are feeling the squeeze. Rents are high, leases are insecure or not long enough, and affordable options are few and far between. I'll keep working with my colleagues in government to deliver on our housing agenda, to make it easier to buy and better to rent and to build more homes where they're needed the most. That means more social and affordable housing in our community, and it means national action to lower deposits and mortgages, strengthen renters' rights and unlock housing supply.

On climate, it'll be no surprise that I'll continue to be a strong voice for action, pushing our own government to do better, because cutting emissions isn't just good policy; it's good for household budgets too. I'll keep supporting practical measures that make it easier for people to electrify their homes, to access solar, to improve insulation and to switch to clean energy transport. There's so much to do in this space, particularly for renters and those who live in strata to get access to renewable energy technology. All of those issues are held at the state level, but there's a role for the federal government to play there to get standards across the system so that renters can access renewable energy as well. I'll keep on pushing for strong local voices to be heard on the national environmental reforms so that the work we do here translates into better outcomes in communities on the ground.

And I intend to work hard to deliver all of the commitments made to my community during the election and before it. That includes our upgrades to Christie Park—$1.9 million for five synthetic futsal courts—and the wonderful facility upgrades at Boronia Park, with a battery, solar panels, and upgraded electrics and lighting. There's arts and culture funding in Lane Cove and continued investment in the roads, schools, community groups, services and public spaces that make Bennelong such a wonderful place to live.

Politics needs to serve people, and I do this job because I genuinely like helping people—fixing a problem or making someone's life that little bit better, making things a little bit easier. It's what makes me tick and why I put up with all the rubbish that sometimes comes along with this role. I say this to everyone in Bennelong: you don't have to vote for me to get help from me. You don't have to agree with me for me to stand up for you. If you need my support, I'll always do my best to hear you and help where I can. My job is to represent everyone in Bennelong, and that's what I'll do every day. I'm proud of what we've achieved together, but I'm even more determined about what comes next—because I'll keep showing up, I'll keep listening and I'll keep pushing the government to deliver outcomes that matter. Bennelong deserves nothing less, and I'll keep doing everything I can to deliver on that promise.

Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's an honour to stand here today after being re-endorsed by my community as their local voice in the Australian parliament. I'd like to begin by thanking the community of Casey for placing their trust in me to serve for a second term as their community representative. Each time I stand to speak as the federal member for Casey, I'm reminded of my community who gave me the responsibility and privilege of being a strong local voice in this place. To represent my home and community in the Australian parliament is a privilege and an honour that I will never take for granted.

The greatest part of this job is the ability to help people when they need it the most. Locals who call or visit my office are often feeling vulnerable and in need of assistance with navigating government departments and complex bureaucracies. Others reach out with ideas and suggestions on how things could be done better by the federal government. My commitment to my community is that I'll be a voice in this place for all, regardless of how you voted.

I'd like to acknowledge the seven other candidates who nominated for Casey at the election and commend them on the campaigns that they ran. Our democracy is something to treasure, and one of the key things that makes it so strong is the independence of the AEC. I thank the hardworking AEC staff for their work in the 2025 federal election, because to vote in this country with the added confidence that the outcome will be fair is a privilege we should never take for granted. I'll work hard everyday for all the residents of our community.

I'd like to thank people who have and who continue to support me. As you know, Deputy Speaker, none of us stands alone in this House. There are many who support us on the journey to this House and the journey to continue to serve our communities in this House. Firstly, to my family—my wife, Rachel, and my two children: I couldn't do what I do serving our community without you. Thank you for your unconditional love and support. To my executive committee, the campaign team and my EO staff: thank you for your support, your advice and your guidance. To our dedicated local Liberal members as well as community supporters who believed in me and our party's values: thank you for giving your time, your most precious asset, to our cause. Our campaign was a local grassroots campaign. We had hundreds of people who gave up so much, from putting up signs in their property and listening to our community and supporting me at listening posts to handing out on election day. Thank you for believing in me and also the Liberal Party and our cause.

At a local level, we made some really important commitments that an elected Liberal government would have delivered. I spent the past three years out in my community speaking to locals where they were, either doorknocking their homes or listening to them at the local shops. My plan was centred around providing solutions to some of the challenges we face in our community. I'm pleased that my positive plan resonated with the community. This included improving local health care, funding for sealing Yarra Ranges dirt roads to help end the days of dust, potholes and dangerous driving conditions, as well as boosting local telecommunications resilience with battery back up for telecommunication towers and generator upgrades.

I also worked closely with our local sporting clubs to deliver the infrastructure they need and deserve. In my first speech I spoke about the importance of community sport in shaping who I am today. Involvement in grassroots local sport gives you a sense of purpose and can change lives. My commitment to important upgrades at several local clubs was about improving and building on that strong community spirit that is fostered in our clubs as well as to support increased female participation. I am proud that today young girls, like my own daughter, have the same opportunity to participate in sport, make new friends and get involved in their community. They can learn the values of hard work, training, taking advice from their coaches—the pain of defeat but also doing the hard work to improve and the sweet taste of victory from that hard work. I am disappointed that the Labor government did not match my commitments for our community and at this point they won't be going ahead. But the need for these local projects is important, and it doesn't stop once the election is decided, because our community deserves improved access to health care. We deserve safer local roads, we deserve reliable telecommunications and we deserve upgraded local infrastructure and facilities. My commitment to you is that I'll continue to advocate and I'll continue being a strong local voice in this parliament for our community.

Last term I started a petition with my community calling for an urgent care clinic in the Yarra Ranges. Thousands of locals added their names, and I stood in this place and brought local voices to the federal parliament. I'm pleased that together we had a win for our community. The government has finally now committed to delivering an urgent care clinic in the Yarra Ranges, and recently I received confirmation that the clinic will be established in Lilydale. It's great that the government has finally listened to us. It's a real credit to our efforts—every person who signed the petition, who spoke up and who shared their story. I welcome this progress but it doesn't go far enough, because while a clinic in Lilydale is a step forward, it doesn't do much for the families in Healesville, the Upper Yarra or other rural parts of Casey. These community members face long travel times and limited access to health care.

What makes this even more frustrating for these communities is that Labor knows our communities need better access. During the election Labor's endorsed candidate said more than once that Healesville would be the location for an urgent care clinic. This was after the Prime Minister and the minister for health had said it would be in Lilydale. In an online candidates' forum their candidate clearly stated that an urgent care clinic would be located at the Healesville hospital. They told the local paper:

Healesville has an appropriate location with connected services and has a huge need, Healesville will be the location chosen.

They even posted it repeatedly on social media, so you can understand why people in Healesville are feeling misled. They were told one thing by Labor before the election, and now they are missing out on the quality health care that Labor promised them. During the campaign the Liberals and I committed to an urgent care clinic in Healesville because the need there is real, and I know this from listening to our community and my family's lived experience. Our community campaign is not over. Together we'll keep pushing for better health care, and I'll continue to be a strong local voice here in parliament working for every part of our region.

We as a community also achieved so much together in the last parliament. We saved $20 million in funding from the previous Liberal government for the Montrose intersection upgrade. I am pleased to see that the work has now been completed and that this important road safety project has been delivered for our community. We also saved $20 million in funding to upgrade the Maroondah Highway and Killara Road intersection at Coldstream. Despite the previous Liberal government committing funding for the project over six years ago, state and federal Labor governments have stifled the project and have continued to delay the project. It's time to get on with the job and upgrade the Maroondah Highway and Killara Road intersection. I will keep working with the Coldstream community to get this project done.

We also had wins to improve local connectivity. Working collaboratively with the Minister for Communications to make sure our community was not overlooked, I advocated for improved telecommunications in our community. It was fantastic that Lilydale benefited from improved coverage. However, it was disappointing that towns in dangerous black spots in the Dandenong Ranges and the Upper Yarra missed out. I will continue advocating for the telecommunications our community deserves right across the electorate, particularly as we come into this time of needing emergency services.

There are a lot of emergencies in Casey, whether they be fires, floods or storms. I want to take a moment to commend all the CFA units across Casey who were commended for their work in the June storms of 2021, volunteers that put their lives on the line in the Dandenong Ranges, the Upper Yarra, the Yarra Valley and our suburban areas to make sure our community was safe. I know and they know that reliable communications are important every day but are so crucial when things go wrong and, unfortunately, they so often do in our community.

I was also determined to deliver for the thousands of volunteers in my community. Through my local Stronger Communities Program and volunteer grants we delivered funding for 95 community organisations across Casey. Whether it was to purchase new equipment or provide training to upskill and grow the volunteer base, I was proud to support so many local volunteers who give so much of their time to make our region even stronger. They do it because they love our community and they want to give back. I'm excited that an additional 14 local groups will receive grants of between $2,500 and $20,000 help deliver projects that will benefit our wider community through round 9 of the Stronger Communities Program. Those organisations were: Blairgowrie House Playgroup in Mooroolbark; the Koha Community Cafe in Warburton; the Wandin Seniors; the Upwey Fire Brigade; Healesville Interchurch Community Care Incorporated, more commonly known as HICCI; Belgravia Foundation, who run the Healesville Pool; the Millgrove Residents Action Group; Anchor Community Care in Lilydale; Yarra Valley ECOSS in Wesburn; Mums of the Hills in the Dandenong Ranges; Yarra Valley FM in Healesville; Veterans For Fishing; Kilsyth junior football club; and Treasuring Our Trees. I can't wait to see these grassroots projects come to life and continue to support our local community groups. I've had the opportunity to visit all of these community groups and see firsthand the impact they have on our community. They do so much to ensure that the fabric of our community gets stronger. In peri-urban, regional and rural towns, these volunteer community groups really are the heart of the community and give so much back. I'm glad that we can support them in a little way to continue to do the work that they do for our community. I love my community, and I'm looking forward to continuing to serve as their local voice in this place. I work every day to make sure our region gets the investment it deserves and remains the best place to live, work and raise a family. Australia is the lucky country. It's a place where I was able to make a life for myself and my family, regardless of postcode, income or circumstance. But, for many Australians, it doesn't feel so lucky anymore. We have plenty of work to do in this place to ensure future generations have the same opportunities I did, and I will work hard every day to ensure my children and my children's children grow up in a beautiful, prosperous Australia. When we talk about our future generations, there is not one thing that is more important. There are many things we need to do to ensure that they have that future, but the consistent theme that comes through for our younger generation is access to housing. We need to make sure that, in Casey, across Victoria and across Australia, we have the opportunities to deliver housing for them at an affordable price so they can start their dreams with their families and own their little part of Australia.

I'll continue to hold this government to account to make sure that they are actually delivering, not just rebadging coalition policies, although, as they say, imitation is the greatest form of flattery. It was disappointing that the Prime Minister and the Treasurer felt that they needed to run a three-day roundtable as cover for announcing a coalition policy as their own, but, as long as we're getting prices down, we will take that. There is much to do. I'm looking forward to continuing to deliver today and into the future in this term parliament for my community.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today with a deep sense of gratitude, pride and responsibility. To the people of Newcastle: thank you. Thank you for once again placing your trust in me to represent you in the Australian parliament. It's an extraordinary honour and one that I will never take for granted. The message Australians sent at this election was clear. They want a government that rolls up its sleeves, tackles the big challenges and delivers real, practical change. And that's exactly what this Labor government is doing and will continue to do. This election delivered Labor a strong mandate. It is a mandate for action—action to help with the cost of living, to rebuild our health and education systems, to deliver secure jobs and better wages, to tackle climate change and create a clean energy future, and to deliver a more inclusive, fairer, more resilient Australia for every Australian, no matter where they live, where they work or who they voted for.

We know that, right now, Australians are feeling the pinch, from power bills to groceries to mortgages. That's why, on 1 July, new cost-of-living measures kicked in—meaningful, targeted relief that is already making a difference. We've seen a 3.5 per cent increase to the minimum wage. This, of course, is the third consecutive increase to the minimum wage. We've seen the superannuation guarantee increase from 11.5 per cent to 12 per cent. We've got 30 per cent off home batteries, $10,000 for housing apprenticeships and $150 in energy bill relief for every household, building on the energy relief that was provided in the last term of government. We've got an extra two weeks of paid parental leave and superannuation being paid on paid parental leave for the first time ever. There's the $20,000 instant asset write-off, extended again for small businesses, and a $1.8 billion boost for our public schools. There are the historic investments in women's health, giving women more choice, lower costs and a higher quality of care.

These are not just promises; these are real, tangible outcomes from a Labor government that cares and delivers. We welcome the Reserve Bank's decision to cut interest rates for the third time in six months. This is welcome relief for millions of Australians and reflects the substantial and sustained progress we've made on inflation in a volatile and uncertain global environment. And we know there's more work to do, which is why we're building on this relief with long-term reforms to improve housing, skills, energy and income support to build a more secure future for all.

One of the most exciting opportunities ahead is Australia's clean energy future, and the Albanese Labor government is making sure Newcastle is at the centre. With a strong industrial base, a world-class port, a skilled and resilient workforce and critical infrastructure, our region is perfectly placed to lead this next chapter. We've already seen a massive $100 million commitment by the Albanese Labor government to establish a clean energy precinct at the port of Newcastle, a project that will revitalise our port and transform our regional economy.

Let's take a moment to appreciate what that means. Land that was once earmarked for the expansion of a coal terminal will now be home to the industries of the future: green hydrogen, green ammonia, renewable exports and energy innovation. This is a game changer. On top of that, we've just announced $425 million for our hydrogen hub at Orica, one of the big heavy industries on Kooragang Island, further cementing Newcastle at the forefront of our clean energy transformation.

But we know that infrastructure alone is not enough, and that's why Labor is also establishing a net zero manufacturing centre of excellence at the Tighes Hill TAFE, ensuring that local workers have the skills and training they need to thrive in these new energy industries. We've also delivered $21 million for a new future industries facility at the University of Newcastle, where researchers, industry and students will help shape the net zero economy together. From coal to clean energy, this is what transition looks like: thoughtful, strategic and grounded in the strengths of our region and our people. Novocastrians should be proud. We are not just adapting to the future; we are shaping it.

Medicare remains at the beating heart of our health system. And I want to be absolutely clear. Under Labor, it will never be privatised. It will never be dismantled. It will be protected, strengthened and modernised. We've made the biggest investment in bulk-billing by any government ever, saving families thousands in out-of-pocket expenses and ensuring access is based on need, not wealth. We're putting nurses and doctors back into local communities through our Medicare urgent care clinics. We've secured the future of GP access-after-hours services at the John Hunter and Mater hospitals—a fight I was proud to lead on behalf of my local community.

We're launching 1800MEDICARE, a free, nationwide, 24/7 health advice line and an after-hours GP telehealth service. We're strengthening access to mental health care through our new walk-in Medicare mental health clinic at Charlestown and our newly expanded headspace Plus in Newcastle. We're boosting funding for hospitals across Australia, we're delivering cheaper medicines, already saving Novocastrians more than $10 million, and we've made record investments in women's health, men's health and mental health for parents. From menopause treatments to subsidised contraceptives, targeted prostate cancer support and community based care, we're building a health system that actually serves the people it's meant to protect.

One of the biggest pressures facing Australians right now is housing. Whether you are trying to buy your first home, afford your rent, pay your mortgage or find a safe place to live, too many people are being left behind. Labor believes that housing is a fundamental human right. When Labor came to office, the cupboard was bare when it came to housing. Funding for social and affordable homes had declined to its lowest level since World War II. Under Labor, this has changed. We're delivering our $43 billion housing for Australians project, making it easier to buy and better to rent, and we'll be building more homes. This includes the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, the single largest investment in social and affordable housing. We've worked with the states and territories to unlock more housing supply and provide better protections for renters. We've delivered back-to-back increases to Commonwealth Rent Assistance, benefiting more than 10,000 people in Newcastle alone. We've got a $1 billion fund to build more crisis and transitional housing. We've increased the incentive payment for housing construction apprentices from $5,000 to $10,000, and I'm proud glad to say that more than 500 apprentices in my local community are benefiting from that incentive payment right now.

While I celebrate the progress that this Labor government has made, I must be frank: I wish we were further along. This plan should have been in motion much earlier, but it was blocked. It was blocked in the Senate by the most unlikely alliance of the Greens and the Liberals. While families were struggling to pay the rent, while people were sleeping in cars, while frontline services were crying out for support, the Greens and the Liberals put themselves and their political games first and delayed critical housing investment.

Labor doesn't think that housing should be a political football; we think it should be a national priority. And the results of the last election showed that the Australian people agree. Despite the obstruction, we got there. We passed the Housing Australia Future Fund. We're delivering more emergency accommodation, more affordable rentals and more community housing every day. And we had important announcements as a result of the economic roundtable—announcements that were made in this House today, in fact. But let me be clear: there is much more to do, and we will keep going—building more homes, cutting red tape, unlocking land and giving more Australians a secure place to call home.

Education is the bedrock of opportunity, and Labor is making historic investments right across the board. Labor doesn't see education in silos; we understand it is a lifelong journey from early learning, through school, into vocational education and training or university, and beyond. We've already cut student debt, and we've made the HELP system fairer to ensure your debt doesn't keep rising unfairly. Now we've gone a step further, wiping a further 20 per cent off all student loans as our first order of business in this new 48th Parliament.

We've delivered more than 600,000 free TAFE places, including more than 5,100 Novocastrians who are now enjoying the benefits of free TAFE. We've made free TAFE a permanent feature of our vocational education system. We're fully funding public schools, and that is great news for more than 18,000 students across 43 public schools in my electorate of Newcastle. We've delivered cheaper child care to more than one million families, and now we're making early childhood education safer, simpler, more accessible and more affordable.

We've introduced paid prac, so that Australians studying nursing, teaching, midwifery or social work can get paid while they're on a placement. I can't stress what a game changer this is. These were people who previously had to give up paid jobs in order to undertake unpaid placements that are a mandatory part of their degree program. This is making sure we get people into all of those jobs that we all depend on and need done in our communities.

Here in Newcastle, Labor is also delivering a future that works—one with secure jobs, strong industry and modern infrastructure. We've got our $55 million investment into Newcastle Airport's international terminal. It's about to come into being, and, in October, the very first direct international flights from Newcastle to Bali will take off. This means tourism, jobs and global connections for our region, and I can't tell you how excited Novocastrians are about that. There was a sale of those tickets; it was sold out within hours of them going online.

It's the same story that we have with the highly anticipated final link of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass, the M1 extension to Raymond Terrace, and the notorious Hexham Straight—backed by this government to the tune of $2.1 billion, and getting closer to completion. Once operational, those road projects combined will significantly benefit the hundreds of thousands of motorists who travel in and around our region every day—improving road safety, reducing travel times and giving people more time with their families. No-one wants to sit in congested traffic when you could be at home with your kids.

We've got a $500 million investment in high-speed rail, which represents a new chapter in Newcastle and our region's economic story. Since coming to government, we've established the High Speed Rail Authority, with an office and community hub in Newcastle; we've completed all of the geotechnical drilling work that needed to be done; and Infrastructure Australia is now reviewing the business case. As the birthplace of high-speed rail in Australia, this project means generations of new opportunities for Novocastrians. We've got to understand that high-speed rail is not just fast transport. It means more jobs; sustainable, low-emissions transport into the future; and greater choice about where you get to live, work, study and play. There will be a tremendous economic uplift as a result of this project between the two major cities of New South Wales. But that, of course, is the first leg of a much larger project we envisage from Brisbane through to Melbourne.

This Albanese Labor government has also made massive investments in local sports facilities. There was $285,000 for a new in-ground irrigation system at Wallsend Park, $1.5 million for female change rooms at the Bernie Curran Oval at Callaghan, and $625,000 for a new grandstand and facility upgrades at the Darling Street Oval in Broadmeadow. And I am so pleased that I will soon be able to deliver a further $3 million for sorely needed drainage and irrigation at Upper Reserve in Wallsend.

Labor know that a great city is built on strong suburbs and towns, and that's why we're investing to make sure that people don't just live where they live; they love where they live. That's why we're investing $16.7 million for upgrades to the Cathedral Park and Newcastle's East End project. We've committed $5 million to stabilise Memorial Drive and provide safe pedestrian passage. This work has already been completed. It's a really iconic coastal stretch that suffered a landslip during a deluge of rain. It was simply too much for the local government to do on its own, and this is when partnerships between the federal and local governments work so brilliantly. We also had $6 million for upgrades to roads in Adamstown Heights, New Lambton and Elermore Vale; $661,000 for road and pedestrian upgrades to Woodford Street, Minmi; and $469,000 for safety upgrades to National Park Street in Hamilton South, along with another $450,000 for a shared path on Minmi Road in Fletcher.

Late last year I was so excited to visit the Hunter Wetlands Centre with some great news—that they had been successful in securing over $550,000 for the restoration of significant sites within this precious ecosystem. The reason this is so important is that it will help protect our internationally recognised Ramsar wetlands, making sure that our kids and future generations can continue to enjoy our unique plants, animals, habitats and places.

I am also so excited to deliver a further $10 million during this term to naturalise Ironbark Creek in Wallsend. For too long our community has lived with the shocking consequences of major flooding, and it's caused significant distress for residents while also constraining economic development in Wallsend. While this funding is about mitigating flooding in Wallsend, it also has positive impacts further upstream. This project will convert a degraded and graffiti covered urban drain into a living stream by providing new aquatic habitat to link restored upstream riparian corridors with the internationally significant Hunter wetlands that I mentioned before. These investments aren't just about fixing problems. They're about creating a healthier, more resilient environment that our community can be proud of for generations to come.

Newcastle has a massive cultural heart. This is something that the Albanese Labor government get, which is why we've also invested $100,000 in Catapult Dance Choreographic Hub, supporting residencies, First Nations and regional choreographers. There is $70,000 for King Street hotel to improve disability access and install lighting and a sound desk, $67,000 to keep live music fans singing and dancing at West Best Bloc Fest and almost $10,000 for Hamilton Station Hotel to upgrade their equipment so they can continue to host local, national and international artists.

While I don't have time to run through every bit of funding this Labor government has invested in my community, I would like to leave you with a figure—a figure of the total funding amount during the last term of government. It's $1.5 billion. That is just in the last three years alone. This term, Labor is just as, if not more, ambitious for our town.

Before I close, I'd like to take a moment to say thank you first and foremost to the people of Newcastle. Thank you again for putting your trust in me. Representing our incredible city is the honour of my life. I will never take it for granted and I will continue to fight for you every single day. To the tireless volunteers who gave their time, energy and heart to our campaign; to my campaign team; and to my parliament and electorate office teams: thank you for your dedication and care that you show to all of our constituents day in and day out. You're the backbone of my work, and your support ensures that every person who walks through our doors, rings or sends that email is heard and respected. To my Labor colleagues, to my family and friends and, finally, to the many community groups, unions, educators, community health workers, business owners, carers, students and everyday locals who engage with me: thank you. You always help shape the work I can do. I am here to represent you and, as I said, it is the greatest honour of my life.

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a great pleasure to come to the microphone and to discuss the election in New England. We were very blessed. We went against the tide and got a swing to us in New England in both primary and two-party preferred, and it's a great team effort that did it. It's never one person. No one person ever wins their seat. It takes a team, and the team in New England went against the tide. Whether it was north, south, east or west, there was a swing against the coalition, but we were lucky enough to go the other way. I put that down to the great team members. I can't mention them all, because that would be the whole speech, but I'll mention some.

Obviously, there are the branch chairs, who did an incredible job. There are my staff, who are ever patient. Any staff who have to put up with a person standing for an election almost deserve a medal and should walk on Anzac Day, because you're a bit beside yourself! You're always trying to get perfection where, of course, you've just got to do the best job you can. To Heidi and Dave; to Daniel Gillette; to Lizzie and Anne Coxhead, who have been doing such an incredible job for such a long period of time; to the Burke family for all the work that that whole family has put in for so long in supporting the people of New England—and, if you go up to the north of the electorate, there are people such as Peter Petty or Toby Smith, and you can't go past Armidale without talking about Matt Lynch. I don't know a larger character that's ever handed out than Matt Lynch. He seems to know everybody and, as an ex-policeman, I suppose he knows them for all the wrong reasons! These are the sort of teams—Phil Hobson, down at Muswellbrook, who came into it. All these people—Adrian Spencer, Pam Cobell; you could go on all night. But just know that I thank you all for that incredible effort that you put in. The win in New England is your win, for which I am a small cog in a very big gearbox. We did a great job together and we have backed up the work we've done for so long. I remember the first poll when we all started in New England. The first poll had us at 36 per cent. We had to try and achieve the biggest win against an incumbent in Australian history, and we did it. From that point on, we've just built and built the strength to continue on with that.

I want to go through some other things. I am also now blessed with, I think, the strongest booths in Australia. I'm very lucky. Some booths were at 93 and 94 per cent. To the people of Yarrowitch and people of North Star: if we can just find those three people, that would be great! But it's not even that. It's also in other areas where big towns were voting for us. Manilla was over 70 per cent voting for us. That's an incredible thing. I'm always so humbled when you're handing out, even at working-class areas like South Tamworth—as people walk in, you really don't know how you're going to go, and then you see the result at the end of the night—by the idea that most of those people who walked past voted for you, so you never want to let them down. You want to make sure that, however you do it, you look after them. I'm very lucky. Our office do a survey, and for four terms in a row we've been the most responsive office in Australia. I think it's a Greens office that comes second. This sort of service is really important in making sure that people feel that, if they contact you, you will follow things up and you will follow things through.

There were some interesting issues that I believe need to be discussed. We took over some of the Hunter seat, which of course was a Labor seat, and we got a massive swing to us, 10 per cent in some of the booths. One of the most substantial swings to us was in the Muswellbrook area. I have to be honest: it was because we promised them a nuclear power plant. That was the big thing that won the votes there, and I put that to my colleagues on the other side. I don't think that nuclear power is so disliked. People who are power literate could see the jobs: fitters and turners, sparkies, boilermakers. They just know that, if their lives have been making black rocks boil water and you're going to go to a different coloured rock and boil water again, then they've got the jobs. As they explained, if you go to a power plant car park, it's chock-a-block full of people on good wages. The car park is packed. But if you go to an intermittent power precinct, the swindle factories, there is no car park, because no-one works there., We were straight with the people of Muswellbrook and said, 'If we win, we're going to build a nuclear power plant here,' and we got a massive swing to us.

I want to relay an interesting story. A lot of guys that come into work—predominantly guys—at change of shift in the mine, one would say, as a lot of people I know, probably grew up Labor. Everybody in their family always voted Labor. I just remember this guy walking down in his 'don't kill me' shirt, the big reflecto-shirt, and this lady—she was an independent—said, 'Vote against Barnaby and stop the nuclear power plant.' He'd picked up her how-to-vote card, and he stopped, pivoted and said, 'In that case, Madam, you can have this one back.' I think it's interesting to just repeat. It's funny: I think the fear of nuclear power was strongest where there was no prospect of ever building a nuclear power plant, but where we were actually going to build them, we actually got a swing to us. You could also see that in places like the seat of Flynn, where I know there was a swing to us. People who work in the power industry are not dopey; they are pretty well read. As we say, they're very power literate.

A big issue for us, something I'm still banging on about, is the pathological dislike of intermittent power for what it's doing to our communities, what it's doing to our landscape, what it's doing to the poor and how it's putting such pressure on their cost of living that it's driving them out of the house. They see the proponents, the people who are actually making money out of it, are not the farmers, by the way. That's what's created the division in the communities. The people making the money—they all know about it; they're not dopey and they look them all up—are overseas companies and domestic billionaires, and somehow they have a right to come into our lives and turn our lives upside down. A slightly egotistical statement, but I did make myself a champion of that issue, and it paid political dividends because that's what people are thinking. That's where they are. They want you to go and fight the battles that they can't fight. They expect you to stand up against the powerful on behalf of the powerless, and if you do that and stay humble, then you end up with one of the safest seats in Australia. But I don't take that for granted one little bit. I acknowledge that in a heartbeat the seat of New England could change in a different direction. It's done it before and it could do it again. You've got to stay humble, keep focused, make sure you push a shopping trolley around the Coles supermarket, talk to people, find out what's going on and always make sure your office has an open door.

At a macro level, what went wrong? It was a trainwreck for the coalition. Obviously the Liberal Party had an incredibly bad day in the office. At the previous election, we had 22 seats; the Nats went down to 19. It's not as bad, but it was all round not a good thing. I think it's really important we don't say, 'It's all their fault, none of our fault.' It was just not a good day in the office for the whole lot of us. But the Labor Party shouldn't be too cock-a-hoop, because their primary vote is only like 34 per cent, which means it's really febrile. The big winners in this were the third parties. Their vote is building up and building up and building up, which means that it's tenuous. It means you can have a massive swing in the right circumstances at the next election. Any person who holds a seat with a three in front of it is only just there, and that's the government. Of course, it would have been us as well, but that's the government or the opposition. So the elections are going to become a very febrile thing.

Why is that? It's because more and more people are not grazing through the broadsheets of newspapers or watching the news. They're on their tablets and they're in echo chambers. They're on Instagram. They're on TikTok. The ones who read a little bit more are probably on Facebook. They're reinforcing the messages they already know, and that's going to make politicking different. It creates a great avenue for third parties to get into those echo chambers, be heard and collect a vote, and I'm seeing that more and more. One side is seeing it. The Greens probably didn't have a very good day in the office either, but they hold a constituency. One Nation on the other side is building up their vote. And we see other Independents and other shapes and forms in other areas.

I think this place works well when you've got people understanding that someone has got to run the government and act responsibly to try and make sure that we look after all of Australia and there's a clear understanding that governments at times have to make very hard decisions and they have to make hard decisions for the betterment of all. If it's too febrile and becomes too populist, then no hard decision will ever be made, and our nation will suffer the consequences because of it. But that's up to us to try and make sure we get the trust of the people back, because we are losing it, and we are losing it on both sides of the chamber.

If we had the election again—and I remember having this discussion with Mr Dutton at the time—elections have got to be fought on binary issues where people have a clear understanding of them and they are defined to them, and then you are either all for it or all against it with the opposition or the government or against it or all for it, alternatively, and make sure that you pick that so there's a clear understanding of what differentiates you. You can't be an amelioration and a permutation and some sort of segmentation of what is already the policy, or people won't follow you.

What would have done it for us? We should have gone into the election against net zero. We should have said, 'We're against net zero; they're for Paris. We're for pensioners; they're for billionaires lining their pockets. We're for getting you the most affordable power we possibly can,' because people understood that. We should have stood there and fought on that. Nuclear power, even though it worked well for me—and it worked well for me because I was promising people jobs; that's why it worked well for me—wasn't perfect. Trying to explain to people nuclear physics is difficult. It's over now, but that is difficult. It's not that nuclear is wrong. We will end up there. It's just a matter of time; we'll get there. We're just being left behind by the rest of the world. We're going to get there. But it's a hard thing to define during a campaign.

The other thing I think we let the government off the hook on was unrealised capital gains. We should have been smashing that every day. That is just probate back. It's death duties back, only this time you don't have to die. The idea that you're going to tax somebody for something that they've never sold, by reason of a book value, and you make them pay for the valuer—there's no prospect of them finding the money to pay it off. Once you crack the egg and say you can do it on a certain group, within superannuation, you've cracked the egg. And that means everybody should be aware that it is now acceptable that you can do that. I think that if we'd prosecuted that argument better, then we would have done better. You only need three or four issues in an election and you're there.

Back to New England, there are a couple of things that we have to do, not just for the betterment of New England but for our nation. We have to get more baseload power into our nation. We don't have it. It's not going to work on wind and solar. They are intermittents; they are not even renewables. If you want genuine renewables, build dams. There's hydroelectricity or nuclear, but I think the smartest thing is to get more efficient and effective at coal-fired power. People in the Hunter Valley want coal and power plants. That's good for them, good for the Upper Hunter and New England and good for our nation.

Further up, Tamworth is growing flat out. Just one investment in the town, $600 million for poultry, for killing chooks, is going to grow that industry to something like three million chooks a year. It's massive, and there are the attendant facilities as well. They can't work without water. There's the abattoir. About 80 per cent of the protein at Woolies has been killed in Tamworth, which is a massive producer of protein for our nation. That industry is bigger than country music. Poultry, beef, mutton and high-protein grains are vastly more important, to be quite frank. Country music is incredibly important—don't get me wrong—but what Tamworth does to feed our nation is even more important. It is a factory producing protein, and it needs water. That's why we need Dungowan Dam. We can't do it on recycled water because recycled water, by its very nature, does not produce an outcome of 100 per cent; 60 per cent is recycled water and 40 per cent is highly saline brine. You can't put that back in the Peel River. It has to be put in brine ponds. It's just not environmentally possible, so we've got to have storage. High on the hills, where it's deep and cold, is where you have the most effective storage. That plumbs Tamworth. People are flowing into Tamworth now from Sydney, because the houses are more affordable and there are good employment opportunities, but the food industry in Tamworth uses vastly more water than the people do. That's going to continue to rise because the industry is growing, and that's where we make a buck. We're going to have to build water storages there. It's the same with Armidale. They said Malpas Dam would always be too big for the requirements of Armidale, but it's now too small.

To be quite frank, I don't know how you're going to find the water for the concrete for wind towers. It's just not possible. You can't take it out of the domestic supply, so I don't know where it will come from. No matter which way you cut or dice it, you're going to have to have more water infrastructure.

I want to acknowledge Mark Coulton; I've taken over some of his turf. Mark, we got a swing to us in North Star. The votes for us at that booth were over 90 per cent, which is great.

We've got to continue inland rail, which is so important to our nation. It goes through North Star and the north-west of my electorate. It is ridiculous having a railway line that goes from Melbourne to Parkes to Narromine then stops. There's another railway line that goes from Newcastle up to North Star. It's supposed to go from Melbourne to Brisbane. If you've been to the metropolis of North Star you'll probably realise that we've got a multibillion dollar investment that stops at a town of around 200 to 300 people. We've got to go all the way, and that requires the government to be less parochial and to have vision for the nation. If you have trains that are up to three kilometres long travelling at 110 kilometres an hour, that's a vastly more efficient way to move produce than by trucks. If you want to talk about carbon reduction, you're reducing an awful lot of carbon by putting produce on steel. Then the truck drivers do have a job but it's short haul. They go out and come back and are home at night for dinner. So let's get back into the Inland Rail. Let's really grasp that as a nation-building thing. Stop these excuses about what you've got. What you've got now is ridiculous—two railway lines that don't really go anywhere. They start at a big city, in Melbourne, and then stop at Narromine or start in Newcastle and stop at North Star. We need to see this thing through to completion.

So across the electorate on telecommunications and mobile phones, break the ice. Learn how to put a genset next to your mobile phone towers so when the power goes out, like in the recent snow issue we had, you have the capacity for the generator to kick in and keep communications going. We had up the road from me—this is a true story—an Aboriginal lady, Pam, die during the snowstorm. She died. People don't see this as serious. They go out and their car breaks down. They get out of the car and they can't get home and that's it. She actually did get home. She died in bed. We have a coronial inquiry into that at the moment. This is why I get so passionate about this stuff. It really works on me. These are my people. I grew up with them. I went to Woolbrook Public School. Some of these things are so simple to fix, but we have to get our minds over that horizon and get the small things right.

Anyway, thank you very much to the people of New England and Upper Hunter. I will do my very best to serve you for as long as I have that great honour.

Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It really is great to be back in this House again with old friends and a whole mob of new friends and colleagues. To the new members, listening to all the stories of your journeys here to this point in your life certainly fills one with hope and a lot of encouragement that this new parliament, with all of the new members on both sides, will continue to achieve really great things. I was reminded listening to a lot of those speeches how privileged we are to represent all Australians. Your stories have inspired me to keep fighting.

Representing Territorians, particularly in the seat of Lingiari, and fighting to deliver for them is what I love. I love the electorate of Lingiari, from Kaltukatjara, which is the Docker River, which is only 670 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs on the border of Western Australia, to Galiwinku, right up north in the Top End on Elcho Island—and let's not forget the magnificent Christmas and Cocos islands. To everyone in Lingiari, thank you for putting your trust in me again. It is a privilege to represent such a vibrant and diverse community.

Lingiari is a vast electorate, as I have pointed out previously, and a massive logistical challenge to travel around. In this last campaign, we spent countless hours in four-wheel drives, in planes and even on forklifts, and we did an incredible job. I want to acknowledge the incredible team that I had around me. We had in Lingiari, at the last federal election, 197 individual election booths scattered around my 1.35-plus-million square kilometres of electorate. We drove thousands of kilometres on dusty, sandy roads and flew in plenty of tiny little planes to reach all corners of the electorate to ensure every Territorian in Lingiari had the opportunity to voice their opinion and cast their vote—and they did. Lingiari voted resoundingly for a strong, stable government and decidedly against the divisive culture wars that were stirred up by the opposition at the time.

The Territory doesn't have a huge population, despite its size, so during elections we usually know most of the volunteers from both sides at the booths. So this time it was really interesting to see the Country Liberal Party add a whole lot of new people, donning orange shirts and swarming and manning the voting booths. I note there were reports that those shirts were sometimes swapped out for orange One Nation shirts, which is very interesting to me. These groups of CLP volunteers, mostly men, whom we'd never seen before were very aggressive, often trying to intimidate women and bully a lot of our volunteers. They played grubby politics. We heard them lying to voters about my background. I found it quite funny, in particular on the Tiwi Islands, when I went home. For the record, I want to say that I'm not from Cairns; I'm a born and raised Territorian. But it was quite funny to hear the Liberal volunteers trying to tell my people that I wasn't really a Tiwi person but that I was from Cairns.

The way these people behaved at the voting booths was appalling. They were bullying volunteers, forcing them to leave the booths, but there was intimidation of female voters, and it was the first time I'd seen that. In 2022, I think the campaign was good on both sides, but this time there was a different level of bullying, in particular when it came to the intimidation of women voters in an attempt to make them vote their way. It simply wasn't accepted by a lot of the voters in some of the areas. The grubby tactics that they used didn't make a difference. In fact, a lot of voters saw straight through them. The results in Alice Springs in particular surprised a lot of people, I think.

Territorians know me. They know where I'm from and they know what I stand for, and this is reflected in the numbers. As I said earlier, they voted resoundingly for a strong, stable Labor government and a member who will stand up for them. It is important to see the changes in Alice Springs, and there has been huge investment by this federal Labor government into Alice Springs. We have had our problems in Alice Springs, like a lot of the small towns across Australia, but the people of Alice Springs recognise the tremendous investment that the Albanese government has put into their town, and they voiced this with their vote. Our government had a good story to tell. People know we're in safe hands with the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. We still have challenges and a lot of work to do, but under our government I am confident that we can get it done.

I was honoured after the election to be appointed the Special Envoy for Remote Communities. The creation of this role is a testament to this government's commitment to remote communities right across Australia and to the Territory as a whole. I'm also very proud to have been selected on the Speaker's panel of the House. Being the first Aboriginal person ever to take the chair is a huge honour, and I thank Mr Speaker. In particular, I want to acknowledge the Deputy Speaker, the member for Newcastle, for all of the support that she gave me not only when I first came into this House but also as a mentor and a friend. I acknowledge and thank both the Speaker and the member for Newcastle, the Deputy Speaker. The night of the referendum was just so devastating to us. There have been many tears. Going around the communities and talking to many Aboriginal people right across the Northern Territory, the thought was that Australia had rejected our people. People felt that. But the election result showed the kindness in this country. What I got in particular from a lot of the communities in Lingiari was that they wanted me to express gratitude to all Australians for the last federal election and the vote. People felt that Australians had voted against division—that they no longer wanted division in this country but that they wanted everyone to come together and work to address a lot of the challenges that we've got. I know that we can take this country to a better place, and we're already well on our way.

I am looking forward to working with the Speaker of the parliament to continue his school civics program. Recently I spent a week on Christmas Island and went to the school there to talk to students about the civics program, and a lot of those young people had come to Canberra to have a look. Hopefully we can take the school civics program to Christmas Island, which I think would be a great place to go to. It is a particularly important program for all students in Lingiari, to show them the importance of democracy and voting and to show them what they can achieve. Whilst we saw a small improvement in the percentage of voters that voted in Lingiari in this election compared to the 2022 election, we still saw low voter numbers, particularly amongst our youth across Lingiari. My team and I have started focusing on how we need to target and work with young people to start getting them engaged in our democracy. We need to get them to see that voting is an important part of this place that we call Australia and that it's also important in the Northern Territory. So I will certainly work with the Speaker to look at the school civics program.

I was pleased to be appointed chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia. I've lived my whole life in northern Australia, and it is a wonderful, unique, strong place. We need to encourage our young people living in remote communities to be role models and provide education and opportunity for them. This message is critically important. Whether it's through jobs, housing, economic empowerment or food prices, we want to build a stronger future. During the last term of government, and particularly during the last election campaign, we were able to deliver some hope and trust to Territorians by announcing the cheaper groceries program and programs to create 3,000 jobs, as well as building more than 2,700 more houses in the Territory. These programs will activate remote communities, provide education and job opportunities and empower our people.

Food security for remote communities is of critical importance. The Albanese Labor government has released a 10-year national strategy to improve food security in remote communities. This national strategy is aimed at improving access to affordable and nutritious food, regardless of where people live. Reducing the cost of 30 essential products—we're talking about 160 items in more than 76 remote stores—went a long way in helping to ease cost-of-living pressures and improve food security in remote communities. Building a nutrition workforce in these communities by upskilling up to 120 local First Nations staff in remote stores is crucial not only to improve nutrition but to create jobs for locals. That helps the local economies in these communities and, more importantly, allows locals to stay with families, to live and work in their own communities.

We took a commitment to the 2022 election to reform the abysmal CDP. This policy had abjectly failed remote Australia. When we told people out bush that we would be working to replace this program, there was visible relief. We are well under way on delivering this commitment, and while we have a lot of work to do, we have a strong commitment to this. The first stage of the Remote Jobs and Economic Development Project, or RJED, will create 3,000 new jobs in critical community-led sectors. I'm encouraged that 1,450 of these jobs have already been rolled out, and I'm very eager to work with the community on the remaining rollout. These jobs are absolutely transformative, and they will have a wide reaching impact. They will be driven by local businesses, local organisations and local people. These jobs will bring more money into families and develop skills, which will serve these workers throughout their life.

On housing, I'll be working with the Minister for Indigenous Australians and the broader ministry to make sure that this program and the $4 billion national partnership agreement will address critical housing shortages out bush. We aim to build 270 homes in remote communities per year over the next decade, as well as providing much-needed upgrades and repairs to current housing stock. I look forward to working with the minister and the Northern Territory government to ensure that these houses are delivered on time and in full. I'm delighted to be able to announce all these programs with my friend and co-star of the Mal and Mim show, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Minister for Indigenous Australians. I think a few of you may have seen our videos on social media. We had a great time together on the campaign driving tractors and forklifts, handling buffaloes and baby crocodiles but all the while delivering really important messages. Thank you, Senator McCarthy, for your support throughout during the campaign and over the years and for your ongoing friendship.

I also want to thank some of the volunteers on my campaign. To the Central Australian team of Lachie, Andrea. Matt, Scott, Kathy, Chansey, Mark, Sheralee, John, Mark Stoyles, Ali, Amy, Hayesy and, of course, my old friend Warren Snowdon: thank you all for travelling out to communities in remote central Australia and for holding the fort in Alice Springs. To Vince and to Haji Adams on Cocos Island: thank you. To Gordon, Zoey, Sukia and the whole team on Christmas Island: I thank you. It's a magnificent and important part of my electorate and of Australia.

In Katherine, I thank Reuben, Mike, Jessie, Nick, Jo, Tristan, Mick Uibo, and, of course, Selina Uibo—the fantastic Labor Leader of the Opposition in the Northern Territory. She and her team are doing an incredible job up against a very divisive and uneducated CLP government. Thanks go to Kay, Len, Sid and all the Tennant Creek and Barkly team. In Nhulunbuy, we had Denise, Rachel and Syd Stirling, Sharna Edwards and Ursula, and Gillian and Lynne and some of the families over on Galiwinku.

Helping out across the Arafura Sea, thanks go to Ebony, Maina, Manuel, Gawin, Edwina, Nathan, Karlene, Kesara, Wesley and other family members. Over in Wadeye and the Daly region we had Dheran, Birrigan and Anthony. Labor legend Kerry Gardiner and Sean were out in Elliot, Marlinja, Lingara and Yaralin. I will provide all of these names to the office.

To Team Senator McCarthy: they always provide great support, and during the campaigns it was no different. They all took leave and were all over Lingiari and Solomon for the member for Solomon and me and provided my office with tremendous assistance. In particular, I have to thank Sharna Edwards, who was an excellent support to my campaign manager, Anna. Thanks to Shlok Sharma and Ella Shaw, who provided overarching support to my campaign. Ella came up to the Territory for a couple of months. Thank you to Ella and to Shlok, who always gives his life to the party at every federal election, territory election, by-election, council election. He has an incredible amount of knowledge and love for the fight as much as I do.

To my union comrades at the United Workers Union, Erina Early, Joel Bowden and all of the NT unions: I thank you for your support. The United Workers Union was out in force in Gunbalanya, Ali Curung, Batchelor and all different parts of the electorate. To Mae Mae Morrison, Alan Sagiba and Peter Wellings: I thank you. To the CPSU and Mitch in Alice Springs: I thank you for providing your support. Lucas was very helpful in the Top End rural area, along with Rob, Dennis, Cecily, Kirsty and Amber.

Just before I'm ready to finish off, I do want to pick up something in the one minute I have left. I started talking about what I thought was different about this election. What was different was the 40 people from the Exclusive Brethren who were flown into parts of my electorate. I think it was quite frightening to see the way in which these people acted—the bullying and intimidation. I had not seen them before. There have been some complaints to the Electoral Commission in terms of some of the behaviour. It was interesting to see one jet in particular that was flying these 40 members to some particularly remote areas across Lingiari. It would be interesting to find out who was the owner of that jet that flew the Brethren particularly into parts of Lingiari because the CLP didn't have the manpower. Certainly, with a lot of these men—and they were exclusively men who were flown into some parts of the electorate—their intimidation and manhandling in some cases, in the way in which they pushed up against Aboriginal women, was quite disgraceful.

Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is humbling to stand here again, returned by the people of Fowler for a second term as their Independent representative. In a sea of red, the people of Fowler stood firm. Despite the resources, the machinery and the odds, they sent me back to this place to continue doing what I have always done—to speak for them, fight for them and ensure they are not forgotten. That speaks volumes about my community.

For decades, Fowler was considered one of the safest seats in the country. It is a seat once held by former prime minister Gough Whitlam, a seat built by working families and shaped by wave after wave of migrants and refugees who, like me, came here in search of freedom and stayed to build a life. In 2022, everything changed. They chose an independent voice. This year, the people of Fowler showed that choice wasn't one-off or an accident. It was a lasting shift. They have seen how an independent voice can better represent their concerns, free from party politics. They have someone who listens, lives among them and puts community above party.

Since my election in 2022, my team has assisted over 8,000 families. We brought our mobile office into the streets of Fowler with our Bring Your Bill Day forum. We helped people navigate the NDIS, reconnect with loved ones overseas, secure emergency accommodation and access food hampers. We did all of this with empathy and urgency, because that is what representing Fowler means to me.

When I made my maiden speech in 2022, my mother sat in the public gallery alongside members of my community. She may not be here physically today, but I know her spirit is with me. I will never forget where I came from. I was a refugee, a boat person—someone who was given a chance to rebuild her life in this peaceful country I now call home. I believe every Australian, no matter where they come from, their postcode or their income, deserves that same chance.

In this second term, my mission remains unchanged. I will continue to push this government to deliver for Western Sydney and south-western Sydney and for families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis that is pushing them to the edge. I hear it everywhere—families asking what this government is doing to bring down petrol prices, to cut tolls, to make energy and housing affordable, to reduce the burden on small businesses drowning in red and green tape. Child care remains out of reach for many parents, despite claims of affordability. Parents work two or three jobs just to get by. Centres can't find enough staff and have been forced to raise prices because of heavy regulatory costs. Local businesses—many family-run and migrant owned—struggle to survive under rising expenses and policies crafted without them in mind.

Despite 500,000 free TAFE places being announced, critical courses such as baking and meat processing are not available locally to meet our workforce needs. Students and local workers in Fowler still face toll roads, congested roads, overcrowded trains, and watch as infrastructure dollars go elsewhere. Yet, through all these challenges, my community continues to show up. They work hard, keep businesses open, volunteer for Meals on Wheels, pack sleeping bags for Vinnies, coach local kids, care for elders and contribute in every way they can, against all odds. The people of Fowler aren't asking for handouts. They want fairness—investments that match the contributions they make every single day. In my first term, I called for the reinstatement of the low- and middle-income tax offset because families in Fowler were struggling, and they still are. This term, I will continue to urge the Labor government—a party with roots representing working Australians—to honour that legacy. Bring back this tax relief for low- and middle-income earners.

I will also call for the tax-free threshold—stuck at $18,200 since 2012—to be lifted to reflect rising inflation and living costs. This is genuine relief for workers and small businesses alike. I will stand firm for the right to use cash, because not everyone in Fowler has a smartphone or trusts digital banking. I will push for real student debt reform, not just indexation relief but a reversal of the punitive fee hikes from the Morrison era that saw the cost of arts degrees soar from $20,000 to $50,000, pricing many young people out of education. I will continue to advocate urgently for investment in public school infrastructure. For example, Bonnyrigg High School was built for 950 students. It now holds nearly double that, with nearly 40 demountable classrooms. The Commonwealth sets national priorities and funds agreements with states. So I ask: if every public school is meant to be fully and fairly funded, why are schools like Bonnyrigg High left behind?

Being in this place is a privilege I will never take for granted. As an Independent, my job is to bring the voices of my community into the House and hold the government to account. To the Prime Minister and his government: you asked for a mandate, now use it to deliver. Build the east-west metro. Don’t just build an airport—connect it so that people in Fowler and south-west Sydney can access the jobs you promise. Invest in roads, schools, hospitals, and local sporting grounds. Support the small businesses that kept this economy afloat during COVID. The virus may have passed, but the disruption has not. Have empathy for the early risers who clean, cook, build, drive and care. Have empathy for young people with big dreams but little support. Have empathy for multicultural communities that make this country strong. Too many in Canberra have spent too long inside a bubble, far removed from the communities you once fought for. I'm here to remind you: don't forget them now.

The people of Fowler sent me back to keep speaking up, and I will—not for corporations, CEOs or boardrooms, but for the everyday Australians who power this country. I may not belong to a major party, but I belong to a community—a beautiful, diverse, determined community—and I will spend every day of this term doing what I promised: being their voice, fighting for their future, and making sure they are never left behind.

Before I close I want to thank those who stood beside me and made this possible. To my office team—Justin Mulder, Margaret Cheng, Marsha Kozlova, Aileen Khouphongsy, Meryem Abdulrahman, Leonie Le, Valentine Prkic, Mario Compart, Bao Nguyen, Christopher Yates, Ina Holzapfel, Angela Chau, Johanna Roshka and Kimberley Pham: thank you for your dedication in serving our community.

To some of the campaign volunteers have been with me on this journey for years—Julius Emmanuel Ang, Ed Jones, Lith and Holly Khorn, Sue Lee Lim, Evin Yalda, Gary Pham, Jose Miranda Garcia, Trinh Mai Guico, Dennis Suro: thank you for your trust and faith in me. And there are many more volunteers that I have not been able to name.

To my councillor colleagues—Kevin Lam, Charbel Saliba, Marie Saliba, Samir Yousif, Milan Milasovic, Michael Mijatovic, Reni Barkho, and especially our mayor, Frank Carbone: thank you for standing with me. The mayor stood beside me and fought every day during the pre-poll. And thank you to all those who volunteer with me as well.

To my family—my son, Ethan Lambert, who has been handing out how to vote cards since he was seven years of age, and my husband, Markus, who backed my campaign from our family mortgage: thank you for your unwavering belief. To my sisters Vi, Jaycie, Thuy Vi and Mellany, and their families—Alan, Jade, Tara, Anderson: thank you for standing by me at every election.

To the local businesses and community groups who donated, mobilised and shared your belief: I couldn't have done this without you. In those final weeks, every night, as I meditated to YouTube's free meditation channels, I was bombarded by Labor attack ads claiming that a vote for me was a vote for Dutton. Yet I found calm amid the storm, drawing strength from quiet reflection and a deep belief in the work I do for this community I serve. I will keep going, because Fowler deserves nothing less.

I also want to add that I know that the previous speaker, the member for Lingiari, talked about the brethren. During the pre-poll, our experience of the brethren was different. They fed everybody—Labor, Independent and everybody. So there was food every day for us. And the young men and women who came to pre-poll were very friendly. Election time and pre-poll time can be very testing and can challenge our patience. It can draw people into a fighting mode. But we try to be as civilised and as courteous as possible. Our experience in Fowler was that we were overfed with pizza, donuts and meat pies every day.

I just want to take this opportunity to thank my community—those who voted for me and those who didn't vote for me. I will be there to serve them and will continue to be a strong voice, to ensure that we get the resources we need, especially for our local councils—Fairfield and Liverpool city—to ensure that we can deliver the infrastructure that we need for our community.

Once again, I want to thank my councillor colleagues, my team of volunteers and my staff for their continuing service to our community during that very challenging time. I will be in this place and I will continue to shout very loudly and strongly for my community, to ensure that services and resources get delivered eventually for my wonderful community.

Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm glad, grateful and humbled to be able to continue my work as the member for Fremantle in this place, and to continue my work as a member of the Albanese government; it is resolute in its focus on working with the broader Australian community to make Australia a fairer and more sustainable nation. I do that by bringing my Fremantle values to that work. Those are things that my community has been part of working towards for a long period of time. My community has a commitment to the things that we share. They are the most important things. They include fair working conditions and the social safety net. They include proper protection for our environment. They include public goods, like health and education and like community infrastructure—all of the things that we share and that we have a responsibility to protect, maintain and advance together.

The Albanese government has wasted no time in picking up that work again with the strong endorsement of the Australian people. From the very first sittings of this parliament, we acted quickly to reduce by 20 per cent the debt owed by people who have studied at university or at TAFE through HECS. We moved very quickly to legislate penalty rates so that working people are properly compensated when they're asked to work at times that we otherwise get to spend with our families or we get to spend in our community. We moved quickly to reduce the maximum price of medicines on the PBS. The PBS, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, is one of the great Labor reforms, one of the great foundational building blocks of our shared wellbeing. We have moved to bring the maximum price of medicines on the PBS back to $25, a level that was last experienced in 2004. We have done those things because of our enduring commitment to positive change, because of our enduring commitment to social equality and social inclusion, because of the work of antidiscrimination and the work of environmental protection.

Minister Murray Watt, the Minister for the Environment and Water, has started his work on ensuring that we deliver an effective national environmental protection framework. The independent reviewer made clear to the previous government years ago that the national environmental framework, the EPBC Act, was not fit for purpose, was not doing its job and was, unfortunately, really managing a steady trajectory of decline. We don't accept that. We are going to do what the previous government didn't have the resolve or the courage or the responsibility to do. We are going to implement those reforms. We're going to continue the work that we began the Albanese government focusing on with respect to climate change and energy. Of course, Australians know and support the fact that, when they elected the Albanese government in 2022, they closed the door on nine years of neglect. They closed the door on nine years of inaction and internal conflict that failed to produce a national energy policy, that saw a reduction of one gigawatt of energy generation in the system as a whole, that saw a completely abject failure when it came to emissions reduction.

We have already seen an increase of more than 40 per cent in Australia's renewable energy. We have crossed the 45 per cent mark in terms of renewable energy in our grid. We have increased Australia's commitment to reducing emissions by more than 60 per cent. We're on track to achieve that. We're on track to deliver 82 per cent of renewables by 2030. We are making a really significant investment in Australia's future manufacturing potential because, in addition to our opportunity to become a renewable energy superpower, we have the opportunity to be a clean industry powerhouse. If you ever are fortunate to be in any other part of the region, whether that's Japan, Korea, Indonesia or Singapore, they marvel at the incredible potential that Australia has to benefit from renewable energy and clean energy technology and then to parlay that into 21st-century industrial strength that is based around green metals, green hydrogen, low-carbon liquid fuels and so on. We are going to make sure that we help secure that for future Australian generations. Minister Bowen is leading that work through the safeguard mechanism, the Capacity Investment Scheme, Rewiring Australia, Australia's first National Electric Vehicle Strategy, Australia's first National Energy Performance Strategy and the programs that support that.

We know that there is an issue when it comes to housing. Housing is a human right. Housing is the basis of a safe and secure life from which people can pursue education, work and involvement in their community. For too long, affordable, safe and accessible housing has become harder and harder for young Australians and Australians facing disadvantage, and we're not going to tolerate that. We're making the biggest investment in affordable housing since the housing boom post World War II, with $42 billion worth of programs. Since the election, I've been fortunate to be able to make a couple of announcements in my electorate from the social housing accelerator, where we're partnering with states and territories to get new, affordable community housing into the system as soon as we can.

I was fortunate to be at the launch of a community battery in Coogee that I promised, with the Prime Minister, some time ago. We had a bit of a disagreement about the pronunciation of Coogee—

Julian Hill (Bruce, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is it near Cockburn?

Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is near Cockburn, Member for Bruce. We delivered that battery. It's one of five new community batteries in WA, adding to the 13 that are already there. It's, obviously, one of 400 that we're delivering nationwide through the $200 million community batteries program. We've made such great strides when it comes to the delivery of renewable energy. As I said, we've already increased it by more than 45 per cent just in the three-and-a-bit years since this government was elected. But we need storage to match. We are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to increasing the ability of Australian households and Australian businesses—and our system as a whole—to soak up that abundant and, at certain times of the day, virtually free solar energy and then to reuse it at peak times to bring system costs down and reduce prices for households.

As I conclude this speech, I want to pay respect to the tens of thousands of Australians Australia-wide who got out on the weekend and showed support for the people who have been suffering in Gaza, showed support for peace and showed their commitment to nonviolence, as we witness the humanitarian catastrophe that has been occurring in the Middle East. I'm glad to be part of a government that, from the beginning, rejected the violence that began on October 7 with that barbaric attack but has also rejected the unnecessary conduct that has resulted in the death of more than 60,000 civilians in Gaza, most of whom are women and children, and the unnecessary, unconscionable, intolerable, unacceptable suffering that's occurred through the deprivation of humanitarian aid from earlier this year. In relation to that conflict, the Australian government will do what we've done in the past. It's true to our values. It's true to our national character. We've done the same thing in relation to the violence and dispossession experienced by the Rohingya in Myanmar and in relation to the illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine, and that is to say that violence is a terrible form of human conduct. It should be resisted as much as we can possibly resist it.

We are a nation that is defined by our commitment to peace, our compassion for one another and our compassion for our sisters and brothers all over the world. I'm grateful that people in my community, as well as right around Australia, take their democratic opportunity to express their commitment to peace and nonviolence and their desire to see peace, justice and self-determination for the Palestinian people. That's something that we want to advance in a concerted fashion with like-minded countries like France, Canada and the UK by recognising a State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. All of our work that the Prime Minister has led and the Minister for Foreign Affairs has undertaken is devoted to trying to see peace in the Middle East as soon as possible and an end to that terrible conflict.

Debate interrupted.