Kate Ellis's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2019-07-02T23:05:24+00:00
items: Adelaide Electorate: Road Safety | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Valedictory | Parliamentary Representation | House debates
items: Fair Work Amendment (Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse | Motions | House debates
items: Adelaide High School | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Newstart | Adjournment | House debates
items: Live Animal Exports | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Child Sexual Abuse | Adjournment | House debates
items: Adult Migrant Education Program | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Water Amendment Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: International Women's Day | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Adelaide Electorate: Millswood Infrastructure | Adjournment | House debates
items: Aged Care | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Competition and Consumer Amendment (Abolition of Limited Merits Review) Bill 2017; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: g151.2
items: Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2017-2018; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates

Adelaide Electorate: Road Safety | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: I regret that I can't also talk about cane toad sniffer dogs—something I haven't been able to do in my 15 years here! Instead I rise today, as I have on more than one occasion, to argue in...
encoded: I regret that I can't also talk about cane toad sniffer dogs—something I haven't been able to do in my 15 years here! Instead I rise today, as I have on more than one occasion, to argue in this place and make clear my deep concern about the safety of our children. I have been calling on the South Australian government to prioritise the lives of Adelaide High School students and do something to address the serious road safety issues at that school. Now, once again, I stand here to highlight more road safety issues at our schools—this time for Nailsworth Primary School students. I have been contacted by several concerned parents of Nailsworth Primary School. I and my newly elected state colleague Andrea Michaels, South Australia's new member for Enfield, and our Senate candidate Emily Gore, recently met with the Nailsworth Primary School community at the pedestrian crossing they are concerned about. The school and the crossing are a two-minute walk from my electorate office, and both are located on Main North Road. For those who are unfamiliar with Adelaide, Main North Road is a major north-south arterial route and, consequently, it is extremely busy. The road has a 60-kilometre speed limit. On one side is Prospect and on the other side is Nailsworth. There is no 25-kay school-crossing speed zone, due to the fact that the school is actually situated on the side road around the corner from the pedestrian crossing. However, families living in Prospect need to cross our Main North Road to get to Nailsworth Primary School. It is a road that I drive across almost every day. So, when parents contacted me expressing concerns about cars regularly not stopping at red lights, driving right on through, at high speed of traffic, so close to large groups of children, I knew exactly what they were talking about. Between 2014 and the beginning of 2019, SA Police records show that 1,496 motorists exceeded the speed limit in a school zone, and, of those, 776 were fined a total of $357…
date: 2019-02-18T10:53:00+00:00

Valedictory | Parliamentary Representation | House debates
type: item
description: Mr Speaker, on indulgence, I wish to make a valedictory speech to the parliament. It is impossible in one short speech to summarise the amazing ride that I have been on, from a 26-year-old girl...
encoded: Mr Speaker, on indulgence, I wish to make a valedictory speech to the parliament. It is impossible in one short speech to summarise the amazing ride that I have been on, from a 26-year-old girl preselected to try and win the seat of Adelaide off the government, to standing here saying goodbye to the parliament. I first stood in this chamber almost 15 years ago and admitted to being young and idealistic. I said that I hoped that when I left this place I would be old and idealistic. Well, what I wasn't to know was that during my period in the parliament I would witness more leadership change, more instability, more division and more chaos than at any other time in this parliament's history. I continue to witness too many focus on the sport of politics rather than the purpose of it. So I guess you could say that my idealism has been challenged at times! But, despite this, I absolutely remain passionate about this role, this place and the power that we have here to improve people's lives—the idealist survived, just! Facing the prospect of leaving has made we reflect more than ever on just what a privilege it is to stand here, what an honour it is to be selected and what a responsibility it is to serve Australia well. The time allowed to me today could easily be filled with a love letter to the people of Adelaide. I can never adequately repay the faith that they have put in me nor adequately express my gratitude. Having the honour of representing the people of Adelaide is without doubt one of the greatest privileges of my life, and my first and most heartfelt thanks must go to them. Being a local member is massively underrated by some of us who sit here and, I would argue, by most of those who cover politics. Whilst it isn't as visible as grandstanding in the parliament or running party attack lines on Sky News, to me, I have always viewed representing the people of Adelaide as both the most significant and most rewarding part of my job. Being a local MP is important wor…
date: 2019-02-18T15:10:00+00:00

Fair Work Amendment (Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I don't think that I'm alone amongst Australians in that my feelings about the national crisis that we face when we look at domestic violence rates in Australia have moved from sorrow and despair...
encoded: I don't think that I'm alone amongst Australians in that my feelings about the national crisis that we face when we look at domestic violence rates in Australia have moved from sorrow and despair to now sitting squarely in white hot anger. If we have a look at what is happening in Australian society today, in 2018, we see that the statistics are stark and they are horrifying: more than one woman killed each and every week in 2018 in the Australia that we preside over. So I think we in the parliament need to ask ourselves: are we doing absolutely everything that we can be doing to stop this national disgrace? Sadly, I believe that the answer to that is no. We come here today to debate a bill which, in effect, means that a woman who is trying to flee domestic violence will not be punished by losing her job if she needs to take five days of unpaid leave. Well, woo hoo, this is a step in the right direction, but it is a teeny-tiny step in the right direction. I believe that every parliament, every member of parliament, every elected official should be asking themselves: what more could we be doing to help prevent the tragedies that are taking place far too often? Sadly, I think that there will be many, many answers that come forward. Perhaps when the Prime Minister talks, as he does so often at the moment, about the Canberra bubble, we should ask ourselves: are we living in the Canberra bubble when we are not, as a parliament, standing up and debating and discussing solutions to this crisis each and every day, when we're not taking the action which all of the evidence and the experts say is required to be taken if we are going to support those brave and courageous women who are trying to flee the situations that they find themselves in? All of that evidence and all of those experts suggest that, when it comes to leave from the workplace, it needs to be paid leave and that five days is not adequate; it needs to be 10 days of paid leave. I know that we've all heard statis…
date: 2018-12-04T12:45:00+00:00

National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse | Motions | House debates
type: item
description: It's important to me that I rise in this parliament today and add some remarks about the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, for a couple of reasons....
encoded: It's important to me that I rise in this parliament today and add some remarks about the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, for a couple of reasons. The first is that, as a result of sick children, I wasn't in the chamber on Monday when the apology was given, and I need it placed on the record that there is only one reason for that, but the bigger reason is that this has been an important undertaking of the parliament. The apology was a very important moment for this parliament, and the calling of the royal commission was a very important act by the previous government. On Monday, as the speeches were given, whilst I was surrounded by illness and some unpleasantness, I was watching both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition address the chamber through the television. No matter what was going on around me at that time, you couldn't help but feel the sincerity of the words that they were saying. I place on record my gratitude to both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition for the important roles that they played and the messages that they delivered on Monday. It's also important to acknowledge the role of former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Hindsight's a helpful thing at times, but we should never forget that this was an incredibly brave and controversial call at the time. Earlier today former Prime Minister Gillard was saying that she had sleepless nights tossing and turning over whether we should call this royal commission and open up a whole lot of wounds. She made the right call. We should acknowledge that this has been, no doubt, an incredibly painful process at times, with deeply uncomfortable information coming to light, but if we as a parliament are going to commit to ensure that we can stamp out this kind of abuse, we cannot tackle it head-on without looking at the clear facts and making sure that we address them, so I thank the former Prime Minister for her courage in getting that call s…
date: 2018-10-24T16:56:00+00:00

Adelaide High School | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: I've previously made clear my deep concerns about the safety of students from Adelaide High School when they are coming to and from their school, as a result of the traffic situation. I have...
encoded: I've previously made clear my deep concerns about the safety of students from Adelaide High School when they are coming to and from their school, as a result of the traffic situation. I have written to both the federal and state governments to raise these concerns and to urge action as a priority. This week, we saw in the Adelaide Advertiser results of a study which was undertaken by Carnegie Melon University in conjunction with the South Australian government to identify the schools where road safety issues for students were most concerning. According to the report that The Advertiser ran this week, Adelaide High School had a number more than three times higher than any other school as most dangerous for students and pedestrians in South Australia: 172 people were hit by cars near Adelaide High during 2014, 2015 and 2016. It is clear that action is required urgently. It's worrying to note that the chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia was quoted in the paper earlier this year as saying: … all of Australia should be worried about South Australia. All of this parliament should be worried about the students of Adelaide High School. I have no doubt that this is a situation that will be fixed. There will be changes made to the traffic lights. There will potentially be changes made to the traffic islands. The question is: is it going to take a tragedy before those changes are made? I'm calling on this government to ensure that it does not. We are talking about the lives of South Australians and, most particularly, we are talking about the lives of young South Australians just trying to go about the business of getting an education. It is clear this is unsafe. I have received a response from the South Australian minister, Stephan Knoll, who has acknowledged that there are changes that could be made and that they will look into. But he says: As you will appreciate, any project proposed will be the subject of a prioritisation process to ensure available funding is…
date: 2018-10-24T10:48:00+00:00

Newstart | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker Laundy. It's delightful to see you in the role, which I'm sure you will perform with distinction. I rise today on a different matter. I rise today because I...
encoded: Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker Laundy. It's delightful to see you in the role, which I'm sure you will perform with distinction. I rise today on a different matter. I rise today because I am sick and tired of the attitudes in this building, in some elements of the media and in some elements of the community which seem to equate those who are unemployed with bludgers, with leaners, with those who are just lazy and aren't getting up and doing anything to help themselves. That kind of attitude leads to us turning our backs on families who are living in poverty and, too often, are cases of intergenerational welfare dependency. So I want to address the issue of Newstart and its adequacy, because to just dismiss this issue, as we dismiss those who are unemployed, does no justice to any of us and certainly does no justice to the communities we represent. I was recently approached by one of the councils in the electorate that I am so privileged to represent here. The Acting CEO of the Prospect council, Nathan Cunningham, wrote to me saying: We have listened to our residents, heard the stories of the difficulties of living on the current rate of Newstart and write this letter to advocate on behalf of our community … An inadequate income support level not only leads to poor health and wellbeing for those who are unemployed or under employed, it is also a barrier to them finding employment and a drain on the local community … I can tell the Prospect council, I can tell the residents of Adelaide and I can tell this parliament that I absolutely agree. We cannot turn our backs on the unemployed and leave them to battle with inadequate support, as has been the case for far too long. Recently we saw a stunt from the Greens on this issue—as we so often see, grandstanding, trying to send something out to their supporters but not actually achieving anything—when they introduced a bill to increase Newstart in the Senate, achieving nothing except creating some sort of false hope…
date: 2018-09-13T12:02:00+00:00

Live Animal Exports | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: It has now been some 12 years since I first rose in this parliament to put forward my concerns about the issue of live exports and the concerns of the constituents that I represent here— 12...
encoded: It has now been some 12 years since I first rose in this parliament to put forward my concerns about the issue of live exports and the concerns of the constituents that I represent here— 12 years , a number of speeches, countless letters , c onstant lobbying, to put forward the very deeply held concerns that so many residents of Australia have. It has been 12 years , but still it falls on the deaf ears of this government, who is committed to only doing the bare minimum at best. The constituents that I represent and I as the person who has the privilege of putting forward their concerns in this parliament are not going to give up. We will keep putting forward our concerns. We will keep advocating for change. I wanted this morning to share the words of some of the residents of the Adelaide electorate who have written to me. Like, I'm sure , every member of this parliament, we've had thousands and thousands of letters. But two of them that I received recently particularly stand out. One of them comes from Evie. Evie is six years old and , at six years old, she decided it was time that she wrote her first letter to her local MP. She said: … I watched a small part of video about how sheep are treated while aboard large transportation ships. I felt really really shocked and sad to see this. I also felt very angry. I actually ran around the kitchen table stomping my feet. I wanted to yell at the people who ran the ship b ut my dad told me that all I'd get would be a red face. Please can you stop this terrible treatment of sheep. It might mean changing some of the rules in Canberra and I don't know how to do that by myself. Evie, we will do that. I also heard from Molly, who is 12 years old. She sent me a poem. I won't read all of it, but it states: … some things on this world are too evil to be true The end of these things can be achieved by you Please end these terrors before it's too late It's up to you to decide their fate … I know the member sitting alongside me, the m…
date: 2018-08-22T10:17:00+00:00

Child Sexual Abuse | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: I rise today for two main reasons, the first being to remind members and, indeed, all elected representatives and community leaders, that it is our most important task to try and protect our...
encoded: I rise today for two main reasons, the first being to remind members and, indeed, all elected representatives and community leaders, that it is our most important task to try and protect our community—in particular, I would argue, to protect the safety of the children that live in our community. The second reason is to pay tribute to people in the community of Adelaide, which I represent, who have successfully stood up and fought for greater protections from convicted paedophiles in our area. I'm not one to beat the traditional 'law and order' drum, which I know politicians are accused of doing in the search for votes sometimes. I rise to speak on this matter because I find it absolutely unthinkable that we would subject our neighbourhoods to having to live constantly looking over their shoulders and making sure no-one is peering over their fences or looking at the local playgrounds, local childcare centres and local schools because they know that a convicted serial sex offender has been released to live in their neighbourhood. But it is just this threat which my community has faced twice in recent years. In March 2006, the South Australian Supreme Court ruled that convicted paedophile Gavin Schuster be released to live in the area of Kilburn, an area I'm so proud to represent. This was despite the fact that the court heard that he was deemed unwilling or unable to control his sexual instincts and that he had almost a lifelong history of child sexual abuse. The Supreme Court announced that he should be granted release. We found out that Kilburn was going to be his home, despite there being schools and playgrounds and despite it being a very young neighbourhood. The local community stood up and they spoke out, and I was proud to stand alongside them and call on the then state Labor government to intervene, to appeal the decision and, if required, to introduce legislation to ensure this didn't happen. There was an appeal and that appeal was successful, and Gavin Schus…
date: 2018-06-28T11:51:00+00:00

Adult Migrant Education Program | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: As I know you are well aware, Deputy Speaker Vamvakinou, the Adult Migrant English Program is the Australian government's largest program to assist settlement when people arrive in Australia. It...
encoded: As I know you are well aware, Deputy Speaker Vamvakinou, the Adult Migrant English Program is the Australian government's largest program to assist settlement when people arrive in Australia. It is vitally important that we get it right and that we ensure that this critical support is operating as it should be. I know that my office has been contacted on several occasions now by people expressing deep concerns about the current operations of this program. I've been contacted by a number of teachers who have asked to remain confidential but have asked that the parliament hears the concerns about the program at the moment. Teachers are saying that the Australian Core Skills Framework is in fact diverting the program from its core business of integrating English language learning with migrant settlement. If we don't address this, if these concerns are valid, then we will see the consequences of this for decades to come. One teacher told me: 'I feel seriously demoralised in my position. There is an overload of bewildering documentation, scores of forms to fill, assessment criteria and evidence. The depth and extent of details required by assessment go beyond what is adequate documentation about student proficiency and progress.' Another has said, 'It is extremely frustrating and counterintuitive to have to ignore many of students' real needs in order to meet the artificial ones that the new administrative regime demands. A huge part of our lessons are now by necessity just sessions to prepare students for specific assessments and then for carrying out those assessments. It's very narrowly focused, not allowing time and space for global learning and orientation.' Emails are being sent—I'm sure to many members of the parliament about this issue—and they all seem to be raising the same concerns. Another has said to me: 'This is the first time I've ever contacted a member of parliament, and I sincerely hope that you will raise these concerns in parliament, that those respon…
date: 2018-06-28T10:11:00+00:00

Water Amendment Bill 2018; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I rise to speak on the Water Amendment Bill 2018 and to once again place on the record that federal Labor will stand up and will fight for a healthy Murray River wherever and whenever we need to....
encoded: I rise to speak on the Water Amendment Bill 2018 and to once again place on the record that federal Labor will stand up and will fight for a healthy Murray River wherever and whenever we need to. It's particularly the South Australian members of our federal Labor caucus who have shown that we are passionate about making sure that we have a healthy, strong and vibrant river, and we know that that is just not possible unless you ensure that the river is healthy all throughout. When I stood in this place to make my very first speech, I made a commitment to the parliament and to the people of Adelaide that I would stand up and use my time as a member of parliament to fight for the River Murray. I'm here today to say that I intend to do that until my last speech in this parliament, because we know how critically important the river is. We know that we need to get the plan back on track, and we need to get it back on track now, which is why federal Labor have been working with the government to achieve these compromises and to make sure that the plan can proceed. We know that this plan has been worked upon for not just years or decades but a century. People have bickered about the River Murray. As South Australians, we see the result first when the Murray is not working, when consensus is not reached and when we don't have an agreement. We see it particularly in times of drought, as the member for Hindmarsh outlined to the House earlier. We also know that after a century of fighting, of different jurisdictions putting their own interests ahead of the interests of a strong and healthy River Murray, there was a historic agreement reached in 2012. We are proud that the member for Watson led those negotiations, and we are proud that it was a federal Labor government that finally saw a way forward and an agreement. That agreement was put in great jeopardy in part because of the member for New England holding the water portfolio. This is the member who famously told South Austr…
date: 2018-05-30T13:24:00+00:00

International Women's Day | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: As we head towards International Women's Day, right around Australia and right around the world, our focus turns to remarkable women. I know that in the biggest breakfast that is held in...
encoded: As we head towards International Women's Day, right around Australia and right around the world, our focus turns to remarkable women. I know that in the biggest breakfast that is held in Adelaide, with over a thousand women, we regularly come together on International Women's Day and celebrate our— A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 16:19 to 16:38 As we look towards International Women's Day and our focus turns to remarkable women, we will listen to inspiring speakers, celebrate trailblazers and hold up our role models, as we should, but we should also look to other women that we should be focusing on. We should further their case to serve as a reminder of the work that is yet to be done. I would bring to the House's attention one group of women that I think we can learn much from and be inspired by. I reflect on a group of young women I met late last year on a visit to the St Joseph's Education Centre. This is a school in my electorate which has been set up specifically for young mothers who fell pregnant before being able to complete their year 12 studies. Each year, the school holds a retreat and speakers are invited to come and talk to the students, and I had the absolute privilege of being able to go and do just that. These young mums are doing it tough. When we talk about juggling acts, I can't think of many that are more difficult than, while potentially being a teenager yourself, needing to complete your high school education, recognising what a priority that should be, and having a newborn baby or, in some cases, a number of children in your care. I was so incredibly inspired by these women. I heard their stories about how hard it is to make ends meet and I heard them talking about how it is all just a little bit too hard, but they were determined that the most important thing in their lives was to be a good mother to their children, and they knew that their chances of employment were greatly increased if t…
date: 2018-02-27T16:18:00+00:00

Adelaide Electorate: Millswood Infrastructure | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: It pains me to have to stand in this place and raise this issue once again, but, on behalf of my constituents, I will. I take the time to raise an important infrastructure issue in my local...
encoded: It pains me to have to stand in this place and raise this issue once again, but, on behalf of my constituents, I will. I take the time to raise an important infrastructure issue in my local community around a walking path in Millswood which was closed several years ago. Ever since, the local residents and I, as their representative, have been fighting to have it reopened. I went through the history of this issue and see that this has involved speaking to Warren Truss when he was the minister and speaking to the member for Gippsland when he was the minister, and now I call on the Deputy Prime Minister, who may be looking for an issue that he can get himself involved in and fix. I would recommend that the Millswood walking path is just that issue. This is an example of where government has been completely out of touch with the needs of our local community. There is a walking path alongside the freight line in Millswood. It was deemed to be unsafe, so the walking path was closed way back in 2015. In 2015, it was deemed unsafe. Since then, residents have been turning to the state government, pleading with them to upgrade the walking path and reopen it. The state government have said that they can't do anything because the freight line is overseen by the federal government, so they need the federal government to undertake a safety audit. The federal government have said, 'This is not our responsibility. We don't control walking paths, so go and speak to the state government.' Local residents have been left scratching their heads and wondering why no level of government can undertake the simplest infrastructure upgrade to improve the lives of these local residents. I had the opportunity to take the shadow minister, the member for Grayndler, to the site of this walking path. When he looked at it, he said, 'This is simple to fix. This could be fixed with a phone call. All you need is for the minister to instruct the ARTC to undertake a safety audit and that safety audit wou…
date: 2018-02-15T16:39:00+00:00

Aged Care | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: It's no wonder that Australians find themselves disillusioned with politics and with this parliament when you listen to contributions like that. The lack of home care packages is an issue which...
encoded: It's no wonder that Australians find themselves disillusioned with politics and with this parliament when you listen to contributions like that. The lack of home care packages is an issue which is affecting tens of thousands of Australians and their families each and every day. They expect and demand better of this place than to come in here and hear nothing but politicking and blame shifting. Let's be really clear about this. Rather than just standing up and reading some government lines about what Labor did, why doesn't the government stand up and concede that it has been in office for five years? The people want solutions, the people want actions and the people want policies which will set this straight. They don't want people looking back to the history books and trying to find a way to make it Labor's problem. The Abbott-Turnbull government has been there for five years, and this has occurred and got worse and worse and worse under its watch. There are lots of issues that we debate in this parliament, but there are few which affect the dignity of older Australians more than this issue, and it should be treated with absolute importance. It breaks my heart, as a mother of two young children, when they ask for my help with something and I can't assist for some reason. But I'll tell you one thing that would be even more heartbreaking than not being able to deliver for your children, and that is not being able to assist your parents—who have looked after you, raised you and supported you throughout your whole life, who have made sacrifices for you and who stand there proud yet vulnerable in their older years—when they come to you for help, because, even when they are assessed as needing extra assistance, the government won't provide it. That is the situation that we're hearing from tens of our constituents, coming to each and every one of our offices, saying, 'Can you please help me?' or 'Can you please help me to help my parents?' Every one of us has heard those st…
date: 2018-02-15T16:04:00+00:00

Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I rise to speak on the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017. I'm really conscious of the fact that, whenever I have previously begun a speech by saying that I won't...
encoded: I rise to speak on the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017. I'm really conscious of the fact that, whenever I have previously begun a speech by saying that I won't talk for very long, I've rapidly made a liar out of myself. So I won't claim that now, but I will say that I have spoken over many, many years about my support for marriage equality and it is not my intention to go over that ground here today. I know that, like so many people in the community, what I want to see is this vote done as soon as possible, so I just want to place a few things on the record before allowing other speakers to move on. The first thing I would say is: I am really delighted to finally be able to support this legislation in the House of Representatives and to see these laws changed forevermore. I am also really deeply sorry that it took so long. I know that in not just years to come but in days and weeks to come, people will be scratching their heads saying, 'What was all of the fuss about? Why didn't we just do this years ago?' That's something that we reflect upon as members of parliament, but I also reflect upon the impact that it's had on so many of our fellow Australians' lives that this has been delayed for so long. The other thing I want to say here today is that whilst this is a huge and very positive step that we are taking, I don't want any member of this parliament to think that with the changing of the marriage laws, with marriage equality in Australia, that means the job is done, because I am firmly of the view that we need leaders in this place to continue the fight to stamp out homophobia in Australian society, and there is a long way to go in that struggle. I will place on the record that I am the very proud representative of the electorate in South Australia that recorded the highest yes vote, with 70.1 per cent of Adelaide voters voting yes. I'm proud to represent that community and proud to represent their wishes when it comes to this vo…
date: 2017-12-06T18:03:00+00:00

Competition and Consumer Amendment (Abolition of Limited Merits Review) Bill 2017; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I second the amendment and reserve my right to speak.
encoded: I second the amendment and reserve my right to speak.
date: 2017-09-04T17:25:00+00:00

g151.2
type: item
title: National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Annual Registration Charge) Bill 2017, National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Charges) Amendment (Annual Registration Charge) Bill 2017; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: I rise to support the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Annual Registration Charge) Bill 2017, and cognate bill, before the House. There has been huge anticipation...
encoded: I rise to support the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Annual Registration Charge) Bill 2017, and cognate bill, before the House. There has been huge anticipation from those opposite. It is unfortunate that we had to gag the previous debate on an important issue so that we could move on to this debate, but these are necessary amendments to make sure that the Australian Skills Quality Authority, or ASQA, has certainty and that industry funded regulation of vocational education can continue. Currently providers pay an annual registration charge to ASQA. They also pay fees if complaints are substantiated or audits discover breaches. Over time, though, ASQA's regulatory techniques have developed to include intelligence collection and data analysis. These activities are now a core part of ASQA's business. While they inform targeted compliance and enforcement, they are not in themselves services for which a fee or a charge can be directly attributed to particular providers. As a result, there is a risk that the charges levied by ASQA could be considered taxes under section 55 of the Constitution rather than a fee for service. The bills before the House this evening will amend ASQA's establishing legislation to clarify that annual registration fees are collected under an act dealing with the subject of taxation for the purpose of section 55 of the Australian Constitution. This will mitigate the constitutional risk and put the continuation of the current funding arrangements for ASQA beyond doubt. Intelligence collection and data analysis are effective and efficient parts of modern regulatory systems and it is vital ASQA is able to continue to fund these activities. The regulation of quality in the VET sector matters to students, it matters to providers, it matters to industry and, of course, ultimately it matters to our national economy. That is why Labor supports these straightforward amendments. However, we know that dodgy practices in the …
date: 2017-06-19T17:46:00+00:00

Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2017-2018; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: It would be helpful if he would listen.
encoded: It would be helpful if he would listen.
date: 2017-06-14T17:16:00+00:00

Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2017-2018; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: The minister does not want any more questions. She is calling time and running away. Honourable members interjecting—
encoded: The minister does not want any more questions. She is calling time and running away. Honourable members interjecting—
date: 2017-06-14T16:55:00+00:00

Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2017-2018; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: invest an additional $637 million into TAFE and vocational education, reversing the government's cuts in full. That is $637 million on this side, additional to what was in their budget. We are...
encoded: invest an additional $637 million into TAFE and vocational education, reversing the government's cuts in full. That is $637 million on this side, additional to what was in their budget. We are also going further, guaranteeing at least two-thirds of public vocational education funding for TAFE. We are investing in a new $100 million Building TAFE for the Future Fund to re-establish the facilities that have been absolutely neglected and left to be run down under those opposite. We are also setting targets for apprentices, one in 10 on all Commonwealth priority projects, investing in pre-apprenticeship programs and establishing an advanced entry adult apprenticeship program. The Leader of the Opposition and the Labor Party understand TAFE. That is why we all celebrated National TAFE Day yesterday. We have the policy to backup. We know it is not just words. Perhaps the assistant minister can tell us what she did on behalf of the government to mark National TAFE Day yesterday. Did the government go out and mark it in any way? If not, why not and is it because they wanted to further their record of just neglecting, walking away, privatising and running down our TAFE sector? Why is the minister further privatising TAFE by letting the migrant English program and the Skills for Education and Employment program be run by for-profit, foreign-owned businesses who are replacing the contracts that TAFE used to have? Will the minister guarantee at least the projected funding under the proposed national partnership?
date: 2017-06-14T16:55:00+00:00

Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2017-2018; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: Unfortunately, in this budget what we see continued is the Liberal government's appalling treatment of our TAFE and vocational education sectors. We know that since they have been elected the...
encoded: Unfortunately, in this budget what we see continued is the Liberal government's appalling treatment of our TAFE and vocational education sectors. We know that since they have been elected the Liberals have cut more than $2.8 billion from TAFE, from skills and from apprenticeships. This is yet another example of an opportunity to try to right some of these wrongs which has not been utilised. What we know is that Australia now has 130,000 fewer apprentices and trainees than it did when this government was elected. We know that TAFE and vocational education funding and the number of students who are being supported are lower now than they were a decade ago, and this is despite an increasing number of jobs in Australia requiring vocational skills. It is clear that this government is not up to the job of ensuring that Australia has the skills that we need for the jobs of the future. We on this side know that, in too many towns and regional centres, TAFE campuses have closed, courses have been scaled back and fees have increased. We see this particular problem with TAFE, and we have seen this government absolutely neglect TAFE, let the reputation of TAFE be deeply damaged and not protect what should be at the centre of our vocational education. Those over there have a problem with TAFE, and it was once again clear in the budget. Recently we have seen that programs such as the migrant English program and the Skills for Education and Employment program have now also been ripped off our TAFE providers in regional New South Wales, in Tasmania, in Melbourne and in Adelaide, where we see the further privatisation of these programs. Other areas where these programs have been delivered include the capital region, Canberra; the Illawarra and the South Coast; north-east Melbourne, south-east Melbourne and the peninsula; Somerset; Adelaide north; and Perth north. In some areas there are double and triple subcontracts, not approved by the department, which will see foreign-owned for-…
date: 2017-06-14T16:55:00+00:00