Tony Pasin's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2026-02-05T22:06:00+00:00
items: Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Barker Electorate: Australia Day Honours and Awards | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Charlton, Dr Susan Lyndsay (Sue), AM | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
items: Climate Change, Energy | Adjournment | House debates
items: Barker Electorate: Environment | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: South Australia: Roads | Adjournment | House debates
items: Cost of Living | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Albanese Government | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: South Australia: Drought | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Loxton's Longest Brunch | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Australian National Flag | Adjournment | House debates
items: Health Care | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Address-in-Reply | Governor-General's Speech | House debates
items: Prostate Cancer | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Aged Care | Adjournment | House debates

Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: I ask that the member for Wills withdraw his unparliamentary remark.
encoded: I ask that the member for Wills withdraw his unparliamentary remark.
date: 2026-02-05T15:18:00+00:00

Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: I ask the member opposite to withdraw the reflection on members. It was unparliamentary.
encoded: I ask the member opposite to withdraw the reflection on members. It was unparliamentary.
date: 2026-02-05T15:18:00+00:00

Barker Electorate: Australia Day Honours and Awards | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: I rise today to recognise and congratulate the outstanding Australians from the electorate of Barker who have been honoured as part of the Australia Day honours and awards. Australia Day honours...
encoded: I rise today to recognise and congratulate the outstanding Australians from the electorate of Barker who have been honoured as part of the Australia Day honours and awards. Australia Day honours provide an opportunity for our nation to acknowledge individuals who have made an outstanding and enduring contribution to Australia. These honours recognise service, leadership and dedication that enrich our communities and strengthen our country. They reflect the very best of the Australian spirit—service above self. This year Barker was proudly represented by a number of exceptional recipients. I congratulate Neville Bonney OAM, who was recognised for his service to conservation, the environment and the community. Mr Bonney has been a longstanding advocate for environmental stewardship and has contributed significantly to local conservation initiatives and community organisations. I also wish to congratulate Stephen Day OAM, whose award acknowledges his service to charitable organisations and to the finance sector. Mr Day has dedicated many years to supporting community and charitable causes through leadership roles and professional expertise within the financial sector. Ms Gerlinde Trappe OAM is recognised for her service to the community of the Barossa and to the arts. Her contribution has played an important role in supporting local cultural initiatives and strengthening community engagement through the arts. I also wish to acknowledge Dr William Gransbury OAM, who has been honoured for his service to the community of Angaston. Dr Gransbury has made a sustained contribution to civic life in Angaston through long-term community involvement and service in areas as diverse as mental health, heritage, community and sport. I also congratulate Mr Harold Long OAM, who is recognised for his service to the communities of Mannum, Salt Creek and Padthaway and, in particular, for his work supporting young people. Mr Long's commitment to youth development and to community participa…
date: 2026-02-04T11:25:00+00:00

Charlton, Dr Susan Lyndsay (Sue), AM | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: I rise today to honour the life and service of Dr Sue Charlton, a deeply respected South Australian whose passing is being felt strongly in Mount Gambier and across the Limestone Coast. Sue was a...
encoded: I rise today to honour the life and service of Dr Sue Charlton, a deeply respected South Australian whose passing is being felt strongly in Mount Gambier and across the Limestone Coast. Sue was a committed champion of regional communities. As the inaugural chair of the Stand Like Stone Foundation, Sue helped establish a lasting model of community philanthropy and ensured that funds raised locally are directed back into local priorities, strengthening community outcomes across the Limestone Coast. Sue's impact was not confined to the Limestone Coast; Sue played a formative role nationally as a founding member and later chair of what is now Community Foundations Australia. Through that leadership, Sue helped to shape a network of community foundations that continue to deliver for communities right across our nation. Professionally, Sue devoted more than four decades to paediatric physiotherapy, improving the lives of children and families. Sue was a mentor, an educator and a researcher. Sue completed her PhD later in life and exemplified a lifelong commitment to learning and evidence based care. In January 2014, Sue was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her significant service to the community through philanthropic and charitable organisations and to the profession of physiotherapy. Sue Charlton leaves behind a legacy of service and leadership. Her contribution will endure through the institutions she strengthened and the many lives she touched. Vale, Sue Charlton.
date: 2026-02-04T13:48:00+00:00

Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: The 15 souls that tragically lost their lives on 14 December on the beach at Bondi are owed at least the honesty of their polity. The honest truth—perhaps the hard truth for those...
encoded: The 15 souls that tragically lost their lives on 14 December on the beach at Bondi are owed at least the honesty of their polity. The honest truth—perhaps the hard truth for those opposite—is that we don't have a gun problem in this country; we have a problem with radical Islamic extremism. Objectively, a reasonable person might conclude that the US does have a gun problem, but we don't. We have some of the strictest gun laws in the world, a product of very hard decisions taken by former prime minister John Howard and his government. That's why I can't support these changes in the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026. They're a product of a couple of things, principally an attempt to hoodwink the Australian people and, sadly, to gaslight lawful, legitimate licensed Australian gun owners. I'm not going to stand in this place and support it. I know many of my colleagues won't either. The truth—again, a hard truth for those opposite—is that what happened at Bondi was not a failure of our national gun laws but a failure of national leadership. When the time came to deal with the rising tide of antisemitism in this country, our national leadership hid under the doona. We should be reflecting on those poor choices, not seeking to strengthen gun laws in effect as an attempt to distract people from what actually happened here. I remind the House that these terrorists not only had firearms; they also had improvised explosive devices. I remind the House that we have seen this kind of terror in Sydney with people wielding knives. I remind the House that we've seen it in Melbourne with people driving motor vehicles. It's always the motivation; it's never the method. I say to those opposite: please, don't gaslight Australian gun owners.
date: 2026-01-20T10:17:00+00:00

Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
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description: Today, we pause to acknowledge and honour the victims of the antisemitic terror attack that occurred at Bondi. We do so in sadness, in sympathy and in solidarity with the Jewish community and,...
encoded: Today, we pause to acknowledge and honour the victims of the antisemitic terror attack that occurred at Bondi. We do so in sadness, in sympathy and in solidarity with the Jewish community and, indeed, with all Australians who have been shocked by this most hateful of acts. The scenes that unfolded at Bondi were confronting and heartbreaking—families freely and joyously celebrating Hanukkah, a celebration of light turned dark in an instant; a community going about an open expression of their faith until they were met with unthinkable violence driven by hate; the worst loss of Jewish life outside of Israel since the Holocaust. Innocent lives were taken, others were wounded, and countless more carry the emotional and psychological scars of an incident that has caused everyday Australians to gasp and to think to themselves that this doesn't happen in Australia. Australia is a safe, peaceful and tolerant nation. It is precisely because of those qualities that this attack has been so deeply felt. We pride ourselves on being a place where people can worship freely and congregate without concern. When that basic expectation is violated, when Australians are targeted for who they are and, indeed, for what they believe, we must confront it honestly and without equivocation. The victims of this attack are in the thoughts and prayers of my constituents. Their families carry a burden of grief that no-one should be forced to bear, and they have our deepest sympathy and support. To the Jewish community, we offer not only our condolences but our solidarity. I extend my heartfelt condolences to all who mourn and all who grieve. Antisemitism has no place in Australia. It is an ancient hatred that has taken a modern and aggressive form, emboldened by events abroad and normalised by a failure to challenge it at home. No Australian, Jewish or otherwise, should walk their neighbourhood in fear or be forced to gather, pray or learn behind guarded gates. This parliament has a responsibilit…
date: 2026-01-19T17:55:00+00:00

Climate Change, Energy | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: I wish to draw the House's attention to a Federal Court judgement. It was a judgement of Justice Wigney, delivered on 15 July of this year, in the case of Pabai Pabai & Anor v the...
encoded: I wish to draw the House's attention to a Federal Court judgement. It was a judgement of Justice Wigney, delivered on 15 July of this year, in the case of Pabai Pabai & Anor v the Commonwealth of Australia. It's significant for a reason that I'll make clear. The case involved a group of Torres Strait Islanders who argued that the Commonwealth had been negligent in not protecting them from climate change. Justice Wigney, helpfully, summarised the government's defence in this case—the defence, by the way, that was authorised by this government via this government's Attorney-General. Justice Wigney said: The Commonwealth, on the other hand, submitted that it had no control over the risk of harm to Torres Strait Islanders from the impacts of climate change. … It is not a problem over which Australia alone has any, or any significant control. … Australia's targets alone are unlikely to have any impact on climate change or the risks posed by its impacts. Well, well, well. On the one hand we have a government that at question time and at every opportunity tells us that, if we don't pursue these unrealistic and unachievable carbon emissions reduction targets, then effectively we will be facing bushfires, cyclones and all manner of climate risks. But on the other hand, quietly, away in the Federal Court, instructions are provided to counsel to make the very opposite submissions. I repeat: The Commonwealth, on the other hand, submitted— in a court no less, the Federal Court of Australia— that it had no control over the risk of harm to Torres Strait Islanders … This is a government that believes deeply in the maxim of 'do as we say, not as we do'. This has laid bare the hypocrisy of those opposite. I look forward to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy—if he can keep the lights on during question time—advising the House of how it is that the government made that submission to the Federal Court, when its rhetoric both at question time and at every other opportunity is dir…
date: 2025-11-27T11:31:00+00:00

Barker Electorate: Environment | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: I rise today to draw the attention of colleagues to a matter of urgent concern. It's the escalating coastal erosion at Southend, in my electorate, and the recent failure of the application by the...
encoded: I rise today to draw the attention of colleagues to a matter of urgent concern. It's the escalating coastal erosion at Southend, in my electorate, and the recent failure of the application by the director of engineering services at the Wattle Range Council for federal support under the Disaster Ready Fund. Southend, a small coastal town, is experiencing terrifying coastal erosion. Strong waves and wind from the Southern Ocean have stripped away metres of sand from the beachfront. In some areas, up to three metres of sand has been lost in just one season alone, exposing steep drop-offs, threatening the local caravan park and forcing the closure of the main beach due to safety concerns. This is not only a blow to local residents but a real threat to the town's future as a tourism destination. Wattle Range Council rightfully sought $1.8 million from the federal government through the Disaster Ready Fund to implement key erosion mitigation works. Their vision included not just short-term sand replenishment but durable infrastructure to secure the beach, defend assets and preserve the natural beauty that underpins the region's identity and economy. Yet their application was rejected. That decision requires scrutiny because responsible early investment now will prevent far greater loss in the years ahead. This not an isolated incident. A number of regional communities across my electorate face similar pressures. Flinders University research warns that the data is still limited, but what they measure already shows a worrying trend of repeated storm events preventing natural recovery and leaving dunes permanently eroded. Furthermore, South Australia's Department for Environment and Water has recognised the urgency through the Coast Protection Board's grant program. Wattle Range Council applied for funds to address erosion, flooding, sand drift and other coastal risks. They received $32,000 from the state government for detailed design work at Southend, but this is only a sm…
date: 2025-11-25T16:36:00+00:00

South Australia: Roads | Adjournment | House debates
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description: I rise today to speak on behalf of the people of Barker, a vast, proud regional electorate in South Australia. I want to express my strong opposition to the proposal to reduce the default speeds...
encoded: I rise today to speak on behalf of the people of Barker, a vast, proud regional electorate in South Australia. I want to express my strong opposition to the proposal to reduce the default speeds on unsigned rural roads to 70 kilometres an hour. Let me begin with a simple truth: the problem on our regional roads is not the speed limit; the problem is the state of the roads themselves. For years, communities across my electorate have been pleading for the basics: proper sealing of unsealed roads, shoulder upgrades, resurfacing work and potholes filled before they become craters. Instead of delivering what regional Australians need, this government has had the laziest of proposals—a consultation on slowing everyone down in the name of road safety. It has been called 'lazy' by the Grain Producers SA, who represent hardworking grain growers of South Australia, the largest rural commodity. They have said clearly that reducing speed limits without fixing roads will not make travel safer but it will make rural life harder. Their members are the ones travelling huge distances on poorly maintained roads every single day. They know these roads better than anyone, and they are not alone. This proposal is not just inconvenient; it is economically damaging. In my electorate, transport is the lifeblood of the economy. Freight operators, farmers, small businesses, service providers and others rely on the efficient transport of goods over long distances. Cutting speed limits by nearly a third on many of these roads will slow down supply chains, increase costs and reduce productivity. The Australian Trucking Association has already warned that slowing freight routes will raise costs for food, fuel and essential goods. Long distance drivers are deeply concerned that spending more time on the road will increase the risk of driver fatigue, one of the most significant risk factors contributing to road accidents in rural Australia, so the government are ignoring one of the most well-docum…
date: 2025-11-24T19:30:00+00:00

Cost of Living | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: My question is to the Prime Minister. The CEO of one of Australia's energy retailers recently warned: … the cost of this transition is really going to affect the people who can afford it...
encoded: My question is to the Prime Minister. The CEO of one of Australia's energy retailers recently warned: … the cost of this transition is really going to affect the people who can afford it the least, so people that are already struggling to pay their power bills are going to get slammed with more cost … Prime Minister, why is the part-time energy minister, full-time president globetrotting around the world seeking to broker global climate conference communiques instead of helping struggling Australians at home?
date: 2025-11-24T14:54:00+00:00

Albanese Government | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: I understand the reluctance to second this congratulatory motion! The member for Banks just accused me of not listening. I listened intently to his five-minute dissertation. What I heard, what...
encoded: I understand the reluctance to second this congratulatory motion! The member for Banks just accused me of not listening. I listened intently to his five-minute dissertation. What I heard, what I'm sure people in the gallery heard and what the people of Australia heard is: 'Australians have never had it better.' If you believe that, you're talking to a different subset of Australians than me. Electricity prices are through the roof. I want to talk about Medicare, because in my community it's a real issue right now. But the member opposite also talked about a future made in Australia, and those of us on this side, he suggests, want to talk down manufacturing. We want to talk it up; it's those on the other side who want to close down Australian manufacturing. If you don't believe that, go and talk to any smelter in Australia right now. Tomago might be the place where you'd start, but it's not the place where you'd finish. I'm not here to address the member for Banks's comments, enthusiastic as he is to talk up the progress of the Albanese Labor government over the last six months. But I want to address the first point he makes—the government delivering, he says, on their election commitments. The first proof point he points to is Strengthening Medicare. I want to take him on a journey to my electorate. South-east South Australia contains the second-largest city in South Australia, my hometown of Mount Gambier. On 3 May 2025, Mount Gambier had an urgent care clinic. That urgent care clinic—that Medicare urgent care clinic—was closed in June. Closed. It never met its obligatory opening hours, those extended hours that never were, but it literally closed in June. Over the six months, if that had occurred, you'd think that it would have reopened, given the government proudly claims it has strengthened Medicare over the course of the last six months. I'm here to tell the member for Banks and all those opposite that it remains closed. Closed! Thankfully those opposite have b…
date: 2025-11-03T11:27:00+00:00

South Australia: Drought | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: I've spoken on a number of occasions in this place about the dire situation that farmers face across much of South Australia with unprecedented drought, much of which nobody could recall in...
encoded: I've spoken on a number of occasions in this place about the dire situation that farmers face across much of South Australia with unprecedented drought, much of which nobody could recall in living memory. I thought I'd give an update. We've been blessed across spring with average to better-than-average rainfall across much of regional South Australia. In fact in parts of my electorate you couldn't imagine a better break. But, unfortunately and cruelly, that hasn't been experienced universally. There is a portion of my electorate that is now entering what could be the second if not the third consecutive year of drought. It's the Mallee in my electorate; the situation is dire. I've got farmers who are telling me they were hanging on for this season and, as every day passed and as every windy event passed, they have succumbed to a situation where they now realise that this drought hasn't left them. The concern for them is that the media and attention have moved on because, as I said earlier, much of South Australia—and indeed across Australia—has experienced really good conditions. I want to take this opportunity to raise the flag on behalf of that district. The Mallee—the Coorong—in my electorate is still suffering significantly and what they need are some pretty basic supports. First of all they need carry-on finance, low to no-interest loans. We've got an incredibly popular premier in South Australia, but he doesn't do the tough stuff. What he needs to do right now is lean in and support these farmers in drought. We need to expand on-farm infrastructure rebates, we need increased and continued mental health and community supports and we need practical funding for fodder and water transport where required. In terms of the federal government, farm household allowance is a lifeline into these communities right now, as it is for every regional community that goes through circumstances—whether it's price commodity shocks or drought. Quite frankly the net asset test is fa…
date: 2025-10-30T09:54:00+00:00

Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: Baby Priya's bill, the Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Bill 2025, does two things I absolutely support and one thing I can't. The bill updates the Fair Work Act to treat a natural stillbirth...
encoded: Baby Priya's bill, the Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Bill 2025, does two things I absolutely support and one thing I can't. The bill updates the Fair Work Act to treat a natural stillbirth and a baby who dies shortly after birth in the same—so as to enable paid parental leave to apply without the ability of an employer to seek to avoid that obligation owing to the nature of those unfortunate circumstances. I want to be really clear. I think that is what is intended in this bill, I think that's what's intended by Baby Priya's law and that is what I absolutely support so fulsomely that I can't even put it into words. I commend the previous speaker for her contribution about how difficult it must be to live through those kinds of traumas—every support for a family dealing with that kind of tragedy. So often with my own children I think, in this role, about how lucky I've been as I meet children—I'm sure, Deputy Speaker, you've had this experience as well—who are challenged in life because of health or circumstances. You can't help but think about how lucky you have been and how, in life, you have perhaps won the lottery of life as you are empathising with those constituents, acting on their behalf and supporting them. But I did say there are two things this bill does that I support and congratulate the government for adopting and one thing it does that I can't support. I can only hope and think that this is an unintended consequence that hasn't perhaps been thought through. As I read the act and as legal experts have read the act and have confirmed with me, it would effectively treat an intentionally late-term aborted child in the same way as it would a natural stillbirth or a baby who dies shortly after birth. That is something I can't support. Perhaps it's an unintended consequence because some of the jurisdictions around our country have adopted late-term abortion legislation and not everyone in the community is cognisant of that. But, in my own state of South …
date: 2025-10-29T11:26:00+00:00

Loxton's Longest Brunch | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: I rise today to acknowledge the success of Loxton's Longest Brunch. The event brought together 160 farmers, volunteers and local families for a long-table-style brunch, held on the main street of...
encoded: I rise today to acknowledge the success of Loxton's Longest Brunch. The event brought together 160 farmers, volunteers and local families for a long-table-style brunch, held on the main street of Loxton. Last Sunday morning, Loxton was transformed into a space of solidarity and support. Attendees took their seats shoulder to shoulder with primary producers whose work underpins the region, and they enjoyed some local food and drinks. This fundraising event was structured in a way to ensure that all funds stayed in the community, via gift cards that were provided to primary producers for local stores—an acknowledgement that retail businesses also do it tough during drought. Together, the Loxton community raised an incredible $11,000 for primary producers who are living through the severest drought in living memory. These events remind me, and should remind all of us, of what makes regional South Australia so special: strong communities, connected and resilient, punching on through tough times, with a deep pride in the land and the people that sustain us. So I congratulate the organisers, the volunteers and every attendee for making Loxton's Longest Brunch not just a meal but a meaningful expression of community strength in the Riverland region. I was shattered I couldn't be there. I love a brunch of any type, but I'm grateful my donation facilitated for five farmers to attend that meaningful event.
date: 2025-10-27T16:18:00+00:00

Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: Perhaps one day it might be named after me, but I doubt it, Madam Deputy Speaker Scrymgour! I rise to speak in support of the Repeal Net Zero Bill, which was recently introduced to the House by...
encoded: Perhaps one day it might be named after me, but I doubt it, Madam Deputy Speaker Scrymgour! I rise to speak in support of the Repeal Net Zero Bill, which was recently introduced to the House by the member for New England—a bill to end Australia's reckless commitment to net zero by 2050. Net zero in the most basic terms is the idea that a nation balances the amount of greenhouse gas it emits with the amount it removes from the atmosphere so that the net effect on the climate is zero. It sounds neat, even noble, but in practice net zero is a costly illusion—a political slogan masquerading as science, imposed without honesty and absent realism. Since its adoption, Australia's commitment to net zero has delivered nothing but pain to the Australian people. It has driven up the cost of power, destroyed manufacturing and gutted regional communities, while doing absolutely nothing to change the globe's climate. Australia contributes just over one per cent of global emissions—one per cent—yet this government behaves as though Canberra holds the planet's thermostat. Meanwhile, China, India and Indonesia are building hundreds of new coal-fired power stations. Together they account for almost half of global emissions. They are not stopping. They're not slowing down. Yet Labor persists with this ideological crusade, punishing Australians for the sins of other nations. Net zero has become a moral vanity project for those who can afford it and an economic catastrophe for those who cannot. It's easy to preach climate virtue from an inner-city office. It's much harder to pay the power bill on a farm or keep the lights on in a small workshop in regional Australia. Everywhere I go across my electorate, people are telling me the same thing: their power bills are crippling them; businesses are closing; and farms are furious at the destruction of their country for wind and solar projects that tear up paddocks, divide neighbours and desecrate landscapes that our families have cared for fo…
date: 2025-10-27T10:31:00+00:00

Australian National Flag | Adjournment | House debates
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description: Over the past few weeks, Australians have watched in disbelief as the Australian flag—our national symbol, our shared inheritance, our unifying emblem—has been desecrated and burned...
encoded: Over the past few weeks, Australians have watched in disbelief as the Australian flag—our national symbol, our shared inheritance, our unifying emblem—has been desecrated and burned in the streets at so-called peaceful rallies. These are not acts of peaceful protest; these are acts of contempt. These are acts that cut at the very fabric of who we are as a nation. I want to say plainly that burning the Australian flag is not an act of free expression. It's not a part of spirited debate; it's not our democracy at work. It's a brazen insult to our history and our people and to every man and woman who has worn the uniform, defended and died for our flag on battlefields across the globe. We tell our schoolchildren to treat the flag with respect. We teach them to stand tall during the national anthem and to recognise that the flag is more than fabric. It's the story of Australia stitched together in courage and in sacrifice. Yet, while we instil this respect into our children, we allow adults to torch that very flag in public and in front of cameras without consequence. That's not freedom; that's a disgrace. Other nations, including allies we admire, treat the desecration of their national symbols as serious crimes, and rightly so. Yet, here in Australia, shockingly there exists no law that directly prohibits the burning of our national flag. There are none. It's an appalling gap in our legal framework and is one that demands correction. To those who will leap to their feet and lecture me about free speech: you must know that freedom of speech is not freedom to desecrate. George Orwell reminded us: If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. But that doesn't allow you to trample on the very symbol of our liberty. Burning the flag is not speech. It's not dialogue. It's not even descent. It's contempt. Therefore, I want to announce that I intend, at a forthcoming sitting, to introduce a private member's bill into the lo…
date: 2025-09-04T13:00:00+00:00

Health Care | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: I rise today to highlight the reality of a health-care crisis unfolding in my electorate of Barker—specifically, in the community of Mount Gambier. The urgent care clinic that the minister...
encoded: I rise today to highlight the reality of a health-care crisis unfolding in my electorate of Barker—specifically, in the community of Mount Gambier. The urgent care clinic that the minister promised would ease pressure on our local hospitals has been closed since June, yet, in question time on Monday, the minister stood in the chamber and proudly asserted that all of our nation's 90 urgent care clinics were currently operating. This is simply not true. Either the minister doesn't know or he is not across his brief. Either way, it's unacceptable. The consequences for my community are dire. All four GP clinics have confirmed they're not taking on new patients. Families can't find a doctor for their children, elderly residents are struggling to manage chronic illnesses and people are left with no primary health-care options. The people of Mount Gambier deserve honesty from this government, and they deserve to access health care. Instead they've been left behind. This is not just a policy failure; it's a betrayal of trust. Minister, front up to the people of Mount Gambier and tell them that you've failed. Come to Mount Gambier and tell these residents why they've been abandoned. Maybe you could tell them that it's a direct result of your decision, in 2022, to alter the distribution priority areas. Minister, your Prime Minister is fond of saying, 'All you need to access health care is your Medicare card.' In reality, in Mount Gambier, you need to travel hundreds of kilometres to do it. It's not acceptable and the minister knows it.
date: 2025-09-03T13:57:00+00:00

Address-in-Reply | Governor-General's Speech | House debates
type: item
description: It is a great privilege to rise to give this speech-in-reply, particularly having been given the immense honour of being re-elected to this place now on five consecutive occasions. Like previous...
encoded: It is a great privilege to rise to give this speech-in-reply, particularly having been given the immense honour of being re-elected to this place now on five consecutive occasions. Like previous speakers I'm incredibly humbled by the faith that the people of Barker have placed in me. It was a humbling experience in 2013 and it has been a humbling experience on every single occasion since. These are not privileges that are earned solo; they are part of a broader team's effort. I want to take the opportunity early in this contribution to acknowledge one team member. I was in regional Victoria campaigning in my role as shadow minister for roads and road safety when my staff told me I needed to find a quiet place to take a call. At that point I thought, 'Hmm, I wonder which journalist has found something to ask me about.' The caller asked me if I was feeling okay, and then they said, 'Tony, we have some really sad news to tell you.' That sad news was that a very close friend and someone who'd been on this political journey with me for a very long time had passed away. His name was Nevin Lamont. Nevin had served as the Barker FEC treasurer since 2013. At the last AGM that Nevin attended, which was the AGM of 2024, he pulled me aside and said, 'Tony, I think this election campaign might be my last.' He didn't mean his last on earth but rather his last as treasurer. But it turned out that Nevin didn't get to see the outcome of the election in 2025. I want to pay tribute to Nevin. Nevin's own grandfather served in this place as the member for Barker. Nevin was a loyal supporter of mine, someone who would walk on broken glass for me and for the Liberal movement. He was a farmer from Glencoe. He was then someone who became a photography enthusiast, which led to a business in retirement. He threw his support behind the Liberal Party. I just want to pay my respects to Nevin in this contribution. Nevin, it's a measure of your contribution that people continue, both as part of th…
date: 2025-09-02T19:00:00+00:00

Prostate Cancer | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: I rise this morning to talk about an event that I'll be hosting in coming weeks. On Wednesday 10 September, from 11.30 am, I'll be hosting my annual Big Aussie Barbie to raise funds for prostate...
encoded: I rise this morning to talk about an event that I'll be hosting in coming weeks. On Wednesday 10 September, from 11.30 am, I'll be hosting my annual Big Aussie Barbie to raise funds for prostate cancer research and, more importantly, to raise awareness of the disease and specifically of the need for blokes to get tested. This is the 10th year that I've hosted that event. I do it in partnership with the Limestone Coast Prostate Cancer Support Group, and we've raised over $10,000. But, much more importantly than that, on every single one of those mornings we've had one or more people who had recently been diagnosed with the disease come along and connect with the local support group. Those are people that have heard for the first time in our lives that they've got the big C, and they're incredibly scared. I've seen them come to those breakfasts and leave much calmer and much more settled about what was about to happen in their cancer journey. I've got to give a great shout-out to Richard Harry, a constituent of mine. He's a great bloke, and he's someone I connected with through this process. My journey on this issue began in 2014. I attended a barbecue here that was hosted by the Prostate Cancer Foundation. It was there that I heard for the first time the startling facts about the diagnosis and the death rate, and it was plain to me that there was much more that needed to be done. It was equally plain to me that in that forum the Prostate Cancer Foundation was preaching to the converted and we needed to get that message out. That's why I began hosting, as I do every year, the Big Aussie Barbie out the front of my office in Mount Gambier. Mr Deputy Speaker Boyce, I know you know—and I'm sure the member for New England, who has his own lived experience with this, understands—that one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fifty-four men will be diagnosed with it today, 54 men tomorrow and 54 men every single day thereafter. Three thousand five hundred men …
date: 2025-08-28T10:21:00+00:00

Aged Care | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: Yesterday, in this place, a question was put to the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors by the member for Mayo. It was a straightforward question, and it's a question that tens of thousands of...
encoded: Yesterday, in this place, a question was put to the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors by the member for Mayo. It was a straightforward question, and it's a question that tens of thousands of older Australians and their families want answered. That question was: 'What justification does the government have for delaying home-care packages from July to November this year?' Instead of providing an answer, the minister took the opportunity to congratulate himself and his government on the new Aged Care Act and the forthcoming Support at Home program. He gave us a sales pitch, not a solution. Our elderly community doesn't need the spin. They don't need another press release. They need care, they need dignity and they need action now. In my electorate of Barker, I hear from families every week who are caught up in the endless maze of My Aged Care. I see what this failure looks like on the ground. They tell me of assessments delayed for months on end. They tell me of approvals granted but services unavailable. Last year, I wrote to the previous Minister for Aged Care, raising concerns that members of the Barossa Valley community were unable to receive care that they'd been deemed eligible for. That's still a problem today. These families also tell me of loved ones who simply can't wait any longer and who are forced into residential care earlier than necessary or are left struggling alone at home because the system that was meant to help them is failing them. I receive emails from people like Antonia. She stated that she's been on the waiting list since March this year, waiting for funds to be made available. She has severe health issues that prevent her from walking properly. All she needs is a wheelchair so she can get from one side of the house to the other without collapsing. Another wrote to me, saying that, after waiting seven months, he and his wife finally got approval for care, only to be put on another 12-month waiting list to wait for the care to be available. La…
date: 2025-08-27T19:50:00+00:00