Andrew Hastie's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
Housing | Constituency Statements | House debates
The Australian dream was always a promise. It was a promise that if you worked hard you could own your home, raise a family and build a better future. That promise is fading for young...
The Australian dream was always a promise. It was a promise that if you worked hard you could own your home, raise a family and build a better future. That promise is fading for young Australians. A home represents security and belonging, a stake in the country and a patch of ground on which to build a life with those you love. It's the cornerstone of stability, community and aspiration in this country. It's what generations have saved and worked for over many years. Today that dream is further out of reach than ever before. Under this Labor government, the path to homeownership has become steeper and narrower, and for many Australians it feels completely out of reach. Many Australians under 30 believe they will never be able to afford a home in this country. There used to be a ladder for young Australians to climb, but now they feel like that ladder has been kicked out and there's no actual— A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 10:48 to 11 : 07 There used to be a ladder for young Australians to climb. But now many feel that the ladder has been kicked out and that there is no way to rise, particularly when it comes to buying a home. In WA, house prices have surged 8.4 per cent in the last year alone. Across my electorate of Canning, the prices have skyrocketed. Serpentine Jarrahdale has seen a spike of 11.3 per cent. In Silver Sands, there has been an increase of 29 per cent in just the last 12 months. It's unsustainable. And, with Labor at the helm, it's only going to get worse. It's expected that Perth prices will jump by another $85,000 in 2026. These price jumps and future price projections crush the hopes of young Australians looking for a home. While house prices and rents soar, wages remain stagnant. Young Australians are being pushed out of the market fast, and the gap between what people earn and what homes cost is growing wider every single day. The median multiple, the mean salary to mean housing price, should be pegged at 1.3. That's traditionally what's been considered affordable. In most metropolitan markets across the country, it's around one to 10. Completely unaffordable for young Australians. What is driving this? Well, there's a couple of factors, but net overseas migration is out of control under the Labor government, and Australians are finding it harder and harder to get into property. Labor talks about affordability but refuses to address the root cause. It's demand, which is massively outstripping supply, and they're fuelling it. Over the last few years, 1.2 million people have been added to our population, and only 500,000 dwellings have been built to support it. It's very simple, and we cannot continue on this path. Homeownership is fundamental to ensuring young Australians have a meaningful place, an investment in the future of our country. A home means roots, it means stability, it means community and it's the heart of family formation. Our fertility replacement rate is 1.5, and we need to get it up. In my community, the pain is real. People are feeling Labor's failure acutely. I'll keep fighting for them and talking about this issue in this House.
International Relations, National Rugby League: Papua New Guinea | Adjournment | House debates
The great game is on: strategic competition, tariffs, quotas, subsidies—President Xi and President Trump are the figureheads of this new contest, but there are deeper structural forces at...
The great game is on: strategic competition, tariffs, quotas, subsidies—President Xi and President Trump are the figureheads of this new contest, but there are deeper structural forces at work, and China and the US have adopted a form of mercantilism, as both countries seek to build their national wealth and strategic power from a positive balance of trade. That's why we see an increase in industrial policy, tariffs and technological protectionism from both countries. The bottom line is that we're seeing the growth of state-directed capitalism as US led globalisation slowly breaks down and countries seek to secure their economic interests using all elements of their national power. China's Belt and Road Initiative is a case in point. Their BRI program is designed secure their expanding global influence through commercial agreements, and of particular interest are critical minerals and strategic assets like ports in Africa, Latin America and the Indo-Pacific region. A good example of a BRI agreement is the 99-year lease of the port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka. China now controls a port that straddles key sea lanes in the Indian Ocean and can stage elements of their blue-water navy as required. The AUKUS deal would look very similar from a Chinese perspective, with the US Navy basing submarines in Perth from 2027 onwards. I think the challenge for Australia is to chart a course that secures our national interest without resorting to platitudes about a world of free trade and a rules based order that simply doesn't exist anymore. The Prime Minister's recent rare-earths deal with President Trump revealed a new realism in our foreign policy—ditto the government's ongoing support for AUKUS, albeit underfunded and behind schedule. The point is that we need more hard-headed thinking here in Canberra where we see the world as it is and not as we wish it to be. I think this is an urgent priority for us in the Pacific island chain to our north, as China seeks greater influence with countries like Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji and Solomon Islands. I think it's very clear that we cannot risk a Chinese deep-water port to our north. Now, there are many ways that we can avoid that, using our national power and influence to deepen our partnerships with our Pacific neighbours. But tonight I want to add my support to the plan to introduce the Papua New Guinea Chiefs into the National Rugby League competition from 2028. I think this is a very important project that will build on our common love of the game of Rugby League and join our nations in the great endeavour of sport. I spent time in Papua New Guinea with the ADF in Port Moresby and Lae, and I was struck by two things. The first was the common Christian heritage that our nations share. I recall sitting on sentry duty in the jungles of Lae during my patrol course, listening to the local villagers singing hymns on a Sunday during their worship service. I can still remember the rain coming down softly, as those beautiful voices travelled through the foliage carrying the melody of Wesleyan hymns. I think that common Christian heritage is very powerful, as it acts as an immediate cultural bridge when you meet people. I knew what a local chieftain meant when he told us that he was a steward of God's creation and that we were welcome on his land. The second thing that struck me was Papuans' deep love of Rugby League. You can't go far without seeing a reference to the National Rugby League competition. Returning from a patrol in Lae, we saw one bloke walking down a quiet road all by himself dressed in New South Wales blue State of Origin kit. He got a massive shout-out from the boys in the truck. I think it's very clear that we have a deep connection through that sport. I was reminded of this over the weekend in Perth, when I took my son, Jonathan, to a friend's birthday party. The father hosting us is Papuan and played Rugby League, and we spent time reminiscing about the NRL greats from the nineties. I have a love of the game, too. Growing up in Sydney, I backed the Balmain Tigers and played for the Enfield Federals Rugby League Club in 1992 for the under-10s. We had a former South Sydney Rabbitohs first-grader as our coach, and he showed us how to play: tough tackles; quick hands; moving as one line in defence. Young Australians do learn a lot through sport. So I am glad that we are starting the Papua New Guinea Chiefs in 2028. No doubt it will have its challenges, and it's a big financial investment—$600 million over a decade—for the Australian people. But, if we do this well, we can build a new institution with the Papuan people and deepen our partnership as neighbours.
Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
Children are a tremendous blessing, and that's why the grief of a lost baby hits so hard—it really hits hard. I truly learned this while riding with a good friend of mine. Cycling in the...
Children are a tremendous blessing, and that's why the grief of a lost baby hits so hard—it really hits hard. I truly learned this while riding with a good friend of mine. Cycling in the mornings, and he opened up to me about his experience of stillbirth. He and his wife lost a child. It took some time before he really got into what that meant for them, but it wasn't until I went into their living room and saw on their wall two little footprints which remind them of their lost child. Stillbirth is incredibly painful for people. That's why I support the intent of this Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya’s) Bill 2025 to uphold and preserve employer funded paid parental leave for those who have lost a child in stillbirth or immediately after. I support this bill and its intent to give certainty around employer funded paid parental leave in that event. Families need support during that terrible time after eight to nine months—maybe even less—of anticipated joy at welcoming another life into this world and building a family, the grief is hard to describe in words. Having not felt myself, I can only imagine. My dear friend in Perth helped me understand what that meant for him and his wife. But I do have a question about the unintended consequences of this bill, and it applies to late-term abortions. This is a place where we can come and express views according to conscience. It's no secret that I am opposed to late-term abortions. So the point of my speaking this morning is to affirm the intent of this bill, which is to give certainty for families suffering through the loss of a child, and I absolutely support the intent of that. I think it's a noble and good thing, and Baby Priya's bill deserves our support for that reason. But I do call upon the government—I note the sensitivity around this—to clarify that it does not apply to late-term abortions. That is the question at the heart of my speech. That is all I have to say on this matter.
Western Australia: Health Care | Constituency Statements | House debates
(): Let me speak plainly. My region's local hospital, the Peel Health Campus, is in crisis, and WA Labor has failed us. Back in 2020, we were promised by the then Labor premier, Mark...
(): Let me speak plainly. My region's local hospital, the Peel Health Campus, is in crisis, and WA Labor has failed us. Back in 2020, we were promised by the then Labor premier, Mark McGowan, $152 million to upgrade the hospital. That was five years ago. Since then, nothing—no new wards, no new beds, no progress, just spin, delay and excuses. I fought for this upgrade from day 1. I've raised it in parliament—not once, not twice. This will be the sixteenth time I've stood in our national parliament to call on WA Labor to deliver for this hospital. I've stood with doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, patients and families. I've launched petitions, held community meetings and demanded answers—because I know how important this hospital is to the region. But, despite all that, things have only gotten worse. This year alone, ambulances have been ramped outside the Peel Health Campus for over 1,000 hours. That's 1,000 hours of patients waiting for urgent care. It's 1,000 hours of paramedics stuck at hospitals, unable to hand over patients. It's 1,000 hours of lives at risk. It also means fewer ambulances available to react and to get to emergencies in our community. Now we learn that the cost of the upgrade has blown out to $558 million, more than three times the original budget. That's a $400 million blowout—and still no clear timeline for delivery. This cost blowout is so massive that it threatens to chew through nearly the entire $500 million health infrastructure fund that Labor announced, leaving little for any other hospitals across Western Australia. Now we know the inside story. A leaked letter from a senior Peel Health Campus staff member to the federal health minister revealed the truth—compromised patient care, overwhelmed nurses and a system under strain. Where is our local member? A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 09:43 to 09:58 I asked the question: where is our local Labor MP for Mandurah, Rhys Williams? He has disappeared into a void of silence on this issue. He's admitted the budget isn't enough, but has done nothing to fight for us. We don't hear his voice. He's silent and WA Labor continue to fail us, so we've had enough and we're going to pursue this money. Labor keeps pointing to the same line in the budget year after year, but money in a spreadsheet means nothing if it doesn't leave the page. So we want action. We're not going to let this government pat themselves on the back, because patients are walking away from the emergency department because they simply can't wait any longer. Our healthcare workers are doing their best, but they're stretched to the breaking point. The fault with this hospital lies solely with WA Labor, who promised an upgrade and haven't delivered. We want action. We want it now. We'll make sure that we deliver accountability.
Economy | Statements by Members | House debates
Australia is a wealthy country, and that's because of the hard work of previous generations. But there are no guarantees that our wealth will continue. In fact, the Harvard Economic Complexity...
Australia is a wealthy country, and that's because of the hard work of previous generations. But there are no guarantees that our wealth will continue. In fact, the Harvard Economic Complexity Index tells us that we are going backwards. The index places the industrial capabilities and know-how of a country at the heart of its growth prospects, and it asks a basic question: how big is your engine? The Harvard index makes it clear that Australia has a big growth problem. Our engine is too small, and it's getting smaller. We are in the bottom third of 149 countries. We rank 105th, and over the last 30 years we've been sliding down the rankings. In 1995 we ranked 62nd. Today we rank 105th. We're outperformed by the USA, China, the UK, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Italy and Sweden. Even New Zealand, at 68th, is ahead of us by 37 places. So what's happened over the last 30 years? Very simply, our advanced manufacturing capability in this country has collapsed. We don't make complex things of value at scale anymore—things like cars, for example. We Australians have a choice to make, and it's an urgent one: do we want to make things again? If so, we have to make power cheap again. We have to take back control. That means killing net zero. That means getting power prices down. That means investing in manufacturing. And, to those on the other side, that means putting Australians first.
Deputy Speaker Small, it's great to see you in the chair, particularly as a Western Australian, representing the great seat of Forrest, because this speech is about the WA health system. This is...
Deputy Speaker Small, it's great to see you in the chair, particularly as a Western Australian, representing the great seat of Forrest, because this speech is about the WA health system. This is the 15th time I've stood in this place to speak about the state of health care in Western Australia. And I'll keep speaking about it because the situation is getting worse. WA's health system is in a death spiral. Last month, WA Labor broke its own record again, with more than 7,000 hours of ambulance ramping. That's two months in a row. Nine years ago, then Labor opposition health minister and now WA premier, Roger Cook, called 1,000 hours of ramping a crisis. If 1,000 hours was a crisis, 7,000 hours is a catastrophe. Yet the Premier continues as if nothing is wrong—no urgency, no accountability, no plan. The Premier is disconnected from reality. Behind every one of those hours is a person: an elderly patient in pain, a paramedic stuck outside a hospital unable to help, a nurse stretched to breaking point or a doctor doing their best in a system that is failing them. People in WA know the truth. They live it in waiting rooms and in ambulances in perpetual crisis. My community's local hospital, the Peel Health Campus, is a clear example. WA Labor has been promising upgrades for more than eight years, and still we wait. Just this Monday, the average triage wait time at Peel was 100 minutes, the second-worst in the state. That's not just a number; that's a mother with a sick child, a pensioner in distress or a family waiting for answers. The Peel region is growing rapidly, but our hospital hasn't kept pace. The result is longer waits, more pressure on staff and compromised care. Despite all this, Roger Cook claims our health system is world class. I've said this many times, and let me be clear: our health professionals are world class. Our doctors, nurses and paramedics are doing extraordinary work under almost impossible conditions, but the system they're working in is broken. Seven thousand hours of ramping is not world class. A broken morgue door at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital is not world class. Flying to Canberra to beg for federal funding is not world class. WA has a $2.4 billion surplus in the state coffers. There is no excuse for this level of failure. The people in my state aren't asking for much. They're asking for a health system that works, leadership that listens and promises that are kept. This is about more than just statistics; it's about trust. The WA Labor government has broken that trust. This is about whether this government is willing to face the truth and fix what's broken. WA Labor must be held accountable for the promises it's failed to keep and the lives it continues to put at risk. I will keep rising in this place until this government stops making excuses and starts delivering results. My community and all Western Australians deserve better from the Cook Labor government.
Albanese Government | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
National Police Remembrance Day | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
I joint with the Minister for Home Affairs in making a statement on National Police Remembrance Day. On 29 September every year, we pause to honour the service and sacrifice of our police...
I joint with the Minister for Home Affairs in making a statement on National Police Remembrance Day. On 29 September every year, we pause to honour the service and sacrifice of our police officers who paid the ultimate price and lost their lives in the line of duty. We take this opportunity to honour the men and women who dutifully serve each and every day, willingly putting themselves in harm's way to protect their fellow Australians. On 16 June this year, Constable Keith Smith was tragically shot and killed on duty in Tasmania. Just last week, Australians were horrified when Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart were shot and killed in the line of duty in Porepunkah in Victoria. Our deepest condolences go to their loved ones and colleagues, who have been devastated by this loss. We also remember and honour the detective who was injured and those the police officers working tirelessly in the cold, rugged Victorian countryside to bring the killer to justice. These tragic events are a sombre reminder of the dangers police face every day and the incredible courage it takes to serve our communities and country with that uncertainty. Every year on 29 September, we pay tribute to those officers who gave their lives while serving and protecting the Australian people—men and women who lost their lives for the betterment of ours. Every year on 29 September, we also recommit to providing solace and support to the partners, children, families and colleagues of our fallen officers who now carry their memory but also the scars of their loss. We also encourage Australians to pause and reflect on the extraordinary service our police give to our communities and country. I join the minister in acknowledging those members in this House who served in uniform as police officers prior to coming to this place. Every day, our police serve on the front lines, often in dangerous and difficult circumstances, sometimes at great personal cost and, all too often, unrecognised for their sacrifices. On behalf of the coalition and this parliament, I pay the deepest respect to our fallen officers. We thank all those who continue to serve. Their sacrifice and their service embody the great tradition of ordered liberty under law that makes our nation safe and free.
National Security | Questions without Notice | House debates
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the aforementioned reports in the Australian and your previous answer. Is the Prime Minister aware of any info that suggests that ISIS brides are...
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the aforementioned reports in the Australian and your previous answer. Is the Prime Minister aware of any info that suggests that ISIS brides are seeking to return to Australia, and is your government making preparations to receive them?
Australian National Flag | Statements by Members | House debates
Flags are important symbols. That's why it is unlawful in Australia to display the flag of listed terrorist organisations like Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic State and Neo-Nazi groups. None of those...
Flags are important symbols. That's why it is unlawful in Australia to display the flag of listed terrorist organisations like Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic State and Neo-Nazi groups. None of those flags are welcome in our country, nor are people who support extremist ideology. But fair minded, law-abiding Australians can march on our streets and display Palestinian or Australian flags—as thousands did last month—without being labelled a terrorist or a Neo-Nazi, even if the marches are tainted by the unwelcome presence of people who support Islamic terrorism and Neo-Nazism. Like most Australians, I prefer the Australian flag because my first allegiance is to this country and our people. Our flag speaks to who we are. The Union Jack reminds us that our tradition of ordered liberty under law and parliamentary democracy is British in origin, anchored in the Glorious Revolution of 1689 and the English Bill of Rights. That is a historical fact. The federation star reminds us that we are one people, one Commonwealth and one country, and the southern cross reminds us that we live down under, far from the ancients strife that has divided Europe and the Middle East over the millennia. We are different, and Australians want to keep it that way. That's why thousands unfurled our flag on Sunday.
Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2025 Measures No. 1) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
You're out. It's how we'd operate with our own homes. This country has the same standards. Given this imperative and the fact that this bill is constrained in its scope to addressing specific...
You're out. It's how we'd operate with our own homes. This country has the same standards. Given this imperative and the fact that this bill is constrained in its scope to addressing specific legal challenges relating to noncitizens on a removal pathway, the coalition is facilitating the urgent passage of this bill through the House, despite Labor's rushed and dysfunctional process. We will interrogate this bill via an inquiry in the other place to ensure there are no mistakes or unintended consequences, given this government's atrocious track record when it comes to this kind of legislation. Remember, this is the fifth bill Labor has introduced to manage its NZYQ disaster. We would not be doing the right thing by the Australian people if we did not insist on an inquiry in the other place, even if we are committed to facilitating the urgent passage of this bill. I want to restate that the only reason we are here today is that Labor failed to get it right the last four times. Again, it is Labor that has botched its handling of Australia's immigration system, and, again, it has fallen to the coalition as the adults in the room to clean up Labor's mess. We will clean up Labor's mess, and that is why we will support the passage of this bill through the House.
Lives at risk—exactly, the member for Riverina. Sadly, these are just the latest in a litany of failures from the Albanese Labor government on immigration and community safety, including...
Lives at risk—exactly, the member for Riverina. Sadly, these are just the latest in a litany of failures from the Albanese Labor government on immigration and community safety, including the former minister for immigration's direction 99 debacle, which saw 97 criminal noncitizens avoid deportation from Australia because of the government's capitulation to pressure from the New Zealand government, and the Minister for Home Affairs' humanitarian program on the run, wherein he admitted he had been personally interviewing Palestinian families before granting them humanitarian visas. This comes after the government granted thousands of tourist visas to people in a war zone controlled by a terrorist group before they were referred to ASIO for proper security checks. The Albanese Labor government is undermining Operation Sovereign Borders by overseeing a 21 per cent decrease in aerial flying hours and a 16 per cent decrease in maritime patrol days compared to 2020-21. We've seen at least 35 illegal people-smuggling ventures carrying more than 600 illegal boat arrivals make the journey to Australia since the Albanese Labor government came to power. At least five ventures have made it to the Australian mainland, at least two of which deposited their passengers and escaped undetected by Australian authorities, something that was almost unheard of in the decade before Labor took government. The current bill seeks to address legal arguments being used by NZYQ affected individuals to prevent their removal from Australia to Nauru under a third-country reception arrangement. They have mounted two types of legal challenge: firstly, by claiming that they were owed procedural fairness before the Commonwealth took the decision to apply for a Nauruan visa; and secondly, by claiming that there was an error in an old visa decision relating to them. The bill seeks to address these lines of argument by putting beyond doubt that the Commonwealth does not need to afford an individual procedural fairness when taking action in relation to third-country reception arrangements, disclosing information about removal-pathway noncitizens to foreign governments and issuing removal-pathway directions requiring noncitizens to take certain steps to facilitate their lawful removal from Australia. These provisions are primarily directed to noncitizens who have exhausted all legitimate avenues to remain in Australia and for whom removal is the only remaining outcome under Australian law. The bill also removes legal uncertainty created by the NZYQ decision by validating relevant visa decisions so they are taken, for all purposes, to have always been valid, as if they had been made in accordance with the current law established by NZYQ. The coalition has always sought to work constructively with government to fix the immigration mess of the Labor government's own making. We'll always act in the national interest, and this is absolutely in the Australian peoples' interest. We cannot have criminals roaming freely without surveillance in our community any longer. I understand the net effect of this bill is to provide legal certainty which will minimise delays in removing NZYQ affected individuals from Australia, meaning that people with no legal right to be here will be removed as soon as possible. Basic rules of hospitality apply. If you're in this country, you do the right thing. If you don't, you're gone.
He's still a minister. Tragically, it is the Australian community that has borne the very real consequences of this government's dysfunction. We will never forget the tragic image of the front...
He's still a minister. Tragically, it is the Australian community that has borne the very real consequences of this government's dysfunction. We will never forget the tragic image of the front page of the West Australian that showed a cancer survivor and grandmother who, allegedly, had been bashed at the hands of a freed immigration detainee who'd had his ankle monitor removed despite already facing charges for visa breaches and other offences. This came after repeated warnings from the coalition for the government to move quickly to re-detain the highest-risk offenders. It is little wonder that the Prime Minister jettisoned the member for Hotham and the member for Scullin from the Home Affairs portfolio, after their chaotic and dysfunctional approach to Australia's immigration and border protection regime. The member for Watson's test as the new Minister for Home Affairs was to fix this mess and restore order to our immigration system. But, evidently, he has failed too. More than 18 months after the parliament passed legislation to create the community safety order regime, the minister has still not lodged a single application for a preventive detention order, despite the member for Scullin promising in May last year that six applications were nearly ready and a further 26 were in the advanced stage of preparation. This is a shocking failure on community safety from the Albanese Labor government. Tragically, we have seen very real consequences for this inaction. On 15 June, a 62-year-old man was, allegedly, viciously assaulted in Melbourne by an immigration detainee freed by this government. The victim died from his injuries in hospital and the perpetrator has since been charged with his murder. This terrible situation could have been avoided if the government had used its preventive detention powers to put this dangerous criminal behind bars before he had harmed an innocent Australian. Later, in June, the Minister for Home Affairs effectively admitted he had given up on his own preventive detention regime, saying, 'No-one has come close to reaching the threshold that is in that legislation.' But instead of seeking to fix the problem by, for example, changing the law to lower this threshold, the minister has thrown up his hands and put it in the too-hard basket. I suppose we shouldn't be too surprised. When the member for Watson last held the immigration portfolio, in 2013, in just 80 days he allowed 83 boats carrying 6,634 people into our country and put 1,992 children in detention. Things aren't looking much better this time around. The minister needs to pull his act together and use the powers the parliament gave the government to get these high-risk offenders off the streets before they commit more crimes against innocent Australians. There is no reason he can't do this at the same time he pursues avenues for deportation, like the third-country arrangements dealt with by this bill. The need for action has never been more acute. As at 31 July, there were 354 dangerous criminals free in the community following the NZYQ decision. Of these, only 90—less than a third—are subject to electronic monitoring and only 45 individuals are subject to a specified curfew. This means that there are well over 200 dangerous criminals free in the community without ankle bracelets or curfews—basics, really. If you're letting criminals out into the community, you'd think you'd put them under some sort of surveillance—not this government; not the Albanese government. We also know, from previous evidence given by the Department of Home Affairs, that there are child sex offenders free in the community who are not subject to electronic monitoring, curfew or any form of surveillance. Because of Labor's botched legislation, multiple criminals convicted for visa breaches received suspended sentences despite the parliament legislating mandatory 12-month minimum sentences shortly after the NZYQ fiasco began. This minister is asleep at the wheel, and his negligence is putting the Australian community at risk.
You couldn't make this stuff up. This was the first of many times the coalition would help to clean up the government's mess—in this instance, by facilitating the urgent passage of the...
You couldn't make this stuff up. This was the first of many times the coalition would help to clean up the government's mess—in this instance, by facilitating the urgent passage of the Migration Amendment (Bridging Visa Conditions) Act 2023 on 18 November 2023 so that strict visa conditions could be imposed. Immediately after the NZYQ ruling the coalition called on the government to implement a preventive detention regime to re-detain the most serious risk-offenders that had been released. After the member for Hotham suggested, 'You can't out legislate the High Court,' the government was dragged into finally passing new laws to implement a community safety order scheme—after we'd been demanding it for weeks. In March last year, the member for Scullin was forced to admit that the government had issued invalid visas to nearly 150 people released from immigration detention because of a technical legal error. As a result, our law enforcement agencies were forced to withdraw charges, for alleged visa breaches, against 10 hardened criminals in the NZYQ cohort. Then, in an extraordinary revelation in Senate estimates, the Department of Home Affairs admitted that murderers and sex offenders were being released by the government without being subject to electronic monitoring, meaning they were free in the Australian community without any surveillance at all. They were let loose on the Australian people. Who could forget the member for Scullin's bizarre interview on Sky News, where he claimed this cohort were being monitored under an imaginary drone surveillance program, which he was forced to admit didn't exist? I think he's been watching too many Hollywood movies in his spare time!
Here we are again—a new parliament but the same shambolic handling of Australia's migration system from the Albanese Labor government. Another bill introduced at the eleventh hour,...
Here we are again—a new parliament but the same shambolic handling of Australia's migration system from the Albanese Labor government. Another bill introduced at the eleventh hour, subverting proper parliamentary scrutiny, as Labor tries to patch over its own failings. Again, it has fallen to the coalition to help clean up Labor's mess. This will be the fifth bill Labor has introduced in an attempt to fix the chaos it created when it released hundreds of dangerous criminals onto our streets after it lost the NZYQ case almost two years ago. Make no mistake, it is the Labor government's successive policy failures that have brought us to this position in the first place. It's not the High Court, it's not the coalition or the Greens. This mess sits at Labor's feet alone. When the High Court handed down its ruling in the NZYQ case in November 2023, this government was caught flat-footed when it should have had the laws drafted and ready to go. Instead, this panicked government released hundreds of criminal noncitizens into the community with no plan to manage the very serious risks to public safety. On 14 November 2023 the hopeless former minister for home affairs and the hopeless former minister for immigration said that the released detainees were 'subject to a range of strict mandatory visa conditions'. But as it turns out, no visas were in place at all. According to documents obtained by the coalition under FOI, this government released at least 83 detainees from immigration detention into the community without any visa conditions, meaning they were roaming about freely and completely unchecked.
Address-in-Reply | Governor-General's Speech | House debates
Today I rise to speak on behalf of the people of Canning—my constituents, the families, the workers and the small business owners who embody the very best of our nation. The people living...
Today I rise to speak on behalf of the people of Canning—my constituents, the families, the workers and the small business owners who embody the very best of our nation. The people living in my patch are hardworking, self-reliant and deeply community minded. They don't ask much from government—just a fair go, respect and the freedom to get on with their lives. Our community is resilient, ambitious and proud. We stand together in tough times and we celebrate each other's success. That's the spirit of Canning, which is the Peel region, for those of you who don't live in WA. I'm very proud to represent them in this place. This year I was honoured to be re-elected as the member for Canning after a redistribution that reduced our margin to just 1.2 per cent. I was grateful that my constituents once again placed their trust in me. We achieved a strong result with a 5.4 per cent swing and a margin of over 13,000 votes. I'm deeply grateful for the support shown by our community and the way they've sent me back to Canberra to be their voice here in this chamber. Our result was a testament to the strength and unity of our local community and to the grassroots campaign we ran, focused on issues that affect real people. We didn't campaign in the abstract; we campaigned very much in concrete terms. While national security concerns dominated headlines, my campaign was firmly local. Every day, I met with residents, listened to their concerns and committed to fighting for the things that matter most to them. Today, I bring their voices into this chamber. My team and I campaigned on the issues that mattered to them: cost of living, local infrastructure and community safety. We campaigned on health and, for nearly a decade, the Western Australian government has promised a $152 million upgrade to the Peel Health Campus. When they put that figure to the public in 2021—$152 million—that was before we saw inflation over the last four years. That figure is now about $180 million, and they haven't increased the funding in real terms, so we've actually taken a $30 million cut to the upgrade. That promise has been repeated in press releases, budget papers and media statements, but the reality on the ground has not changed. One year after the hospital was handed back into public hands, with great fanfare from Labor, there has still been no redevelopment, no new facilities and no relief for the families, children and seniors in my community. Ambulance ramping is at record highs, doctors and nurses are exhausted, and clinicians warn the system is in a death spiral. This is not just incompetence; this is actually really dangerous. People are left waiting in emergency. People are even sent away. I have countless stories from seniors, particularly, who are really struggling. For seniors who need to see a geriatrician, they have to wait up to 18 months. Some, by the time they get to see a geriatrician, have experienced further decline—whether physical or cognitive—and some have even passed on. So we have a very acute health crisis in my electorate. Labor's own member for Mandurah has admitted the funding isn't enough, yet the Premier continues to sit on a multibillion-dollar surplus while our hospital bursts at the seams. We all know the WA budget is doing better than most other jurisdictions, and, yet, we're not seeing the investment in our health system that we need. Locals are angry. They've shared their shocking experiences at Peel Health Campus. They're angry and they have every right to be. I'm calling it as I see it: this is a betrayal of my community. I'll keep fighting until the Peel Health Campus is fixed. No more spin. No more empty promises. Just action—because our community deserves better. And it's not just in health. Right across the Peel region, we are being let down on the infrastructure that underpins our daily lives. We need infrastructure that keeps pace with growth, including roads, public transport and community facilities. People travelling to and from Perth everyday on the Kwinana Freeway experience a massive opportunity cost—a journey that used to take about 70 minutes can now take up to two hours at a time. That opportunity cost is time with family, time exercising, time doing admin and time doing other important things that happen in our daily lives. Labor for a decade have promised a train station at Karnup, and for a decade now they've failed to deliver it. Another train station would help a lot of my constituents and would provide another alternative form of transport to and from the city every day, but we've got no funding, no timeline and no commitment. The land on which the train station will be built sits vacant while our growing suburbs of Karnup, Singleton, Golden Bay and Secret Harbour, suburbs recently added to my electorate as part of the redistribution, are ignored. They're taken for granted by Labor. There was not even a mention in the latest state budget. It's pretty shameful, and a lot of people agree. These are vibrant, fast-growing areas, and they deserve the same level of infrastructure investment as the rest of the region. I'll also note that these suburbs are part of the AUKUS catchment, so we have a growing presence of Royal Australian Navy families, defence families and people involved in the future AUKUS industrial base. I should also add that we're going to see Americans moving into my electorate over the next couple of years as well. Admiral Caudle, who's a senior US naval officer, said there would be from 3,000 to 9,000 Americans moving in over the next five years or so. Those are a lot of people to integrate into our community. They're very welcome to come. I'm sure they'll bring a lot of opportunity as well. There are a lot of spouses in the US military who are teachers and nurses, and we have shortages in both fields. I hope this government is working on ensuring that they can be employed in our communities when they arrive. I also want to note as well that my electorate will take about 25 per cent of the new Defence housing which have been slated to support AUKUS. So we need more investment from the federal government and the state government as well, but instead we're being left behind. The Karnup train station is a key data point for that. Labor's failure to act is not just a broken promise; it's a clear message that these communities aren't a priority. I've raised this time and time again, and I've launched a petition to hold the Cook Labor government to account. A station at Karnup isn't a luxury; it's a necessity. People don't expect us to make fanfare when we deliver these things; they just expect government to do them. They pay taxes, and they expect government to do these projects and do them on time. A train station would ease pressure on nearby stations, reduce congestion and give families the access they deserve. Labor wants us to forget about it, but I won't. That's why I'm speaking about it, and I'm more than happy to raise state issues as well because most constituents just want a better future for their families and a fair go. Whether it's at the local, state or federal level, I'll keep fighting for my people. I first heard about the need for a local train station while I was doorknocking back in 2016. Locals were frustrated, ignored by their Labor MPs and fed up with broken promises. Despite fierce resistance from WA Labor, we stood firm and we delivered the Lakelands train station. Let's not forget that Labor ministers publicly dismissed the project. Rita Saffioti called it embarrassing. Paul Papalia said it was a station no one needed, and David Templeman sat at the cabinet table for years without delivering a cent for the Lakelands train station. Yet, when the station finally opened in June 2023, closing a 23-kilometre gap in the Mandurah rail line, they were very fast to show up for photo opportunities. That station wasn't delivered by Labor; it was delivered by the people of Lakelands who refused to give up. I'm proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder with them, and together we got it done. I'll do the same for those people living in and around Karnup. That same determination for a fair go on infrastructure is driving our campaign to reinstate the Pinjarra Heavy Haulage Deviation. This is another critical infrastructure project that WA Labor abandoned, despite its clear benefits to safety, heritage and quality of life. Hundreds of trucks thunder through the heart of Pinjarra. Pinjarra is a beautiful, old historic town right in the centre of the Peel region. It was settled around the 1830s, and every day we have these big trucks carrying huge loads, including jarrah logs, critical minerals that have been mined and massive mining equipment which often needs an escort at the front and rear. These trucks pass through our little town, and people are getting tired of it. We've invested money to make that a tourist town, and these big trucks make it very difficult for locals. A deviation would divert heavy vehicles away from the town centre. It would protect local families, businesses and the character of our community, which is sitting there on the Murray River—a very beautiful part of the world. Labor's decision to cut money for the deviation is short sighted and reckless. We're not backing down. Just like we did with the Lakelands train station, we'll keep fighting until Pinjarra gets the infrastructure it needs. This isn't the only way that Labor is letting down regional and outer metropolitan communities. Labor's cost-of-living crisis has hit outer metro areas and regional Australia hardest. Fuel costs are up. Many people drive. There's limited public transport, so everyone has petrol or diesel costs in their family budget. Health premiums are up. There's a real lack of confidence in the public health sector run by Labor. People are paying health premiums, but they're creeping up. Mortgage and rental costs are up. We have a housing demand crisis. I've seen people at my local beach get out of their car in the morning after sleeping in the car, take a shower at the beach showers and then go off to work. This is Australia in 2025. We have an abundance of geography here, but somehow we have this housing shortage. It's a housing demand crisis, and I think this is because Labor's uncontrolled immigration has caused a lot of pressure on the housing sector. From the year 2000 to 2019, the average net overseas migration figure was 190,000 people. In the last two years, Labor has brought in about half a million people, and we wonder why we're struggling for housing. We shouldn't have people living in their cars. We shouldn't have kids living in caravan parks. We shouldn't have kids living in tents in the backyards of friends. It's shameful, and it's always in the outer metropolitan and regional areas where people do it tough, are hurt the worst. Now Labor has introduced a new tax on the vehicles Australians rely on most. The diesel Prados, Rangers, LandCruisers, MU-Xs and D-MAXs are the workhorses of outer metropolitan areas and regional Australia. If you come down to the school where my kids go every morning, you'll see mums and dads dropping their kids off in four-wheel drives and utes, because their partner is a tradie or they work on the mines or they just like to go four-wheel driving. That's why they're living in the regions. Labor's so-called fuel efficiency standard is nothing more than a car and ute tax. It's driving up the cost of popular vehicles like the Ford Ranger, the Toyota HiLux and the Mitsubishi Outlander—vehicles that are essential for people living in my community. I mentioned the metaphor of the workhorse of our local economy. It's true. My community, more than a hundred years ago, relied on horses for the local economy. We provided a good number of light horsemen that fought in the First World War. These vehicles do the same job today. These are the vehicles that tow the boats, the floats and their caravans. Tradies, farmers and families shouldn't be punished for driving the vehicles they need. Labor's fuel efficiency standard is driving up costs and limiting choice, hurting the very people who keep our economy moving. We have very, very few electric vehicle charging stations, but we've got a lot of people paying a fuel excise. It's not just bad policy; it's an attack on our way of life. While they're taxing our utes, Labor are also pushing ahead with a massive offshore windfarm off my southern coast—all the way down the coast to Dunsborough, a beautiful stretch of the WA coastline. They're doing this without proper consultation and against the wishes of my community. The proposed zone spans thousands of square kilometres of ocean just 26 kilometres from our coastline and not far south of the proposed AUKUS submarine base. This project threatens our local environment, threatens tourism and threatens our recreational activities. It risks damaging marine life, ocean floors and bird habitats. We're very proud of our whales in WA. We're proud of our dolphins. These are the sorts of creatures that live in our oceans which will be affected by these wind farms. It will impose enormous costs on Australian families and business, because, let's be frank, wind power only works when the wind is blowing. There is incredibly expensive transmission infrastructure which needs to be built to connect these solar and wind farms that Labor are putting all over our country. I think one thing that is overlooked is that these wind turbines and a lot of these solar panels, if not all, are manufactured overseas, often in China, using our fossil fuels, whether it be coal or gas, that we export. It's a reality that this country exports 25 per cent of the world's coal and 20 per cent of the world's liquefied natural gas. It's a huge source of revenue. It underwrites the NDIS, it underwrites health and it underwrites our welfare system. So, whilst Australians are being forced to pay more for their energy needs, countries who we export to are getting their energy much cheaper, which makes them more competitive in the long term. Under this government, we're seeing local communities and their wishes overridden and we're seeing inefficient, expensive and environmentally-damaging solar and wind farms pushed on local communities. We're outsourcing emissions. This is a government that does a lot of carbon leakage. They claim they're green, but they do a lot of carbon leakage. They're increasing our dependence on foreign supply chains. We're not building these wind turbines. We're not making the solar panels. We're importing them from China. So, effectively, we're dismantling our comparative advantage in energy, which comes from our coal and our gas. We could have nuclear power because we've got a lot of uranium. We're dismantling that comparative advantage and we're making ourselves dependent on the importation of power made overseas. I think it's unfair and unsustainable. Another issue is the unbearable odour affecting residents in the northern suburbs of my electorate. For those here it might sound like a minor inconvenience, trivial even. But for those living with it, this smell emanating from waste and compost facilities is making homes unlivable and outdoor spaces unusable, particularly in summer when temperatures hit 35-plus and you get a roaring easterly out to the coast. These smells are dumped on a lot of our coastal community living in the north of the electorate. Kids can't play outside, and people can't open their windows in the middle of summer. In fact, when I was doorknocking in Singleton, an elderly couple came to the door. Everyone else in the street was talking about the stink, and they said, 'We can't even turn our air conditioning on, because it smells like blood and bone in our living room if we do.' This is a serious disruption to their lives, their health and their homes. I've held community meetings, I've called for action from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and I've invited the Minister for the Environment to see the impact firsthand. This is just one of the many challenges facing our community. But, despite this, my constituents remain hopeful. They're proud of their community and they are determined to build a better future. I want to acknowledge the people who came up to me on the street to have a chat. They might have given me a word of encouragement. Some of my favourite moments are, in fact, shopping at Coles in Halls Head, doing constituent work in the aisles. I remember the seniors I spoke to recently, who were trying to work out if they could afford eggs for the week. It's a great community, but rarely do I hear people whinge. They've always got constructive feedback or encouragement, and I thank them for that. I'm proud to be a leader in my community and I don't take that responsibility lightly. Leadership is about service. That's what I learnt over the lake there at the Australian Defence Force Academy and the Royal Military College, Duntroon. The motto for ADFA is To Lead, To Excel, and at Duntroon it's Learning Promotes Strength. Leadership in those institutions was always about service, and it's a privilege to continue doing that in public office in this parliament. It's about listening, learning and standing firm in the face of adversity. It's about representing the values of the people who sent us here: hard work, honesty and a deep commitment to our country. Our schools are filled with bright, curious and capable young Australians. They're ready to take on the world, but they need a future that they can believe in and one that they want to step into—a future built not on debt and decline but on opportunity, stability, cohesion as a country and national pride. That future begins with a commitment to the people we serve, not just in election years but every single day. It's not easy. We're all imperfect people. There is not a single perfect person on this earth, and, particularly in politics, our imperfections can sometimes be magnified. That's just what comes with public office. But nonetheless, we need to fight for our constituents, for fairness, for prosperity and for the dignity of every single Australian. That's what leadership demands. It's about standing firm when it counts, speaking up when others stay silent and never forgetting who you represent. Before I conclude I want to thank my campaign team, who worked tirelessly through the rain and on hot days because they believe in our community and our cause. I want to thank our volunteers who gave their time, energy and heart to our campaign. It's always encouraging when you meet new people who are willing to put on a T-shirt and stand with you—you'd know this, Deputy Speaker Sharkie—because they believe in what you stand for. So I want to thank all those people. I also want to thank my family—my wife, Ruth, and our children—for their support and sacrifice. Next month, I'll have been 10 years in the parliament. My wife has spent the last 10 years having kids and raising kids, often without me present, and she does it because she believes in what I do in this place. So I want to acknowledge my wife, Ruth, for her love and her support. I also acknowledge my kids. My three-year-old said to me on Friday, 'Why don't you live with us anymore, Dad?' which was hard to hear. But my 10-year-old boy and my eight-year-old daughter explained that I go to parliament and I do it for a good reason, and I hope that one day she will understand why I've taken this job on. I'll leave it there. Thank you very much.
Canning Electorate: Canning Shakespeare Competition | Constituency Statements | House debates
Last Saturday we hosted the 10th annual Canning Shakespeare Competition, which is a competition I run every year. For 10 years now we have had more than 120 kids step up onto the stage and bring...
Last Saturday we hosted the 10th annual Canning Shakespeare Competition, which is a competition I run every year. For 10 years now we have had more than 120 kids step up onto the stage and bring Shakespeare's words to life. When I started this competition a decade ago the goal was simple: to give young people in our community an opportunity that they may not otherwise have. I'm always grateful to Mr Ben Elton AM, the co-writer of Blackadder, Mr Bean and Upstart Crow who was there to launch our first competition. The reason I do this is that kids in outer metro and regional areas often don't get the same opportunities in the arts as those in the capital cities. I believe in a fair go, which is why we put this competition on. Talent isn't limited to geography, and opportunity should not be limited by it, either. We've had a number of kids come through, engage with the arts, gain performance experience and wrestle with one of the toughest playwrights you can perform. I'm proud to say that we've had one of our winners be accepted into the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, launched from our competition, which is great. Shakespeare isn't just about theatre. He is part of the Western canon, a body of work that has shaped our civilisation and the way that we speak. If you say phrases like 'to break the ice', you're quoting The Taming of the Shrew,if you say you 'wear your heart on your sleeve', you're quoting Othello, and if you say you are 'in a pickle'—which is what a lot of us say around here—you are quoting The Tempest. Shakespeare continues to shape our language. It also stretches our imagination, sharpens our mind and helps young people to understand the full breadth of the human condition, from our strengths, our flaws to our ambition and, of course, our many failings. I have seen what happens when young people rise to the challenge. There was a young girl of about 15 who on the weekend was completely scared before she went out onto the stage, but when she went out onto the stage she transformed into someone of great confidence and did a wonderful performance. That's why we do it. This year Henry Hayes from Mandurah Baptist College won the competition with a commanding performance as King Richard from Richard III, and his portrayal of Richard III—complete with hunchback—took us into another word, which is what the judges were looking for. Our runner-up, Shekinah Doherty, from Foundation Christian College, gave a moving performance as Lady Anne, also from Richard III, that was full of poise and emotional depth for someone her age. These performances are a credit not just to Henry and Shekinah but also to their schools, teachers and families who support them. I acknowledge Steve Capener, the drama teacher from Foundation Christian College, who backs us in every year and prepares his students. I also thank our panel of judges: Shelby Kazakoff, a local drama teacher; Dr Melissa Merchant from Murdoch University; and Dr Tom Heath from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Thank you for backing us in.
Antisemitism | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
When we look at the Australian national flag and we see the Southern Cross, it's a reminder of how unique our geography is and the distance we have enjoyed over the years from many of the ancient...
When we look at the Australian national flag and we see the Southern Cross, it's a reminder of how unique our geography is and the distance we have enjoyed over the years from many of the ancient hatreds in the Middle East and even Europe. But yesterday was a dark day in Australian history because we realised that those hatreds had come right to our front door. Iran has sponsored terrorist acts on our soil against Jewish Australians. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps conducted operational activities to firebomb a place of worship in Melbourne and to firebomb a business in Sydney. To focus on that would be to miss the larger frame of the last two years which has occurred under this Labor government, and that is that we have seen a crisis of antisemitism erupt in this country. We've had a series of appalling incidents of vandalism and public displays of support for terrorists. It's left many Australians very shocked and troubled by this but particularly Australians of Jewish heritage and faith, who feel under siege, who feel like their country is disappearing before them and who have always considered themselves Australians but are now being targeted by the government of Iran. But it's not just public displays of antisemitism. We have seen crime and hate spread across many parts of our community. Our universities have been transformed into nurseries of hatred, where students chant, 'From the river to the sea'. The phrase 'from the river to the sea' is, I'm guessing, not something they understand all too well. It's drawn directly from the Hamas charter documents as recently as 2017. It means that Hamas wants to see the Jewish people extinguished from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. It's effectively a call to violent action. We've seen a shocking campaign of terror across our country as cars and homes have been vandalised. We've even seen a childcare centre set alight and graffitied with antisemitic messages. Just last week, we saw a Hamas flag flown at a protest in Brisbane. It is shameful. People are tired of it, and, under this government, we've seen inaction. We've seen a lack of political leadership. We've seen a lack of moral clarity. We've seen taxpayer funds go on to extremist community organisations that undermine social cohesion. Labor gave more than $1.5 million in funding to a group whose employee called October 7th 'a day of courage' and vowed that Islam would dominate. We've seen Labor funnel taxpayer funds to prop up its vote. Eighty per cent of organisations that shared in Labor's $30 million package to support Palestinian Muslim communities were groups in Labor held seats. This is not the sort of thing that this government should be doing. They should be fostering social cohesion. On this question of listing the IRGC, for the last 2 ½ years the coalition has called on the Albanese government to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. My good friend the member for Berowra made these calls in the House of Representatives as early as February 2023, stating that the opposition was ready and willing to work with the government on any legislative changes to amend the Criminal Code to see the listing occur. We called on the government 10 times in the last two years to make the listing. Senator Claire Chandler's Senate inquiry gathered compelling evidence from the Jewish community and the Persian community that the IRGC was operating as a terrorist organisation. I want to emphasise to the House what a fine line there is between bombing a synagogue and actually murdering people. We could have had a foreign government, through its military arm, murdering Australian citizens, effectively conducting assassinations against the Australian people. That's how significant this was. It's taken ASIO 10 months of painstaking work to get the government to a point where they can finally see the necessity of listing the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, and we'll do that as fast as humanly possible because we think it needs to be done. Today, we're calling on the Labor government to start showing moral clarity. It shouldn't take an envoy with a report and its neglected recommendations to bring them to action. Australians out in the streets can see very clearly that we have a serious problem with antisemitism and that Australians of Jewish faith and heritage feel under siege. Their places of worship are being bombed. Their businesses are being firebombed. There's vandalism. There are calls on the street for them to be extinguished as a people. This government needs to— (Time expired)
Western Australia: Health Care | Statements by Members | House debates
I want a better hospital for my constituents. That's why this is my 14th speech on this subject. Labor has governed Western Australia since 2017—almost a decade—and in that time they...
I want a better hospital for my constituents. That's why this is my 14th speech on this subject. Labor has governed Western Australia since 2017—almost a decade—and in that time they have promised $152 million to upgrade our hospital. And what have we seen? We've seen nothing—no new beds, no new wards. The Peel Health Campus is stretched to breaking point. And it's not just Peel. WA's health system is collapsing. Ambulance ramping is at record highs. When Labor took office in March 2017, ramping across WA was 641 hours for the month. Last month it blew out to over 7,000 hours, a record high. Behind those numbers are real people: children, families and seniors. Let me paint the picture. Paramedics are stuck outside our hospitals, instead of giving urgent care to those who need it. People sit for hours in emergency; some are even sent away. Doctors and nurses are exhausted. This is a full-blown crisis. Clinicians warn the system is in a death spiral. And Premier Roger Cook's answer? A $50 million maintenance fund, which is 0.13 per cent of WA's infrastructure budget. My community and all Western Australians deserve better. They deserve hospitals that work and a government that delivers. It's time Labor stopped making excuses. It's time Labor started fixing our hospitals, and I'll keep speaking in this chamber until it happens.
Canning Electorate: Environment | Constituency Statements | House debates
Today I rise to raise a stinker of an issue, and I'm not just playing with words. We have a stink that hangs over the northern part of my electorate, and it's making life miserable for thousands...
Today I rise to raise a stinker of an issue, and I'm not just playing with words. We have a stink that hangs over the northern part of my electorate, and it's making life miserable for thousands of residents in Lakelands, Madora Bay, Singleton, Meadow Springs and beyond. I'm referring to the persistent and foul odour coming from businesses near these suburbs in Nambeelup. The smell is making homes unlivable. Outdoor activities are becoming unbearable. Families are embarrassed to invite friends over and socialise. Kids can't play outside of school, and people are forced to keep their windows closed in the middle of summer. They can't turn their air conditioning on, because the smell is then blown into their homes. This isn't normal, and it shouldn't be accepted. The smell is so bad that the Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has a dedicated reporting function on its website just for the smell. This is not normal and should not be accepted. Thousands of people have reported it, and when they follow up they're provided with a generic response saying the department is aware of the issue—bureaucratic jargon for, 'We're not going to do anything about this.' Labor's WA environment minister is silent, and local Labor members are missing in action. In April I held a community forum on this issue, and hundreds of locals turned up, including people I'd never met before, because when your backyard smells like landfill you want answers. I invited the WA environment minister and the department to attend the forum, but they declined. Apparently, the urgency felt by the community wasn't enough to drag them out of their offices. I think their absence speaks volumes. It's easy to ignore a problem when you're not the one breathing it in. I've been chasing a meeting with the minister since April, and I'm pleased to report that I finally secured a meeting in September. I'll be bringing more than polite conversation to this meeting, and, if the minister won't come to Mandurah, I'll bring Mandurah to him. Last week I launched a petition on my website, calling on the WA government to take action, which has already been signed by nearly 700 locals. The result is more than a petition; it's a community sick and tired of being ignored. I'll be tabling the petition at the appropriate time, and I'll show it to the minister along with every concern and story I've been told by locals. I'd like to thank the locals that have raised this issue with me, especially Wendy, who manages a Facebook page with more than 1,000 members on this very issue. I suspect the minister would love for me to be quiet about this, but that's why we come here and represent our constituents on all issues; that's our job. I won't stop talking about this until there's a real outcome. For local families, local businesses and kids stuck indoors, I call on the Western Australian state government to stop dodging and start listening. My community deserves better.