Susan Templeman's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2026-02-05T22:06:01+00:00
items: Macquarie Electorate: Australia Day Honours and Awards | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
items: Environment | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Mental Health Month | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
items: Guitars for Veterans Australia | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: g124.9
items: g124.7
items: g123.18
items: g123.15
items: g123.1
items: Telecommunications | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Ausify | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Youth Voice in Parliament | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Artificial Intelligence | Adjournment | House debates

Macquarie Electorate: Australia Day Honours and Awards | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: I'm so proud to recognise the 13 recipients of Australia Day honours from Macquarie. Carol Edds and Farah Madon have each become a member of the Order of Australia, an AM. Carol has been...
encoded: I'm so proud to recognise the 13 recipients of Australia Day honours from Macquarie. Carol Edds and Farah Madon have each become a member of the Order of Australia, an AM. Carol has been recognised for her work in the construction industry and on heritage conservation, including as the founder of the Hawkesbury branch of the National Trust. Architect Farah Madon from Emu Plains, with her approach to supporting dignity, inclusion and independence for all, is recognised for significant service to architecture and to people with a disability. Eight people from Macquarie have each received a medal of the Order of Australia, an OAM. Ann Caro was on her first day of the school year at Mount Druitt's Chifley College Senior Campus when I rang to congratulate her for services to education. Among other things, she played a key role in establishing Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School at Emu Plains. Bronwyn Howes is honoured for her service to primary education, including guiding students at Oakville Public School for more than 20 years. Also from the Hawkesbury, Adrian Peter Read is honoured for his service to gymnastics and the community, which included being the director of Gymnastics Australia and serving on the YMCA. Cathy Gault, who contracted polio as a child but refused to let her wheelchair limit her, is recognised for her extensive disability work, including at the Thorndale Foundation and as a chaplain at Nepean Hospital for 17 years. For his service to conservation and the environment, Dr John Merson receives an OAM. He is a driving force behind the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute, and it's been a privilege to work with him. For her many different contributions to outdoor recreation, Caro Ryan has been honoured. Two OAMs are presented posthumously—one to the late Graham Price, who was deeply involved in the Australian Mushroom Growers Association, Rotary and the Secret Garden and Nursery in Richmond, and one to the late Walter Sutcliffe for servi…
date: 2026-02-04T11:28:00+00:00

Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: We made a promise that we would expand the scope of practice for health professionals so we could deliver real benefits to Australians. We all know it's tough to get to a GP exactly when you need...
encoded: We made a promise that we would expand the scope of practice for health professionals so we could deliver real benefits to Australians. We all know it's tough to get to a GP exactly when you need to, and this is one of many tools we're using to try and address issues that have been building up for a long time in our health system, particularly at that first interaction in primary health care. This bill, the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025, is an important step to ensure that Australians have better access to the health care they need and specifically to the medicines they need—now more affordable medicines, thanks to our capping of medicines under the PBS at $25 a script and the ability to get 60-day scripts. This is all part of a much bigger picture and shouldn't be seen in isolation. The sense of this bill is that it will allow designated registered nurses to prescribe safe, timely and effective medication. It's extending what we call their scope of practice, the stuff they're allowed to do, particularly in primary care and aged care. I know for my community it's worth noting that we've got more than 1,300 registered nurses in Macquarie, and that's on top of about 1,700 midwives and nursing professionals. So there's a really large cohort of people who are highly qualified, very experienced and may well choose to take the next steps involved so that they can expand the things that they're allowed to do. It may not sound like a big change. The legislation allows registered nurses who are endorsed against the registration standard to be an authorised prescriber to enable them to prescribe certain medicines that can be supplied under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and attract Commonwealth subsidy. It changes the Health Insurance Act 1973 to include registered nurses with certain provisions. But it's been described by nurses and people working in the sector as a huge change to the health system. When you think about t…
date: 2026-02-04T18:03:00+00:00

Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
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description: I was a long way from Bondi Beach on the evening of Sunday 14 December, at a community event to celebrate the festive season, up above the Hawkesbury River in part of the greater Blue Mountains....
encoded: I was a long way from Bondi Beach on the evening of Sunday 14 December, at a community event to celebrate the festive season, up above the Hawkesbury River in part of the greater Blue Mountains. But, like so many others, I was only one person removed from knowing people who were there that evening, people who'd left the beach a little earlier, people who were about to go for their regular run, people who were at the surf lifesaving club for Christmas parties—and the connections go on. However, it is not the proximity to danger that has created horror and anguish for people; it's the sheer evil act—the murder of 15 innocent people at Bondi Beach that evening, at a celebration for the first day of Hanukkah, in a horrific, targeted antisemitic attack. It's something none of us could have imagined would happen on Australian soil. As it should, this has left Australians reeling. Our thoughts are foremost with the 15 innocent victims and those who love them, whose lives have been changed forever by this loss and who are now suddenly navigating unimaginable grief. May the memory of those lost be a blessing. Bondi is a special place. It's a meeting point between sand, sea and sky, between locals and visitors, and between generations. For Sydneysiders, it holds memories of our visits—as kids, as adolescents and as new parents—and, always, that feeling of being on one of the world's most famous beaches. It represents the freedom and safety that every Australian deserves. It represents the carefree, joyful spirit of our national character. It's a place that belongs to us all. To see such a place violated by an act of senseless violence has shaken Australians deeply because it has struck somewhere that felt shared, open and safe, a place where all Australians should be safe, and where Jewish Australians celebrating Hanukkah should have been safe. This attack on our Jewish community was an attack on all of us. I want to also acknowledge those who were injured, physically and psy…
date: 2026-01-19T17:27:00+00:00

Environment | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: My question is to the Prime Minister. How have the government's EPBC reforms been received?
encoded: My question is to the Prime Minister. How have the government's EPBC reforms been received?
date: 2025-11-27T15:18:00+00:00

Mental Health Month | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
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description: I want to acknowledge the contribution of the member for Leichhardt. This is a place where really personal stories get shared—that's what we all bring to our roles—and it's important...
encoded: I want to acknowledge the contribution of the member for Leichhardt. This is a place where really personal stories get shared—that's what we all bring to our roles—and it's important for others to hear them. When I think about mental health, I cannot foresee a time when I will ever say, 'Job done. We've done all we need to do.' I just cannot see that we will get to a point where there isn't more to do, because it feels like there will always be more to do. But Mental Health Month does provide an opportunity to reflect on progress, and I'm very proud to be part of the Albanese Labor government, which is delivering more mental health services in the heart of communities right across the country. I'm also really proud to have been one of the advocates who has helped ensure that this is a key focus for this government. When I look back to the start of my time in parliament, access to free mental health services was available only in acute situations—essentially when you were hospitalised. the biggest change I've seen in that decade is access to free early intervention and ongoing management care for complex mental health issues through places like headspace and Medicare mental health centres. It truly is transformational. When I came to this place in 2016 there simply was no free mental health service where young people could front up before something happened, before they reached a crisis. After years of advocating we were able to secure, first of all, the Katoomba headspace and then in more recent years the Richmond headspace, and of course the Penrith headspace was one that we set up last time we were in government. These have provided and continue to provide access to young people. That's why I support the expansion of these services. We're expanding to 203 headspace services to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged between 12 and 25. You might say, 'Well, that's great for young people, but what about adults?' My experience is that some older …
date: 2025-11-26T11:43:00+00:00

Guitars for Veterans Australia | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: If you've wondered about the power of music and music therapy to heal, you would have had no doubts after hearing veterans playing at Guitars for Vets' end-of-year performance at Windsor RSL....
encoded: If you've wondered about the power of music and music therapy to heal, you would have had no doubts after hearing veterans playing at Guitars for Vets' end-of-year performance at Windsor RSL. Guitars for Vets is delivered by Noro, who received federal funding through the Department of Veterans' Affairs to run workshops, and some of the groups are now being funded through their local RSLs. Participants and their families tell me that the program has saved their lives. The weekly meeting is a highlight for many—a session where you play and sing with people you may not have known before but are now bonded to. The eclectic music choices, from 'Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again' to 'Sweet Caroline', tell me there are some big discussions had about music genre. Australia's cultural policy, Revive, recognises that taking part in the arts strengthens social cohesion, connectedness and wellbeing. It helps break down social stigma and offers a means of creative expression. In both clinical and non-clinical settings, Revive backs the role of the arts in improving health outcomes, including in mental health. What's more, we saw the musicians from the Windsor, Penrith, Castle Hill and St Marys groups create joy, and we know that, for musicians, the act of playing can ground, soothe and remind us that we are not alone.
date: 2025-11-24T16:13:00+00:00

Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: The legislation before the chamber, the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025, presents an...
encoded: The legislation before the chamber, the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill 2025, presents an opportunity to open a new chapter for Australia's screen industry. This is the moment when we can ensure that, in the streaming age, Australian stories do not fade into the background but take their rightful place in the spotlight, centre stage. This legislation requires streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers to invest at least 10 per cent of their expenditure or 7.5 per cent of their revenue into the Australian sector. It will need to be invested in new local drama, children's programs, documentaries, arts or educational content. There are two clear principles at stake here. One is that Australians deserve access to their own stories, no matter which screen they're watching on. The other is that those who profit from access to Australian audiences should support Australian storytelling. The idea of guaranteeing Australian content is not a new or radical idea. In 1942, the Curtin Labor government introduced quotas for Australian music on commercial radio stations to support local musicians and foster a distinctive cultural identity. The Whitlam Labor government built on that reform, raising the requirement to around 20 per cent. That change provided crucial support for Australian music during the golden age of Australian rock and pop in the seventies and through to the eighties. The Menzies government introduced Australian content requirements for commercial television in 1961, and the Whitlam government strengthened them in 1973. Those changes ushered in a renaissance of Australian screen content, which my generation got to see, bringing productions like Number 96, The Sullivans, A Country Practicefilmed locally, largely in the Hawkesbury—and Prisoner to Australian audiences. When pay TV services launched in the 1990s, they were initially exempt from c…
date: 2025-11-24T17:34:00+00:00

VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: The VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025 we are considering is important because vocational educational training plays a huge role in building the skilled workforce Australia...
encoded: The VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2025 we are considering is important because vocational educational training plays a huge role in building the skilled workforce Australia needs now and will need in the future. We are taking steps to fix a problem identified during a review of how these VET student loans are administered. We have taken action to ensure an issue that emerged is resolved, and that there is certainty the students and providers. The bill is a fix for where the VET student loan providers were handling tax file numbers and it wasn't authorised in the legislation for that to happen. Tax file numbers are an essential piece of information for administering the loans program of this kind, so this is why the Albanese government is bringing forward the VET Student Loans (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill to fix the problem. The bill will retrospectively authorise the student loan providers who are handling the tax file numbers to do that. The bill will also provide certainty to providers and government offices that their past handling of students' tax file numbers for the loans scheme was lawful. There is absolutely no change to the way students apply for VET student loans using the electronic Commonwealth assistance form. This might seem like a pretty minor piece of legislation but it achieves a number of things. It underpins the VET Student Loans program, which makes vocational education and training more accessible to Australians by providing opportunities for students to do a VET course at the diploma level and above and defer the payment of tuition fees through an income contingent loan. This program really helps to address skills shortages across industries involving science, technology, engineering or maths and occupational licensing trades, among many others. The Albanese Labor government is building Australia's future and boosting the workforce that we need to deliver it. We're investing in priority occupations and creating a modern, adap…
date: 2025-11-05T18:42:00+00:00

g124.9
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title: Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025, Environment Information Australia Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Customs Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Excise Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (General Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Restoration Charge Imposition) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: I live in the World Heritage Blue Mountains.
encoded: I live in the World Heritage Blue Mountains.
date: 2025-11-05T18:02:00+00:00

g124.7
type: item
title: Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025, Environment Information Australia Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Customs Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Excise Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (General Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Restoration Charge Imposition) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: I've planted dozens of trees.
encoded: I've planted dozens of trees.
date: 2025-11-05T18:02:00+00:00

g123.18
type: item
title: Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025, Environment Information Australia Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Customs Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Excise Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (General Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Restoration Charge Imposition) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: and that will help people with their energy costs and lowering emissions. But we will also be delivering the strongest environmental protection and restoration laws that Australia has had. It...
encoded: and that will help people with their energy costs and lowering emissions. But we will also be delivering the strongest environmental protection and restoration laws that Australia has had. It won't just deliver better protections for our special places but restore and regenerate them for future generations.
date: 2025-11-05T17:51:00+00:00

g123.15
type: item
title: Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025, Environment Information Australia Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Customs Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Excise Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (General Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Restoration Charge Imposition) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: This legislation is not a tug of war between the environment and the economy. I've heard the coalition, the Greens and some Independents each argue that you can have one but not the other. That...
encoded: This legislation is not a tug of war between the environment and the economy. I've heard the coalition, the Greens and some Independents each argue that you can have one but not the other. That isn't true. These reforms deliver a balanced package while delivering more efficient and robust project approvals, which means more renewables projects will be approved more quickly—
date: 2025-11-05T17:51:00+00:00

g123.1
type: item
title: Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025, Environment Information Australia Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Customs Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Excise Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (General Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Restoration Charge Imposition) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
description: There is nothing more distinctively Australian than our stunning natural environment, and there are few places more iconic than the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains—a World Heritage area...
encoded: There is nothing more distinctively Australian than our stunning natural environment, and there are few places more iconic than the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains—a World Heritage area in my electorate. In fact, it's the 25th anniversary of the declaration of the area as a World Heritage area on 29 November. This is an area that gets four million visitors a year. They come because we are known around the world for our wilderness in Sydney's backyard. We need to protect it. Our environment and economy are intrinsically linked. For the Blue Mountains, our tourism relies on a healthy natural environment. It matters in the Hawkesbury and along the Nepean too. For the Hawkesbury especially, the agricultural sector relies on a healthy natural environment. Australians want governments, businesses and environmental groups to work together to protect our environment and to reap the economic benefits of sustainable development. This last election, people put their trust in Labor. They clearly rejected the extremes of politics on both sides. We know it's really important to build connections from all sides. That goes to the type of government Australians have told us that they want. We need to be able to accept the science and to build coalitions across the community while solving the problems and keeping the lights on. This Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, and cognate bills, delivers modern, fit-for-purpose national environmental laws that ensure big gains for both the environment and for business. The Albanese government is committed to reforming our environmental laws to deliver stronger protections, reduce duplication and boost accountability and transparency in decision-making. The legacy of every Labor government in my lifetime has been to improve the environment for future generations. That is an endless task. In June 1987, Bob Hawke went to the Daintree to announce that he was going to seek World Heritage listing for that site. I flew with the prime minist…
date: 2025-11-05T17:51:00+00:00

Telecommunications | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: It's really good that we're here talking about connectivity and about old technology being phased out for new. I appreciate the member for Mallee's concerns about 3G, but, essentially, the needs...
encoded: It's really good that we're here talking about connectivity and about old technology being phased out for new. I appreciate the member for Mallee's concerns about 3G, but, essentially, the needs of Australia's modern economy and the broader community outgrew the capabilities of 3G. It's not the first time we've had to shift technologies and it's not the last time that we're going to have to shift technologies. So that's what I want to focus on. It is really important that we learn the lessons from every one of these experiences. They're all going to be different, and 3G certainly had its challenges, but I have to say it isn't the biggest challenge in connectivity my community faced then or now. There continue to be challenges in staying connected. This government believes that there should be coverage that is reliable and resilient, and I want to see that reliable and resilient coverage across the 4,300 square kilometres of the electorate that I represent. It is vital when there is a bushfire or a flood or a big storm that you have that connectivity. I don't say that just as someone who can look at it objectively and say, 'Oh, it must be really important.' I've actually been in the circumstance where I needed to use mobile coverage to contact my then 18-year-old, when he was at home with a bushfire burning very near to him, to work out how quickly he could get out and what he had time to take. Yes, he took the cat. That was a good thing! But those conversations are not hypothetical for people who live in the Blue Mountains or Hawkesbury, whether it's fire or flood. They are conversations that many of us have had, and we've only been able to have them because we have connectivity. In the case I experienced—this is going back to 2013—we could not communicate by voice, repeatedly. Texts had a better chance of getting through. Lines were very busy. You didn't actually know if your text message was getting through. They are really scary times for people, and that's why I…
date: 2025-11-03T18:27:00+00:00

Ausify | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: Don't you hate it when you've been listening to a favourite Missy Higgins song on your music app, and, instead of it taking you to another great Australian singer, it shifts you to an overseas...
encoded: Don't you hate it when you've been listening to a favourite Missy Higgins song on your music app, and, instead of it taking you to another great Australian singer, it shifts you to an overseas artist? Well, that's the algorithm. Sixty-six per cent of Australians say they want to listen to more Australian music, but, currently, less than 10 per cent of music streamed by Australians comes from local artists. The algorithm just isn't geared to make Aussie music easily discoverable. That's why Music Australia has launched Ausify, a national campaign to help listeners get more Aussie music out of the algorithm. Backed by artists from around the country, Ausify makes it easy to search for local artists on streaming services. There'll be a daily playlist of Australian music right through November, which is Ausmusic Month. They've also created 'Ausifyer', a unique live generator serving up a constant stream of great Australian music recommendations to help overcome the discoverability gap. Tell the algorithm where to go, and take back control by discovering and supporting local artists. Head to ausify.com.au. Every local artist you seek out, play, follow, save, share, request and see live helps our musicians rise. By choosing Aussie music we can shift the algorithm, support artists and help our local scene thrive.
date: 2025-11-03T13:50:00+00:00

Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: If there's one thing that businesses and individuals have complained about regularly over the 15 years I've been involved in politics, and the 20 years before that that I was in small...
encoded: If there's one thing that businesses and individuals have complained about regularly over the 15 years I've been involved in politics, and the 20 years before that that I was in small business—and it's something that we all pretty much agree on—it's the need to reduce red tape. It seems like such an obvious thing to do, but many governments have tried and failed to reduce duplication and inefficiency. Not only does this bill achieve what many have failed to do but it does it in a context of improving productivity. In fact, it does so much more than that. The Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2025 is the latest example of tangible reform to come out of the Economic Reform Roundtable, which identified that fit-for-purpose regulation is a key enabler for Australia's economic potential. This bill takes a whole-of-government approach to amending regulation to ensure that it remains fit for purpose in this the 21st century. The government understands that regulation that is not fit for purpose or that duplicates processes frustrates Australians and also drives up the cost of doing business. So the aim of these changes is to improve productivity and support economic resilience, without reducing necessary protections. The bill contains 60 measures that amend 28 acts, repeal two acts and affect the operation of 13 Commonwealth agencies. It reflects our commitment to connecting government services so that Australians can get the help they need faster. But one of the most important things this bill does is provide a first step towards the implementation of a 'tell us once' approach to government services. It supports this idea of just telling us once within Services Australia, reducing the number of times that Australians will be asked to provide the same information across the agency's programs. I became a big fan of the 'tell us once' principle a few years ago after a visit to Estonia. Estonia has led the world in ensuring that its citizens have a very smooth interaction with g…
date: 2025-11-03T12:09:00+00:00

Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: The opposition is surprised that I would describe question time as a performance. It is a performance for us all, and we have a press gallery watching us very closely. The committee space is one...
encoded: The opposition is surprised that I would describe question time as a performance. It is a performance for us all, and we have a press gallery watching us very closely. The committee space is one where we work alongside each other rather than in an oppositional way. We don't always end up exactly on the same page, but we work closely together, collegiately, wherever that is possible. That applies equally to Independents and the minor parties. As I said, when this bill was put forward last year, it was rejected by the Senate because of disagreement over committee membership. We were very disappointed to see that the Liberals—who were keen to support the concept of the committee—chose to vote against the legislation. I really urge them to not fall down that hole again. I think this is something that will be significant. It builds on the work that Bob Hawke's government did in the 1980s—I think it came in just after I left the press gallery in Canberra back in the 1980s—to oversee ASIO. That was the first version of this we had. It was then worked on in the early 2000s, and the PJCIS became closer to what it is today. I think this is a really natural evolution that provides not only greater scrutiny but also greater confidence to the people of Australia that our defence organisations are transparent and accountable so that we know they are doing the very best for our communities. At that point, I would really like to commend particularly my Richmond and Glenbrook RAAF personnel and the other defence personnel who live in the electorate of Macquarie, and thank them for the work they do every single day to keep Australians safe.
date: 2025-10-30T12:10:00+00:00

Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I'm very pleased to speak on this bill, the Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025, which is coming before the parliament. It's very similar to a bill that we put...
encoded: I'm very pleased to speak on this bill, the Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025, which is coming before the parliament. It's very similar to a bill that we put forward in the last parliament, and I'm pleased that it's coming to the parliament again. This bill is about establishing the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence, the PJCD. People who come in halfway through this will have little idea what we're talking about, I suspect, in these debates. But it's modelled on a committee we already have, which is the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. This one will provide a mechanism for classified parliamentary oversight of defence, and I want to talk about why it's needed before I get to exactly what it is. We know that Australia faces an increasingly complex and constantly evolving strategic set of circumstances, and they're challenges. The new Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence will allow an enhanced transparency, an enhanced accountability, and a better oversight of defence decisions, capability, development and strategic planning. It really fills a gap in the current committee structure and oversight framework that we have, by allowing scrutiny of classified matters in a really secure setting. This is something that the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security already does for those matters. I want to go into some of the journey I've had for the government to get to this point. It's been really worthwhile, being part of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, and the Defence Subcommittee, which did an inquiry, in our last term of government, into a range of matters relating to accountability and transparency, which were triggered by a desire to really look at war powers and what war powers—what the processes were; how they could work differently. In the course of that, one of the things that became clear was that there were some gaps that could be dealt …
date: 2025-10-30T12:10:00+00:00

Youth Voice in Parliament | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: Every year Raise Our Voice invites young Australians to tackle the big questions shaping our future. This year's Macquarie winner is Rohan, and I'm delighted to read part of his speech, which...
encoded: Every year Raise Our Voice invites young Australians to tackle the big questions shaping our future. This year's Macquarie winner is Rohan, and I'm delighted to read part of his speech, which focused on the challenges ahead of us domestically and internationally in trade, human rights and the environment. He says: The future of young Australians depends on what we do today. It's our responsibility, as a global leader of non-major nations to rally against these challenges. We cannot compromise on human rights, even when it is the most difficult option. We must defend the freedom of the press and the rule of law, which are so often threatened in the name of national security, to allow our youth to grow up in a safe, democratic and dynamic nation where rights and freedoms are protected. However, all of this will come to naught if future generations inherit a destroyed world or, may it never be, that they fail to lead. The government must provide Australia's youth the education and opportunities needed to develop through enhanced critical thinking in the face of AI and misinformation, an understanding of basic principles of economics, history and culture, and a reduced voting age to empower those most at stake to defend themselves without their interests at heart. If we fail to act we leave our youth an unjust, unsafe and unprepared world. Those are Rohan's words. I also acknowledge the efforts of Harper, Mieke and Bronte, who wrote about the importance of access to school sport, quality education and policies focused on the younger generation. I commend them all on their thoughtful and worthwhile contributions to this debate. There was another young person's speech delivered in parliament this week. This one was by 11-year-old Theo Carson-Drevers from the Blue Mountains, who spoke with confidence to a room full of politicians. It's part of an annual event where children with hearing loss from across Australia and New Zealand come to parliament. This year's theme, 'the …
date: 2025-10-30T10:21:00+00:00

Artificial Intelligence | Adjournment | House debates
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description: This has been a significant week for Australia's creative industries, with the announcement by the Attorney-General that the government will not create a copyright exemption to allow broad-scale...
encoded: This has been a significant week for Australia's creative industries, with the announcement by the Attorney-General that the government will not create a copyright exemption to allow broad-scale mining of creative content by AI platforms. The proposal had been put forward by the Productivity Commission, who look at things from their angle, but any proposal to allow AI platforms to mine creative content without consent understandably creates anxiety amongst creatives. The Attorney-General's decision has real consequences for Australia's artists, musicians and writers for the protection of their intellectual property and for how Australia positions itself to harness the benefits of the AI revolution ahead. As Special Envoy for the Arts, I'm so fortunate to meet regularly with artists and arts workers, and discuss AI and copyright at length. Artists are not luddites; they are innovators. They understand the potential of AI to support their research, experimentation and productivity, but we cannot expect them to welcome the AI revolution while their intellectual property is being stolen and their livelihoods are being undermined. By ruling out this proposed exemption, the government has sent a clear message: we stand by our creatives. We will not allow their rights to be diluted or traded away. We will uphold their right to earn a fair income and to decide if and how their work is used by others. The Minister for the Arts was right to say that the unauthorised use of creative works for commercial gains is theft and that artists deserve protection from theft, as every Australian deserves protection from theft. As the Attorney-General noted, while AI brings significant opportunities for Australia and our economy, it is equally important that Australian creatives benefit from these opportunities too. Her decisions honours that balance, embracing innovation without abandoning the workers whose creativity drives Australian culture forward. The arts community has welcomed thi…
date: 2025-10-30T16:35:00+00:00