Josh Burns's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
Antisemitism | Questions without Notice | House debates
My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. How is the Australian Federal Police working to crack down on antisemitic crimes, and what progress has there been?
My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. What is the Australian government's response to combating antisemitism, and why is a bipartisan approach important?
Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I listened carefully to my friend the member for Berowra's speech on the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026. For all of us who have lived...
I listened carefully to my friend the member for Berowra's speech on the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026. For all of us who have lived antisemitism over the last two years, this is an incredibly difficult moment in our country's history and for our community. I take the words the member for Berowra said seriously. I have never sought to politicise antisemitism and I will work and stand by anyone, from any part of this House or from any part of politics, in order to get things done to protect our community. But the bills that will pass this parliament, hopefully, with the support of the coalition, are not the full set of bills that should have passed this parliament today. The member for Berowra is quite right in saying that antisemitism should be confronted in more than just the way these bills present today. But the truth of the matter is that the vilification clauses that were originally attached to these bills had to be taken out because the Liberal Party refused to support serious vilification laws in this place. That came after the Leader of the Opposition came to my electorate last week, stood up in a synagogue and said that hate needed to be confronted and that there needed to be consequences. She said that, if she were the prime minister, there would be. Within hours, the Liberal Party refused to support laws in this place that would do exactly that. If you break down what the Leader of the Opposition said—that, if she were the prime minister, there would be consequences for hate—there is not going to be an election for over two years. So the Leader of the Opposition is actually saying that she's not going to look at tackling hate or antisemitism in Australia for 2½ years—not while we are government and not before the next election. The Jewish community shouldn't have to wait that long for the Leader of the Opposition to do what she said she wanted to do inside a synagogue last week. The Leader of the Opposition and the Liberal Party, after Bondi, were very quick to stand up and do press conferences, talking about how the recommendations of the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism should be adopted in full and that the Liberal Party supported them in full. Let me read recommendation 3.2 of the special envoy's report: You cannot claim to support the special envoy and then refuse to support the very recommendation that the special envoy put forward in her report, but that is exactly what the Liberal Party has done. Make no mistake; as a result of the Liberal Party's refusal to support the serious vilification laws, hate will not have consequences, and instances of hate will not have the consequences that we wanted to put into legislation today. That is because of the Liberal Party. They are the ones who will have to answer to the community. I completely accept that more could have and should have been done. I accept responsibility for the way in which our country and the community has felt, and I am deeply, deeply sad about the state of Jewish life in Australia. But it is not an excuse to then not try to do everything in our power to confront it, today and tomorrow and into the future. We all have to be humble about this. The fact of the matter is that, even late last night, a bunch of Jewish kids in my electorate who were dressed in religious Jewish garb were chased down the street and screamed at just for being who they are. Incitement, vilification and hatred—all of which would be criminal offences had the Liberal Party been willing to support what they said they were willing to support when they were inside a synagogue. It's all well and good to be strong in a press conference and it's all well and good to call your political opponents weak, but what actually matters is that we are strong in this place and that we put legislation in place in order to protect the communities who are affected by it. The Jewish community also has said that the vilification clauses shouldn't just be around race and that they should go to everyone because everyone deserves equal protection before the law, and of course that is true. No-one should suffer vilification. No-one should suffer hate. No-one should suffer because of incitement. It is just an absolute shame that we come in here today and the full suite of laws aren't what they should be, because the Liberal Party refuse to support the very things that they said they supported. But these bills as they stand will have a significant impact, and I commend them to the House.
Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
Most Australians wouldn't have heard of the Chabad movement before 14 December, but the philosophy of the Chabad movement is one that sends missionaries to bring Judaism to Jewish people in all...
Most Australians wouldn't have heard of the Chabad movement before 14 December, but the philosophy of the Chabad movement is one that sends missionaries to bring Judaism to Jewish people in all corners of the world, to enrich Jewish life and to make it easy to experience Jewish life wherever they are. You may not realise it, but there is something beautiful and something completely opposite about Chabad holding an ancient festival celebrating Hanukkah, which is about the oil that was found after the destruction of the temple, on one of the most iconic beaches in Australia, synonymous with sunbaking and hanging out with friends. That is what Chabad does; it brings Judaism to all different corners of the world and embeds it in the society that is there. The Jewish community in Sydney is, just like all other Chabad communities, rich because of the effort that is put in to make Jewish life beautiful and celebratory, filled with mitzvahs and good deeds. That's what was going on on 14 December. The driving force behind Chabad at Bondi was Rabbi Eli Schlanger. I was privileged to attend his funeral, and even at his funeral he was raised as someone who brought Judaism not just to the community of Bondi but to prisoners and to people who otherwise would be out of reach. He did so because he wanted to enrich their lives. We are taking this moment in this House to appreciate the beauty that in Australia you can have one of the most iconic and modern and beautiful beaches embedded with an ancient tradition filled with people who just wanted to feel a part of their own history and spirituality. That was the target. I remember, on the evening of 14 December, I was driving home, and my phone rang. It was one of my staff, who was born in Sydney. She said: 'There are shots being fired on Bondi, and we think it's near the Hanukkah celebration. The WhatsApp groups are growing crazy.' At that moment, I knew I had to make calls to my colleagues and to the Prime Minister's office, but my first instinct was my daughter, because she was on her way to the Melbourne Hanukkah event. That's what Jewish life in Australia unfortunately has become. You think: 'What about my own family? What are they going to be? Are they going to be safe?' Thankfully my mum hadn't gone yet, but, tragically, my community in Sydney suffered the most unimaginable pain. I had the privilege of speaking to Josh and Shaina Goodnick, who spoke of Shaina's incredible father, Reuven. In our conversations, we spoke about the bravery of Reuven. One of the things that stuck with me—forgive me for sharing our private conversations, but this is one of the things that stuck with me that I think is worth mentioning—is that Josh and Shaina were imagining what his thoughts may have been in that moment when he decided to confront the terrorists. The answer that they gave was, 'How dare they?' How dare they come to our community? How dare they come to my community? What a brave and incredible person to pick up whatever they could to try and protect their community. For Jewish Australians, this country means so much. For my family, this country means so much. For our community, this country means everything. It has been a safe haven for our community and a safe haven for our people who fled persecution and dehumanisation. I tried to think about what must have been going through the gunmen's heads when they were looking down upon the community, seeing innocent people. What are they looking at? What do they think of us? What do they think of me? What do people think of the Jewish people here in Australia? I am proud of my community, and our community are a proud people. We belong here, and we must not dehumanise one another. As my beautiful new daughter cries, forgive me; she'll calm down, hopefully. I've changed my train of thought here. I think that will happen over the next few months. We must not dehumanise each other, because dehumanisation is what leads to exactly what happened in Bondi. Not every act of hate ends in violence, but every act of violence begins with hate. I say to my colleagues here in this place that Jewish life was absolutely shattered in Bondi. People have questioned their place in this country, but the way we honour the victims of the Bondi massacre and the Bondi terrorist attack is not just by honouring the incredible bravery, selflessness and proud nature of people celebrating an ancient religious tradition in a modern iconic part of this country but also by ensuring that the everyday life of Jewish Australians and the people in our community is not one where you have to walk past security guards when just going about your business, or worry about whether your family is safe when celebrating your culture. Can we live this life, in this country, in the safe haven that was promised? I want to finish by saying that there will be a lot of work to be done but today is about recognising those people who were Australians and who paid the ultimate price just for participating in Jewish life in Australia. They were targeted because they were Jewish. History, for too long, has taken people because of that exact reason, but how a country responds defines a country. When synagogues were burnt down, Australia decided that we were going to rebuild them. That is the appropriate thing to do. When people are attacked, we need to create stronger laws to ensure the appropriate response to that sort of hate and vilification. Right now, we also have a group of people who are desperate to be stood by and have Australians stand with them. To every single Australian who has lit a candle or checked in on a Jewish community member, friend or colleague, I say thank you, because how a country responds matters. To all the victims and to my community, this is our home and this is our country. To the families, I wish you a long life. To the victims: zichronam livracha—may their memories be a blessing.
Swinburne University of Technology | Statements by Members | House debates
I rise to raise serious concerns about Swinburne University. After multiple scandals in the news about the conduct of university leadership, Swinburne have now decided to kick out a community run...
I rise to raise serious concerns about Swinburne University. After multiple scandals in the news about the conduct of university leadership, Swinburne have now decided to kick out a community run childcare centre with no regard for the interests of the local community and the public that they are meant to support. Swinburne was gifted public land in Windsor by the Victorian state government to support TAFE training and community education. They have even used federal grants to build Windsor Community Children's Centre, a centre that has trained generations of early childhood educators. They now refer to the site as an investment property. The land was transferred to Swinburne at no cost on the explicit understanding that it would remain in educational use, not as a commercial asset. After multiple assurances from Swinburne in March that they would be willing to sell for below market value, they are now seeking a commercial windfall by evicting a community service that they helped create. What do Swinburne have to hide? If a university's first instinct is to extract maximum commercial value at the expense of families, workforce development and community trust, then something is fundamentally wrong. Eighty families face displacement from an essential learning service and a longstanding student training pipeline built by Swinburne itself. Stonnington council, in partnership with our government, has formally offered $8.4 million for this site. Swinburne should accept that offer and allow the Windsor Community Children's Centre to remain exactly where it should be.
Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
I congratulate the Minister for Climate Change and Energy on his statement and thank him for his tireless efforts in order to bring down emissions—a very difficult job but one he is doing...
I congratulate the Minister for Climate Change and Energy on his statement and thank him for his tireless efforts in order to bring down emissions—a very difficult job but one he is doing excellently and with great skill. Just like the shadow minister's process, he didn't quite finish before it had to be interrupted by people who are above him. I know a lot of members opposite were very angry with the shadow minister for taking too long with his internal review on net zero. He didn't quite get there. The Leader of the Opposition had to step in on the timing because the shadow minister was just taking forever and making his colleagues very angry. After that ridiculous contribution, those opposite have outed themselves as the climate change deniers that they are. When they talk about credibility, they have none in the Australian community. Moving on to more important matters, the Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, as I was saying before those important statements, is a bill that says we are here to support the small businesses across the country. For those who don't know—and I'm sure many members of this parliament have worked in hospitality at some point in their careers—back in my university days I did have a brief stint working at one of St Kilda's fantastic establishments, the Beachcomber restaurant. I spent a summer running plates to and from the kitchen and, when there were functions, also working behind the bar. It was hard work. It was work where, after a six-hour shift, you were really tired. You had to put in a big effort, but it was really good, honest work. I know that, for people who are working in hospitality, the moments where you get to interact with people and see people enjoying our beautiful city and our beautiful businesses are really an enjoyable part of that job. It's really important for communities like mine that hospitality businesses are able to run them sustainably to support their workforce and not have too many costs that continue to build. The businesses, the pubs and all of the other hospitality venues were concerned about what the added costs of the CPI increases on the beer excise mean for their businesses. When you think about the thousands of people, even in my own community, who work in the sector—from the hardworking kitchen staff, the supervisors and the cleaners to the bookkeepers, the event organisers, the sound techs and the live performers—this is an industry we need to make sure we're sustaining and supporting. A lot of young people—just as I did when I was much younger—working in such places are able to use it as an entry point into the workforce. But also they can move through their career to be in these incredibly high skilled positions, whether it be in the kitchen, behind the bar or in any other parts of these hospitality venues. It is a sector where there is really a need for high-skilled, competent and hardworking people. I think about all the things that make our community vibrant, wonderful, colourful and welcoming, and you just can't go past all those establishments. When you think about the people who come in and sit at our establishments and are having to pay for all the beers and other products they're using, it adds up. If people don't have enough discretionary funds or savings, these are sometimes the things that fall off, and people choose not to go out, not to go and support small businesses. They choose to just stay home, because they don't have the disposable income to spend at these sorts of establishments. When you have these sorts of excises, which do add up, they get passed on to the consumer. For the most part, a lot of the establishments are places where hardworking people, lower- and middle-income earners, like to go and decompress after work, hang out with friends or just have that social interaction. In an age when too many people are sitting at home on their phones, not interacting with people and not going out, having these venues where it's actually affordable and possible for people to go out is really important. This bill is a small contribution to a really important part of our community and our economy. I say to all members of this place that when you think about the things that you love about your community you obviously think about the incredible community organisations—the people who give up their time, who do amazing work, who help serve our community. But you also think about the things people really love about all the different parts of our communities. For me, the inner part of Melbourne is a place where people love to come and visit. It's a place where people can get great food, have great times, go and see an amazing piece of Australian culture—performance, music, sport—all the things people love to go and enjoy. At the heart of that obviously is being able to have a drink, to relax and to be a part of these establishments. The policy that this bill will support will mean that 10,000 hospitality venues across Australia will benefit from these changes, and about 75 per cent of them—an overwhelming majority of them—are small businesses. That's why these measures are important. This is something the sector was calling for. It's something venues were calling for. It's something that gives them more certainty, and it's something that will bring down the cost of going out over time. It will mean that the excise on our draught beer will not increase twice a year on the CPI. That fundamentally is going to help people enjoy the wonderful things that make our community vibrant. I commend the bill to the House.
Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
At the Espy—I take interjection from the government whip. I did mention the Espy! I reported to the House earlier that, after the renovations, the floors are less sticky, but the times are...
At the Espy—I take interjection from the government whip. I did mention the Espy! I reported to the House earlier that, after the renovations, the floors are less sticky, but the times are just as good. We're very pleased to support these businesses, and I will continue in a moment. I seek leave to continue my remarks later. Leave granted; debate adjourned.
I won't take that interjection, but St Kilda East has become a real hot spot for night life. There are some great local bars as well. The local taphouse was one of the first places where you...
I won't take that interjection, but St Kilda East has become a real hot spot for night life. There are some great local bars as well. The local taphouse was one of the first places where you could get fantastic beers on tap that were some of the best that you could get in Melbourne, and the food there is also excellent. I definitely recommend coming down to St Kilda East as well. People unfairly think of St Kilda and near the beach, but St Kilda East is such a great part of my local electorate and has so many great establishments on Fitzroy Street, which is obviously the night-life capital of Melbourne, and so many iconic venues, such as the Prince of Wales, which also has a smaller establishment in Chronicles Bar, which I will give a shout out-to. It's a young, local team who established this and are popping up a few other venues as well. Chronicles Bar is always welcoming, and the team there work really hard. It's a great small, local business that's making it work on a street that desperately needs really good businesses and people walking up and down there, contributing to and supporting our local businesses. In Southbank, there are so many different options around and so many amazing food options as well. An old favourite of mine is the Belgium Beer Café. The team of Macnamara once did our Christmas party there, and it was a great day. The team there really looked after us, and they are wonderful people. All of these local stories and all of these local businesses—we want them to continue and thrive. The costs of excises to run these on-tap beers add up, and this is a core part of their product business, and we want to ensure that they are able to thrive and continue to manage all of the costs of running their businesses in a way that makes it sustainable so that they continue to be there. When you ask people, 'What are the things that you love about our local community?' it's having the places that are familiar, having places that are unique and having places that are unique parts of our local community, just like the Vineyard, which was established in 1886 on Acland Street, just down the road from my office, where we launched our campaign for the election earlier this year. The team of the Vineyard were just absolutely wonderful in welcoming over-200-people-strong Labor contingent who were gearing up for the election campaign. We had musicians from the Australian National Academy of Music perform. We had the Deputy Prime Minister come and launch the campaign. It was all hosted in this iconic venue that has been around for, as I said, over 100 years. These are the sorts of businesses that this excise freeze will support. These are the sorts of businesses that we're here to support right around the country. In Macnamara, every single pub, every single bar, every single bowls club and every single venue do more than just pour a beer; they support jobs, they support local communities, they bring people together, they're the homes of good and fun parts of our amazing city, and they're also why people come to Melbourne to visit, to stay and to enjoy.
What an honour and pleasure it is to follow the member for Melbourne, my new neighbour in this place. The Yarra River used to be the border between Melbourne and Macnamara, but now we have this...
What an honour and pleasure it is to follow the member for Melbourne, my new neighbour in this place. The Yarra River used to be the border between Melbourne and Macnamara, but now we have this wonderful amalgamation of the southern and CBD parts of Melbourne. One thing that the member for Melbourne and I share is some of the best places for people to come and visit in our magnificent city, whether people go to the Melbourne electorate to see some of the most amazing sporting or cultural events in the country or they navigate south to the arts capital of the country, in Southbank, and right through so many other parts of my electorate. What people know is that, if you're going to come to our neck of the woods, you're going to have so many options of amazing small and big establishments to visit and enjoy. It's something that we stand on in this place, wanting to support our amazing local businesses and establishments that make Melbourne vibrant, make it exciting and make it fun but also provide jobs to our wonderful hospitality workers. The Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025 is all about supporting our local businesses and the amazing hardworking staff who work in them. It is really hard work to be a hospitality worker. People who work in our local establishments work really hard to serve people and ensure that those businesses can function. They do so to help represent our city and ensure that people who are visiting our city, as well as the locals who want to support their local pub or bar, have a great time. At first glance, this bill might seem a little technical, but the beer excise is something that can add up and make a financial difference to a lot of small businesses. Around the country, we have members who are privileged to represent these great local and vibrant small businesses—pubs and breweries and all those sorts of establishments—and something that we take great joy and pride in is supporting them and ensuring that they have lower costs so they can focus on running their business and not worry about the escalating costs of excises such as these. I mentioned at the start some of the overall wonderful vibes that you can receive and experience in Macnamara, but this is not an exhaustive list. I sincerely apologise to any of the establishments that I have forgotten. Some of my favourite local establishments that represent the array of iconic venues that we have in our community are ones that locals love, that people who visit our city love and that really shine and welcome people in, whether they're from our community or from other parts of Melbourne or Australia or they come as part of our vibrant tourism industry. The Espy in St Kilda is one of the most iconic venues, and it recently had a big renovation. I can happily report to the House that the floors are a lot less sticky, but the decor and the time that you can have at the Espy is as good as ever. The team who redid the Espy did a marvellous job, and it is absolutely heaving on a Saturday night. For anyone who wants to go to St Kilda and have a great night out or a great meal, I definitely encourage the Espy. We've got the Railway Hotel in South Melbourne, an iconic local business that's been there for a long time. Back in my university days, I occasionally ventured down to the Windsor Castle Hotel, which was a good venue for a Wednesday night. You could go and have a good beer down at the Windsor Castle Hotel. It's tucked away behind a little nook right in the heart of Windsor.
JOY Media | Constituency Statements | House debates
Macnamara is a proudly diverse and wonderful place. Sitting in the heart of Macnamara is the Victorian Pride Centre. Sitting in the heart of the Victorian Pride Centre is JOY Media, which is...
Macnamara is a proudly diverse and wonderful place. Sitting in the heart of Macnamara is the Victorian Pride Centre. Sitting in the heart of the Victorian Pride Centre is JOY Media, which is Australia's premier community LGBTIQA+ radio station. It was founded in 1993 amidst the AIDS crisis, with its original purpose of bringing together an isolated community through connection and inclusion. It amplifies the incredible voices of the LGBTIQ community both inside and around Macnamara. It also brings people across the political divide. I've co-hosted shows on JOYwith the member for Goldstein, for a brief period the other member for Goldstein and now the original member for Goldstein. There's Senator Smith and, of course, many other crossbenchers as well. It is an outstanding organisation, and we were proud to support it with a $250,000 election commitment to ensure that JOY Media can thrive, survive and expand its reach and network so people can hear the voices, the views and the good and welcoming nature of the LGBTI community. That grant process is underway, and I'm pleased to report good progress on it. We will fulfil that election commitment as per we set out in the election. I want to say to all the team at JOY Media that we are proud to support you. We look forward to it growing, and we look forward to JOY Media entering into the next chapter. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate the parliament on the passing of the Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Bill. This is a bill that will mean a lot to families. We are ensuring that any family that has a stillborn child or a child that passes away, tragically, after birth, is still able to take paid parental leave. I think that some of the contributions across the chamber have really been outstanding, on all sides of politics, and I congratulate the parliament for passing this. I do think it's worth mentioning the fact that, as is often the case, these sorts of sensitive topics have been hijacked by people with their own agenda. They're putting misinformation and, frankly, damaging and hurtful information into these sorts of bills. The four Liberal members who decided to make this about something that it's not—to make it about late-term abortion—were really hurtful. It was really hurtful to those families who are in those positions and hurtful to those people who actually and devastatingly need this bill, and it also is a very bad reflection on the way in which this debate is often warped for the interests of people who have their own agendas. So I just want to say that those views and those members should really reflect on that moment of raising those issues. I've seen some of the ways in which this debate becomes toxic and very personal, and I just want to say that, for the members who did the right thing, thank you.
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
I thank all of my colleagues who clearly have given up a bit of time in their day to come and listen to the contribution on the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025. I'll start my remarks by...
I thank all of my colleagues who clearly have given up a bit of time in their day to come and listen to the contribution on the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025. I'll start my remarks by saying that I'm very fond of the member for Monash and hold her in high regard, but her comments about rushing this bill through the House is actually quite ironic. A bit of history for the member for Monash is that when the Leader of the Opposition was the then environment minister, she too brought a bill that was meant to be the then federal government's response to the Samuel review that they commissioned. What did the Leader of the Opposition do? She brought in a bill that undermined the key principle and the key recommendation of the Samuel review, which is that the federal government and this place need to have strong federal, national environmental standards that are upheld by the federal government and by the parliament. What did the then minister for the environment, now Leader of the Opposition, do? She brought in a bill that would have given all of the powers to the states, completely taking the federal government away from environmental standards and away from environmental decision-making. There's worse than that. When the member for Monash talked about rushing through, I looked at this speaking list, and there is ample opportunity for any single member on that side of the House to contribute their views to this debate. In fact, we welcome the contributions of those opposite and we have extended the sittings to ensure that every member of this place gets a chance to contribute to this debate. Of course, that wasn't the approach of the former government. That wasn't the approach of the Leader of the Opposition when she was the environment minister, or when Christian Porter, who was the then Leader of the House, used the numbers of the Morrison government to crunch debate and to ensure that members didn't get a say on the government's environmental approvals and didn't get a say on the government's proposed environmental laws, which were completely ignoring the Samuel review that they commissioned. Thankfully, the Senate decided to throw those environment laws in the bin where they belonged. But never forget that their attempt to ram through environment laws was a last-ditch attempt by a government that was on its last legs, by a person who's now the Leader of the Opposition and who ignored the very recommendations that her government asked for. But that is not the approach that we have taken. This set of bills sets out a strong regime of environmental protection that this parliament should absolutely vote for. The EPBC reforms contain a number of huge steps forward, including setting out federal, national environmental standards—something that will be made possible by this bill. This bill also creates an environmental protection agency. This bill responds to a number of the recommendations of Professor Samuel. This bill also creates a whole range of different policies that will ensure that the environment benefits from potential applications, including a net gain principle. This bill will speed up approvals. This bill will ensure that there is transparency and accountability in environmental decision-making including, for the very first time, that proponents submit the amount of emissions that will be included as part of any proposal in any application for federal environmental approvals. This bill seeks to do the genuinely difficult thing of balancing the interests of businesses with the absolutely essential responsibility that we all have as custodians of our environment to adhere to and uphold our great national traditions. The EPBC reform package that is before the House is one that every single member of this parliament should be voting for. I know that those opposite are in disarray. I know that the Liberal Party and the Nationals don't know whether they're Arthur or Martha at this moment. One thing that would be a great signal for the people that they are clearly making absolutely no sense to now is to say that, instead of walking away, just saying no and killing off the environmental protection reform bills, they are actually willing to be sensible and deal with the government to ensure that these bills can pass both houses of the parliament. But I am not hopeful. I am not hopeful that the Liberal Party and the Nationals are coherent or cohesive enough to actually form a position on anything, let alone something as important and complicated as environmental approvals. Obviously, we will engage in good faith with the coalition and the Greens to try and ensure that there is a strong set of bills that pass through the parliament, but I am not hopeful, given the state of the Liberal Party and the Nationals coalition today, where lots of clandestine meetings are happening at restaurants in Kingston as opposed to actually coming together and forming some sort of coherent policy on this bill. I represent the wonderful people of Macnamara. Everyone in this place knows that the people of Macnamara stand for strong climate action and that the people of Macnamara stand for protecting our environment. I have some of the most extraordinary environmental and community groups which I am so proud to represent, and we even have our own nature project—one of the largest projects of urban renewal in Australia's history inside a city, where we turned the old Elsternwick golf course into the Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve. We are seeing endangered species coming back. We're seeing growling grass frogs, come back. The community is building habitats for them and seeing the natural wildlife develop around this incredibly beautiful part of our local community. It's just inspiring. We have the Port Phillip EcoCentre, which, of course, were proud to support as well. It is a hub of citizen science, community engagement and environmental lessons in education, which engages a lot of our local schools and so many different parts of our community. The people of Macnamara want to see John Howard's old environmental reforms updated. I want to see John Howard's old environmental reforms and EPBC bill updated. The recent state of the environment report found that most indicators for the state and trend of plants and animals show a decline and that the number of threatened terrestrial and marine species has risen. We have a responsibility to act right now. That is why we have picked up the recommendations made by Professor Samuel, which were completely ignored by those who asked him to do that work, and put together a set of reforms that will improve the environmental protection and that will ensure that businesses have timely responses. If it's a no, it's a quick no. If it's a yes, it's a yes and work through those conditions. More importantly, it's to ensure that the environmental standards that we want to leave for the next generation are strong and adhered to and that the federal government is right in ensuring that there are national standards. Professor Samuel's recommendations were important and he said himself: There is no variation in any significant or indeed in any small way from the recommendations of the review. That's why I'm satisfied … after five torturous years. We are going to set up the National Environmental Protection Agency, one that is going to be a tough cop on the beat to ensure that environmental standards, and the conditions in environmental approvals are adhered to and that, if someone is doing the wrong thing, there will be consequences. I take this opportunity to give a shout-out to the incredible activists of the Labor Environment Action Network, who championed the EPA. The National EPA is an agency that LEAN members have fought for for many years, and they have been critical in ensuring it didn't fall off the agenda. When the Liberals and the Greens teamed up to block a federal EPA last parliament, it was LEAN members who fought hard to ensure we recommitted to the EPA in these bills. When these bills pass through the parliament, as I hope they will, LEAN members will have cause to be very proud of themselves, having made this fantastic contribution to our environmental agencies and to our environmental regime. There are so many other parts of this that I'm very proud of. Having national environmental standards for the first time, prescribed by the minister, is something that these bills will make possible, and hopefully we will see it become reality. I also take this opportunity to reaffirm the Minister for the Environment and Water's commitment that the RFAs, the regional forestry agreements, will have to adhere to our national environmental standards. That's something that has also been fought for for a long time by activists, and it will ensure that our RFAs are held to federal standards. It's pretty simple: these bills are an opportunity that doesn't come around very often. Last parliament we saw the Liberals and the Greens team up to block the EPA time and time again. Last parliament we saw the Liberals and the Greens team up to block a whole range of policies. Right now, they can work together to block these environment bills. It would be unsurprising if the Liberal Party did that, and it would be a complete neglect of our environmental standards if the Greens were to work with the coalition to block this set of reforms that includes strong environmental approvals. This parliament has a chance. Yes, there can be negotiations and amendments to bills, and that is what will happen, but right now we as a parliament need to take this opportunity to update our environmental protection. We need to ensure there are strong environmental standards, and we need a partner in doing so. I say to all members of this place and the other place: now is the time to improve our environmental regime. It'll be a great reform that we leave to the next generation. As Professor Samuel said, it is bitterly disappointing to see posturing and political games being played. We should put political games aside and get this done for this generation and generations to come. Debate adjourned.
Education | Questions without Notice | House debates
My question is to the Minister for Education. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to help Australians with a student debt and to make our education system better and fairer?
Consideration of Legislation | Business | House debates
Is this an audition for leader? Has he had a haircut as well?
Albanese Government | Private Members' Business | House debates
It's always fascinating to listen to the member for Barker or, as we like to think of him, the numbers man for the member for Hume. The member for Barker is up and about. He might have a busy...
It's always fascinating to listen to the member for Barker or, as we like to think of him, the numbers man for the member for Hume. The member for Barker is up and about. He might have a busy couple of weeks coming up as the member for Hume's numbers man. He might be rolling the sleeves up and making a few phone calls to some of his colleagues. I know the Leader of the Opposition's team must have been absolutely thrilled that the member for Barker was the member for Hume's numbers man. That would have been one of the first signs that maybe they were going to have a successful campaign. Let's move onto more important things. I'm so proud to be part of this motion led by the member for Banks, who is an outstanding new member of this place and one who is going to make a huge contribution to this parliament and serve the people of the community I know he loves and respects. And I know and he feels grateful to be here in this place. It has been six months since the election. When you think about the job that the Australian people asked us to do, it was all of the simple things that would make a meaningful difference to the lives of the people that we are privileged to represent—all of the simple things that would help Australians with the cost of living, with getting through the day and helping their families and communities get through and do in this amazing country of ours. I was speaking to thousands of people in the lead-up to the election, asking them simple questions like: 'What matters to you? What do you care about? What's really on your agenda?' I remember speaking to hundreds of young people at university, people with student debt, and the thing that came back was, 'Look, 20 per cent off HECS—that sounds pretty good.' It wasn't everything but it was meaningful, and it was the first piece of legislation that we brought into this place. Over the next few weeks, students are going to be receiving text messages with the amount coming off their HECS. That is a fantastic legacy and one that is going to save people thousands of dollars in student debt. Of course, there was another big policy that kept coming back. When I spoke to so many young couples in my electorate, the thing that they said time and time again was, 'Look, we'd just love to be able to buy our own home.' In Macnamara, we have such a high percentage of people who are renters, and we know that the big barrier of getting into the housing market is saving up enough money to buy a deposit. That's why the five per cent deposits and two per cent deposits for single parents are so important. We want people to be paying off their own mortgage, not somebody else's, and I know that this policy is going to help thousands of people get into homeownership. Then, as the year finishes, we'll also be opening up our shared-equity scheme, our Help to Buy Scheme that's going to help people get into the market with around 70 per cent of the total cost of the price of the home, which is another fantastic investment—one that happens in states across the country and one that, obviously, those opposite were very quick to criticise. They're very quick to criticise the Home Guarantee Scheme, very quick to criticise any effort to help Australians get into the housing market. If you want to see a reflection of just how out of touch those opposite are, you just have to listen to their commentary saying that the Help to Buy Scheme or the Home Guarantee Scheme is all about the sons and daughters of billionaires. It's just ridiculous. We, on this side of the House, are proud to do our bit to help ensure that people are able to get into the housing market. Also, I spoke about it last week, but I went to Elsternwick Medical Centre, one of the big medical centres just on the border of Macnamara and Goldstein which, thanks to our investments in Medicare, has now become 100 per cent bulk-billed. We opened up a headspace in South Melbourne. The headspace in Elsternwick has also had a revamp. We are investing in free, local, high-quality healthcare services, and you only have to look all around the electorate of Macnamara to see that coming to fruition. The community is answering with their feet. Almost 80,000 consultations happened last year, and we're expecting even more, with 100 per cent of them being bulk-billed at the Elsternwick Medical Centre. Obviously, there are a number of local commitments, as well, that we are getting busy on in Macnamara. We are redoing the South Melbourne Town Hall for the Australian National Academy of Music. We are restoring the See Yup Temple in South Melbourne. We're investing in the Jewish arts quarter. We're investing in JOY Media, an amazing community radio station for the LGBTIQ community. There is so much going on, and it's been an extremely busy six months, but the work is just getting started. When the Australian people at the election spoke, they said, 'We want a government that is focused on the things that make a difference to the lives of us in our communities,' and that's exactly the work that we are doing.
Medicare | Statements by Members | House debates
On the border of Macnamara and Goldstein, unfortunately on the wrong side of the tracks, lives a fantastic medical centre called the Elsternwick Medical Centre. No thanks to the member for...
On the border of Macnamara and Goldstein, unfortunately on the wrong side of the tracks, lives a fantastic medical centre called the Elsternwick Medical Centre. No thanks to the member for Goldstein, but thanks to this Albanese Labor government, the Elsternwick Medical Centre has gone 100 per cent bulk-billed—100 per cent bulk-billing for the 77,000 consultations that the Elsternwick Medical Centre did last year. This is a fantastic medical centre. The GPs and the staff there are doing an incredible job, and I was pleased to go and visit them recently. Of course, there were other plans by other people that weren't about bulk-billing. The approach of the Leader of the Opposition, when she was the health minister—obviously after the $7 GP co-payment was scrapped—was to lower the rebate of Medicare and then get the doctors to pass it on to patients. At that time the Leader of the Opposition said: The price signal is about somebody paying a bit extra when they go to the doctor and not receiving a bulk-billed consultation when they can afford to pay … That's what we mean by the price signal and I think that's vital. I'll tell you what this side of the House thinks is vital—that people can go and see a doctor with their Medicare card, not their credit card. This side of the House thinks it's vital that Australians can access the health care they need, at fantastic clinics like the Elsternwick Medical Centre.
Housing | Private Members' Business | House debates
I move the motion relating to first home buyers in the terms which it appears on the Notice Paper: That this House: (1) acknowledges the Government's commitment to help first home buyers realise...
I move the motion relating to first home buyers in the terms which it appears on the Notice Paper: That this House: (1) acknowledges the Government's commitment to help first home buyers realise their dream of ownership by: (a) bringing forward the launch of the 5 per cent deposits scheme for all first home buyers to 1 October 2025, instead of next year; (b) expanding the 5 per cent deposits scheme with unlimited places and increased property price caps; (c) guaranteeing a portion of a first home buyer's home loan through the 5 per cent deposits scheme, so they can purchase with a lower deposit and avoid lenders' mortgage insurance; and (d) offering eligible single parent families with a saved 2 per cent deposit access to the Family Home Guarantee; and (2) notes that 180,000 Australians have already been helped into home ownership through the Government's housing policies. In the thousands of conversations that I had with the wonderful people of Macnamara leading up to the election, I often asked them a pretty simple question: 'What do you care about? What's important to you?' and, time and time again, what people in my electorate came back to me with was: 'We'd like to buy our own home; we'd like to be able to purchase our own home, get out of the rental market and set up our lives so that we're accumulating an asset and paying off our own mortgage and not someone else's.' This is a trend and a sentiment that is expressed by not just the wonderful people of Macnamara but also people right around our country. People know that to be able to get into the housing market means being able to work overtime to pay off a mortgage, to build up an asset, and to potentially retire with their own home—to have their own house as a place of safety and security. But we also know that, as a long-term trend in this country, the cost of housing, in proportion to one's own salary, has gone up dramatically and that what used to be affordable 30 or 40 years ago, at around three or four times one's average salary, is now way, way higher. The cost of homes is just so much higher than it used to be. So people are being locked out of the housing market. When people are locked out of the housing market, more and more people are in the rental market. With more and more people in the rental market, rental prices are going up, and it is harder for people to be able to save up for that deposit to get in. That, we know, is one of the fundamental barriers to people being able to access the housing market. Our policy that was announced before the election was that we were going to allow people to get into the housing market and purchase a home with a deposit of five per cent, or two per cent for single parents. I can't tell you, Deputy Speaker Mascarenhas, how many times the response to, 'What's important to you?' was, 'We'd like to buy our own home,' and I'd say, 'Well, have you heard about our five per cent deposits?' and the response was, 'Actually, yes; we've done our research, and that's one of the things we're thinking about right now.' So, when our incredible and hardworking housing minister announced that we were bringing forward the five per cent home deposits to start on 1 October, it was for the people that I had spoken to in the line; it was for the people in our communities—the hardworking people in Macnamara and right across the country—who just want to be able to buy their own home. I can tell you that there have been thousands of people across the country beginning the process of accessing the five per cent deposits. There has been such a big interest in this program because we know that, for those people who are unable to build up their deposit because of all of the expensive things that are going on in their world, this will make it possible. It's not easy, but it, hopefully, will be possible for thousands of Australians. Already, our Home Guarantee Scheme has helped more than 185,000 Australians into homeownership, and this is simply because the average Australian is able to get into the housing market with a lower deposit and they don't have to pay lenders mortgage insurance, which, for many households around the country, means savings in the $30,000 range. This is a massive saving for families and for hardworking Australians. When you think about the sort of response that we've seen from the coalition about how this program is somehow benefiting the kids of billionaires, you really have to ask yourself: What planet are they living on? Have they spoken to anyone outside of their own echo chamber? I know they like to talk about themselves a lot in this place and around the country. They like doing media conferences about the inner sanctum of the Liberal Party and the National Party and whatever's happening in there, but what Australians actually care about is their own home—having a safe place to live in and potentially owning and paying off their own home. Instead of talking down to Australians, like the Liberal Party is doing, we want to lift Australians up. We want Australians to have the aspiration of owning their own home and we want to make it possible, and that is exactly what our five per cent deposit scheme is all about. It's about making it possible for hardworking Australians to own their own home. I couldn't be prouder of this policy.
Albert Park | Constituency Statements | House debates
If you know about Albert Park you know we are home to the Grand Prix and we put our magnificent electorate of Macnamara on show to the world. Thousands of people come and enjoy our wonderful...
If you know about Albert Park you know we are home to the Grand Prix and we put our magnificent electorate of Macnamara on show to the world. Thousands of people come and enjoy our wonderful parklands, but, for the local people of McNamara, of Albert Park, South Melbourne, Port Melbourne, St Kilda, Middle Park and all the different surrounding suburbs, what we know about Albert Park is that that's the home for our community sport. That's where we go and spend our weekends playing basketball, football, soccer, baseball and rugby. Albert Park is the home of badminton, table tennis, swimming and gym. It is a place where people go, but is also home to sailing. We were so proud at the 2019 election to invest $5 million on upgrading community sport infrastructure in Albert Park. The way we did that was not based on political views of what we want to invest in but rather what the community needed. We partnered with Parks Victoria and, as part of their master plan, we identified all of the different projects that were really necessary to improve access to the park; to ensure that young girls and women can have better access to better, appropriate facilities; to increase participation; and especially to make sure that they are accessible for the entire community. We are in the process of finishing this fantastic set of works that is improving lighting for local sporting clubs, including the South Melbourne Women's Football Club. We're improving change room access. We're building women's change rooms in a couple of different spots around the park. We are upgrading facilities as well. I also had the absolute privilege of joining the Albert Park Yacht Club and the Albert Park sailing crew down at the Pontoon, where they joined the principal of Albert Park College for the launch of our new Pontoon. What this means, thanks to our investment in upgrading the Pontoon and the entry point into the lake, is that all of those public-school kids get to participate in this fantastic program of getting access to sailing on our beautiful Albert Park Lake. It now has disability access, so it's easier to get in and out of the water. It's safer, and more people can get in and out in a way that promotes more participation in this fantastic sport. I've been out on the water. It is absolutely magnificent to be there in the middle of Melbourne, but what's really important is that it's there for the community. Albert Park College is one of the major users of the sailing facility, and we are so proud to support the students to be able to access this upgrade. Whether it's new lighting, improvements to the Pontoon or new change rooms, we are upgrading the community infrastructure because the community of Albert Park and the surrounding suburbs is what really matters, and we want to make sure they've got the best facilities possible.
Medical Workforce | Questions without Notice | House debates
My question is to the Minister for Education. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to train more nurses and doctors to strengthen Medicare for decades to come?
Saved by the bell on that one, I think! Speaker, I'll tell you who loves Medicare urgent care clinics. It's the great state of Victoria. Victorians love Medicare urgent care clinics. In fact,...
Saved by the bell on that one, I think! Speaker, I'll tell you who loves Medicare urgent care clinics. It's the great state of Victoria. Victorians love Medicare urgent care clinics. In fact, there have been 393,000 presentations to urgent care clinics by the great people of Victoria. But I'll tell you who doesn't like Medicare urgent care clinics: the Liberal Party. The Leader of the Opposition says the Liberal Party believes you don't value something unless you pay for it. Fair dinkum! And they went even further. The shadow minister for health and aged care said during the election, 'We never said that Australians will get access to free GP services without exception.' Goodness me! They are walking well away from Medicare urgent care clinics—but not all of them. There is a Victorian among their ranks who said something different. He said bulk-billing services ensure 'everyone in our community can access affordable health care' in his petition for a Medicare urgent care clinic. It was the member for Casey. We know he really wants to be on this side of the House. But he understands, just like all Victorians, the importance of Medicare urgent care clinics. They know that the Labor Party is the party of Medicare. We know that we will always support Victorians and all Australians in getting high-quality health care in this country. (Time expired)
B'nai B'rith: 80th Anniversary | Private Members' Business | House debates
It is rare for the Federation Chamber to be standing room only, but it is a great privilege for us to have members of B'nai B'rith here to be part of this fitting and important tribute to B'nai...
It is rare for the Federation Chamber to be standing room only, but it is a great privilege for us to have members of B'nai B'rith here to be part of this fitting and important tribute to B'nai B'rith's 80 years in this country. I am a product of a community designed and fed by B'nai B'rith. I grew up in Melbourne's Jewish community, which was and still is a vibrant community—one which is full of people who give back to the community and who speak up on its behalf in a way that feeds Australian public life and celebrates multiculturalism and diversity whilst never forgetting the history of Melbourne's Jewish community: one of persecution and one of Holocaust survivors coming and making their place here in this country of ours, finding a safe haven in doing so. For me, B'nai B'rith is an organisation that helps shape the very vibrant and wonderful community that I'm in and helps shape the identity that I'm proud to have, as a proud Jewish Australian. Since coming to and being established in Australia in 1944, B'nai B'rith has been more than just a community organisation. It has been a home to the largest percentage of Holocaust survivors of any other city outside of Israel, and it has also been a place where the vibrancy and breadth of the activity it's involved in has been truly astonishing. The first B'nai B'rith youth group was formed in Sydney, followed by one in Melbourne in 1945. The opening of the first offices for B'nai B'rith was in Darlinghurst in 1948, and the Hillel Foundation was established in 1961, serving as a residential campus for Jewish university students. Affordable accommodation for elderly Jewish Australians was set up in Sydney in 1964 and then, a few years later, in Melbourne. In 1977 there was also an opportunity shop known as the B'nai B'rith Bargain Bazaar, a fantastic and catchy title. In 1981, B'nai B'rith organised—as the member for Berowra so eloquently put before—the first-ever Holocaust exhibition in Australia, held at Sydney Town Hall, which I believe was visited by over 55,000 Australians and 12,000 school students. For 80 years, more broadly, B'nai B'rith has comprised wonderful units that are scattered around the country, giving so much to not only each other but the broader community as well. The highlight for me also, I have to mention, just like the member for Berowra, is Courage to Care, which is a program designed, led and fed by B'nai B'rith, which is all about telling young people in Australia that you must be an upstander against racism, not a bystander in witnessing it. That lesson, as the member for Berowra mentioned before, has never been more important. To have young people in Australia willing to speak up against racism has never been more important. We can write laws outlawing it, we can write laws giving more protection for security agencies, but what actually is our best and most important fight against racism is the collective commitment to fight it as one united society. For young people, that is so important across schools and universities, and that work by Courage to Care is work that I'm extremely proud of. I met with Mike Zervos, our local staff member for Courage to Care, who's a great person and one who believes in this. I spoke to the Armchair Society recently, I've sponsored the B'nai B'rith Jewish youth art competition for many years, and I am so proud to stand in this place to acknowledge, alongside the member for Berowra and the member for Wentworth, the incredible contribution of B'nai B'rith to Australian life. I'll mention a few people by name so they're etched into the Hansard because they have made an enormous contribution to B'nai B'rith and to our country. To James Altman, Elaine Altman, Peter Cappe, Clare Cappe, Irene Kirschner, Leon Nissen, Deirdre Wainrit, Alan Wainrit, Anna Marks, Denise Monheit, Rosa Schattner and Peter Schattner, thank you. No doubt, whenever you create a list like that you forget many, many people. But to anyone who has contributed to B'nai B'rith; to anyone who has walked inside a unit of B'nai B'rith to engage, to learn, to discuss, to challenge; and to anyone who has been a part of any of B'nai B'rith's programs that have done not only so much for the Australian Jewish community but for the Australian community at large, I say thank you. I am proud to stand here in the House of Representatives' off-Chamber, the Federation Chamber, to mark 80 years of B'nai B'rith in Australia and as they say in Yiddish, biz hundert un tsvantik, to 120 and more. Congratulations.