Henry Pike's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2026-02-05T22:06:04+00:00
items: Bowman Electorate: Australia Day | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
items: Treaties Joint Committee; Report | Committees | House debates
items: Pensions and Benefits | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Aged Care | Adjournment | House debates
items: Medicare | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Veterans | Grievance Debate | House debates
items: Housing | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Bowman Electorate: National Police Remembrance Day | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Bowman Electorate: Sport | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Lucas, Mr Alan | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Australia Day Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Bowman Electorate: Volunteer Grants Program | Adjournment | House debates
items: The Redland Foundation | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Economy | Adjournment | House debates
items: Bowman Electorate: Public Transport | Statements by Members | House debates

Bowman Electorate: Australia Day | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: Australia Day holds a special place in the heart of the people of my electorate. In the Redlands, we celebrate our national day unashamedly and with immense pride. This year was no exception....
encoded: Australia Day holds a special place in the heart of the people of my electorate. In the Redlands, we celebrate our national day unashamedly and with immense pride. This year was no exception. Across the Redlands, families came together to mark what it means to live in the greatest country on earth. In Cleveland I had the privilege of being part of a wonderful citizenship ceremony where around 150 new Australians formally joined our national family. At Raby Bay I hosted a massive community barbecue. We had so many turn out that we had to send out multiple times for more sausages, and we couldn't keep up with the demand from local patriots celebrating with family and friends. It was Australian flags everywhere along the bayside beaches and kids running around in green and gold. It was relaxed and joyful. It was Redlands on Australia Day, unmistakably. But Australia Day is also a time to recognise service. Redland City Council did exactly that through the 2026 Redlands Coast Australia Day Awards, which honoured locals who give freely of their time, energy and expertise to make our community even stronger. Sixteen individuals and organisations were recognised across eight categories. Together, they represent the very best of my community. Senior Citizen of the Year Tony Christinson has been instrumental in the growth and success of the Donald Simpson Centre in Cleveland over many years. Tony has given countless volunteer hours as a board member and former chair, strengthening governance, improving facilities and expanding programs that combat social isolation amongst older Redlanders. Young Citizen of the Year Malakai Keen is an outstanding example of the next generation of community leaders coming through. With more than 1,500 hours of service in the Redlands SES, Malakai has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to service, responsibility and community safety well beyond his years. Community organisations acknowledged include Redlands Coast Museum, the Rotary clubs…
date: 2026-02-04T11:31:00+00:00

Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
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description: There are moments in the life of a nation that divide time into before and after—moments that lodge themselves in our collective memory not just because we choose to remember them but...
encoded: There are moments in the life of a nation that divide time into before and after—moments that lodge themselves in our collective memory not just because we choose to remember them but because we cannot forget them. Tragically, 14 December 2025 will be one of those dates. In a place where so many millions of Australians and tourists have gathered so often without fear, violence arrived without warning. In an instant, that normality was shattered, families were torn apart and a community that had done nothing to invite harm was changed forever. The Hebrew scriptures begin with a radical claim: that every human being is made in the image of God. That idea is a foundation of Jewish moral thought and of Western civilisation itself. Violence against the innocent is not merely a crime; it is an assault on that image, the denial of human dignity at its most basic level and an affront to God himself. That is what Australians felt when they watched the events of Bondi unfold: shock, grief, and the quiet, unmistakable realisation that something precious had been violated. Today this parliament gathers to mourn, to honour the lives that were lost, but also to speak with honesty about the evil that was done, because remembrance without truth is not remembrance at all. Let me start by making this point: Jewish Australians are not guests in this country. They are part of its very foundation. There were Jewish Australians, of course, on the First Fleet. Jewish families helped build this nation from its earliest days. They worked, they served, they sacrificed and they contributed to Australia's civic, commercial, cultural and military life at every stage of our history. The greatest Australian this country has ever produced was a Jewish Australian. Sir John Monash was not only a brilliant general; he was a nation builder and a defender of our institutions who helped shape the Australia we inherit. In the course of the last parliamentary term, the member for Macnamara and I respectiv…
date: 2026-01-19T15:38:00+00:00

Treaties Joint Committee; Report | Committees | House debates
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description: by leave—I echo the comments of the member for Bendigo thanking the amazing committee secretariat for the work they've done this year. Like the member for Bendigo, I served on the committee...
encoded: by leave—I echo the comments of the member for Bendigo thanking the amazing committee secretariat for the work they've done this year. Like the member for Bendigo, I served on the committee across both terms, and they do a fantastic job—not least of which on Report 230: amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005), which saw a phenomenal amount of public interest. I rise to make some additional comments on behalf of coalition members on this report. Australia has a strong record of constructive engagement in global health cooperation, and coordinated action in genuine emergencies has clear value. While temporary recommendations from the World Health Organization are described as non-binding, we know that any refusal would bring intense international and political pressure. The committee received a significant number of public submissions expressing doubts about the performance, independence and governance culture of the World Health Organization. Coalition members note recent incidents which provide grounds for concern, including the removal of the WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific in 2023 over serious misconduct, the removal of the WHO Syria representative in 2022 for corruption and fraud and the decision by the current WHO director-general to admit former Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe as a WHO goodwill ambassador. Coalition members recognise the value of multilateral institutions but remain troubled by the lack of clear mechanisms to ensure that WHO leadership, internal politics or external influences do not colour decisions that Australia would be expected to follow. Financial implications of these amended regulations also remain unclear. While not technically mandating new contributions, the practical expectation would be for Australia to increase funding and expand domestic capabilities. Most alarming is the requirement for countries to address so-called misinformation and disinformation, without clear definitions. This opens the do…
date: 2025-11-26T16:51:00+00:00

Pensions and Benefits | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: More than 200,000 Australians, many living within my electorate in the Redlands, spent part of their working lives in the United Kingdom. They contributed to the system, they paid their national...
encoded: More than 200,000 Australians, many living within my electorate in the Redlands, spent part of their working lives in the United Kingdom. They contributed to the system, they paid their national insurance contributions and they earned the British state pension. Unlike the Australian age pension, the British state pension functions more like a superannuation scheme. It is an entitlement purchased through years of compulsory contributions made by workers and their employers. Yet, for those who choose to retire in Australia, that entitlement is frozen at the moment that they receive it. There is no annual increase, no inflation adjustment and no recognition of rising living costs—nothing. A pension that might start at 155 pounds a week in 2016 stays at 155 pounds forever. Over time, it's not just inconvenient—it's devastating. In real terms, many retirees have seen the value of their pensions cut in half. What makes this even more unjust is that this policy is not applied universally. Pensioners living in the United States, across Europe and in six other Commonwealth countries have their payments automatically indexed every year. But Australians, who are among Britain's most loyal, longstanding and dependable partners, are singled out for inferior treatment by having their pensions frozen. Bernie from Alexandra Hills wrote to my office about this. He left home at the age of 16 to serve in the British army, where he served for 11 years before emigrating to Australia. He went on to serve for 20 years in the Queensland Police Service. When he turned 65, he claimed a part British pension. He was given 45 pounds a week at the age of 65, and that is exactly what he's on today at the age of 80. This is not only unfair for the individuals who earned these pensions; it's also costly to Australia. As their frozen pensions fail to keep pace with living expenses, many of these retirees must rely more heavily on our own social support systems. Our government estimates that Britain'…
date: 2025-11-25T16:49:00+00:00

Aged Care | Adjournment | House debates
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description: Our hospitals are caring for many people who should not be there—not because they're unwell, not because they require acute medical treatment, but because they have nowhere else for them to...
encoded: Our hospitals are caring for many people who should not be there—not because they're unwell, not because they require acute medical treatment, but because they have nowhere else for them to go. In my community of the Redlands, 60 elderly men and women are stuck in hospital beds they simply do not need. They are medically fit for discharge and their treatment is complete, but they remain in acute wards designed for the critically unwell because there are no aged-care beds available to take them. This is being repeated in hospitals across Queensland and right across the country. These Australians are stranded because of a shortage of aged-care and disability placement beds—a shortage that sits squarely within the responsibility of the federal Labor government. These people should be in dedicated facilities where they can receive proper support. Instead, they are confined to acute hospital wards for no reason other than a system that has failed to provide them an alternative. Warwick, from Victoria Point, wrote to me recently to share the story of his wife. His wife was admitted to Redland Hospital in early September and remains there today—not because she needs hospital-level care but because no aged-care placements are available. Despite completing the entire My Aged Care application process and meeting all the requirements, Warwick has been confronted with an impossible choice—selling the family home to have a chance of securing a place for his wife. Right now, it appears his wife will be forced to stay in hospital indefinitely. Let me be clear about the scale of this issue. According to the GEN Aged Care report from March 2025, Australia has around 223,000 residential aged-care places spread across 2,600 facilities. On top of that, we have more than 299,000 Australians receiving a home-care package, but Senate estimates in October revealed that over 120,000 people are still waiting for the level of care they have already been approved for. National Seniors Australi…
date: 2025-11-24T19:50:00+00:00

Medicare | Private Members' Business | House debates
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description: I move: That this House notes that: (1) families across Australia are paying the price for the Government's broken promises on Medicare, with out of pocket general practitioner (GP) costs now...
encoded: I move: That this House notes that: (1) families across Australia are paying the price for the Government's broken promises on Medicare, with out of pocket general practitioner (GP) costs now almost $50 on average; (2) the former Government left office with bulk billing rates at almost 90 per cent and lower GP out of pocket costs; (3) the Prime Minister has broken his promise that Australians would only need their Medicare card, not their credit card, with costs continuing to rise and bulk billing continuing to plummet in 32 electoral divisions; (4) only 13 per cent of metropolitan clinics have signed up to the Government's bulk billing program, with local GP practices struggling under the Government's rising cost of doing business crisis, including skyrocketing energy bills and rent; and (5) the Government is using Medicare as a political football while ignoring the real pressures facing patients and GPs, leaving families in Australia saying it has never been harder or more expensive to see a doctor. Families across Australia are paying the price for the Albanese Labor government's broken promises on Medicare. Labor's new bulk-billing policy is already unravelling. Figures released by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing reveal that just 13 per cent of metropolitan GP clinics have signed up to Labor's new bulk-billing program. That means the vast majority of Australian will still face out-of-pocket costs when visiting their local doctor, costs which health department officials admit now average almost $50 per visit and are expected to continue to rise. When the Prime Minister stood before Australians and promised that all you'd need to see your doctor was your Medicare card, he gave a commitment of affordability and access. The reality has proven very different. Under Labor, more and more Australians are finding that they also need their credit card because GP costs are at record highs. Since the coalition left office, Labor's mismanagement of Medicare h…
date: 2025-11-24T11:16:00+00:00

Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: As I was saying, the changes that the government are proposing through this legislation will reward delay and dysfunction, and I was explaining an example of an FOI request that I made recently....
encoded: As I was saying, the changes that the government are proposing through this legislation will reward delay and dysfunction, and I was explaining an example of an FOI request that I made recently. The government waited until the final day before asking for additional time. This happens all the time, and, unfortunately, what these proposals would do is only make that worse. It will extend the timeframes and make the system slower and less accountable. We're also seeing a complete lack of public support for this bill. Every major integrity and transparency body has condemned this bill; none support it. I'll run through a few of those examples a bit later. It also contradicts Labor's integrity pledges. There was a lot made by this government in the lead-up to the last election, and the election before that, about transparency. Unfortunately, this is just delivering secrecy. Non-disclosure agreements have become part and parcel of the way this government conducts business and conducts consultation with outside groups. We're seeing secret estimates manuals, and document refusals have become the norm. I think it's extra hypocritical that the government are bringing these forward when we've had so much comment from them in the lead-up to these elections about trying to restore and improve integrity, accountability and transparency. I fear that this will damage public trust. Secrecy undermines democracy and prevents Australians from forming informed opinions about government. The FOI process is an important part of public trust. Anything that waters that down, making it less transparent and more secret, is not going to assist in building public trust around the federal government. This bill will also increase bureaucracy and legal complexity by introducing new thresholds, exemptions and caps. This is going to lead to more disputes, more appeals, more time tied up asking for appeals and reviews of decisions and far less transparency. I want to read from an open letter, an adve…
date: 2025-11-05T10:49:00+00:00

Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I am not surprised at all that there is a level of confusion around this Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025 and where we are up to in the debate because it has been a bit like a yo-yo...
encoded: I am not surprised at all that there is a level of confusion around this Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025 and where we are up to in the debate because it has been a bit like a yo-yo going back and forth between this place and the chamber downstairs. I think that is a bit emblematic of the government 's approach to this legislation. Unfortunately, we are seeing a bill here that is, I think, relatively friendless. There is great support, I am sure, from the government and the government backbenchers but very little support from my side of the chamber, the crossbench or even anyone out there in civil society who has made comment on this bill so far. What we are seeing in this bill is something that weakens the transparency measures around government processes, it entrenches secrecy and it reduces accountability, and that is something we certainly cannot support. Unfortunately, we are seeing the government rush this bill, and the antics of seeing it go back and forth between our debating chambers is indicative of that. The government have rushed this bill through. They are ignoring the 2023 Senate FOI inquiry and without advancing credible national security measures. We have also seen this bill introduced without consultation. Unfortunately, it undermines transparency and democratic accountability. It moves FOI from a presumption of openness to a presumption of control. Australians will see only the announcements and never the debates that lead to them. Unfortunately, it also creates a truth tax, and we see a lot of opposition to that from not just civil society groups but also from those whose job it is to also hold the government to account—that is, our media. By imposing application fees and processing caps, Australians will have to pay for access to information that already belongs to them. We are also seeing a lot of criticism of this bill, that it will silence whistleblowers and it will prevent vulnerable applicants from being able to access information.…
date: 2025-11-05T10:49:00+00:00

Veterans | Grievance Debate | House debates
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description: Australia's story has been written by the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who have worn our nation's uniform. They have served in war and peace, at home and abroad, carrying the weight...
encoded: Australia's story has been written by the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who have worn our nation's uniform. They have served in war and peace, at home and abroad, carrying the weight of our flag and our values. Every one of them deserves to be remembered not only for the battles they fought but for the lives that they built after returning home. More than 103,000 Australians gave their lives in service and countless others came back bearing scars that never truly healed. Too often their memory fades over time. Across our cemeteries the resting places of too many veterans are unmarked and forgotten. Their stories and their service risks being lost to history. That is where the Australian Remembrance Army comes in, led by volunteers Katrina Trevethan, an expert genealogist, and Cate Walker, a graduate in cemetery practice. These amazing women give their time and energy to restore dignity to those who served. They identify unmarked graves, research their records and ensure that as many veterans as possible are properly recognised for their contribution to this country. In Cleveland Cemetery, within my electorate, their work has uncovered 19 previously unmarked graves of servicemen from the world wars. The discoveries bring the total number of known veterans buried there to 421. It is slow, careful work, but it matters deeply. It builds off the amazing work that they've undertaken at Lutwyche and Brisbane cemeteries, where they have located approximately 1,500 World War I veterans in unmarked graves. To proceed with marking a veteran's grave, permission must be sought from a confirmed descendant. To give you a sense of the scale of this effort, one veteran buried in the Cleveland Cemetery had no children. The researchers therefore had to trace the lines through 12 of their siblings until a great-great-grand-nephew and a great-great-great-grand-niece were both located living in Canada. It is painstaking work undertaken on a voluntary basis to ensure that the…
date: 2025-11-04T13:17:00+00:00

Housing | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: We're halfway through, but the point of order is on relevance. I did ask the Prime Minister about his—
encoded: We're halfway through, but the point of order is on relevance. I did ask the Prime Minister about his—
date: 2025-11-03T14:54:00+00:00

Housing | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: My question is to the Prime Minister. Labor's housing policies are failing. Under Labor's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, just 567 of the promised 40,000 social or affordable homes...
encoded: My question is to the Prime Minister. Labor's housing policies are failing. Under Labor's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, just 567 of the promised 40,000 social or affordable homes have been completed, and now it is being audited by the national auditor. The chair of Housing Australia has resigned after bullying allegations, and the government fell short of its construction targeted by 66,000 homes last year. Does the Prime Minister accept that his government is building fewer homes and has made housing affordability worse?
date: 2025-11-03T14:54:00+00:00

Bowman Electorate: National Police Remembrance Day | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: I recently had the honour of attending the National Police Remembrance Day service hosted by the Redlands branch of the Queensland Retired Police Association. Each year on 29 September, we pause...
encoded: I recently had the honour of attending the National Police Remembrance Day service hosted by the Redlands branch of the Queensland Retired Police Association. Each year on 29 September, we pause to honour and remember the men and women of our police services who have lost their lives in the line of duty. It is always a solemn occasion—a time for reflection, gratitude and deep respect for those who served our communities with courage, integrity and unwavering commitment. Redlands community members came together not only to mourn those we have lost but also to celebrate the lives they lived and the legacies that they leave behind. Those we honoured were more than police officers; they were parents, partners, friends and colleagues. They were people who chose a life of service, guided by a deep sense of duty and compassion. They wore the blue uniform with pride, dedicating themselves to protecting others, often in the face of great risk and uncertainty to themselves. Their courage reminds us of the selflessness at the heart of policing, and their sacrifice reminds us of the true cost of public service. A total of 151 Queensland police officers have fallen in the line of duty since 1861. At the National Police Memorial in Canberra, down the road here, 832 fallen officers from across the country are now honoured. We owe a continuing debt of gratitude to each of them and to their families, who carry their memory with strength and grace. These families remind us that behind every officer is a network of people who also bear the weight of their service with quiet pride and unwavering support. During the service in the Redlands, we also acknowledged the men and women currently serving in the Queensland Police Service and in police forces across our region. Their professionalism, their compassion and their dedication keep our communities safe and uphold the proud traditions of those who came before them. I'd like to thank Mark Stiles, the president of the Queensland Retired P…
date: 2025-10-30T10:18:00+00:00

Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I flag ahead of time that I'm only going to speak for a few minutes on this matter. Firstly, I associate myself with the comments of all those who've spoken in favour of the Fair Work Amendment...
encoded: I flag ahead of time that I'm only going to speak for a few minutes on this matter. Firstly, I associate myself with the comments of all those who've spoken in favour of the Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Bill 2025. This is an incredibly important bit of legislation, and I think the intention here from the government is a very noble one. Many speakers have offered really strong, heartfelt contributions on this. I associate myself with them. This is a really welcome reform. But I also want to raise a concern, as some other members have this afternoon, with a feature of this law that has only been brought to my attention today. I want to seek clarity from the government on that through this contribution. The member for Calwell made the very good point that without this clarity that the bill is providing for parents who find themselves in this tragic situation it compounds the grief, and I thought that was a very apt line. We have nothing but admiration for Baby Priya's parents, who have gone above and beyond to advocate for this change and to provide that clarity. So many Australians face this grief silently—an unimaginable grief—but Baby Priya's parents have taken that extra step up to say that we need to change this. I cannot thank them enough for their efforts, and I congratulate the government for bringing this bill forward, pushing this reform and closing this loophole. It is about providing clarity, as the member for Bennelong said. The concern I've got today is in relation to clarity of the use of definitions within the bill. The bill makes reference to stillbirths, and it points back to the definition of 'stillbirth' within the Fair Work Act. There have been some concerns raised with me, and there have been concerns raised with the minister in Senate estimates recently, about whether that definition covers a stillbirth caused by a late-term abortion. I hope that isn't the case. I hope that within this bill we are not including that. I don't think that incl…
date: 2025-10-29T11:59:00+00:00

Bowman Electorate: Sport | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: In just a couple of short weeks two of the biggest sporting clubs in my electorate each took home the ultimate prize. On 6 September the Redlands Tigers Cricket Club, of which I'm a proud patron,...
encoded: In just a couple of short weeks two of the biggest sporting clubs in my electorate each took home the ultimate prize. On 6 September the Redlands Tigers Cricket Club, of which I'm a proud patron, clinched the 2025 Queensland Cricket KFC T20 Max title. Jimmy Peirson's colossal innings of 102 not out off 50 balls and Marnus Labuschagne's hat-trick sealed the Redlands commanding 41-run win over Valley. My apologies to the member for Brisbane. Congratulations to Jimmy, Marnus, Sam Heazlett, Mac Wright, James Bazley, Lachlan Bangs, Leigh Drennan, Lachlan McClure, Connor O'Riordan, James Pullar, Jack Sinfield, Jack Wildermuth, Charlie Thomas, Benji Floros, Cameron Boyce, Tighe Morris, Tom Hallion, Hugh Weibgen and, of course, their coaches and managers. Just two weeks later, we saw a commanding performance by the Redlands-Victoria Point Sharks Football Club, winning the QAFL senior premiers title, 95-57, over Surfers Paradise. My commiserations to the Gold Coast member to the left of me. Congratulations to the coach, Phil Carse; to the captain, Mitch Stallard, to Cooper Anderson; and to all the other players. Our local teams keep getting the job done and bringing home the silverware to the Redlands. I could not be prouder to represent my community and the wonderful sporting clubs that represent our wonderful sporting culture.
date: 2025-10-27T16:09:00+00:00

Lucas, Mr Alan | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: Tomorrow my community will come together to farewell a great Australian. Alan Lucas was a titan of the local real estate fraternity; a man of faith, conviction and generosity; and one of the...
encoded: Tomorrow my community will come together to farewell a great Australian. Alan Lucas was a titan of the local real estate fraternity; a man of faith, conviction and generosity; and one of the Redlands' most beloved sons. He gave his time, his energy and his financial support to countless causes across my city. He was the driving force behind the Redlands Easter Family Festival, which brought tens of thousands together to celebrate. He also founded the Redlands Christian Business Network, a fellowship that united men and women of faith to support one another and share the gospel in the marketplace. Alan also spoke of the Redlands as being 'the great Redlands of the Holy Spirit', and he meant it. His was an inspirational faith. For him, belief was never private or hidden. He was an evangeliser who wanted others to know the joy and freedom that comes from walking with Christ. Alan had a rare gift for seeing the best in people. For those of us striving to make a difference in our community, he was always ready with his time, advice, encouragement and, above all, his prayers. Many, including myself, relied on him as a constant source of encouragement. He was a true believer, a man of conviction, a man with a tremendous generosity of spirit, a man who never wavered in his faith and, to many, a true friend. On behalf of the people of the Redlands, I want to extend my deepest condolences to Alan's wife, Janice, his children and his family. Alan was an inspiration to all who knew him. Vale, Alan Lucas.
date: 2025-09-04T13:34:00+00:00

Australia Day Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I move: That this bill be now read a second time. It is a pleasure to bring the Australia Day Bill 2025 before the 48th Parliament after it lapsed without consideration in the last parliament....
encoded: I move: That this bill be now read a second time. It is a pleasure to bring the Australia Day Bill 2025 before the 48th Parliament after it lapsed without consideration in the last parliament. This is a proposal supported by the voices of over 50,000 Australians who've backed my campaign to give Australia Day proper recognition and protection in federal law. At its heart, this bill rests on a straightforward principle—that Australia's national day belongs to the Australian people, not to politicians or governments. Australia Day is a date of such monumental national significance—and it means so much to so many—that it should never be able to be cancelled or changed at the whim of the government of the day. The bill seeks to ensure that no politician, no political party and no special interest group can change our national day without the approval of the majority of Australians voting in a national plebiscite. Currently, Australia Day is marked as a public holiday on 26 January in every state and territory. While it's widely accepted as our national day, oddly, it has never been formally recognised as such by this parliament. Of course, it commemorates the landing of the First Fleet at Port Jackson in 1788, a moment that set the course for the development of our modern nation. Records show celebrations on this date began as early as 1808. New South Wales made it a public holiday in 1818. Australia Day is older than any national symbol we hold. It predates our national flag by nearly a century. In fact, celebrations on 26 January predate the use of the word 'Australia' by a few years. For most Australians, it's a day to reflect on our shared history, to celebrate how far we've come, and to honour the people who've built and shaped this nation. It's also a day where thousands of new citizens are formally welcomed into the Australian family. It was on 26 January 1949—Australia Day—that our first citizenship laws came into force. It was the day Australian citizenship off…
date: 2025-09-01T10:02:00+00:00

Bowman Electorate: Volunteer Grants Program | Adjournment | House debates
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description: The Volunteer Grants program is more than just funding; it is an investment in the people in my local community who give their time, their skills and their efforts to support others. The...
encoded: The Volunteer Grants program is more than just funding; it is an investment in the people in my local community who give their time, their skills and their efforts to support others. The volunteers in my electorate are the quiet achievers, running local sporting clubs, supporting seniors, engaging young Redlanders and strengthening committee pursuits of every kind. I'm pleased to report that committee organisations in the Redlands received $66,225 in funding, distributed among 36 local community organisations, for the 2024-25 volunteer grant round. This funding included $4,000 for the Redlands Special Olympics to support their volunteers with first aid training and fuel costs, and $2,000 for RedCity Roar basketball to assist with junior club volunteer training and scoreboard equipment. Many community groups will be directing the funding towards insurance costs to ensure their volunteers are covered. The Redland Bay Cyclones Rugby Union Club received $1½ thousand to support the club with insurance costs. The Capalaba Warriors District Junior Rugby League Club will receive assistance with insurance costs to the tune of $2,000. The Redland Bay Men's Shed will receive $2½ thousand to assist with their public liability and professional indemnity insurance, which will enhance the men's shed's ability to serve the local community. Live Learn Survive will also receive $1,000 for a similar purpose: to cover volunteer run workshops educating children in water and fire safety, first aid and resilience that otherwise would not be provided in local schools. The Mount Cotton Scout Group will receive $2,000 towards insurance, which will ensure that scouts have funds available to assist in upkeeping facilities. Other groups that will benefit from funding of insurance for volunteers include Coochiemudlo Island Coastcare, who will receive $1½ thousand and who do an amazing job protecting the Emerald Fringe on the beautiful Coochiemudlo Island; the Redland District Committee on the Ag…
date: 2025-08-28T13:20:00+00:00

The Redland Foundation | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: This month I had the privilege of presenting the 2025 Underhill grants on behalf of the Redland Foundation alongside my state colleague Amanda Stoker MP. The event was held at the Redlands...
encoded: This month I had the privilege of presenting the 2025 Underhill grants on behalf of the Redland Foundation alongside my state colleague Amanda Stoker MP. The event was held at the Redlands Sporting Club and brought together a wide cross-section of our local community, from sporting clubs and service organisations to arts groups and volunteer associations. The Redland Foundation is my city's most important philanthropic institution. Over the past decade it has distributed more than $2.2 million in grants and support to local organisations. That support has included more than $400,000 to help those experiencing domestic violence, $100,000 for programs tackling homelessness and countless other investments in youth mentoring, health and community development. These are tangible, life-changing outcomes that flow directly back into the Redlands. The Jeffrey and Geraldine Underhill Grants Program is named in honour of two remarkable local philanthropists whose generosity has created an enduring legacy. Thanks to their foresight, we now have annual disbursements that give grassroots organisations the resources to keep doing what they do best: helping, supporting and building our community from the ground up. This year's recipients once again demonstrate the strength and diversity of community life in the Redlands. Grants were awarded to the Bay Islands Golf Club, the Cage Youth Foundation, the Capalaba Warriors District Junior Rugby League Football Club—it was a pleasure earlier to see the students of Victoria Point State School, who are here in Canberra this week, with one of them proudly wearing a Warriors jersey—Coastal Rowing and Touring Australia, the Donald Simpson Community Centre, Eczema Association Australia, Lamb Island Men's Shed, the Mater Foundation, Myhorizon, the North Stradbroke Island Rugby League and Allsports Club—go the Sharks—the Point Lookout Surf Life Saving Club, the Raiders Netball Club, RedCity Roar Basketball, the Redland Bay Tennis Club, Redland …
date: 2025-08-28T10:33:00+00:00

Economy | Adjournment | House debates
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description: I spend a lot of time talking with small businesses across my electorate in the Redlands. They're the family-run firms, the tradies, the shopfronts and the service providers who put their own...
encoded: I spend a lot of time talking with small businesses across my electorate in the Redlands. They're the family-run firms, the tradies, the shopfronts and the service providers who put their own money and their own time on the line. I'll tell you what they're telling me—that it's getting harder, not easier, to make ends meet. They tell me about the risks of putting on new staff. They want to grow, they want to invest, but the barriers are stacked against them. Costs keep rising, red tape keeps piling up and the confidence that drives investment has been sapped. We have a productivity crisis in this country. Both sides of the parliament will agree on that. The heartbreaking thing is that, when I talk to local businesses about how they can grow their production, how they can employ more people, their response is far too often to say, 'Unfortunately, it's just become too hard.' Last week, we saw three days of talk right here in Canberra. Sadly, there have been no outcomes from the government's productivity summit that offer a shred of relief for families or businesses—nothing to reverse Australia's nosedive in productivity growth and the biggest fall in living standards in the developed world. Instead, we saw big unions opening the door to higher taxes—taxes on superannuation, savings, housing and the family business. This is the same old agenda that we see from the other side of this place, unfortunately. We've seen the government outlays blowing out from 24 to 27 per cent of GDP, debt is climbing to $1.2 trillion and the Treasurer's only answer is more taxes. Business groups are warning that this approach will drive down investment and productivity, and that's of course the exact opposite of what's needed. Unfortunately, productivity is in freefall in Australia. Australia's competitiveness ranking has slid from 13th to 18th in just two years. We've seen annual growth running at 1.3 per cent, less than half the long-term average, and Australia has fallen from 20th to 60t…
date: 2025-08-28T16:50:00+00:00

Bowman Electorate: Public Transport | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: Half of those employed in my Redlands community leave the city to commute to their workplace. For many, it means burning long hours every day sitting in traffic, crawling into Brisbane, into...
encoded: Half of those employed in my Redlands community leave the city to commute to their workplace. For many, it means burning long hours every day sitting in traffic, crawling into Brisbane, into Logan or further afield on a train or a bus. That's why I've been pushing hard to get the Brisbane Metro extended to Capalaba. The metro isn't just another bus service; it's a complete mode shift, with fast, electric, high-capacity vehicles running on dedicated busways. There are no red lights and no traffic jams, just turn-up-and-go services that actually stick to their timetable. Right now, a bus from Capalaba to the Brisbane CBD will take you at least 45 minutes. The metro would halve that time. That's not just a boost to productivity; that's giving families back that precious time at home. The metro could be locked in as part of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic legacy. A line to Capalaba links directly with the Olympic venues at Chandler and Birkdale. I want to congratulate Premier Crisafulli and Lord Mayor Schrinner for driving the metro expansions forward. Their partnership has put us on the right track—or, should I say, in the right lane. It was good to see bipartisan commitments for federal funding to deliver a business case for Capalaba and other extensions, but that's just the boarding pass. The real journey lies ahead. This is a once-in-a-generation chance to change the route of our city's future. I'm asking all levels of government to work together so we don't miss the bus.
date: 2025-08-27T13:45:00+00:00