Jess Teesdale's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2026-02-05T22:06:05+00:00
items: Bass Electorate: Laurel House | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Economy | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Tertiary Education | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Manufacturing Industry | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Economy | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Youth Voice in Parliament | Adjournment | House debates
items: Bass Electorate: Regional Development | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Tasmania: Literacy and Numeracy | Grievance Debate | House debates
items: Health Care | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Telecommunications | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Fiscal Policy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Veterans | Distinguished Visitors | House debates
items: National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Cybersafety | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Health Care | Adjournment | House debates
items: Address-in-Reply | Governor-General's Speech | House debates
items: Child Abuse: Child Care | Questions without Notice | House debates

Bass Electorate: Laurel House | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: I'd like to begin by acknowledging the essential role Laurel House plays in supporting our community, providing critical and compassionate services to individuals, families and communities across...
encoded: I'd like to begin by acknowledging the essential role Laurel House plays in supporting our community, providing critical and compassionate services to individuals, families and communities across Northern Tasmania. I recently had the pleasure of visiting Laurel House and meeting with the CEO, Kathryn, spending time learning more about the vital work that they do every day. It was an invaluable opportunity to see firsthand the care, the professionalism and the empathy that underpin their services and to better understand both the impact Laurel House has within our community and the challenges that they continue to navigate. Laurel House provides specialist support services for people affected by sexual harm, delivering trauma informed counselling, therapeutic services and support, education and prevention programs. Their work supports people of all ages, helping individuals and families navigate recovery while also working proactively to prevent harm and to build safer communities. What stood out to me during my visit was Laurel House's unwavering commitment to dignity, choice and safety. Their approach recognises that healing looks different for everyone and that people deserve to be met with understanding, respect and compassion at every step. Laurel House creates spaces where people feel heard, supported and empowered to move forward at their own pace. Beyond direct service delivery, Laurel House also plays a vital role in education and community engagement. By working with schools, organisations and the broader community, they help to raise awareness, challenge stigma and strengthen our collective response to sexual harm. This work is essential in ensuring people feel safe, seek help and know that they are not alone. I want to acknowledge the dedicated staff who carry out this work. Supporting people who've experienced trauma requires exceptional skill, resilience and care. The professionalism and compassion shown by the Laurel House team make a profound differen…
date: 2026-02-04T11:23:00+00:00

Economy | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: My question is to the Treasurer. What do today's inflation figures tell us, and how do the Albanese Labor government's efforts to provide cost-of-living help for people doing it tough compare to...
encoded: My question is to the Treasurer. What do today's inflation figures tell us, and how do the Albanese Labor government's efforts to provide cost-of-living help for people doing it tough compare to other approaches?
date: 2025-11-26T14:12:00+00:00

Tertiary Education | Private Members' Business | House debates
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description: You've heard from us a few times why Labor believes reducing student debt is important, but today I want to step back and I want to let the voices of the people in Bass tell you what it really...
encoded: You've heard from us a few times why Labor believes reducing student debt is important, but today I want to step back and I want to let the voices of the people in Bass tell you what it really means to them, because nobody explains this better than those who are living it. In our community, more than 10,000 people will benefit from this change—not just uni graduates but those who have studied through VET courses and TAFE too. Some of these people have been generous enough to share their thoughts with me, and I want to thank them for allowing me to share their words with you here. Maddison, a doctor, has put it simply: It's wild to end up with such a huge debt when I'm dedicating my career to help others. I have to pay a $1,000 registration fee each year on top of my HECS— her repayments— I won't own a house any time soon, so a 20% reduction would be grand. I look forward to telling Maddison about our five per cent home deposit scheme. Tiffany-Rose has spoken to me about the emotional weight: It won't wipe my balance completely, but it motivates me to keep working towards paying it off. The reduced repayments will ease some financial stress and make it easier to stay on top of cost of living costs without feeling like my debt is controlling my budget. Montana told me that this relief is real: A 20% reduction isn't just a number, it's a real acknowledgement of the financial challenges that university students and graduates face every day. It shows that the government truly cares about education and is taking meaningful action to make it more sustainable for the future. Many students work incredibly hard to balance university studies and part-time jobs, often under too much pressure. Between bills, rent and loan repayments it can be overwhelming, and this reduction recognises just how tough that balance can be for many people. Lucy reflected on the long-term burden: This incentive shows the great burden student debts can be—not only immediately but also the long term e…
date: 2025-11-24T12:57:00+00:00

Manufacturing Industry | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Industry and Innovation. How is the Albanese Labor government's approach to delivering reliable energy helping to secure the future of...
encoded: My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Industry and Innovation. How is the Albanese Labor government's approach to delivering reliable energy helping to secure the future of the Australian manufacturing industry and jobs? What are the risks to manufacturing jobs?
date: 2025-11-05T14:33:00+00:00

Economy | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: No federal government in living memory has done more than the Albanese Labor government to support and strengthen Tasmania. We've invested $3.8 billion for the Marinus Link project to boost...
encoded: No federal government in living memory has done more than the Albanese Labor government to support and strengthen Tasmania. We've invested $3.8 billion for the Marinus Link project to boost renewable energy transmission on both sides of Bass Strait, lifting Tassie internet speeds along the way. We're boosting the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme by 25 per cent over two years. This means Tasmanian businesses and workers are not penalised by distance. We've defended Tassie jobs and industry from short-term threats to viability and backed in a low-carbon future. That includes $24 million to electrify and modernise the Boyer paper mill, the oldest still in operation anywhere in Australia. This secures 300 jobs directly and a further 1,000 jobs down the supply chain. The government has committed $81.6 million to the Tasmanian Freight Rail Revitalisation scheme to better deliver statewide freight capacity and firm up local freight industry supply chains. We've invested in the Nyrstar zinc smelter in Hobart. But I know that these are uncertain times for people in my electorate—for the workers at both Liberty Bell Bay and Bell Bay Aluminium and their families, connected local businesses and our broader community. That's why I'm working very closely with Senator Ayres to help both the Liberty Bell Bay manganese smelter and the Bell Bay Aluminium facility to navigate these choppy waters. The truth is that Tasmanians and mainlanders are stronger when we're working together to secure the future.
date: 2025-11-03T16:25:00+00:00

Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
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description: I rise today as both a teacher, who cares for children across Australia, and a representative of a regional community. Our test is simple: Are Australians better off today when they open their...
encoded: I rise today as both a teacher, who cares for children across Australia, and a representative of a regional community. Our test is simple: Are Australians better off today when they open their tax return? When they check their mortgage statement? When they search for a job? Those opposite are crying 'spending spree', but Australians are seeing the reality. They see a government that is delivering tax cuts, driving down energy costs over the long term, backing record job creation and helping ease mortgage pressure. That's not a spree; that's a strategy. That's not chaos; that's a plan. I understand that is unfamiliar to those opposite. When we look at energy options, the choice could not be clearer. We stick with a volatile, ageing fossil fuel system, or we invest in clean cheaper renewables that cut bills over time. Griffith University research shows that if we had stayed reliant solely on coal and gas, the cost of generating electricity would be 50 per cent higher today. I really want that to sink in—every power bill would be higher; every family and small business would pay the price. Fifty per cent is a big difference. Numbers are tricky though. The CSIRO confirms that renewables with transmission and storage included are the cheapest form of new energy generation in Australia. It's not ideology; it's engineering, it's economics and it's evidence. And households are feeling the difference. We know that the Australian Energy Market Commission projects that electricity prices could be 13 per cent lower over the next decade if our renewable rollout continues as planned. We know the Australian Energy Regulator reports that wholesale prices have been falling since late 2022, thanks to cheaper fuel, more renewables and decisive government action. This is real progress and, while we don't pretend a decade of neglect can be fixed overnight, we are doing the hard yards to build a secure and affordable energy future. That's what we do. We build for the long-term, just like…
date: 2025-10-30T16:08:00+00:00

Youth Voice in Parliament | Adjournment | House debates
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description: Tonight I want to celebrate two remarkable young people from my electorate of Bass who have taken part in Raise Our Voice Australia, a national initiative that amplifies the voice of young...
encoded: Tonight I want to celebrate two remarkable young people from my electorate of Bass who have taken part in Raise Our Voice Australia, a national initiative that amplifies the voice of young Australians in our parliaments and in our public life. ROVA gives students a platform to step into our shoes for a moment, to put their ideas on the record and to remind us that policies ultimately are about the future that they will inherit. It is a simple but powerful concept: ask young people what matters, listen carefully and take their contributions seriously. In Bass, and across Australia, we are lucky to have young adults who are thoughtful, curious and brave enough to engage with big questions. They do not all agree, and nor should they. They bring different values and experiences, and that diversity is a strength. Our democracy is healthier when we make room for principled disagreement, for evidence and for respectful debate. I'm proud of the culture of participation that is growing in northern Tasmania through our schools, community groups and families. It is encouraging young people to write, speak up and lead. Programs like ROVA help turn classroom conversations into civic engagement and turn civic engagement into lifelong public service—in whatever form that takes. I say to the students from Bass who submitted this year: you should be proud. It takes courage to put your words forward and to be judged on your ideas. Thank you for trusting me with your voices. Tonight I will place two of these voices on the parliamentary record. The first is Lucia, who asks us to think beyond electoral cycles and plan for the next century: Hello. I'm Lucia. I'm 15, and I live in regional Tasmania, an island rich in natural resources. Lately, I've been thinking not just about next year or the next election but the next 100, 200 or even 500 years. Countries like Singapore and Japan already plan that far ahead, and I believe Australia should too. Right now, it feels like every time the gov…
date: 2025-10-27T19:44:00+00:00

Bass Electorate: Regional Development | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: On 20 August in Scottsdale at the heart of Dorset, I hosted my first regional roundtable as the member for Bass. I was joined by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Hon....
encoded: On 20 August in Scottsdale at the heart of Dorset, I hosted my first regional roundtable as the member for Bass. I was joined by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Hon. Julie Collins, and together we sat down with farmers, small-business operators, community leaders and the Dorset Council to discuss the future of north-east Tasmania. What struck me most is that Dorset is a community that knows its strengths and is ready to shape its own future. People welcomed the opportunity for Canberra to listen, and they made it clear what matters most. We heard about the significant issues: food security, freight, infrastructure, youth engagement and biosecurity. These are not abstract policy debates; these are daily realities for farmers, producers and businesses across our region. Farmers spoke about the pressures of changing land and environment. Businesses explained how they have been held back because they couldn't find the workers they need in regional locations. There was a clear call for more practical education options and training pathways to keep our young people in agriculture. Equally we talked about the services that hold communities together. Access to child care, mental health support and volunteers are not extras; they're the backbone of resilient towns. Without them, families can't get ahead and businesses cannot thrive. I particularly want to acknowledge those who joined the roundtable. Thank you to TasFarmers for giving a voice to our primary producers. Thank you to Rural Business Tasmania, who brought insights into the challenges of small farming enterprises. Thank you to Better Health 4 Dorset, who reminded us that good health and mental health support are essential to strong rural communities; Dorset Employment Connect, who underlined the importance of effective local job pathways; and Dorset neighbourhood house—who do exceptional work—who reminded us about the importance of looking after those who are our most vulnerable. Together …
date: 2025-09-02T16:26:00+00:00

Tasmania: Literacy and Numeracy | Grievance Debate | House debates
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description: Deputy Speaker, may I congratulate you on this role. Today I speak about Tasmania's literacy challenges. Data shows us that Tasmanians are up to, and around, 50 per cent illiterate. What that...
encoded: Deputy Speaker, may I congratulate you on this role. Today I speak about Tasmania's literacy challenges. Data shows us that Tasmanians are up to, and around, 50 per cent illiterate. What that means is that they're working below level 3 literacy skills, a functional benchmark. What that means for your day-to-day life is that reading signage, engaging with any form of government forms or business, reading in the supermarket or reading maps is a real challenge for over 50 per cent of Tasmanians. One in two, an outrageous statistic. Our school completion rates are some of the lowest in the nation. Part of that is that we are hoping to get more students into apprenticeships early, and that is a really positive thing. However, most of those students who are not going on to year 12 are not going into apprenticeships; they are leaving the school system, particularly because they do struggle with their reading. Our share of kids who are determined as being 'on track' by the AEDC fell from 80.6 per cent in 2009 to 77 per cent in 2021. That's a shocking statistic. That has, since 2021, started to come back, but we are nowhere near on par with the rest of the nation. We have too many adults who cannot confidently tackle everyday reading. Too many kids are starting school already behind, and far too few are finishing school. That's impacting Tasmania's productivity and wellbeing today and tomorrow and into the future. Today I'm going to investigate a little bit into how we got here and what we can do next. For years the Tasmanian government focused on a balanced literacy approach. Traditionally, we like balance. Balance is a positive thing. When we talk about balanced literacy, what it actually means is that we were teaching children to guess. We'd say: 'Look at the word. Look at the shape. What do you think it might look like? Look at the picture; that will help you.' That is not, as evidence very clearly shows now, an appropriate way to teach reading, and is a direct reason wh…
date: 2025-09-02T12:40:00+00:00

Health Care | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. How is the Albanese Labor government continuing to make medicines cheaper for Australians?
encoded: My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. How is the Albanese Labor government continuing to make medicines cheaper for Australians?
date: 2025-09-02T14:19:00+00:00

Telecommunications | Private Members' Business | House debates
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description: I welcome the opportunity to speak on telecommunications in regional Australia. This is a matter of real importance to the communities that I represent in Bass and across regional, rural and...
encoded: I welcome the opportunity to speak on telecommunications in regional Australia. This is a matter of real importance to the communities that I represent in Bass and across regional, rural and remote Australia. In 2025, telecommunications are absolutely not a luxury; they are an essential service. From a farmer in the Tamar Valley using agtech to monitor water levels to a student in George Town learning online to a mill worker in Branxholm who's connecting to a telehealth appointment, the ability to get that reliable service determines whether people can live, work and thrive within our regions. But, as the 2024 Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee made clear, too many Australians do still face challenges. The committee conducted more than 20 consultations and received over 300 written submissions and over 3,000 survey responses, an impressive effort—well done. This report has set out 14 recommendations that focus on affordability, mobile capacity, resilience, connectivity literacy and digital inclusion. The committee's work highlights clearly what we already hear on the ground in Bass: mobile network congestion is rising, affordability is a concern and many people are actually unaware of the different connectivity options that are available to them. Tasmania in particular continues to face digital exclusion, with the Australian Digital Inclusion Index ranking our state below the national average on all things—access, affordability and digital ability. TasCOSS have noted that Tasmania also recorded the lowest digital literacy and skill score in the country. We have a lot of work to do. I am pleased that our government, the Albanese Labor government, has made record investments in this space since 2022 through a $1.1 billion Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia. It is the single largest investment in regional communications since the rollout of the NBN. In Bass, this is already making a difference. We've got seven new mobile bas…
date: 2025-09-01T16:51:00+00:00

Fiscal Policy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
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description: I rise today to respond to this matter of public importance as raised by the member for Fairfax. His MPI claims that the Albanese Labor government's so-called spending spree is harming...
encoded: I rise today to respond to this matter of public importance as raised by the member for Fairfax. His MPI claims that the Albanese Labor government's so-called spending spree is harming households. Honestly, it baffles my mind. The truth could not be further from this claim. When we came to office in 2022, we had inherited, from those opposite, a trillion dollars of Liberal debt, deficits as far as the eye could see and a budget weighted down with waste, rorts and mismanagement. Since then, the Albanese Labor government, our government, has turned the nation's finances around, doing so while putting cost-of-living relief at the centre of its agenda. In only three budgets we have delivered two surpluses, which would be unknown to those opposite. We turned around more than $207 billion of budget deficit, reduced the projected debt by $177 billion, saving Australians $60 billion in interest payments that would otherwise have gone to the banks. It's amazing what you can do with that extra $60 billion when you're not giving it to banks. Our Labor government has achieved this while carefully restraining its spending. Real payments have grown under Labor. We're doing it at 1.7 per cent a year, less than half the average of what it was under the coalition. In contrast, those opposite had not found a single dollar to save in their last budgets. But numbers on a balance sheet are not the measure that matters the most. What matters to us, to Labor, is the impact on families, workers, pensioners and young people—particularly, for me, those in communities like Bass. In Bass, households were under severe pressure from global and other factors beyond the government's direct control. But the question for Bass households that I get asked is simple: is our government helping to ease this burden or is it leaving them to fend for themselves? I'm very proud to say that we are helping. How are we doing it? Well, since 1 July this year, eight new measures have come into effect that have pu…
date: 2025-08-28T15:46:00+00:00

Veterans | Distinguished Visitors | House debates
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description: My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel. What support is the Albanese Labor government providing to our veterans when it comes to housing, and did anyone seek...
encoded: My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel. What support is the Albanese Labor government providing to our veterans when it comes to housing, and did anyone seek to delay this support for our veterans?
date: 2025-08-27T14:39:00+00:00

National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I rise today to speak in support of the National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025. This is a bill that delivers practical, meaningful cost-of-living relief to Australians, including...
encoded: I rise today to speak in support of the National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025. This is a bill that delivers practical, meaningful cost-of-living relief to Australians, including thousands of families across my electorate of Bass. This bill goes to the heart of what good government is about. It's about fairness. It's about making sure that every Australian, regardless of the size of their bank balance or where they live, can access the medicines they need to stay healthy and care for their families. I want to share a story about a family from northern Tasmania. This story took place a few years ago. It's about two children, both neurodiverse, both with multiple diagnoses, who thrived on consistency, who needed the stability of daily medication to feel comfortable in their own skin, complete daily tasks and find success and enjoyment at school. But their parents faced impossible choices, with rising rents and grocery bills, climbing electricity bills piling up and then the cost of prescriptions on top of that. There were months when they had to choose between buying ADHD medication and putting food on the table. When these children missed that medication, they felt sick, restless and unable to focus. They became frustrated and upset when they couldn't keep up in class. Their parents struggled deeply, weighing up these choices when times were particularly tough. I remember speaking to a pharmacist in Kings Meadows and another in Ravenswood, right in the heart of Bass, who told me similar stories of parents standing at the counter and weighing up which prescription they could afford to take home and which one they would have to leave behind. No parent in Australia should ever have to make that choice and, with this bill, fewer families will. Why does this matter? From 1 January next year, the maximum cost of a PBS prescription for general patients will fall to just $25. That is the lowest price in more than 20 years. The last time medicines were this a…
date: 2025-08-27T13:04:00+00:00

Cybersafety | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: TEESDALE () (): My question is for the Minister for Communications. How will the world-leading online-safety measures, implemented by the Albanese Labor government, put Australian families before...
encoded: TEESDALE () (): My question is for the Minister for Communications. How will the world-leading online-safety measures, implemented by the Albanese Labor government, put Australian families before online platforms?
date: 2025-07-31T15:07:00+00:00

Health Care | Adjournment | House debates
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description: In Bass, we understand the meaning of doing more with less, particularly when it comes to health. In some of our more regional communities, getting to a doctor can take hours. Bulk-billing GPs...
encoded: In Bass, we understand the meaning of doing more with less, particularly when it comes to health. In some of our more regional communities, getting to a doctor can take hours. Bulk-billing GPs are a threatened species, and for many families the rising cost of medicines means making impossible choices. Bass is one of the most underserved electorates in the country when it comes to access to healthcare professionals. I've heard these stories firsthand: a grandmother on a surgery waitlist for years, a child missing out on early intervention or a young person waiting for diagnosis and yet falling through the cracks. But Labor is stepping up. In this year's budget, the Albanese government has delivered the biggest investment in Medicare ever seen in Bass. This includes cheaper medicines, because nobody should be splitting tablets in half to stretch out a script; 1800MEDICARE, a national triage line to provide support 24/7; and an endometriosis and pelvic pain clinic that is already changing lives, where people can feel heard and understood and get the treatment that they need. For urgent but non-emergency care, Launceston's Medicare urgent care clinic continues to be a lifeline for our community. Our clinic is one of the busiest in the country and perhaps the only one that's had to treat multiple Tasmanian devil bites in its time. The numbers don't lie. In the first half of this year, the Launceston Medicare urgent care clinic saw an average of 54 patients per day. Since its expanded opening hours on 1 July, the clinic sees 73 patients on average every day. On its busiest day this month, 84 patients were seen by a doctor at the Medicare urgent care clinic. That's 84 Tasmanians, 84 of my constituents, who did haven't to wait at the emergency department or try to get an after-hours GP appointment. They could see a doctor when and where they needed to, for free. In fact, just last week the clinic saw as many patients in a single day as our already overstretched local hospit…
date: 2025-07-30T19:45:00+00:00

Address-in-Reply | Governor-General's Speech | House debates
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description: I believe that we learn through stories, so please me allow me to share mine. A little boy handed me a button. His name is Archie. No explanation, no big moment—just a quiet, unexpected...
encoded: I believe that we learn through stories, so please me allow me to share mine. A little boy handed me a button. His name is Archie. No explanation, no big moment—just a quiet, unexpected gift at the door of a stranger. It was the final week of the campaign. I was tired, hopeful and stretched to my limit. And there he was, a small hand reaching out offering me something precious. Something small, yes, but full of meaning. Did he sense, maybe, at that point in time, I really needed a lucky button? Perhaps. I carried it with me through the final week. I kept it close on election night, and I brought it here with me today, because this button became a reminder of kindness, of trust—of why we do this. This chamber hears a lot of talk about policy, priorities and power. But it's the small human things that actually hold us together, especially when distant horizons feel like they begin to darken. As I hold Archie's gift, I'm reminded that we walk in the footsteps of generations of his ancestors and on lands filled with deep stories far older than any of us. I acknowledge and pay my deepest respects to Palawa elders past and present, community members, their families and the Palawa people that passed too soon and did not make elder status yet who remain in the thoughts of their families and their community across Lutruwita/Tasmania. I acknowledge Palawa are the traditional owners and carers of country and sea country of Lutruwita that span millennia. There is a strong connection to country for Palawa, who continue to pass on cultural practices and knowledge to the next generation in my electorate of Bass. I extend my acknowledgement and deepest respects to the Ngunnawal people, whose country we are standing on today. I recognise the enduring strength and wisdom of First Nations people and the importance of listening, being led and sharing decisions. I recognise the significance for truth telling, healing and justice to be part of Australia's future and a strong link to clos…
date: 2025-07-24T10:12:00+00:00

Child Abuse: Child Care | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: My question is to the Minister for Education. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to lift child safety in early education and care services?
encoded: My question is to the Minister for Education. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to lift child safety in early education and care services?
date: 2025-07-23T14:58:00+00:00