Tom Venning'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: Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Australia Day Honours and Awards | Statements | House debates
items: Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
items: Valedictory | Statements | House debates
items: Women's Health, Foster Care | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Aged Care | Motions | House debates
items: Aviation Industry | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Bushfires | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Regional Australia | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
items: Medicare | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Aged Care | Private Members' Business | House debates
items: Grey Electorate | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Regional Australia: Aviation, Breastfeeding | Statements by Members | House debates
items: Coober Pedy | Grievance Debate | House debates
items: Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program | Private Members' Business | House debates

Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: As the member for Casey rightly pointed out earlier, the first steps to solving a problem is to recognise that you have one. Indeed, this government do not recognise a problem that is right in...
encoded: As the member for Casey rightly pointed out earlier, the first steps to solving a problem is to recognise that you have one. Indeed, this government do not recognise a problem that is right in their faces. Inflation is rampant. It has increased by 3.8 per cent just recently. Again, we see another interest rate rise hurting families, hurting small business, crushing our economy. Government spending right now is the highest it has been in 40 years outside of the pandemic. It is a big-spending government. As the government gets bigger, we as a people become more dependent on said government and lose our freedoms. Now, if you have the unfortunate nature to live in either the great state of South Australia, as I do, or Victoria—let's look at the debt that we've carried in both of these states. In South Australia, we reached a milestone last year. If you divide the debt of both the federal government and the state government by the workforce in South Australia, it is over $100,000 per worker and increasing. Your children and your grandchildren are going to be paying off that debt. That is what these big numbers mean. We have gone from 24 to 27 per cent of government spending as a percentage of GDP. Again, that is big government territory. The Treasurer likes to present himself as a specialist, an expert in diagnosing the nation's finances with precision. He wants us to trust his credentials. But if you went to the doctor who ignored your symptoms, refused to make you a treatment plan and told you everything was fine while your fever spiked and kept rising, you'd be worried. That is exactly what we have in this Treasurer. He is running the economy with absolutely no plan to fix the patient. But we wouldn't be surprised, really. After all, he has no academic credentials. He does, however, have a PhD in political science, a PhD in spin. Amongst the many complaints my office receives daily about inflation and rising costs, I was recently contacted by John McGahan, a retail wo…
date: 2026-02-05T15:48:00+00:00

Australia Day Honours and Awards | Statements | House debates
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description: Today I'm honoured to congratulate the local everyday heroes recognised in the 2026 Australia Day Honours list in Grey. Ms Jennifer Holmes from Port Vincent. Jennifer has been appointed a Member...
encoded: Today I'm honoured to congratulate the local everyday heroes recognised in the 2026 Australia Day Honours list in Grey. Ms Jennifer Holmes from Port Vincent. Jennifer has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia. She has been recognised for her incredible work in community health. Mr Douglas Ahola from Risdon Park received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to the people of Port Pirie. Mr Bruce Green of Port Lincoln received an OAM for his service to the local government as mayor and for his community work. Bruce, thank you for your leadership. Mr Douglas Warmington of Moonta Bay, congratulations on your OAM. You have served your local community proudly. We also celebrate Mr Kenneth Warnes from Owen. Kenneth received an OAM for his service to conservation and to the district of Owen. Kenneth, thank you for looking after the mid-north. From our emergency services, Mrs Sandra Gooch from Yorktown. Sandra was awarded Ambulance Service medal. Sadly, this year, we also include two outstanding men who are no longer with us. We honour the late Mr Walter Duncan from Clare, who received an OAM for his service to horticulture. And we remember the late Mr Archibald Woods from Stansbury, awarded an OAM for his service to the Yorke Peninsula. None of these people did the work for a medal. They did it because they were devoted to regional South Australia. To all our recipients: warm congratulations.
date: 2026-02-05T13:33:00+00:00

Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: Let me start by saying quite clearly that the Liberal Party supports the freeze on the beer excise indexation. Personally, I support reducing excises, especially in our pubs and clubs, and so we...
encoded: Let me start by saying quite clearly that the Liberal Party supports the freeze on the beer excise indexation. Personally, I support reducing excises, especially in our pubs and clubs, and so we welcome this relief for every Australian who enjoys a cold one. I know I certainly do. The small country towns that I represent—I represent the most in this place—rely on three things: the primary school, the footy club and of course the pub. And the pubs are hurting. We're seeing closures every other week. Eventually, the community shrivels up, and that town becomes a ghost town. That story is all too familiar in regional South Australia. In 2022, when this Labor government was elected, the Treasurer delivered his first budget. At that point in time, we already had the most expensive cigarettes in the world, and he hiked up the excise on tobacco yet again. And I can quote what I and my friends said. We said at the time that all he's going to do is create a black market. Well, indeed, that's exactly what happened. We're losing billions of dollars a year in excise, smoking rates are up, and illegal tobacco crime is up as well. I'm concerned that we're going to see the same with alcohol, particularly in my community in regional Australia. Beer is a regional industry. I'm a farmer. We grow a lot of barley, particularly malting barley, which goes into the beer that we drink. We export barley. We export malt all over the world. South Australia's biggest export commodities are wheat, barley and lentils. They go to India, Indonesia and China. As I said before, it is our biggest export market. And, of course, South Australia has the famous Coopers. Beer is a regional industry, and it must be supported. But, while we are happy to take the discount, let's be honest about the service we are getting from this government and at Jim and Albo's pub. Just on that pub, I wonder what it should be called—maybe the 'Slug and Lettuce' or perhaps the 'Chook and Parrot'. Anyway, I can't help but l…
date: 2026-02-03T18:19:00+00:00

Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
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description: By representing more than 92 per cent of South Australia, I represent small-business owners, farmers and families who understand the value of a dollar. Out in the country we know that weather,...
encoded: By representing more than 92 per cent of South Australia, I represent small-business owners, farmers and families who understand the value of a dollar. Out in the country we know that weather, like the economy, can be unpredictable. We know that good years can be followed by lean ones. Because of this, country people understand the discipline that, when you have a good harvest, you don't run into town and blow every cent in the pub. No; farmers put money aside to prepare for the drought that they know is coming. They show restraint. Unfortunately, our Treasurer, Dr Jim Chalmers, is no diligent farmer. Indeed, he has no economic credentials at all. He has a PhD in political science. He, by its very definition, is a spin doctor. I'll go again: he's a spin doctor! I'm a farmer from Bute, but I also went to uni and studied economics and engineering. Economics 101: a fundamental principle of government is to act in a countercyclical fashion to the private sector. In fact, Mr Maguire, my high school teacher, taught me this very fact. Unfortunately, our Treasurer, the spin doctor, cannot stop borrowing our money and spending it, completely ignoring the inflation right under his nose. We saw it today. The Reserve Bank of Australia has been forced to raise interest rates again, and Dr Jim, with a PhD in spin, has nobody to blame but himself. The facts are simple. Rates are higher than they should be because this Treasurer has absolutely no discipline. Higher grocery prices; higher mortgage repayments; higher energy prices. The Treasurer's own budget papers tell this story. Since Labor came to office, they've added $50 billion of new discretionary spending to this financial year alone—$50 billion! To put this massive number into simple terms: that is money the government chose to spend, but it wasn't scheduled and it wasn't necessary. It was Labor sitting around the table, deciding to spend more money without finding any savings. When a farmer spends more money than they earn…
date: 2026-02-03T16:25:00+00:00

Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
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description: Today we gather in this place to remember. We gather to honour those who were taken from us too soon. We gather to reflect and to try and heal. We think of the mothers, the fathers, the sons and...
encoded: Today we gather in this place to remember. We gather to honour those who were taken from us too soon. We gather to reflect and to try and heal. We think of the mothers, the fathers, the sons and the daughters who did not come home that day. Their lives were full of light and, although that light was cut short, we will not let it be forgotten. We will hold their memories dearly and the lessons close. On behalf of the people of Grey, I also want to speak to those who were there. I want to speak to the people who walked on the beach on a normal afternoon and saw the unthinkable. I want to speak to the shopkeepers who pulled shutters down to protect strangers. I want to speak to the parents who used their own bodies to shield their children. I want to speak to the young people who had to grow up far too fast in one single hour. We see you. We know that, while physical wounds may heal, the sights and sounds of that day stay with you. You were just going about your lives. You were going for a swim. You were simply enjoying a walk in the sun. You were celebrating your faith. You did not ask to be part of a tragedy, you did not ask to be brave, but you were there and you saw things that no human being should ever have to see. This parliament acknowledges your pain. We acknowledge the weight you now carry. It is a weight that no-one should bear alone. Listening to my colleagues in the Jewish community, it is clear they and those in their faith feel a visceral sense of betrayal by leaders in this House. Now it is our time to stop treating antisemitism as a political inconvenience and confront it as a crisis. As described by my incredible colleague and friend and Jewish Australian, Julian Leeser, action is required across three fronts: disbanding violent neo-Nazi cells, silencing hate preachers and radical Islam and ending open Jewish harassment in the arts and the cultural left. This is a moment of choice. Leaders must act with determination to dismantle hate and restore safe…
date: 2026-01-19T14:54:00+00:00

Valedictory | Statements | House debates
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description: As the Christmas season arrives, it's time for family, reflection and festive cheer, and I extend my warmest regards to everyone in regional South Australia. It's a moment to appreciate the...
encoded: As the Christmas season arrives, it's time for family, reflection and festive cheer, and I extend my warmest regards to everyone in regional South Australia. It's a moment to appreciate the incredible contribution that all of you make to your community and to your country. As we enjoy the summer, I also hope the worst of the algal bloom is behind us and that the beautiful beaches and coastlines of Gulf St Vincent can recover. As I continue to be your representative in Canberra, I will fight to support you on this matter. This year in Grey we faced significant challenges. I mentioned the algal bloom, but we also spent much of 2025 in generational drought. This period was one of the toughest faced by South Australian farmers ever. It is my hope that the government will reflect on its response and that, the next time we face drought, farmers receive timely and meaningful support. A shared goal of my coalition partners and I is to strengthen Australia's position as a leading producer of high-quality food and fibre for domestic and international markets. To achieve this, we need to address some key issues. A focus is needed on the rising cost of energy, which impacts every single step of the supply chain. Ensuring access to affordable and reliable power is crucial for businesses of all types to remain competitive and indeed successful. We also need to make processes simpler and more efficient by streamlining rules and by reducing unnecessary red tape. We can free up businesses to focus on what they need, so we can free up businesses to focus on what they do best. As the member for Grey, I am acutely aware that those living in regional South Australia often feel left behind, so, while Christmas and the holiday season are a precious time that should be enjoyed by all, this time of year also brings into focus the inequality of services each of us outside of those who live in the city faces. Whether it be health care, aged care or child care, this government and governments …
date: 2025-11-27T17:19:00+00:00

Women's Health, Foster Care | Constituency Statements | House debates
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description: I rise to address the government's recent announcement regarding new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics. While this announcement is fantastic on the surface, underneath it is a profound...
encoded: I rise to address the government's recent announcement regarding new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics. While this announcement is fantastic on the surface, underneath it is a profound disappointment for South Australia, the health minister's very own state. The minister claims to be leveling the playing field, yet for regional South Australian women the field remains uneven and the game hasn't even started. We are told these 33 clinics ensure care closer to home. This is an insult to South Australia. Of the 33 clinics overall, only two are in SA. Of the 11 new locations, zero are in SA. That is right—zero. In my electorate of Grey, we are left relying on a single existing clinic in Kadina. While the staff there are dedicated and do a fantastic job, they are drastically understaffed and facing an impossible workload. Endometriosis affects one in seven women, causing debilitating pain, and one solitary clinic cannot physically serve tens of thousands of women across our vast rural and regional expanse. The government claims they are stopping women from struggling in silence. However, by ignoring our states desperate need for additional resources, they are affectively silencing women on the Eyre Peninsula, the mid-north, the upper Spencer Gulf and beyond. How can the minister speak of dignity and access when some women in regional SA faced a seven year diagnostic delay exacerbated by geographic isolation. This $800 million package rings hollow when access remains a postcode lottery, a rigged lottery, a lottery regional SA never wins. It is unacceptable that despite this significant spending South Australian women remain an afterthought. We do not need more press releases. We need funded, staffed clinics. This announcement completely fails regional South Australia. Uniting Country SA are tireless advocates for our region's most vulnerable young people, and I specifically want to thank Helen Worby from the Kadina team for illuminating a critical issue—the urgent nee…
date: 2025-11-26T09:54:00+00:00

Aged Care | Motions | House debates
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description: We've heard a lot from the Albanese Labor government, whenever there is an issue, that they blame the previous coalition government. Well, the Albanese government has been in power for over...
encoded: We've heard a lot from the Albanese Labor government, whenever there is an issue, that they blame the previous coalition government. Well, the Albanese government has been in power for over 3½ years. When will this government take responsibility for its failures? The sound that echoes along the busy hallways of our regional hospitals and through stricken aged-care facilities in my electorate is the sound of a ticking time bomb. This government is sitting on an aged-care crisis that is, quite frankly, about to explode—and I don't think Labor even realise it. This bomb sits right in the middle of our aged-care system. On 1 November, when Labor's new Aged Care Act came into effect, they supercharged the problem. There was no proper education campaign. No-one explained what these changes meant. There were just confused elderly Australians opening letters, wondering why they were suddenly paying more than before. We promised older Australians they would be no worse off. That was the guarantee. But that guarantee is gone, and right now the clock is ticking. Between now and July next year is open season for providers to crank up their costs. In my electorate, this is no exaggeration. The offices in Kadina, Port Pirie and Whyalla are inundated by calls from people with questions about aged care. In fact, we've had to dedicate staff to handle the influx of emails and calls from people in need. It truly is a desperate situation. For every second that Labor waits to act, a pensioner in regional South Australia loses a little more dignity. This is the reality of the aged-care time bomb. It is going to cost lives. This government loves a one-size-fits-all plan, but a plan made for the city does not work for the bush. My electorate is bigger than the whole of New South Wales. Older constituents must drive or be driven hundreds of kilometres for the most basic care. City solutions do not work in Grey. Imagine finding out that the extra money you spent on fuel must now stretch even…
date: 2025-11-24T17:21:00+00:00

Aged Care | Motions | House debates
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description: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.
encoded: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.
date: 2025-11-24T17:11:00+00:00

Aviation Industry | Private Members' Business | House debates
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description: I rise today to speak on a critical matter of importance to every Australian who lives or works outside our capital cities. We are witnessing a slow collapse of our regional airline industry that...
encoded: I rise today to speak on a critical matter of importance to every Australian who lives or works outside our capital cities. We are witnessing a slow collapse of our regional airline industry that has unfolded under the watch of Labor. The facts are stark. Under this government, two regional airlines have collapsed. First we saw the demise of Bonza, a low-cost carrier that promised to connect our regions but instead left passengers stranded and Boeing 737s repossessed. Now we've watched the slow and painful administration of Rex, an airline that has been the lifeline for bush communities for decades, including Ceduna, Coober Pedy, Port Lincoln and previously Whyalla and Port Augusta. Although the government is celebrating Air T's acquisition of Rex, the details of the deal paint a concerning picture. The primary beneficiaries of Rex's decline seem to be the administrators, with EY collecting $25 million in fees, while the airline itself faces a heavy financial burden. The new arrangements carry forward $90 million of debt and adds $60 million as a commercial loan, and they're supplemented by $50 million from Air T themselves. This raises a critical question: how will Air T, a company with recent adjusted earnings of only US$7.4 million, finance such a commitment? When paired with their promise to expand an ageing fleet of 30 aircraft to 44, the viability of the plan is uncertain. What happens in the future when the new owners realise, as others have, that serving our remote communities is difficult? The government has pumped over $160 million of taxpayer money into keeping Rex afloat during this administration, yet they cannot guarantee that the current network will survive. We have heard vague assurances about critical aviation links, but regional Australians know that 'critical' is corporate code for 'profitable'. We face a future where Air T could focus on select high-yield routes, leaving smaller towns even more isolated. Look at the cost being borne by our local…
date: 2025-11-24T13:26:00+00:00

Bushfires | Statements by Members | House debates
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description: I rise to mark a sombre chapter in the history of the lower mid-north of South Australia. On 25 November 2015, just after midday, a single spark near Pinery unleashed a vicious grassfire,...
encoded: I rise to mark a sombre chapter in the history of the lower mid-north of South Australia. On 25 November 2015, just after midday, a single spark near Pinery unleashed a vicious grassfire, changing the landscape and many lives forever. In a matter of hours, a 50 kilometre trail of devastation carved through 80,000 hectares. We saw 91 homes reduced to ash. We saw the backbone of our local economy, critical machinery, unharvested grain, and over 70,000 head of livestock and poultry lost to the flames. While structures can be rebuilt and machinery replaced, some things will never be the same. I pause to remember the two lives lost that day, Janet Hughes and Alan Tiller. To their families, our community has not forgotten you and we never will. We also acknowledge the 90 people hospitalised and those who carry the physical and emotional scars of that terrifying afternoon. However, amidst the darkness there was light. We owe a debt of gratitude to 1,700 firefighters from the CFS and MFS who surged towards the danger. Your courage saved lives. As the heat returns and we face another summer, the greatest way to honour those we lost and thank those who fought is to be prepared. Please, do not be complacent. Have a bushfire action plan. Talk to your family. Know when to leave. Let's honour 2015 by keeping each other safe today.
date: 2025-11-24T13:42:00+00:00

Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: Freedom of information isn't a privilege; it's a right that belongs to the Australian people. The documents of government don't belong to ministers or departments; they belong to the people. When...
encoded: Freedom of information isn't a privilege; it's a right that belongs to the Australian people. The documents of government don't belong to ministers or departments; they belong to the people. When Australians ask for information, they are not being difficult. They are exercising their right to know how their government works. That right, one of the most important in our democracy, is what this bill, the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025, puts at risk. The government says this bill will modernise the FOI system, but it does not modernise it; it weakens it. It moves our system from a presumption of openness to a presumption of control. It gives agencies more excuses to say no and gives citizens fewer tools to hold government accountable. That's not reform; that is retreat. I want to thank my colleagues who have called this bill what it is—a truth tax. Australians will be made to pay more, wait longer and receive less when they simply ask to know what their government is doing. Let's remember what FOI is actually for. It's for journalists to expose waste. It's for community groups to check on decisions that affect them. It's how citizens hold us, their representatives, to account. Remember what 'FOI' stands for—'freedom of information'. It's not 'freedom of information if we feel like it'. If FOI fails, bad decisions multiply in the dark. This government already has a transparency problem, and now, under this bill, even that small window of sunlight will start to close. In regional Australia, we value straight talk. In Grey, people don't expect perfection from government, but they do expect honesty and openness. They expect to see where their money is being spent. They want to know why a road project in the mid-north has stalled or how decisions about aged care or rural hospitals were made. They want to know why programs are announced but the delivery never seems to reach the Eyre Peninsula, the Yorke Peninsula or the far north. Freedom of information helps us …
date: 2025-11-05T11:16:00+00:00

Regional Australia | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
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description: In response to the member for Lingiari, the government seem to be obsessed with size. If size matters, look in the mirror. Have a look at the size of your PM's electorate. It's smaller than a...
encoded: In response to the member for Lingiari, the government seem to be obsessed with size. If size matters, look in the mirror. Have a look at the size of your PM's electorate. It's smaller than a farm in my community of Bute, while my electorate is bigger than New South Wales. This month, thousands of young Australians will be sitting down for their end-of-year exams. As such, it is only fair that the government faces an examination of its own—an examination into the results for rural and regional Australians. The report card does not read well. There are fails in economics, science, agriculture, technology and health. If this government was getting an ATAR score next month, it would be a big, fat zero. Failure No. 1: the Albanese government's mismanagement of our energy markets and power prices. Not only have our power prices not reduced by $275 but, importantly, these policies have a major impact on communities which make things, like Whyalla and Port Pirie, and on our farmers and small businesses. The policies are threatening our sovereign capabilities, damaging prime agricultural land, dividing our communities and increasing energy costs. By constructing tens of thousands of kilometres of transmission lines, solar panels and wind turbines across rural and regional Australia, this government is industrialising fertile rural farming land and the natural environment on a massive scale. Failure No. 2: Labor's reckless and out-of-touch approach to fixing our regional roads. In the country, we want safer roads, not slower roads. This government threatens to cut speed limits to 70 kilometres per hour, which shows us yet again that Labor doesn't get rural and regional Australia. Rather than fixing the problem, they want to create more red tape. Why is Labor fixated on making our lives harder? Under this government, regional roads have severely deteriorated, with Labor cutting the levels of Commonwealth funding for regional road projects from 80 per cent down to 50 per cent,…
date: 2025-11-05T16:06:00+00:00

Medicare | Private Members' Business | House debates
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description: There is a crisis unfolding in regional Australia: the collapsing access to general practice services. It is not easy to see a GP in the country, and I think we can all agree that your postcode...
encoded: There is a crisis unfolding in regional Australia: the collapsing access to general practice services. It is not easy to see a GP in the country, and I think we can all agree that your postcode should not determine whether you get health care. Labor is busy spruiking its urgent Medicare clinics, presenting them as a solution to health care, but I have news for this parliament: most people in my electorate will never get access to one. In fact, on health outcomes, people in my electorate of Grey already have some of the worst outcomes in the country. We have the highest rates of diabetes in the country, more than double the national average, we have some of the worst access to health care and we have some of the lowest life expectancy rates, while access to seeing a doctor in my community is getting worse, not better. Policymakers need to stop playing politics with health care. They know exactly how medical clinics operate and they know the real-world consequences of their policies. For those unaware, GP clinics make money on brief consultations and subsidise the longer, more complex consultations, which often the clinics service at a loss. Labor's new policy is simply putting pressure on the clinics to find ways to fund these essential longer appointments. This was confirmed by the health department in Senate estimates, who also confirmed that it will cost more to see a GP this year and next year. Everyone I speak with, from councils to community members, recognises that there is a massive issue with access to GPs in rural and remote communities, yet, despite this widespread recognition, no-one is doing anything meaningful to make a difference, especially not this Labor government. Only last month another medical clinic in my electorate closed its doors for good. That closure means the residents of Peterborough now must drive over an hour to see a GP and wait over six weeks to get an appointment. This is unacceptable. Even communities that have traditionally been st…
date: 2025-11-03T17:51:00+00:00

Aged Care | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: On 1 November, this government's new Aged Care Act came into effect, and what did older Australians get? Confusion, chaos and higher costs. There was no proper education campaign and no clear...
encoded: On 1 November, this government's new Aged Care Act came into effect, and what did older Australians get? Confusion, chaos and higher costs. There was no proper education campaign and no clear communication about what these changes meant, just bewildered elderly Australians wondering why they were suddenly paying more than before for the same support they were already receiving. These changes have older Australians concerned that they will have to cut back on essential services because providers can now increase their costs. That's right. For eight months, providers can charge what they like for at-home services as the government will not cap these prices until 1 July next year. What happened to the 'no worse off' guarantee that these changes came with? Older Australians are being forced to pick up essential services, like help with housework, personal care and everyday living support. This is yet another broken election promise, one that comes with catastrophic consequences. This doesn't include the thousands of older Australians who are still waiting for the care they deserve. In total, more than 230,000 older Australians have been stuck, left in limbo, waiting for access to home-care support under Labor. The National Ageing Research Institute has shown that older Australians forced to wait longer than six months for a home-care package face an 18 per cent higher risk of death compared to those who receive support within 30 days. Across the electorate of Grey, families are facing impossible choices and heartbreaking situations due to this government's failure to deliver promised care. The stories I have heard from residents across Grey, both raw and devastating, prove beyond any doubt that we are in the midst of an aged-care crisis. This is the price of Labor's centralisation and their one-size-fits-all policy approach. What works for cities does not work in small regional towns. Where is the compassion for the spouse who can no longer visit their partner because d…
date: 2025-11-03T11:38:00+00:00

Grey Electorate | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: The lower Eyre Peninsula is the only place in Australia with comparable population or economic output that doesn't have doppler radar coverage. The importance of radar and accurate near-real-time...
encoded: The lower Eyre Peninsula is the only place in Australia with comparable population or economic output that doesn't have doppler radar coverage. The importance of radar and accurate near-real-time and real-time forecasting cannot be overstated. Sure, it's important for individuals but also for: agriculture, where we have some of the most productive land in the country; fishing, where Port Lincoln is called home by the Southern Hemisphere's largest fishing fleet; tourism, like international yacht races in Boston Bay; rocket launching, a growing industry at Whalers Way; and, importantly, emergency services, helping us mitigate what we saw in 2005 when nine people were killed. While I thank Minister Watt's office for their constructive engagement on this issue, we must not delay this any further. Finally, I want to thank Trevor Smith, Ryan Viney, Ken Webber and Sam Telfer MP for their continued advocacy. The time for radar is now. Last month, on Rural Women's Day, we celebrated the backbone of our regional communities—the rural women who hold our towns together. It was a privilege to attend Rural Women's Day celebrations at Orroroo, celebrating the contributions of our local women. Last week, I met with locals Stephanie March from MERCI CO, Alex Thomas from Plant a Seed for Safety and Nikki Atkinson from Liv Sienne Fashion here in Parliament House. It was amazing to have women like this stand up and fight for regional and rural health care. We don't need the world's best access; we just want equity. The stories of these incredible women hit hard. Stephanie's son has a rare chronic disease, requiring constant travel to the city for care, putting a constant strain on their entire family on the Yorke Peninsula. Alex faced an impossible choice when her late father fell through the cracks in regional health care: either switch off his dialysis or move to the city. That's a choice no daughter should face. These aren't just statistics; these are the daily realities our regiona…
date: 2025-11-03T10:36:00+00:00

Economy | Matters of Public Importance | House debates
type: item
description: Today I rise to speak on the grave matter of fairness and fiscal responsibility. The reality is that everyday, ordinary Australians pay the price for a government that has decided to spend money...
encoded: Today I rise to speak on the grave matter of fairness and fiscal responsibility. The reality is that everyday, ordinary Australians pay the price for a government that has decided to spend money as if it grows on trees. It doesn't take an economics degree to see that this government is addicted to spending taxpayers' money. That addiction has a price, and you—the police officer, the schoolteacher, the farmer, the retailer—are picking up the tab. Let me say it plainly. We are borrowing from our children's future, paying the interest today so that the debt will fall on our children tomorrow. The cost of living is soaring. Rent is up by 21 per cent, food costs are up by 16 per cent, mortgages are up by $1,800 a month on average, and power prices are up by 46 per cent and increasing. You cannot separate the borrowing and the spending from the environment in which jobs become harder to find, wage growth stagnates and regional families feel left behind. In regional South Australia, farmers reel under generational drought—fishers destroyed by the algal bloom, and manufacturing on life support. Yet we see a city focused government pouring money down the drain for inner-city handouts and vanity projects. So when you look at your tax bill, your power bill, your mortgage statement or the difficulty you're having to find a secure job, it's not just the market, it's not just inflation, it's not just the cost of living; it's also a government that chooses to borrow and spend big rather than live within its means. Let me walk you through the arithmetic of work debt servicing means in everyday terms, because regional Australians understand numbers. We are paying $50,000 every minute in interest on the debt. That's roughly $72 million per day—money that could have been spent on upgrades to regional hospitals, fixing the roads we rely on, supporting community housing in towns like Port Pirie and helping businesses hit by the algal bloom, drought and unaffordable housing prices. So wh…
date: 2025-10-30T16:03:00+00:00

Regional Australia: Aviation, Breastfeeding | Statements by Members | House debates
type: item
description: This week, the Senate voted in favour of an inquiry into regional airport security fees. The cost of screening has made regional air travel prohibitively expensive. While travellers from capital...
encoded: This week, the Senate voted in favour of an inquiry into regional airport security fees. The cost of screening has made regional air travel prohibitively expensive. While travellers from capital cities pay no more than a dollar, regional passengers bear a cost of more than $50 in my electorate. Rex no longer services Whyalla for this very reason. It is simply not viable. It was disappointing that Labor, including Labor's duty senator for Grey, Senator Grogan, voted against the inquiry. Regional Australians deserve equal access to air travel, and I encourage the government to bring in a national screening levy. I've been contacted by the Australian Breastfeeding Association councillor and Yorke Peninsula farmer Sarah Clifford, who has brought to my attention the wonderful work her ABA group in Kadina is doing. With groups like this in Kadina, Clare, Crystal Brook, Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Breastfeeding Everywhere venues in Port Augusta and as far north as Roxby Downs, this group is doing amazing work to support mothers. But this organisation needs assistance, because funding for ABA's national Breastfeeding Helpline and live chat services expires in 2026. Today I'd like to show my support for the ABA and the proposal it has submitted to the Australian government for a four-year, $14.8 million investment. I call on Mark Butler, the Minister for Health and Ageing, to grant full funding to ABA's proposal.
date: 2025-10-30T13:47:00+00:00

Coober Pedy | Grievance Debate | House debates
type: item
description: I rise today to discuss a matter of national importance concerning an iconic Australian town and the opal capital of the world, Coober Pedy. Coober Pedy has a population of approximately 2,000...
encoded: I rise today to discuss a matter of national importance concerning an iconic Australian town and the opal capital of the world, Coober Pedy. Coober Pedy has a population of approximately 2,000 people. It is located in the far north of South Australia, 850 kilometres north of Adelaide and 680 kilometres south of Alice Springs. Opal was first discovered in February 1915, and, in 1920, the official name of the town was chosen. The name Coober Pedy is an anglicisation of the Aboriginal term 'kupa piti', often translated as 'white man in a hole'. It's a name that speaks to the history of grit, complex issues, innovation, and the unique spirit required to work in the harsh South Australian outback. And what a history it has! Yet—and I don't say this lightly—if governments don't start taking the plight of this regional centre seriously, Coober Pedy could well just be history. Today Coober Pedy stands not as a beacon of outback triumph but as a stark, unforgiving symbol of what happens when remote communities fall between the cracks. It is a portrait of high costs, declining services, community fatigue and bureaucratic abandonment. The people of Coober Pedy are some of the most resilient Australians I have ever met. They are a community that simply wants to get on with it—get on with rebuilding their local government systems and get on with teaching the next generation the invaluable skills of opal cutting, grading and mining. That is the soul of the town. But they're being tied up, not by their work ethic or passion but by government red tape and neglect. This is why I stand here demanding answers. Last week in Coober Pedy, I took the pleasure to take this fight to Canberra, and I'm proud to be joined in this urgent call for action by a man who knows this region well, who understands the frustrations and who is absolutely committed to delivering a fair deal for the outback, the Liberal candidate for Stuart, Leon Stephens. Leon is not a man for a photo opp. He's committed t…
date: 2025-10-28T12:51:00+00:00

Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program | Private Members' Business | House debates
type: item
description: I rise to address a crisis that is putting the lives of regional South Australians at risk—the terrible state of our country roads. I begin by acknowledging the important work of my...
encoded: I rise to address a crisis that is putting the lives of regional South Australians at risk—the terrible state of our country roads. I begin by acknowledging the important work of my colleague Dr Anne Webster and her motion regarding the dire state of roads in regional Victoria. It's a sad reality that, like Victoria, South Australia is a city centric state, where the government's focus is almost entirely confined to Adelaide and surrounds. In fact, the government's priorities are so skewed I have often thought we should save ourselves the hassle and change our state's name to simply 'the state of Adelaide'. Statistically, South Australia receives the lowest amount of federal road funding of any state, both on a per capita basis and a per kilometre of road basis, and it shows. But this isn't just about statistics; it is about lives. Here are a few stories from my electorate that serve to highlight how dangerous and poorly maintained the South Australian regional road network really is. Tony, a prominent and well-respected pastoralist in northern South Australia, said, 'Ten years ago five gangs of two graders were operating on the outback road network and now there is only one grade crew consisting of two graders to service 10,000 kilometres of outback roads.' This is ludicrous. From a constituent in Clare: 'We came over from Clare today to do some shopping in Port Pirie, and to say the cattle track to Crystal Brook needs major repairs is beyond a joke. You even have to drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid the dozens of deep potholes.' From Robin, a fellow truckie from Booleroo Centre, talking about the recently upgraded Augusta Highway, 'As a road train operator that uses this road multiple times a week, I am disgusted that this section of road has only been open for six months and it is already falling apart.' There are safety concerns around Snowtown, Two Wells intersections and complaints about the condition of the Strzelecki Track, a vital road for our re…
date: 2025-10-27T18:18:00+00:00