Ellie Whiteaker's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | Senate debates
I rise to add my strong support to the Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025. This bill represents an important step forward for this parliament. It strengthens...
I rise to add my strong support to the Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025. This bill represents an important step forward for this parliament. It strengthens our ability to scrutinise some of the most serious, complex and consequential decisions any government can make—decisions about defence policy, military capability, major procurement and, in the gravest of circumstances, the commitment of Australian forces to conflict. These are no ordinary policy questions. They involve immense public resources and consideration of long-term horizons, strategic risk and, most importantly, the lives and the wellbeing of the women and men of the Australian Defence Force and the civilians impacted by these decisions. It is entirely appropriate that this parliament equips itself with the right structures to examine those matters with care, depth and seriousness. The creation of this committee responds directly to the recommendations of the inquiry undertaken by the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade into international armed conflict decision-making. That inquiry identified a clear gap. While parliament debates defence policy and scrutinises defence expenditure through existing processes, it has not had a dedicated mechanism to examine defence strategy, capacity and operations in a way that allows access to important classified information. That gap matters. In the strategic environment we face, many of the most important questions about defence cannot be meaningfully examined using only publicly available information. The details that shape capability choices, operational risk, contingency planning and the conduct of operations are often classified for good reason. Without access to that material, parliamentary scrutiny is necessarily partial. This new committee is designed to address that reality. It is modelled on the established and respected framework of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. That committee has shown that it is possible for members of parliament from across parties and from both houses to receive and consider highly sensitive information while maintaining the test of agencies and protecting our national security. This bill extends that proven model into the defence portfolio. Let me be clear: this is not about expanding the parliament into operational decision-making. This committee will not direct the Australian Defence Force or make decisions about deployments. It will not override the prerogatives of our executive government. Those important constitutional settings remain unchanged. What this committee will do is strengthen parliament's capacity to understand, to question and to scrutinise. The functions of this new committee are broad and forward looking. They include examining defence strategy and planning documents, scrutinising capability development and major acquisitions, being apprised of war or warlike operations and monitoring significant non-conflict operations at home and abroad. The committee will also consider matters relating to defence personnel and veterans and the performance and independence of key oversight bodies, such as the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force. That matters because defence is about our people, our Australian people. It is about the responsibilities we carry towards those we ask to serve and the way we manage the risks that they are exposed to. Strong parliamentary scrutiny is part of that duty of care. Senate committees will continue to examine defence legislation and budgets through established processes, including Senate estimates. Other statutory committees will retain their roles. But this bill will complement those existing mechanisms. The key innovation in this bill is that the new committee will be able to receive classified briefings and information, subject to clear and robust safeguards. It is those safeguards that make this workable. Defence agencies and our international partners must have confidence that sensitive operational information, intelligence-derived material and details about highly sensitive capabilities will be managed appropriately. This bill provides that framework with private proceedings, with defined categories of protected information, with ministerial authorisation being required before certain highly sensitive materials can be compelled or disclosed and, importantly, with offences for the unauthorised disclosure of information obtained through the committee's work. Some might see these provisions as focused on the limits, but I see them as enablers. Without strong legal protections, agencies will be understandably reluctant to share the information that gives scrutiny its real substance. With those protections in place, the committee can operate in a way that is both responsible and effective. It is also worth making another important point. Scrutiny conducted in private is not lesser scrutiny and, in many cases, is more searching. When witnesses are able to speak frankly in a secure setting, without the pressure of public performance, members can ask the hard questions, assumptions can be tested and risks can be explored in detail. This committee also represents a step forward in the institutional maturity of our parliament. Defence planning and capability development are long-term endeavours. They extend beyond the electoral cycle. They involve investments measured by decades and decisions whose consequences will be felt by future governments and future generations of Australians. A standing joint committee with secure access to information provides continuity. It allows the parliament, across party lines, to build deeper expertise and institutional memory in this field. That continuity strengthens democratic accountability. It ensures that scrutiny of major defence decisions is sustained and informed. I want to acknowledge the direct connection to the work already being undertaken in this parliament by the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade and, in particular, the Defence Subcommittee, chaired by my colleague Senator O'Neill. I am very lucky to be a member of that committee. Through that committee, I have seen closely the work involved in scrutinising the current defence policy settings and capability development and our important role in the region. The work of that committee really matters. It builds on the practical work of parliamentarians and the executive, who have been grappling with the limits of existing arrangements. But we understand that a deeper and more structured scrutiny is needed. The inquiry that led to the recommendation to establish this committee came from sustained engagement by members of that committee, who saw both the importance of defence oversight and the constraints of trying to do that work without access to classified information. It would be remiss of me to talk about defence in this place without talking about our great state of Western Australia and the importance of Western Australia to this government's defence strategy. Western Australia is not peripheral to Australia's defence posture; it is central to it. I've spoken here before about my local community, which is absolutely central to our government's defence work and absolutely central to the defence of the AUKUS partnership. From HMAS Stirling and the growing strategic importance of the Indian Ocean to the infrastructure and workforce that will support the future of our conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine enterprise, my local community of Henderson is central to that work. Western Australia is at the heart of some of the most significant defence developments underway in this country. Decisions about capability, basing, sustainment and long-term investment, decisions that will shake the jobs, the skills, the industry and the local communities in Western Australia for decades to come, deserve the scrutiny of a committee like this. Western Australians deserve to know that these vast, complex and long-term decisions are being scrutinised carefully, with access to the right information, not only by the executive but by the parliament as well. A dedicated parliamentary joint committee on defence will help ensure that the national interests and the interests of communities, like mine, that host and support major defence activities are being examined in a serious, informed and sustained way. This bill has real significance for my home state of Western Australia and the local community in which I live—a place that is playing an increasingly central role to Australia's defence and strategic future. Around the world, trust in public institutions is under strain. Complex policy areas, particularly national security, can easily drift further away from public understanding. Never has parliamentary oversight been more important. Creating structures that allow elected representatives to engage seriously and responsibly with these issues is part of keeping our system healthy and robust. This bill does not solve every question about war powers or defence governance, and it does not attempt to. What it does do is make a practical, carefully designed improvement to the way this parliament performs its oversight and scrutiny role. It responds to considered recommendations. It draws on an existing model that has proven to be effective through the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. It balances transparency with the protection of national security. It strengthens our capacity to honour the responsibilities we carry towards the Australian people and the members of the Australian Defence Force. For all of those reasons, I commend this bill to the Senate and support its passage.
Picton, Mr Tim | Condolences | Senate debates
It's an honour to speak tonight about my friend and our comrade Tim Picton. When I first heard that Tim Picton was going to be the next state secretary of WA Labor I was a little wary; I'll be...
It's an honour to speak tonight about my friend and our comrade Tim Picton. When I first heard that Tim Picton was going to be the next state secretary of WA Labor I was a little wary; I'll be honest. I thought, 'Here we go: another bloke from the east coast Right coming to WA to tell us what to do!' Tim would have stopped me here and insisted that he was not from the east coast; he was a South Australian—and he would have wanted that clarified in the Hansard. But, as far as I was concerned, he wasn't from WA, and I really didn't want to like him. But it took all of about five minutes for him to win me over, because that was Tim. He could easily win just about anyone over. It's one of the things that made him so successful—in government, in campaigning and in the private sector. Tim's sharp intellect, his strategic brain and his unending commitment to Labor values made him a brilliant state secretary and an exceptional campaign director. Tim was meticulous. He would spend days writing campaign ads. He'd obsess over them and he'd tweak them and he'd tweak them again and he'd tweak them again. His best work was what we referred to in the party office as the Mark McGowan movie trailer. It was really long—much longer than it needed to be and much longer than a campaign ad should be. It gave everyone who watched it goosebumps, which is pretty weird for a campaign ad. It was meant for the campaign launch, but Tim insisted that we just 'chuck it up online and see how it goes', despite our protests that it was far too long and far too soppy. But of course it ended up being our best-performing ad in the campaign. I've been trying to find some pictures of us all together, the team on election night in 2021 and 2022. We took so many, but Tim is barely in any of them, because he was still at the computer in the tally room obsessing over the numbers and hoping we'd get just one more seat over the line. Tim was one of the hardest-working people I've ever worked with. He never stopped. My time working with Tim were some of the best years of my career. I learnt a lot from him, and we achieved a lot together. There's so much to be proud of: the record-breaking state election win in 2021, followed by another record-breaking federal election win in 2022. But I was most proud of our team—the teamwork, the camaraderie, the friendship. Tim led a team that worked hard and campaigned hard and, most importantly, a team that looked after each other. You don't always get that in politics, and you certainly don't always get that in a party office. But it was because of Tim's leadership that we still have those friendships. It was his leadership that fired us up every day, kept us going when things were hard and brought us together, regardless of age, faction, role or seniority. We were a close-knit group, and I think I speak for many of us when I say that I hoped we might one day work together again and win another election together. But, now, it wouldn't be the same without Tim. I want to say to all of those members of our team: I know you're all feeling this loss really hard. It is one that will be difficult to come to terms with. A lot has been said about Tim's potential—rightly so—and what he could have done if his life hadn't been so tragically and cruelly cut short. I really hoped he might have been convinced one day to join us here in this chamber, because, selfishly, I'd have loved to have worked with him again. For our party and for our country, he would have been an asset. But I think it would have taken a bit of strong convincing to get him to enter politics as an elected member. The reality is he could have done anything. He was a highly respected member of the Perth business community, and he would have continued to excel there if that's the path he took. Beyond his professional life, Tim was a really bloody good friend. He was generous and thoughtful, and he'd tell it to you straight. He was fiercely loyal. When he was stepping down as state secretary, he was very clear with the people around us that he wanted me to take on the job. He didn't have to do that, but it was his loyalty and commitment to bringing up others around him, to backing people in. The other thing about Tim was that he was really good at holding a baby—really good. He'd grab one at any opportunity and he'd usually get them to sleep in a flash. By any measure, his loss is a loss for our party, for WA and for our country, but, mostly, it's a loss for his family. My heartfelt condolences go to his parents, Fiona and Michael, his brother, Chris, and sister, Johanna, his sisters-in-law and his nieces and nephews, who he loved so dearly. He talked about you in the office a lot. It was obvious that he came from a loving family and that he loved you all back. To Priya and Charlotte: I'm devastated for you both. Priya, the two of you were formidable together. Charlotte is lucky to have you as her mum and, while she will miss out on so much in losing her dad, she's got a whole lot of love and fight and a stellar example of a loving and successful parent in you. At Tim's funeral, his family asked for us to leave messages for Charlotte. I thought I'd give my message here and one day Charlotte can read in the Hansard. To Charlotte: your dad was beaming with pride the day he told me he and your mum were expecting a little girl. He couldn't believe his luck. I think he was born to be a girl dad. He loved to dress up. He loved a good singalong, and he was pretty good at being silly. Anyone who saw the two of you together could see just how much he adored you. You've got a lot of your dad in you, but you've got a lot of your mum, too. And that means you're resilient and you're fierce. You'll go so far and do great things one day. Your dad was a true legend of the Australian Labor Party and a much loved and respected member of the WA Labor family. I'm a better campaigner, a better political operator and a better senator because of Tim. So, to Tim, thank you. I'll miss you. We'll all miss you.
Housing, Interest Rates, Economy | Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers | Senate debates
The Liberal Party like to talk about how the government should control spending—or, as I think Senator O'Sullivan talked about, economic reform. But let's be honest about what that really...
The Liberal Party like to talk about how the government should control spending—or, as I think Senator O'Sullivan talked about, economic reform. But let's be honest about what that really means. What do the Liberal Party really want? Well, their record tells us what they really want. They don't want us to provide cost-of-living relief for Australians. They don't want us to invest in building the houses that we need to fix the housing crisis that they left our country in. They don't want us to make it more affordable for Australians to get into their own home. They don't want us to invest in Medicare and make it more affordable for Australians to see their GP. I could go on, and on, and on, because their record speaks for itself. We should be really clear about what the Liberal Party means when they talk about the economy. They've got a lot of nerve lecturing us on the economy when they left us with inflation at 6.1 per cent and rising. Their legacy was higher spending, no savings and bigger deficits. In fact, they went to the election with promises of: bigger deficits; more debt; extraordinarily, a plan to increase taxes for every taxpayer compared to Labor's plan; and a plan to leave taxpayers, ordinary Australians, with a bill for expensive nuclear reactors because the private sector wouldn't invest in them. We are focused on the cost of living, and they are focused on themselves. Minister Gallagher has said it in this place, the Treasurer has said it and I said it in here yesterday, too. There's no doubt inflation remains higher than we would like, and we have been honest about that. We know that Australians are doing it tough. But inflation is much lower than it was at its peak under the Liberals and much lower than what we inherited. The data shows that the inflation challenge is a mix of temporary factors, like the end of energy rebates and an increase in travel costs and spending over summer, in addition to persistent pressures in areas like housing. These are not easy challenges to tackle. We've seen, right around the world, that inflation doesn't always moderate in a straight line. But we are committed, as a government, to doing what we can to help Australians who are under pressure. That's why we won't give in to the Liberal Party and we won't roll back our plans for more bulk-billing or more tax cuts for every taxpayer, or cheaper medicines. We'll continue to back higher wages and we'll continue to slash student debt—all policies that those opposite oppose, and all policies that those opposite would propose that we stop spending money on. A government senator: Shame! It is a shame. It is absolutely a shame. MYEFO showed us that the budget is more than $233 billion better than we inherited when we came to government, and we found more than $114 billion in savings. That is responsible economic management under our government. It is the only midyear update on record that has delivered a better bottom line every year of the forward estimates—less debt in every year of the forward estimates and net policy decisions that improved the bottom line. They are the facts that the Liberals choose to ignore, time and time again. They like to talk about experts. The IMF has recently endorsed our fiscal strategy, saying it has been effective and describing the fiscal stance as 'broadly neutral'. And the OECD has recently said there has been 'a modest tightening of fiscal policy'. So, there you have it. We understand that Australians are still under pressure and facing cost-of-living challenges. That is why our government is committed to continuing to roll out responsible cost-of-living relief. We are committed to that hard work of responsible economic management. And we will not give in to the Liberals on the other side who are too busy focused on fighting each other and not focused on finding real solutions for ordinary Australians.
Housing Australia Amendment (Accountability) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | Senate debates
Let's be honest about what this bill, the Housing Australia Amendment (Accountability) Bill 2025, would do. It would make it harder for first home buyers to buy their own home. This bill by the...
Let's be honest about what this bill, the Housing Australia Amendment (Accountability) Bill 2025, would do. It would make it harder for first home buyers to buy their own home. This bill by the Liberal Party—by Senator Bragg—will make it harder for first home buyers to buy their first home and will stand in the way of the delivery of affordable housing for Australians. That's what this bill will do. There's the saying, 'I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed'—but, no, I'm actually pretty angry. I think Australians who are looking to get into their first home have the right to be angry too, because what's really clear with this bill before us is that the Liberal Party are only here to play politics. At least they're consistent. They will continue their record of doing absolutely nothing to help address the housing crisis that their government left us in. Only Labor has got a plan to build more homes. Only Labor will get renters a better deal. And only Labor will help more Australians into homeownership. Housing is one of the biggest challenges facing Australians. People are working hard, they're doing everything right, but too many still can't afford a place to call home. Young people are lining up, down the street and around the block, for rental inspections. In fact, one of my young staff told me yesterday that she and her housemate had been to 100 rental inspections between them in Perth. That is just extraordinary. Families with kids, the kinds of families who, a generation ago, would have been quite easily able to own their own home, can't get a foothold in the housing market. I hear it from young people in my home state of Western Australia all the time. They feel they will never get the opportunity to own their own home. We hear it from parents who worry they can't give their kids the stability they received as children. We know how tough the housing market is, and that is why we are throwing everything at it. We have an ambitious $43 billion housing agenda, which is having an impact right across the country. We've taken the Commonwealth from being, frankly, a negligent bystander in housing to delivering the boldest and most ambitious housing agenda this country has seen in the postwar period. Under the Prime Minister, we've made a real switch and we're tackling the housing crisis from every angle. Our Housing Australia Future Fund is a $10 billion investment to build 55,000 new social and affordable homes over the next five years. It's the largest national investment in housing in a generation. It's a permanent, ongoing source of funding to increase supply—that is, build more houses—but also to create jobs and to make housing more affordable for Australians who have been priced out for too long. It is our long-term commitment to rebuild our social housing system. Meanwhile, those on the other side of the chamber are actively trying to make it more difficult for Australians to own their own home. They are actively trying to make it more difficult for us to build more houses. They are standing in the way of more affordable housing for Australians, and, without a credible housing policy of their own, all they do is block and bulldoze. For almost a decade while they were in government, the Liberals and Nationals were completely tapped out of our national housing challenge. They completely ignored it, shut their eyes, turned away, turned their back on Australians and showed no leadership on housing. They had no plan and they made no investment into improving housing supply. For most of their nine years in government, the coalition didn't even have a housing minister. Can you imagine? It's extraordinary. It's no wonder that, when we came to government, this country had nothing to show on housing for the nine years that those opposite were in government. After almost a decade in government, the Liberals and Nationals had built only 373 social and affordable homes. Again, I'm not disappointed anymore; I'm angry. Australians are angry, young people are angry, and they want us to take action. But, at the last election, those opposite actually made a promise to cut the number of homes that would be built, because they wanted to scrap our Housing Australia Future Fund and bulldoze the policy of tens of thousands of new social and affordable homes. They promised to increase taxes on new affordable rental properties, and they promised to scrap our target of building 1.2 million homes. In the first six months of the new parliament, my first six months here, I must say I didn't have high expectations of those opposite, but I have been shocked that they tried to bulldoze 80,000 new rental homes that would offer more security and more affordable rent for Australians, when they attempted to block and undo our build-to-rent laws. I've been shocked and angry that they have voted against every single housing measure that we have brought before this place. And now the shadow minister for housing and homelessness, Senator Bragg, is trying to rip up our plan for five per cent deposits for all first home buyers. It's surprising to me that, after an election where Australians resoundingly rejected the politics of delay and destruction peddled by those opposite, they are still sending a message to young Australians that they haven't listened and haven't learnt. Instead, they've reverted to their usual tactics of blocking and bulldozing at every single opportunity. The true test of a housing policy, if we get to the real thing that we need now, is getting more people into homes. We don't need more bureaucracy and we certainly don't need more paperwork. This Housing Australia Amendment (Accountability) Bill proposed by Senator Bragg would allow the coalition and the Greens to team up once again to block real progress on housing. If we were to pass this bill, it would give the Senate the opportunity to disallow the Home Guarantee Scheme, which has already helped more than 185,000 Australians into homeownership since we came to government. I'm going to say that number again because it's a really impressive number—185,000 Australians into homeownership since we came to government. If this bill were to pass the Senate, it would allow the opposition to scrap Labor's Help to Buy program, a program which will help another 40,000 Australian families into homeownership. What will this mean for Australians who are working hard and doing everything right? The Liberals want to make it harder for tens of thousands of first home buyers to get into their own home, by increasing the amount they need for their deposit. Every Australian first home buyer will be forced to fork out an average of $23,000 for lenders mortgage insurance if they try to buy a home. The social and affordable housing projects that are under construction right now will be delayed or stopped, making more Australians wait longer for secure, affordable housing, when they're already doing it tough. Without the Commonwealth support that community housing providers need to plug the gap, the construction of thousands of social and affordable homes around the country will just stop. That would be the impact of this bill if it were to pass this place. My message to those opposite is really simple. You don't fix the housing crisis by blocking the building of new homes. You don't fix the housing crisis by bulldozing plans to construct the homes that we need. No-one is pretending that this is a simple task—to build the housing at the scale that we need to fix this crisis. Debate interrupted.
Cost of Living | Matters of Urgency | Senate debates
I rise this afternoon to oppose the urgency motion moved by Senator Paterson. Frankly, I think it's extraordinary that those opposite still can't seem to remember all the great things our...
I rise this afternoon to oppose the urgency motion moved by Senator Paterson. Frankly, I think it's extraordinary that those opposite still can't seem to remember all the great things our government has done to help with the cost of living—although I probably shouldn't be surprised, because they've been a bit distracted recently. What's really clear to me and I think what's becoming increasingly clear to Australians is that, while the Liberal Party and the National Party are focused on fighting themselves, our government is the only party that is focused on delivering for Australians, the only party that has the capacity to be responsible economic managers and the only party that is committed to bringing down the cost of living. Australians are seeing support from our government at the pharmacy counter, with our cheaper medicines policy bringing the cost of pharmacy scripts down to $25, the lowest it has been since 2004. Australians are seeing support when they go to the doctor, thanks to our bulk-billing incentive. They're seeing support with their childcare bills, with our three days of guaranteed child care. They're seeing support in their pay packets, with our plan for further tax cuts, with the tax cuts we've already delivered and with the higher wages that Labor has delivered. University students are seeing support from our government, because we have cut their HECS debts and reduced the amount at which they have to start repaying them. Senator Paterson and his colleagues like to talk about housing, but they seem to forget a really crucial fact. The coalition—sorry, they're not the coalition anymore. That is my mistake. We're going to have to keep reminding ourselves of that as things change day by day. The Liberals and the Nationals have opposed every single housing initiative that we have brought before this parliament—yes, every single one. They have opposed our measures to build more homes. They have opposed our measures to get more people into their first homes. They have opposed our investment in social and affordable housing. The absolute hypocrisy from those opposite to come in here and talk to us about housing! They complain about housing affordability, yet they have not presented a plan to this place or to the Australian people as to what they would do when it comes to making housing more affordable. I want to talk to the decision by the RBA today to lift interest rates. This, of course, is not news that we were hoping for, but it is news that we were expecting. We know that, for many Australian families, it is difficult news. We understand that this increases pressure on Australian families who are trying to pay mortgages. That's why our government is committed to continuing to roll out cost-of-living relief. We will not stop, and we will continue to do what we can to help. There are further tax cuts to come later this year, and, at the same time, we're doing what we can to strengthen the budget and address our longstanding productivity challenge. Our midyear update showed that the budget is more than $233 billion better off than when we came to government. We have found more than $114 billion in savings since coming to office, including $20 billion in last year's midyear update. We are committed to undoing the mess that we were left by those opposite. When we came to government, inflation had a six in front of it. It's really clear to me—and I think it's clear to Australians right across this country—that those opposite should perhaps spend some time, instead of fighting each other, supporting our government's cost-of-living measures and supporting our housing affordability measures.
Health Care | Questions without Notice | Senate debates
We know that delivering high-quality primary care will take pressure off local hospitals. How is the Albanese Labor government making sure that every Australian can see a GP so that they don't...
We know that delivering high-quality primary care will take pressure off local hospitals. How is the Albanese Labor government making sure that every Australian can see a GP so that they don't have to go to a local hospital?
On this side of the chamber, we want all Australians to access high-quality care where and when they need it. How is the Albanese Labor government working to help relieve pressure on state...
On this side of the chamber, we want all Australians to access high-quality care where and when they need it. How is the Albanese Labor government working to help relieve pressure on state hospital systems in delivering high-quality care for all Australians?
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator McAllister. Delivering cost-of-living relief and accessible, quality health care is a key priority for the...
My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator McAllister. Delivering cost-of-living relief and accessible, quality health care is a key priority for the Albanese Labor government. Last week the Prime Minister secured a historic funding deal to deliver record funding to state and territory hospitals and secure the future of the NDIS. What has the government done to deliver high-quality health services for all Australians through the National Health Reform Agreement?
Bunbury: Australia Day | Statements by Senators | Senate debates
On 26 January I attended the City of Bunbury's Australia Day citizenship ceremony in WA's South West. Seventy-one people from 27 unique countries became new Australian citizens. It was a proud...
On 26 January I attended the City of Bunbury's Australia Day citizenship ceremony in WA's South West. Seventy-one people from 27 unique countries became new Australian citizens. It was a proud moment that reflected the diversity and strength of modern Australia—a reminder that our national story continues to be shaped by people who choose to make their lives here and contribute to our communities. The service was followed by community awards, and today I want to talk particularly about the Young Citizen of the Year nominees that were recognised at the ceremony. Each of them represents the very best of a Bunbury's next generation. Connor Barrett, aged just 10, lives with cystic fibrosis and faces daily health challenges. He has raised many thousands of dollars to support research and services for others with the same condition. His courage, positivity and determination have brought the South West community together behind a cause that matters deeply to him and many other local families. His contribution at such a young age is extraordinary. Salome Woodland was nominated for her leadership and commitment to service. Having joined the Bunbury Youth Advisory Council at just 12, she has shown great maturity and commitment to her community. Isabella Chalker was named Young Citizen of the Year. She is the founder of the Z club at Manea Senior College, a student group focused on service and gender equality. Leading projects for local and global communities, she is a great example to others in the region. Lisa Thompson was named Citizen of the Year for her leadership of Collective Connections, and Community Group of the Year was awarded to the Bunbury PCYC. I want to shout out to them and all the great advocates in the South West.
Bondi Beach: Attack | Condolences | Senate debates
I too rise to express my condolences; to acknowledge the lives lost and the lives forever changed after the antisemitic terror attack at Bondi on 14 December 2025; to express my sorrow at the...
I too rise to express my condolences; to acknowledge the lives lost and the lives forever changed after the antisemitic terror attack at Bondi on 14 December 2025; to express my sorrow at the loss of the 15 people who were murdered, whose lives were cut short in the cruellest of ways; to share in grief with their families, who now face the unimaginable task of life without their loved ones; and to wish strength and healing to the survivors who were injured or who witnessed the attack unfold and who have suffered a trauma impossible to fathom; to say thank you to the first responders and civilians who showed tremendous bravery and ran towards danger to help people when they most needed it; to say to all Jewish Australians, I am sorry for the hurt and the pain you have suffered before and since that terrible day and to say to them, you deserve to be able to live, to work and to worship in peace and in safety. Whether you were born here, have moved here for a better life or are visiting for a short time, you deserve to feel safe here. You deserve to be safe here. Australian beaches should be safe. Hanukkah should be a celebration, an event where people can come together in public, without risk. Children should be able to visit a petting zoo without fear of being shot at. Terrorists like the two men who perpetrated this act of true evil, those who seek to destroy our social fabric, cannot succeed in breaking the Australian spirit. Those who spread hate and stoke division must not win. In this time of absolute tragedy, at a time when we have seen the worst of humanity, we must remember we have also seen the absolute best of humanity, too. While that will never make up for the lives that were lost and the families that were shattered, it can give us some hope. Ahmed al-Ahmed, Gefen Bitton, Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff, the Bondi and Waverley lifeguards, first responders, police and ambulance workers, and so many of the Bondi community showed us true courage in the face of unimaginable circumstances. Jessica Rosen, while not knowing where her own toddler was, sheltered someone else's child from gunfire. Many of those who died did so making the ultimate sacrifice in protecting others—Boris and Sofia Gurman, and Tibor Weitzen. First responders Constable Scott Dyson and Probationary Constable Jack Hibbert were injured doing their jobs at work, protecting their community. Following the attack, vision of floral tributes and gifts at Bondi Pavilion and in other places right across the country, including at Government House in my home state of Western Australia, showed the Australian community coming together in mourning. The Australian community have shown what we can do together in times of need, with record numbers of Australians coming forward to donate blood and to do what little they could to help in the aftermath of this tragedy. There are so many stories of courage, of bravery and of the Australian spirit—the very best of our country. These stories also reflect the Jewish spirit—kindness, peace and courage. These actions remind us that love and light will triumph over darkness. While there's nothing we can say to ease the suffering of those impacted by this terrorist attack, I hope those affected can see that, today, across this parliament, we all acknowledge your pain, we share in your sorrow, we stand with you and we will not forget. Edith Brutman, Dan Elkayam, Boris and Sofia Gurman, Alexander Kleytman, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Peter Meagher, Reuven Morrison, Marika Pogany, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Adam Smyth, Boris Tetleroyd, Tania Tretiak and little Matilda—we will not forget.
Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025, Environment Information Australia Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Customs Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Excise Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (General Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Restoration Charge Imposition) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | Senate debates
Today is an historic day in our parliament, and I am so proud to be a part of this Labor government, which is delivering historic reform to our broken environmental laws. This parliament has a...
Today is an historic day in our parliament, and I am so proud to be a part of this Labor government, which is delivering historic reform to our broken environmental laws. This parliament has a really clear choice to make over the next few hours: to keep the broken, outdated laws that fail the environment, that make it tougher for business and that slow down major projects, or to back a modern, balanced package of reform that delivers better protection for our environment and backs faster and clearer decisions for business. This bill, the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, responds to Professor Graeme Samuel's independent review of the EPBC Act. It delivers on the core pillars of his recommendations, and it is well overdue. The bill reflects countless hours of advocacy and hard work from many environment groups, from Labor members and branches right across the country, many in my home state of Western Australia, from community stakeholders, from First Nations organisations and from industry. I want to thank every single one of those who spent time—not just in the lead-up to this bill but over many years—advocating for these reforms. We need laws that allow us to protect and restore our environment but also to build the housing we so desperately need in this country, to take us further down the path of a renewables transition and to deliver on our promise of a future made in Australia. These laws deliver our country's first ever national environmental protection agency—a strong and independent agency that will have real teeth. It creates a definition of 'unacceptable impacts' so that clearly harmful projects can be stopped early. It strengthens penalties for serious breaches to deter wrongdoing and ensures that environmental harm is not treated as a cost of doing business. The bill also sets a more efficient and robust project assessment process to cut delays. It is estimated that this will save more than half a billion dollars across our economy, with the potential to save even more as the system matures. It allows states and territories to carry out assessments on behalf of the Commonwealth where they meet national standards, reducing duplication but maintaining a high bar for environmental approvals. To those opposite, the Liberal and National parties, who are so furious and outraged by the decision that we will make in this parliament today, I say: you are to blame for your own irrelevance on this issue because you have taken away any scrap of credibility with the Australian public that you had. You have shown that you deny the science. You have certainly shown very little, if any, interest in actually protecting our environment. You stand in the way of our new housing projects. You stand in the way of our attempts to build the houses that we need. You stand in the way of our renewable energy rollout. You stand in the way of our Future Made in Australia agenda. And so I repeat: you are to blame for your own irrelevance on this issue. But today we will get the job done and we will pass long-overdue reforms, the first major overhaul of our environmental laws in more than 20 years, to protect our unique environment—what makes our country great. This is a balanced package that balances environmental protection and economic opportunity. It sets up our nation for the future.
Critical and Strategic Minerals Industry | Statements by Senators | Senate debates
Acting Deputy President, I'm sure you know that, recently, Australia and the United States signed a new bilateral framework to secure supply chains in critical minerals and rare earths. It's a...
Acting Deputy President, I'm sure you know that, recently, Australia and the United States signed a new bilateral framework to secure supply chains in critical minerals and rare earths. It's a historic partnership to create a shared, reliable supply chain for the minerals needed for advanced defence technology and the clean energy transition. The purpose of this is really simple. It's to secure supply with trusted partners, bring more processing and value-adding onshore, reduce reliance on contracted, concentrated global supply chains and strengthen our economic resilience and national security. Australia has what the world needs. In fact, as you also well know, Acting Deputy President, Western Australia has what the world needs. One of the very first priority projects under this framework is in my home state of Western Australia, at the Alcoa gallium refinery project in Wagerup. This is a groundbreaking project backed by real investment and concrete timelines. The refinery will recover gallium already present in the bauxite processes of Alcoa. During construction, it will support around 200 jobs in the south-west of WA, and, once operating, it will support a few dozen, ongoing, skilled, long-term jobs. When fully operational, Wagerup is expected to produce around 10 per cent of the world's gallium. I'm really thrilled that Minister Ayres is here in the chamber now, because he visited the Wagerup site last week, along with the Prime Minister, Minister King and Assistant Minister Charlton. We were very warmly welcomed by the team at Alcoa, who hosted us and showed us the very site at their plant where this work will happen. I think Wagerup highlights WA's natural advantages in this space. We have world-leading deposits and decades of experience in responsible extraction. But the next step is really where the opportunity lies: having more processing, refining and manufacturing onshore, with workers right here. WA is well and truly on the road moving in this direction. This gallium project is a powerful signal that global partners see value in our industrial capability, not just our geology. It places Western Australia well and truly at the centre of our critical minerals strategy. Critical minerals underpin almost every technology shaping this century—batteries, semiconductors, medical devices, defence capabilities and renewable energy systems. We know the global demand is steep, but supply chains are under strain. And that's why, here in Australia and in my home state of Western Australia, we can shift that pattern by supporting and investing in onshore processing, new industries and creating long-term local jobs. This is, of course, part of our broader plan to build a future made in Australia, and ensure our economy is competitive in the clean energy and advanced manufacturing era. For workers and families in Western Australia's south-west, this is about more than just that, though. It's about opportunity. It's about stability. And it's about continuing the long-term industries that have supported our regional communities for a long, long time. One of the things that I think is really special about that particular Alcoa Wagerup plant that we visited last week is that the vast majority of their workforce live locally. This is not a fly-in fly-out worksite. It's well and truly supporting those thriving regional communities in Western Australia's south-west. Wagerup shows what this future can look like across regional WA and right across our country—modern processing plants backed by secure partnerships and long-term jobs in the communities that have powered Australia for generations. The Albanese government is committed to this work, creating jobs, boosting our economy and investing in a future made in Australia.
Answers to Questions | Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers | Senate debates
I also rise to take note of answers provided in question time. I'm just mindblown at the absolute hypocrisy from those opposite on energy and on energy prices. They are the party who had 23...
I also rise to take note of answers provided in question time. I'm just mindblown at the absolute hypocrisy from those opposite on energy and on energy prices. They are the party who had 23 energy policies. They are the party who, just last week, were led by their minority coalition partner and dropped their commitment to net zero—a commitment that was made under two former Liberal prime ministers and that was legislated under the former Liberal government. They are a party who took a $600 billion nuclear plan to the last election that was wholeheartedly, overwhelmingly rejected by the Australian people when they went to the ballot box in May. They are the party that has no plan to increase energy supply in this country and no plan for more, cheaper energy for Australian households and businesses. They are the party who, during their time in government, oversaw 24 out of 28 coal-fired power stations either announce their closure or bring forward their closure date, yet they had no plan and took no action to fix that problem as it arose. They are the party that opposed energy bill credits that our government put in place to take pressure off Australian households. Their plan is to continue to rely on aging coal-fired power stations—infrastructure that the private sector will no longer invest in. That is not a plan to reduce the energy costs of Australian households, Australian businesses and Australian industry. Our plan is a plan that is backed by Australians, backed by industry and in line with the rest of the world. We are investing in large-scale renewables in wind and solar, backed by gas, hydro and batteries. Our plan is about providing support for households in the uptake of solar and batteries both to reduce their reliance on the grid—to take pressure off the grid—and to make their energy bills cheaper over the long term. These are not plans that we've seen under those opposite, either when they were in government or now, when they sit on the opposition benches. But it is a plan that has been overwhelmingly supported by the Australian people, because they are voting with their feet. Four million Australians have solar panels on their roof. Since our battery rebates came into effect just a couple of months ago, 130,000-odd Australians have put a battery in their house. That is about real, long-term energy bill relief—taking pressure off the grid, reducing their reliance on the grid and making their energy bills cheaper over the long term. Every single household across this country has benefited from our energy bill rebates, which have kept their power bills lower than they would otherwise have been. In my home state of Western Australia, thanks to partnership with the Cook Labor government, that has meant thousands and thousands of dollars off people's power bills, much of which has been opposed by those opposite. What we are seeing from those opposite is absolute chaos. It is a denial of the science and it is a denial of the momentum that we are seeing around the globe, and they have no plan to bring energy prices down for Australian households. They have no plan to increase energy supply in our country. That is in stark contrast to our plan, which is to build Australia's future, to invest in the renewables rollout and to help households keep their energy bills low, not just now but well into the future. This is, of course, just part of broader cost-of-living relief that our government is providing. It's not just in energy that we're making things cheaper. It's in cheaper medicines, it's in reducing HECS debts and it's in bringing inflation down, and it's only our government that is doing that work. (Time expired)
Albanese Government | Questions without Notice | Senate debates
The Albanese Labor government is focused on building on our first-term foundation to build Australia's future. This includes the need to drive down emissions while delivering cheaper, reliable...
The Albanese Labor government is focused on building on our first-term foundation to build Australia's future. This includes the need to drive down emissions while delivering cheaper, reliable energy. What progress is the government making to build on that progress, and are there any threats that might stand in the way?
Australians have faced some tough challenges in recent years, particularly regarding cost-of-living pressures. Working together, we've seen the government's responsible economic management help...
Australians have faced some tough challenges in recent years, particularly regarding cost-of-living pressures. Working together, we've seen the government's responsible economic management help ensure inflation has come down, real wages have grown and unemployment remains low. What is the government doing to help Australians continue to earn more and keep more of what they earn?
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. In its first term, the Albanese Labor government laid a strong foundation to build Australia's future. We did this by...
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. In its first term, the Albanese Labor government laid a strong foundation to build Australia's future. We did this by delivering cost-of-living relief, strengthening Medicare, making it easier to get a home and helping Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn. How is the government building on these foundations to continue to deliver for the Australian people?
Health Care | Statements by Senators | Senate debates
Last week I visited the Health Hub at Eaton Fair. It's the home to the Bunbury urgent care clinic and a GP clinic that has recently converted to a fully bulk-billing practice under our incentive...
Last week I visited the Health Hub at Eaton Fair. It's the home to the Bunbury urgent care clinic and a GP clinic that has recently converted to a fully bulk-billing practice under our incentive to encourage more GPs right across the country to convert to bulk-billing. This is part of Labor's record investment in Medicare. The Eaton urgent care and GP clinic is leading the way in providing accessible, affordable health care in WA's south-west, easing pressure on Bunbury Regional Hospital and giving families and community members the opportunity to access health care for free, as it should be. I want to thank Dr Craig Hookham, Cahleen Hookham and the team for welcoming me so warmly to the clinic last week and for showing that good, affordable health care in our regions is possible. Dr Craig said to me when I was there that he believes that health care should be free, that it shouldn't be your credit card that determines the health care you get, and I couldn't agree with him more. Labor have delivered the biggest investment in bulk-billing since we created Medicare. We've tripled the bulk-billing incentive and increased the Medicare rebate. I know the impact on families in Western Australia will be significant under these changes, but I want more GPs to take up our incentive and bulk-bill every patient, so I have begun a campaign in Perth's southern suburbs and the South West—in the electorates of Canning and Forrest—asking residents to tell me if they think their GP should bulk-bill. I will write to those GPs on their behalf and show that there is strong local demand for affordable health care right across WA.
Western Australia: Infrastructure | Statements by Senators | Senate debates
Acting Deputy President Ghosh, you will understand better than almost anyone in this chamber that Western Australia is the economic powerhouse of our nation, driving growth, innovation and jobs....
Acting Deputy President Ghosh, you will understand better than almost anyone in this chamber that Western Australia is the economic powerhouse of our nation, driving growth, innovation and jobs. Under the Albanese Labor government, working hand-in-hand with the Cook Labor government, we are building Western Australia's future. Our government is investing $9.7 billion into transport infrastructure across our great state, investing in the infrastructure that keeps WA moving. This includes widening the Kwinana Freeway, which is very important to many of my neighbours in Perth's southern suburbs. We are improving safety and easing congestion for more than 100,000 vehicles every single day. It's backed by $353 million commitment to get the job done. That is on top of our commitment to support the planning of the Westport project, the anchor of WA's future trade growth, with a new container port in Kwinana setting up our state for the next century. We're also strengthening WA's role as a gateway to the Indo-Pacific, granting first-port-of-entry status to Wyndham, Ashburton and Dampier. We are opening the north to new trade opportunities. That means goods can land closer to where they are needed, cutting costs, boosting productivity, supporting clean energy and green fuel industries across the Pilbara, the Kimberley and the entire nation. Through METRONET, we've delivered the biggest transformation of public transport in our state's history, connecting our outer suburbs and cutting travel time. We're securing our national defence and creating skilled work at home through our naval ship-building precinct in Henderson, supporting the local ship-building workforce and strengthening—
Housing | Matters of Public Importance | Senate debates
Here we are again—another day, another housing motion from Senator Bragg. To Senator Bragg and to those opposite: only Labor has a plan to build more homes, only Labor has a plan to get...
Here we are again—another day, another housing motion from Senator Bragg. To Senator Bragg and to those opposite: only Labor has a plan to build more homes, only Labor has a plan to get renters a better deal and only Labor has a plan to get more Australians into homeownership. Time and time again, day after day, we come into this place and we hear Senator Bragg and those opposite talk about housing. What they don't say—but what we know to be true—is that they don't want more Australians getting into their first home. They don't want us to build more houses. They have stood in the way. They have blocked every single effort that this government has made to get more Australians into their own home. They have blocked and stood in the way of every attempt that we have made to build more homes. They have blocked and stood in the way of every attempt that we have made to get more young people into their very first home. So, while the coalition are here to play politics and continue their long record of doing absolutely nothing on housing, Labor is getting on with the job. We know that housing is a life-defining challenge for so many Australians, and, when we came to government, what was clear was that people were working hard, doing everything right, but were still not able to get into their own home. Too many people across this country couldn't afford a place of their own. We hear it out and about. I certainly hear it in my home state of Western Australia—families who can't get into a house big enough for their kids; young people who fear they will never be able to buy their own home. We know it is tough. It's because, when we came to government, there had been a decade of neglect when those opposite were at the table. I was astonished to learn that they didn't even have a housing minister for most of their time in government. Well, no wonder we are in the position we are in. Labor have an ambitious $43 billion housing agenda, and we will not be distracted by Senator Bragg. We will not be distracted by those opposite who try to turn this into politics and try to turn it into a headline grab. We are getting on with the job of delivering the boldest and most ambitious housing agenda that this country has seen in the postwar period. We will not apologise for it, because we are tackling the housing challenge from every angle. Our Housing Australia Future Fund is a $10 billion investment to build 55,000 social and affordable homes in the next five years. It is the largest national investment in housing in a generation, and Senator Bragg and his colleagues on the other side of this chamber continue to tear it down and to try and stand in our way. We have a long-term commitment to rebuild Australia's social housing system. We are proud of that work. We are proud of that record. While we are focused on building more social and affordable homes for Australians, while we are focused on helping more young people get into their first home with our the five per cent deposit scheme, the coalition are actively trying to make it more difficult for you to buy your own home. They are actively making it more difficult for us to build the homes that we need to increase housing supply. Without a housing policy of their own, all they know how to do is stand in the way and block and bulldoze. For almost a decade they were tapped out on this issue. They were tapped out on our national housing challenge—no leadership, no plan and certainly no investment. For most of their nine years in government, we saw essentially nothing. So, Senator Bragg, I say to you: when your side were in government, you got us into this mess, but what I know is that Labor will get us out of this. We will make the biggest investment in housing in a generation, and we will not let you stand in our way.
Environment | Matters of Public Importance | Senate debates
I rise to speak on this motion. Australia does need environment laws that protect our environment, and that is exactly what this Labor government is seeking to provide. Senators in this chamber...
I rise to speak on this motion. Australia does need environment laws that protect our environment, and that is exactly what this Labor government is seeking to provide. Senators in this chamber have an opportunity in the coming weeks to make the right decision when our new Environment Protection Reform Bill comes before us. I remind my colleagues around the chamber that Australians voted for real action on climate change. Australians voted for a future made in Australia. Australians voted for more affordable housing. All of these things rely on us passing the environment bill when it comes before this place. Our environment laws are broken. We seek to make them stronger so we can protect and restore the environment. We seek to make them more efficient so businesses and communities can have more certainty and get decisions made faster. The Environment Protection Reform Bill will deliver modern, fit-for-purpose national environment laws that are well overdue and that will deliver big gains for the environment and, yes, for business too. The bill is centred on three key pillars: stronger environmental protection and restoration, quicker and more robust project approvals and greater accountability and transparency in decision-making. The bill delivers on the recommendations of the Samuel review, which was tabled some five years ago. These reforms are well overdue, and it is time that we pass them. Labor has been working to deliver on the recommendations of the Samuel review. These reforms will allow the environment minister to make new environmental standards—standards that will protect the environment, set out clear rules and help decision-makers be fair and consistent. We aim to protect and restore important environmental areas and species to truly make up for environmental damage and deliver a net gain for the environment. Our proposal, importantly, includes a new definition of an unacceptable impact. This will set clear and upfront criteria for impacts that cannot and will not be approved. It will increase transparency, consistency and certainty of decisions and provide a safeguard against impacts that cause the irreversible loss of Australia's biodiversity and heritage. Our proposed reforms clearly define what type of environmental harm must be avoided and cannot be offset. Projects will be required by law, importantly, not just to avoid and mitigate but to repair damage to protected matters where possible. Any residual impacts must be fully offset and achieve a net gain for the environment. This is a significant improvement on the existing policy of no net loss. Our reforms seek to increase the penalties for the most serious and significant breaches of the law, allowing courts to respond proportionately to the most egregious of breaches. Our proposed reforms seek to establish our nation's first-ever independent National Environmental Protection Agency, a strong and independent regulator with a clear focus, ensuring better compliance with and stronger enforcement of these environmental laws. A national EPA is well overdue. Very shortly, we will have an opportunity to vote for a bill that does more to protect our environment and to set a new standard, and I hope the Greens get on board instead of doing what they usually do and standing in the way of progress. I think Australians made it pretty clear at the election that they don't like it when the Greens stand in the way of good, progressive policy. I'm sure the Greens don't need reminding of what that meant for them, following the ballot box in May. Australians don't want the Greens to be blockers; they want us, as parliamentarians, as leaders, to be doers. We must take action to protect our environment and to keep our economy strong. Our bill gets the balance right, and I urge senators here in the coming weeks to make that decision.