Senate debates Bills
Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Veterans' Healthcare Without Caps) Bill 2026; Second Reading
David Shoebridge NSW, Australian Greens
9:25 am
Thank you. I do choose my words carefully. I've got to tell you this: veterans are red-hot angry about what this government has done, and they're red-hot angry about politicians who are going to vote against this bill, and they're red-hot angry at the Labor Party for trying to shut down debate. They're red-hot angry about the Labor Party bringing in legislative measures to strip away three-quarters of a billion dollars from veterans without ever talking to them. And they're red-hot angry about politics in this place that tries to disguise the reality of what's happening. And they're red-hot angry about politicians who won't speak the truth about what's going on. And they're red-hot angry about this. They use language far, far coarser than I've used in this debate, and they direct it at the Labor Party and at politicians who don't tell the truth. So I'm not interested in having the Labor Party police my language in this. I'm not interested in talking nice about a plan to gouge three-quarters of a million dollars from veterans who need their health care.
I'll tell you what: veterans aren't interested in being tone-policed by a government that wants to strip away their rights for life-saving treatment. That's why they're saying: 'Support this bill.' They don't want a tone language from the Labor Party trying to hide and disguise their reasons for voting against this bill. Do you know what? If you want to stop the red-hot language, then stop attacking people with less power than you.
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