Michael McCormack
Riverina · National Party · Australia
“She told the local newspaper, the Daily Advertiser : He shared his personal story and he was just such a brave, compassionate man— and we heard that from the member for Chifley a moment ago. She continued: He was the most warm, caring, generous man.”
“He knew that he was going to succumb to the diseases that were afflicting his body, and yet he used his final months, weeks, days and hours to send a message to the nation about what can be done, what should be done and how we should act.”
“The coalition has concerns from the sector itself about the consultation process, including but not limited to the fact universities had not seen the bill before it was tabled. There are elements of the drafting surprising the actual sector.”
“My thoughts and love and condolences go out to Katie and his children, Emily, Matthew and Lucy. It is a profound loss that they have suffered. I listened closely to the words of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Minister for Health and Ageing yesterday before question time.”
“There are a lot of Australians out there at the moment who are very angry, and, when there is anger, there is unfortunately a race to the bottom when it comes to healthy debate. I don't need to remind the House about the sovereign citizen movement and what that can do to Australia and the nature and discourse of debate.”
“I do believe that children should be allowed to be children. We saw it in the veterans legislation, where there is now going to be a $5,000 cap on allied health for veterans to access important services. The Labor Party said: 'Trust us. We'll do the consultation over the next 12 months.' It's not good enough.”
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“Later on, when his labouring days were over and he became a greencoat, he built relationships. He built relationships across the aisle. We didn't even know that he was doing it, but he did. The last time I saw Luch, I was dressed up as Elvis Presley. I was. We had our seventies and eighties dress-up theme night, as only the Nationals could do, and Luch spotted me in my powder-blue sequined suit, and he made a beeline for me because he wanted a picture with me. We did the old Elvis thing. I was a little bit tardy in sending him the picture—it took me about 10 minutes—and Luch was straight on the phone: 'I want that picture. I need that picture.' He was somebody whose smile, no matter how bad a day you were having—on some of your worst days in politics, Luch was there and he was always smiling.”
“I can think of four who are universally loved and, moreover, universally known by all of us, and they are, in no particular order, Brigette Bull, who is the barista at Aussie's Cafe, and then Maria Ljubic and her sister, Anna, the cleaners—those well-known cleaners who always have a cheery smile and sometimes a cuddle and a kiss for the MPs. Aren't they fantastic? What an amazing duo! Then there was Luch, universally loved and respected and known. Now the parliament stops to honour his memory, a right usually only reserved for somebody really important. But, you know, Luch was important, and he was important to each and every one of us because he made our jobs easier; he made our lives better. He was a builder, and we know that he helped build this place.”
“Just think about this: condolence motions are usually reserved for royalty, for world leaders, for ministers of the Crown and now Luch. Luch! What a national icon he is in life and in death. Ljupco 'Luch' Jonceski was 59 years young. Like the member for Fisher, I was shocked and saddened when I learnt of his death. I learnt it from Zoe McKenzie's Facebook page, actually. I was just stunned. I think we all were. He had such a wonderful life. He'd packed so much into those 59 years, and I'll say 'short years' because he left us all too soon, all too suddenly. There are thousands upon thousands of people who come to Parliament House to work every day. It doesn't matter whether the place is sitting or whether it's in recess.”
“Very sincere, heartfelt and genuine condolences to your loved ones, to your family and to your wide circle of friends—particularly in the Greek community, who would be feeling your loss very appreciably. Vale, Nick Bolkus. Well done.”
“He was somebody who, as the member for Scullin quite eloquently described, saw a bigger picture. When he had the ability to change the country and make a difference, he took that with both hands and fulfilled that role admirably. From somebody whose parents came from—as the member for Adelaide reminded me—the Kastellorizo came somebody who entered this parliament and gave of his all from 1981 through to 2005. It's a long career. Not many parliamentarians get 20-plus years in the Senate, in the parliament, and he made use of every one of those 24 years to make a difference and to make this country a better place. To that end, I say, we say, thank you to the late senator Nick Bolkus. Thank you for your endeavours; thank you for your efforts.”
“You don't get all of the briefings, all the departmental help, the staff or the resources, but you are expected—as somebody who is making the first law officer of the land accountable—to be across every legal matter that comes before the parliament. He was also shadow minister for justice. Again, that's a complex, intricate and difficult role, but he filled that role with great aplomb. He filled that role with all of the fervour and gusto that you would expect of someone of Greek descent—where of course they invented democracy, didn't they, member for Adelaide? I'm looking for an interjection—yes. I'll just note for the Hansard that he nodded! Nick Bolkus took his role very, very seriously, according to Kay. As she said, he did not have a bad word to say about his party or about anyone. That, I think, is the measure of the man, as well.”
“I messaged Kay yesterday, and she said, 'He was a decent person.' She said, 'We did disagree on the South Australian water view.' I'm not quite sure how many members for Riverina would ever agree with a South Australian on the water situation; we always agree to disagree in that context. She said: 'To be honest, he was a decent backbench senator when I was there. He was so diplomatic and loyal to the Labor party.' She said, 'I always felt so much respect for how he accepted the fact that he had been overlooked towards the end of his political career in November 2001.' He'd served as the shadow Attorney-General; it's not an easy position. It really isn't. Shadow Attorney-General is one of the toughest jobs in parliament because you don't get all of the resources that a cabinet minister would get.”
“I know Nick Bolkus was great mates with people across the aisle in the parliament. He was also of Greek descent, just like the member for Adelaide and me. We've both, fortunately, made sure all the necessary arrangements with the citizenship test are in place such that we are very much Australian and have very much renounced any Greek descent status that would perhaps prevent us from taking our places here. As Steve reminded me as well, Nick Bolkus was a good friend of multicultural Australia. He was somebody who strove to make Australia a better place. Often, when Labor luminaries pass away, I refer to my predecessor Kay Hull to see what she thought of them and to get an understanding of the part they played in the parliament and in the life of Australia.”
“It's actually an honour to follow the member for Scullin. They were fine words, indeed. I'm sure Nick Bolkus's family will very much appreciate reading and hearing those words you've just uttered in your speech. You might find it perplexing to understand why a National Party member is standing to rise to speak on somebody he never met—somebody from the Labor Centre Left—but I was reminded when I walked into the chamber by the member for Adelaide, who is a very good friend of mine, about Nick Bolkus. Steve Georganas reminded me that he worked for Nick Bolkus for 10 years and said that but for Nick Bolkus he wouldn't actually be in this place. So Nick Bolkus does have a little bit to answer for! I say that with genuine warmth, and it is meant, because Steve and I are great mates.”
“Those who graduated on that day will one day need our help. Those who graduated will look to the Department of Veterans Affairs. They will come through their military careers. There will be ups and downs, but we wish them every success. We know that they will uphold that bond of courage, unity and teamwork. So we must ensure that, when they do finish their military careers, we are there for them. That's why this veterans legislation is important.”
“When addressing the graduating class of the Australian Defence Force Academy last year, Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC said: You have prepared yourselves to live ADFA's motto: to lead, to excel. You have learned to be leaders who will work for peace and stability, who will make ethical and helpful decisions, who will prioritise human life and dignity and always act with compassion and care. You embody the ADF values of service, courage, respect, integrity and excellence. I believe these values will guide you throughout your careers—not as abstract ideals, but as the foundation of trust, teamwork, service, loyalty and duty. I attended this particularly wonderful function at Duntroon to see Inigo Bardos, son of David and Jane from Wagga Wagga, graduate. Those who graduated on that day will one day be veterans.”
“Now, he's not in my electorate anymore—Forbes is now in the division of Parkes—but his inspirational regional work and national work is something to behold. I eagerly look forward to seeing where Nedd's efforts take him into the future. To each and every one of those community champions, I say thank you. I say thank you on behalf of your communities, because your communities are better places in which to live, work and play because of the selflessness that you have shown not just in the past 12 months but for many years besides. Without those sorts of people, we couldn't have a nation that is as great as Australia is. So well done. Happy Australia Day to each and every one of them. Thank you for your efforts.”
“In Weddin which is Grenfell, John Gorman got the gong. In Yass Valley it was Phil Gaden. We thank each and every one of them. Congratulations to past and present Riverina constituents who were awarded an Order of Australia for their contributions: John Killick OAM of Galong; Thomas Moss OAM of Khancoban; Stephen Sullivan OAM of Taralga; and Brett Murray, with whom I worked at the Daily Advertiser in the 1980s, who received an OAM for services to motor sports and journalism. I'm also very pleased that Gerard Kearns, the Kapooka commandant, the leader of 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Blamey Barracks, also was honoured in the Australia Day list. Nedd Brockmann of Forbes is the Young Australian of the Year.”
“In the Hilltops local government area there were: in Boorowa, Angus Clements, who won Citizen of the Year; in Harden-Murrumburrah, Sarah and Andrew Jones; in Wombat, the Wombatian Citizen of the Year Cathy Simpson; and in Young, Ted Webber. In Junee, it was Natalie Phillips. In Lockhart, it was Keith Fraser. In the Snowy Valleys there were Shane Walsh in Adelong, Glenn Lavis in Tumbarumba, and Jane Dean and Adam Farquharson in Tumut. In Temora, there was Frances Dwyer. A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 10:17 to 10:26 The Upper Lachlan Shire's Shire Citizen of the Year was Melinda Medway. In Crookwell it was Louise Gibbs. In Taralga it was Robert Handley. In Wagga Wagga Aunty Mary Atkinson deservedly was honoured with Citizen of the Year.”
“We all have them in our electorates—those selfless volunteers who are the very glue that binds our communities together. On Australia Day we recognise them, acknowledge them and honour them. Here is a roll call of community champions for the Riverina electorate. They are citizens of the year—volunteers who have done so much to make our towns and Wagga Wagga a better place in which to live. In Coolamon there was Guy Purcell. In the Cootamundra-Gundagai local government area, there were Maureen Simpfendorfer and Sister Kathy Hodge in Cootamundra and Wendy Anderson in Gundagai. In Cowra, there was Jenny Friend.”
“There are some conditions and there are some parts of this legislation which do worry me. I know the member for Mallee has set out her concerns, and I know that each and every regional member would also, understandably, share some of those issues that this legislation has in it.”
“I'm so glad that I was able to, with former health minister Greg Hunt, fund that vital network of services which are provided in just about every town and city. The former minister for education is now taking the credit, and he played a part too, so I do thank the member for Wannon. It was a coalition initiative. Indeed, every one of those facilities, in every one of those centres I mentioned, is producing 20 to 30 new doctors—well, they will be when the doctors graduate; of course we know that takes some years. It certainly started under the coalition government. I know that Mike Freelander, the member for Macarthur, came and opened the one at Wagga Wagga late last year and gave some generous words. He knows that we need to be more bipartisan when it comes to health, because health is everything.”
“Nurses who meet these criteria are not expected to be qualified to prescribe until the middle of 2026, but that's only less than six months away. That's not far away in the scheme of things. So I do wonder and I do question, as with much of what Labor introduces, whether it's policy on the run, whether it masks a more serious situation—and that is the lack of doctors practising in Australia. I would like to think that Labor would not be using this as a trojan horse to not then provide the necessary funding, ongoing support, for such things as the medical schools. I will say that the Murray-Darling Medical School Network is going tremendously well. I know that in Wagga Wagga, in Bendigo, in Mildura, in Shepparton, in Dubbo and in Orange it is actually answering and fulfilling a need that was there.”
“Whether the training for six months is sufficient—I'm certainly not in any way, shape or form denigrating those nurses and the work that those nurses perform, whether they are young, freshly out of the system and straight into the hospitals, the practices or the clinics or whether they have been there for decades. I certainly do not in any way put criticism on what they do because the care of their patients is first and foremost. The government's proposed authorised nurse prescribers will be registered nurses with additional training who work in a collaborative arrangement with an autonomous prescriber professional who can already prescribe independently, expanding the scope of practice for a registered nurse. Labor is proposing this new model of prescribing in Australia.”
“I know when I entered this place in 2010, I was told by more than one person that if you get the health of your community right, it provides that happiness factor, that satisfaction factor, and everything else will seem to take care of itself. Indeed, that is the truth. This bill seeks to grant eligibility for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme rebates on medications prescribed by a new category of prescribers, and they're called authorised nurse prescribers. As I understand, there will be training for those authorised nurse prescribers.”
“It's a status driven in large part by poor access to health services in the bush. Sadly, we people in country Australia don't live as long as those who live in metropolitan Australia who have closer, better and more diverse access to health services than those who live a long way from the city lights. We as a party, and I will say as parties of coalition, are committed to supporting regional communities and driving policies and programs to improve the health status of regional Australians. Again, I say that I know that would be a goal of Labor too. It would be silly to say it's not, but health has to come above politics. It truly does.”
“But what we are talking about here is nurses being given more scope to provide medicines to do what sometimes ordinarily would be the job of the local general practitioner. I do wonder what the AMA thinks of this. I know that a lot of the legislation that Labor is bringing to this place and has done since May 2022 is often rushed. There's often not the stakeholder engagement that you would expect in important nation-changing legislation, and that is something that truly troubles me. I know that the member for Mallee, who happens to be married to a doctor, said that the Nationals—indeed, the Liberals too—want to rectify the poorer health status of regional Australians. I know that would be a goal as well of Labor members. Surely that's something that would be across the board.”
“I know Labor will pat themselves on the back and say: 'Bulk-billing rates are something that is a priority. The GP aftercare clinics, the urgent care clinics—we're rolling them out across the country.' Yes, they are but in Labor electorates and in electorates that they want to win. We heard the member for Lyne talking about Taree, and I do hope Taree gets one of those care clinics because it's needed and not just in Taree but in many other regional communities as well. They are needed and they are good. I will acknowledge that they do fill the gaps of the state public health system and the overall medical system where people often do need, particularly after hours, to take babies and children when there is no other doctor available, and that is saving lives. I acknowledge that.”
“Unfortunately—and I don't blame them; I blame the government—what this policy meant was that regional areas and some particularly remote areas then got left high and dry as far as doctors were concerned. I also will recall the health minister talking about bulk-billing rates, which we know, because it was quoted so many times in the House of Representatives last year, dropped by 11 per cent under Labor to 77 per cent from the previous 88 per cent under the coalition. He was talking about rural people, and he said that if they can't get a doctor's appointment, they could pick up the phone and try another doctor. That might all be well and good in Adelaide, but it doesn't cut the mustard out in country towns because you're lucky to get a doctor bulk billing or otherwise. You're certainly lucky if you can get a bulk-billing doctor.”
“The article also says: Rural Doctors' Association of Australia (RDAA) chief executive Peta Rutherford said the organisation was getting reports the policy— this is the distribution priority areas policy moving the boundaries such that it takes in those areas I mentioned before, Newcastle and Wollongong and the Gold Coast et cetera— was going to have an impact on rural communities before it had even been implemented. Well, if that was the fear before, it certainly ended up being a reality afterwards. And it is true that doctors took their practices and took themselves and moved to other areas of Australia, more populated areas of Australia, areas of Australia where there are more doctors.”
“But as the national rural health reporter Steven Schubert of the ABC wrote in an article from 15 December 2022 headlined 'Rural doctors say they are losing staff to big cities due to policy change': Annette Pham thought she had recruited two doctors to work in her GP clinics, but a policy change in Canberra resulted in both of them pulling out almost overnight. Ms Pham and her husband own four GP clinics on the New South Wales south coast, all within a few hours' drive from Sydney and on some of Australia's best beaches— no question there. The article continues: "We had two that pulled out officially after signing contracts," she said. "Then we've had probably a further three that looked at our practice, they looked at other practices and they inevitably decided in the end that they would stay in the city." That is a problem.”
“And the member for Barton, in her contribution, talked about the fact that in some regional communities a nurse is the only health professional in town, and she's right. Sadly, she's very accurate. But, as the member for Mallee quite correctly pointed out in her earlier speech, the first order of business of this federal Labor government in the medical field was to change the distribution priority areas. That saw doctors operating in some regional communities take their shingle from the wall and move to Newcastle or Wollongong or the Gold Coast or anywhere but regional and remote Australia, and this was wrong. They were making money. They were providing a level of health care second to none, but they saw the opportunity to move to the coast and did so, and good luck to them.”
“There were 1,400 additional nurse placements for the regions, and that is something that we should also be very proud of as a former coalition government. The Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025 is about empowering nurses. The bill worries me as one who comes from the regions and as one who wants to see nurses being the best they can be, just like pharmacists were, and we empowered those during the COVID crisis, when it seemed that the AMA, the Australian Medical Association, wanted only doctors to issue vaccinations when we knew that in some rural communities the only health professional in town was a chemist. That chemist needed to be able to issue vaccines as well. It just made good sense.”
“We spent the money that was needed to keep people in jobs and, more importantly, to keep Australians alive—not just Australians but our Pacific neighbours and friends as well. Through those Morrison years, there were more than 94 million telehealth consultations through Medicare, with 16 million patients, and that was a significant achievement. Speaking as one who comes from rural and regional Australia, we don't ever want to see telehealth replace hands-on medical professional care. It was necessary during the COVID years and it's necessary at any time, but, particularly in remote Australia and in Indigenous communities, we don't want to see telehealth replace a person who can give a consult. During the Morrison years, from 2019, 857 new medicines were listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme—another significant achievement.”
“We should thank our nurses each and every day—not only our nurses but our pharmacists and our doctors. Anyone who puts on scrubs and goes into a theatre ward and anyone who serves our hospital system or our medical system needs the applause and the gratitude of this place and of Australians right across the nation. I'm one who listens very carefully in question time. This government is now nearly four years old. For four years, the Labor government has been blaming the Morrison-McCormack government in particular and previous coalition governments per se for the financial stresses it claims it's under. They exaggerate the figure. Yes, we did have a debt, that debt born out of a global pandemic the likes of which we had not seen since just after World War I—which, of course, ended in 1918. We did what we could.”
“It must have been difficult for them to speak from the heart about the wrongdoing that was done to them and the need for us as a parliament to stand up and acknowledge and recognise the hurt and the healing that now must take place. So that was obviously a priority. I thank the government for now making this a priority, as well as working on those important recommendations and reforms that must come as a result of the royal commission. That's an absolute must. We do have some reservations about— Debate adjourned. Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:30”
“We should ensure that—and the coalition does support this; the Liberals and the Nationals support this—the primary reform legislation continues in the objective of a single ongoing framework under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act, the MRCA. This will hopefully reduce duplication. It will provide better consistency in administration. It will make entitlements, claims and reviews easier for veterans and families to understand, navigate and access. Surely that is something that we all should very much applaud. Why hasn't this been done in the past? I appreciate the complexities of it. I appreciate that the royal commission had to come first. I know the harrowing evidence so bravely and courageously given by so many at those hearings, including Wagga Wagga.”
“It's people like Jacqui Vincent in Cootamundra, Jason Frost in Wagga Wagga, and Gordon Saggers and Alan Lane at Pro Patria and the work that they're doing through the RSL sub-branch and the drop-in centre at Bayliss Street. It makes such a difference. The coalition supported the royal commission interim report recommendations to simplify and harmonise veterans' compensation arrangements because the current multi-act system is difficult. It's complicated, it's hard to navigate and it's often very confusing for veterans and their families. We shouldn't make things hard for those veterans who've made life easier for us, which they have, by their very service, made life better for us.”
“I want to commend the work of the Baks at Bethungra for the work that they do for veterans. I also want to acknowledge the work being done in Cootamundra. On Parker Street, in the main street of Cootamundra, is a drop-in centre that is proving so very worthwhile. On Saturday, Cootamundra's Jacqui Vincent OAM was acknowledged for her 37 years of service with the sub-branch and with veterans. Her legacy will be that drop-in centre. Jacqui has done a power of work. She's unwell at the moment. This luncheon drew veterans and sub-branches from right throughout the Riverina region and was so well attended. They were there to honour the work that she has done.”
“The bill primarily makes technical, clarifying and consequential changes to facilitate the transition to a single ongoing compensation and rehabilitation framework under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act of 2004, the MRCA, from 1 July this year, when the Veterans' Entitlements Act of 1986 and the provisions of the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988, the DRCA, are closed to new claims. I've spoken a number of times to a great friend of mine, former deputy commandant at Kapooka, Bert Hoebee, in relation to ensuring that veterans are looked after. I also note the work that is done in my electorate by a number of organisations. There's Pro Patria at Ashmont. The RSL sub-branch has a very good facility on Bayliss Street, the main street in Wagga Wagga. It's a drop-in centre for veterans.”
“Noting importantly, too, that—and this is a bipartisan thing—these days, if you spend one hour in uniform, one hour with the various tri services, you are eligible and entitled to receive proper and adequate mental health care for the rest of your life, and that is entirely appropriate. The Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures No. 2) Bill 2025 makes a series of amendments to veterans legislation to support the implementation of the government's harmonisation and simplification reforms. To that end, I say to the government thank you, because simplifying and harmonising very complicated legislation in the veteran space is so vital.”
“Every piece of legislation should have a veterans lens placed over it, just like every piece of legislation should have a regional focus on it as well. I know that the Liberals and Nationals are supportive of this bill, while noting from the Chief of the Defence Force notifications that they want to ensure that veterans are able to access treatment, particularly mental health care, providing and prioritising safe access to care. I know the CDF places this as one of the most important obligations of their duty as well. It's not just the current serving personnel under their care; it's also those who have finished their time.”
“I will give a shout-out here to former prime minister Turnbull for the role that he played in ensuring that many of them are job-ready and the emphasis he placed on ensuring that that there is a pathway there to civilian employment for our ex-service personnel—fine men and women. I commend him for that. The Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures No. 2) Bill 2025 is important legislation, as any veterans legislation is. I remember, when I was for a brief moment the veterans affairs minister in late 2017, early 2018, we put through the parliament at that time veteran-centric legislation such that it provided avenues and supports for veterans that weren't there previously. It was good legislation.”
“It annoys me constantly that there is this perception that anybody who has served is broken; they are not. Yes, some of them suffer from the wears and tears of their service, and we have to be there for them. That's why the royal commission was so important. If we break them, we must fix them. We must mend them. We must provide the wraparound services, the support, the love and the care to ensure that they can live full and wholesome lives after their service has ended. Many of them are doing some fine things, in small business, private enterprise and many other endeavours.”
“He ensured that we are not speaking a different language, with the work that he did in the Pacific theatre of war in World War II. He was born at Lake Albert. Kapooka has been there since 1951. Since 1993, we've had a very strong naval presence. Personnel from the Royal Australian Navy have undertaken aviation technical training at the RAAF School of Technical Training at the Forest Hill base. So we are very much indebted and wedded to our military. Veterans are important. Not only do we have an obligation as parliamentarians to ensure that we have the right parameters, the right equipment and everything else for our current serving defence personnel but, when they leave the uniform, when they finish their military careers, we have to be there for them. Many of them are broken; many of them are not.”
“There are 1,576 people, or 2.9 per cent of the population, aged 15 and over who have past Australian Defence Force service. There are 1,489 people, or 2.7 per cent of the population, aged 15 and over who are currently serving in the Australian Defence Force. The proportion of veterans in Wagga Wagga, 2.9 per cent, is higher than the average for regional New South Wales. We've had the Air Force there since 29 July 1940. The 1 Recruit Training Unit is one of the primary defence strategic establishments at RAAF Wagga, where air power in Australia begins. It says so on one of the hangars. In Kapooka is the 'home of the soldier', Blamey Barracks, honouring Sir Thomas Blamey, General Blamey— An honourable member: Field Marshal. Field Marshal, indeed.”
“I think it's nice, and it's appropriate, that, at the start of each parliamentary year, MPs and senators go across the lake from the front doors of parliament and up that straight line to the Australian War Memorial to honour those who gave us the unique, rare and great privilege of being able to serve a free and fair democracy, because it is the service and sacrifice of those men and women that enables us to do our jobs for and on behalf of Australian people. Whether it be Major Lane or any one of the other 103,000 men and women on the Roll of Honour—bronzed Aussies all, heroes all; any of them—we are able to do our jobs because of them. I'm very proud that I come from Wagga Wagga, a garrison city, a military town, a defence town.”
“Last night, at the Australian War Memorial, the shrine of remembrance, that remarkable Australian place where the memory of 103,000 fallen is sacrosanct and they are honoured, immortalised and memorialised, we had a service, a last post ceremony, for Major Cyril Herbert Dodson Lane. He was killed at Gallipoli, aged just 27. He was killed at Hill 60 on 29 August in that fateful year 1915. He was born at Bondi and, whether by design or by chance, it was rather interesting, given what happened there on 14 December last year, that somebody with such a connection to that eastern suburbs beach—that eastern suburb in Sydney—should be honoured at the Australian War Memorial at the last post ceremony commemorating the start of the parliamentary year.”
“They say it's only a first step—and they're right—as the law fails to meet the needs of modern schools, particularly as AI creeps into our schools, creeps into our computers, creeps into our lives. We need to be on top of that, absolutely. Schedule 3 makes other minor and technical changes, including reallocating powers to appoint certain members of the Copyright Tribunal of Australia. We hope that these people are diligent and across everything. I'm sure they would be. But the bill, in what it is attempting to do, is an important piece of legislation. I commend the government for doing what they're doing in this important area, which is not everybody's cup of tea, but it is mine. Well done to the government for that.”
“Independent and Catholic sectors are calling for broader reforms as part of this bill. I do hope that the government has put this out to discussion enough. Sometimes I do fear that the government doesn't do that and doesn't take on the stakeholders, but this is an important aspect of it. Those organisations, the independent and Catholic sectors, wanted to see a public interest fair-dealing exception so teachers can safely use digital and AI tools without risking copyright breaches. As I say, teachers are very good at what they do, but they can't be bush lawyers as well and try and take in everything. So fair's fair. Schools have largely welcomed the change.”
“It is important for not only students accessing their education online but also younger students who may require assistance from a parent or other person, but it also comes back to teachers, and the onus is on teachers. I tell you what: when you are a teacher these days, you're not just a teacher; you're a parent, you're a caregiver, you're a parish priest, you're a sports coach, you're a therapist—you are everything. You have to make the meals for the kids! You wouldn't be a teacher for quids, quite frankly. We owe it to our teachers to do everything we can to help them in their absolutely fine work. And I'll tell you what: if you are a teacher, thank you. Thank you for the work you do for and on behalf of Australian families everywhere but for our future as well.”
“You will get some people who think it's just their right and their privilege to cut and paste and to pinch anything to use as memes and all those sorts of things. But somebody has generated that image or that article in the first place, and there is a duty upon the person who's lifting it to at least try to find out who the original content author was. The legislation will require users to conduct a reasonably diligent search, and people should do that. They absolutely should. Schedule 2 clarifies that a copyright exception related to the performance and communication of works in the course of giving educational instruction applies to online and hybrid educational environments. I have a daughter who's a teacher; in fact, she's an English teacher and a drama teacher.”
“It sounds all rather complicated, but 'orphan works' refer to copyrighted material where an owner is unknown or unlocatable. You can understand that, with people changing jobs and going here, there and everywhere in this day and age, it is sometimes difficult to find out who, in fact, actually wrote the piece in the first place, and sometimes articles in newspapers are unbylined. Sometimes pictures and other works do not carry the author's name—the taker's name, in the case of a photograph. Currently, anyone using unauthorised reproductions or adaptations of existing works may face significant financial consequences, even where genuine attempts have been made to identify the original creator.”
“AI training would be added to the list of "fair dealing" exceptions already existing in the Copyright Act. Why? The Productivity Commission estimates— wait for this— a potential A$116 billion over ten years flowing into the Australian economy, thanks to AI. So it's upon us, and we have to act. All too often, in areas such as this, governments of all political persuasions are too slow to act. I commend the bill and I commend what it brings. We do need to put, as the member for Griffith said, careful guardrails around it because it is too important. We have to get it right. We can't muck this up and get it wrong. I'll go to the various schedules of the bill. Schedule 1 establishes an orphan-works scheme to facilitate the use of orphan works by limiting the remedies that are available for infringing uses of these works.”
“Whilst it is a complicated subject, I appreciate the member for Griffith mentioning the former attorney-general and his work in this regard, and I would very much encourage the new attorney-general, the member for Greenway, who is a former minister for communications, to have her department and her staff look at this because it is an important topic and we do need to protect Australian authors and Australian writers. We particularly need to do so to help Australian media companies that are investing in Australians and investing in Australian journalism. I'll stand up here and cheer them on every step of the way. In this article by Ms Grundy, it's written: This would make it legal to train artificial intelligence large language models, such as ChatGPT, on copyrighted Australian work.”