Lisa Chesters
Bendigo · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“As I said, they are unique and quite often can fall through the cracks of the very large organisation that is known as the CFA, but in my meeting with them I was impressed by their dedication to what they do. They get together. They train.”
“I'd also like to pay tribute and honour to the late Don Drummond. Don and I first met many, many years ago, before I was the federal member for Bendigo, back when Woodend was in the Bendigo electorate. Don passed away recently. Even though Woodend hasn't been in Bendigo for a long time, he had kept in touch.”
“I rise to give a special shout-out to Oscar 1 CFA. The Oscar 1 CFA is quite a unique CFA volunteer unit in Bendigo. Its focus is on mine rescue. Like many old mining regions, Bendigo is littered with empty mine shafts. When people start to renovate, one may open up out in the Whipstick Forest or many of our other forests.”
“Before it was a thing in Labor, he always started branch meetings with a welcome to country and a value statement—the commitment to the burning light, as he said. Someone of great intellect and always a great ear, he was someone who was a true believer. Vale, Don. You will be missed.”
“On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, I present the committee's R eport 233 : agreement on the social security between Australia and the Oriental Public of Uruguay . Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). I ask leave of the House to make a short statement in connection with the report.”
“And while we'd all been to the War Memorial prior to that particular event, during that visit we heard why they wanted to build purpose built galleries. They wanted to recognise the contribution of our peacekeepers, to help tell the story of our soldiers and our ADF personnel who were deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.”
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“Do not politicise this issue. Work to find constructive solutions because there is a real consequence of not taking this issue seriously.”
“There is also $300 million to upgrade Calder Park Drive, which is not in my electorate but is the gateway to Melbourne, the main access point for people in Bendigo accessing Melbourne via road; $5 million for pedestrians and safer roads; $4.4 for project development and preconstruction—more work on the Calder Melbourne to Mildura; more funding through rPPP for Mount Alexander to redevelop Frederick Lane and Mechanics Lane; funding through the Black Spot Program and others. I speak to this motion with a heavy heart and frustration. On Friday a school in my electorate closed to remember the tragic death and passing of a young Tom Hoskings, who was another victim of road trauma. He was trying to cross the road, was hit by a truck and died. I say to those opposite: every death, we remember. Every death is one too many on our roads.”
“It was our side that suggested to them to put it into the Roads to Recovery funding program, welcomed by local government, which fixed more roads. We didn't stop there. In government we have more than doubled the Roads to Recovery Program. It means that, for my electorate, a rural electorate, we are seeing our Roads to Recovery funding go from $22 million under those opposite to $52 million. That is the difference that we have made to local councils fixing local roads in my electorate, and it does not stop there. The road that connects Mildura in the member for Mallee's electorate to Melbourne via my electorate, the Calder Highway, is receiving $12.5 million to improve overtaking lanes. That's just one of the many projects being funded along the Calder.”
“That directly goes back to one of the former government did by freezing the grants for the financial assistance. The Liberals and Nationals also come in here and rant and complain about our decision to extend their program, the LCR program, until June 2025. If they had been re-elected that would have ended in 2023-24. It is just crocodile tears from those opposite, who are taking no responsibility for what they did in government. I was here when the current PM, the then shadow minister for transport and regional development, fixed the debacle of those opposite over fuel excise. The government of those opposite started to collect it before it had gone through the parliament. This was when they chose to increase fuel excise, not when they chose to freeze it. Then what were we to do with all this money they never should have collected?”
“They are in here talking about how they were going to put a billion dollars in. On my calculation, that's still $2 billion short of what they ripped out of our national roads program for key freight roads. That's just key freight roads. They also froze the indexation to local governments' financial assistance grants. That's a billion dollars taken away from local councils, permanently lowering their funding base from the federal government, capping their ability to apply for roads programs, like Black Spots funding, Road to Recovery funding. I used to chair the Victorian Black Spot Program, which is federally funded, delivered through the state government of Victoria. The biggest feedback that we got from local small shires is they didn't have the staff to do the paperwork required to apply for this competitive grant.”
“I rise to speak on this motion to correct a bit of the mis- and disinformation that has been put forward by members of the opposition. I do so with a heavy heart because, when we talk about roads funding, it's an issue that shouldn't be politicised. It should be an issue that we can find common ground on because, without maintaining a good road system, we know the consequences of what happens on our roads. Far too many lives are lost in Australia due to road accident or injury, so this is an issue that should be above politics. This is an issue where we should be finding common ground. A few facts to remind those opposite. It was a former coalition government that froze roads maintenance funding for our national highways at $350 million per year for over nearly a decade. That caused a deterioration of our freight roads.”
“The member who was to speak in continuation is not here, so we'll move on. The question is that the amendments (1) to (5) moved by the member for Mackellar be agreed to. Question negatived. None of the remaining movers are here, so we'll proceed.”
“Bowls clubs are a great way for people in the regions to engage and connect with others. There are 21 in my electorate, from all the way up at Rochester down to Kyneton, and only one of them is attached to gaming. That's 20 community based clubs that provide a safe and inclusive space for all ages. They become the gathering point for major milestone events in families. They are quite often the community space for big events. They create an atmosphere in lots of our small towns like Maldon and Harcourt—just to name a few. They are community hubs that engage people in a fun and inclusive way. Good luck for the rest of the season.”
“The 2025 bowls season has begun, and I recently had the opportunity to attend three different bowls clubs events in my electorate to mark the beginning of the season. On 19 September I attended Campbells Creek Bowling Club to see the grade 5 and 6 students participate in their last game with the seniors. We had helped them with a volunteer grant to go towards purchasing junior bowls. On 20 September I joined the Harcourt Bowling club to celebrate its 70th anniversary, only to learn that it was the Campbells Creek and Maldon bowls clubs that had started that club. The very next day, on 21 September, I visited Maldon Bowling Club to officially help open their season. It was great to join the club and their special player—I wish to give a shout-out to Grace.”
“It's unacceptable that, as I stand here today, they still are not in their homes. This has resulted in continued emotional, mental and financial distress for these families. Three years on, this is a call to action. Whilst we at the federal level continue to work with local and state governments to improve flood mitigation to reduce disaster risk and build long-term resilience in our communities, we must also work collaboratively with the insurance industry on finding a better pathway not just for the constituents of Rochester but for all constituents. (Time expired)”
“This month marks three years since the devastating floods that hit Rochester and parts of my electorate in October 2022. Yesterday was the three-year anniversary of when the rain started falling, which would go on to lead to Victoria's worst flood disaster on record, impacting 81 per cent of the state's local government areas. In my electorate of Bendigo, towns such as Heathcote, Huntly, Axedale, Marong, Campbells Creek and Rochester all experienced floodwaters above the floorboards. In the area of Rochester, the majority of the town's 3,000 constituents were displaced, with many forced into temporary accommodation. Three years on, some residents still can't return home—I acknowledge them today in this speech—and this is due to ongoing insurance disputes and building delays.”
“Early Learning Matters Week ran from 18 to 24 August. It was an opportunity to recognise not only our amazing early childhood educators but the importance of early childhood education. We have over 70 early learning centres in the Bendigo electorate, and they are doing their bit to educate the next generation.”
“They had cake available—the residents there are big fans of cake. It was an opportunity to thank the many workers at their facility, some of whom have worked there for more than 25 years. It was also an opportunity to thank them for their hard work and to recognise their dedication. Every day older Australians are living longer, and we want to make sure that they are living better. Investing in aged care is one way in which we can do that. Since coming to government, we have invested in ensuring that every residential aged-care facility has a nurse 24/7. We've invested in lifting the wages of people working as patient-care assistants and others in the sector, ensuring that our older Australians have the compassion and care that they need. Finally, I'd like to give a shout-out to all our early childhood educators.”
“They have embraced the fact that they need to adapt their farming methods and find new ways to ensure that their farms are not only adapting to climate change but also restoring soil quality and, at the same time, continuing to be productive farms. Where we are at the moment with this particular grant process is that our catchment management authority has called for expressions of interest and will soon advise the successful farmers of whether they will be able to proceed with their projects. I'd also like to note in the time that I have remaining that we've recently had Aged Care Employee Day, which is an opportunity for all of us to visit an aged-care facility in our electorate and to thank the amazing workers that keep older residents safe as well as care for them in a compassionate way. I had the opportunity of visiting Bupa Bendigo.”
“I'm pleased to stand here today to share with the House that the Albanese Labor government, in July, announced $76 million in funding for projects across the country that will help farmers adapt to climate-smart, sustainable agricultural practices. The announcement included $1.8 million for the local North Central Catchment Management Authority, based in my electorate of Bendigo. This $1.8 million will help our local farmers to adapt and introduce more creative ways to manage the impacts of climate change on their farms. My electorate is home to some of the most innovative and creative farmers in Australia.”
“The committee recommends the partial revision of the 2019 radio regulations and recommends binding treaty action be taken. The report also contains one minor treaty action—the R enewal of the modification of new arrangements to borrow , a multilateral borrowing agreement between the International Monetary Fund and 40 members to support stability in the global economy. The committee has resolved that the minor treaty action be endorsed without inquiry and recommends that binding treaty action be taken. On behalf of the committee, I recommend the report to the House.”
“Australia signed the final acts of the 2023 conference and intends to ratify the changes of the 2019 radio regulations to align with international standards. The radio regulations oblige Australia to assign and change frequencies to avoid interference with other member states' existing and future assignments. There is flexibility for Australia to make spectrum allocations and rules, so long as they do not cause harmful interference. Australia has undertaken a four-year consultation process led by the department of infrastructure, with technical support from the Australian Communications and Media Authority, which involved hearing from a wide range of stakeholders, including government, industry and other specialists. This treaty imposes no obligations or costs on Australia.”
“By finalising Australia's ratification, we'll provide both countries with a clear and structured framework, which will strengthen cooperation and our relationship. The committee supports the Nauru-Australia Treaty and recommends binding treaty action be taken. The radio regulations are a binding international treaty framework which manages the use of the radiofrequency spectrum, which is essential to global communications infrastructure such as mobile phone networks, GPS and emergency distress systems. Created by the International Telecommunications Union, of which Australia has been a longstanding member, the regulations are often revised at the World Radiocommunications Conference to reflect evolving technology and needs.”
“During the inquiry, the committee heard that there are a number of mechanisms in place to provide ongoing assurance for transparency and accountability in Nauru's fiscal and financial management systems. This will ensure that Australia's funds are being utilised effectively and efficiently in Nauru. The treaty underscores Australia's commitment to being a security and development partner of choice in the Pacific and sets a precedent for similar arrangements with other Pacific nations. Nauru has ratified the treaty, but Australia's ratification is pending. Until we complete our ratification, our relationship relies upon informal arrangements, limiting how effectively we can work together.”
“Nauru is one of our closest neighbours, and, historically, we have entered into several agreements to address bilateral, domestic and transnational security challenges. We have also shared strong people-to-people ties, supported through a significant Nauru diaspora here in Australia and the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme. This treaty was negotiated following a proposal from the government of Nauru to reinforce bilateral partnership with Australia. The treaty will see Australia maintain its role as a key security and development partner to Nauru. In return, Australia commits to $140 million in support over five years to bolster Nauru's fiscal stability, policing and economic resilience.”
“CHESTERS () (): On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, I present the committee's report entitled Report 227: Nauru-Australia Treaty; radio regulations WRC-23 . Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). by leave—I rise today to make a short statement on the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties's report into the Nauru-Australia Treaty; the partial revision of the 2019 radio regulations, as incorporated into the final acts of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2023; and the minor treaty action in renewal of and modification to the New Arrangements to Borrow. The Nauru-Australia Treaty establishes, for the first time, a partnership between Australia and Nauru that focuses on economic, security and governance cooperation between our two nations.”
“What we have done has started to improve that by doing our own audit to discover where the real black spots are. That will be the foundation of where we allocate future funding. There are so many programs that our government is rolling out to improve connectivity in the bush. From the pump to the on-farm scheme to improvements to the mobile black spot scheme to the universal obligation that I have outlined, our government is getting on with ensuring regions are connected.”
“In my own electorate of Bendigo, our government is completing the job, rolling out more fibre to the curb as we speak, to ensure all of our households can connect to fast, reliable internet, critical for the businesses that might be on more urbanised streets and for schoolchildren and university students, as well as those who might be working from home. Let's also not forget the mess of the Mobile Black Spot Program rolled out by those opposite. It was clunky, it didn't improve connectivity and it was quite biased in where it was allocated. Whilst I acknowledge that we did receive some upgrades in my electorate during their time in government, it rarely actually increased coverage. That was what the Auditor-General's report found.”
“Introduction of the legislation sends a very clear message to the market that the government wants to see day-to-day services delivered in Australia, and we want strong and competitive markets to provide the best experience for end users. This is just one of the many telecommunication messes that our government is cleaning up from the previous coalition government—the mess to the NBN. Far too many of our regional towns received fibre to the node, trying to rely on out-of-date, broken copper to receive communication and internet. It just didn't work.”
“Within two years, we are saying that we hope to have, for the very first time in our country, the universal outdoor mobile obligation—not in a motion, not as chatter, not to be shut down by the Liberals in the coalition party room. It's a Labor government that is delivering. Our government is engaging closely and constructively with industry to develop the legislation and the plan for implementation. This reform is vital. It is a vital safety net for communities, as we have heard from the member for Leichhardt and the member for Bass, and even in areas of my own electorate. It will ensure that, all across Australia, people will have access to free calls to triple 0, not to mention the ability to do their day-to-day work.”
“I'm actually genuinely talking about a universal outdoor mobile phone obligation. It is us talking about it, not the previous government who had 10 years to talk about it and act. Instead it has fallen to a Labor government to take action. The universal outdoor mobile obligation will enable, for the first time, baseline outdoor mobile connectivity across Australia. The UOMO will require Telstra, Optus and TPG to provide access to outdoor mobile, SMS and voice across Australia. They will be expected to leverage their existing mobile networks, as well as new low-Earth-orbit satellites, using direct-to-device technology. The government is working to introduce legislation as soon as possible, subject to the development of the satellite network. The obligation will be expected to commence in late 2027. That is what we're doing.”
“I'm pleased to rise to speak on this motion because it gives me an opportunity to share with people and to talk about our government's plan for the universal outdoor mobile obligation. Now I forgive those opposite if they've missed this, but this is a critical step that our government is taking to make sure every Australian has access to mobiles. It comes as no surprise to any of us that represent regional electorates that, right now, approximately 30 per cent of Australia's landmass receives outdoor mobile service—meaning 70 per cent don't. There are around five million square kilometres of Australia that are currently without coverage, where there is also no access to triple 0. This is today, in 2025. Despite all the advances of technology, this is where we're at. Our government is the first government to be taking action.”
“However, all these students identified that they were not going to stop at the end of their enrolled nursing course. All of them wanted to go on to become registered nurses and midwives and were on their pathway to study at La Trobe University just up the road. It's a demonstration of how we can have that alternative pathway into university, and it's working. National Skills Week is an opportunity to celebrate the successes but encourage that next generation of tradies and that next generation of health workers to think about a skill and to think about TAFE.”
“I was privileged to have the Minister for Skills and Training, the honourable Andrew Giles, in Bendigo to announce that nursing students would receive part of the Commonwealth prac placement payment. Students studying enrolled nursing not just at Bendigo TAFE but all around the country may qualify for this payment if they're required to do compulsory prac placement. The students that we met are astonishing. All of them identified themselves as early school leavers and were now at a point in their careers where they had chosen to go into nursing, men and women, who said to us quite boldly that they would not be at TAFE if it weren't for free TAFE. Now, with this prac placement payment on the table, they are now able to do their placement without fear of being able to put food on the table.”
“Students who were going for placement in the medical and biomedicines fields were able to demonstrate that they could already do the basics of health care through the certificates that they had received at school. There's an opportunity through VET in school to encourage young people to think about a career in university or through TAFE which might not be a family occupation already. So let's think about how we can capture those young people who don't have that significant parent or relative in health or in trades encouraging them to think about a career. Labor is delivering on skills and training, and this gives me a quick opportunity to talk about the pathways that we have established through TAFE and university.”
“At La Trobe's Bendigo campus we have the largest rural school of health in Australia for allied health. We have dentistry, physio, OT—all of the allied health professions. Only a few weeks ago, I was at the opening of the new dental school, which is the largest of its kind in Australia. It was opened by our premier, Jacinta Allan. For a number of the students that we met and spoke to, while they did achieve an ATAR, what also helped them with their early acceptance was the fact that they were able to pursue some vocational education certificates and training. They could demonstrate to the university that they had the skills but also the fundamentals, the bedside manner and the experience in a cert II that they achieved in health.”
“In my part of the world we have one of the original trades training centres that were built under the former Rudd-Gillard government, but some of the equipment at Bendigo Senior Secondary is out of date. We've had significant advancements in technology since it was first built under the Rudd-Gillard government. It needs to be updated. There's an opportunity for us at the federal level to partner with the state governments to ensure that these trade training centres have the equipment we need today. There's also an opportunity to expand into the health and community sectors with the VET in Schools program. We are finding that universities are looking to the students who have that VET qualification, that cert II that they achieved at school as part of their pathway and part of their resume, as well as their ATAR score.”
“We want to offer this kind of innovation, this kind of opportunity, to all women who might wish to change career or to think about a career in the trades—having that safe space where their teacher is a woman, their classmates are women and they're able to ask questions without feeling out of place; they are learning and will contribute towards meeting the skills requirements that we have. National Skills Week is an opportunity for us to celebrate this, but it's also an opportunity to celebrate the success stories of VET and vocational education. It's an opportunity for us to recognise that nine out of 10 new jobs in the next decade will require a post-secondary qualification, with four of those requiring a VET qualification. It's also an opportunity for people like me to talk about the need to expand the VET in Schools program.”
“How do we encourage them to think about the trades? We are starting to see a shift locally in that thinking, and I want to acknowledge Bendigo TAFE and the free TAFE course they are running in Castlemaine. It is for women and gender diverse people. It is the only course of its kind, and it is full. It is encouraging women of all ages to consider a career in construction. It is focused on the basic skills, cert II, but there are women in the course who are thinking about taking that next step into an apprenticeship. One particular woman I know dropped out of school because there wasn't a pathway for her to pursue a construction trade apprenticeship. We shouldn't have this in 2025. I'm so relieved that she could find a pathway through Bendigo TAFE, through this free TAFE course that's been run from Castlemaine.”
“Not only was it wrong for the young apprentices who went into the skills and trades; it was also wrong for those young people whose love of using their hands was denied, and they went into careers or into university quite often to drop out because it wasn't their thing. Whilst our thinking has changed in schools and in communities, there's still a lot of work to do to encourage young people to consider a trade. In regional areas like mine, for many who are going into trades it's because they had a significant male role model in their life who was already in the trade. Far too often we hear about people going into a trade because it's their uncle's or their father's profession. This is great, and we do encourage it. But what about the young woman or the young male who doesn't have that significant male figure in their life?”
“We are also making free TAFE permanent and creating paid prac placements for our nurses, as well as many other professions that are associated with higher education. This year's National Skills Week theme is 'Explore All the Options', encouraging all Australians to think about a trade, to think about a new career or something that is more in the vocational space. It's important for us to acknowledge in this place that somewhere in the eighties or nineties we discouraged young people from thinking about a trade. Far too many of my schoolmates were encouraged to go to university because they were told they were bright—'too bright for a trade'. We now know that this thinking, this rhetoric, was wrong.”
“We are turning things around through our investment in TAFE, our investment in businesses and our investment in giving people opportunities: giving young people the opportunity to choose a career path that suits them, and giving people who wish to make a career change—many of whom didn't take up their passion when they left school because of poor advice or because there simply wasn't the opportunity—the opportunity to do so. At a federal level, we are investing in making more pathways open for Australians to complete training and enter the workforce—or re-enter the workforce in many cases. We are delivering $10,000 to apprentices to become the carpenters, plumbers and sparkies that we need for construction.”
“I'm pleased to rise to say a few words in relation to National Skills Week. My electorate of Bendigo is one of great diversity. We are home to Bendigo TAFE, to thriving businesses and to a university. We are growing when it comes to the need for local skills. Our unemployment rate is officially under three per cent. On a weekly basis, I meet employers and businesses who are saying that they struggle to attract people with the skills that they need. That is where our government is making a difference.”
“We are dispelling a number of the myths that are out there in relation to AUKUS and ensuring the community of its safety. The jobs alone—the STEM jobs—cannot be understated. Over 30 years, there will be 20,000 jobs. It's a unique opportunity for generations of Australians. These are good, secure jobs. At the same time, it creates the capability that our navy needs to keep us safe. I want to acknowledge the work done not just by our cabinet and our ministers but by local MPs to bring communities along with this agreement.”
“As a Victorian, I have to say I am jealous of the job opportunities AUKUS will create in South Australia and in WA. I have learned firsthand about that opportunity that South Australia and WA will have in terms of jobs, because in the last parliament and in this parliament I chair the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties. AUKUS came to us in the last parliament and will again in this parliament. It's where we can actually look at the opportunities that exist under that agreement. It is generational change; it is jobs for a generation—those 'jobs for life' that we have quite often talked about losing in manufacturing. AUKUS recreates them in this country. As for the program—we have seen this—we are on track and delivering under the milestones that we have set.”
“Those opposite are up here ranting, saying that we have dropped the ball. We have not. We are building and investing in the equipment that our country needs. We are focused on delivering sovereign capability in Australia. Let's be real about that. We are talking about local manufacturing. We're not talking about cutting sweetheart deals with other countries that see equipment built overseas. We want to prioritise local builds. That's where I want to talk about AUKUS and our commitment. AUKUS is absolutely critical to our sovereign capability. We've heard why we need to go down the path of nuclear powered subs. But what is most critical in AUKUS is the fact that it will create local jobs and secure manufacturing. We will have the sovereign capability of building subs here in Australia.”
“What our government did, on winning that election, was invest in the site at Bendigo. In three years, we have invested over $3 million in defence manufacturing contracts in Bendigo Thales, building the Bushmasters that our Army need to ensure that they continue to have the capability they need going forward. Not only have we invested in the Bushmasters and secured hundreds of jobs in Bendigo in defence manufacturing, but Bendigo is now down to two players bidding for the StrikeMaster contract. For those who haven't seen it, I have a model in my office. It is a Bushmaster with missiles on the back of it, which are aimed to support our army. It is cutting-edge capability, based upon what our country needs, based upon what our army needs and based upon what our navy needs.”
“That is the problem with the coalition's policy: setting a target without any detail of what we actually need. When they were in the government, they went to the 2022 election and had not locked in any contracts for the Bendigo Thales site. We went to the election in 2022 with those opposite not locking in a single contract for that site. If they had won the 2022 election, the Bendigo Thales site would have closed. That was despite the fact that we had donated Bushmasters, which are built in Bendigo at Thales, to the Ukraine and we had a capacity gap in the Army that they had created by not securing replacement contracts for Bendigo. They would have seen, if they had won the 2022 election, the Bendigo Thales site close, ending an era of defence manufacturing.”
“I'm pleased to speak on this matter of public importance because it gives me a chance to talk about Bendigo and our proud defence manufacturing history. Before I do that, I want to take a moment just to talk about the Liberal and National parties' policy that they took to the last election. The biggest problem with their proposal to lift defence spending to three per cent of GDP was there was no detail of what they were actually going to spend the money on. That's the equivalent of me saying, 'You know what? I'm going to spend $250 at Coles so I get the free delivery,' and then putting a bunch of things in my trolley that I don't really need. If you set the target without knowing what you're going to spend it on, you might buy things that we don't necessarily need.”
“We've also established the pathway for workers who want to stay in Australia and the pathway to permanent residency—something that has been raised by farmers and the industry. PALM, under us, is working. Through continued engagement with unions, employers and the sector, it will continue to grow and ensure that people who come here—whether short-term or long-term—are treated with respect.”
“It is because of that relationship—of working with unions, employers, the sector and organisations like AUSVEG—that we've been able to change the system to adapt to what the industry needs and what the workers need. That is why it is growing. A direct employment relationship is always better. It is better for the worker, and it is better for the business. They have the integrity of knowing who their employees are and knowing that they are not being exploited by the unscrupulous labour hire companies that riddled the sector for decades—and still are a problem in some areas, and we are working with the industry to improve it. We've already heard from speakers on this side about how important labour mobility schemes like PALM are to creating economic opportunity and strengthening connections with people in our region.”
“But this has come about not because of those opposite ranting and raving in this place but because of the direct advocacy of groups, businesses and organisations that want to see the scheme survive. I want to give a shout-out to AUSVEG and their chair, Bill Bulmer, for their advocacy and the practical way in which they suggested changes to our government to enhance the program. We're trying to improve it to make sure that workers don't get exploited; that, when people come here on this program, they get the hours they need to earn the money that's required to make their experience worthwhile; and that, when they're here, it is an experience in which they have good accommodation, they have support in terms of health care and they're able to send something home.”
“We sought to bring together employers, industry, unions and government to tackle the exploitation problems that we had in these industries, to seek to enhance the system and to make sure that we were creating a sustainable worker program. Since we've come to government, we have seen the scheme grow to over 31,000 workers as of June 2025. This is growth under our watch. We've also seen a growth in the number of new direct employers coming in. Under the scheme, which our government has improved, we have seen more direct employment, with more growers, more farmers and more meat-processing businesses, including big meat processors in my electorate, participating in the scheme.”
“It's disappointing that they stand up here and seek to water down all the strengths that we've put in place to protect the integrity of the scheme. Let's remember what we inherited. We inherited a system which previously was made up of two programs, the Seasonal Worker Program and the Pacific Labour Scheme, which were rife with exploitation. Labour hire companies were exploiting workers. They were also exploiting farmers, growers and regional businesses. We knew that from the evidence from those farms, businesses and industries and we knew that from the workers. So what we did in government was acknowledge how important this scheme could be, not just for the workers and the countries they travelled to Australia from but also for our growers.”
“I have to say I'm a little bit confused by what is before us, which we're debating, and what is being argued by the opposition. The motion that's before us is quite reasonable. It acknowledges and notes the importance of the PALM scheme and how it provides a vital workforce for Australian farmers, growers, food processors and regional businesses. It acknowledges the role and the importance of the PALM scheme for our Pacific neighbours and for guest workers who come to this country and the opportunity that they have to earn remittances here and send them home. It acknowledges the moral and regional leadership role that we can play. I would say our parliament is in agreement with all this. It is in that spirit that our government has sought to improve the PALM scheme from what we inherited from those opposite.”