Melissa Price
Durack · Liberal Party · Australia
“That dream is born out of the pride they have in watching their current sporting heroes on the national and international stage created by major sporting events. I turn now to the legislation before us, the Major Sporting Events (Indicia and Images) Protection Act 2014.”
“However, whilst some may claim that it might create efficiencies, it does so by trading off on transparency. Members of parliament will only see the decisions once they are law. This debate is not whether indicia or images should be protected or not, because they already are, and, of course, we all agree they should be protected.”
“These include the 2020 Women's T20 World Cup, the 2022 Men's T20 World Cup and the record-breaking 2023 Women's World Cup. There are also other major events in the future to be recognised by this act, such as the 2027 Rugby World Cup, the 2028 Men's T20 World Cup and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
“When our athletes wear the green and gold, they carry millions of Australians with them literally on their back. The merchandise worn in stadiums, around the world and in schoolyards are symbols of aspiration and of national pride.”
“In Senate estimates, Australian Sports Commission CEO, Kieren Perkins—another superstar—confirmed that circa 2,000 athletes currently receive direct athlete support. However, they have no certainty that their scholarships will continue beyond today.”
“Instead of backing grassroots sport, Labor is more interested in protecting their bottom line and creating more uncertainty for the organisations delivering these programs. The coalition supports the protection of indicia and images for major sporting events.”
The complete record
Every one of 360 lines we hold for Melissa Price, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 8.
“I rise today to condemn the Cook and Albanese Labor governments for their treatment of Western Australia's primary industries. A common theme amongst all Labor governments seems to be their lack of care and respect for primary producers. In regional WA, our primary producers are being treated with open contempt. Recently, I spoke in parliament on how the WA state government demersal fishing ban is impacting fisher men and women across the state, particularly from Kalbarri to Augusta, where commercial fishing for demersal species is now banned and recreational fishing is banned for a further 21 months. I want to remind the House of the disrespect shown by both the WA Cook Labor government and the Albanese Labor government. The ban I'm referring to was implemented less than one month from the date of announcement.”
“My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Minister, yesterday you insisted that there is no fuel supply shortage. Today on the front page of the Australian Financial Review , Western Australian farmer Nick Emin said: Chris Bowen— the Minister for Climate Change and Energy— was saying there's still no issues, and the next phone call I get is from our fuel supply saying there's no orders available. Minister, why are Australians like Nick running out of fuel?”
“I've had reports about petrol stations right across Durack running out of diesel, particularly in those important farming communities. Wholesale suppliers are also struggling to get fuel or they're holding on to their fuel stocks. Western Australian farmers are telling me there are genuine concerns about a lack of supply leading into the next growing season. Honestly, this is unbelievable—we are talking about our nation's food security. Many of our farmers, families, pensioners and small businesses are already at breaking point. Minister, our farming and our regional communities are important, and they deserve to know what you are doing about our nation's fuel supply.”
“In a time of great uncertainty, Australians deserve a clear answer from the minister for energy as to whether the government has a strategy to ensure there are adequate fuel supplies for our nation. The minister must be transparent about our fuel supplies and the location of our fuel supplies. The minister has this tool available to him; I encourage him to use it. Reports of fuel rationing are very concerning. Energy and fuel prices flow through to the cost of everything we buy. From groceries to power bills, we are all directly affected. Fuel security is a very serious issue. Australians are already struggling with our Albanese homemade cost-of-living crisis and now have to contend with rising fuel prices over fears of not enough supply.”
“It was deeply meaningful conversation about their lived experiences and practical solutions, and I'm very grateful for the women who joined me and shared their views very honestly. We also toured the Wunggu Maya transitional housing facility, an impressive development of 10 one- and two-bedroom homes which opened only late last year. It's already offering a safe and stable place for residents and families to build skills, strengthen their wellbeing and transition into a private housing market. This is more than just housing; it's a pathway, with the centre also offering health and employment services. (Time expired)”
“This was collaboration at its best, and I very much look forward to next year's event. I also had the privilege of spending time in Roebourne with representatives of the Yindjibarndi nation. We began our visit at the Ganalili Centre, the reimagined Victoria Hotel in Roebourne, now a community space housing the Roebourne Visitor Centre and local art gallery, symbolising renewal and investment in the future in the small and beautiful town of Roebourne. From there, I was invited to join a yarning circle with a group of women representing Roebourne and surrounding communities. They spoke with strength and honesty about the challenges their families face: the shortage of housing, the limited access to healthcare facilities and the urgent need for greater mental health support.”
“Pilbara for Purpose is the peak body for the for-purpose and not-for-profit community sector across the Pilbara. Since 2015, it has worked hard to build a more connected, resilient and effective sector in one of the most remote and challenging regions of our country. I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Karen Armstrong, CEO of Pilbara for Purpose, who continually champions underresourced service providers working to support their communities each and every day. It was also fantastic to hear from young residents of Newman who are part of the East Pilbara Youth Advisory Council at the expo. They bravely addressed the room full of adults about their lives as young people in Newman. Let me tell you that the future of East Pilbara appears to be in very good hands.”
“I rise today to talk about my recent visit to Karratha. I first want to give a quick shout-out to Chris from Pitter Pat Productions. Pitter Pat is a small theatre company based in Karratha and operating quite literally on the smell of an oily rag and without a permanent base. Chris and his team are dedicated to bringing live theatre to the Pilbara, working with remarkable flexibility and ingenuity. From borrowing garages for storage to painting sets in the park and recruiting locals to perform, they do whatever it takes to ensure the show goes on. I want to acknowledge an important event I attended in Karratha, the Pilbara for Purpose community sector networking expo, which took place at the coalition-funded Red Earth Arts Precinct.”
“My question is to the Prime Minister. Single mum Kylie has told the West Australian of the impact of Labor's cost-of-living crisis: I had no money and was behind in my rent and couldn't even provide a birthday cake for my kids to have. … … … The cost of even a small shop at supermarkets is ridiculous. Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spent $17,295 on a luxury party boat in Sydney Harbour. Prime Minister, when Australians are tightening their belts, why can't this Labor government?”
“To quote retired Brigadier Ian Langford: How do you recruit and retrain a workforce that is unable to serve in populated areas? To make matters worse, this morning in Senate estimates, we've learned of the disrespect Labor have for our service men and women. It is incredibly disrespectful that the media found out about this fire sale of defence assets before our defence personnel. Maybe Labor thought it was going to be a good news story. Well, let me tell you, the defence community certainly does not think so. To the Deputy Prime Minister and the Prime Minister: if you are looking to get more Defence funds for the defence of our nation, rather than selling off our heritage and our history, just fund Defence properly.”
“Last week's announcement of Labor's fire sale of more than 60 Defence sites was an absolute disgrace. The sale of these sites is nothing more than a way for the Deputy Prime Minister to raise funds to pay for the defence of our nation. The coalition maintains that defence spending should be at least three per cent of GDP. Labor clearly does not understand nor care about our nation's defence needs. It beggars belief that, during Australia's most dangerous strategic environment since World War II, the Albanese government has failed to equip our men and women in uniform with the resources that they need to defend our nation. The number of training facilities that have been earmarked for disposal leads to the obvious question: where are you going to train our defence personnel?”
“Disappointingly, in the current Labor government, the responsible minister has not been. That is a clear indication of how Labor views veterans and their families. The coalition's track record on veterans' affairs speaks for itself. We will continue to support and advocate for veterans and their families because that is what those who serve their country deserve the most. The coalition will support this bill with our amendment. I thank the House.”
“Independent oversight only works if it is timely and if it is visible. The amendment would require the first implementation assessment to be completed by no later than 30 September 2026. Earlier reporting ensures veterans, families and the parliament can see measurable progress, not just promises. If the government is confident in its reform program, it should welcome early independent assessment and should support the amendment. Our amendment strengthens transparency and reinforces accountability. It does not change the commissioner's independence or powers. The coalition's objective is simple—reforms recommended by the royal commission must be implemented quickly and assessed openly. The opposition's commitment to veterans will remain unwavering. When in government, our minister for veterans' affairs was given cabinet status.”
“This inquiry is expected to commence by mid-2026, with the DVSC to publish a report of its findings. The coalition continues to stand ready to support the government in implementing the recommendations of the royal commission and will assess the outcomes of this inquiry once they are released. I would just like to note, in light of this very sensitive subject matter, I think it is important that we do remind anyone who might be listening to this broadcast and who is affected by this issue about the help that is out there. Help is available through Lifeline on 131114 or through Open Arms on 1800011046. The coalition will be moving an amendment to bring forward the timing of the first implementation review by the commissioner. Veterans and families were promised urgent reform, not delayed reporting.”
“Despite this, just over two weeks later on 19 December, the government announced that the DVSC would lead the inquiry, even though the consultation process remained ongoing. For an issue as serious and personal as military sexual violence, Let me tell you, attention to detail matters. Survivors, serving members and their families deserve clarity, consistency and confidence—particularly, confidence that the minister is across his brief. Announcing an inquiry, publicly conceding uncertainty about its structure and then pre-empting the outcome of consultation risks undermining confidence at the very moment that trust is most needed. It is essential that this inquiry is appropriately resourced, that it allows serving members to remain anonymous and that it enables people to come forward without fear or hesitation.”
“However, it should be acknowledged that the government's handling of the announcement itself was confused and poorly executed, which is incredibly troubling, given the sensitivity of the subject matter. On 2 December, the minister, at the National Press Club, announced that there would be an inquiry. Later that same day, the Minister for Veterans' Affairs told the ABC that, in fact, no final decision had been made about how it would be conducted or, indeed, who would lead the inquiry. The minister stated that these decisions would be made after consultation on the terms of reference had been concluded. You have to ask yourself why he said that everything was sorted when it wasn't.”
“The Australians who serve in uniform, our men and women, are there to protect us, and it is equally essential that they are protected by the institutions of the ADF. Military sexual violence disproportionately affects women and can profoundly shape their experience of service. The fact that ex-serving women are twice as likely to die by suicide as women in the broader community who have not served cannot be ignored. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel has requested the Defence and Veterans' Service Commission to lead this independent inquiry. The inquiry will implement recommendation 25 of the royal commission and aligns with the DVSC's remit to examine systemic reform to improve suicide prevention and wellbeing outcomes for serving and ex-serving ADF members.”
“The coalition welcomes the government's decision to launch an inquiry into sexual violence in the Australian Defence Force but notes that it has taken more than a year—yes, a year—since this action was recommended in the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide's final report. This is an important and overdue measure. The royal commission found that sexual violence remains a systemic issue within the ADF and is directly linked to suicide and suicidality. As the commission stated: This has been the case for decades, and it will continue unless the ADF commits to deep, systemic reform. No member of the ADF should ever be subjected to sexual violence, harassment or abuse.”
“They opposed it purely for political purposes. The Albanese led opposition prevented its establishment. Unbelievable! But now we have the very same people proposing a model that exactly mirrors what the Labor Party voted against. If Labor had supported the coalition's national commissioner back in 2020 rather than opposing it, independent oversight would already be mature and operational. Instead, there has been an unnecessary five-year delay because Labor prioritised politics over veterans' welfare and wellbeing but are now finally delivering a commission. Some would say, 'Better late than never,' but it's six years too late. The DVSC will lead an independent inquiry into military sexual violence within the ADF.”
“From that, many of the key improvements, including the independence of the standalone bill that we are debating at this point in time, only exist because we forced that scrutiny and fulfilled our duty to scrutinise the legislation presented to us. It was not in the government's original design. It is important for us to acknowledge and to remind the Albanese government that what we are debating today was not an original idea, and no amount of their political spin or press releases will make it theirs. The coalition tried to establish an independent national commissioner for defence and veteran suicide prevention back in 2020. The bill proposed an independent statutory oversight body with essentially the same structural features being introduced now. You have to ask yourself: what did the then Labor opposition do at that time?”
“Quite simply, our veterans deserve a body with teeth, established through standalone legislation—a model the coalition has argued for from the beginning. It should never have been the case that it was created through a last-minute insertion. This simply undermines confidence and scrutiny. I call on the government to acknowledge their mistakes and their lack of judgement with the original commission proposal. The government asked the parliament to wave through a complex oversight body with limited stakeholder engagement and visibility. That is not how serious veteran policy and legislation should be handled and ultimately made. The coalition moved an amendment to ensure that a dedicated Senate inquiry could provide scrutiny on the commission model.”
“Amongst the recommendations was one of the most significant, which was the implementation of an independent and permanent statutory oversight body to drive reform. The coalition supports the objective of this bill to give effect to that recommendation. We have always advocated for independent oversight with real powers, public reporting and parliamentary accountability, because only then is reform able to be genuine, measurable and sustained. As an opposition, we will continue to hold the Albanese government to account for their attempt to create the commission through a late amendment to unrelated legislation. This attempt was frankly insulting to our veteran community. That bill was rushed, was poorly handled, lacked proper consultation and showed a lack of respect for our veteran community by the Labor government.”
“I rise to speak on the Defence and Veterans' Service Commissioner Bill 2025. As the shadow minister for defence personnel and shadow minister for defence industry, I'd like to first acknowledge our veterans and those currently serving in our Defence Forces. When the coalition was last in government, it established the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. It was imperative for us as a government to deliver families and veterans the truth, accountability and systemic reform that they needed and deserved. That royal commission confirmed what the ex-service community and families had been saying for many years: systemic failure requires systemic oversight and structural reforms. It made clear that lasting reform requires independent, system-wide oversight across defence and veteran departments—not embedded within one department.”
“We will ensure funding is only provided to organisations with a track record of good governance. I know and understand that it's is going to take really difficult work to make sure that there's no duplication by other bodies. We will work to increase school attendance rates, because the coalition considers school attendance a critical protective factor. In fact, I would say everyone in this place would consider that education is the first thing that we must deal with. The message and call to the government is simple: please drop the symbolism, the egos and the lack of detail and instead start prioritising practical and real action to support young Indigenous Australians and to close the gap. Quite frankly, we're all waiting for the plan B. The Voice failed. What is your plan B? This commission cannot be your plan B.”
“4: how independent will this new independent authority be? The minister must confirm whether her department will be able to amend, edit and influence work undertaken by the commissioner prior to its publication. I regularly hear from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that they are tired of consultation. How do we know that this will not be just another outreach body, consulting the same people on the same issues without necessarily talking to the people that really matter—the people who are impacted, in localised areas? On this side of the House, we will always prioritise practical actions over symbolic gestures. A coalition government will empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people by ending the cycle of welfare dependency.”
“Work that should already be undertaken by roles within government, such as local consultation, providing advice, undertaking research and advocacy, is simply being shifted to a new position, moving accountability from government agencies, the Coalition of Peaks and the minister. As an opposition—and particularly as the member for the largest Indigenous population outside of the Northern Territory—we need to question. No. 1: how will the commission's education program reach children? Goodness knows the education department is struggling, so why does the government think the commission is going to be able to do any better? No. 2: why do we need another body to help close the gap? No. 3: what special or specific powers will the agency have, and why do they need these special powers? No.”
“Instead of adding bodies and departments, the minister should be reviewing and improving our current bodies to ensure they are doing their jobs and to hold them to account to deliver real results for Indigenous Australians. The people I represent can tell that Labor prioritise symbolism over practical actions. Frankly, results really don't matter, as long as the photos, the headlines and the reflection in the mirror all look good. It's pretty sad, actually. A hallmark of this government across both terms has been the shirking of responsibility and accountability, and this bill is another example.”
“I think we all know what Labor chose, and now four critical Closing the Gap targets are going backwards—adult incarceration, school readiness, children in out-of-home care and, sadly, suicide rates. As a coalition, we would prefer the prioritising of practical solutions rather than symbolic measures. More broadly, of the 19 Closing the Gap targets, just four are on track—one less than last year. In the context of children and young people, youth detention is up 11 per cent, preschool attendance is down 2.6 per cent, and 1.2 per cent fewer children are commencing school developmentally on track, compared to 2022. It should be obvious to everyone that creating a $33 million commission won't change these trajectories. Only practical, localised action will.”
“This bill provides yet another example of just that—a headline-grabbing piece of legislation that doesn't deliver results. It adds more public servants and bureaucrats duplicating work already done by current Commonwealth, state and territory bodies such as the National Children's Commissioner and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner within the Australian Human Rights Commission. There are also relevant bodies within half of our states plus the ACT, and the Department of Social Services is already required to consult children and young people. Labor had the choice, during their first 18 months in power, to either spend $450 million on a referendum or spend $450 million on improving the worsening frontline situation.”
“When that failed because it was half-baked and poorly thought out, the Prime Minister appeared to have turned his back on Indigenous Australians. Unless there is a photo opportunity or perhaps a chance to get in front of the media, you won't see him talking or relating to Indigenous Australians. Prime Minister Albanese and his ministers went missing during the alcohol abuse crisis in the Kimberley in 2024, and also during the time that there were high rates—in fact, continuing high rates—of youth crime in the north-west of Western Australia. Labor was exposed, following the Voice referendum, as not having a plan B to deal with these issues. When it comes to making the tough calls or putting some work into finding solutions, the Prime Minister takes the easy option of hoping that maybe the vibe will fix them.”
“I rise to speak on the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Bill 2026. As the member for Durack, I consider this bill to be an issue close to my electorate and to myself. Around 15 per cent of my constituents are Indigenous, equating to 30,000 voters from Broome, Kununurra and Derby, and from smaller communities in the Kimberley, East Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West and beyond. This bill directly affects me and my duty to support all those who are Indigenous and reside in Durack. I represent some of the country's most vulnerable people. The Albanese government, however, continues to let down those Indigenous people across Australia by offering up poor bureaucratic solutions to Closing the Gap targets, particularly those related to young people. First it was the Voice.”
“It improves affordable access for families who choose to protect their children through immunisation, in particular, in responding to the threat posed by RSV to Australian children. The bill maintains safety and assessment safeguards and it does not change immunisation requirements. Therefore, the coalition will support this bill. However, we will continue to call out the government for dragging its feet on critical reforms to our health technology assessment system to ensure Australians have timely and affordable access to new medicines and treatments, and we will continue to call out the Prime Minister for the ongoing aged-care crisis, which is placing serious pressure on hospitals right across this country. I commend the bill to the House. Debate adjourned.”
“The health technology assessment review was commissioned to fix precisely this problem, yet, more than 600 days later, many of its recommendations are still sitting unanswered. This review represents a critical and a clinical opportunity to modernise our processes so they remain world class, responsive to innovation and genuinely patient centred. That opportunity must not be wasted. So, while we support the amendments to this bill, the opposition condemns the government's broader failure to ensure Australians have timely and affordable access to life-saving and life-changing medicines and treatments. Once again, this bill is a practical and technical amendment to ensure Australia's National Immunisation Program remains fit for purpose.”
“The coalition has consistently supported affordable access to medicines, treatments and vaccines through strong Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and National Immunisation Program systems. Supporting this bill aligns with that commitment; however, more work needs to be done to ensure Australians have timely and affordable access to new medicines, treatments and vaccines as they become available. On average, it now takes 466 days after registration for a medicine to be listed on the PBS under this Labor government. That is more than a year's delay and is totally unacceptable. Behind those numbers are real people waiting for treatments that could change or even save their lives. Patients, clinicians and industry stakeholders consistently tell us that Australia's system for approving and funding medicines is slow, outdated and overly complex.”
“The new report reveals the median wait time for older Australians to access home care has blown out to 245 days, which is more than double the wait time from just one year ago. Labor promised to put the 'care' back into aged care, but all they have managed to do is put the 'wait' back into the waiting list. As a result, hospitals are being left to carry the load of a system in deep trouble. Again, we support the amendments in this bill to provide families with better access to immunisations that could protect their children from hospitalisation. However, if the Prime Minister really wants to take pressure off our hospitals, he has no excuse left. It is time for him to also take responsibility and to fix the aged-care crisis he has created.”
“This means hospital beds are being taken up by older Australians who have nowhere else to go, which creates dangerous bottlenecks that impact patients with urgent needs, including children with severe RSV. This is a direct result of the Albanese government's aged-care crisis—with more than 220,000 older Australians currently waiting for aged care, a net loss in available residential aged-care beds being projected for this decade and only about five per cent of the new aged-care beds needed to meet demand being delivered last financial year. The Productivity Commission has exposed a worsening aged-care crisis under the Albanese government, with wait times for older Australians continuing to blow out dramatically over the past year.”
“This bill would address these concerns by allowing RSV immunisation products for infants to be considered by Australia's health technology assessment system for listing on the National Immunisation Program. Taking pressure off our hospitals by removing cost barriers to preventive health care could not be more important than right now, when our hospitals are facing unprecedented pressures. The Prime Minister has failed to take responsibility for the impact of his aged-care crisis on hospitals right across the country, which is taking away hospital beds from families who urgently need them right now. We know thousands of older Australians are currently stuck in hospital because they cannot access the aged care they need—whether that is home care or residential aged care.”
“The need for this reform became clear when products protecting infants against RSV could not proceed through the National Immunisation Program under the current legislation. Almost all children contract RSV by the age of two, and, while many cases are mild, RSV can cause severe illness in babies, particularly those under the age of six months. Temporary Commonwealth-state funding arrangements have allowed interim access, which has already seen some improvement in the rate of infant hospitalisations due to severe RSV and a decrease in intensive care admissions. However, the temporary and state based nature of the arrangements has resulted in inconsistent uptake across states and uncertainty for clinicians and Australian families.”
“These products are already widely used in medicine, including antivenoms and treatments given after exposure to infections such as tetanus. Importantly, the bill does not automatically list any product. It simply allows products to enter the existing evaluation process. Any product must still go through Australia's health technology assessment system, which is a rigorous and evidence based process to evaluate the safety, clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of new medicines, vaccines and medical devices. Safety, effectiveness and value for money remain central to any listing decisions. This bill simply aims to provide more affordable and nationally consistent access for families who choose to protect their children through immunisation.”
“Listing these products on the National Immunisation Program, should they be recommended through the usual assessment processes, would provide national consistency and ensure families have predictable, equitable access wherever they might live. The bill updates the definition of 'vaccine' to be more precise, given the current definition simply states that a vaccine is 'a vaccine for the purpose of immunising persons'. This current definition only allows for the listing of vaccines that stimulate the immune system, known as active immunity. The amendment contained in the bill updates the definition to allow for passive immunological products such as Beyfortus, which provide ready-made antibodies to be considered for listing on the National Immunisation Program.”
“This amendment ensures Australia's immunisation framework remains fit for purpose, particularly so that RSV immunisations for infants, such as Beyfortus, can be considered for listing on the National Immunisation Program. Importantly, the National Immunisation Program listing process should not be confused with no-jab no-pay immunisation requirements. These operate under separate legislative and decision-making frameworks, and this legislation does not make any changes to those arrangements. Effective products to protect infants against RSV are already available in Australia and have protected thousands of babies, but access remains inconsistent across states and territories, meaning some families miss out on free access to protection.”
“I rise to speak on the National Health Amendment (Passive Immunological Products) Bill 2026. The opposition supports this bill as a sensible technical reform that improves affordable access to immunisation products for families who choose to access these products, particularly families wanting to protect their babies from respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV. RSV is one of the most common causes of serious respiratory infection in infants and young children, leading to thousands of GP visits, emergency department presentations and hospital admissions each year. It particularly affects babies under six months of age and places significant stress on families and hospitals, especially during the winter months. It remains a major cause of hospitalisation for Australian children.”
“This must be confronted early, and it must start with education, teaching young Australians to love this country, to honour our veterans and to learn how to disagree peacefully without resorting to hatred or violence. If we fail to act, we are headed down a dark path. We must set clear standards for what is acceptable. Burning our national flag, desecrating memorials and terror attacks should never be excused, and we must introduce strong consequences. Australia is at its best when we are united—one people proud of who we are, respectful of our history and committed to a shared future.”
“Australians are rightly concerned by the clear deterioration of social cohesion in this country. We've seen it in the shocking acts of violence unleashed at Bondi Beach. More broadly, we are seeing it in the vandalism and desecration of war memorials across Australia, including the 100-year-old St Helens cenotaph staff in Tasmania. We also saw it on Australia Day, where there was an alleged act of terror driven by racism at a protest in Perth, with a dangerous device thrown into the crowd. Australians have a fundamental right to protest peacefully, and they equally have the right to feel safe when exercising that freedom. Violence, intimidation and terrorism have no place in our democracy. These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a deeper problem, a growing sense of division and grievance that is pulling Australians apart.”
“I also call on the federal minister for fisheries to step in and provide greater compensation alongside the WA government. This is a matter of urgency. This is urgent, and those impacted deserve to be respected and acknowledged. So to Premier Cook and to Minister Collins: please get together and decide on a much better, fairer, more equitable compensation package. Regional Western Australian men and women in the fishing industry deserve nothing less.”
“In comparison, the federal and Queensland governments have committed more than $160 million to phase out gillnet fishing in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Why is it that WA families have drawn the short straw? My WA fishing families are just as deserving as Queensland fishing families. Inflated egos and bulldozing through legislation without proper consultation processes mean you get hardworking Western Australians who've been left behind by the Cook government and further abandonment of regional WA by Labor. I, together with over 30,000 Western Australians who've signed the e-petition, am calling for an urgent parliamentary inquiry into WA fisheries to examine the need for a clear, long-term plan for sustainable fisheries that supports all stakeholders.”
“While all acknowledge that we need to preserve and protect our fish stocks, this ban from the WA government has been heavy-handed and rushed with less than a month's notice—yes, one month's notice—between the announcement and implementation of the plan. I'm incredibly proud of the resilience and courage shown by those impacted, despite the emotional and financial toll on them, particularly those multigenerational fishing families who are now having to pull their nets, sell their boats and find new employment. Despite being the richest state, the WA government could only manage a meagre $29 million compensation package, which will not compensate deckhands and those below management level. It is really disgusting.”
“Last December, the Western Australian Cook government announced a 21-month ban on recreational boat based fishing for demersal species and a permanent ban on commercial fishers from Kalbarri to Augusta. And, for the Kimberley and Pilbara, the commercial catch limit has been halved. In already tough times, many fisher men and women in my electorate of Durack were unable to enjoy the festive period and are now wondering how they can provide for their family and community. This ban not only impacts the fishers themselves but also impacts local hospitality owners and workers, the tourism industry, tackle shops, bait suppliers and consumers.”
“It indeed was a privilege to speak with so many people on that day, particularly the young personnel who are just starting out on their careers and are enjoying their careers in the ADF, a career which offers incredible opportunities, skills and pathways for those who choose to serve. So, to our sailors, our soldiers and our Air Force personnel: we hear you, we see you, and you matter. Our ADF men and women do an extraordinary job, often away from their families, and they deserve our respect and our support—real support, not tricky legislation but real support that helps them when they are in need. That is the lens through which we approach this bill. We support it because it is necessary, but we will continue to push for legislation that puts veterans and defence personnel first, not just in principle but in practice. I thank the House.”
“The coalition record reflects that commitment, from establishing the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide to delivering non-liability mental healthcare, strengthening Open Arms, recognising service through the Veterans' Covenant, investing in wellbeing centres and important transition support and, I'd say, the creation of the Australian War Memorial itself. Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the men and women in uniform who I recently had the pleasure of meeting at RAAF Base Pearce and HMAS Stirling, which I'm sure the deputy chair is quite interested in.”