Matt Thistlethwaite
Kingsford Smith · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“At the same time, the bill reduces unnecessary burden and simplifies the operation of the scheme. It reduces regulatory requirements for lower risk arrangements, including removing unnecessary approval steps for minor variations and renewals of arrangements that have already been assessed.”
“It expands our ability to manage risk, including by allowing conditions to be imposed on foreign arrangements both at the point of approval and during their operation. This provides a more flexible and proportionate response than outright refusal or cancellation.”
“It applies to state, territory and local governments and public universities, and requires notification, and in some cases approval of, arrangements with foreign entities, particularly foreign government departments, agencies and universities that lack independence in their governance.”
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Australia has long benefited from international engagement whether it be through education, cultural exchange, research collaboration or trade. These connections strengthen our economy, enrich our society, and extend our global influence.”
“In 2024, the government commissioned an independent review of the scheme led by Rosemary Huxtable. As part of the review, Ms Huxtable consulted widely across federal, state, territory and local governments and Australian universities to hear their views and their concerns about the operation and the structure of the scheme.”
“Its amendments would strengthen the scheme's framework by sharpening the focus on Australia's national interest and enhancing the tools available to manage risk. The bill will streamline the scheme's operation by simplifying processes and reducing administrative burden, particularly for lower risk arrangements.”
The complete record
Every one of 299 lines we hold for Matt Thistlethwaite, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 6.
“There's been a lot of talk about start-ups. Here's a reform that's supporting start-ups: from 1 July 2028, start-up companies with turnover under $10 million that generate a tax loss in the first two years will be able to convert that loss into a refundable tax offset. Small businesses operating through discretionary trust, who may face a 30 per cent minimum tax, will be afforded rollover relief for three years, from 1 July 2027, to support small businesses that wish to restructure out of discretionary trusts. Here you have the facts about the changes that we are making to capital gains tax and negative gearing. The changes are all aimed at ensuring that the taxation system works for working Australians who are trying to get ahead.”
“If you are a small business with a turnover of less than $2 million, there are substantial exemptions from capital gains tax and they will remain. There's the 15-year operating exemption; the 50 per cent active asset reduction exemption; the retirement exemption—upon retirement, up to $500,000 of the proceeds of the sale of the business is exempt from capital gains tax; and the rollover exemption—if you defer and reinvest in a replacement asset, you are exempt from capital gains tax. The majority of businesses in Australia will not be affected by the change. In fact, we're actually doing more. We're introducing new measures to provide more support for small businesses in Australia. From 1 July 2026, a business will be able to carry back tax losses and offset them against tax paid up to two years earlier.”
“So here you have the bloke who initiated the memes campaign about capital gains tax changes, admitting that what he was putting out there was actually false and not truthful. Here are the facts about the capital gains tax changes. Firstly, if you operate a company, there is no change. Companies never received the 50 per cent discount on capital gains tax. Companies have always paid capital gains tax on assets that are sold, at the corporate tax rate of 30 per cent or the small-business tax rate of 25 per cent. That will not change. There's no change for companies. If you operate your small business as a partnership or a sole trader or maybe through a trust, there are small-business exemptions under the current capital gains tax regime.”
“Instead of a 50 per cent discount on any gains, we will return to a cost base indexation and a 30 per cent minimum tax rate. This will ensure that only real capital gains are subject to tax in the future. Again, there have been some mistruths that have been spread by the coalition, One Nation and others. Indeed, there's been a meme campaign going around, started by a fella called Frank Greeff, who last week admitted that the memes that he started weren't actually truthful. He said: Not all businesses are going to be taxed at 47 per cent, that's correct. He also said: That's just kind of what the truth of social media and attention is like, unfortunately, the more nuance you have, the quicker someone will scroll past and not really care about what you're saying.”
“They are that, from 1 July 2027, negative gearing will still be available, but for new builds—off-the-plan developments that will add and encourage adding to the housing stock in Australia. So here we are changing the system so that it supports productive investment in our economy—namely, the construction of more homes for Australians and more building—rather than promoting people buying investment assets, sitting on them, selling them down the track and then getting a tax concession, in the form of a discount on the capital gains tax, to facilitate wealth generation. That brings me to the second point of our reforms, and that is to capital gains tax. From 1 July 2027, we will reform the way that capital gains tax works.”
“Well, we're proposing to reform the taxation system so that it promotes productive work rather than concessions for people who are buying and selling assets. One way that we're going to achieve this is by reforming negative gearing in the property market. Anyone who currently owns an investment property and who owned it up until the point of the budget night is not affected. So you don't need to be anxious based on the Liberals' mistruths. You need to make sure that you understand the facts. And the facts are that, if you had an investment property before budget night, you are not affected; you can continue to negatively gear your property. But, from budget night, there will be changes in respect of negative gearing.”
“They want to maintain the status quo—a system that is broken and that punishes hardworking Australians who are trying to get ahead, and yet, at the same time, is providing large tax concessions for people who are making millions from buying and selling assets. They want to prop up a system that is actually increasing wealth inequality in Australia and seeing workers and families being left behind. We are determined to fix this broken system, to ensure that our taxation system supports workers who are trying to get ahead, rewards aspiration and ensures that aspiration isn't confined to people who can afford to buy investment properties, and to ensure that our tax system promotes productive work in our economy. How are we going to do this?”
“It incentivises people owning and holding on to assets, and making windfalls from asset appreciation. That is the reason why we have low productivity growth in Australia and, potentially, lower living standards. So we are changing the system that is broken into one that supports hardworking Australians, not one that punishes them simply because they can't afford to buy investment assets. We want to see workers get a fair go from the taxation system, not to be punished the harder they work. The Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation are working together to oppose our reforms. They want to keep the broken system.”
“There are three challenges facing the Australian economy: an unaffordable housing market; low productivity growth, that is hampering increases in living standards; and the demographic challenge associated with an ageing population. Our reforms in the budget, particularly to the taxation system, are aimed at curing these ills, ensuring that Australia is a productive, growing economy where living standards are increasing for all. Our housing market is a market that is broken. When a nurse, a teacher, a police officer or an early-childhood educator is paying more tax than someone who is earning millions of dollars in buying and selling assets, then the system is broken. And that is exactly what is occurring at the moment. Our taxation system does not incentivise productive work.”
“They've teamed up, of course, with their friends in the Nationals, but they've been joined in recent times by—I don't know if you can call them their enemy, but they're friends for this purpose—One Nation. So here you have the Liberals, the National Party and One Nation. A coalition of crackpots have come together to oppose the sensible reforms that the Labor Party and the government is putting to the parliament.”
“The taxation system in Australia is broken. When a teacher, a nurse or a police officer working hard to try and get ahead is paying more tax than someone who is simply buying and selling assets, that system is broken. That system stinks. That system is unfair. Our government is determined to fix that system to make sure that it works and to ensure that we're incentivising and supporting hardworking Australians who are trying to get ahead, not punishing them simply because they can't afford to own investment assets. Who is opposing the reforms that our government is putting to the parliament? None other than the opposition, but they're not alone this time. We've got the Liberal Party.”
“I often say to people in our community, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, that the streets of Kingsford and Kensington seem to be a lot freer during the summer months of Europe, when a lot of those people head back home—”
“It's a practical example of how we're easing pressure on household budgets while maintaining the integrity of our healthcare system. Schedule 6 introduces an important reform that will assist a lot of the migrants that we have, particularly the Greek community in Kingsford Smith, who tend to travel back to their homeland during the summer months, which we're coming up to soon, through a change to the pension, a supplement for Australians travelling overseas. It doubles the amount of time a pensioner can travel overseas temporarily before their pension supplement is affected from six weeks to 12 weeks. I know that many of the members of the Greek community in our area will travel back to Greece, to their islands and their homelands, for a period of up to three months. Who wouldn't want to go back to Greece and enjoy the summer months?”
“Schedule 5 of this bill increases the Medicare levy for low-income thresholds for singles, families, seniors and pensioners to 2.9 per cent, in line with recent movements in the consumer price index. This ensures that low-income households continue to be exempt from paying the Medicare levy or pay it at a reduced rate if their incomes have increased, in line with or less than inflation. It's a simple, fair adjustment that protects those who can least afford additional costs. Successive governments have increased these thresholds in line with CPI since 1997, and it's a longstanding practice that ensures that the Medicare levy remains progressive and equitable. More than a million low-income earners are expected to benefit from these increases in 2025-26.”
“Everything is bulk-billed, ensuring that Australians and people living in our community get the health care they need when they need it and, importantly, taking much needed pressure off the Prince of Wales Hospital. The number of GPs that are bulk-billing in our community is increasing as well. I visited one last Friday, the Maroubra Medical & Dental Centre. All of their doctors and GPs now are bulk-billing. It's a fully bulk-billing practice, adding to the number of practices that are increasing their bulk-billing in our community. This particular bill also ensures that there's relief for people in the budget, particularly those that are paying the Medicare levy at lower rates of income.”
“It's all part of a suite of arrangements that were put together by the Minister for Climate Change and Energy in conjunction with other ministers in our government, to ensure that Australia's fuel security is as certain as possible into the future and that we're putting pressure to lower costs at the bowser, and hopefully that will begin to flow through to Australians. In the Medicare and healthcare sector, we're ensuring that urgent care clinics become a permanent feature of our healthcare system. I know that the Medicare urgent care clinic in Maroubra, in our community, is open from 7 am in the morning till 9 pm in the evening, seven days a week.”
“Much of that is thanks to the good work of the minister for energy and renewable energy, who's sitting here with me at the table. He's done an excellent job in securing those additional fuel supplies for Australia. We now have more fuel than we did when this crisis started, and, because of the good, strong relationships that we have with our partner nations within the regions like Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Brunei, we've been able to negotiate additional fuel supplies for Australia with more fuel on the water on its way to Australia. Through Export Finance Australia, we've been able to put together an arrangement that ensures that we can underwrite contracts by a contract for difference to ensure that people who are importing fuel into Australia aren't risking huge losses into the future should the price of fuel fall dramatically.”
“At the same time, we're providing the states with $59.4 million to help secure social and affordable housing for more than 4,000 young people at risk of homelessness. These are practical, targeted measures that respond to real needs. We're also delivering immediate cost-of-living relief for Australians with their fuel costs, immediate relief at the bowser. For three months, the fuel excise will be halved, providing direct savings to households and businesses. The heavy vehicle road user charge will be reduced to zero over the same period, helping to ease pressure and costs associated with freight. We're protecting consumers, doubling penalties for major breaches of consumer law. You wouldn't believe it, but we actually have more fuel reserves in Australia now than we did when the crisis started.”
“Nurses working at the Prince of Wales Hospital, police officers working with the Eastern Beaches Command and childcare workers working and educating our kids in our local community are the people who will benefit from Labor's reforms around negative gearing and capital gains tax and our reforms to ensure that we're building more homes and adding to the supply of housing throughout the country. We're also ensuring that we're unlocking infrastructure that supports housing with a $2 billion investment in enabling infrastructure to unlock the construction of up to 64,000 more homes. That brings our Homes for Australia Plan to more than $47 billion. It's a comprehensive long-term strategy to increase supply, improve affordability and ensure that more Australians have a safe place to live.”
“We're not just undertaking tax reform; we're also ensuring that we're building the supply of housing in Australia. The Housing Australia Future Fund is now beginning to ensure that it's investing in new housing opportunities for Australians. In Kingsford Smith, 282 new social and affordable homes funded through the Housing Australia Future Fund are currently being constructed and will provide vitally needed housing, particularly for essential workers.”
“On top of that, we're going to deliver new and permanent income tax relief through the $250 working Australians tax offset. It's a measure that boosts take-home pay and rewards work. We're also simplifying returns and reducing compliance burdens through the $1,000 instant tax deduction. These reforms are part of a broader effort to build a tax system that is fairer, more efficient and more supportive of aspiration. They sit alongside changes designed to help more Australians achieve security in owning their own home. Through targeted tax reform, we're supporting around 75,000 additional Australians into homeownership. It's a meaningful step forward, restoring fairness and opportunity in the housing market, given that housing is one of the most significant challenges of our time.”
“That's exactly what the budget does—it delivers targeted cost-of-living relief measures, ones that won't pour fuel on the fire of inflation we've had over recent times in Australia, ones that strengthen essential services, reform the tax system, invest in housing and build a more sustainable budget for the longer term. At the heart of our plan is a simple principle: responsible relief, responsible reform. We're helping Australians today while preparing the nation for tomorrow. One of the most significant ways we're helping is through that cost-of-living and tax relief—and this year, the legislated tax cuts will flow to every Australian taxpayer. That means more money staying in people's pockets at times when they need it most.”
“These are all part of a responsible budget, shaped for a responsible moment, for Australians who are facing cost-of-living pressure and know that that is real, for families making difficult choices, for pensioners who are stretching every dollar, for young people wondering whether homeownership is still within reach and for small businesses that are navigating global uncertainty that continues to ripple through supply chains, energy markets and interest rates. In this environment, our government has a responsibility to act—and that's exactly what we're doing. We're providing support where it's most needed while also laying the foundations for a stronger and more productive economy.”
“This will generate a much fairer taxation system and ensure that Australians who are working hard, trying to make ends meet, feel that the taxation system delivers for them. And because we're making those reforms, we're able to deliver tax cuts for working Australians. Two tax cuts are coming up—one this year, one next year. We're also able to deliver a working Australians tax offset of $250 and a $1,000 instant return on taxation returns for the average working Australian. This is all part of our government's broader economic plan, providing real relief for Australians who are doing it tough while strengthening our resilience and delivering meaningful reform for the future.”
“We're proposing to do that by reforming negative gearing, ensuring that people who currently negatively gear properties will be able to continue to do so into the future—so they're not affected by the prospective changes—but that, from a point in time, those that wish to negatively gear properties will have to do so on the basis of purchasing off the plan or new developments, the philosophy being that we're encouraging people to invest in building new properties as an increase to the supply of housing in Australia, which we greatly need. Secondly, we're also reforming the capital gains tax discount, returning to the inflation based method of calculating capital gains and providing discounts based on inflation rather than the current 50 per cent discount that was put in place in 1999 by the Howard government.”
“When they go to an auction on a weekend to potentially buy their first home, they're priced out of the market by investors who are receiving large tax concessions under our taxation system to support them to buy a negatively geared property. That's why our government is acting to reform our taxation system—to ensure that it is fairer and delivers for working Australians. Those opposite are teaming up with One Nation—so we've got the Liberal Party, the National Party and One Nation in a crackpot coalition teaming up to defend the current system. They want the system that is currently broken and is not delivering for working Australians to be maintained and to stay in place. It is Labor that is proposing to change the system to ensure that it is much fairer and works for the average Australian.”
“The housing market in Australia is broken, and many young Australians know that very well at the moment. When a nurse, a teacher, a childcare worker, a police officer or an ambulance officer pays more tax in our taxation system than someone who earns millions of dollars by simply buying and selling assets, then we know that there is an issue with our taxation system. Our government is determined to fix it to ensure that the taxation system is fairer and that it promotes productive work in our economy and delivers for the average Australian worker and their family. We know that, in Australia at the moment, housing is becoming incredibly unaffordable. In the electorate I represent, we're finding that a lot of teachers, nurses and police officers can't afford to live in the community they work in.”
“It's more than a source of support; it's a source of pride for Australia. By acting now, we can safeguard and strengthen the scheme, ensuring it continues to serve Australians, as it was created to help them. This is a moment to reaffirm our shared commitment to protect the NDIS, to strengthen it and to ensure that it remains a foundation for dignity, fairness and opportunity for decades to come.”
“We'll also undertake targeted consultation on supported independent living commissioning, hearing directly from participants, families, providers and industry representatives. The goal is a sustainable service model that supports innovation, market viability and better outcomes for participants. Throughout all of this, one principle guides our work: participants with the greatest need will continue to receive critical supports that they require to live well with dignity. These reforms are not about cutting support; they're about ensuring the NDIS remains strong, fair and sustainable so it can keep supporting the people who need it for generations to come. The NDIS really is a statement of our nation's values. It's a measure of our national character. It's a great embodiment of the great Australian notion of the fair go for all.”
“These measures will give the NDIS commission greater visibility of the market, allowing it to act early on high risk practices and remove providers that are doing the wrong thing. Support coordination will also be reformed. Under the new model, the government will directly commission providers to deliver support coordination and connection services. This will improve quality, reduce conflicts of interest and ensure that participants no longer need to pay for support coordination from their plan budgets. A similar commissioning approach will be used to lift the quality of plan management services, reducing the number of providers from the current 1,400 and ensuring strict standards are met.”
“Another major focus is market integrity and participant safety. Since 2022, the government has invested more than $550 million to build integrity into the NDIS, including the Fraud Fusion Taskforce, ICT upgrades and the NDIA's payment integrity review workforce. The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Integrity and Safeguarding) Act 2026 introduced tougher penalties and stronger powers for the NDIS commission to deter and to respond to non-compliance, abuse, neglect and harm. But more needs to be done. The bill before parliament strengthens fraud prevention by improving the quality of plan managers and support coordinators. It expands mandatory provider registrations for high risk supports and requires all providers to enrol in a secure digital payment system.”
“The bill proposes clearer rules for unscheduled reassessments, measures to reduce planned cost escalation and a reset of budgets for social and community participation. These changes reflect the original intent of the scheme to support genuine inclusion. To rebuild capability in the community, the government will establish a $200 million Inclusive Communities Fund, supporting organisations that create real opportunities for participation. We're also strengthening the definition of reasonable and necessary supports. Over time, the scope of what the NDIS pays for has expanded beyond what was intended, creating confusion and inconsistency. The reforms will ensure that supports funded by the NDIS are solely related to the impairment for which a person gained access and that the scheme aligns more closely with other social service systems.”
“The government's recommending that access lists be removed and that stronger, evidence based assessment processes be introduced. A technical advisory group will advise on thresholds and how we assess a person's ability to do everyday tasks. No change to access will occur before January 2028, which is very important so that people have time to adjust to the changes. Before then, we'll work with the states and territories to ensure that people who are no longer eligible for the NDIS are properly supported outside it through programs run by the states and territories. This includes the development of Foundational Supports, the $6 billion commitment already agreed to by National Cabinet, so that more people can get the right support in the right system. The reforms also address the rapid growth in participant plans.”
“All were informed by extensive consultation with people with disability, their families, advocates and service providers. They all point to the same conclusion: the NDIS must return to its original purpose of supporting people with permanent and significant disabilities while ensuring that systems provide other supports where they're designed to deliver those. A key part of the work is improving access and eligibility. The NDIS review found that the current approach is inconsistent and unfair. Access lists created during the early transition phase have led to decisions based on diagnosis rather than functional capability, and this has allowed people with higher capacity to enter the scheme while others with greater needs have struggled to get consistent decisions.”
“Our plan to secure the NDIS rests on four pillars: fighting fraud, slowing rapid cost increases, clearer eligibility requirements and delivering quality services. These pillars guide the legislation that's now before the House. Under this plan, the NDIS will continue to grow every year. It will remain the largest social program in Australia outside the age pension and the centrepiece of the most comprehensive suite of disability supports anywhere in the world. But instead of costing more than $70 billion in 2030, spending is projected to be around $55 billion, a level that keeps the scheme strong and sustainable. The reforms before parliament build on the recommendations of the Independent Review into the NDIS, the disability royal commission and the original Productivity Commission report.”
“Left unchecked, the scheme would not meet the interim eight per cent growth targets for years, let alone the new five to six per cent growth target agreed to by National Cabinet. Quite simply, the scheme has become unsustainable, and that is why the government is acting now. As the architects of the NDIS, we're determined to act to secure its future, to ensure that it is restored to its original intent, as reflected in that Productivity Commission report. We've already brought growth down from 22 per cent under the previous government to around 10 per cent today. But, even at that level, the scheme is still growing too quickly to remain sustainable. In January 2026, National Cabinet agreed that growth must come down to five to six per cent or lower to protect the scheme for future generations.”
“It's changed lives, it's opened doors and it's given people with permanent and significant disability the opportunity to participate fully in their communities. It's one of Australia's most important social programs. It's a national institution built on fairness, dignity and inclusion. But we also know that the scheme is under real pressure. Costs are rising faster than any other comparable government run program. Too many participants aren't receiving the quality supports that they deserve, and the NDIS, unfortunately, has been a target for shonks and fraudsters who are seeking to exploit vulnerable people and siphon money away from those the scheme was designed to support. The National Disability Insurance Agency's actuary warned that, without change, NDIS spending would blow out by $13 billion over the next four years.”
“What we've actually delivered is all three tiers, in some forms or respects, being delivered by the Commonwealth, whereas it was envisaged that the first two tiers would be delivered in a partnership with the states, and the Commonwealth would deliver the third tier. What ended up occurring is that the Commonwealth has been delivering all three tiers, and the scheme has become unsustainable. The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 gives effect to elements of our plan to restore the NDIS to its original intent of supporting people with permanent and significant disability and to secure the NDIS for future generations. These aren't changes to its purpose but to protect it, to strengthen it and to secure it for future generations who will rely on it long after us.”
“The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a source of pride for Australians. It's the embodiment of the great Australian value of the fair go for all. It was put in place by a Labor government 13 years ago to ensure that people living with disabilities in Australia get access to the best quality care and services to ensure that they can participate freely and actively in society and, most importantly, realise their personal potential in their contribution to their families, their communities and Australia. The original NDIS was based on a Productivity Commission report that recommended the establishment of an insurance scheme in Australia. That original report also recommended three tiers of support.”
“This centre thrives not only because of its facilities and programs but because of the people who bring it to life, the children whose curiosity fills each room and the educators who guide and nurture them. The childcare centre is actually on the site of the old Maroubra Junction infant school, where I went to school as a kid. On that site is a massive oak tree that we used to play on as kids. There were plenty of falls out of that tree in my time! But it's wonderful to see that that oak tree is still there in the playground of the childcare centre, a great example of the resilience and determination of our community to fight antisemitism and racism.”
“On 21 January 2025, the childcare centre was firebombed and antisemitic graffiti was written on the walls of the childcare centre, which is next door to the Maroubra Synagogue. It attempted to leave the community frightened, divided and silenced. But, from the number of people who joined us at the reopening, it was clear that the attempt failed. Our community chose a different path. Our response to that shocking event was to work together, to choose unity over division and to focus on solving challenges, rather than taking potshots at one another. We embrace the spirit represented by the mural on the outside wall that I commissioned many years ago to combat antisemitism in our community and that of the students who created it. The theme is: harmony, respect and unity.”
“Leaving an engine running near a child can be the equivalent of smoking a cigarette around them. Idle Off is a campaign of prevention, not blame. Turning off the engine when parked for more than a few seconds reduces harmful pollution immediately and improves air quality. I want to acknowledge Dr Anthony Hull and Dr Fiona Foo from my area for their leadership of the Idle Off project. They're working to help reduce exposure to invisible air pollution. A small change can have a big effect on our kids' health. I also want to report on the reopening of the Only About Children childcare centre in Maroubra. This reopening reminds me, once again, of the strength and resilience of our community.”
“The Idle Off Campaign is an initiative to improve air quality for kids around schools and childcare centres by asking parents to switch off their engines whilst they're waiting in line to pick their kids up from school. It's a campaign that's a partnership between Parents for Climate and Doctors for the Environment that was initiated in my electorate. We know that every day cars sit with their engines running while parked and that idling sends exhaust fumes straight into the air that our children breathe in. Kids' lungs are still developing and, because they breathe more air relative to their body size than adults, they're more vulnerable to traffic pollution. Short-term exposure can trigger asthma and respiratory irritation. Repeated exposure can affect lung, heart and brain development.”
“We're confronting this challenge from a position of strength—low unemployment, solid economic growth and a budget in far better shape than the one we inherited. But we're not complacent. The Treasury is modelling different scenarios, and we're preparing for anything that may come. Our message is simple: Australians should buy the fuel that they need and no more than that. Every Australian can play their part, and the Albanese government will continue working around the clock to protect families, support regional communities and keep Australia moving.”
“Australia is currently at level 2, 'Keeping Australia moving', and we'll continue to adjust our response as needed. This plan ensures that governments and industry are working together to keep our economy open and our communities supplied. We've released 20 per cent of the nation's fuel reserves, targeted at regional areas. That's about 760 million litres. We've temporarily changed petrol and diesel standards to get more fuel flowing, and we've appointed a Fuel Supply Taskforce Coordinator, Anthea Harris, to strengthen coordination across government sectors. We're engaging closely with international partners, including Singapore, Korea, Malaysia and Japan, to keep supply lines open. We've spent every day since we came to office working to strengthen our international relationships, particularly in the region.”
“That's cutting the price of fuel by 26.3c per litre. It's immediate practical support for Australians under pressure. We've also cut the heavy vehicle road user charge to zero for three months, helping truckies continue their vital work keeping shelves stocked and supply chains running. We've been clear that producers and importers must pass these savings on. The Treasurer has written to the ACCC, which is now ramping up monitoring, issuing on-the-spot fines and launching enforcement investigations into major suppliers. If fuel companies think that they can take Australians for mugs, they'll have the book thrown at them. National Cabinet has agreed to a National Fuel Security Plan to coordinate a consistent response across the Commonwealth, states and territories.”
“The conflict in the Middle East is having real consequences here at home. It's pushing up global fuel prices and putting pressure on Australian families, farmers and small businesses. I want families and businesses in the community I represent to know that I hear them and the government is acting to provide them with as much support as possible. We're acting to ensure that we can continue to supply fuel to the Australian market and that prices are as low as possible. We're keeping fuel flowing and helping shield household budgets from the worst of the global uncertainty. We're working to get more fuel into the country and to get it where it needs to go. An essential part of the response is direct cost-of-living relief. From today, we've halved the fuel excise on petrol and diesel for the next three months.”
“Most importantly, he will outline the actions that our government is taking—strong actions that are collaborative with the states and territories—to ensure that we do everything we can to boost supply, to reduce prices and to remove bottlenecks. The opposition are being critical. They have become rather hysterical over the last couple of days in their criticisms of the government. They're very good at the criticism. They're very good at parliamentary speeches. But what we haven't seen from the opposition is a plan. Where is your plan? What is your plan for the Australian people to get through this difficult situation? I'm not aware of any policies that have been released by the opposition, because they have no credible alternative plan. They have no detail, they have no pathway and they have no solution.”
“So we have the business community, the farming community, the Liberal Party and the National Party all on board with our government's approach to dealing with this international fuel crisis—all except the Leader of the Opposition. Isn't it ironic that the Leader of the Opposition talked about accountability? This is from the man who, when he was the energy minister, tried to hide increases in electricity prices for Australian consumers until after an election. He cannot come into this chamber and talk about accountability given his track record when it comes to electricity prices. What our government is doing is ensuring that we are working with the Australian people. Tonight, the Prime Minister will speak to the nation, the Australian people, about the difficulties and the challenges that our nation is facing.”
“… … … We acknowledge the global factors at the core of these issues, and that the need for a calm and considered approach to supply chain issues is imperative in responding to global trade and import disruptions. Even the deputy leader of the Liberal Party is on board with our changes to policy. Senator Jane Hume said recently: 'Interestingly, when you cut the fuel excise, you actually potentially reduce inflation. So the first effect is that it actually cuts inflation. It's great news for Australian families and small businesses who are going to pay less for fuel now.' Darren Chester, the Nationals leader in the House of Representatives, said: I think from an Australian consumer's perspective, they will welcome the relief.”