Matt Keogh
Burt · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“I thank the member for the question. Clearly, as we've articulated, the purpose of the cap is to replace the current treatment cycle system where veterans are going back time and time again to a GP after every 12 referrals in order to access allied health services.”
“The proposal you're making would make the entire system a nullity, which is not what we want to do. We're actually trying to provide better outcomes for our veterans in overall wellbeing.”
“We're working to make sure defence and DVA systems are contemporary and fit for purpose and that those systems have the wellbeing of our people at the forefront.”
“We can better support them through the reforms in this bill—through improved information sharing and better integration across defence, DVA and other portfolio agencies, including the newly established, from today, Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency; through establishing more robust frameworks for defence health services by enhancing fam…”
“I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the debate on the Defence Legislation Amendment (RCDVS Implementation and Related Measures No. 2) Bill 2026. This bill reflects the Albanese government's ongoing commitment to responding to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.”
“This bill directly implements 15 recommendations of the royal commission and supports the implementation of a further 20 recommendations focused on improving health and wellbeing outcomes, improving suicide prevention and information sharing, supporting defence families, enhancing transition, continuity of care and modernising governance…”
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“I'm conscious that a lot of people go to hospital with these sorts of conditions because they are not able to afford to book in to see a GP privately or because they need to wait days to be able to secure such an appointment. That is what's so exciting about this urgent care clinic; you can walk straight in and get the help you need quickly, and it's completely bulk-billed. The new Gosnells Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will take a heap of pressure off the Armadale-Kelmscott hospital, and, with extended hours, it won't matter if it's after hours or on the weekend. Locals can get the care they need close to home. Here in Australia, it's your Medicare card, not your credit card, that should determine the health care that you receive.”
“On Friday, I was so pleased to officially open Western Australia's eighth Medicare urgent care clinic in downtown Gosnells. It is Western Australia's largest urgent care clinic. Now our community will have access to free urgent medical care close to home, seven days a week, with extended hours. The Gosnells Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is equipped to treat a range of urgent but not life-threatening conditions and injuries—things like cuts, rashes, sprains and broken arms. In 2023-24, more than 40 per cent of the presentations to the emergency department at the Armadale-Kelmscott hospital were for semi-urgent and non-urgent conditions—conditions that are much better suited to an urgent care clinic. That often means people are waiting to be seen in the emergency department for too long.”
“The Leader of the Opposition says that we need to look after our veterans but then also says that he wants to cut the vital staff that process their DVA claims, calling them 'waste'. Our priority is delivering services and support for those that have served our nation, not serving bosses long lunches at taxpayer expense. If the Leader of the Opposition thinks that DVA staff are waste, what then does he also think of our veterans? Under the Leader of the Opposition, Australian veterans will be worse off.”
“That's allowed us to make sure that veterans and families are able to get the entitlements that not only they need but they deserve and were not getting under the previous Liberal government. By properly resourcing the Department of Veterans' Affairs, veterans are receiving some $13 billion in benefits that they deserved but were not receiving under the previous government. Now new veteran claims are with DVA and being looked at by somebody within 14 days. Over the last 12 months, initial liability claims have been processed, on average, within just a few months. Back in the last financial year of the previous government, 2021-22, there were some 53,508 veteran claims determined. Compare that to the last financial year, 2023-24, where there were over 100,000 claims determined for veterans.”
“I thank the hardworking member for Hasluck for her question and for her advocacy and engagement in the veteran community in her part of Perth and Western Australia. The Leader of the Opposition has been saying, 'Workers who provide government services are government waste.' He has been saying that he wants to cut 36,000 Public Service roles. But, when the Liberals left office, DVA was underresourced and there were some 42,000 veteran claims that were not even being looked at by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, which meant that veterans were waiting for years to have their claims processed. The Albanese Labor government have engaged some additional 500 claims-processing staff in the Department of Veterans' Affairs.”
“This will continue to relieve cost-of-living pressures by removing financial barriers to education and training for people, many of whom live in communities like mine. For these reasons—as somebody who has attended TAFE myself and had the benefit of being able to use that learning not only in a career before I'd finished university but all the way through, the learning that I was able to undertake at TAFE has provided me with great benefit—I very much commend this bill to the House.”
“That's why TAFE is such a critical enabler to see the advancement of our national security, economic security, financial and economic security for individuals and families and in growing new businesses that will be supporting this endeavour as well. This all goes to underline why free TAFE is such an important economic measure here in Australia, to not just ensure that we're giving people that pipeline to access a higher education, to be able to secure their own and their family's economic security, but make sure we have the necessary skills that we need in our nation for the challenges, sustainability and prosperity of our country into the future. The bill before us today will make free TAFE permanent.”
“What this will mean, through sustainment, maintenance and continuous shipbuilding in Western Australia, is that that will become the second biggest industry in Western Australia. It will be the major employer. That is a huge leap. It's a huge leap for Western Australia, but it means something else for our national economy. You'll be familiar, Deputy Speaker, with the idea of complexity in the economy. When we talk about a future made in Australia—this is it. We will be building these ships in Australia, in Western Australia. We'll be maintaining these submarines in Western Australia. This is advanced manufacturing and technology. This requires the new skills that people will be able to obtain through TAFE.”
“We see it in other countries in their submarine depots. We see it where they build submarines. We see it in their other shipbuilding endeavours, where you have generation after generation after generation working in those jobs. It's the sort of job security that we thought did not exist in the 21st century but, when it comes to naval defence, does provide that sort of job certainty and career opportunity for generations to come. So we need to make sure that we're providing the opportunities for Australians to be trained in those careers to take up those jobs that are so important for them as individuals, for their families, for our community and, indeed, for our national security.”
“Last week the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence joined the Minister for Skills and Training and the Western Australian Premier in Western Australia to launch the new centre of excellence for defence training at the naval base TAFE, as part of the South Metro TAFE. And we're seeing across our South Metro TAFEs new courses and the expansion of courses to support the work of AUKUS and shipbuilding in Western Australia, because, unlike those opposite, we on the Labor side in government, the Albanese government, have actually delivered on a continuous shipbuilding plan for Western Australia. When we look at the work of sustainment that will occur as part of the AUKUS plans and when we look at the continuous shipbuilding plan that we've launched for Western Australia, it will see the creation of intergenerational jobs.”
“It's also why we've announced a $10,000 incentive payment for Australians in construction apprenticeships. Labor's plan for a future made in Australia is very clear. We want Australian workers to make more things here. That includes building more homes to not only support those who need homes now but make sure that our economy is best placed to thrive in the future. That's also what is behind our production tax credit legislation, which is currently before the other place. And, of course, one of our biggest nation-building endeavours, central to our national defence—AUKUS—requires hundreds and thousands of skilled workers in existing and new career opportunities.”
“We had one of the largest skills shortages that we had ever faced. Under the Albanese government, inflation is almost a third of what it was when we took office, and it's continuing to fall. Real wages are growing again, and living standards are rising. We've recorded the lowest unemployment rate for a government in 50 years and we've overseen the creation of 1.1 million jobs—the most jobs created on record in a single parliamentary term. We know that Australians are doing it tough, which is why we're doing everything that we can to help deal with the cost of living. That's why we made sure every taxpayer got a tax cut and every household got energy bill relief. It's why people have access to cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, a stronger Medicare and free TAFE. It's why we'll cut student debt by 20 per cent.”
“I am pleased to be able to join with my colleagues across the parliament today to ensure that students in my community and, indeed, the businesses across the nation will now have certainty, a pipeline of career opportunities and skilled workers in areas where they need them most. This bill will support the delivery of at least 100,000 free TAFE places across Australia each year and into the future. That is what building Australia's future really looks like. The Albanese government's primary focus is, of course, to ease the cost-of-living pressures on Australians. It's a work in progress, but this free TAFE initiative is just one of those that we've introduced to help with hip-pocket pain. When we came into government, inflation was high and rising, real wages were falling, living standards were declining and people were going backwards.”
“In fact, it seems that, when we look at the policy positions being put forward by the opposition right now, they are against free TAFE but they're pro free lunches for bosses. They're for the bosses, but they're against the workers, the workers that we need to deliver the essential services here in Australia. We're all about supporting free enterprise and we want to see industry flourish—indeed, that's where we see jobs being created—but it's a very interesting dichotomy that they are creating over there, those people in the opposition that say, 'If it's free, you won't value it.' They want to create free lunches for bosses—I wonder how much they'll value that?—but they don't support fee-free TAFE.”
“The last time the Liberals were in government, they ripped $3 billion from TAFE and training over a decade of calculated, systemic neglect. Between 2014 and 2019, they cut $220 million from trade support loans, $201 million from apprenticeship centres, $160 million from adult migrant English programs, $125 million from apprenticeship incentives and $75 million from industry skills funds. It's only the Albanese government that will protect and deliver free TAFE around the country. Somewhat more concerningly, the Liberals' opposition to free TAFE is as much driven by their hatred of TAFE merely because it is a state government run entity as it is by their lack of support for training of the workforce of the future.”
“They believe, apparently, that it's 'wasteful spending', and they're opposed to the policy on the grounds that, if you don't pay for something, you don't value it. I can tell them that, from everyone I've spoken to who has studied at TAFE, who has gained a qualification from TAFE, they very much do value it and see the benefits but the fees have stood in the way of them being able to progress through TAFE. Unfortunately, though, the opposition don't see the value in getting Australians trained up for the jobs of now and the jobs of the future. They don't see the value in giving Australians the credentials they need not only to get by but also to allow them and their families to thrive. It's in their record.”
“As I mentioned before, a lot of these training opportunities in my community go into the care economy, where we are seeing a shortage of people working in aged care and child care and people that we need in our Armadale-Kelmscott Memorial Hospital. Making sure we're bridging that skills gap by giving the opportunity for locals to train in those areas is incredibly important not just for them but for our entire community. When we came into government, Australia had its worst skills shortage in 50 years and the second worst across every advanced economy. It is vital that we secure free TAFE today and into the future. The opposition has confirmed, though, that they will oppose this legislation to make free TAFE enduring.”
“Making free TAFE permanent will give certainty to young Australians and older Australians looking for a career change and help us bridge the skills gap. Indeed, when I was attending the opening of the new Armadale TAFE campus, I spoke to some young women there. I spoke to some mums looking to re-enter the workforce as their children were about to enter compulsory schooling. The observation was made that they were prioritising other things with their families' finances. They couldn't access TAFE if they had to pay a fee. However, making TAFE free would fit within their family budget and enable them to retrain and go on to new careers.”
“At the Thornlie campus of TAFE, which is the largest TAFE campus in the south metro area, there's a focus on things like ICT but also on trades and jobs that support our mining sector, like engineering, autonomous control, remote operations and mechanics. At the Armadale campus, the courses reflect some of the leading industries and employers in our south-eastern suburbs: the care sector, early childhood education and community services. I was very pleased to recently attend the opening of the brand-new TAFE facility in the heart of Armadale, which expanded even more the offerings that TAFE provides in our community. Training people for these in-demand jobs and not charging fees will not only change their lives but also change the lives of the individuals who benefit from those industries.”
“Thanks to fee-free TAFE, they were able to gain the skills in the areas they had previously only dreamed of participating in, setting up themselves and their families for greater economic security and new jobs. In just the first 21 months of fee-free TAFE, there have been 568,000 enrolments. Fee-free TAFE has created so many opportunities for people in the electorate that I represent, the people of Burt, in the south-eastern suburbs of Perth. Indeed, 27 per cent of the members of my community hold a TAFE qualification. It is the main type of qualification for people in my community to be able to progress into the workforce—the importance of being as accessible to as many people as possible cannot be underestimated.”
“In February last year, I had the opportunity to welcome the Prime Minister to the Thornleigh TAFE campus, which is part of the South Metropolitan TAFE, in my community, where students were learning the skills they need in robotics and autonomous operations to support WA's mining sector, the powerhouse of the nation. That day, the Prime Minister and I had the opportunity to chat about those students and find out what compelled them to go to TAFE. The feedback was overwhelming. The course was free. They had always wanted to study at TAFE; they saw the benefits of being able to get a TAFE qualification, but they wouldn't have been able to afford a career change or that qualification if they had had to pay the fees.”
“The best thing you can do to improve social upward mobility and economic security for a person is to ensure that they receive a good education. In the 21st century, an evermore technological and technical age, the average minimum level of education and skill attainment required to enter and remain in the workforce is steadily increasing. In fact, we see that nine in 10 jobs will need post-school study over the next 10 years and half of those jobs will require vocational education and training. Our government recognises and understands this, so the Albanese Labor government is making free TAFE permanent. Fee-free TAFE has been an absolute game changer for thousands of people in my community and more than 70,000 people across Western Australia.”
“Firstly, I would like to thank the shadow minister for veterans' affairs for his engagement on this legislation, his support in its fast passage through the parliament, and his support for the bill and for the meeting we had the other day to ensure that that fast passage could occur. I won't add too much more on the bill—it was all covered in my second reading speech only a day ago—other than to say that the amendments that are put forward in this bill ensure the continued operation of the Defence Service Homes Insurance arrangements. That is incredibly important for our personnel, our veterans and their families that utilise this insurance opportunity provided by and through the government. For that reason, I commend the bill to the House. Question agreed to. Bill read a second time.”
“Full details of the measures contained in this bill are set out in the explanatory memorandum. I urge members to support this legislation and move it through our parliament promptly. I commend the bill to the House. Debate adjourned.”
“This bill will retrospectively validate past activities undertaken by the Defence Service Homes Insurance as an authorised representative of a third-party insurer and also authorise the scheme to continue to carry out such activities in relation to more than 32,000 current policyholders, including granting it the authority to renew policies. The Albanese government is committed to supporting veterans and their families, and Defence Service Homes Insurance is just one of those supports currently available. This complements other initiatives from the Albanese government, including improvements to study assistance to Australian Defence Force and Public Service personnel, increased support for Australian Defence Force families through enhanced remote locality leave travel, and expanded ADF family health benefits program.”
“To complement the home building insurance product, since 1990, Defence Service Homes Insurance has acted as a representative of a third-party commercial insurer to offer Defence Service Homes Insurance 'branded' home, contents, motor vehicle, caravan and motorbike insurance policies. This has generated commission income that contributes to the competitive pricing of Defence Service Homes Insurance home building policies—keeping costs down for Defence families. This bill formalises the existing practice of the Commonwealth to enter into representative agreements with third-party insurers to provide home, contents and general insurance products to ADF members, eligible veterans and their families.”
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Today I rise to introduce the Defence Service Homes Amendment (Insurance) Bill 2025(the bill). This bill will formalise longstanding Commonwealth practice by providing express legislative authority for the Commonwealth to continue to provide general insurance or act as an authorised representative for a third-party insurer. Since 1919, the Defence Service Homes Insurance Scheme has provided financial support by way of home building insurance to Australian Defence Force members and eligible veterans and their families under the Defence Service Homes Act 1918.”