Susan Templeman
Macquarie · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“The three key focuses of the government's action are, firstly, to disrupt and dismantle border threats to stem the flow of illicit tobacco and vapes to Australia before they make it to our shores; secondly, to enhance detection, disruption and destruction of illicit tobacco and vapes at the border and within the community; and, thirdly, t…”
“AUSTRAC is working with the banks and service providers to shut down the money flows that keep illicit tobacco profitable. Hundreds of accounts have already been closed and payment systems stopped.”
“We need to keep fighting it and not blame each other. Those opposite need to recognise that, just as we supported the steps they made, we need their full support in taking these actions.”
“That's not good enough for participants, it's not good enough for employers and it's not good enough for the economy. That's why these reforms are so important. This is the most significant change to employment services in 30 years. At the heart of these reforms is the end of the one-size-fits-all model.”
“The Commonwealth, states and territories are working together to reverse the equation for organised crime at every step and in every way to make the illicit tobacco trade more risky and less profitable, disrupting the illicit supply chain and shutting down illegal shops. This bill is another step in that process.”
“Mr Robert, at that time, spoke of the actions they were taking and the changes they were making on duty liabilities being paid when tobacco is imported into Australia.”
The complete record
Every one of 617 lines we hold for Susan Templeman, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 12 of 13.
“A long-term approach to increase safety for women and children will require all jurisdictions and agencies, including courts, police and other services, to work together. Victims-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence are usually advised to seek FVOs through a state or territory Magistrates Court or from police before attempting to resolve parenting or property matters in the federal family law courts. This is because of the serious risk of escalation in the violent and abusive behaviours of perpetrators during family law proceedings, particularly in cases involving coercive control, where a perpetrator's sense of power and dominance is threatened.”
“The committee found that a long-term systematic approach must be adopted across all jurisdictions to increase safety for women and children as they navigate family separation and to realise the ambition of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 to end violence against women and children over the next decade. Building an effective, systematic and national approach as outlined in this report's 11 recommendations must start with harmonised definitions of family, domestic and sexual violence, best practice and consistent FVO laws and police responses, and enhanced information sharing and risk assessment across jurisdictions so that all key decision-makers, agencies and services are speaking the same language about risk.”
“One of the issues that became evident to the committee is the degree of variation in relevant state and territory laws and police responses to family, domestic and sexual violence across the country. Our conclusion was that it is unreasonable and a barrier to safety and justice for victims-survivors. Australians have a right to expect access to the same protections regardless of where they live, but this is not currently the case. Variations in the protection of children, the duration of FVOs, the effectiveness of information sharing and the recognition of coercive control and police responses mean different outcomes for victims-survivors depending on where they live. It also makes it difficult to understand how FVOs will work when victims-survivors flee to a different state or territory to escape abuse.”
“The committee heard of many community organisations that successfully help victims-survivors navigate the most complex aspects of separating from their abusers—the legal, the financial and the safety aspects—as they impact on each individual case. The inquiry found that many of these services are forced to turn away people who may be in absolute crisis due to current funding constraints. The National Access to Justice Partnership, which commences in July, and other measures are intended to address these issues to ensure that support services are put on a sustainable footing. It was not possible for this inquiry to determine whether the contribution of new and existing measures will address funding shortfalls, but it is the committee's view that adequate, ongoing and sustainable funding for wraparound legal and non-legal services is vital.”
“This builds on measures already announced to improve access to critical legal and non-legal support for victims-survivors, including a renewed five-year family, domestic and sexual violence national partnership which will deliver more than $700 million in new matched investments from the Australian, state and territory governments, including funding to support those specialist services for women and services supporting children to heal and recover from abuse and violence. Funding is also being directed towards men's behaviour change programs for perpetrators of gendered violence. However, more needs to be done. I want to talk specifically about navigating the complex legal system. This is not something women should be expected to tackle alone.”
“The Australian government provides a range of programs supporting victims-survivors as well as in partnership with the states and territories and it includes legal and non-legal support in the family law system, assisting victims-survivors through the social security and child support systems and providing safe and secure housing. The Albanese government has recently announced the largest-ever investment in legal assistance—the $3.9 billion National Access to Justice Partnership.”
“This dual system can be time consuming, confusing, costly and retraumatising for victims-survivors and can put them at risk and anchor them to their abusers. For example, once an FVO is obtained the family law courts may then override it and put victims-survivors in harm's way by granting perpetrators access to children. Furthermore, the presence of an FVO is no guarantee of safety. Current or historical FVOs were evident in more than 40 per cent of 224 cases where a male intimate partner murdered a female intimate partner between 2010 and 2018. There have already been significant recent reforms to the way the family law courts manage and respond to family violence and child abuse risk and share information with state and territory courts and agencies, with more reforms planned.”
“This inquiry was focused on: the barriers to safety and fairness for victims-survivors in the state and territory family violence order, FVO, system and the federal family law system; the important intersections between jurisdictions; and the accessibility of services and supports that victims-survivors need to navigate both systems safely and fairly. We heard from victims-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence and the individuals and organisations who support and advocate for them. Women leaving abusive relationships must navigate two separate court systems to be protected by family violence orders under state and territory law and to resolve parenting or property disputes arising from separation through the family law courts.”
“On behalf of the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, I present the committee's report, entitled Inquiry into family v iolence orders , together with the minutes of the proceedings. Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). by leave—We all know that Australia has been tackling the issue of gendered violence and reviewing and updating the laws and responses that are intended to keep women and children safe. There have been 1,733 female victims of intimate partner homicide in Australia between July 1989 and December 2024, including 35 women who were murdered by their current or former partners in the last year. Despite legislative reforms and other measures, the system we have has failed these women and their children. We want to do everything we can to make sure it doesn't fail others.”
“And Labor knows that it's important that a veteran can find someone in DVA who knows the systems to help and support them. All the Liberals want to do is sack public servants so they can hand over work to labour hire and their mates in the big four consulting firms, who in the final term of the Morrison government received nearly 10,000 contracts worth more than $7.2 billion. The people of the Blue Mountains, the Plains and the Hawkesbury need and deserve good public services, not a return to the days of cuts, cuts and more cuts.”
“We've had to listen to the opposition degrade and attack our country's public services every day of this parliament. They have a plan to cut 36,000 jobs from our vital public services. That's a 20 per cent cut. Imagine the damage of a 20 per cent cut to the Department of Veterans' Affairs, Medicare, Services Australia, aged care and NDIS regulators, biosecurity, Defence and the ABC. Labor knows it's important that Australians can access and are protected by a well-resourced Public Service. Labor knows it's important that we have staff in biosecurity to protect Australia from pests, disease and weeds. Labor knows it's important that a new mum can ring Medicare and get her baby onto her card so they can access our world-leading healthcare system or that a senior can discuss whether they are eligible for a pension.”
“This would be a walk-in mini-emergency clinic for urgent but not life-threatening conditions, with radiology there open seven days a week, 365 days a year, usually from eight in the morning till eight at night, so that everybody knows where to go when something urgent but not life-threatening happens. I know my community wants this, because 1,600 people have already signed my petition in support of this. I will keep advocating this as something that can be a real life-saver for parents who don't want to be in the emergency department and want to get good, urgently needed care for their kids.”
“In our two-and-a-bit years, we've increased rebates by more than those opposite did in nine long years. One of the things that are helping in the lower part of the mountains is the opening of the urgent care clinic in Penrith, and, while it's not ideal for lower-mountains people to travel down off the mountain, it is understood that that does provide more options for them compared to those higher up the mountains. I know parents of young children have been particularly grateful for that Medicare urgent clinic down in Penrith, which I opened the year before last. I want to talk about why one is needed so badly in the Hawkesbury. The Hawkesbury desperately needs a Medicare urgent care clinic because people don't have the same access to the existing ones.”
“That might mean giving these people Medicare item numbers to deliver certain things. It's making sure that, whether it's contraceptives, treatments for UTIs or immunisation, pharmacists are able to service that part of the healthcare system. These are all things that take the pressure off GPs so that they can see the people that only they can see. I'm very pleased to see that, in 2025, a record 1,750 offers are likely to be made to junior doctors to begin government funded GP training and that a huge chunk of those have already been taken up. We've certainly seen bulk-billing rates turn around with, in the 2023 budget, the biggest investment in bulk billing in that 40-year history of Medicare, and in the last two years we've delivered the two largest increases to Medicare rebates in 30 years.”
“It applies only to the very top of the mountain. That's the bit that gets incentives. Yet a few kilometres down the road, the town of Katoomba does not attract those incentives. That is our key population base, but the model really constrains the services. There are a whole range of challenges that we face locally and nationally that I'm going to continue to work on. What has emerged is the issue of access for those with a chronic illness or chronic condition who are experiencing problems in getting ongoing continuity of care. The steps we're taking are to look at the health system as a whole, to look at the role that nurse practitioners can have and to look at the role that pharmacies can have, so that people are working to what we call the top of their scope, the top of their ability, and getting extra training where it's needed.”
“The first region I want to focus on is the Blue Mountains, which sits anywhere from 60 kilometres to 120 kilometres from the Sydney CBD. I recently held a roundtable with consumers in Katoomba, towards the top of the mountains, about their experiences, and then I held a separate roundtable with GPs and practice managers. Both of these groups provided enormous insights into their experiences and their challenges. I'm really grateful to all those who participated, and I also want to thank the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network representatives who were there, given their role as an agent for distributing Commonwealth funding to primary health care at a local level. There are a range of issues, and they include the constraints of the Modified Monash Model that the previous government brought in.”
“I'm very happy to speak on this private member's motion, and I want to highlight the challenges of peri-urban areas like mine, which sit in a bit of a no man's land between urban and regional. In fact, the region I represent is a mix of urban, regional, rural and remote in its character and geography, with small towns, hamlets, villages and large properties that mean it is not a one-size-fits-all place. No single model of primary care is going to suit my constituents, and that means we really need to break down the issues area by area. Remember that this is something that the Minister for Health and Aged Care has described as a crisis. We have a crisis because of the failure to invest in this very key part of primary care for so many years.”
“My question is to the Prime Minister. What investment is the Albanese Labor government making to support the health of Australian women? And is there anything that might undermine our health system and leave Australians worse off?”
“Every child in their first school classroom benefits from this investment, and our Labor government are going to make this possible. Another of the missing pieces is access. We especially see this in Macquarie, with the Blue Mountains and sections of the Hawkesbury both identified as childcare deserts. That puts pressure on centres in the better served areas like Emu Plains, Windsor and surrounds. Supply is a barrier to access. That's why a re-elected Albanese Labor government will establish a $1 billion Building Early Education Fund—building and expanding more centres in areas of need, including peri-urban areas like mine. And I thank every childhood educator for the work that you continue to do.”
“When the Liberals introduced the childcare subsidy activity test in 2018 they stated that it was designed to encourage workforce participation. Well, the effect it has had, though, is to shut out many families, especially single parents, from access to subsidised care. As Thrive by Five's Jay Weatherill stated: 'The activity test was intended to encourage parents into work, but in fact it has done the opposite. It has limited choices and made it harder for parents, especially single parents, to make an income.' We believe that every child has the right to go to early education—whether you're the child of a single mum, an unemployed parent or someone who's studying—and we know that that helps make sure they don't start school behind.”
“And today there are more than 125,000 educators in the pipeline we created, because that pipeline was down to a trickle. Data released by Jobs and Skills Australia just last month showed workforce vacancy rates in the early education and care sector plummeted over the last 12 months, with internet vacancy rates down 22 per cent since December 2023. That means that there are more workers picking up jobs, that jobs are advertised for less time and that we're filling those spots. Our decision to provide a 15 per cent wage increase for early childhood workers to retain and attract the workforce is as an example of what is helping many centres in my community, although I acknowledge it hasn't been the simplest way forward for some. We know there's more to do. Our three-day guarantee is one more of those steps.”
“This is real cost-of-living relief. It's money going back into the pockets of Australian families. By contrast in the last four years of the previous Liberal government, childcare prices went up by twice as much as the OECD average. It was double what we've seen in other places. There is more to do on cost, but we've also had to work on building up the early education and care workforce. That's crucial. The Productivity Commission stated that we had to prioritise that workforce before any major reforms, and that's why it has been a priority. Since coming to office more than a thousand new services have commenced operating, with nearly 30 per cent outside major cities, including in Macquarie. There are 41,900 more educators. There are more than 90,000 additional places.”
“We've already taken some critical first steps, including to make early childhood education more affordable for over a million families through our cheaper childcare reforms. We commissioned the ACCC and the Productivity Commission to each do a review so that we'd get guidance on how we can achieve our vision of making early education affordable and available, and what we're doing is evidence based. We've started with our policy to deliver cost-of-living relief for more than a million Australian families by cutting out-of-pocket costs, and we've seen that it's cut the cost of early learning by more than 17 per cent from when it was first introduced. An Australian family on an income of $120,000 a year, paying the average quarterly fee for 30 hours of child care a week, is approximately $2,768 better off since September 2023.”
“It's a real privilege to speak on this motion. I'm really pleased to hear the opposition talking about early learning and education because in government they were silent on it. They saw it as childcare, and we heard barely a peep out of them, so I'm glad it's got on their radar, but let's get some facts on the table. We know that early education is a place where we can make some of the biggest inroads in development that flow through to society for decades to come. That's because the work of early educators is transformative for children and their families. We're working to build a universal early education and care system that's accessible for all families, no matter their circumstances or background.”
“Today's report includes one paper petition, which relates to the Artarmon post office and which received more than 1,800 signatures. The 86 electronic petitions were ruled in order by the committee in November last year; so they closed for signatures during the break in sittings. Some topics included among these petitions are social media age restrictions and a range of healthcare, tax, and visa matters. Requests for new e-petitions continued to come in over the summer. Those certified in order by the committee are currently on the House petitions webpage for signature collection.”
“The following 58 ministerial responses to petitions were received. Ministerial responses received by the Committee on 22 January 2025 From the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government to a petition requesting mandatory vehicle emissions standards (EN4208) From the Minister for Communications to a petition requesting homeowners be allowed to install data cabling (EN4318) From the Minister for Education to a petition regarding fee changes to higher education psychology courses (EN5045) From the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to a petition requesting that synthetic meat be banned in Australia (EN5162) From the Treasurer to a petition requesting the removal of the automatic indexation of excise duty rates for commercially produced alcohol (EN5368) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition regarding an allegation of poisoning in China (EN5916) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition regarding caps to Skilled-Recognised Graduate visa (subclass 476) applications (EN5942) From the Minister for Education to a petition requesting the cessation of unpaid clinical placements and further financial support for healthcare students (EN5988) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition requesting the rejection of the Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill 2024 (EN6091) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition requesting the removal of the Capstone exam for prospective Registered Migration Agents (EN6250) From the Minister for Home Affairs to a petition regarding the alleged activities and influence of the Bhartiya Janata Party within Australia (EN6377) From the Attorney-General to a petition requesting the harmonisation of laws relating to protection orders and changes to the way in which domestic violence cases are handled (EN6395) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition requesting an onshore application process for Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) extensions (EN6420) From the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister to a petition requesting the appointment of a Minister for Men and Boys (EN6428) From the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister to a petition requesting the appointment of a Minister for Older Australians (EN6454) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition requesting a reduction in processing times for Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) applications (EN6456) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition regarding the medical requirements for Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) applications (EN6463) From the Treasurer to a petition requesting that the indexation of study fee debts be ceased (EN6508) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition requesting a reduction in processing times for Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186) applications (EN6518) From the Special Minister of State to a petition requesting legislation to prohibit misinformation in political advertising and communications (EN6530) From the Minister the Environment and Water to a petition requesting that funding be provided to veterinary hospitals and practices for wildlife care (EN6532) From the Attorney-General to a petition regarding concerns about false allegations of domestic violence (EN6536) From the Minister for Finance to a petition regarding concerns related to the Digital ID Act 2024 (EN6548) From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition regarding the detention of Professor Abduljalil Al-Singace in Bahrain (EN6557) From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding the response to the COVID-19 pandemic (EN6578) From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition requesting official recognition of Women, Life, Freedom Day (EN6581) From the Minister for Youth to a petition requesting the establishment of a national day to allow young people to meet Australian leaders (EN6599) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs requesting permanent residency for Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers (EN6613) From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting an increase to the number of mental health sessions covered by Medicare (EN6614) From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition requesting a National Rural Health Strategy and increased support for rural health services (EN6617) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs requesting a reduction in the costs and processing times for Parent visas (EN6630) From the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme to a petition requesting that psoriatic arthritis be included as a recognised condition in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (EN6645) From the Minister for Communications to a petition regarding the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024 (EN6661) From the Attorney-General to a petition requesting legislation to protect human rights (EN6666) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition requesting a reduction in processing times for Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) visa (subclass 191) applications (EN6687) From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition requesting support to address human rights concerns in Bangladesh (EN6691) From the Minister for the Environment and Water to a petition requesting support to maintain a navigable channel for vessels on the Murray River (EN6692) From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition regarding the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in China (PN0605) From the Minister for Communications to a petition requesting Australia Post to retain the Spit Junction Post Office in Mosman, New South Wales (PN0623) Ministerial responses received by the Committee on 5 February 2025 From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition regarding the processing times of visa applications in the Amman Office (EN5547) From the Treasurer to a petition requesting the removal of the goods and services tax on residential electricity (EN5580) From the Treasurer to a petition requesting that it be made illegal for businesses to not accept cash (EN5640) From the Treasurer to a petition requesting the removal of the goods and services tax on exercise physiology services (EN5674) From the Treasurer to a petition requesting the removal of the goods and services tax from exercise physiology services (EN5701) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition regarding processing times for Partner visa (subclass 309) applications in Amman, Jordan (EN5750) From the Treasurer to a petition requesting the removal of the goods and services tax on exercise physiology services (EN5850) From the Treasurer to a petition requesting that cash remain legal tender (EN5960) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition regarding Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa applicants (EN6116) From the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to a petition requesting a transition period for people affected by changes to age limits for Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) (EN6198) From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition regarding arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for the Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Israel (EN6288) From the Treasurer to a petition requesting that increases to the alcohol excise be ceased (EN6504) From the Minister for Sport to a petition requesting that equal prize money in sport be mandated (EN6567) From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition requesting sanctions on Israel (EN6585) From the Treasurer to a petition requesting an inquiry into the strata management industry (EN6638) From the Minister for Foreign Affairs to a petition requesting action to address the conflict in Gaza (EN6653) From the Attorney-General to a petition regarding concerns related to the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the findings of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme (EN6670) From the Minister for Health and Aged Care to a petition regarding the cost and accessibility of medicinal cannabis through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PN0624) From the Attorney-General to a petition requesting that all chocolate sold in Australia is free from child labour (PN0626) Ms Susan Templeman MP Chair—Petitions Committee”
“The committee resolved to present the following 87 petitions in accordance with standing order 207: Petitions certified on 6 November 2024 From 5 petitioners—requesting reform of the parent visa application process (EN6708) From 549 petitioners—requesting support for the heritage management of the Christian's Minde complex (EN6711) From 7 petitioners—requesting the adoption of the Rich Communication Services protocol standard for instant messaging (EN6713) From 95 petitioners—requesting the creation of a circular economy for lead (EN6714) From 44 petitioners—requesting a referendum to add free speech protections into the Australian Constitution (EN6715) From 14 petitioners—regarding concerns relating to the Australian Broadcasting Commission (EN6716) From 1314 petitioners—requesting that the private health insurance rebate for Bowen Therapy be reinstated (EN6717) From 3 petitioners—requesting an exemption to the Fringe Benefit Tax limit for employees of small businesses (EN6725) From 54 petitioners—regarding concerns relating to the policies, operations and structure of Uber (EN6728) From 137 petitioners—requesting protection from vexatious litigation for victims of family and domestic violence (EN6729) From 432 petitioners—requesting an increase to the Child Care Subsidy for families of children with disabilities (EN6731) From 78 petitioners—regarding concerns related to visa processing timeframes (EN6732) From 9 petitioners—regarding concerns related to the closure of the 3G cellular network (EN6733) From 9 petitioners—regarding concerns related to the speed and reliability of the National Broadband Network (EN6734) From 36 petitioners—requesting that public hospitals be required to offer abortion services if they receive Commonwealth funding (EN6735) From 2 petitioners—requesting English language tests be waived for permanent residency applicants who have studied in Australia (EN6738) From 22 petitioners—requesting support for people employed to mine cobalt in Congo (EN6739) From 11 petitioners—requesting an investigation into a decision preventing students with short-stature from competing in certain school sports (EN6741) From 62 petitioners—requesting the establishment of a Federal Judicial Commission (EN6746) From 92 petitioners—requesting that the medication semaglutide be included in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (EN6747) From 11 petitioners—requesting regulations relating to the financial assets of parliamentarians (EN6749) From 231 petitioners—requesting reforms to the way that child support payments are calculated (EN6752) From 12 petitioners—requesting changes to compound interest charged by money lenders (EN6753) From 57 petitioners—requesting the establishment of an endometriosis and pelvic pain clinic in Newcastle, New South Wales (EN6754) From 11 petitioners—requesting an automated system for tax returns for individuals (EN6755) From 30 petitioners—requesting standardised legislation to compensate individuals who have been found to have been wrongfully imprisoned (EN6757) From 28 petitioners—regarding the use of cash in the Australian economy (EN6759) From 19 petitioners—requesting legislation to declassify government records relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena (EN6761) From 16 petitioners—requesting an increase to the Parenting Payment for widowed parents (EN6763) From 19 petitioners—requesting access to the Parenting Payment for citizens of New Zealand residing in Australia (EN6773) From 4 petitioners—requesting that Australia join China's Belt and Road Initiative (EN6774) From 73 petitioners—requesting the inclusion of Yazidi language, religion and ethnicity as distinct categories in the 2026 Australian Census (EN6775) From 18 petitioners—regarding mutual obligation requirements for the JobSeeker Payment (EN6776) From 287 petitioners—requesting exemptions to changes made to age limits for Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) applicants (EN6778) From 276 petitioners—requesting assistance to locate a light aircraft missing since 1981 (EN6781) From 1449 petitioners—requesting the reversal of changes made to the interpretation of the reduced input tax credit (EN6786) From 18 petitioners—regarding restrictions on the sale of non-prescription pharmaceuticals (EN6787) From 26 petitioners—regarding consumer rights relating to the purchase of digital content (EN6788) From 38 petitioners—regarding concerns related to free speech (EN6789) From 28 petitioners—regarding concerns related to the operation of the National Redress Scheme (EN6790) From 106 petitioners—requesting mandatory labelling of palm oil on products sold in Australia (EN6792) From 64 petitioners—requesting the reversal of the Minister for Home Affairs' decision to cancel a visa (EN6799) From 2169 petitioners—requesting improvements to the accessibility and affordability of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder assessments (EN6801) From 23 petitioners—regarding the Commissioner of the National Anti- Corruption Commission (EN6802) Petitions certified on 20 November 2024 From 7 petitioners—requesting support to address the civil conflict in Myanmar (EN6806) From 69 petitioners—requesting that the Australian Government seek the suspension of Israel from the United Nations General Assembly (EN6808) From 3 petitioners—requesting the adoption the Rich Communications Services protocol standard for mobile devices (EN6811) From 6 petitioners—regarding the dissolution of marriages (EN6814) From 19 petitioners—regarding the President of the United States (EN6816) From 297 petitioners—requesting regulations to prevent foreign embassies and consulates from using religious places for official purposes (EN6817) From 6 petitioners—regarding concerns related to bias and fairness in the media (EN6819) From 5 petitioners—requesting support for students returning to higher education (EN6820) From 14 petitioners—requesting sanctions on Iran (EN6821) From 276 petitioners—requesting support to address perinatal and infant loss (EN6822) From 1857 petitioners—requesting that remedial massage therapists be recognised as National Disability Insurance Scheme providers (EN6823) From 440 petitioners—requesting a tax offset for dental fees (EN6825) From 13 petitioners—regarding the Australian Ambassador to the United States (EN6826) From 3 petitioners—requesting changes to the classification system for videogames (EN6828) From 28 petitioners—regarding the alliance between Australia and the United States (EN6830) From 117 petitioners—regarding Australia's obligations relating to international humanitarian law (EN6831) From 20 petitioners—regarding concerns related to social media age restrictions (EN6832) From 1 petitioner—requesting that the Australian National Anthem be changed (EN6833) From 28 petitioners—regarding the President of the United States (EN6834) From 28 petitioners—regarding the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024 (EN6835) From 27 petitioners—regarding concerns related to social media age restrictions (EN6836) From 92 petitioners—regarding concerns related to social media age restrictions (EN6838) From 31 petitioners—regarding concerns related to the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 (EN6839) From 56 petitioners—regarding concerns related to social media age restrictions (EN6840) From 2 petitioners—regarding the repayment of university fees (EN6845) From 1 petitioner—regarding conditions for recipients of Centrelink payments (EN6846) From 10 petitioners—requesting the abolition of junior pay rates (EN6847) From 3 petitioners—requesting the equitable treatment of visa applications (EN6851) From 46 petitioners—regarding the Australian Ambassador to the United States (EN6852) From 588 petitioners—regarding concerns related to social media age restrictions (EN6856) Petitions certified on 27 November 2024 From 62 petitioners—requesting changes to employment conditions for casual workers (EN6860) From 324 petitioners—requesting support to protect domestic rabbits from calicivirus (EN6862) From 7 petitioners—requesting that Rex Airlines be nationalised (EN6865) From 5 petitioners—requesting support for family reunifications (EN6871) From 435 petitioners—requesting support and funding for maternity health services in rural Australia (EN6873) From 268 petitioners—requesting the establishment of an independent commission to oversee the private health system (EN6877) From 92 petitioners—requesting action against manufacturers of vaping products (EN6879) From 19 petitioners—regarding concerns relating to the Net Zero Plan (EN6880) From 15 petitioners—requesting changes to the income test for recipients of the Age Pension (EN6881) From 26 petitioners—requesting free access to universal healthcare for people residing in Australia (EN6882) From 56 petitioners—requesting support for the inclusion of freedom of speech and freedom of the press in the Australian Constitution (EN6888) From 223 petitioners—regarding concerns related to social media age restrictions (EN6889) Petitions certified on 5 February 2025 From 1805 petitioners—requesting that the Artarmon Post Office be relocated to an alternative local site (PN0632) 2.”
“I present the 37th report of the Petitions Committee for the 47th Parliament: The report read as follows— HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PETITIONS COMMITTEE REPORT No. 37 Petitions and Ministerial Responses 10 February 2025 MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE Chair Ms Susan Templeman MP Deputy Chair Mr Ross Vasta MP Mr Sam Birrell MP Ms Alison Byrnes MP Ms Lisa Chesters MP Mr Garth Hamilton MP Ms Tracey Roberts MP Ms Meryl Swanson MP This committee is supported by staff of the Department of the House of Representatives Report summarising the petitions and ministerial responses being presented. The committee met in private session in the 47th Parliament on 6 November 2024, 20 November 2024, 27 November 2024, 22 January 2025 and 5 February 2025. 1.”
“Now, we don't call it Gonski, but the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement is the same principle, and it's about time that New South Wales and the Commonwealth got the deal done.”
“David Gonski said the system would ensure that differences in educational outcomes are not the result of differences in wealth, income, power or possessions. I say this because parents with kids at school now could well have been in school themselves as the Gonski momentum grew. I was handing out Gonski information back in 2013 at Winter Magic and Springwood's fair. I held the first forum with the New South Wales Teachers Federation at about the same time at Windsor South Public School to help explain what Gonski meant, and I had to watch the Abbott government break its promise of no cuts to education as it ditched its commitment to Gonski funding on coming to government.”
“Two years earlier, businessman David Gonski was engaged by the Labor government to lead a review into Australia's school funding with the aim of reducing the impact of social disadvantage on educational outcomes and ending inequities in the distribution of public money. The report was released in February 2012. The reforms recommended that governments reduce payments to overfunded schools that didn't need them and redirect those funds on a needs based model. Its key recommendation was the schooling resource standard—the SRS—a base rate of funding per student with extra loading for disadvantage factors. The SRS would determine the funding required for each school. The change was designed—and still is—to ensure that every Australian child, no matter what their background, can get a high-quality education.”
“Scott Morrison announced $200 million for the bridge leading into the 2019 election, vastly underestimating the cost. He was forced to double the federal contribution in 2021, and now we know that still leaves a shortfall. This is the mess left by the Liberals that we are cleaning up. Projects of this scale are funded over a number of years, and I'll be working with my government and the New South Wales government to ensure there is no delay in completing the entire project. I started this process to build a bridge, and I won't stop until this project is fully delivered. In 2012 something called Gonski was born.”
“It's very clear to me that the people in Southee Road in Hobartville have not had their concerns fully addressed, and they deserve to have their quality of life protected. I'll be supporting them in that objective. I joined them in requesting an additional information session on the Richmond side of the river, which is in process of being arranged, and upgrading the North Richmond intersection of Terrace Road, Bells Line of Road and Grose Vale Road is also an essential part of this plan. I'm obviously very mindful that the larger bridge and new design do not come within the budget allocated by the previous federal and state Liberal governments. The shortfall for this project is the consequence of poor planning by the Liberals and their back-of-the-envelope costings.”
“While I have my own views, when I attended the online session last Wednesday, and Saturday's in-person information session, I greatly appreciated the opportunity to hear people's feedback. From querying how effective the traffic flow will be to impacts on flooding and impacts on historic properties, there are a lot of issues that Transport for NSW will need to address. What is different, I note, to the last experience this region had of a new bridge at Windsor, is that there is engagement by Transport for NSW. I'm sure all of us who fought for years to preserve the unique and now diminished Thompson Square—where there was absolutely no engagement about the serious issues of that flawed Windsor Bridge project—appreciate the difference.”
“People west of the Hawkesbury River have waited a really long time to see progress on a new flood-resilient bridge. Fifteen years after the Prime Minister and I stood on the now 121-year-old Richmond Bridge, people are finally seeing what the New South Wales government plan is. Now a four-lane bridge providing a higher crossing and approaches, this latest design means the government have listened to community feedback on previous concepts that originally ignored any flood resilience. Its aim is to ease congestion and make the trip across the river a bit easier for thousands of people every single day. Has Transport for NSW got a perfect plan? I don't think anyone would expect it to be perfect.”
“So this is about shifting the responsibility, ensuring everyone at every point takes responsibility for the things that they could do. This is the start. There is work to do throughout the year once this bill is passed, and I hope it will be. What this bill does do is ensure that we deliver on the pre-election promise that we made, including to the people of the Hawkesbury at the forum at the Windsor Wolves footy club that the Assistant Treasurer attended. We made a promise that we would do everything we could to protect the community from scammers. This is a really significant step that gives Australia a world-leading framework to be able to do just that—to keep consumers safe.”
“The government has not taken a mandatory presumption-of-reimbursement approach as operates in the UK, because we want to incentivise actions to address scam activity across the entire scam activity chain, not leave some sectors with lower expectations and lower responsibility for the liability. Placing liability on banks alone fails to recognise and hold to account the entities that may have had opportunities to stop the scam before the harm is caused to the consumer. Consumers will also be able to take action in court when they've suffered loss or damage because a regulated entity hasn't met its obligations under the SPF. As with the intention for the external dispute resolution, liability for loss or damage where more than one regulated entity has not met obligations can be apportioned between multiple regulated entities.”
“There will be a no-wrong-door policy for internal dispute processes, so, rather than being shunted around from regulator to regulator, consumers can approach any of the regulated entities connected to the scam they've experienced to raise a dispute. We want to make it easy for people to pursue that. We've already announced our intention to authorise the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, AFCA, as the external dispute resolution scheme for the three initial sectors. This single-door approach means consumers only have to go to one body to escalate their scam complaint, even where it may involve multiple regulated entities.”
“Regulators have access to significant civil penalties of up to $50 million for the very worst breaches of the SPF. This is designed to incentivise compliance and make sure it's not simply easier to pay the penalty. Regulators will also have other compliance tools available, such as infringement notices, enforceable undertakings, injunctions, public warnings and remedial directions to ensure the SPF is administered as intended—to protect consumers. Consumers, for their part, will have access to free and transparent dispute resolution processes if they are victims of scams and one or more regulated entities have not met their obligations. There also needs to be internal dispute resolution at the regulated entities and a process in place at each of them, and they must become members of a designated external dispute resolution scheme.”
“So they were happy to take money from people who, it could be argued, were pretty obviously scammers or potential scammers, but they had nothing to do with any downstream impacts where other people lost money to these same advertisers. That's one of the reasons why we need a comprehensive approach and we need multiple regulators involved, and this legislation provides for just that, a multiregulator model, involving the ACCC as the regulator for the principle based obligations and the ACCC, ASIC and ACMA as regulators for the sector-specific codes so that they capitalise on the existing industry knowledge and expertise each of those regulators has. It also ensures that no single regulator will be spread too thin as SPF expands to additional sectors as scam activity inevitably shifts.”
“Other sectors may be designated under the SPF in future, such as superannuation, cryptocurrency, online marketplaces and other payment providers. Now, I want to pause and reflect on the breadth of this legislation and highlight some evidence that I took from Meta at the social media inquiry that I was a member of. At that inquiry last year, I was extremely disappointed to hear from Meta that they did not feel they had responsibility for the scam ads that people pay them to have on their platform. These ads can be the first part of a scam; that can be where it starts. Meta argued in their evidence to us that they bore no responsibility, because the taking of someone's money happened off their platform, further down the line.”
“There'll be mandatory sector-specific codes—a sector-specific code, even if adopted, does not relieve a business from their obligations to take reasonable steps in all circumstances, recognising that scams constantly evolve, so businesses must constantly evolve in their responses as well. Banks, telecommunication providers and certain digital platforms offering social media, paid search advertising and direct messaging services will initially be designated under the SPF, as they represent key points of harm—where the harm begins for consumers. It's interesting to note that bank transfer was the most reported method used by scammers, with $212.9 million in reported losses in 2023. Phone calls and social media were the contact methods associated with the highest value of losses, $116 million and $93.5 million respectively in 2023.”
“This framework will ensure that all parts of the ecosystem used by scammers are held to account for implementing strong and effective protections that are specifically tailored to their sector and their role in the conduct of a scam. This is essential for the protection of consumers, as it's really common for scammers to use multiple platforms and services to deceive and steal from people. Under this bill, regulated entities will be required to take reasonable steps to prevent, detect, report, disrupt and respond to scams and to have governance arrangements in place relating to how they will protect consumers from scams.”
“Current scam protections are piecemeal and inconsistent across the economy, and consumers face inconsistent protections and responses across different industries and providers. This Scams Prevention Framework being introduced is world-leading legislation. It's a central part of our broader consumer protection agenda. I'm going to call the Scams Prevention Framework the SPF—think of sunscreen, providing you with a protective layer. It's a bit like that. It's an economy-wide reform to protect consumers from scams by requiring the private sector to adhere to consistent principle based obligations and strong tailored industry codes which are enforceable. This approach will ensure that incentives and obligations are in place across key sectors that we know scammers take advantage of to cause harm to people in the community.”
“For me that was one of the really galvanising events, where you could see that every single person had either already been impacted or deeply feared being impacted by scams. They were thirsty for tools to help keep themselves safe. It also highlighted for me that an individual can only do so much and that the system had to change so there were protections and punishments for poor practices that led to someone being scammed. As I said, there have been positive signs from the government's and industry's efforts to date to combat scams, but scam losses remain unacceptably high. In 2023 scammers stole $2.7 billion from Australians, and scammers continue to cause psychological and emotional harm for victims and their families.”
“It means that banks, social media platforms and telecommunication companies will have their responsibilities, and victims will have clear pathways to compensation if the businesses fail to meet those new standards. I want to take a moment in discussing scams to pay tribute to the Assistant Treasurer for the years of work that he's done in this area. I think I had the first scam forum in the country at the Windsor Wharf in the Hawkesbury just before the 2022 election, where local Hawkesbury residents shared with us some of their bad experiences and near misses. I think what was interesting about that forum is that it also drew people from the Blue Mountains part of my electorate who had been so badly impacted they wanted to travel to be part of it.”
“The Albanese government has made scams a priority because we get the financial and emotional turmoil that victims face, and we want to rid Australia of this scourge. Since being elected, the government's committed more than $180 million to combatting scams and online fraud. Our actions to date are helping keep people's money safe, with our prevention strategy showing some early signs of success. Losses have been almost cut in half since we stood up the National Anti-Scam Centre. Scamwatch data shows reported scam losses dropped by more than 40 per cent in the 2023-24 financial year compared to the previous year. This bill, the Scams Prevention Framework Bill 2024, is a vital next step, putting obligations on banks, social media companies and telcos to prevent scams or to face hefty fines and compensation for victims.”
“When you mention the word 'scams' in the community, it doesn't take much for stories of fear and trepidation to come tumbling out. Whether it's a young person, a busy mum, a dad on the sporting sideline, a retiree or even my own husband and mum, everyone has a story of an attempted scam that they headed off at the pass. What is really distressing though is where the scam wasn't avoided, and the tales of lost money or ongoing financial loss—which started with a dodgy Facebook ad, an email that looked legitimate, text messages that sounded credible or a phone call that you'd swear was the real thing—are just gut wrenching. Anyone can be a target of a scammer. Whether you're 20 or 70, we know everyone should stay scam alert.”
“They're designed to equip Australians with simple, actionable strategies to guard against scams—things like, 'Stop before you share your personal information,' 'Check that you know exactly who you're dealing with' and 'Protect yourself against scams by taking actions, like reporting them to Scamwatch.' I think it's a really useful ad. Of course, we have tools like that and the Little Book of Scams , which I've been sharing far and wide in my community. But the Albanese government's work on scams goes way beyond simply raising awareness and asking people to take responsibility. Scammers are clever, cunning and criminal, and our comprehensive plan is about making Australia the toughest target in the world for scammers. This includes having everyone doing their bit, whether it's government, business or individuals.”
“I wonder how many have seen the newest ad campaign, with the bloke about to send a deposit for a lounge online when a little voice—which is his own—on his shoulder makes him stop. There's the lady being asked about her bank details whose voice says she should check and the bloke who's been told his account is overdrawn who listens to the voice telling him it's a dodgy email and shouldn't he protect himself. This is part of a new campaign, the Fighting Scams Campaign, which includes TV commercials and social media ads that are running now.”