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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES · FORMER

Anthony Albanese

Grayndler · Australian Labor Party · Australia

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

The ground there at Brookvale Oval, as I call it, was of course sponsored by a gambling company, so every time there's a game on there you see that constant advertising around the ground. What our legislation will do is make sure that future contracts can't be issued with things such as advertising on jerseys or advertising on grounds.

SITTING OF 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

She's someone who's passionate about it and tells me about her constituent who is 108 years old and travelled, as a very young boy, from South Australia with family for the opening of the first parliament—and he's still there. We hope he's able to attend again.

SITTING OF 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

That is why, just this week, there was the increase in the minimum wage, the decrease in taxes, the support for paid parental leave, super being paid every payday. All of these changes make a positive difference to people's lives.

SITTING OF 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

This year, Australia is celebrating 125 years of Federation, and I was with you and other members in Melbourne to commemorate that event of the first sitting of parliament, and it was a very good celebration of our history, which is worthy of celebration.

SITTING OF 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

We Australians sometimes think of ourselves as a young nation on an ancient continent, yet by global standards, of course, we are one of the oldest and strongest democracies in the world. Next year will mark an important anniversary: the 100th anniversary of Australian democracy making its home here in Canberra, our national capital.

SITTING OF 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

I note the member for McPherson, who's a former attendant in Parliament House, has agreed to be one of the members of that committee as well, and that's a good thing.

SITTING OF 2026-07-02 · READ IN HANSARD

The complete record

Every one of 1,176 lines we hold for Anthony Albanese, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 10 of 24.

  1. It goes to their core values, and we've seen that with the extraordinary launch of a leadership campaign that didn't have a single new policy idea. It was just the vibe. They got out there—not a single new idea.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-12 · READ IN HANSARD

  2. We're establishing university study hubs around regional Australia. We are making it easier for Australians to get into their own home. Help to Buy is up and running. Build to rent is building. Since we fast tracked our five per cent deposit scheme in October last year, more than 31,000 new home buyers have their first home. There's always more to do, and our work to make a positive difference is never finished. While we're building more homes for Australians, those opposite are busy tearing down their own home. They're obsessed with cutting each other down, but they never want to cut your taxes or cut the cost of living. They can't stand each other, but they all stand for cutting Medicare. They love fighting, but they never fight for Australia; they just fight each other.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-12 · READ IN HANSARD

  3. I thank the member for Maribyrnong for her question. Indeed, we are focused on the Australian people and working every day to deliver for them. We are strengthening Medicare because that's just what Labor governments do: more bulk-billing, making medicines cheaper, opening urgent care clinics, delivering 1800MEDICARE, properly funding public hospitals and making sure that the only thing that Australians need is their Medicare card, not their credit card. We're delivering cost-of-living relief across the board, cutting taxes, cutting student debt, getting real wages up and protecting penalty rates so that Australians can earn more and keep more of what they earn. We're properly funding every single public school in the country, making a difference. We've had 725,000 Australians that have benefited from free TAFE.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-12 · READ IN HANSARD

  4. I inform the House that the Deputy Prime Minister will be absent from question time today. He is undertaking duties and representation as Minister for Defence internationally. The Minister for Defence Industry will answer questions on his behalf. I inform the House that the Minister—

    SITTING OF 2026-02-12 · READ IN HANSARD

  5. When Jon Kudelka died earlier this week, Australia lost one of our great cartoonists and artists and Tasmania lost one of its favourite sons. He could skewer his targets with wit and precision, but, when he turned his eye to the beauty of his beloved home state, he celebrated it with joy and a style that was entirely his. The outpouring of grief for him in the days since his death is an indication of the special place that he held in so many Australian hearts. I extend my sincere condolences to his wife, Maggie, to his children, Kay and Oskar, and to his friends. May John Kudelka rest in peace.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-12 · READ IN HANSARD

  6. I must say the Israeli president has said that he will engage and come back to the Australian government about the issues that we have raised. The issue of the protection declaration is about honouring the courage and kindness of Zomi Frankcom and her fellow aid workers. This is someone who provided aid not just in that area of the world but along with other World Central Kitchen colleagues, the head of whom is based in New York and is known to President Herzog, who have done extraordinary work in war zones and under extreme difficulty, taking risks in order to help their fellow humans. We honour Zomi Frankcom. We give her family our sincere condolences for what is a tragic loss, and we'll continue to work each and every day to do our best to ensure there is transparency and there is appropriate action.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-11 · READ IN HANSARD

  7. Last year at the United Nations, Australia and our partners launched the Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel. That was led by our Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, who engaged with her colleagues right around the world to issue that statement—more than 100 nations signed on—attempting to get a global position. The member referred to figures. Every one of them is a tragedy, and every one of them is an outrage. Journalists and aid workers lost their lives while going about doing their jobs—reporting on what was occurring in Gaza and in the Middle East or doing critical work providing humanitarian support to Gaza in the middle of a humanitarian catastrophe. Australia has increased our aid and will continue to do so. We have spoken about humanitarian aid with the Israeli government and with the Israeli president.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-11 · READ IN HANSARD

  8. I note that if President Herzog hadn't been here, I wouldn't have been able to raise the issue of Zomi Frankcom with him—which is precisely what I did this morning, along with a range of other Australian government concerns. That's one of the reasons why you have dialogue in a respectful way: to get outcomes and to advance Australia's national interests. So one of the issues I raised was Zomi Frankcom and her six World Central Kitchen colleagues. These deaths were a tragedy and an outrage. We said that at the time and we've made it clear that that remains the Australian government's position. We've also made clear our expectation that there be transparency about Israel's ongoing investigation into the incident. We continue to press for full accountability, including any appropriate criminal charges.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-11 · READ IN HANSARD

  9. In an opinion piece from 2015, he said, 'The member for Farrer's program of cuts should extend across the health system.' We all remember when they came to office the last time, in 2014, ripping money out of health and ripping money out of education. But, for the member for Hume, that didn't go far enough. They wanted to rip even more out. Only Labor is committed to strengthening Medicare. It's what we do—through cheaper medicines, the tripling of the bulk-billing incentive, the urgent care clinics, the increased hospital funding and the Medicare mental health clinics. All of these measures are aimed at strengthening Medicare and repairing the damage that those opposite did over their time in office.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-11 · READ IN HANSARD

  10. There is more bulk-billing, in fact, in every single state and every territory, giving Australians access to the health care that they need. We don't know who the Liberal leader will be next week, but we do know that they'll be against Medicare. We know this because the member for Hume wanted Tony Abbott's GP tax. He said this: 'We know that the GP co-payment is reasonable.' They were against any free visits to the doctor because they wanted a co-payment on every single visit! But it gets worse. In 2015 the current Leader of the Opposition and the then health minister decided to extend the freeze on the Medicare rebate. That's bad enough—but the member for Hume called for her cuts to go even deeper and further.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-11 · READ IN HANSARD

  11. In February last year, I proudly stood in Launceston with the then Labor candidate for Bass and announced that a re-elected Labor government would make the biggest ever investment in bulk-billing. On 3 May, Australians voted to strengthen Medicare, and, on 3 November, our commitment to tripling the bulk-billing incentive for every Australian began to roll out. Three months later, it's clear that what we promised is delivering for Australians. Around Australia today, more than eight in every 10 visits to the GP are fully bulk-billed. Millions of people are getting the healthcare they need with just their Medicare card, not their credit card. Now, nearly 3,400 GP practices are fully bulk-billed—an increase of 1,300 clinics since November, in that short period of time.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-11 · READ IN HANSARD

  12. I thank the member for her question. I'll make two comments. One is: I'll refer to my previous answer. The second is: we need to not continually look for political opportunities from what is a devastating situation. We need to turn the temperature down.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  13. I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. It goes to a constituent in Parramatta, and I'm sure that there are people in Parramatta like there are in my electorate and the member for Farrer's electorate who are under financial pressure. That's why we're doing something about it. Those opposite do absolutely nothing except oppose—

    SITTING OF 2026-02-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  14. I will not, as a number of the crossbenchers have suggested, walk away from my support for his presence here, because it is appropriate that he be here at this time, and it's appropriate that people understand the context which is there—a community that is hurting, a community that is reaching out and asking for some understanding. I've said it before, and I'll say it again to conclude: we need to turn the temperature down, and the Greens political party need to be a part of turning that temperature down rather than up. Australians want the killing to stop. They want innocent lives to be protected, whether they be Israeli or Palestinian. The other thing that they want is for conflict to not be brought here. That is overwhelmingly what they want. That's the government's position, and we'll continue to advocate for it.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  15. But I also note that there were systems put in place—which is pretty sensible, frankly—to separate where President Herzog was and where the demonstrations were, and that people sought to break that separation and, therefore, to create a circumstance which was not going to be peaceful and which saw what occurred there. Now, in Australia, we can disagree peacefully and with respect. I will treat President Herzog with respect. I've known him for a long period of time. He is someone you can have a respectful discussion with whilst examining differences which are there. But he is here primarily to provide comfort for people who not only need it but deserve it at this time.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  16. Now, I believe very strongly that we need to engage with both Israelis and Palestinians as we go forward. I've consistently said that every life matters, whether Israeli or Palestinian. The violence that we saw last night was devastating. I know all Australians would have found those scenes very confronting. I note that NSW Police have said they will examine the footage of what took place last night, including, I note, particularly of the people who were praying, and then action was taken. Many people who saw the footage will want to know all of the circumstances around that, and I'll allow the police to do their job.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  17. We will continue to understand that there is a need in this country, as well as globally, for some nuance in this debate, and that the debate is not advanced by people thinking it's like a football team where you have to support 100 per cent one side or the other. That does not advance peace. There are two roads in the Middle East. One is for Israelis and Palestinians to walk the path towards a settlement which does require, in the Australian government's view, very strongly, a two-state solution. In order to do that, you need to engage constructively with Israelis and Palestinians. That is one path. The other path is that a powerful state, the state of Israel, is in a position which we have seen for seven decades, and the Palestinians remain an oppressed people.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  18. He has said, to quote him, that his visit is in the spirit of 'solidarity, friendship and love'. There's not enough of that anywhere in the world, not the least here in the past couple of months. I know people have different views and very strong views about the Middle East, and they're entitled to express those, and they're entitled to do that in a peaceful way. The Australian government does that as well. We have recognised Palestine. We support two states. We have spoken out about the devastation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, in addition to our unequivocal condemnation of Hamas's atrocities on October 7.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  19. President Herzog is visiting Australia at the invitation of the Governor-General, as her equivalent head of state. The Australian government supports the invitation. I'll be meeting with him later today and with families of the 15 innocent victims whose lives were tragically cut short on 14 December. That is what this visit is about. I would say to everyone in this chamber and outside, as I have said repeatedly, that we need to turn the temperature down in this country. We need to turn it right down, including in the rhetoric that just took place in that exchange in this chamber. President Herzog is here in Australia to offer sympathy and solidarity to people who are mourning, and to offer his support to members of Australia's Jewish community.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  20. The Foreign minister has made it clear to her counterpart in Laos that Australia expects full accountability and the charges should reflect the devastating seriousness of this incident—the fact that six lives were lost, including Holly's and Bianca's. We'll continue to engage Laos authorities on these cases, and we will do everything we can to support Holly's and Bianca's families at this distressing time.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  21. I thank the member for her question. Indeed, all our hearts go out to the loved ones and friends of Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones. Like so many young Australians do, they set off overseas together for fun and adventure and to expand their horizons in the world, and what occurred is an absolute tragedy. They should be with us today—looking back on a trip full of happy memories made together. Instead, their loved ones are still mourning a devastating loss, and the events of the past 24 hours have added to the heartbreak of their families. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has apologised unreservedly for their failure to ensure that the families were informed, and that is an entirely appropriate thing for them to do.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-10 · READ IN HANSARD

  22. I wish to add to an answer. Last week I drew the House's attention to the Senate committee that the Liberals, the Nationals and the Greens are using to look into the operation of the capital gains tax discount. I want to add some additional detail to the answer I gave last week, because, as sure as night follows day, an hour after question time last week Senator Bragg was up in the Sky News studio talking to Tom Connell. The transcript is worth reviewing and reporting to the House, because I wasn't aware of it. It reads: CONNELL: What have you found [in the Committee] so far? SENATOR BRAGG: Nothing. We haven't done any work yet—

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  23. I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. What I can confirm is that, when we came to office, inflation had a six in front of it and was rising. It now has a three in front of it. One of the things that we have managed to do, through the responsible economic management that we have put in place, is to get inflation heading down at the same time as we have kept unemployment low and at the same time as we have seen real wages increase over the last two years. That is what a responsible Labor government does—make sure that we understand cost-of-living pressures, make sure that we understand the need to get inflation down, which is why that decrease in inflation led to three interest rate decreases last year. Of course, we have seen an uptick in inflation, as we have acknowledged.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  24. Even though it's not our responsibility—it's the New South Wales government's responsibility—we are rebuilding that hospital, making it better than ever and making an enormous difference. As for the changes that we made on 1 November, to have the tripling of the bulk-billing incentive, nine additional practices in that electorate have converted to be fully bulk-billing, meaning a total of 83 practices have signed up to be Medicare bulk-billing practices, making an enormous difference to cost of living in the member's electorate.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  25. In terms of the PBS co-payment reduction, over $5½ million will be saved across 400,000 scripts in her electorate, making an enormous difference as well. In addition to that—something that was opposed by those opposite in various spots over there—was the 60-day scripts policy. Over $2½ million in savings has been made across 380,000 scripts of that. The Liverpool Medicare Urgent Care Clinic that's opened means that all that people who front up need is their Medicare card, not their credit card. And I can inform the member that, as of 2 February, 14,900 of her constituents have been to that urgent care clinic and got the care that they needed, when they needed it, efficiently taking pressure off the emergency departments of hospitals. In addition to that, we have funded an upgrade at Fairfield Hospital.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  26. I thank the member for Fowler for her question. The first thing we will do, of course—that the member for Fowler, I'm sure, is quite conscious of because I think she voted for the tax cuts and welcomed them—is tax cuts for every taxpayer, including every single taxpayer in the electorate of Fowler. Fowler has 65,000 taxpayers, and I can inform the member that the average tax cut will be $2,160 a year or $42 every single week. That'll be followed up next year by the same—another tax cut—again reducing that first marginal tax rate so that every taxpayer benefits, not just some. It's a big difference between our approach on this side and the approach that was taken by the former government. In addition to that, I can inform the member that 23,000 people in her electorate have got student debt relief, which is making an enormous difference.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  27. All of these measures strengthen our partnership based on trust, mutual respect and a commitment to sovereignty, but they also build on our broader engagement with our partners in the region. We've struck agreements with PNG—and I spoke with Prime Minister Marape just last night, who very much welcomed the agreement between Australia and Indonesia—but also with Timor-Leste, Nauru and Tuvalu and with ASEAN. Those relationships are so important for Australia because the more that we work together and the more we fulfil our role as a middle power to drive consensus and respect for sovereignty, the more peaceful, secure and prosperous our nation and indeed our region will be.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  28. That's why on Friday, further to signing the treaty, I announced a range of new defence cooperation measures between Australia and Indonesia, offering to establish a new position to embed a senior Indonesian defence officer in the Australian Defence Force; supporting the development of joint defence training facilities to increase Indonesia's ability to conduct joint exercises, including with Australia; and expanding military education exchanges to build relationships and increase understanding between our next generation of military leaders. There's no doubt that President Prabowo's affection for Australia is in part due to the time he spent not far from here, in Duntroon. That's why these person-to-person relations really matter and really count.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  29. I thank the member for Cunningham for her question. Indeed, no country is more important to Australia or to the prosperity, security and stability of our region and the Indo-Pacific than Indonesia. Our bond of trust runs deep. We're neighbours, but we're also trusted partners and friends. We share a commitment to sovereignty, security and the pursuit of prosperity, and last Friday, along with President Prabowo, we took yet another step in furthering those goals, signing the treaty of Jakarta 2026. It is a historic moment. The treaty looks to our shared future, but it's been shaped by three decades of shared history in defence cooperation, dating back to the Keating and Suharto governments. Australia and Indonesia know that, in 2026, just like in 1995, the way that we secure peace and stability in our region is by acting together.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  30. Let's be very clear about what the RBA governor has said. Last Tuesday she was asked directly about government spending, and she said: 'What's happened in the last six months or so—private demand has turned out to be much stronger than we had been forecasting.' Then, on Friday, the RBA governor was asked about it again, and she said: 'Public demand's contribution has declined, and we were surprised, in the first half of 2025, that it declined as much as it did. And we were surprised'—

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  31. Our Olympians inspire us and unite us, and I hope they know that the whole nation is behind them, not least of whom, of course, is the member for Warringah, who had the honour of representing Australia. We'll be barracking for the Winter Paralympians in March, and we're barracking for our Olympians over the next couple of weeks.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  32. Already, there's 20-year-old Valentino Guseli from the New South Wales South Coast. He was not even supposed to be competing in the men's big air; his main event is the snowboard half-pipe. Owing to the last-minute withdrawal of Canadian Mark McMorris, he not only stepped up and competed but he made the final and finished 10th. His enormously proud extended family were watching it from a ski shop in Cooma, in the electorate of Eden-Monaro. I'm proud to say that Rosie Fordham from Grayndler was one of the Aussies to take part in the cross-country. Earlier today, Tess Coady, who won a bronze in Beijing, and Mela Stalker both qualified for the women's big air final, and we'll be cheering them on tomorrow.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  33. Early Saturday morning our time, the Australian team marched proudly in the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Flagbearers Matt Graham and Jakara Anthony led a team of 53 athletes. There is a special sporting magic to the Olympics, and, of course, we all look forward to Australia hosting the Summer Olympics in 2032 in Brisbane and the drama and excitement of people competing on the biggest global stage. Even if you are, like me, very much entry level in your knowledge of these winter sports, you can instantly recognise the skill and, indeed, the bravery of people going downhill on a bit of metal at over 100 kays an hour. It's pretty extraordinary. They're representing us when they do it. They show skill, passion and, of course, national pride. Every Olympics produces remarkable stories.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-09 · READ IN HANSARD

  34. Australia engages in our region as a neighbour, a partner and a middle power. Our word matters, and our word is respected because we back it up with action. This treaty is a proud moment in the shared history of Australia and Indonesia, and it will ensure that we work together to shape a better future, securing our shared place in the world so that we can secure the best outcome for those we serve here at home. And, on that note, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper .

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  35. It is a watershed moment in the Australia-Indonesia partnership, a partnership that is based on friendship, trust, mutual respect and a shared commitment to peace and stability in our region. But it's also part of our broader engagement with nations in the region and our investment in our relationships: the alliance with Papua New Guinea, the parseria with Timor-Leste, the falepili agreement with Tuvalu, the treaty with Nauru and our deeper engagement with ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum. We live in the fastest growing region of the world in human history. Australia's prosperity and our security lie within our region, and engaging with our neighbours and partners is vital to building a more peaceful, stable, prosperous and secure future for all of us and for generations to come.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  36. I thank the member for Moreton for her question and for her ongoing interest in our relationships in our region. Last year in Sydney, I stood on the deck of HMAS Canberra beside my friend President Prabowo Subianto and I announced that Australia and Indonesia would take the next step in our bilateral relationship, securing a historic security agreement between our two nations. In about 40 minutes, I will travel to Jakarta to formally sign that treaty, deepening the bond that we have, honouring our long shared history and looking ahead to our shared future. Our mutual security treaty commits our two nations to consult at leader and ministerial levels on security matters together and to consider any security responses together.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  37. He's always talking, and, in between talking about Days of Our Lives , he went on to talk about this committee. I assume he had authorisation from the Leader of the Opposition before they set up a committee to look at all of this. So, whilst what we've been doing is getting on with supply through the Housing Australia Future Fund—

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  38. The opposition should be well aware that, in fact, the parliament is looking into the capital gains tax discount. Why are they looking into it? In November last year, at a time when the Liberals and the Nationals were still together, they combined with the Greens—the old firm got together; the old 'no-alition' got together—and they established a select committee in the other place to look at the operation of the capital gains tax discount. There it was—the Liberals, the Nationals and the Greens. Those were the days. Those were the days of unity. And it gets worse! The shadow minister for housing, Senator Bragg—guess what? He's on the committee! He's on the committee, as is Senator Sharma. I know there are lots of people over there not talking to each other at the moment, but Senator Bragg is not one of them.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  39. The RBA governor's statements were very clear. What the RBA governor said was: … what's happened over the last six months or so is that private demand has turned out to be much stronger than we had been forecasting … That is what the RBA governor said. If you have 10 economists in a room, I'm sure you'll usually get 12 different views, but the truth is that the RBA governor has spoken about what—

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  40. We need fewer attempts to provoke outrage or simply manufacture it. Not everything needs to be dialled up to 11. This is a great country, and we all love it. We're all here to serve it, and we should work together to set and uphold a better standard. That is a responsibility that all of us have in this place. But it's also a responsibility that people who comment on national affairs have as well.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  41. And last week the Nightly published a piece by Aaron Patrick under the headline 'Why I wouldn't marry Sussan Ley'. That headline is a disgrace, and the article is no better. I don't intend to quote from it any further. You really only need to know one thing about it: that article would never have been written about a male political leader. One of the lessons I would hope that this parliament and those who observe it have learnt from Julia Gillard's time as Prime Minister is that it is not enough to shake our heads at this stuff in private. As leaders, we have a responsibility to call it out, and today, as Prime Minister, I call it out. This can and should be a place for passionate arguments. A contest of ideas is a healthy thing in a democracy. But we need less hatred in our national discourse. We need less polarisation.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  42. I thank the member for Barton for her question. She was there this morning, along with many members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, attending the UN women's event that was held here in the parliament in the lead-up to International Women's Day. Greater equality for women is central to our government's agenda because it's fundamental to Australia's success. It's not an add-on or a nice-to-have. It's not confined to an individual portfolio or treated as a matter of special interest. It is about the national interest. This is about the investments that we make to close the gender pay gap, to boost economic opportunity and to address the national scourge of violence against women. Equality for women is also about the standards and example we set, the culture we are part of and the language that we use.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  43. We know that at the last election they planned to increase our taxes paid by every single Australian. We know that the person who has now been put in charge of being not just the shadow Treasurer but the shadow Assistant Treasurer at the same time committed some $600 billion to a nuclear plan at the last election. They wanted to sack 41,000 frontline public servants, and they wanted to increase income taxes for every taxpayer.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  44. They said: Headline inflation peaked at close to 8% in late 2022, a somewhat lower and later peak than in many other OECD economies … They went on to say about wages: … while many OECD economies experienced falls in real wages and real disposable household incomes when inflation surged in 2021-23 as price rises outpaced nominal income gains, real incomes— in Australia— have risen since 2022 … They went on to say, with regard to the economy and the budget: Australia's resilience during the shocks of the past half-decade fits with its … avoidance of recessions, supported by prudent fiscal policy and credible monetary policy … Indeed, we will continue to do what we can to provide support for people. The opposition like to talk about the budget, but they never talk about what they plan to cut.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  45. I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. Of course, we know that Australians are still doing it tough with cost-of-living pressures. Our No. 1 focus is looking at how we can help families take some of the pressure off. Inflation had a six in front of it and was rising when we came to office, and it now has a three in front of it. But we want to get it down. We want to get it down. That is why we're very much focused on achieving just that. In the OECD annual report of January, just a month ago, they had a lot to say about inflation and about the position that Australia finds itself in.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  46. Only Australia has the privilege of being home to the oldest continuous culture on earth, and we all share that privilege—people who either have come here or are descendants of people who have come here. That is a source of pride for all of us and is something that all of us have a responsibility to safeguard. On that, let us stand united as a parliament, as Australians, in support of our nation, and let us reach out at this time—which will be difficult as some further details no doubt will come out as part of this process. It will be a difficult time for Indigenous Australians, and we stand with them at this time.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  47. I know that First Nations people around Australia are grappling with that—the combination of disbelief, anger and real fear—and I've met with a number of Indigenous leaders in the last 24 hours about this. As a government, as a parliament and as a nation, we see you and we stand with you. We will do everything required to keep you and your loved ones safe. There is no place for racism or hatred in our nation. It is an offence against our Australian values and it is an offence in Australian law. Importantly, the joint counter terrorism team does not believe there is any residual risk from the alleged perpetrator. Australia has been enriched by every faith, background and tradition—people all over the world united by their love of this country.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  48. This was a gathering of our fellow Australians exercising their democratic right to express their views and participate in a peaceful demonstration, and they were allegedly targeted because they were Indigenous. This alleged act of terrorism was deliberately aimed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. This was alleged terrorism driven by racism and hatred—hate that should have been banished to the dark reaches of history yet still lives in the dark corners of the internet. The device did not detonate, but that does not change the fact that this attack was real and the intended consequences would have indeed been horrific—deaths, injuries, trauma beyond imagining.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  49. I inform the House that the Western Australian government has confirmed that the Western Australian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, comprising WA police, the Australian Federal Police and ASIO, yesterday charged one man, a 31-year-old male, with engaging in a terrorist act. That offence carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. I was briefed yesterday in person by the AFP commissioner, Krissy Barrett, and the commissioner of police for Western Australia, Col Blanch, on the investigation. I thank the commissioner for WA for travelling here to give an in-person briefing. As an individual has now been charged, I will use the word 'allegedly'. On 26 January the man is alleged to have thrown a homemade explosive device into the crowd at a rally in Perth.

    SITTING OF 2026-02-05 · READ IN HANSARD

  50. We had the lowest average unemployment rate of any government in the last 50 years; 1.2 million jobs created, three out of five full time and four out of five in the private sector; the smallest gender pay gap on record; fewer days lost to industrial disputes; record numbers of small businesses—

    SITTING OF 2026-02-04 · READ IN HANSARD