Anthony Albanese
Grayndler · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
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 19 of 24.
“I thank the member for her question. We're strengthening Medicare. We are cementing quality, bulk-billed health care at its heart. It's something we are absolutely committed to and something that I announced in the electorate of Bass with the $8½ billion commitment that, before I had finished speaking, the coalition then backed in. They backed in that position. Back in 2023, in the budget, we tripled the bulk-billing incentive for pensioners and concession card holders. When those 11 million Australians go to the GP, they're bulk-billed 90 per cent of the time. It is our plan for Medicare in action, and it is working. That is why we took that principle and then made a decision to extend it to all 26 million Australians for the very first time, lifting bulk-billing rates for every patient to 90 per cent by 2030.”
“I inform the House that the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry will be absent from question time today and tomorrow. The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government will answer questions on her behalf. An incident having occurred in the gallery—”
“You are Olympians, you are Australians, and you have earned your place in the history of the game and our nation. Welcome to parliament, and welcome home.”
“In 1980, the last question he was asked by a journalist at the airport was: 'Do you feel that you are being traitors to Australia?' Looking back, it is little wonder that many still bear scars and trauma from those days. That only makes the efforts and success of the Australian team at those games all the more extraordinary. Australia won nine medals, including gold for Michelle Ford in the women's 800-metre freestyle and gold in the men's 4x100-metre medley. These were Australia's first gold medals since the Munich Olympics of 1972, yet the returning athletes were met only by cold silence or cruel comments. Today, we fix that. Today, on the 45th anniversary, we recognise all that you have achieved and acknowledge all that you have overcome. Take pride in both.”
“One hundred and twenty-one Australians chose to compete under the Olympic flag, and others chose to join the boycott. And some who had won selection never even had the chance to choose, because their sport made that decision for them. Those who went and those who withdrew were both subject to all manner of vile abuse, even death threats. Lisa Forrest was just 16 when she was made captain of the women's swim team. She wrote of how her family kept a whistle next to the home phone to blast the constant prank callers. Chris Wardlaw, who competed in the marathon at both Montreal and Moscow, recalls that back in 1976 a marching band had played 'Waltzing Matilda' to farewell the athletes.”
“The culmination of that effort—being selected to represent the greatest nation on Earth, Australia, on the biggest sporting stage in the world—should be a moment of fierce and absolute pride. When you are chosen to wear the green and gold, you should draw strength from knowing that the whole nation is with you. And, on your return, you should be welcomed home and celebrated for the inspiration you have brought to the next generation of Australian athletes. Yet, 45 years ago, the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan cast a dark shadow over what should have been your shining moment. As nations around the world grappled with the boycott, Australia's athletes—some still only teenagers—were placed in an incredibly difficult position.”
“On behalf of the government, and on behalf of the people of Australia, it is a privilege to welcome the members of the 1980 Australian Olympic team joining us here today in Parliament House. Today, as a parliament, we honour your contribution to our nation's Olympic history. We recognise your participation, but, importantly as well, we recognise your pain. We extend that recognition to all those who cannot be with us today. To qualify for an Olympic Games demands exceptional talent and so much more. It requires character, courage, commitment, years of hard work, single-minded dedication and sacrifice. Athletes and their loved ones pour countless hours into the pursuit of the Olympic dream.”
“They also don't want the agency of those people who are responsible for wrongdoing to be dismissed by suggestions which are simply untrue and that seek to gain a short-term domestic political advantage. I am a friend of Israel and I am a friend of the Palestinian people. I think that overwhelmingly has been the position of Australia for a long period of time, with our bipartisan support for a two-state solution. I'll continue to do what I can as Australia's Prime Minister to achieve that end.”
“That's the way that middle powers can have influence, and that's the way in which we can have a constructive role in what I want to see, which is an end to killing, whether it's of Israelis or of Palestinians. I also want to see the creation of a two-state solution where both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security with prosperity. We'll continue to work with other leaders of like-minded countries around the world with that objective, but I do say that Australians want two things. First, they want innocent people to stop losing their lives. The second thing they want—and I say this directly to the member and her party—is not to have conflict brought here in order to secure some sort of partisan political advantage.”
“There are the comments of the Minister for Finance, who has said on 6 May that Gaza will be totally destroyed and its Palestinian population 'will leave in great numbers to third countries'. On 21 April, he said: 'We need to eliminate the problem of Gaza.' On 5 February, he said: Now, with God's help, we will work to permanently bury the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state. We don't take these issues lightly. Also, what we don't do is try to secure some domestic political advantage and damage social cohesion in this country, which, frankly, some of the actions of the Greens political have done. What we do is act in a principled way and in a way that is consistent. We condemn Hamas for their actions and we condemn what is occurring in Gaza in breach of international law. That is the way that responsible, adult governments act.”
“I thank the member for her question. Of course, we don't sanction a state; we sanction individuals. And my government has sanctioned individuals. We've sanctioned the Minister for National Security and we have sanctioned the Minister for Finance. We have done so in part based on some of the comments that have been made by them as ministers, people who were on the fringes of Israeli politics but are now a part of the Netanyahu government. The Minister for National Security said this on 27 July: … the only thing you should be sending to Gaza is shells to bomb, conquer, encourage emigration and win the war. That is what they had to say. The range of comments that have been made, including by a soldier who killed a young Palestinian boy, are reprehensible.”
“When those opposite raise the question about administrators, they remind people that we've put administrators in—when they had secretaries like John Setka running the show and did absolutely nothing about it.”
“One is that trade unionists overwhelmingly are motivated by helping out issues like occupational health and safety; by helping out the wages and conditions of working class people, of making sure that they get their fair share in areas like construction and mining; and it's about workers going home to their families at the end of the day. The role that unions have played in that has been critical. And that is why it is so disgusting and abhorrent that a small number of people have chosen to abuse their position to engage in conduct which is criminal. Criminal conduct should be subject to criminal penalties. That's not the instruction of anyone; that's called the law. That's called the law.”
“I thank the member for his question. Of course in the last parliament, in 2022, the first question I got was about the CFMEU and construction, from the then Leader of the Opposition. So it's taken a little bit longer, but it's the same pattern. But the difference is that my government has acted, unlike the former government. So, unlike when I stood here as Prime Minister in 2022, after a period of three terms of the coalition, three terms in which clearly we have seen the evidence of corruption by some people in the CFMEU construction branch grow—we saw the power of people like John Setka grow beyond his state boundaries in Victoria—we acted. We intervened, we shut them down, they've been sacked, they got removed. And that is absolutely critical, because it's consistent with my government's approach, which is twofold.”
“The answer to that, because of those opposite and their undermining of the health system, is too many. Too many is the answer, which is why we want 90 per cent by 2030 to just use this little card here, this piece of green and gold plastic.”
“If they read the documents that we released on that day, what they would see is it was fully costed—$8.5 billion over the forwards—that it was due to come into operation later this year, that it would provide for bulk-billing rates to rise to 90 per cent by 2030 and that it was based upon the experience that we'd had at the previous budget, where we introduced the bulk-billing incentive, tripling it. The largest investment at the time.”
“I thank the member for her question, and I encourage the opposition, over the next three years, to double down and keep digging when it comes to Medicare and to keep criticising the policy that they themselves adopted on that very day—on that very day! We were somewhat surprised, I must say, in Launceston, that, when we came off stage and before I even did any discussion with the journalists after we launched the policy and gave them the documentation, the opposition had already agreed to that policy and matched it.”
“I am absolutely delighted to talk about Medicare, because what the member opposite has said is to quote us at the Launceston launch in the electorate of Bass when we launched our tripling of the bulk-billing incentive for all Australians. That followed our previous budget, where we tripled the bulk-billing incentive for concession cardholders. That has resulted in 90 per cent of those concession cardholders seeing a doctor for free with bulk-billing.”
“Now, with the 20 per cent cut in student debt, it's really opened up many doors and opportunities.' And Lauren said: 'The 20 per cent means quite a bit to me, as I am currently trying to save my first home. This makes an enormous difference.' Cutting student debt represents a practical difference for their futures, and that's precisely what I said during the election campaign when I said no-one held back and no-one left behind. This is opening up opportunities for Australians to undertake a university or a TAFE course but also not penalising them to do so. It is a question of intergenerational equity. I'm very pleased that it has now passed the House and will pass the Senate later today.”
“But, importantly as well, Jennifer, Izzy and Lauren came in from the Canberra Institute of Technology. They have saved tens of thousands of dollars between them on their TAFE courses because of course they're getting some access to free TAFE, but, in addition to that, it has made an enormous difference. Jennifer said: 'I am now so relieved I'll be saving about $8,000 from $40,000 of debt. It makes such a huge difference. I feel such a huge weight off my shoulders, and I really feel I can focus on my course, finishing my course, and getting into my industry.' Izzy said: 'When I looked at the amount I had to pay, it really was scary to look at, but I knew I had the opportunity to get a VET loan to do what I am passionate about.”
“I thank the member for Griffith for her question—my favourite member for Griffith for some time, it must be said. And I'm pleased that that comment has got bipartisan support across this chamber. We are very pleased that the first piece of legislation to pass this House was, as we said we would do, when I launched the policy in Adelaide in the electorate of Sturt last November to cut student debt by 20 per cent. This will cut the debt of three million Australians by an average of $5½ thousand each, and it will make reforming the system to make repayments fairer as well, making that long-term difference. Last week I met with some young Australians here in Parliament House who went through exactly what difference it would make to them. Emma from the University of Canberra will save $8,000. Alex from Monash uni is saving more than $20,000.”
“With the ageing of the population, we have put in additional investment after what was a period of a decade of neglect by the former government.”
“I'll ask the minister to supplement but I'll say this: we introduced and passed through this parliament on a bipartisan basis the most significant reforms to aged care this century. We did that just last year, and we did that after a royal commission described aged care in one word in its interim report, and that one word was 'neglect'. When we went to the 2022 election saying that we would put the nurses back into 'nursing home', we were mocked by those opposite. Today, 99 per cent of the time, there is a nurse in an aged-care facility. That is a good thing. We have been working through all of these issues, including the reform to both residential and home aged care. We have been working through that and making an enormous difference, and it has been positive.”
“It is literally an existential challenge to the very existence of his island nation, and I wish him and the people of Tuvalu all the very best.”
“I want to acknowledge my friend, Prime Minister Feleti of Tuvalu, who has joined us on the floor today, along with Foreign Minister Panapa. We had a very successful meeting earlier today. Australia and Tuvalu share a very special bond through our Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union treaty. This is a historic treaty between two proud sovereign nations. It has given life to our new partnership, and I look forward to continuing the engagement, through the Pacific Islands Forum, which will meet in September this year, and to continuing to engage constructively with my friend, with whom we have a shared objective of working towards lifting up economic opportunity in Tuvalu. But, of course, also, for the Prime Minister, climate change isn't anything theoretical.”
“It's permanent, structural reform to boost take-home pay for young Australians, putting money back into people's pockets and putting fairness back into the system. It's good for the cost of living, good for this generation and generations to come and good for building Australia's future. I'm proud to lead a government delivering on this commitment and I'm proud to commend this bill to the House.”
“Because of the changes that the Morrison government made, as well, HECS came out of your take-home pay sooner. Right at the heart of our election campaign was the commitment to tackle this intergenerational unfairness, and that's what this legislation is about. It takes 20 per cent off student debt, the debt that was there. We imposed it from 1 June, before indexation came in, and are making the system better and fairer into the future. We are raising the repayment threshold from $54,000 up to $67,000. We're lowering the rate of repayments and indexing both to keep them fair. This means that someone earning $70,000 will save around $1,300 a year in repayments, helping everyone repaying a student debt right now and delivering a better deal for every student in the years ahead.”
“In this area of policy, they not only opposed the 20 per cent student debt reduction; they said they would add to student debt by adding the paid prac payments to the HECS debt that people owed the government. Our government understands that student debt can hang over young Australians. It can affect how much they can borrow for a home. It impacts decisions they make about family and career. That's why, when those opposite said that this was somehow unfair, we said that this was an intergenerational-equity measure to make an enormous difference. It's not like we came out with it at the last minute. We came out with it in November, in a speech in Adelaide in the electorate of Sturt, and made it clear that it would be, as we said at that time, the first piece of legislation we would introduce into the 48th Parliament.”
“This saved a person with an average debt around $1,200. We addressed that one-off and fixed the system so it could never happen again. But at the election on 3 May, of course, people did have a choice. You had our position of paid prac and then taking 20 per cent off student debt, and you had the coalition, which released its costings just on the Thursday of the election week, on 1 May. They released their policy, which not only was to oppose the 20 per cent reduction in student debt; it was to get rid of the paid prac policy and to put that onto students' HECS debt. It was a bit like their tax policy that said not only were they opposed to the tax cuts that will come in on 1 July next year and the July after but they would legislate to increase taxation for all 14 million taxpayers.”
“It is why also an important measure came in on 1 July: we delivered paid prac—paid prac for students studying to be nurses, to be social workers and to be teachers. I think that most Australians would be stunned to hear that someone studying to be a nurse, to look after their fellow Australians, would have to sacrifice a part-time job in order to go do the prac that's a part of their course—to be penalised financially for doing so. The measures that we've put in place there will make an enormous difference. That's new financial support for the next generation of teachers, nurses and social workers so that they're not put in that position while they're on placements. In last year's budget we wiped $3 billion in student debt from Australians who had been caught out by the global spike in inflation.”
“The energy minister reported to parliament yesterday that, in just a matter of weeks, the figure is that already over 12,000 households have benefited from this policy. And we'll finish July with real cost-of-living relief for all three million Australians with a student debt. Education is the most powerful weapon we have against disadvantage. It is the best investment that we can make in a stronger, more productive and more skilled economy. Education is fundamental to the Labor mission. It opens the doors of opportunity and widens them. That is why we are doubling the number of university hubs in the regions and outer suburbs—to bring higher education to communities that were missing out.”
“On 1 July, that real wage increase, following on from the tax cuts that we had from 1 July last year, means that our commitment to have people earn more and keep more of what they earn is being delivered. There's another round of energy bill relief for every household and every small business. We expanded paid parental leave by two weeks and, importantly, we added superannuation to it for the first time. We increased the superannuation guarantee to 12 per cent for every single working Australian, and we introduced as well the $10,000 incentive for construction apprentices, following the successful implementation of our program for new energy apprentices. That had already been implemented. Our Cheaper Home Batteries Program, permanently cutting power bills and taking pressure off the grid, has been an enormous success.”
“Twenty per cent off student debt was the first bill we introduced to the parliament. Now, this bill will be the first bill that passes this parliament as well, because that is what our government is all about: delivery, turning promises into progress. We started at the beginning of this month, 1 July, delivering cost-of-living relief, a real pay rise for three million people on minimum wage and award wages. We haven't just done it once; we've done it again and again and again. At the 2022 election, the $1 coin I held up, something that those in the then government said would see the sky fall in, saw us win the support of workers, who understood how important it was.”
“Labor is the party of education and Labor is the party of aspiration. This bill delivers both, cutting 20 per cent off all student debt for university students but also, importantly, vocational education and training students too, saving around three million Australians an average of $5½ thousand and, importantly, making the repayment system fairer for the future, delivering a permanent structural boost to the take-home pay of young Australians. Two hundred and sixty-eight days ago, in the electorate of Sturt, I promised that this 20 per cent cut to student debt would be the first bill that we brought into this parliament. Today, we deliver that. Every member of the government knows how important that promise was to Australians who we engaged with from that day, 268 days ago, right through to 3 May.”
“I thank the member for his question. We, on this side of the House, are the only political party in here that actually took action against the CFMEU construction bans. Those opposite presided over 10 years of growth in the power of John Setka, in the CFMEU construction branch. Three weeks after I became Leader of the Labor Party, in 2019, I kicked John Setka out of the Labor Party. And during the last term—”
“Prime Minister John Howard said, in 2006, that there can be no solution to the Middle East without solving the Palestinian question, and that means not just Israel's right to live in peace and security and to defend itself; it also means the realisation of the legitimate aspiration of the Palestinian people to live in their own state with peace, security and the prospect of prosperity as well. I thank the member for her question.”
“The third point is that the timing of a decision to recognise the state of Palestine will be determined by whether that decision advances the realisation of that objective. It must be more than a gesture; it must be something that's a part of moving forward. And Australia will make that decision as a sovereign state. We obviously are in discussions with other countries—as well as going forward. We do that as the reason why a two-state solution remains the goal of the international community is that a just and lasting peace depends upon it.”
“We have called upon Israel to comply immediately with its obligations under international law. We have also unequivocally condemned Hamas and said that it can play no role whatsoever in a future state of Palestine and that hostages must be released immediately. I'll make three points about recognition. The first is that my government is committed to a two-state solution—Israel and Palestine. That has been a bipartisan position for a long period of time. Australia played a role in the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and it's something we should be proud of. But what was envisaged was two states, not one. The second point I'd make is that the Foreign minister announced last year that recognition of a Palestinian state by Australia might occur before the finalisation of a peace process.”
“I thank the member for Mackellar for her question, and I share the distress that people around the world would feel when they look at young Muhammad, one year old. He is not a threat to the State of Israel, nor is he someone who can be seen to be a fighter for Hamas. He's a young child who deserves to be treated appropriately, and the position of the Australian government is very clear that every innocent life matters—every Israeli and every Palestinian. This conflict has stolen far too many innocent lives. Tens of thousands of civilians are dead. Children are starving. Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, and Israel's denial of aid and the killing of civilians including children seeking access to water and food cannot be defended, nor can it be ignored.”
“Sixty-day scripts: they said all the pharmacies everywhere would be shut. It's amazing that they're still open! And next year, 1800Medicare—”
“But we knew there was more to do, so we're reducing the cost again. A PBS script will cost just $25, the same cost that it was in 2004—more than 20 years ago. Now, there's an old saying: nothing comes down in price. Well, this is coming down in price. Not just that, but we've frozen the costs of scripts for pensioners and concession card holders to just $7.70, not just for this term but until the end of the decade—real cost-of-living relief, taking pressure off Australians and backing in Medicare for the future, just as we committed to do. It comes on top of our record of delivering to strengthen Medicare: $8½ billion to expand bulk-billing. Before the last election we promised 50 Medicare urgent-care clinics. We delivered 87 and we're going to deliver another 50. And more than 1½ million Australians have visited an urgent-care clinic.”
“I thank the member for Moore for his question. He certainly was good enough on 3 May to enter into this chamber! And he gave a cracker of a first speech. I'd encourage people to have a look at his speech, in which he outlined the path from being a sparky to doing law so that he could represent the members he did his apprenticeship with and the people in that profession—an honourable career path that has brought him here to this House. One of the reasons he's in this House is our cheaper medicines policy. Our government is making medicines even cheaper for all Australians. In the last term we promised to bring down the cost of a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme script from $42.50 to $30. We promised it, and we delivered it. This was the first reduction in the costs of medicines in eight decades.”
“They won't commit to the same position that they did last time,' which was to say they opposed it before they knew what it was. Then they said they'd roll it back and then they said we should have an early election on it. But sure enough, as night follows day, we overestimated them, because what they did was say they were opposed to it, then they voted against it and then they said they would introduce legislation into this parliament during this term to increase taxation for all 14 million Australians. But it takes some credit—given the question asks about debt as well as taxation. Not only did they actually have a plan to increase taxation; they had a plan to increase the deficit over two years as well. Creative, if nothing else, are those opposite. We have reduced the debt by $177 billion.”
“We've just been through an election with two alternative propositions. The one on this side of the House was giving tax cuts to every single Australian taxpayer, all 14 million of them, building on the tax cuts that we introduced and implemented from 1 July last year, making a saving of around $50 for people out there, for average workers, making a difference—not just representing people who are members of parliament but representing the people who are in our constituencies. And, when we made that announcement, I well recall those opposite saying that they would roll it back. Absolutely, they would roll it back. I well remember that. So, when the Treasurer came to the budget in March of this year with a proposition for not one but two tax cuts over the next term—this term now—of government, we thought, 'Well, they'll just wave it through.”
“What we will do is continue to engage in Australia's national interest to advocate to get the best outcome possible with the United States. I have said very clearly that tariffs are an imposition of a higher cost by the country that imposes it on itself. That is what is happening. Americans are still importing goods from the global community; they are just paying more for them, which is why I argued that tariffs are an act of economic self-harm and which is why Australia hasn't reciprocated with tariffs. Australia has a free trade agreement with the United States. We impose zero tariffs on them. That is our ideal. But the President of the United States has made it very clear with statements including that 'tariff' is the most beautiful word in the English language that that is not his position. We will continue to argue our case.”
“I am asked about statements by the US president. I recall on 5 May he said this: 'Albanese I am very friendly with. He's very good. He's a friend of mine. I can only say that he's been very, very nice to me, very respectful to me, and you know we have had a very good relationship. I have no idea who the other person is that ran against him.' You will recall that, during the campaign when it came to tariffs, the former leader of the opposition said that he would be able to fix it and there would be no problem. The truth is that no country in the world has a lower tariff than Australia has right now, of 10 per cent. The arrangements that have been put in place are all at least that but in most cases have been higher—15 or 25—and some substantially higher.”
“We had the member for Hume being focused on foreign policy on the fly, sabre rattling. Yesterday, we were too pro-China with the questions; today we're too pro-America, apparently, with the changes that have come in. Now, of course, we've seen the National Party. I'm surprised they have taken a break from the Sky News studio! There were 16 interviews in the last 24 hours—16 back to back, with the Nats talking about themselves non-stop. We'll continue to focus on the needs of Australians; they'll continue to be focused on themselves. On that note, after a request from those opposite— Speak to your leader. He shut you down. I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper .”
“This week we have delivered on critical commitments that we've made, cutting student debt by 20 per cent, benefiting three million Australians by an average of $5,500 each. We have introduced today the legislation to protect penalty rates for 2.6 million workers, making an enormous difference. And, importantly—something that perhaps when people leave here tonight they can have a shout over—freezing the draught beer excise was introduced today. It's an extremely popular measure, I might say, Mr Speaker, including in the electorate of Oxley, I'm sure! People will have a cheer for that. We are focused on the Australian people. We're focused on delivering the policies we took to the election to make Australians' lives better. Meanwhile, those opposite have been focused on themselves. They're more divided and chaotic than ever.”
“I thank the member for Bean for his question. On 1 July we had the increase of 3.5 per cent in wages, we had paid parental leave with an additional two weeks, and we had superannuation paid for the first time on paid parental leave. Importantly, we had the $10,000 incentives kick in for apprentices to do construction, following on what we'd already done with the new energy apprenticeships. We had paid prac for teachers, nurses and people doing social work degrees as well. We had the subsidies for batteries so that solar panels could store energy in order to take pressure off the grid, but, importantly, they will also reduce household energy bills. Already 11,000 households have taken it up.”
“We know that they tried to ban working from home, we know they wanted to sack 40,000 public servants and we know that they opposed the right to disconnect and same job, same pay. They said our IR reforms would take us back to the Dark Ages. What those reforms have done is lead to an increase in wages, which is a real benefit for working people, including the fine workers who elected the member for Bonner to take her place here in this chamber.”