Luke Gosling
Solomon · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Yesterday marked one year since the Albanese government's landmark $3.9 billion National Access to Justice Partnership 2025-30, the NAJP, commenced. It represented our government's largest investment in legal assistance.”
“I acknowledge and thank these local providers and the private sector practitioners supporting them for their professionalism, their expertise and their unwavering commitment.”
“The bill also modernises and clarifies the Defence health system framework by establishing a dedicated legislative basis for Defence health services, including clinical governance, health monitoring, quality assurance and improvement activities, enabling lawful, proportionate use of health data to improve health care, suicide prevention a…”
“Critically, the bill supports a more integrated approach across Defence, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and other portfolio agencies, including the new Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency that was launched this morning, and the Defence and Veterans' Service Commission that began last year.”
“Purposefully, we need members of this place and senators to take their responsibility to lower anxiety and to provide proper information. A division having been called in the House of Representatives— Sitting suspended from 13:03 to 13:12 We are making it so the DVA can operate better, with increased efficiency, to deliver a level of serv…”
“Our government is working at pace to implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Acknowledging the national tragedy of veteran suicides, this government called for the establishment of the royal commission while we were in opposition, and we have supported the work of the royal commission since…”
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“Already in this term we've seen so many examples of that, as we deliver on the commitments that we've made to the Australian people over the last five or so years and in the lead-up to the elections. We maintained those commitments and delivered in the first term, and now we are delivering in the second term. But, of course, listening to all the first speeches does cause one to reflect on your own first speech. I delivered mine in the main chamber nine years ago almost to the day. In a photo I've got of that delivery is Warren Snowdon, the old man, the then member for Lingiari, who's been capably replaced nowadays by my friend and colleague Marion Scrymgour, the member for Lingiari now.”
“It was an absolute pleasure in the last sitting to listen to all the first speeches from the new MPs. They were very impressive and from a wide variety of backgrounds. It was humbling to hear of the skills, experiences, attributes and backgrounds that this new cohort, the class of 2025, brings to us. It's going to make our parliament better. We're going to make better decisions based on that broad range of experience, as the will of the Australian people was shown. Of course, there are some outstanding members of the class of 2022, and they continue to impress. My classmates from the class of 2016 and all members of our caucus are united in our vision to deliver for the Australian people.”
“This week here in Canberra I'll co-chair the National Leadership Forum, Australia's leading event for developing young leaders, including young Territorians who have come down from Darwin and Alice Springs and young people from every state in the Commonwealth, as well as Pacific leaders, to explore and expand their leadership through the lens of values, compassion and connection. In Darwin we have federal funding for a youth engagement hub. Unfortunately, the CLP NT government has not progressed the building of this hub. We need these places for mentorship, leadership and support of our young people so that they can flourish.”
“Policies such as the five per cent housing deposit are about assisting Australians into homeownership. It's just one example of everything that we're doing, along with fee-free TAFE and HECS debt relief, to assist young Australians to get ahead. Young people in the Northern Territory who I'm proud to represent are showing great initiative, and a local example is Youth Yarn, which is led and driven by the young people themselves. On Saturday evening just past, Youth Yarn, in collaboration with Malak markets and Pathfinders NT, hosted the first-ever youth takeover at Malak markets. Youth-led business stalls and fantastic live performances were a platform for young people to showcase their skills, connect with the community and build their confidence.”
“For those Territorians seeking to apply, you need to be over 18; you need to be a first home buyer or a homebuyer who has not owned a property in Australia for the last 10 years; you need to be buying or building a residential property to live in; and you need to have saved a minimum deposit of five per cent, or two per cent for single parents. This is fantastic support from our federal government to Territorians that want to own their own home.”
“Many young Territorians are working hard and trying to save but feel like the dream of homeownership has never been further out of reach. Of course, we as Labor are making it easier for you Territorians, young or old, to buy your own home. From 1 October, every first home buyer will only need a five per cent deposit. This will cut years off the time it takes to save for a deposit, helping you to own your home sooner. And you won't have to pay a single dollar in mortgage insurance either. First home buyers only need a five per cent deposit, while single parents only need a two per cent deposit. Housing Australia provides a guarantee to the buyer's bank to enable a homebuyer to borrow up to 95 per cent, or 98 per cent for single parents, of the property's value.”
“They see all the benefits it brings to their country, and we're very proud to partner not only with Timor-Leste but with many of our Pacific island countries. We'll keep working on the PALM scheme to get it even better.”
“We're also actively embedding skills development as a key feature of the scheme, empowering workers with new capabilities that they can take back to their own communities, fostering long-term development—and not just capacity development but capacity strengthening. The PALM scheme fundamentally strengthens Australia's diplomatic, economic and cultural ties with our Pacific family and Timor-Leste, reinforcing our shared future and responsibility in the region. In the time remaining I want to reflect quickly on a visit I made last week to Timor-Leste, representing the Deputy Prime Minister, where I spoke with a number of members of the Timor-Leste government as well as the President of Timor-Leste. Everyone in that country has only good things to say about the PALM scheme, and they want to see it increased.”
“An ANU/World Bank survey of more than 2,000 Pacific workers found that 98 per cent would recommend the scheme to others—to friends, to family—and 92 per cent wanted to work under the scheme again. So, that's just eight per cent who had a go and thought it was awesome, but half of those said they would recommend it to others. But the overwhelming majority are very keen on it, indeed. On average, a PALM scheme worker can save or send home about $1,500 a month, which is often about nine to 10 times more than they would be able to earn in their home countries. That funding is vital for the families, covering the costs of food and other essentials as well as education and health. It's even used to start small businesses and build homes, directly contributing to economic growth and job creation.”
“Since we came to office in 2022, the PALM scheme has seen remarkable growth. It has expanded from approximately 8,000 workers in March 2020 to over 31,000 workers as of June this year. That significant increase includes over 28,000 workers specifically placed in the agriculture and meat-processing sectors, demonstrating our commitment to addressing critical labour shortages in those industries. The scheme is highly valued by Australian employers, by industry, by participating countries in the Pacific and Timor-Leste and by those who come to Australia to work. It supports the economic development of the Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste, which in October this year will become part of ASEAN. Allowing workers to take up jobs in Australia means they not only build skills but send income home to support their families and communities.”
“This is part of our commitment to expand and improve the PALM scheme to address more of Australia's workforce shortages, whilst also developing long-term expertise that will strengthen domestic labour markets in nations of our Pacific family. Fourteen Australian accredited educators from PNG have been employed by two approved employers—one, as I said, in Katherine and one in Alice Springs, where local educators have been a bit hard to find. This means there are more early childhood education spaces to support more Australian parents participating in the workforce. Our government has made a substantial commitment to the PALM scheme, investing $440 million to expand and fundamentally improve its operation. This is a direct investment in the success of Australian businesses and regional economies.”
“The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, or the PALM scheme, provides a key workforce in our Northern Territory, with almost 1,000 workers in over 30 locations, so far, in this year alone—with more expected, of course, as our mango season quickly approaches. Most of the PALM scheme workers have been from Timor-Leste, but they're also from Vanuatu. That's 30 NT employers, largely in agriculture but also in hospitality and the care sector. Earlier in the year I attended an event at our university, Charles Darwin University, to welcome workers from Papua New Guinea. They're here in Alice Springs and Katherine to train and work in the early childhood sector, under what is a pilot with the PALM scheme.”
“I will also mention, as some of our colleagues did earlier, the focus of South Australia on the space industry as well. It's really significant. The recent Gilmour rocket launch was the first commercial space launch of an Australian made rocket from an Australian spaceport, and I say congratulations to them. As I mentioned before, the one in the Northern Territory previously was the first that NASA had done outside of CONUS, or continental United States. Any way that you look at it, we've had a fivefold increase in space launch applications since 2021. It's a business on the move. It's a serious business and one that our government absolutely supports. The space agency having delivered $171 million into 91 projects is just an example of that.”
“That's why we're partnering with industry and why we're partnering with innovators—Australian companies partnered with overseas companies—valuing the contribution, as we do, of the space sector to our Australian economy. And of course it's all part of delivering a Future Made in Australia. Earlier contributors have mentioned the significant funding—$4.6 billion turnover, 17,000 full-time employees and 620 organisations—in the Australian space actor. One of the reasons we are hosting the 76th International Astronautical Congress in September, with more than 6,000 attendees from more than 90 countries, is that people around the world see our focus on space and see how, particularly in the north—in WA, in the NT and in Queensland—our proximity to the equator makes our location ideal for space.”
“It is but one of many examples around the country where we are backing Australian homegrown innovation. When it comes to the space sector we know that technologies that enable space missions are so critical to life on Earth, such as when it comes to weather forecasting. And of course in the Top End, where I live and where the member for Leichhardt lives, we're pretty keen on knowing what's going on with the weather, particularly during cyclone season. With climate monitoring, national security implications for space domain awareness, and connectivity across regional and remote communities, we know that space plays an incredibly important role.”
“We have a growing and dynamic space industry with heaps of emerging innovators, engineers and scientists that are shaping our national space capabilities. We know that Australia's space sector is entering a pivotal phase. Homegrown companies are making global contributions in satellite technology, Earth observation, space exploration and advanced communications. There are even companies, in my electorate of Darwin, who are right now doing horizontal jet engine testing for space related rockets—getting satellites into orbit. So, this is happening now. Obviously part of the solution for further innovation is government funding. I met with a company called Atomionics during these past couple of weeks in Darwin. We've backed them with some serious federal government funding for their critical technologies.”
“From the outset, I want to point out that today I'm wearing a tie with an Aboriginal design on it based on the stars, and I want to acknowledge our First Nations people's study of the stars and knowledge over millennia. In more recent times, of course—from the launch of the AUSSAT A-Series satellites in the 1980s to that acquisition by Optus in 1992 to landmark investments in the 1990s and more than $3 billion of investment in the last 25 years—Australia's commercial space capability has significantly evolved. I'll never forget being out in Arnhem Land watching the first commercial space rocket launches that NASA had ever done outside of the continental United States, which were very successful.”
“During World War II, the Timorese risked their lives working alongside Australian commandos, helping them to navigate, gathering intelligence, carrying the wounded and securing food supplies. The elders of some of our large Darwin Timorese families, such as the Casimiro family, assisted those Australian commandos. I made a documentary film for Channel 9 on the subject called A D ebt of H onour . It's available on YouTube if you want to have a look. And now I'm working to facilitate more Australian connection with a Kokoda-like trail in the mountains of Timor so that more Australians know this debt of honour that we have to the Timorese.”
“It was 50 years ago today that Timorese refugees landed in ships at Stokes Hill Wharf in Darwin. Stokes Hill Wharf holds deep symbolic and historical significance for Darwin. It was bombed on 19 February 1942 in order to stop Allied forces from Darwin countering the Japanese invasion of the island of Timor. Thirty-three years later, it was the first point of arrival for many Timorese fleeing the conflicts in 1975 and then again in 1999 seeking refuge and safety. I am working with the Timor-Leste government to install a commemorative plaque at the wharf to mark this important 50-year anniversary. These events renewed the bond between our two peoples that was grounded in solidarity and our shared history.”
“One thing that I worked hard to achieve is the DAMA, the designated area migration agreement, for the Northern Territory. We established, with the NT government, the best one in the country, and I'm proud of it. (Time expired)”
“Our government, of course, is a hundred per cent committed to improving the operating environment in which these small and medium-sized businesses can invest and innovate and generate even more new jobs that will benefit Australians and Australian communities. We are easing the pressure, particularly on small businesses in the Northern Territory, with energy rebates, energy efficiency grants and the extension of the government's $20,000 instant asset write-off. We are delivering tax cuts for 1.5 million sole traders and supporting our hospitality sector and alcohol producers by pausing indexation on the draught beer excise. I'm sure that's something that the honourable member opposite would appreciate is good for hospitality.”
“We have played some role with the Australian people and with Australian industry, but there have been those cost-of-living pressures for everyday Australians and, of course, that global economic uncertainty has continued and weighed heavily on our economy. Australian small businesses are obviously, as all honourable members understand and have articulated, absolutely vital to our nation's prosperity, contributing about $590 billion with a 'b' to our economy and employing over 5.4 million Australians. There are 2.62 million small businesses contributing almost $600 billion to the Australian economy, and the 5.16 million people employed by small businesses equate to almost 40 per cent of the workforce.”
“We ran the roundtable with local small businesses, and some of the key issues that came up—some of them won't be surprising, given that it was in Darwin—included the cost of freight and the associated logistics infrastructure, which then impact on costs to build; the concentration of industries and then the loss of domestic suppliers as a result of that concentration; and, of course, the rising cost of insurance, which is a real issue for all businesses across our nation, particularly for small businesses. Our government understands that many small businesses are under the pump due to interest rates, which we've been able to put downward pressure on with interest rate cuts, due to the conditions in the economic environment.”
“I want to use this opportunity to thank Catherine Donnan and Nicole Walsh from COSBOA for all of their work. I'm a member of and a regular attendee of events organised by Territory Proud, which is an organisation that is championing Territory owned and operated small businesses. I also recently attended a fantastic event held by the Palmerston Regional Business Association, the PRBA, at the Darwin Trailer Boat Club, where I was able to set out to that grouping our fantastic policies when it comes to not only economic development in the country more generally but also mitigating some of the worst effects of some of the global winds that our nation, above all others, is weathering the best.”
“I was delighted in the last sitting to listen to the speeches of our new members of federal parliament and even more delighted to see how much experience in small business there has been. It is an incredibly impressive new group, some young and some not so young but all equally passionate to see small business thrive in our nation. Personally, I was absolutely delighted to work with the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, or COSBOA, as I have over many years, promoting local businesses in their excellent campaigns and, in the last couple of weeks, organising a small-business roundtable in Darwin, where the Minister for Small Business, Anne Aly, and I met with owners and representatives of about 25 small businesses in my electorate.”
“My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. How is the Albanese Labor government supporting wages and job creation especially so that we can build more homes for Australians?”
“They say, 'Adolescence is a developmental period which offers a window of opportunity to promote positive connections, to protect from harm and to provide safety.' Their advice includes permanent banning of spit hoods in youth detention; providing early paediatric neurodevelopment assessment, health and education support in youth detention; and prioritising therapeutic, community based diversionary alternatives. It is clear that the CLP lacks the capability and intent to keep young Territorians safe and to support them. Examples include their move away from diversion and the delay of the federally funded $5 million youth engagement hub in Casuarina, which, despite being shovel ready, is now up in the air. The NT government is responsible for law and order, but it is also responsible for youth services that work.”
“The Country Liberal Party won the 2024 Northern Territory election and formed government nearly a year ago, so we are close to the end of their so-called year of action, but hopes for evidence based policies have been all but crushed. Deputy Speaker Claydon, it is important, as you know and all honourable members should know, that we listen to experts. Today I echo the advice that 45 paediatricians have provided to the NT chief minister.”
“The Nolans project directly supports key government agendas, including the Critical Minerals Strategy 2023-2030, the Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve, the Building Better Regions Fund, the Future Made in Australia, the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan and the Northern Australia Action Plan 2024-2029. The Australian government is proud to have invested in the Nolans project with support from Export Finance Australia, EFA; the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility, the NAIF; and the National Reconstruction Fund, the NRF. It's an important project for our nation, particularly when rare earths and critical minerals have become so important to our economy.”
“I'm proud to speak about Arafura's Nolans project in the Northern Territory. It's a nation-building initiative for Australia's rare earths future. It is the largest resource project ever in the Northern Territory, with the longest life. It is the world's most advanced, construction-ready, ore-to-oxide rare earths project. The Nolans project has the power to transform and open up Australia's rare earth sector, establishing the Northern Territory as a central processing and logistics hub through vital collaboration between government, industry and local communities. Nolan's strategic location near the Stuart Highway and the rail line offers a unique opportunity to develop and secure supply chains across the Northern Territory and central Australian regions.”
“I congratulate Professor James Smith from the Flinders University campus in Darwin, in my electorate, for recently being awarded an Australian Research Council Mid-Career Industry Fellowship. James will identify the best strategies for engaging vulnerable and marginalised boys and young men in health and social services, including, of course, mental health services. I want to acknowledge the work of the member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi, as the Special Envoy for Men's Health. He's doing a sterling job and he's really bringing more attention to this area of vital need.”
“Movember's The real face of men's health in Australia report last year showed that suicide is the leading cause of death among men aged 15 to 44 years and that the average rate of male premature death in rural electorate is 3.5 times higher than those in inner metro areas. Efforts are being made to break down unhealthy masculine stereotypes of stoicism and bravado to encourage men to access health services and to seek help, particularly important for addressing mental health concerns. We also know health professionals and educators need to be better equipped to engage boys and men in frank and open discussions about their health and wellbeing. That's why Labor's commitment of $32 million to advance men's mental health is a vital investment.”
“This rocket system is a crucial component of our integrated defence, but it's also important in bolstering our collective defence capability with our allies and partners. This was all part of the ADF Parliamentary Program. I want to give a shout out to the Lieutenant Colonel Andy Martin and also the commander of 3rd Brigade, Brigadier Ben McLennan, and the CO of 3RAR—my old unit. Well done on hosting the politicians.”
“Exercise Talisman Sabre is currently underway. It is the 11th and largest iteration of this important exercise throughout northern Australia. The ADF, with 19 nations and over 30,000 military personnel, are taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre that spans 70 training areas across 5,300 kilometres. This exercise is an important one with our ally, the United States, but also for some of our important regional partners, including Indonesia, the Philippines and PNG. For the first time, Papua New Guinea is hosting a component of the exercise, showing how important interoperability is with our friends—our wantoks. Earlier this month, I attended a live-wire exercise at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area near Rockhampton in northern Queensland, where we witnessed a demonstration of the HIMARS, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.”
“There was a commemorative medal struck for the 80th anniversary of Armistice Day for First World War veterans, so I think that's worth looking at now that we've reached the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. It shows our respect for these great Australians who served abroad and defended our shores 80 years ago. We remember them and we remember their mates, members of the greatest generation who, for some of them, did not make it home. We honour their sacrifice every day.”
“This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. This holds significance to my electorate of Solomon and the Northern Territory as a whole, where the war reached our shores in the devastating bombings of Darwin and Northern Australia. I always fight for the recognition of our Defence Force and our veterans, like getting the Meritorious Unit Citation for those who served in Somalia, keeping the Meritorious Unit Citation for the 3,000-plus ADF personnel that served with the special operations task group in Afghanistan and, of course, pushing for long-overdue recognition with the Victoria Cross for World War II hero Teddy Sheean. Our World War II veterans are getting on these days. Most of them are approaching or already are 100 years old.”
“If you are concerned that it could be sepsis, get to a hospital and ask the question, 'Is it sepsis?' These three words—'Is it sepsis?'—could save a life. For more information on the signs of sepsis, go to isitsepsis.org.”
“This week is Sepsis Survivor Week. Due to sepsis, every 20 minutes an Australian is admitted to ICU and every hour one Australian dies. This is resulting in more death and harm to Australians than breast cancer, prostate cancer and road accidents combined. Sepsis disproportionately affects First Nations people who suffer at four times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians. So yesterday I was proud to host a parliamentary briefing about sepsis with Territorian and Is It Sepsis president, Yvette Clarke. Sepsis is a medical emergency that can start from any infection; it could be an insect bite, the flu or even a UTI. With sepsis, they can become deadly within hours, so please get to know the signs: confusion, fever and chills, fast heart rate and breathing, low urine, vomiting, diarrhoea and feeling extremely unwell.”
“We need to support Australian families in every way we can. I'm sure Kevin is up there, very happy, that there are people in this place that will continue to support Australian families and the institution of marriage, as important as it is. In saying that, I pass from my family, from my wife and children, our condolences to Kevin's wife, Margie, and to their children, Emily, James, Stuart, Catherine and Benjamin. Kevin Andrews, rest in peace, and God bless you.”
“His depth of faith—and I look forward to reading his memoirs—was something that was also impressive to me, as a person of faith. I've mentioned some of the things that I think he can be proud of in relation to being the Minister for Defence and trying to do his best according to his beliefs and his principles. I, too, see this job and politics as a vocation, and I'm lucky to be a member of this place with people of the calibre of Kevin Andrews and to have had experiences like being in the Pollie Pedal with him. Finally, his focus on the family—I haven't read his 2012 book, Maybe 'I Do' . In defending marriage and the family as being such important parts of society's building blocks—that is part of my commitment, too, in this place and as a leader in public discourse. The family is so important.”
“I was two bikes back, and I distinctly remember thinking, 'Am I going to run over this bloke?' I couldn't see who it was on the ground, but there was some divine intervention, and, instead, I decided to take a fall to the left-hand side into the bush—which I would have done for anyone. I was pleased when I got up, and he was already getting to his feet. He would have been in a little bit of shock and a lot of pain, and he said to me later, 'I'm going to have to pull out.' I said: 'Yeah, mate, no worries. You've broken your collarbone in a big fall.' The fact that, in his advanced years, he was out there raising money for Soldier On, was mixing with the member for Hume, Tony Abbott and others and was a lot fitter than some of the rest of us was impressive.”
“But I was also really impressed when I turned up to a Pollie Pedal, as someone who was quite a bit younger than him, because I thought it was important that our side of politics was present. The member for Hume was also there. I distinctly remember being impressed by Kevin's fitness for an older fella—indeed, the Father of the House, as many people have commented on—but also his resilience. Some people might remember that he had a fall during the Pollie Pedal in the year 2017. We were absolutely flogging it down this hill, very tied up behind each other. We were going fast, and Kevin had hit some gravel and fallen from his bike. He actually broke his collarbone in that fall.”
“From my perspective, although I held different thoughts on that issue and successfully brought a private member's bill to extinguish the Andrews bill, I appreciated that he always respected the fact that I was doing that out of a different principle, that being to protect the democratic rights of Territorians. I did appreciate that he was always open to having those discussions. But it does reflect the conviction that he brought to public life, and I hope that conviction is always here and present in this place. There were all those issues over a long period of time, including when he was working as the defence minister and in other truly honourable and important roles that he was able to navigate—and they are difficult roles.”
“For instance, he and I shared a common belief in the primacy of palliative care and the importance of making sure palliative care is available to people that need it during end of life. There were principles of his that I disagreed with, and it is true that he made a mark on the Northern Territory through his principles being applied in the overturning of NT legislation. I don't offer this part of the condolence in any way as a criticism, but he was following his beliefs with the 1996 euthanasia laws bill, known later as the Andrews bill. The Leader of the Opposition commented yesterday on how infrequent it is to have a private member's bill succeed, and Kevin Andrews managed to do that.”
“To that, I would add his devotion to family, as in the concept of family and the importance of family, and I will touch on that a little bit. The Prime Minister 's words touched on his deep faith—which I share, as a practising Catholic—but also his belief in public service as being a very important good, and certainly I see my own service in the military and continuing into this place as a continuance of public service to the nation. I was always impressed by that with Kevin. As the PM also said, we all see issues from different perspectives and we don't always agree, but it's the way in which we conduct ourselves, and the way in which Kevin conducted himself was noteworthy. I certainly didn't agree with some of the principles that Kevin held, but I did agree with a lot of others.”
“I'm really pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the condolence motion of the Honourable Kevin James Andrews, AM. It is important that we stop, recognise, both as a former member of this House for the division of Menzies over a long period of time and as a former minister, and place on the record our appreciation as federal representatives for his long a meritorious public service to our nation. We also tender our sympathies and condolences to Kevin's family in their bereavement. As the Prime Minister said yesterday: It is a measure of the man that we honour today that, throughout the wealth of tributes paid to his life by his colleagues, his opponents, his loved ones and his friends, the same three pillars stand tall in all of them: his deep faith, his belief in public service and his devotion to his family.”
“SunCable and other companies are set to harness the Northern Territory's world-class solar resource, driving green—or, as I prefer to say, golden—Territory electricity into Darwin and the broader region, including markets such as Singapore. This energy will drive a new wave of green industrial development both at Middle Arm and, I believe, in the future, at East Arm. New green industries include critical minerals processing, hydrogen, ammonia, sustainable aviation fuels and data centres. Of course, there are also very serious CCS proposals to deal with CO2 emissions. For their own narrow political ends, the Greens political party like to pretend that Middle Arm has nothing to do with our renewable energy future, but Australia will only be worse off if they are successful.”
“The Albanese Labor government are committed to northern Australia, and we're committed to net zero and becoming a renewable energy superpower—and those three things are quite interlinked. Australia is lucky, of course, to be one of the sunniest places in the world, with some of the best solar and wind opportunities in the member for Lingiari's electorate. Our government is harnessing those opportunities and executing the lowest cost pathway to a clean, affordable, reliable and resilient energy system. The north is playing a critical role in supporting our nation's transition to a net zero economy, which, as I'm sure the member for North Sydney would agree, is important as well. The Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct will play a key role in the transition to this net zero economy.”
“They play an essential role in the ongoing monitoring and improvement of the health of our natural landscapes. This particular project will help improve the health of beautiful waterways, including Rapid Creek, Ludmilla Creek and Sandy Creek and Mitchell Creek in Palmerston. By enhancing community biodiversity and improving water quality to benefit native species in these regions, the project will ensure that these natural habitats and recreation areas are protected for the future for our Territory children and our communities to enjoy. We are also protecting our nature and biodiversity through our action on climate change and in our significant investment in renewables.”
“This is a very important issue to us in the Northern Territory, and that's why our government committed $3.82 million in funding to restore urban waterways in my electorate. In Darwin and Palmerston, we did this through the commitment to the Darwin Harbour Catchment Waterways Project. I thank the member for Sydney for that investment in the capital of the north. Landcare NT welcome this exciting news, and they're leading the project in partnership with local Landcare groups, such as the Ludmilla Creek Landcare Group just near our family home. This is part of our government's Urban Rivers and Catchments Program. Landcare NT represents over 20 community Landcare groups across the NT, in my electorate and in the member for Lingiari's electorate.”