Pat Conroy
Shortland · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“There's something difficult about standing in this chamber today. For more than a decade, Nick helped write many of the speeches I've delivered in this parliament. He had a gift for finding the right words and understood the values that should guide everything we do in public life.”
“That means ensuring that Defence has the structures, the focus and the resources to deliver the right capability projects on time, on scope and on budget.”
“We've got committees that are meeting for hours on end without actually making any decisions, so things have to change because these projects matter. We're talking about multibillion-dollar capability projects integral to the defence of our nation and to peace and stability in our region. Let me be crystal clear.”
“He joined the Labor Party as a teenager in 2000 and, from that point on, remained a committed and active participant in our movement. I first came to know Nick through our work with Greg Combet. From the beginning, he combined sharp political instincts with a genuine commitment to improving people's lives.”
“Whether helping a constituent navigate government services, advocating for local projects or developing policy solutions, Nick approached every task with intelligence, empathy and determination. Beyond his professional achievements, Nick's greatest contribution was to the Labor movement itself.”
“I thank the member for Makin of the state of South Australia for his question. Since 2022, the Albanese government has undertaken the biggest peacetime increase in defence spending in Australia's history.”
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“There's something difficult about standing in this chamber today. For more than a decade, Nick helped write many of the speeches I've delivered in this parliament. He had a gift for finding the right words and understood the values that should guide everything we do in public life. For more than a decade, Nick helped write many of my speeches that I delivered in this parliament. He had a gift of finding the right words and understood the values that should guide everything we do in public life. Today I rise to deliver a speech that Nick did not write. Instead, I rise to speak about him and to thank him for his friendship, his service and his unwavering commitment to our movement and our community. Above all, we remember a loving son, brother, uncle and friend, whose kindness touched countless lives.”
“Whether helping a constituent navigate government services, advocating for local projects or developing policy solutions, Nick approached every task with intelligence, empathy and determination. Beyond his professional achievements, Nick's greatest contribution was to the Labor movement itself. He served as secretary of the Cardiff-Elermore Vale branch and as secretary for both Charlton and Shortland FECs for many years. He represented our region at state conferences for two decades and played a role in countless campaigns for Labor candidates, including John Mills, Sonia Hornery, Yasmin Catley, Jodie Harrison, Greg Combet and myself. Nick was always a person who turned up. He was the first to volunteer and the last to leave. He believed in doing the work and supporting others.”
“He joined the Labor Party as a teenager in 2000 and, from that point on, remained a committed and active participant in our movement. I first came to know Nick through our work with Greg Combet. From the beginning, he combined sharp political instincts with a genuine commitment to improving people's lives. He understood that politics was not about personalities or titles. It was about delivering outcomes for working people and the communities we represent. When I was elected to parliament in 2013, Nick joined my office, and, for the next 11 years, he was my senior adviser, trusted confidant and one of the most capable people I've ever worked with. He helped shape campaigns, policies and speeches. He provided honest and often funny advice, thoughtful counsel and unwavering support.”
“Today I rise to pay tribute to a dear friend, trusted colleague and lifelong Labor activist, Nick Mowbray. Nick's passing has come as a profound shock to so many of us who knew him, worked alongside him and had the privilege of calling him a friend. On behalf of the people of Shortland and the wider Labor family, I extend my deepest condolences to his parents, Gerard Mowbray and Gai Keegan; his sisters, Sarah Mowbray and Alex Kenny; his brothers-in-law, Michael and Joe; and his much-loved nieces and nephews, Bobby, Lyla, Florence and Hillary. Nick dedicated much of his life to the causes and values of the Australian Labor Party. His involvement began when he was a student, following work experience with the then member for Wallsend, John Mills.”
“The truth is they're big on rhetoric but weak on action. For our reforms, we're making sure that Defence is developing the capability projects we need. We're setting them up for success so we can respond more effectively to emerging threats and support Australia's national interest. That's why you can only trust Labor when it comes to defending our nation.”
“We've got committees that are meeting for hours on end without actually making any decisions, so things have to change because these projects matter. We're talking about multibillion-dollar capability projects integral to the defence of our nation and to peace and stability in our region. Let me be crystal clear. This is not the fault of the highly skilled and experienced public servants in the department. Defence personnel are some of the hardest-working, smartest and most committed in the game. But the systems were broken. A catastrophic mistake was made under those opposite in 2014 when they abolished the project management organisation and outsourced it to the private sector. At the same time, they cut the defence budget by $20 billion, continuing the tradition that began under Menzies.”
“That means ensuring that Defence has the structures, the focus and the resources to deliver the right capability projects on time, on scope and on budget. That's why we're undertaking the biggest reforms to the Department of Defence in 50 years—because the truth is the system is not fit for purpose, and it hasn't been for well over a decade. One project that occurred under the Liberals when they were in government involved the Navy setting requirements that breached the laws of physics, then asking the defence industry to breach the laws of physics and then a defence company contractually agreeing to breach the laws of physics. Then—surprise, surprise—a few years down the track, no-one could agree on what had gone wrong. The good news is we fixed it, but it's a symptom of a system that is broken.”
“I thank the member for Makin of the state of South Australia for his question. Since 2022, the Albanese government has undertaken the biggest peacetime increase in defence spending in Australia's history. We're making this investment because the strategic circumstances we face demand it and because we're committed to ensuring that the men and women of the ADF have the capability they need to protect our national interests and keep us safe. We're also doing this because investing in our defence and building our self-reliance and defence industry represents the progressive patriotism that is at the heart of the Albanese Labor government. But, with this record investment comes a responsibility—a responsibility to ensure that every dollar delivers value for money for taxpayers.”
“They produced media releases; we're producing missiles. They built consultancies; we're building drones. They closed shipyards; we're opening factories. Only Labor can be trusted with defence.”
“Last week, I christened the first of 40 new Bluebottle drone boats built in Morisset in the member for Hunter's electorate. When complete, the fleet of 55 Bluebottles will be the largest fleet of autonomous surface vessels in the world. These aren't isolated examples. Our record investment in defence is leading to an expansion of our sovereign defence industry. Defence manufacturing output has grown by 35 per cent since we came to government, and, as the Deputy Prime Minister said, defence manufacturing jobs have grown by 11 per cent last year alone. This compares to the chaos and spin of the last Liberal government. Defence manufacturing fell by 18 per cent, while consultants grew by 15 per cent. This was typical of a government that was all announcement and zero delivery—all red carpets and Top Gun music.”
“This future is even brighter this week after the announcement of the biggest defence export deal ever with a $2½ billion deal to sell the JORN radar to Canada. This will support a thousand jobs, with many of them in the member for Spence's electorate. But our investment is not just limited to SA. We've also signed a $1 billion export deal to sell Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles to Germany, supporting over a thousand direct and indirect jobs, mostly in your electorate, Mr Speaker. And there is $7 billion we're putting into advanced counterdrone capabilities, starting with contracts with AIM Defence for their lasers and SYPAQ for their kamikaze drones. We've built a factory that is producing the world-leading Ghost Sharks right now in Sydney, creating just under a thousand direct and indirect jobs.”
“I thank the member for Spence for his question and his strong advocacy for defence industry and jobs in his electorate. Delivering for Australians today and setting Australians up for a more secure future is the government's top priority, and a critical part of that is building our sovereign defence industry so that we can produce the capabilities we need to keep us safe right here at home. I'm pleased to inform the House that, since coming to government, defence industry jobs in SA have increased by 40 per cent—high-skilled jobs in trades, engineering and research, supporting the development of world-leading capabilities, building bright futures for South Australian families and supporting A Future Made in Australia.”
“So I say to you, Prime Minister Wale and your ministers: Tenkyu tumas for coming to Australia. Tenkyu tumas for your partnership. And to the wonderful people of the Solomon Islands: Tenkyu tumas for the affection you hold to Australia. Thank you.”
“We're also privileged to be your largest development partner, acting on your priorities. I was delighted to open the $60 million National Transport Fund with Minister Ricky, an important innovation where we designated that every dollar had to go to a Solomon Islands company. That meant that you got the double dividend of both the infrastructure and the skills- and capacity-building to build your economy. I call on all development partners. If it's good enough to fund projects in the Pacific, it's good enough to trust Pacific companies and Pacific workers with that work. I was also delighted to, through the leaders communique today, announce further support for your cyclone recovery, as well as 15 vocational scholarships. We're committed to working on your priorities, Prime Minister.”
“This will build on a base that's already very strong. In my numerous visits to Solomon Islands, I've been inspired by the love and affection our two peoples hold for each other. Fifty per cent of tourists to your wonderful country come from Australia. We're your largest export destination, and, through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, over 12,000 Solomon Islanders have come to Australia. There are 5,000 right now filling critical labour shortages, sending back on average $1,500 per month to their families. In a recent visit to Honiara, I met Jerrod and Joseph, two returned meatworkers who spent three years away from their families filling labour shortages in our abattoirs. They now had the skills and savings to set up businesses in the Solomon Islands, growing your economy.”
“I thank the member for his question and his passion for our relationships with the Pacific. We're committed to building relationships with the Pacific family. Australia's prosperity and security depend upon a safe and prosperous Pacific. We turn up, we listen, and we act on the priorities of our Pacific friends. That's why we're delighted to welcome Prime Minister Wale and his high-powered ministerial delegation to Australia. The fact that you chose Australia for your first international visit so recently after being appointed is a tremendous compliment to us, which we take seriously. We're inspired by your ambitious objectives for your people, and we're committed to working with you to achieve them. We're delighted that we've agreed to reset the relationship through a comprehensive, strategic, transformative treaty.”
“This means, when compared to the trajectory we inherited, we're seeing an average year-on-year increase in the Defence budget of 7.6 per cent per annum each year. This is driving investments across all of the domains of the ADF. This myth out there that AUKUS is gobbling up everything is just not substantiated by the facts.”
“Two years later, they cut $20 billion of the $30 billion. Again, more talk. On GWEO—guided weapons and explosive ordnance—a lot of talk. What did they produce? Two media releases. That is literally all they produced on guided weapons when they were in power for that long 9½ years. For AUKUS, we had a press conference and nothing else. They are big on talk; hopeless on delivery. In contrast, the Albanese Labor government is committing the resources to defend this nation. Over the last two national defence strategies, we have increased defence funding by $117 billion above the trajectory we inherited—importantly, $30 billion over the forward estimates. This year's budget alone saw a $53 billion increase over the decade.”
“The truth is that the coalition has always been weak on national security—whether it was bringing us into the second Iraq war on a lie, whether it was bringing us into Vietnam on a lie, whether it was Bob Menzies arguing for appeasement of Nazi Germany not in 1933, not in 1935, but 10 days after Hitler invaded Poland; Bob Menzies argued to do a peace deal with Nazi Germany—and it always will be. This is the quality of the Liberal and National parties on national security. Big on chest thumping, weak on delivery, weak on actually protecting Australia. We saw that the last time they were in government as well. For all their talk about 'muscling up' and the 'drums of war', what did they produce in terms of increased defence funding? In 2016 they announced a $30 billion increase over a decade—$30 billion.”
“I'm proud and privileged to sum up consideration in detail for the defence portfolio estimates. It goes to competing choices of governments, whether to support national security and support defending the nation or whether to support dry media releases and rhetoric. What we saw from the coalition was a raft of talking points with no substance, which, to be fair to them, they are consistent in. In government it was all about talking points and media releases, and in opposition that's all they are.”
“This means almost 11,000 people in my electorate are benefiting from this rental support, and we're continuing to work with our state counterparts to strengthen rental protections and expand long-term rental supply. All of these measures combine to present a responsible and, yes, ambitious package to solve the current housing challenge. We're investing in the future of young people throughout the country, but especially in Lake Macquarie and on the Central Coast, so they can fulfil their rightful aspiration to own their own home.”
“This includes helping fund the infrastructure needed to get them built—like water, power and roads—cutting red tape, speeding up housing approvals and boosting the skilled construction workforce. But right now, first home buyers are being priced out of the market by property investors backed by tax breaks. We're levelling the playing field for first home buyers with a fairer tax system. We're banning foreign investors from buying existing homes until the middle of 2029. And we're returning to indexing capital gains for established dwellings, and redirecting investment into new builds. We're also delivering more social and affordable homes in Shortland through the Social Housing Accelerator program and we're helping more people to rent. We've increased Commonwealth rent assistance by 50 per cent since 2022.”
“Labor is taking decisive action to boost housing supply, make our tax system fairer to help more people into home ownership, build on our work over the last four years to deliver more houses and provide rent relief to those doing it tough. When you work hard and save, you should be able to buy your first home. Saving a deposit is just a first hurdle for new homebuyers. By introducing a fairer tax system, combined with our five per cent deposit program, we're helping more people in my electorate—in fact, across the country—buy their first home. Since we came to government, 1,261 people in Shortland have bought their first home thanks to Labor's five per cent deposit scheme, and I look forward to seeing this number grow. Nationally, we're investing a further $2 billion to see more homes delivered more quickly.”
“The Albanese Labor government wants to help more young people realise their dream of homeownership, and I'd certainly like to see more people in my electorate—individuals, couples and young families in Lake Macquarie and on the Central Coast—get ahead. We know it's tough right now. That's why this government is delivering on our commitment to help more people with the costs of renting and buying a home. We need to act and change the system. We know that house prices have risen 400 per cent over the last two decades, twice as fast as income. Home ownership is down seven percentage points for young people. It's why housing was a key feature of the budget we handed down in May this year.”
“The truth is they had six shambolic ministers and three hopeless shadow ministers, and the result is they have failed up again with the Leader of the Opposition promoted into this position. The truth is you can only trust Labor on defence, not those opposite.”
“We've placed the largest ever order of Aussie drones and we're investing in Australian made lasers to defeat drones. On top of that, we're also investing in supporting continuous naval shipbuilding in Australia, including building 26 landing craft in WA. This will create 1,100 direct jobs and more than 2,000 indirect jobs along the process. And then we'll build the upgraded Mogami class frigates after that. All of this comes after a decade of neglect—a decade of neglect that was recognised by Joe Hockey this week, who said, and I quote: 'We got it wrong. We should have stuck with Australian shipbuilding and had continuous shipbuilding, but instead we went elsewhere.' Never has a truer word been spoken.”
“Just last month we announced a $750 million investment to build almost 300 new Bushmaster vehicles in Bendigo—the largest single order for Bushmasters since the production line opened in 1999, supporting 300 direct local jobs for the next seven years and supporting thousands throughout the supply chain. The Bushmaster is one of Australia's great defence industry success stories. It is world leading and is in service in nine countries. It uses Illawarra steel shaped in Broadmeadows and is made in Bendigo. The fact is we're rebuilding Australia's defence manufacturing industry after a decade of neglect. We've opened a Ghost Shark factory in Sydney. We opened a missile factory in SA last year and are opening a second in the Hunter next year and a third after that.”
“I thank the member for Bendigo for her question and her fierce advocacy for Australia's defence industry. Delivering the capability our ADF needs is critical to our nation's safety. We're focused on this and at the same time building a defence future made in Australia. That's why we're overseeing the largest peacetime increase in defence spending in Australia's history. I'm proud to say to the House that three-quarters of the defence budget is spent in Australia, and as a result the Australian defence industry is growing. Since we came to government, Australian defence manufacturing output has grown by 35 per cent, and that's leading to more Aussie jobs and more Aussie capability. Last year alone, defence manufacturing employment grew by a massive 11 per cent in this country, and we've got a steady drumbeat of deliverables.”
“They either lose patients to the new bulk-billing clinic or revert to bulk billing, and history has shown that bulk-billing rates increase. I'm very hopeful that not only will this clinic bulk-bill but it will lead to an increase in bulk-billing rates in my community in surrounding practices. My community should get access to fully bulk-billed visits as much as every other community in this country. In the end, all you should need in order to see a doctor is a Medicare card and not your credit card. That's what the Albanese Labor government is putting in place in our record investments in Medicare in this community.”
“We've also tripled the bulk-billing incentive for visits to doctors. I'm sad to say that our health community hasn't responded as fast as the rest of the country in terms of lifting bulk-billing rates. They have improved, but they are not at the national level, so we've made extra interventions as part of this budget. I'm so pleased that the advocacy of both myself and the other Hunter and Central Coast members have led to a $25 million package to put six bulk-billing clinics into our community. These clinics will mean that our patients can see a doctor for free. All you'll need is your Medicare card. Importantly, they'll also increase competition in our community for access to healthcare services. Initiatives have shown that, when this has been put in place in places like Rockhampton, the ring of surrounding GPS have a choice.”
“Secondly, we restored funding and saved the much loved GP access after-hours service, so, if it's 10:00 on a Sunday night and you need access for a kid to see a doctor but it's not quite serious enough to get to the emergency department, you can see a GP at the Belmont Hospital, the John Hunter and a few other clinics in our community if you need to. Those two were important initial moves. We then matched them with strong funding for Medicare urgent care clinics—one on the northern Central Coast at Lake Haven and one at Charlestown. The one at Charlestown is one of the busiest in the countries, and we've served it with additional funding to increase the hours, so you can go there between 8 am and 10 pm every day of the year to see a doctor for free without an appointment, and we've funded additional staff for it.”
“After the cost of living, the No. 1 priority for my region and my electorate of Shortland is equitable access to health care, being able to see a doctor when you need it using your Medicare card. This government has been laser-like in our focus on improving access to primary health care for people in my region. Since the election, we've restored the distribution priority access listing for Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast. For some bizarre reason, the last government, the Liberal government, declared war on health care in my region by banning overseas trained doctors and Australian scholarship doctors from being able to practice in my community. We fixed that.”
“As they approach their 30th anniversary this year, I want to say thank you to Sym'mon and the team. Thank you for what you do for our community every single day. But, more than that, the centre staff sent me here with a message. The Central Coast Community Legal Centre is there for any local who needs it, whether it's on the phone, in person or at one of their outreach clinics. They're there to support you. I'm proud to be a member of the Albanese Labor government, a government that supports and values community legal services just like this one, because access to justice shouldn't depend on your bank balance. It should be available to everyone, and, case by case, the Central Coast Legal Centre makes that a reality. Thank you, Sym'mon and your team, for what you do every day.”
“Recognising that the pathway to justice isn't the same for everyone, the centre also offers additional specialist support for young people who might be experiencing financial hardship, people with a disability, those experiencing mental health challenges and locals who are at risk of homelessness. By working with other community support services across the Central Coast, the team helps address more than just legal issues, because legal problems rarely exist in isolation, and neither do their solutions. Overall, last year, the Central Coast Community Legal Centre helped more than 1,621 people. The centre is community owned, community run and not for profit. It is one of almost 200 similar services operating across Australia. They were so positive about the five years of certainty that we've given them through our latest funding agreement.”
“Every day there are remarkable people across the Central Coast who go to work to help people they've never met before—people who quietly and diligently offer advice and support to others when it's needed most. That's what the outstanding team at the Central Coast Community Legal Centre do every day for some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of my electorate, and they've been doing it for three decades now. From financial problems and traffic offences to issues at work and family law matters, our Central Coast Community Legal Centre offers free legal help and support to everyone who needs it. A few weeks ago I met the team behind it all and got to hear directly about the work they do to help locals navigate our legal system and how they empower people in our community with information, education and advice.”
“Let's be clear: without critical inputs from the copper smelter, we would not have the fertiliser factory. Steelmaking, copper smelting and fertiliser production are all critical manufacturing capabilities essential to our sovereignty and were all opposed by the Liberals. The current Middle East conflict reminds us that we need to have an economy that is resilient and sovereign. We need an economy that makes more things here. So, when those opposite attack a future made in Australia, they weaken our sovereignty and our resilience. We also need an economy where we train and skill up Australians for jobs that will build our sovereign capability. A year ago, there were seven apprentices at the Whyalla Steelworks. Today, there are more than 70. Now we're in a position where we've got five serious bidders looking at purchasing the steelworks.”
“The steelworks has been having a record-breaking performance across steel, rail and finished goods. Output is at multiyear highs, and while those opposite wrote off Whyalla time and time again we joined with the community to fight for its future, saving thousands of jobs. Building sovereign manufacturing capability builds resilience throughout the economy. For example, 52 tonnes of steel used in the construction of the Port Wakefield missile factory came from the Whyalla Steelworks—Aussie-made steel leading to Aussie-made missiles. And Phosphate Hill, Australia's only producer of ammonium phosphate fertilisers, announced earlier this month that it had found a buyer. This was only possible because of the government's intervention to save the Mount Isa copper smelter.”
“I thank the member, a proud South Australian, for his question. The Albanese Labor government's No. 1 focus is delivering cost-of-living relief while building a future made in Australia. This will increase our independence and sovereignty and create Aussie jobs. It was at the heart of the progressive patriotism agenda the Prime Minister took to the people in 2022 and 2025. Making steel in this country is central to that. It's been just over a year since we joined the Malinauskas government to intervene and save the Whyalla steelworks—a year since we made that critical decision to protect Aussie jobs and strengthen our sovereign manufacturing capability. Our intervention has ensured that the steelworks is not only continuing to operate but has a bright future. Jobs have been protected and created, with performance restored.”
“From delivering more doctors and more bulk-billing GPS to delivering even better urgent care clinics—as a dad, as the husband of a nurse and as your federal representative, I'll continue working every day to deliver for Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast.”
“In Charlestown, not only have we delivered an urgent care clinic and then extended its hours; we've now funded more doctors and nurses so you can get the care you need faster and for free. It's one of the busiest urgent care clinics in the country. In the four weeks following Australia Day it had 1,485 presentations, an average of 53 a day. At Lake Haven we're making the urgent care clinic even better too, and very soon I'll have more to say about delivering our promise to boost its capacity with more doctors and nurses. With 1,283 presentations in the four weeks since Australia Day and a huge 78 per cent of patients indicating they would've gone to the emergency department if the clinic wasn't there, we know it's a community asset that's taking pressure off our local hospitals, which are under strain right now.”
“When it comes to bulk-billing, there's no easy solution to undoing the decade of cuts and neglect by the previous Liberal government. Year after year, leader after leader, they decimated Medicare. But seeing a GP shouldn't be a struggle; it should be free, and that's why we've tripled the bulk-billing incentive with the $8.5 billion package for more doctors and more bulk-billing. It's meant Cardiff General Practice has become a 100 per cent bulk-billing practice, and other practices are working through the process right now. I'll continue working with my Hunter colleagues and our excellent health minister to deliver more bulk-billing GPs across our community. No matter where you live in our community, I'm pleased to say there's a free Medicare urgent care clinic nearby.”
“After support for cost-of-living relief, delivering more affordable and accessible high-quality health care is my No.1 priority, and it's a challenge I'm tackling head-on from every angle. On the Central Coast, the Gwandalan Summerland Medical Centre services an area consisting of more than 7,000 people. For years, it's managed to do this with just one full-time GP and one part-time GP. I worked with the practice to secure another full-time GP from the United Kingdom through the expedited specialist pathway that we've introduced, and I'm pleased to report that Dr Fam Ho joined us in November and is looking after locals every week. I had the pleasure of personally welcoming him to the area, and I wasn't the only one welcoming his arrival in what is a truly appreciative community.”
“So instead of scaremongering, they should ask constructive questions to the people who have responsibility for these interruptions.”
“I thank the member for his question, although I'd point out that he's probably directing the question at the wrong person. He's effectively asking me to predict when the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel will end. I would submit that's a question best directed to President Trump, the rulers of Iran and the Prime Minister of Israel. In terms of what the broader question went to, which was the potential interruption to our supplies, I can report to the House that, as a response to a recommendation of the Defence Strategic Review, we doubled the fuel holdings for the Australian Defence Force. That's something that should have happened under your watch, which you failed to do. The latest advice from the Chief of the Defence Force is that our fuel supplies to the ADF, including from the Middle East, are uninterrupted.”
“I remember when the former minister for employment and workplace relations Murray Watt joined me in Newcastle just two months after same job, same pay came into force. Just in that short time, just in the first two months of operation, 120 New South Wales mineworkers saw their wages grow by up to $35,000, and, at the same time, another 1,500 New South Wales coalminers had applications in for their wage rises. This pay rise was long overdue, because coalminers doing the same job should get paid the same amount of money.”
“In a media release from the Mining and Energy Union on 27 November last year welcoming the legislation, general secretary Grahame Kelly said: Legislation introduced to Parliament today strengthens the Coal Long Service Leave Scheme and ensures coal workers get the money they are owed. He said it was a 'long-overdue fix that puts workers first', and I wholeheartedly agree. This bill is another example of how the Albanese Labor government is standing up for our miners, just like we did before the federal election on 25 May, which saw Labor retain government with the start of our same job, same pay changes. This began on 1 November 2024, and it was a fantastic initiative for Aussie workers, particularly coalminers. Same job, same pay has been a game changer.”
“It is due to the findings of the relevant Hitachi and Orica cases that the government has moved swiftly to protect the entitlements of mining industry workers. With the clarity gained from these legal proceedings, we can move ahead with this important legislation, and this bill ensures eligible workers get their full entitlements, some dating back 15 years. The current scheme was hard won by unionist coalminers more than 70 years ago, making it one of the first portable long service leave schemes for blue-collar workers anywhere in the world. It was founded based on their struggle and their sacrifice, and now we're refining it to make it even stronger.”
“This is designed to ensure that the loss of historical records or incomplete historical records aren't a barrier to access, that an eligible worker is not excluded from their full entitlement because their employer has failed to do the right thing or accidents have happened. I understand that Coal Long Service Leave—the organisation—is already working with dozens of employers to assess eligibility for the scheme. These are employers that undertake a broad range of activities across the mining industry. We're talking about maintenance and repair services, labour hire firms that supply maintenance-and-repair labour, shot firer employers, emergency service providers and businesses that conduct testing, inspection and certification of mining operations.”
“We're streamlining the onboarding pathway for employers who opt in to the payments arrangement scheme. Employers will provide Coal Long Service Leave—the organisation—with information necessary to create new or updated service records for workers coming into the scheme. Ordinarily, this information would include service records and wage data. But what about when someone's records are missing? What happens then? The good thing about this bill is that it will allow for reasonable assumptions to be made about a worker's service so they don't miss out. For example, there is no requirement that employers hold service records that are more than seven years old. In this case, a reasonable assumption of what an employee is entitled to could be made.”
“We know there have been cases of employers who have disputed whether some workers have coverage under the coal long service leave scheme, and this has caused considerable stress and anxiety amongst coalminers and their families—not knowing whether they were able to accrue or even access their entitlements and not knowing if there was anything they could do about it. So, as I said, under this bill, employers will be incentivised to comply with the coal long service leave scheme. Employers will be able to repay their debts over a period of six years, making debt management more predictable and manageable. The 20 per cent debt waiver will incentivise participation in the payment arrangement scheme by supporting employers with significant levy liabilities.”