Andrew Leigh
Fenner · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969 , it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation—Deco…”
“The proposed works were referred to the public works committee on 3 March 2026. Following its inquiry, the committee has recommended that the House of Representatives resolve that it is expedient to carry out the proposed works.”
“When the Leader of the Opposition became leader, getting rid of the first woman to head the Liberal Party, he said that his party needed to 'change or die'. I don't think many Australians thought that they were going to choose door 2, but that's what's happening right now. The modern Liberal Party won't change, and it's choosing to die.”
“From today, Labor is putting in place six months of paid parental leave. But the shadow treasurer has called paid parental leave 'a very bad scheme', saying: … that is not my choice that women have children; it's not. It's genetic. From today, Labor is delivering tax cuts for every working Australian.”
“But when asked the same question, the Leader of the Opposition said things like, 'I don't quite know what you mean by that question,' and, 'Do you want to define it for me?' and, 'There's all these vague words running around.' Asked seven times, he couldn't back in multiculturalism.”
“For small business, we've changed the R&D tax credit so that every dollar of R&D tax credit drives 20 per cent more research and development. For Australians who are looking to afford medicines, the health minister has been putting a record number of drugs through the PBS and driving record funding through our hospital system.”
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“We should be willing to acknowledge, just as those researchers who are trying to find a cure for cancer do, that programs that look good in the lab may not work in the field, and we should be open to moving on to other solutions. If you take 10 medical drugs coming out of the lab, only one of them, on average, will make it through three phases of clinical trials and into market. So, too, in the area of social policy, we should recognise that much of what we value will not necessarily have the impact that we intend it to have. The rigour that the Australian Centre for Evaluation brings is important in terms of building the policy case. Alongside this, we need to do a better job of building systematic reviews.”
“I also commend the Paul Ramsay Foundation, whose experimental grants round funded to the tune of $2.1 million seven different randomised trials, which were aiming to test what works in social policy at a modest cost. This is an example—as the Arnold Foundation in the UK and Jon Baron and others have shown—of the power of low-cost evaluations. There were more than 100 non-profit organisations that stepped forward to apply for the Paul Ramsay Foundation's funding to support experimental programs. They recognise the value of having rigorous evidence in order to support policy programs. We should hold fast to our passion for tackling big policy challenges, but we should hold lightly to any particular solution.”
“In the UK the What Works Network, through centres such as the Education Endowment Foundation, ensures that policymakers have at their fingertips the best available evidence. The Education Endowment Foundation has conducted more than 200 randomised trials, and about half of all pupils in British schools have been part of a randomised trial conducted by the Education Endowment Foundation. That rigour is not only helping education policymakers; it's also helping principals and teachers themselves, who are able to turn to the Education Endowment Foundation site and see presented in very straightforward terms what works and what doesn't, how big the impacts are, in months of learning, and how much the program costs. In this way they can make a very scientific comparison of what's available.”
“He brings to this place a rigour of thought which is reflected in the work the Australian Centre for Evaluation is doing. I acknowledge, too, the leadership role that the Australian Centre for Evaluation has played through the OECD. They helped the OECD convene a workshop last year on randomised trials and other rigorous evaluations, which led to a recent policy paper, U nleashing the policy p otential of r igorous i mpact evaluation and randomised trials . Bringing together the expertise of people like David Halpern from the UK has been critical in order to build the rigour and the international evidence sharing. The Wellcome Trust, the European Economic and Social Research Council and other funding bodies are now supporting work in order to build more rigorous evidence and to distil the evidence that exists.”
“At a time when democracy is under strain from populist forces around the world, it is important that governments are able to show to taxpayers that we are using the very best available evidence. One way in which we're able to do that through randomised trials is by showing how cleanly we are comparing the treatment and control groups. Randomised trials are an important way of systematising evidence. At a time when there has been a reproducibility crisis within a whole lot of fields of social science, it's absolutely vital that we are able to show clearly how the evidence is being built. I acknowledge in the chamber the member for Banks, Zhi Soon, who spent considerable professional time before he entered parliament working on randomised trials and other forms of rigorous evaluation.”
“The BETA behavioural insights unit within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has experimented with trials that simply inform those doctors who are superprescribers of antibiotics that their propensity to prescribe antibiotics is higher than average. That randomised trial has seen a significant decrease in the propensity of doctors to overprescribe—a straightforward tweak followed up through administrative data, which had a real impact in saving money for taxpayers and in reducing antimicrobial resistance. This illustrates the point that randomised trials can also improve democratic accountability. Philosopher Ana Tanasoca and I have written about the value of randomised trials in strengthening democracy.”
“That evaluation, that scan, has been important in terms of identifying what evidence is there and what more could be added. The Australian Centre for Evaluation has also ensured that they are using their own techniques, evaluating their own education programs, their own training programs, through randomised trials. I commend them for the work that they're doing in order to bring a greater sense of rigour. Sometimes randomised trials can be testing significant programs such as drug courts or housing vouchers to move to low-poverty neighbourhoods, but sometimes they can also be looking at effective tweaks.”
“We understand that taxpayer dollars are provided in a sacred trust to governments, and that it is our obligation to do with those dollars the very best that we can. The Australian Centre for Evaluation has worked with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the Department of Social Services and other agencies in order to build the evidence base. They produced a recent report, Strengthening e valuation in the Australian government 2026 - 2030 , which turns that intellectual case into a set of operating instructions right across the Commonwealth. The Australian Centre for Evaluation, led by Eleanor Williams, has conducted a scan of all of the available randomised trials within Australian public policy going back to the 1970s.”
“In Australia, we've had a randomised trial of high-impact case management for long-term homeless people. The Journey to Social Inclusion evaluation conducted by Sacred Heart Mission in Victoria showed how difficult it is to make an impact on the lives of the most vulnerable. It found extremely low employment rates in both the treatment and the control group—a reminder not that we should give up on these challenges but that they are hard, and we need to do more in order to establish efficacy of programs intended to help the long-term homeless. Increasingly, systems are being put in place in order to conduct more randomised trials. Our government established the Australian Centre for Evaluation within Treasury in order to conduct more rigorous experiments right across the policy spectrum.”
“I see the member for Bass nodding. Her experience as a teacher reflects the understanding that it isn't simply about testing students on an arbitrary set of facts; it's also about making those questions culturally appropriate. That randomised trial conducted by the UNSW team provides insights that are going to be valuable in education. In the United States we've seen the advent of randomised trials looking at what happens with high-quality housing programs. The Moving to Opportunity study provided housing vouchers for people in high-poverty neighbourhoods to move to low-poverty areas. It found a significant improvement in fields such as mental health and particularly a significant benefit to children whose families moved when they were very young.”
“The evaluation found that drug courts passed a cost-benefit test. Those offenders assigned to the drug court were less likely to re-offend subsequently. You didn't have to place any weight on the wellbeing of drug offenders. You just had to look at the benefits to the community. Randomised trials can help cut through ideology in order to ascertain what works and build up that evidence base. We've seen a suite of randomised trials put in place in educational interventions. I acknowledge the work of Richard Holden and others at the University of New South Wales, evaluating what happens when culturally appropriate questions are placed on tests. For example, if students are able to think in terms of the Parkes telescope—a local reference—rather than the Sydney Town Hall, they turn out to do better on the same questions.”
“I've spent much of my career as an economist using natural experiment approaches, trying to tease out a treatment group and a control group using differences in state variation, using a regression discontinuity or using instrumental variables. But what we're trying to do in each of those instances is to benchmark against a randomised trial to see what would have happened if we'd been able to put a randomised trial in place. In many instances in public policy, we now do have those randomised trials. When New South Wales was facing the question in the late 1990s as to whether to establish drug courts, it set up just such a randomised trial. That trial assigned people randomly to go through either a drug court with its specialist drug addiction treatment programs or the traditional criminal justice process.”
“Effectively, what we're trying to do with a randomised trial is to identify the counterfactual—what would have happened if the treatment hadn't been put in place. You can think of this a bit like Gwyneth Paltrow from Sliding Doors . In that movie, we get to see both of the alternatives—what happens when she catches the train and what happens when she doesn't. But real life isn't like that. We only get to see one pathway through, and, in evaluating new medicines or evaluating new policies, it's critical to have in our minds what would have happened if the policy hadn't been delivered. Randomised trials assign people to the treatment and control groups through the toss of a coin. That approach ensures the two groups are identical when you have a large sample on both the observables and the unobservables.”
“In the 1950s a significant change took place in medicine. The advent of evidence based medicine saw that field move from an approach which had previously prized grey-bearded experts towards a more scientific and critical approach, which looked to test new treatments. Streptomycin, the polio vaccine and other treatments were evaluated using randomised trials. This was a significant step forward for medicine, saving thousands of lives. Treatments which were previously thought to be effective turned out, when subjected to a rigorous control, to be ineffective. Treatments which had been thought to be long shots turned out to save lives. The shift towards evidence based medicine has marked one of the most crucial changes within medicine over the course of recent centuries. Right now, public policy is going through the same transition.”
“I've been pleased to join Rabbi Feldman at public events for Chabad ACT here in Canberra. Rabbi Feldman asked me in my speech to call on people of all faiths to perform a mitzvah, an act of kindness, compassion and moral responsibility. A mitzvah for Bondi can involve checking in on a neighbour, volunteering or donating to those in need. On my desk is a quote the member for Isaacs taught to me. Pirkei Avot teaches, 'It is not upon you to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.' We've each of us learnt so much from Jewish Australians, who have contributed so much to this nation. May the victims rest in peace, and may the rest of us grow a little in the darkness of this terrible tragedy.”
“Rabbi Slavin told me that gun reforms are important, but they're just a start. He said: 'Australia is at a crossroads. Either we can take this as a wake-up call to reconnect to our values, or it's the beginning of the end of the Australia we knew and loved.' I say to all Jewish Australians: you are welcome in this nation. You are cherished in this nation. Your ancestors have been here since 1788. Jewish Australians are an integral part of modern Australia. At a ceremony here in parliament in the great hall, to honour the victims, Schmueli Feldman, a fifth-generation Australian rabbi with a strong connection to Bondi, said Jewish people will never be broken, and Australia will never be broken. He urged us to stand together against hate, violence and division.”
“In 2005, he and his wife, Laya, established Our Big Kitchen in the Yeshivah Centre in Bondi. It provides meals, connection, employment to people who have been released from prison and volunteering opportunities for schoolchildren from Jewish and Muslim backgrounds, brought into cook a meal side by side. When I spoke with Rabbi Slavin, he told me that he is asking for the first time, 'Is Australia safe for Jewish people?' He reminded me of the context that is too easily forgotten. Most Jewish Australians have ancestors who were persecuted in the Holocaust, a memory that echoes down the generations. Rabbi Slavin notes that social cohesion is one of Australia's strongest assets. If that's lost, he told me, they won't just come for the Saturday people; they'll come for the Sunday people and then for the Friday people.”
“Surf lifesavers ran to help victims under fire, reminiscent of those firefighters on September 11 who ran up the stairs as others were running down. They included Jackson Doolan, who was photographed running barefoot from Tamarama—over a mile away—carrying a heavy medical bag. It was an honour today to meet some of those surf lifesavers, and I thank the Member for Kingsford Smith for hosting them here today and giving us the opportunity to personally thank them for their work. Those who helped on the day were migrants, volunteers, public servants and passers-by. In a moment of darkness, they showed the very best of what our nation has to offer. In preparing today's remarks I spoke with Bondi Rabbi Dovid Slavin, who I've known for nearly a decade. Rabbi Slavin moved to Australia in the early 1990s.”
“It is with deep sadness that I rise to speak on this condolence motion. The Bondi Beach shooting on the first day of Hanukkah was the worst attack on Jewish people in Australian history, the deadliest terrorist attack in Australian history and the second deadliest mass shooting in Australian history. The 15 victims ranged in age from 10-year-old Matilda, daughter of Ukrainian migrants, to 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman. I also acknowledge the other victims by speaking their names: Edith Brutman, Dan Elkayam, Boris Gurman, Sofia Gurman, Yaakov Levitan, Peter Meagher, Reuven Morrison, Marika Pogany, Eli Schlanger, Adam Smyth, Boris Tetleroyd, Tania Tretiak, Tibor Weitzen. That day also showed the strength of Australia. Four people confronted the gunmen; all were shot, and three were killed.”
“The proposed works were referred to the Public Works Committee on 31 July 2025. Following its inquiry, the committee recommended that the House of Representatives resolve that it is expedient to carry out the proposed works. Subject to parliamentary approval, Airservices expects to approach the market and engage a contractor as soon as possible. Due to the wet season in Rockhampton, remediation works will occur outside this period to reduce risks associated with run-off from open excavation areas. Works are expected to occur between March 2026 and August 2026. On behalf of the government, I would like to thank the committee, ably chaired by the member for Makin, for undertaking a timely inquiry. I commend the motion to the House. Question agreed to.”
“I commend the motion to the House. I will put that question. Question agreed to. I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969 , it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Airservices Australia—PFAS Remediation of the Former Fire Training Ground at Rockhampton Airport, Queensland. Airservices Australia is proposing works at the Rockhampton Airport to remove and manage PFAS impacted soil and infrastructure at the former fire training ground. The works will be undertaken in the non-operational area of the site and will therefore not affect airport operational service delivery. The estimated cost of the proposed works is $25 million, GST excluded.”
“The proposed works include rebuilding fire stations, installing cold drill grounds for training purposes and refitting tender bays to accommodate new ultra-large firefighting vehicles. The first phase of works at several locations in Queensland and Victoria has an estimated cost of $163.4 million, GST excluded. The proposed works were referred to the Standing Committee on Public Works on 31 July 2025. Following its inquiry, the committee recommended that the House of Representatives resolve that it is expedient to carry out the proposed works. Subject to parliamentary approval, Airservices Australia expects to approach the market as soon as possible, with works expected to be completed by July 2027. On behalf of government, I would like to thank the committee, ably chaired by the member for Makin, for undertaking a timely inquiry.”
“I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969 , it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Airservices Australia—Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Services NexGen Project for the End-of-life Facilities Upgrades—Phase 1A (Queensland and Victoria). Airservices is proposing works to modernise its Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Services to meet operational requirements. The proposed works would occur in three phases over the next decade and involve the replacement of end-of-life assets.”
“As I keep telling my sons, you can't understand the world if you don't understand modern India. To the Indian Australian community of Canberra: thank you for the energy you bring to our festivals, the enterprise you bring to our economy and the civic spirit you bring to our city. Canberra is more vibrant, more curious and more confident because you have chosen to call it home.”
“Many parliamentarians also attended the Deepavali celebration in the great hall, organised by the ACT chapter of the Hindu Council of Australia. Indian Australians serve in our public service; run thriving small businesses; advance research at ANU and UC; and contribute across health, education, engineering, the arts and community life. During the pandemic, volunteers from the Canberra Sikh Association and HelpingACT, founded by 2022 Canberra Citizen of the Year, Mohammed Ali, provided vital support to those in need. I also acknowledge Dr Madhumita Iyengar, for her leadership of Initiatives for Women in Need, and collaborators Raffy Sgroi and Hari Iyengar from South Asian Federation ACT. On a personal note, I'm excited to be travelling with my family to India next month.”
“Whether it's Nav Varsh, Holi Mela or Diwali, Indian community events draw crowds across Belconnen and Gungahlin. I'm a regular visitor to the Gungahlin Mosque, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Taylor, and the Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre in Florey, where I especially enjoyed participating in the chariot walk in June. I run into Gopal Baglay, High Commissioner of India, more often than I see any other diplomat. The Indian community are regular and welcome visitors to Parliament House. This week, the member for Bean organised for members of parliament to meet His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews III of the Indian Orthodox Church. Last month, Satendra Nandan and others organised an event here to mark the anniversary of Gandhi's birth.”
“I rise to recognise the deep contribution that Indian Australians have made to shaping Canberra. Walter Burley Griffin, the designer of our capital, spent his final years in the world's largest democracy. Today, Indian Australians help build the city he imagined. At the last census, more than 17,000 Canberrans were born in India, making India our largest non-English speaking country of birth. Each February, the National Multicultural Festival turns Civic into a celebration of the world, and India In The City has become one of its most energetic anchor events. Run by the Canberra India Council, it fills City Walk with classical dance, contemporary performance, regional associations from across the subcontinent and, inevitably, those long food queues that signal something irresistible.”
“In relation to the Major Pedel matter that the member raises, I'd simply advise the House that all costs of legal representation for Ms Pedel in the Federal Court have been paid by the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth did not seek any legal costs against Ms Pedel in the Federal Court. We understand the Administrative Review Tribunal has reserved its decision, and the government will consider its findings in due course. DSS and Defence officials continue to work together to advise government on options to address the issues raised by Major Pedel's case and by the royal commission. Question agreed to. Bill, as amended, agreed to.”
“The member for Wentworth will know, through the conversation with the Deputy Prime Minister that she referenced, that the government is currently exploring options to expand access to paid parental leave for ADF personnel posted overseas for extended periods of time, including by exploring amendments to Defence employment provisions which may not require legislation. The Paid Parental Leave scheme is, of course, a creation of a previous Labor government. Its expansion was a decision of this government. It is an issue that is close to the heart of the government, and, indeed, we have begun extending the scheme by two weeks each year until it reaches 26 weeks from 1 July 2026. And, from July this year, the government is paying superannuation on government funded paid parental leave.”
“I'll just respond briefly to some of the comments of the member for Wentworth. I thank her for her actions in raising the issues of her constituent, and I believe it is indeed appropriate that she withdraws her amendment. The government appreciates the member for Wentworth's concerns about the availability of paid parental leave for ADF personnel deployed or posted overseas for extended periods of time. Indeed, we've recognised the importance of that issue as part of our response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.”
“I present a supplementary explanatory memorandum to the bill. I move the government amendment as circulated: (1) Schedule 4, item 21, page 120 (after line 6), after subsection 16A(3), insert: (3A) In addition, the period of the reduction must not exceed 6 months. However, the Minister may make reductions under this section for the MSO product for the entity for additional periods not exceeding 6 months each. Question agreed to.”
“That's what the reforms in this bill will help to achieve. I thank the House for supporting our work to deliver the regulatory environment that best serves the Australian community and the Australian economy. Question agreed to. Bill read a second time.”
“The bill will help reduce the regulatory burden on Australians and on industry, including by introducing measures to allow secure, sustainable, suitable digital options for identity verification for couples getting married. And it will help increase government efficiency and improved productivity, including by providing additional flexibility for government to respond to temporary critical fuel shortages, allowing stocks to be reduced but not depleted. All of this will make real improvements to how regulations work for Australians. And these are only some examples of the important reforms this bill delivers. As the Treasurer said in his second reading speech: Regulation should be there to protect Australians and empower them, not weigh them down. Regulation must ensure our economy works for Australians without holding them back.”
“This will help people claim their unpaid Medicare benefits, which are estimated to total $270 million owed to almost a million Australians. We know it'll take time to make this tell-us-once shift, but this bill will let Services Australia begin this important work. It'll reduce unnecessary regulations to improve access to government services, including by doubling the amount of time that patients can have access to multiple imaging services, which are requested on a single form. In addition, with an individual's consent, their healthcare identifier may be used as part of research, which may, for example, facilitate longitudinal tracking of health journeys and better integration of clinical and social data, providing more accurate evidence bases for health service policy and design.”
“The number of measures and government agencies that will be reformed by this bill is a measure of how widely we're looking across government to improve regulation. This bill contains 60 measures that will amend 28 acts, repeal two acts, and directly affect and improve the operations of 13 Commonwealth government agencies. These are all meaningful improvements to how Australians and other businesses work with these agencies. It'll help Services Australia shift towards a tell-us-once approach to how it delivers services. That means Australians won't have to put in their details every time they access a different government service they need. As an example, once this bill is passed, we can make changes so that, when Australians update their Centrelink bank details, Medicare gets them too.”
“These reforms include cutting 500 further nuisance tariffs; working through 400 ideas to reduce regulatory burden from 38 Commonwealth regulators; tasking the Council of Financial Regulators to declutter and improve regulation in the financial sector, with a priority focus on streamlining and harmonising data collection; and officially opening our Investor Front Door to make it quicker and easier for investors to back big projects that create jobs and opportunities for Australians. These are all important steps in implementing our government's agenda to make our economy more dynamic, resilient and productive. Passing the bill through the House today is another step forward. This bill will make regulation work better for Australians and let businesses get on with the job.”
“In addition, it does not meet the intended purposes of the bill: better regulation, cutting red tape and ensuring streamlined access to essential services. However, we're committed to working constructively with the member on the issue. As the Treasurer said in his second reading speech, better regulation is a key focus of the Economic Reform Roundtable we convened earlier this year and a key focus of our second-term economic agenda. The government is committed to better regulation which boosts productivity, gets investment moving and creates Australian jobs for today's economy. That's what this bill is about. It cuts compliance costs and cuts red tape. In short, it cuts the clutter. It's part of a comprehensive suite of reforms we've pushed forward since our roundtable.”
“This will provide an additional safeguard on the minister's power to reduce the amount of critical fuels an entity must hold in its stockpiles. I'd also like to acknowledge the amendment to be moved by the member for Wentworth relating to the availability of paid parental leave for serving partners of ADF personnel deployed overseas for extended periods of time. The government will not be supporting this amendment, as the member for Wentworth's draft amendment would remove reference to a determination made under the Defence Act 1903 so that the provision would no longer be tied to the specific meaning it holds under the Defence Determination 2016/19, Conditions of Service. This would introduce uncertainty as to how a court would interpret the word 'deployed', which is not otherwise defined in the Paid Parental Leave Act.”
“I thank the House for the House's keen interest in the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2025. In summing up debate, I'd like to thank the opposition and others in the House for their constructive engagement with the government on this bill and for their support for its passage. I thank all members for their contributions to debate on the bill. In particular, I'd like to thank the member for Wannon for his productive discussions with us on measures relating to ensuring supply of critical fuels during an emergency shortage. These discussions have resulted in the government moving amendments so that the minister will not be able to reduce the minimum stockholding obligation for more than the duration of six months unless subsequent decisions are made to grant further temporary reductions.”
“The coalition needs to reflect the mood of the Australian public, which is clearly saying they want strong and decisive action on climate change that is in our national interest … So if I'm—”
“The battle has become hottest over net zero—that policy so radical that it was made the policy of the Australian government by coal-wielding Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a policy supported by every state and territory in Australia, every major business group and most of our major trading partners. Those who oppose net zero are those like Advance Australia, which has been running campaigns threatening Liberal and National Party members if they don't back net zero. We've heard sensible conservatives such as Matt Kean, say: … let me say, as the former Liberal Treasurer in the largest economy in the nation, that is a sign they are heading for electoral oblivion.”
“Indeed. The Leader of the Opposition in the House also made the case—surprising many—for multiculturalism. We have seen the resignation of the member for Canning from the front bench after attacking what he called 'muppets'. That was after being attacked by the former leader, Peter Dutton, who said the member for Canning went on strike in the last election and fumbled key policy work. The tearing apart of the coalition is extended to Senator Hume, who, in the discussion between the Liberals and the Nationals, said that, if she joined the Nationals: I'd have to speak a lot slower and talk about the regions more often … We on this side understand, represent and care about regional Australia. We don't see people in regional Australia as needing to be attacked in any internal party games.”
“Following its inquiry, the committee recommended that the House of Representatives resolve that it is expedient to carry out the proposed works. Subject to parliamentary approval, works are expected to commence as soon as possible for completion in May 2026, with final commissioning and relocation of staff occurring in April to June 2026. On behalf of the government, I would like to thank the committee, ably chaired by the member for Makin, for undertaking a timely inquiry. I commend the motion to the House. Question agreed to.”
“(): I move: That, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Committee Act 1969, it is expedient to carry out the following proposed work which was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works and on which the committee has duly reported to Parliament: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts—Proposed fit-out of new leased premises at 7 London Circuit, Canberra City. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts is proposing works to fit-out recently leased office accommodation at 7 London Circuit, Canberra City. The estimated cost of the fit-out works is $23.4 million, excluding GST. The proposed works were referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works on 31 July 2025.”
“Outside of fiction, I've loved Astrid Jorgensen's memoir, Average at Best ; Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's Abundance ; Bent Flyvbjerg's How Big Things Get Done ; John McWhorter's Pronoun Trouble ; and Suzanne O'Sullivan's The Age of Diagnosis . Thanks to the writers who inspire us, the readers who sustain us, the booksellers who keep our shelves stocked and the volunteers who make it all possible. In a city built on ideas, our bookshops, festivals and reading groups remind us that the best conversations don't stop when the final page turns.”
“Canberra has many independent bookstores, including Book Face in Gungahlin; Pulp Book Cafe in Nicholls; Book Passion in Belconnen; Book Lore in Lyneham; Harry Hartog at Woden and ANU—shout out to Katarina Pearson; Peter Arnaudo's Book Cow in Kingston; and Tayanah O'Donnell's Paperchain in Manuka. For my own part, I do most of my reading through audiobooks and try to dive into the soul-nurturing breadth of fiction as much as possible. This year, I've been devouring Liane Moriarty's wonderfully Australian thrillers, especially Here One Moment , and sharing the canine joys of Markus Zusak's Three Wild Dogs . I've also enjoyed some near-future novels, including Bruce Holsinger's Culpability , Ted Chiang's Exhalation , Kaliane Bradley's T he Ministry of T ime , Laila Lalami's The Dream Hotel and Eleanor Catton's Birnam Wood .”
“The Indigenous Reading Project, founded by Daniel Billing, is a non-profit company that works to improve the reading ability of First Nations children. At Cafe Stepping Stone Strathnairn, founded by Australian local heroes Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello, a monthly silent reading group invites people to come along and read quietly with fellow book lovers. Canberra hosts a bevy of book clubs, from the Tough Guy Book Club to Mamma Mingle. The Canberra Fantasy Book Club has you set for dragons. The NFSA book club does movie combos. The Gals Evolving Book Club focuses on feminism. And Book Cow's book clubs include queer, translations and OzLit clubs. Libraries ACT makes it easy, lending out book-club sets of up to a dozen copies of a single title.”
“In the words of Groucho Marx: 'Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.' In the past five days, Canberrans have been enjoying the Canberra Writers Festival. The biggest program yet featured the likes of Andy Griffiths, Elizabeth Finkel, Trent Dalton, Virginia Haussegger, Jack Heath and Chris Hammer. My congratulations to festival Chair Jane O'Dwyer and the volunteers for their hard work in pulling the event together. Many people work to fuel an active book scene in the bush capital. Colin Steele's Meet the Author series, run in collaboration with the Canberra Times and the Australian National University, is perhaps the best-attended book-launch series anywhere in Australia.”
“To the amendment moved by the member for Wentworth, we share the goals of tax reform, productivity and boosting the uptake of renewable energy, but we prefer other means through which to achieve that. The respect that this side of the House holds for the member for Wentworth was reflected in her important participation in the economic reform roundtable, which took place in the cabinet room recently. I commend the bill to the House.”
“This will improve cashflow and reduce compliance costs for small businesses. We are heading now towards votes on two second reading amendments and a substantive amendment. To save the time of the House, let me say that the government will not be supporting those second reading amendments and substantive amendment. I won't go to all of the specifics of those second reading and substantive amendments, but I note that, in the case of the second reading amendment moved by the shadow Treasurer, he is wrong to say that this will reduce the scrutiny of ASIC and APRA. Indeed, this will provide more scrutiny through carrying out better reviews and allowing those organisations the time to respond to the important outcomes of the reviews.”