Patrick Gorman
Perth · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“It was closed by the former Barnett Liberal government and sat vacant for years, but, again, because of decisions of this Labor government, we have homes being built—affordable homes, specialist disability homes. This will bring even more people into Highgate and the wonderful Beaufort Street strip.”
“One of the things I love doing in this place, as I know do you, Deputy Speaker Sharkie, is to bring the words of our constituents into this parliament. After the budget, I received this email from Perth constituent Sebastian, who said: Dear Patrick, I'm writing to actually thank you for standing up for young Australians.”
“What we also know is that those who are doing all the right things—they're working hard, they're saving, they're trying to get their first home—are struggling, and that's where our five per cent deposit program comes in.”
“Every Australian deserves a place to call home, and that is what the Albanese government's budget delivers. Our $47 billion Homes for Australia plan and our budget provide for even more homes, more support to renters and more support for Australians getting into homeownership. In Perth, we're getting on with the job on the ground.”
“It builds on the work that we've done when it comes to the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act, making sure that workers can earn more and keep more of what they earn, and the work we're doing when it comes to those who need more support in our labour market, including the work when it comes to the program we cal…”
“I want to thank all members for their contribution as we consider in detail the important work the government is doing in employment and workplace relations. More jobs, higher wages, lower income taxes—that's what Labor governments deliver and that's what this Labor government is delivering.”
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“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. The Parliamentary Frameworks Legislation Amendment (Reviews) Bill 2026 would amend the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service Act 2023, known as the PWSS Act, the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984, known as the MOP(S) Act, and the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017, known as the PBR Act, to allow the forthcoming statutory reviews of these acts, each of which is required to be conducted during the 48th Parliament, to be combined as part of a holistic review of the systems and frameworks that govern Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. The bill would also align the frequency of future periodic reviews of the PWSS Act and the PBR Act to allow them to be combined or conducted separately.”
“Andrew Brostek OAM is a private practitioner who spent more than 20 years helping people through dentistry, and helping people get the care they need, including through outstanding charity work. Jill Cameron OAM for 50 years contributed to education, especially for younger Australians. Simone van der Sluys APM received the Police Medal for service that started back in 1995. Donald O'Leary got the Emergency Services Medal for 37 years of service. And Wendy Casey got the Public Service Medal; she has done outstanding work through the WA Department of Health. Congratulations to all.”
“And he's an outstanding Western Australian. Walter McGuire OAM is an incredible Indigenous leader. He's got a tourism business that has helped so many to experience Aboriginal culture. I also get the joy of seeing him at the City of Bayswater and City of Vincent for their citizenship ceremonies. Ken Gibbons got the Medal of the Order of Australia. He founded Movies by Burswood, which has raised some $10 million for WA charities. Barry McGuire received the Medal of the Order of Australia. Barry's art can be seen at Optus Stadium. He keeps people safe through the work that he does through Redspear. You can see his artistry through the production of Swan Lake with the WA Symphony Orchestra. I was really honoured to have Barry at my very first campaign launch, where he gave a welcome to country.”
“I acknowledge as a Member of the Order of Australia Cecil Black, a lawyer who has contributed so much to the community not just in Western Australia but in the Northern Territory as well, and Dianne Wynaden, who is now a Member of the Order of Australia. She's a professor at Curtin University School of Nursing and she's got an outstanding record in her work as a mental health nurse. David Denver is now a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia. He has dedicated so much of his life to the Jewish community in Perth—including through Maccabi, helping young people form connection. James—or Jim, as we know him—Morrison got the Medal of the Order of Australia. He founded Yokai, the WA Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation. He's a recipient of the John Curtin Medal. He's a patron of the Pride Parade.”
“For more than half a century, the Australian honours system has been a proud national tradition—our own honours to recognise our own Australians and their outstanding achievements. For 51 years, we have on Australia Day and the King's Birthday recognised those who do us all proud as Australians. As the minister responsible for honours policy and someone who has the privilege of sitting on the Council for the Order of Australia, I want to acknowledge all outstanding Australians who were honoured in those awards, but I also, as the member for Perth, want to recognise those constituents who now get to proudly wear that pin recognising their outstanding contributions to Australia.”
“Let us be clear. Under this government, 121 individuals have been removed from that union. Under those opposite, over nine years, how many were removed? That's right. Zero. Not a single official was removed from that union while they were in office, but 121 were removed during Labor's time cleaning up the mess that was left behind by those opposite. Your policy solutions did not solve any of these challenges—”
“I thank the Prime Minister, the Minister for Home Affairs, the Minister for Indigenous Australians and all colleagues who've offered support to people affected in both my electorate and their electorates. Australia must continue to walk together to build a country free from terror, a country free from racism, a country where we are free to exercise our fundamental democratic rights.”
“My children had their friends there as well. Today's news confirming this was an alleged terrorist act is another level of devastation. I thank the AFP, WA police and ASIO officers who've worked tirelessly. I thank the civilians who responded swiftly and alerted police to the threat. We can all walk in the footsteps of these everyday heroes. If you see something, say something. The National Security Hotline is open every minute of every hour of every day on 1800123400. I want to speak directly to those who feel the pain and heaviness of this news today. To the First Nations community in Perth, I stand with you. This parliament stands with you just as we stand with First Nations people across Australia who are hurting. Every Australian has the right to a shared sense of safety.”
“I rise to associate myself with the remarks of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition at the beginning of question time. For 45,000 years, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation have cared for Boorloo—that is, what is now known as the electorate of Perth. On 26th January 2026, in Forrest Place, they and thousands of others gathered peacefully. Minutes into the gathering, there was an alleged attack on First Nations people, driven by racism and hatred. That is not who we are, nor is it what we will allow Australia to become. This was an alleged attack on all Australians and on Australia's democracy. A homemade explosive device that did not detonate was thrown into a peaceful crowd. There were First Nations leaders, children, people from all walks of life. I had friends who were there.”
“Minister McCarthy said: I have heard from Elders who met with the West Australian Police Commissioner. They have been briefed on what took place on the day at the rally. They were certainly very pleased to be a part of that briefing. The WA Police are working closely with them to keep them informed. The response, while ongoing, has been clear. We've got law enforcement officials, the WA government and the Commonwealth government sharing a determination to keep Perth safe, to keep First Nations Australians safe and to keep our democracy safe from those who seek to harm it.”
“The WA government has shared in our commitment to keeping Perth the peaceful and vibrant city it has long been. In the words of Premier Roger Cook: … we must also recommit ourselves to making sure that we maintain a peaceful and safe community, doing everything we can … Indeed, we are doing everything we can. I also note that the Prime Minister firmly and clearly said, the day after the incident: This was an incident that is quite shocking. He's been charged with two serious offences and I look forward to him being prosecuted to the full force of the law. I couldn't agree more. I put on record my thanks to Minister Malarndirri McCarthy, who has engaged extensively with First Nations communities across Australia. As other speakers have noted, the hurt is real not just in Boorloo but across this country.”
“I thank WA police, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation for their continued efforts in this regard. I also note in this place that I've had a number of conversations with WA police commissioner Col Blanch. He's continually briefed me on the situation, and I thank him for that and thank his team, who have been working incredibly hard following this incident. I met with him again today, and yesterday I was briefed by the deputy commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, Hilda Sirec. Today I also met with Minister Reece Whitby, the WA police minister, as part of the ongoing work across Commonwealth and the state to make sure that this is a full, thorough investigation. We await the outcomes of the work that's underway.”
“Shortly after this happened, I said to our First Nations community in Perth, 'I stand with you.' That commitment has not wavered. I stand with that community. And I stand with those who seek to uphold our democratic freedoms, even when, as has been said very well by other speakers, people are putting forward views that don't sit with our own. I've said very clearly that I want to see our town square in the Perth CBD be a place where people can express their views in the democratic traditions we've had since Federation. As the investigation continues, I hold firm in that view. On 28 January, it was announced that the Western Australian Joint Counter Terrorism Team would investigate this attack as a potential terrorist act.”
“Our government has stood firm in condemning this disgusting attack. I first put out a statement just hours afterwards, thanking police and first responders, when details were still very unclear. But what was clear even then was the vile nature of this act. I want to again thank the WA police and, equally, the members of the public who spoke out when something didn't seem right—when they saw this explosive device thrown into the crowd. And I say, to all Australians: we all have a responsibility. If you have information that can keep your fellow citizens safe, please take action. Don't wait until it's too late. The National Security Hotline is there for all Australians on 1800123400, or there is Crime Stoppers on 1800333000.”
“It was Australia. This location, for those who don't know, sits between Perth's two CBD train stations—next to what we call the 'Cactus', a big piece of art in our city. Every day, 200,000 people go into Perth to work, to study and to spend time together. And that's why I thank the member for Curtin—because the Perth CBD belongs to all Australians. It is Australia's west-coast capital. It is where visitors come for tourism. It's our cultural capital, our nightlife capital, our business capital and a retail and hospitality hub. And I don't think there's any Western Australian who hasn't at some point found themselves in that very location. It's important that this motion passes through this House—and I also want to thank the member for Wentworth for seconding it—because it sends a very powerful message across this country.”
“This was not just a crowd; they were treasured members of my community, gathered in our peaceful town square. Noongar people have stood on and cared for that land for 45,000 years. At the event we had First Nations leaders and Australians from all walks of life. Young people were at this gathering, engaging in public debate. Friends and neighbours jumped on trains to attend a rally that's been happening in Perth for many decades. We had parents pushing their kids in prams. When I was a kid in a pram, my parents used to take me to Aboriginal land rights marches through the streets of Perth. Back then, there were horrible chants. As a baby, I was spat on for attending those marches with my parents. This was a thousand times worse. This was an attack on people who were simply having their say. It was not just a crowd; it was our community.”
“There is no place for hate, intimidation or racism in our country. It's not the sort of country that we are and it's not the direction in which we will head, because our democratic rights, whether for First Nations Australians or our newest Australians, are fundamental to who we are. Democracy must never be met with threats of violence or threats of terrorist acts. I'm so grateful that this parliament didn't have to deal with a condolence motion as the first item of business when we gathered today. I'm grateful that we've not had to have leaders and colleagues come and lay flowers in Forrest Place and that we have not had to attend funerals—but there is significant hurt in my electorate and across this country because what happened was potentially devastating for many of our fellow Australians. I want to talk a little bit about the crowd.”
“On 26 January, people gathered in Boorloo, in Forrest Place in Perth. It's been the home of democratic expression in my electorate for more than a century. What followed was the most abhorrent attempted attack on people simply exercising their democratic rights. This was an attack on First Nations people. This was an attack on all Australians. Indeed, it was an attack on our democracy. This was a potential terrorist act designed to cause significant harm, to cause fear and to kill our fellow Australians. A weapon was thrown into the crowd: a homemade explosive device that was there to kill and harm innocent civilians. That breaks my heart. Any attempt to attack or intimidate First Nations Australians is completely unacceptable, and this indeed was a direct attack on the social cohesion which we treasure here in Australia.”
“It is a unique story of stubborn survival that transforms 40 centuries into one saga of faith and hope and the triumph of life over everything.' That triumph of life over everything is what I carry in this place following this most devastating of acts. And for life to triumph, we must act. That's what I commit myself to, so we never again have to convene parliament as we have today.”
“Australia welcomed thousands of Jewish people after the horrors of World War II. In the 1950s, in the heart of the Perth community, the suburb of Menora was created. The roads and paths are inspired by the shape of a menorah. It is a symbol of the welcoming community that you can see from space. In 1954 at the consecration of Temple David in the Perth electorate, Rabbi Dr Herman Sanger said the following: 'The storied past of the Jewish people is full of struggle, suffering and martyrdom, if we view it superficially. When more deeply and truly understood, our whole history is a monumental record of creativeness, from the Decalogue of Moses to the thought of Einstein.”
“What happened at Bondi Beach affected all of Australia, and the conversations I've had have broken my heart. The fear and distress across Australia, including in my electorate of Perth, is significant. And I say again very clearly: I stand with the Jewish community in Perth. I want to thank all community leaders, including Dr Michael Levitt as President of the Jewish Community Council of Western Australia. The leadership from office holders in the Jewish community has been extraordinary. I join with them in saying once again: there is no place for antisemites, for terrorists or for hatred—no place in our schools or universities, no place in our workplaces, no place in the Australian Public Service and no place in our health and aged-care systems—because the Australia we build together is inclusive and welcoming for all.”
“We honour Matilda, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Boris Tetleroyd, Boris Gurman, Sofia Gurman, Reuven Morrison, Edith Brutman, Marika Pogany, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Peter Meagher, Tibor Weitzen, Alexander Kleytman, Dan Elkayam, Adam Smyth and Tania Tretiak. I also pay tribute to the bravery of those who responded—police, paramedics and civilians rushing people to hospital, helping secure Bondi, providing crisis and counselling support—and to those who are there for the long term, providing the support that is needed not just over weeks or months but over years. It has been my sad honour to work with the Prime Minister and the Council for the Order of Australia to establish the Bondi special honours list so we can honour the heroes. Australians can nominate them, and they can shine a light on the good, shine a light on the best, of Australia.”
“Sunday 14 December 2025 will be remembered as the darkest day in Australia's recent history. Australia at its best, with the celebration of Hanukkah on the iconic Bondi Beach, was shattered by the most un-Australian and inhumane of acts—an ISIS inspired terrorist attack on innocent Jewish Australians who were gathered in celebration. This violent expression of hatred towards Jews has affected every Australian. It changed our nation. The anger, pain and sorrow felt across Australia will be with us for the rest of our lifetimes. My thoughts are with those who are grieving, those who are injured and those who are traumatised. Any life lost was a life too many, and today the parliament honours those who are no longer with us.”
“Australians have broken hearts. Too many have broken dreams. But Australians refuse to let their society break, because that is exactly what the antisemitic terrorists of Bondi Beach want. They sought to terrorise Jewish Australians. In response, Australians have stood shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish friends and fellow citizens, including the Jewish community that has its heart in the Perth electorate. We will not let these antisemites, these terrorists, terrorise from beyond the grave or from jail, nor will we allow their actions to encourage or inspire others—because Australia's choice is to choose hope over fear and to choose kindness over division, because we know that hope overcomes hate, and light overcomes darkness. The hope of all Australians combined is stronger than the hate of these evil terrorists.”
“He was equally blunt about the possibilities of what can be achieved, and only achieved, by Labor governments. He also realised that the time for members and senators in this place is always limited but the impact of their decisions can last forever. As the Prime Minister quoted in question time yesterday, Graham said: 'My memory won't be around for very long, but the rainforests of North Queensland will be around forever.' I extend my condolences to all who knew Graham Richardson, especially to those from the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party and, most importantly, to Amanda and D'Arcy. Vale, Graham Richardson.”
“And, if we think about those forests and the natural environment which he preserved—Kakadu, the Daintree—they are uniquely Australian locations forever attached to his legacy. The Leader of the House, who worked for then senator Richardson, shared an obituary for his friend, and he outlined that the 'whatever it takes' headline was not just about power. The Leader of the House said: I know the title of his book will always lead people to conclude everything was about power. I saw, up close, a fiercely loyal man try to drive a better health system and invest his capital before he left parliament in obtaining what was back then the largest ever investment in Indigenous Health. Graham Richardson was blunt about the realities of politics.”
“That passion and pragmatism gave us both Prime Minister Hawke and Prime Minister Keating—election wins that, in retrospect, looked easy and certain outcomes but were nothing like that at the time. They were very hard fought, earned and won. But it was in the environment portfolio, as many have reflected, that a man who loved politics and the political battle in all its dimensions really demonstrated his love for Australia itself. 'The greening of Graham Richardson' was the Sydney Morning Herald headline that would define his time in the portfolio, and in that they quote Graham as saying: Trees are the sexiest issue of the '80s. I'd like to say that some of those trees might be a little bit older now, in 2025, but those trees are equally as sexy today.”
“I want you to know, Senator Faulkner that, for all the appalling things you have done, I forgive you. I want you to know … I harbour no grudge and that within 30 or 40 years they will all be forgotten. But, if I were you, I would be the first to buy the book in September, and I would look up the index, because I have got to tell you that you are there in large lumps. Which confirms, I think, what the Prime Minister said in his obituary, which was: Richo's life was often colourful, and sometimes controversial, but what lay at the heart of it was his sense of service, underpinned by his powerful blend of passion and pragmatism. He gave so much to our party, to our nation and to the natural environment that future generations will cherish.”
“The blistering opening to his first speech left you in no doubt of where he stood with a view that he was here to act in Australia's interests. He said: The rejection of Supply by the Senate in 1975 finally debunked all of the myths about this being a States House. And he went on then to reflect on the core Labor belief of ensuring employment for all who wanted to work, saying: The last election was won by the Australian Labor Party on the issue of unemployment. And then, some 11 years later, he gave his valedictory—an excellent contribution after many fine arguments in that Senate. But it was with humour, flair, honesty and a very proud plug for his forthcoming book, trying to encourage senators to go and buy a copy, he said: … Senator Faulkner and I had some … disagreements.”
“If I think back to having read about the start of his engagement in politics, I can imagine the Monterey branch that Graham Richardson first joined. It's been described in many of the reports as 'sleepy'. I think we can all imagine that sort of dull party meeting that he must have walked into and thought, as a 17-year-old, 'I'm here to make a difference', and everyone's there to, probably, whinge about head office. But, just a few years later, there he was in New South Wales Labor headquarters himself. And before too long he was running what then became known as the New South Wales Labor machine. That was part of the passion and pragmatism that defined him. Despite being passionately from New South Wales and passionately from the right of the Labor Party, Richo was an Australian, first and foremost.”
“To Amanda and to Graham's son, D'Arcy, I share my deepest condolences. Any family that shares a family member with the public spotlight pays an additional price, and I think we all know that Amanda and D'Arcy have lost someone who had so much more depth and so much more love than the 'whatever it takes' persona that many know of Graham in public. As the Attorney-General just referenced, Graham didn't mind picking up the phone to give some advice to various party officials. He didn't just do it for the New South Wales branch. When I was secretary of the Western Australian branch of the Labor Party, he was happy to reach both across the continent and across the factional divide with some at the time very welcome advice on how to defeat the Liberals in WA, as we did.”
“I last saw Graham at the desk of the 2024 election coverage for the Queensland state election. We had a great chat together in the Sky studios. We compared notes. We sat and had a bit of a bite as we fuelled up for some six hours on air. We admired the fight that Steven Miles and the Labor team had put into their election effort, but we agreed that the likely outcome was pretty clear for all to see. We did have some highlights during that night. We shared some smiles across the desk, as we watched the Greens struggle and then go backwards throughout the night. And there I was, admiring his determination to be a blunt, sometimes painfully honest, Labor champion, despite all of the health challenges he'd been so open about. His wife, Amanda, was there with him, supporting him and sharing her insights as well.”
“It is right where it makes perfect sense and is connected to some of the other good services that are provided to those doing it tough in my electorate. I want to thank all who've made it possible, those who've helped build it. I was there with Minister Clare O'Neil just a few months ago seeing the final bits being poured, and now it's open. It's a tribute to everyone who has built it and, now, everyone who runs it. I'm very pleased that that additional support is now available.”
“Finally, Monday of this week saw the opening of the East Perth Common Ground project. The common ground model, as many would know, has been a huge success in Brisbane, in Melbourne and around the world. We didn't have one in Perth, but that has now changed thanks to investment from both the Albanese Labor government and the Cook Labor government. It makes sure that this 14-storey complex with 112 self-contained apartments can provide support for the most vulnerable in our society—people who are living on the edge or on the street, or who have been at serious risk of homelessness. It's got 24/7 support services. It brings all of the services that people need to an excellent location in East Perth.”
“There was a massive milestone for a much-loved community club in my electorate. The Bayswater Bowling & Recreation Club celebrated their 90th anniversary. They were formed just after the Great Depression and just after Western Australia voted to leave the Commonwealth. They have gone from strength to strength to strength. They kept their community together during World War II, and they have become an inclusive and welcoming club in the heart of Bayswater that now boasts more than a thousand members. They embody the community spirit of the community which I represent, and I want to congratulate all of their life members and all of the club committee for the outstanding work that they do in building an inclusive sporting club of which anyone is more than welcome to be a member.”
“It's been a massive few weeks in the Perth electorate. I want to share with members a few things that have been happening and that make me particularly proud to be the federal member for Perth. Firstly, Perth has been officially selected to host the Gay Games in 2030. This is the first time that this global celebration of sport, culture and inclusion will be held in Australia. I want to congratulate the organisers, who have put together an outstanding and successful bid. I want to say thank you to Pride WA for the work that they have done in putting this bid together. I'm looking forward to seeing the values of participation, inclusion and respect ring loudly through the streets of Perth as our world class city hosts that event. Secondly, I want to share with this chamber an exciting moment that happened just this weekend.”
“That did not occur. We also want to make sure that we enforce existing laws to telcos. Again, this is about making sure that the existing laws are enforced—something that those opposite are seeking to actively undermine. Some of those opposite were here in May 2018. That's when an outage happened that affected some 4,000 calls. Did we see any legislative change from those opposite at that point? No. There was not a single legislative change when there was a failure on their watch in 2018. They had a choice, and they chose to do nothing. The Albanese government has a decidedly different approach. We on this side hold Optus to account, and I believe the opposition should start doing the same.”
“I outline that because it's important to note that this is about ensuring that things that Optus should have done but did not do are thoroughly investigated, even if those opposite seek to undermine this investigation, which I think is a very interesting choice to have made. We learnt two things about the opposition today. First, we learnt from the opposition that they are determined to let Optus off the hook for Optus's failures. We are seeing excuse after excuse for Optus from those opposite. Second, we learnt from those opposite is that they are obsessed emails that have been in the public domain for weeks. We saw, in the final questions from the Leader of the Opposition, questions based on opinion not on quotes. Again, I think even the opposition would agree that Optus should have told the government on Thursday afternoon.”
“I think it's clear everyone in this place wants accountability from Optus. That's what the Australian public want—for Optus to do their job. That's what the investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority—undermined by the member from Lindsay just now—is about, and it will look at Optus's compliance with emergency call service regulations and related rules. And, as ACMA has said, these are the same rules that ACMA found Optus breached in 2022 during a nationwide outage. I think it's important to note in this debate that these regulations and rules already exist. There is the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019, is the Telecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages) Industry Standard 2024 and Industry Code C536: Emergency Call Service Requirements. They already exist.”
“Every telecommunications provider has obligations. This week, the minister had those companies here in this parliament and outlined the existing legislative obligations on those companies, the basic human decency that every telecommunications customer should expect and our expectations as government that Optus, Telstra and TPG Telecom ensure their services are complying with current laws and ensure they are ready for the coming disaster season. But we're comfortable going further, and that's what these laws—which the shadow minister, the member for Lindsay, said were 'pretty much insane'—are about. As the minister said when introducing the bill: … while telco outages may occur, the law is clear: carriers must always make sure that triple 0 calls still connect by being redirected to alternate mobile towers or infrastructure.”
“In fact, what the member for Lindsay said—I wrote down this quote and reflected on the idea that the government wanted to legislate within the first sitting day of parliament and that those opposite complained about only having had 24 hours to read the legislation. I've read the legislation. A number of people on this side have. If the member from Lindsay can't read it in 24 hours, that's interesting. She said that this requirement was 'pretty much insane'. I don't think that it is 'pretty much insane' for the government to want to strengthen accountability. The member for Lindsay also—and credit to her on this—did acknowledge that, previously, the minister had already introduced legislation on penalties for telecommunications companies. I think it was an MPI speech that will not stand the test of time. I want to reiterate.”
“Again, you wouldn't know that from some of the remarks in the other parts of the speech from the member for Lindsay or the questions we've seen from those opposite. Then, apparently, legislating to put further protections and further obligations onto the telecommunications companies wasn't good enough for the member for Lindsay. We saw the opposition in this chamber just a few minutes ago complaining that they had only had 24 hours to read the legislation. Either they want us to act on the first day of parliament since this failure from Optus—that was the choice that we made. That was the choice the government made. We came here in the first sitting of the parliament to act—to legislate. If that's not what the opposition want to do, they should just come out and say so.”
“It is very clear from the speech we saw from the member for Lindsay that she neither watched the press conference nor read the transcript of that press conference. Then we had the member for Lindsay undermine ACMA, the Australian Communications and Media Authority. The member for Lindsay walked in here, in her MPI, and said ACMA was 'part of the problem'. Right now, ACMA is conducting an investigation into what went wrong. To have the member for Lindsay come in here and undermine the authority is a very interesting choice for the opposition leader to have allowed to be made. Then we had the member for Lindsay acknowledge that the custodian has in fact been in place since March.”
“And then, further, the CEO said this: Regardless of where a process is conducted, the issue was that a process was not followed. And to be very clear, the accountability for that rests with Optus. I think, if that's the CEO of Optus acknowledging the accountability rests with Optus, maybe those opposite could spend a little bit more time demanding proper accountability from the CEO of Optus and the providers of Optus. I just sat through the remarks of the member for Lindsay, and I thought I'd just address some of the interesting contortions of fact that were in those remarks. Firstly, the member for Lindsay acknowledged that the minister gave a press conference on Saturday 20 September.”
“It was completely unacceptable that they failed their customers in this way. Hundreds of calls were not connected, and it came after previous failures that severely eroded trust, including this parliament's trust, in Optus, because Optus failed to manage their network and they failed to comply with the law. Now, for the benefit of the opposition, I want to read some of the quotes from the Chief Executive Officer of Optus. This is what the Chief Executive Officer of Optus, Stephen Rue, said: On the first night of the upgrade, the steps taken on past successful upgrades of a similar nature were not followed. That's Optus admitting their failures. Further, the CEO went on to say: This issue occurred because there was a deviation from established processes. Again, that's Optus acknowledging that they had failed.”
“It connects Australians to emergency health, fire and policing services. I think in this debate it is worth pausing for a moment to thank all of those who make those services work—the emergency communications officers who are there at the end of the phone line, the paramedics, the firefighters and the police officers. I want to say a big thank you to every Australian worker who is behind Australia's triple 0 service. They keep Australians safe. Every day, hundreds of Australians rely upon that service, which is saving lives, protecting livelihoods and maintaining social cohesion. That's why I share the Australian public's outrage at the conduct of Optus. Optus should be rightly criticised in this place. They have failed. Optus's failures resulted in a loss of life.”
“Every Australian relies on triple 0. This essential service is not one that any Australian ever wants to call, but every single one of those calls should be connected, every time. It is the most critical service of Australia's telecommunications system. I know so many in this place have been in that situation, as I have, where you do have to call triple 0 because a loved one or just a fellow Australian citizen is in a time of need. I remember having to make that call to triple 0 for my young son, Leo, when he was having a horrible allergic reaction to some food. That's when we discovered that he had severe anaphylaxis. But we were so fortunate. That call was connected, paramedics arrived and he got the public health care that he needed. That is what every Australian should expect when they call our emergency services.”
“What it reminds us of is that, when Chloe speaks about fairness and opportunity, there are people who are listening to those calls. I want to thank Chloe for participating. I want to thank every young Australian across the country who participated in the Raise Our Voice campaign. I think what you see across the parliament here is that it's a reminder that young people do have a voice in this parliament. Many of them aren't able to vote yet, but they still have all of the democratic rights of representation and the ability to contact their members of parliament and put forward their views about the decisions we make.”
“While I attend a selective school with specialist programs and university pathways, my primary school friends got funnelled into under-resourced schools, pushed toward … dead ends. Our education system prides itself on giving every child a "fair go", but what our kids really need is equity. They need you to recognise that some of them need more support to reach the same starting line. To our representatives in Parliament—children's futures should not depend on the postcodes. Fund schools based on need and ensure every student has access to the same opportunities regardless of where they live. Their futures, Australia's future, depends on you. Those are Chloe's words. That is one of a number of outstanding contributions from students in the Perth electorate that were put forward to me to choose from.”
“And I would like to begin with a story. Graduating from a middle-class primary school, it is often the little things that I reflect on. I remember a friend who brought the same Vegemite sandwich for lunch every day. Another could not buy new stationary until her mum finished TAFE. Another courageously shared her parent's experience with cancer. Looking back, I realise how much I overlooked these signs of struggle. The same schooling system that was meant to support my friends never acknowledged the tangible effects of socioeconomic barriers. Whether it be nutritionally, academically, or emotionally, my friends were left to navigate in the dark. Now in high school, I see how those early disadvantages snowball.”