Phillip Thompson
Herbert · Liberal National Party · Australia
“The schedule ensures that a former partner is not excluded from support services simply because their relationship with the serving member has ended. Facilitating access to assistance for safe separation and improving the safety of victims-survivors are objectives the coalition strongly supports.”
“The general public around the country expects members of our ADF to be at the highest standard, and so do I, because when the time comes—and history shows it will—we will ask our brave men and women to travel to a foreign land, to stand side-by-side with our allies with the Australian flag on their shoulder and their will to win.”
“There is a word that used to mean something in this country—trust. Trust was the commitment a government made to the Australian people. This Labor prime minister said from this dispatch box whilst in opposition: … you can only lie to people once. Well, it's clear that this prime minister doesn't take his own advice.”
“Effective oversight will be the key to ensuring that lessons of the royal commission are translated into lasting and systematic improvements. The coalition supports the objectives of this bill. We are mindful of the history of reform in this area. For too many, the system has been the source of frustration rather than support.”
“We approach this debate in a spirit of constructive engagement, acknowledging the valuable work of ex-service organisations, advocates and families who have fought for these changes. However, our support is cautious.”
“These are the metrics by which the parliament and further governments will be judged. The coalition supports the referral of this legislation to a committee inquiry in the Senate. This process is not about delay; it's about diligence.”
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“It's important to the veterans, but it's also important to the younger generation to hear and learn, to hear about a million people deployed on an operation and 39,000 paying the ultimate sacrifice, to hear from their families, to hear from our veterans that are still with us. It was great to see that the Townsville City Council came out in support of VP80 with funding and a commitment. The state Crisafulli government came out and supported VP80 in Townsville. It's a shame that today we don't have the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in this place, in this chamber, and it is the same with the assistant minister. I know the special envoy would be here. But VP80 sits with the federal Australian government to support such events.”
“Now, in Townsville, the largest garrison city in the country, we have specific events, like VP50 and VP80, where more than 3,200 soldiers, veterans and their families travel. VP80 will be a massive event. It's 80 years since the victory in the Pacific and the end of World War II, and people will travel from around the world. World War II veterans will make their way to Townsville. We'll have soldiers, veterans and their families from around the country, including the Ambassador to France, who contacted me and said he was coming to Townsville as well. It will be a massive event, and we know it's so important.”
“The significant events that follow around the country are on anniversaries, on days of remembrance and reflection, like Victory in the Pacific Day for World War II. It is something that—I agree with most people in this place—needs to be highlighted and spoken more about in our schooling system, because more than a million people served in World War II and more than 39,000 people paid the ultimate sacrifice. Families were left with loved ones being killed overseas, a lifetime of growing up without their parent or their spouse, and there were the invisible wounds that follow. So highlighting the victory in the Pacific is also about reaffirming our position and support for those families.”
“I start by acknowledging all those that continue to wear the uniform, our veterans and their families. The freedoms that we enjoy today are on the back of hard-fought battles, wars and the sacrifice that you have made. On Anzac Day we say 'lest we forget' and we reaffirm our commitment to always remember those who have been killed in battle, have died in training or have succumbed to their war within back here on home soil. On Remembrance Day, we say the guns fell silent, but the guns haven't fallen silent since. From natural disasters, peacekeeping missions, combat operations and world wars to Afghanistan, our brave men and women are there. When we say words like 'lest we forget', they must be more than merely words that we mutter on significant days. They are a commitment—a commitment to our veterans and their families.”
“Jenny wrote to me: I'm immunocompromised and feeling unwell, mould all through my house, water leaked through my walls and I've been rejected. Another wrote: my mum Margaret was evacuated … and her house got water all through it. She lost everything mate. Why is the government rejecting her claim? Prime Minister, I call on you to urgently review this flawed policy and ensure the people of North Queensland can finally get the help they so desperately need instead of being treated like second-rate Australians. Prime Minister, this is not your personal slush fund to buy votes in the south-east; start treating Townsville with the respect it deserves.”
“After the advocacy of the North Queensland community turned into a loud roar, so loud that even a prime minister couldn't ignore it, he finally announced additional support last week to cover the broader Townsville region. But, as with everything from this Labor government, there's a catch. I received thousands of messages from desperate locals who are still being told they aren't eligible for financial support despite being severely impacted. We have instances in Kelso where one person in the household was deemed eligible but the other person, living in the same residence, was deemed ineligible. That is totally unacceptable and yet another example of bureaucracy gone mad. The messages I've received have been heartbreaking.”
“While the Prime Minister made a cash splash to win votes in the south-east following Tropical Cyclone Alfred, North Queensland was begging for help more than six weeks after the flood impacts. The level of disdain shown by this Prime Minister reached record heights when he flew into Townsville for a media stunt and then left hours later—jumped on his private jet—to attend a Labor Party fundraiser. The speed with which the PM left North Queenslanders to fend for themselves was rivalled only by the speed with which he threw cash at every possible voter in the state's south-east. It makes absolutely no sense and is grossly unfair that the Prime Minister applied one set of standards to funding arrangement eligibility in the south-east corner and another, less favourable, approach to residents in North Queensland.”
“North Queensland has been inundated by floodwaters over the past two months. Many homes in the electorate of Herbert have been impacted and continue to be impacted today, from Bluewater in the north and Wulguru in the south to Kelso in the east and Magnetic Island in the west. Thousands of local families have suffered because of the extremely wet start to the year. Some homes have been inundated by water. Others have been swamped by sewage. Most homes and businesses have had mould growing on the walls, ceilings and floors. The damage has run into the thousands of dollars for many. Townsville has a heart like no other region. People are tough, but they deserve better than the crumbs that they've been served up by the Albanese Labor government.”