Anika Wells
Lilley · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Eight years ago, this parliament came together in a bipartisan effort to ban what was then the primary form of foreign lottery operations in our market: lottery betting services.”
“It will be up to online platforms to implement these restrictions, and, if they choose not to, then the rules are clear: they can't show gambling ads at any time, to anyone. Sport ban The government is determined to act on the nexus that has formed between our love of the game and the push to gamble.”
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. The recent statutory review of BetStop the National Self-Exclusion Register, tabled in February 2026, found only one in four people are aware that BetStop exists. And among people who placed a bet in the last 12 months, it was still only one in three.”
“But this critical service can be even stronger and more effective. The world is changing rapidly, and gambling companies are taking advantage of this.”
“Placing an obligation on digital services, including search engines and app providers, to block access and advertising to illegal gambling services online. 4.”
“I move: That the bill be now read a second time. Introduction This bill will introduce a meaningful and impactful suite of reforms to protect Australians, particularly children and young people, from gambling harms.”
The complete record
Every one of 255 lines we hold for Anika Wells, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 6.
“As is a matter of public record, I became aware of the major Optus outage on 19 September at approximately 4.30 pm. My office was contacted by Optus. Through my office, I received briefings and information following the Optus press conference. Overnight, I made arrangements to delay my trip to gather information and inform premiers and the Australian public, which I did at a press conference on Saturday. And we can agree that this is a tragic circumstance. People have lost loved ones, and that hardens my resolve. My department and my office will pursue this with absolute rigour. You have every right to raise these questions, but I am not led by the opposition.”
“The proposed insertion of 'a telecommunications network that is used to supply an emergency call service' is untethered from the concept of carriers and carriage services and does not define what an emergency call service is and so it would potentially capture any system—”
“I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. As I noted when the amendments were moved earlier today, we were keen to engage in good faith on potential amendments. But, unfortunately, that was not reciprocated by the opposition, who then pulled a parliamentary stunt. However, since then, we've had a bit of time to look over the amendments proposed by the member for Lindsay and I must say, unfortunately for all of us, they are quite poor. In relation to the proposed amendment to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018, at best the amendment is completely redundant. The current definition of 'critical telecommunications asset' already captures the infrastructure the amendment is targeted towards. At worst, the amendment would extend the definition of 'critical telecommunications asset' far beyond its intent.”
“I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. All of this information is already in the public domain. I spoke to that at a press conference on 22 September. I spoke about that incorrect information that Optus provided to my office and to the ACMA regulator on Thursday 18 September. That transcript is available on my website if you would like to peruse. That advice that Optus gave to both my office and ACMA on Thursday afternoon was clearly incorrect, it was inaccurate and it was misleading. That is why we have put in place changes that will be further strengthened on 1 November when the new ACMA determination takes effect. It will mean that telcos must immediately share information relating to outages with relevant emergency service organisations—police, fire, ambulance—and the regulator and people who are relevant.”
“The amendments moved by the member for Mallee are well intentioned, but they are unnecessary. The Albanese government is focused on the needs of regional Australians, and the Triple Zero Custodian, which has been established by the Albanese government and not any prior conservative government, will act accordingly.”
“Unfortunately, the shadow communications minister has made a choice, and these are the consequences of this choice. There have been discussions in good faith about these amendments. Those were being worked through. However, the choice of the opposition to move those amendments forward to an earlier time means that those discussions can't be finalised before this point where you're putting the question, so we oppose them.”
“I thank the shadow minister for her question. The triple 0 outage from Optus occurred on 18 September—the Thursday. I was made aware by my office late Friday afternoon that there had been more than 600 calls impacted and three deaths.”
“We also asked NEMA to attend, and NEMA and the Minister for Emergency Management spoke to the particular perils of the natural disaster season and the particular matters that were outstanding. We all committed to get back together again and to do a simulation drill in a couple of weeks to stress-test where this system is not currently working for people, particularly in places like regional Australia. You would know, of course, that the Minister for Emergency Management is always thinking, front of mind, about regional Australians, and I reassure you that we are sincere in that work and that work will continue.”
“Subject to the outcomes of that work, my department will examine the extent to which roaming could be available during other outage events, as recommended in the Bean review. I would also highlight the government's commitment to the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, which will enable, for the first time, baseline outdoor mobile connectivity across Australia, and this will provide another level of redundancy during outages of all kinds. With respect to the second half of your question, I will say that was absolutely the subject of much of the discussion by the Minister for Emergency Management and me when we met with the three CEOs of the telcos in my office earlier today.”
“I thank the member for Indi for her question, and I acknowledge her ongoing interest in and passion for improving regional telecommunications. The government accepted, absolutely, and agreed in principle with recommendation 14 of the Bean review, which recommended that work currently being undertaken on roaming during natural disasters should be followed by work on temporary roaming during outages caused by other events, though it acknowledged the industry had identified some technical feasibility issues. I'm advised that the industry is developing a temporary disaster roaming capability. It's drafting a memorandum of understanding to support this development. And let me be clear: it is my expectation that industry will make that work.”
“I thank the member for her question. I also encourage her to read the Bean review. If you did, you would read the disturbing fact that, until our government acted, Australian telcos were not legally required to report outages—not required at all. That's what happened under your side of the fence. We have already put in place changes which will be further strengthened on 1 November when the new ACMA determination, commissioned by my predecessor, takes effect. It'll mean telcos must immediately share information relating to outages with relevant emergency service organisations such as police, fire and ambulance.”
“So the Albanese government has and will always work to protect Australians, and we will hold those who fail to deliver on their obligations to full account.”
“So in April 2024 the government tasked the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman to lead a steering committee of industry, government and consumer representatives to do that work. They met six times between May and October 2024, providing their final report to the department on 28 November 2024. The department considered all of the recommendations on all of the issues identified by that committee, which informed its recommendations to the then minister in March 2025 that the custodian should operate within the department and be supported by new legislative powers. Upon accepting the department's recommendation, that custodian commenced immediately and work began on the legislation that we are introducing now.”
“I thank the shadow minister for her question. The only thing that could have stopped Optus from having this outage was Optus themselves. They are responsible for their failure and they will be held to account for their failure. However, the triple 0 custodian would not exist at all were it not for our government. We commissioned the Bean review. We accepted all of its recommendations, including the work to design and implement the custodian. It is a complete fabrication to say that the government has sat on this. In March 2024, the Bean review recommended a triple 0 custodian and that further work be done on the specific nature of the custodian. It did not recommend a particular model. If you read the Bean review—which, again, I encourage—it says this may be done in a number of ways.”
“That is why I was very disturbed to hear on Sky News, just before question time and after the introduction of the legislation, which the shadow minister for communications was in the House to listen to, that she dithered and equivocated on whether the opposition would support the triple 0 custodian bill. This is the shadow minister who is on record criticising me for not going faster. When presented with the opportunity to support the bill, she dithered and equivocated over whether the opposition would support it. Our role here is to build confidence in the triple 0 system. I have been working as fast as I can to bring this legislation to this place. The question in the legislation is very simple, and it should not be difficult for the opposition to answer. The question is: do you support a stronger custodian for triple 0?”
“At my meeting with the chief executives of the three telcos, who I summonsed to Canberra earlier today ahead of introducing the triple 0 custodian legislation, I urged industry to go faster on those remaining four recommendations that they have carriage of, and I'm pleased to update the House that they agreed to do so. One of the good things about this new law is it creates new levers for the custodian to press industry when they are recalcitrant to get on with improvement. That is an improvement that would be delivered by the passage of the legislation.”
“I thank the shadow minister for communications for her questions, and I invite her to read the Bean review. It has 18 recommendations, of which 13 are now complete and five are still in implementation. Of those five, recommendations 3 and 4 pertain to new industry codes in the testing of both devices and networks, recommendation 14 is around temporary outage roaming during natural disasters and recommendation 15 is a mutual assistance memorandum of understanding to require mutual assistance between telcos during outages. I make these points because the common thread is that each of those four recommendations is either being led by or depends on industry.”
“The CEO of Optus has apologised to the families for the failures of Optus and the catastrophic impact that has had on their families, as has the CEO of Singtel, the parent company of Optus. I think we can all agree it is right and appropriate for these companies to apologise because they are the cause of these catastrophic failures. They have accepted responsibility for this.”
“I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. I trust that she was watching when the Optus CEO announced news that there had been, as far as he was aware, three deaths. That was late Friday afternoon. The following day, on Saturday afternoon, Premier Roger Cook said that they had found, within the ambulance services of WA, a fourth death that may be connected to the catastrophic Optus outages. Let us agree here: that is not good enough; what happened in September was not good enough. Legislating a triple 0 custodian will drive real change, but, for us here, there is no silver bullet when it comes to corporate failures. So have I spoken with the families? I have spoken with Optus, the company who has failed Australians and these families here.”
“Emma went to the United Nations to appeal to the world's leaders to take action as we are taking action, and I do not regret for one minute standing with Emma as she took that mission to the world. So, if we're going to talk apologies, the Leader of the Opposition should apologise for calling that work 'swanning around'. That is what she said. I call on the Leader of the Opposition to apologise to those organisations and to the parents— (Time expired)”
“With respect to the end part of the opposition leader's question, our bipartisan, new laws to delay access to social media are one of the most important things that our nation has ever done, and they have the potential to change the world. That is why these laws were being discussed at the United Nations, and that is why I was at the United Nations. The member would know if they had met with the bereaved families who have been lobbying for these laws for many years—people like Robb Evans, who was carrying the ashes of his daughter, Liv, in an urn when he came to this place and begged us to act. They would know if they had spent time with Emma Mason, who lost her daughter, Tilly, to suicide. Emma is just an ordinary woman, but she has acted with incredible courage.”
“Today we've announced six key points that we are prioritising to make triple 0 the most resilient and the most safe system that it can be: (1) introducing a new bill to enshrine the Triple Zero Custodian in law, (2) introducing real-time reporting of outages to ACMA and emergency services, (3) forcing telcos to test triple 0 during upgrades and maintenance, (4) new requirements on providers to fully ensure triple 0 calls fall back to other networks, (5) mandatory improvement plans after triple 0 outages and (6) within six months of the commencement of the new laws, the custodian, through ACMA, will issue additional performance requirements to telcos to assure Australians of best practice.”
“I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. We can all agree that the outages that occurred last month by Optus are completely unacceptable. Optus's failings are under multiple investigations, including by ACMA, the independent regulator, and by state authorities. No-one should be under any illusion: this outage was the fault of Optus and Optus alone, and they will be held accountable. However, Optus's repeated failures have made one thing very clear. The triple 0 system needs reform, and that's exactly what our government is delivering.”
“The Albanese government is committed to making the triple 0 system better and more reliable for Australians. Legislating a triple 0 custodian will help—but there is no silver bullet solution for corporate failure. If a telco fails Australians—like Optus did—they will face significant consequences. There is no excuse. I commend the bill to the House. Debate adjourned.”
“Schedule 3—technical updates to emergency services references Schedule 3 of the bill updates references to 'emergency services' so that the term is consistently defined across telecommunications legislation. C onclusion This bill acts on the lessons of past service disruptions by establishing into law the powers and functions of the Triple Zero Custodian. It provides the Commonwealth with a permanent mechanism to oversee emergency call services, both during outages and in business-as-usual operations. It will also give the ACMA the tools it needs to be proactive and forward leaning in pursuing a resilient, reliable emergency call service for the benefit of all Australians. Going forward, I will repeat for the record what I said to the CEOs of Optus, Telstra and TPG before walking into this chamber.”
“For constitutional reasons, the powers of direction contained in the bill do not extend to state and territory emergency services organisations. However, it is my expectation that the custodian will work constructively with the states and territories, to ensure the appropriate transfer of information. Schedule 2—consequential amendments Schedule 2 makes consequential amendments to the Telecommunications Act 1997. It confirms ACMA's investigation pathway where matters are referred by the custodian and establishes civil penalties for contraventions of custodian directions. This aligns with the penalty settings of other enforcement tools across the telecommunications regulatory framework and reinforces the seriousness of compliance.”
“This arrangement strengthens ACMA as an active participant in triple 0, while maintaining the custodian as the central coordination and oversight function within the department. The bill also establishes rules for the use and disclosure of custodian information. This framework allows information to be shared with emergency service organisations, regulators and other relevant bodies to remediate problems before they cause crisis, and to respond during an outage of the triple 0 system. Schedule 1 requires ACMA to report every six months to the minister on use of the new powers, with a copy provided to the custodian. The minister may also cause a review of the custodian's effectiveness within two years of commencement. These provisions reinforce accountability and provide the flexibility to refine the framework over time.”
“They may also require specific actions to be taken, such as consulting with other stakeholders, sharing information with an emergency service organisation, or improving procedures to prevent a repeat failure. During an outage event, where the custodian or ACMA reasonably believes access to triple 0 may be affected, ACMA can compel timely information on the outage's nature, scale, impacts and restoration. Information gathered by ACMA will be provided to the custodian in a timely manner. The custodian will use this material to support its ongoing, systemwide oversight of triple 0. ACMA will also provide advice and analysis to the custodian to assist in identifying risks and improving preparedness across the ecosystem.”
“That's why this morning I met with the CEOs of Optus, Telstra and TPG/Vodafone ahead of the approaching natural disaster season. There are no excuses and I made that crystal clear earlier today. Schedule 1—main amendments Turning to the specifics of this bill, schedule 1 amends the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 to put the custodian on a statutory footing and equip ACMA with targeted powers. Under these amendments, ACMA may issue directions to carriers, carriage service providers and emergency call persons. These directions may require critical information to be provided, such as technical details of an outage, policies and processes affecting triple 0, or restoration plans.”
“This bill cements into law the powers and functions of the existing triple 0 custodian, to strengthen the resilience and oversight of the triple 0 system. And it builds on critical industry standards starting on 1 November. From 1 November, telecommunications carriers will have to provide real-time reporting of outages to ACMA and to emergency services. They will also have to test triple 0 during upgrades and maintenance, and ensure calls fall back to other networks if needed. And within six months of the commencement of this bill, the custodian, through ACMA, will issue additional performance requirements to telcos to ensure best practice. Telco providers know under the law they must provide reliable access to triple 0—that is their legal obligation.”
“Despite this requirement, the Bean review found that a lack of overarching accountability over many years left the system vulnerable when coordination broke down. That is why, in March this year, the Albanese government established the Triple Zero Custodian in the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts. So far, the custodian has worked closely with industry to understand the gaps in the triple 0 system. Alongside the custodian, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman has led a steering committee of industry, government and consumer representatives to establish a longer-term triple 0 custodian model. I thank the participants in that steering committee for their contribution to this incredibly important work.”
“While the Australian Communications and Media Authority's independent investigation into the most recent incident continues, today I introduce the Telecommunications Legislative Amendment (Triple Zero Custodian and Emergency Calling Powers) Bill 2025. What's happened so far From the moment a person dials triple 0 into their phone, a chain of actions is set in motion. The call passes through carriers, infrastructure owners and the emergency call person before finally landing with the relevant state and territory emergency service, who dispatch potentially life-saving resources. And 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.”
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Introduction Triple 0 is the most critical service in our telecommunications system. It is the number Australians call in their most desperate moment of need, when lives and safety are on the line. Australians should trust that when they call triple 0 someone will answer and help will come. But repeated failures by Optus in recent years, through which thousands of emergency calls failed to connect and lives were lost, has compromised that trust. The Albanese government will always work to protect Australians, and we will hold those who fail to deliver their obligations to full account. Optus—and all telecommunications carriers—have no excuses for triple 0 outages.”
“Everyone has a right to enjoy sport at every level, and this program helps get more women and girls taking part. I am determined to be a good ancestor, and there's no better time than now, so let's take action, leave this place in better condition than we found it and build a future our kids can enjoy for generations to come. I thank the House.”
“On the pathway to Brisbane 2032, the Albanese government has announced a record $489 million for high-performance sport over the first two years of the Olympic and Paralympic cycle. This is the largest ever government investment in Olympic and Paralympic sports to help Australian athletes achieve success on the world stage. We are continuing to back our athletes at the elite and grassroots levels. That is why I am proud to be leading the delivery of the $200 million Play Our Way program, the largest ever sporting fund specifically for women and girls, which will help develop the next generation of athletes. We know there are too many women and girls who are changing in men's dressing rooms and playing on poor courts and fields. Through Play Our Way, almost 300 programs are being delivered throughout Australia.”
“Whether it's keeping grandparents in Lilley connected with grandkids or ensuring those in remote Australia have access to fast and reliable broadband and good mobile coverage, I will never stop working to ensure Australians are connected. From Broome to Bendigo, from the Pilbara to Palm Island, Australians deserve to connect with confidence. It is critical that a country as vast as Australia prioritises connectivity regardless of postcode. That is my priority, and the Albanese government will continue delivering a better connected continent for all Australians. Within the Sport portfolio, I am thrilled to be delivering for Australia's high-performance athletes, along with the next generation, through investment in better sport facilities throughout the country.”
“Thirty per cent of Lilley residents are renters, which is much higher than both the Queensland and national statistics. This will help so many people in Lilley get into their own home sooner, cutting years off the time that it has been taking to save for a deposit, and they won't have to pay a single dollar in mortgage insurance. Their ability to service that mortgage will also be helped thanks to the seven consecutive quarters of growth in real wages under our government. Over the next three years, I look forward to delivering more cost-of-living relief for Lilley residents. Alongside the privilege of being the local member, it has been an honour to serve in my role as Minister for Communications and Minister for Sport. Communications touch all Australians in one way or another.”
“There have been more than 20,000 visits to our Northside Medicare Urgent Care Clinic since it opened in December 2023, and just last week I visited the Kedron Medical Centre, which has just become a 100 per cent bulk-billing clinic. Their CEO told me that this is one of the first clinics in the ForHealth network to transition to 100 per cent bulk-billing, as a direct result of the Albanese government's $8 billion commitment to lifting bulk-billing rates nationwide. From 1 November, they expect seven in every 10 practices in their network to only bulk-bill patients, up from one in every 10 practices today. That is good news for Northsiders. In more good news, I'm looking forward to getting back home to talk to people about our five per cent home deposits, which will now start on 1 October.”
“We know we live in the best part of Brisbane in the best country in the world: Queensland. Like the rest of the country, Lilley residents have been experiencing those same cost-of-living pressures that were fuelled by high inflation. What they've been telling me, as their local MP, is that the measures the Albanese government has taken to ease those cost-of-living pressures and tame the inflation beast are making a difference. There are 23,694 Lilley residents who have just received 20 per cent off their HECS debt. My constituents have also saved another $11.8 million on cheaper medicines since we were first elected to government.”
“And, across the river, the ranks of our Brisbane Labor team swelled even further with the election of Rowan Holzberger, the new member for Forde; Renee Coffey, the new member for Griffith; Kara Cook, the new member for Bonner; and my dear friend Julie-Ann Campbell, the new member for Moreton. I was even happier to relinquish the northernmost electorate title to the member for Leichhardt, Matt Smith. I look forward to the new and expanded Queensland team kicking even more goals in the 48th Parliament than Queensland Broncos captain Adam Reynolds, now the second-highest goal scorer in NRL history, after fellow Queenslander Cam Smith. Since the election, I have been out in our Lilley community at mobile offices, community events and, more recently, our own Lilley business roundtable. Northsiders are a rightfully parochial bunch.”
“Thank you. When I was elected in 2019, the federal electorate of Lilley was an island, the northernmost Labor-held seat in Queensland, located on the northern suburbs of Brisbane. On 3 May, I was very pleased to see this change, and change in a big way. We've now welcomed a host of friendly new neighbours—Emma Comer, the new member for Petrie; Ali France, the new member for Dickson; and Madonna Jarrett, the new member for Brisbane. I look forward to joining forces to deliver for our respective northside communities. In the Senate, I welcome my friend and colleague Corinne Mulholland, whose office is located right in the heart of my Lilley electorate. I know that Corinne will represent the people of Queensland with great enthusiasm and tireless energy.”
“Balancing work commitments and life is hard enough as it is without electoral fate stacking consecutive campaigns on top of each other. It was tough. My team is tougher. As usual, there are far too many people to list, but, if you'll indulge me, I want to take the chance to acknowledge a very special few: Warren and Kate Derrington, Graham Appleton, Christine and Megan O'Keeffe, Sofia and Bella Scattini, Cath Palmer, Faye Clark, Anne Marlay, and Kim and Wayne Swan. Running as a local member is just not possible on your own; it is truly a team sport. None of this is possible without the countless early mornings and sometimes very late nights. Throughout the campaign, my local colleagues were a constant source of love and support. Being able to lean on friendly faces and sound out local issues is more valuable than you can imagine.”
“But none of us could fulfill our role without the support and sacrifice of our families. Celeste, Ossian and Dashiell: no matter what happens here in Canberra or around the country you are my greatest privilege. To our director of household operations, Finn: wherever I go, you stand beside me. Nothing is possible without you. I also want to take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank my local Lilley campaign team, who worked tirelessly to support my re-election. Like all local members, I might be a tad biased, but I do think my local team is one of the very best. From our proud branch members to local volunteers, family friends, my staff and the wider labour movement I say thank you. It was a busy 12 months in Queensland on the campaign front.”
“The 48th Parliament is unique—unique in that it now looks more like Australia than it ever has. I'm beyond proud to see our government representing Australians from all walks of life. The decisions of this parliament will shape our country for generations to come. It's especially encouraging to see young Australians gaining a foothold in both houses. From our newest gen Z representatives to our growing millennial contingent, which number more than 20 per cent in the House, our community now recognises itself more on the benches of parliament. When I gave my first speech in July 2019, millennials were less than 10 per cent. I'm so proud that has now doubled to more than 20 per cent. Like all of my colleagues who serve in this place, we do so at the behest of our constituents.”
“I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we gather today, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, and recognise the First Nations communities that call my very own electorate home, the Turrbal and Jagera people. Modern Australia stands on the shoulders of 1,600 generations of Indigenous history, culture and knowledge, and we are always lucky to be able to listen and learn from our First Australians. I rise today, re-elected by the locals of Lilley, with the privilege and responsibility of representing my northside community for another term in this amazing place. I want to thank the people of Lilley for once again placing their trust in me. I'm grateful for the opportunity to ensure all local voices and concerns are heard, whether they voted for me or not.”
“Add this to our Medicare urgent care clinic in Kedron and the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the PBS and it is clear that the Albanese Labor government is delivering on our promise to tackle the cost of living and ensure Australians are getting the health care they need. With my remaining time, I know that you, Madam Deputy Speaker Lawrence, the government whip and the member for Griffith will join with me in wishing our beloved Wallaroos all the very best at the Women's Rugby World Cup. I think their next match is against England, which is no small task, but we know that the girls have the valour and they are up for it. I want them to know that Australia stands with them. All the very best for the match.”
“Thanks to the Albanese Labor government's $8 billion Strengthening Medicare commitment, the Kedron Medical Centre is now a 100 per cent bulk-billing clinic. Joining me was Andrew Cohen, the CEO of the ForHealth Group, who said that Kedron Medical Centre is one of the first clinics in their network to transition to 100 per cent bulk-billing. Mr Cohen said the change is a direct result of the Albanese government's $8 billion commitment to lift bulk-billing rates nationally. From 1 November they expect seven in every 10 practices in their network to only bulk-bill patients, up from one in every 10 practices today. These changes will make it easier for northsiders to find a bulk-billing GP, with 90 per cent of GP visits nationally to be bulk-billed by 2030.”
“The students then peppered us at question time, demanding answers to questions like: How did you become an MP? Why did you run for parliament? Who are some of the famous people that you have met? A special thankyou to Principal Aminta Miller and the staff at McDowall State School for making the visit happen despite the obstacles that were thrown our way. Very best wishes for a beautiful Brisbane day for your spring fair coming up to celebrate 50 years of educating young northsiders. I visited the Kedron Medical Centre and was able to deliver some good news for my constituents. When I hold regular mobile offices, lots of Lilley residents always want to talk to me about bulk-billing doctors and how to find a bulk-billing doctor.”
“On 22 August, my friend the Speaker of the House joined me at McDowall State School in my electorate of Lilley to deliver the Parliament in Schools program to the year 6 cohort. The visit was six months in the making, with ex-tropical-cyclone Alfred, a federal election and diary clashes conspiring to postpone the much-anticipated visit three times. But persistence paid off, and we were pleased to join the students to debate the biggest issue of the day: does pineapple belong on pizza? The democratic process delivered a resounding no to that question—much to my chagrin. Everybody knows pineapple is essential on a pizza. I will continue to fight that good fight and, hopefully, change a few young minds in the future with a more convincing argument.”
“These apps are only designed to abuse, to bully, to humiliate and to harass, and we are determined to restrict them because, while the image might be fake, the abuse is real.”