Anne Webster
Mallee · National Party · Australia
“The government's first duty is to protect its citizens and, arguably, its most vulnerable citizens—in this case, children. Today that duty extends into a digital world, where the playground has actually moved online and where too often it is unpoliced and unsafe.”
“We know that, despite the ban, large numbers of children are still accessing these platforms because enforcement has been weak and the regulator has not been given the tools it needs.”
“They worry about exposure to violent content; harmful algorithms; cyberbullying; scams; predatory, paedophilic behaviour; and the relentless pressure that social media can place on young people's mental health. These concerns are real, and they deserve to be taken seriously.”
“For many young Australians, social media is where they access news, educational content and creative learning. It's where they stay connected with friends and family. It is where they participate in their communities and engage in public debate.”
“My constituent asks that there be some sort of agency or protocol where these accounts can be collated, investigated and closed where applicable.”
“Labor rejected it and then, in the 2024 budget, accepted it. We pledged in June 2024 that we would deliver the under-16s social media ban, which Labor, thankfully, copied.”
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“In our regional communities, sporting clubs like Sunraysia Softball do far more than teach the game. They keep families active and healthy, forge lifelong friendships, provide opportunities for young people and build the social capital that makes regional towns great places to live, work and raise a family. Community sport is the glue that binds us. I commend the Sunraysia Softball Association.”
“I rise today to pay tribute to the Sunraysia Softball Association in my electorate of Mallee. It was a great privilege to attend this event on Saturday. The community gathered to honour dedicated volunteers and supporters, who contribute so much to our local communities. We remembered with deep respect late life member Peter Wade, whose legacy of service continues to inspire. His contribution to local sports are well known, and Judy, his wife, was present to share the tribute. He will not be forgotten. I was pleased to congratulate Megan Hammond, the current president, on her well-deserved induction as a life member for decades of outstanding commitment. To every sponsor and every volunteer who coaches, umpires, maintains the fields, organises and cheers, thank you. You are the backbone of this association.”
“PBS access was therefore an evidence based policy decision, not simply a political concession. While it arguably took many years too long, PBS access for nurse practitioners was a thoroughly evidence based policy decision, and this amendment seeks that the same evidence base be produced before implementation of the bill currently under consideration. I urge the House to support this amendment.”
“The process of a nurse practitioner gaining PBS access was debated in the late 2000s, and nurse practitioners had already been prescribing under state and territory law for many years from the mid- to late-1990s. Governments, therefore, had real world prescribing data, independent evaluations, patient outcome studies and safety audits. These formed the evidence base for Commonwealth reform which enabled PBS access to commence from 2010, though restricted. Major reforms to PBS access for nurse practitioners have occurred only very recently. PBS access for nurse practitioners was based on extensive safety and effectiveness evidence in states and territories. That evidence was synthesised nationally. It directly informed the Commonwealth's decision to grant PBS access in 2010.”
“This is about following due process, ensuring accountability and transparency for Australian consumers and making good use of Commonwealth funds. There must be clear evidence that any new model of nurse prescribing will improve access to high-quality care, especially in the regions, and will not have negative unintended consequences for patient safety or continuity of care. RN nurse prescribers will still require an autonomous prescriber in primary care, such as a GP or a nurse practitioner, to oversee that prescriber. The problem is that there are not enough GPs or nurse practitioners in the regions now. How is this going to work?”
“The bill is not evidence based, as it fails to follow normal processes where testing of any new model of care occurs in a state or territory in Australia prior to the application of PBS rebates, and this bill does not have a funding model to enable registered nurse prescribers to work in primary care as no funding model or structure has been developed. It is important to differentiate the new RN prescriber model from existing master's qualified nurse practitioners who are autonomous prescribers. My amendment is that this legislation should not be enacted until there has been a trial or pilot of this new model of nurse prescribing in a state or territory which is then reviewed by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to ensure suitability and a supportive evidence base for safety and effectiveness of the model.”
“It acknowledges the essential role nurses play in our health system, especially in the regions, and the important work they do. It also acknowledges that nurses are the largest component of the health system and the most well-distributed workforce in regional Australia. The Nationals want to see improved access to health care and progress for the nursing profession and for multidisciplinary care more generally. However, I am moving an amendment because implementation of new policy must have appropriate testing to ensure it is safe, effective and won't have unintended consequences. The Nationals have two key concerns.”
“(3) However, the Minister may make a declaration under subitem (2) only if: (a) a trial of nurse prescriber treatments (within the meaning of the National Health Act 1953 ) is conducted in at least one State or Territory; and (b) after the end of the trial, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia conducts a review of the trial; and (c) the review demonstrates a suitably supportive evidence base for the safety and effectiveness of the amendments made by this Schedule. I rise to speak to the amendment circulated in my name to the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025. This bill seeks to enable eligibility for PBS rebates for medications prescribed by a new category of prescribers, 'authorised registered nurse prescribers'.”
“I move: (1) Schedule 1, page 12 (after line 4), at the end of the Schedule, add: 37 Application of amendments (1) The amendments made by this Schedule apply only if a declaration under subitem (2) is in force. (2) The Minister may, by notifiable instrument, declare that the amendments made by this Schedule apply on and after a day, or throughout a period, specified in the declaration.”
“They've been in government for four years. When are they going to take responsibility? Australian families are hurting. Whether it's paying school fees, whether it's putting fuel into their cars, it doesn't matter which way they go. They can't afford to live. A cup of coffee in 2022 was $4. How much is it now? It's $6 for the average latte, and that's a small one.”
“When they go to any supermarket, the prices that they're paying for eggs and for bread and for milk and for all the ordinary daily needs of a family are through the roof. Sixteen per cent is the current figure. Then you add in the electricity costs. Electricity is something that people need. In our society, people need electricity. Costs are up 40 per cent—40 per cent! How is that reasonable? For the government—from the Minister for Climate Change and Energy to the Treasurer and the Prime Minister—to go on with the hubris and the arrogance that we've listened to today, it shows that they are all, every one of them, singing from the same hymn sheet: 'Not our fault. Not our fault. Don't look at us. It was actually those 10 years of waste and deficit.' It's 'the dog ate my homework'. This government needs to take responsibility.”
“This MPI is about the government's reckless agenda, which is driving up the cost of living for Australian families. It's not actually a question. It is a statement that the policies that this government has brought in since 2022 are hurting Australian families. When families are paying, on a $500,000 mortgage, $23,000 more since Labor have come into office, that hurts. That hurts families. We have more families who cannot even think about purchasing a home because the housing market can't give them a home at a price they can afford. The policies that this government has implemented are hurting Australian families. When they go to the supermarket—I'm not going to say the names.”
“But I will always advocate for evidence based policy that is set up to succeed and to address the core issues that my constituents are concerned about. This bill is lazy. It is politically driven policy that does not address the root causes of the problems in our health system. It has not been tested and is being set up to fail.”
“It is a metro-centric approach—make no mistake. The Labor government has also failed to tackle the desperate need for complex funding change in primary health care in regional Australia that would incentivise the provision of multidisciplinary health care in small rural towns and remote areas and appropriately address the higher cost of providing care in these regions. They are failing to address a need and evidence base for end-to-end training of medical and other health professionals in the regions to grow our own workforce. In conclusion, the Nationals are all for positive changes in our health system that will improve access to high-quality care when and where people need it. I acknowledge the essential role nurses play in our health system, especially in our regions, and the very, very important work that they do.”
“This negative unintended consequence has not been considered. The Albanese Labor government has made repeated decisions that disadvantage regional Australians when it comes to health care, especially primary health care, including changing the Distribution Priority Area rules that govern where overseas doctors have to work when they come to Australia, making it possible for them to choose to work in metropolitan areas and large regional centres at the expense of rural and remote areas. This was the very first decision that the Minister for Health made, funnelling excessive amounts of money into inefficient and costly urgent care centres in metropolitan areas and large regional centres but unwilling to address the specific needs of rural towns and remote areas, who are rarely served by these clinics.”
“I would argue it won't. The funding models do not adequately meet the financial pressures of primary health care in the regions or facilitate the provision of multidisciplinary care. We're talking about block funding. ACCHOs and NACCHOs have block funding. The only way that this government can ensure that this rollout will work is under a state funded basis, under public health. I don't think Australians want to have their choice removed. And so the funding mechanism itself must be sorted out, along with the governance of this program. Fourthly, this legislation risks adding to the workload of the limited primary healthcare workforce in regional Australia, adding strain rather than bringing in and training up a workforce who can autonomously assess, diagnose and treat with medications on its own.”
“If the services of authorised nurse prescribers are not affordable—in other words, if people have to pay out of pocket—patients simply won't seek them out. Funding mechanisms for this proposed model need to be determined and tested before PBS eligibility is rolled out. This bill is putting the horse before the cart. Who would have thought? Thirdly, the Nationals are sceptical because this bill does not address key drivers of poor access to health care and health status in the regions, including the lack of a primary healthcare workforce with the ability to prescribe autonomously—that is, GPs and nurse practitioners who will oversee the work of authorised nurse prescribers. If you don't have enough GPs and you don't have enough nurse practitioners out in the regions, how is this program actually going to benefit the regions?”
“A pilot program should occur within a state or territory without PBS rebates before national rollout of PBS rebates. That is a responsible approach that this government just has not looked at. Secondly, there is currently no funding mechanism to adequately remunerate these authorised nurse prescribers in primary care settings, which is where they are actually needed. Medicare does not currently fund this approach, and the Workforce Incentive Program, commonly known as WIP, and the Practice Incentive program, PIP, are not adequate or appropriate to fund this model of care. If registered nurses who have engaged in additional study to gain endorsement for prescribing cannot be appropriately remunerated, they will not work in primary health settings.”
“The first prescribers are anticipated under this new arrangement from mid-2026—so we're talking July onwards—but require additional changes to state and territory laws. I want to point out, though, that the usual process is that states or territories run a trial or a pilot first on a new prescribing model without PBS eligibility, to ensure the model is tested and safe. A state or territory trial has not happened. Therefore, the clinical governance, safety and responsibility framework of this new system is untested. It needs to be tested before it is supported by Commonwealth taxpayer funds. I also want to highlight that the time difference between endorsement for prescribing and PBS rebate access has generally been lengthy for other prescriber groups, so who knows when nurse prescribers will be able to prescribe with PBS rebates.”
“What will this bill seek to do? It seeks to grant eligibility for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme rebates on medications prescribed by a new category of prescribers—authorised nurse prescribers. The government's proposed authorised nurse prescribers will be registered nurses with additional training who work in a collaborative arrangement with an autonomous prescriber, a professional who can already prescribe independently. Now, that means GPs and nurse practitioners. Our position as the Nationals on this bill is cautious. We are cautious about the legislation due to the lack of real world testing of this model in Australia and, therefore, the lack of robust evidence. Applications for registered nurses to become endorsed for prescribing were only declared open last month via the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia under national law.”
“It is great to focus on and support nurses. I have a daughter who is a nurse. We know they do wonderful work and they are the bedrock of our health system. The problem with this bill is that having a new category of nurse, nurse prescribers, provide pharmaceutical benefit schedules is not evidence based. It's not evidence based policy making nor is it addressing the core issues driving poor access to health care and core health outcomes, particularly in regional Australia. This is lazy policy making, driven by this government's blind allegiance to Labor state governments with abysmal fiscal restraint and failing health systems who, no doubt, want to employ authorised nurse prescribers in urgent care clinics in cities and larger regional centres. Labor are seeking quick wins with little effort to address policy complexity.”
“Small rural towns also have less than half the allied health workforce per capita that major cities have. The Nationals are committed to supporting regional communities and driving policies and programs that will improve the health status of regional Australians. In the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025, the Labor government says it is trying to address healthcare accessibility issues due to workforce challenges by expanding the scope of practice of registered nurses. Nurses are the largest component of the health workforce in Australia. There were 329,000 registered nurses in 2024 compared to 122,000 doctors, making up just over 44 per cent of the total health workforce. There are more nurses in small rural towns, remote areas and very remote areas than any other kind of practitioner.”
“Rural Australians receive less service delivery per capita despite higher need and worse outcomes. How is this okay? This Labor government promised to govern for all Australians, but clearly they are not for rural Australians. The National Rural Health Alliance published a study in August last year which showed that less money is being spent per person in rural and remote regions than in the city. In 2021, the spend was $848 less per person than for city people. But it gets worse. The latest available data suggests that this underspend has blown out to over $1,000 per person in regional and remote areas. Poorer health access is driven in large part by the lack of health workforce in the regions. Here are the facts. In 2023, small rural towns had the lowest number of GPs and specialists per capita. But it's not just GPs and specialists.”
“When asked about primary health care, the top concern of my constituents was wait times to see a doctor, followed by out-of-pocket costs and then wait times to see allied health professionals. Health care access and affordability is front of mind for my constituents and regional Australians more broadly. But this Labor government is forever letting them down and putting their needs out of sight and out of mind. The Nationals want to rectify the poorer health status of regional Australians, a status driven in large part by poorer access to health services. Rural and remote Australians have higher morbidity and mortality rates than those in major cities. This is a known fact. In very remote areas potentially avoidable deaths are 2.8 times higher than in major cities.”
“In 2024-25, the latest figures, it was 77.6 per cent. That's an 11 per cent drop in bulk-billing. The fact is remote, outer regional and inner regional areas have lower bulk-billing rates than major cities. So your Medicare card is not all that you need, Prime Minister. That is another fabrication from this arrogant and secretive Labor government. This is a government that is all about the headline or the catchy three-second hook on social media to halt the doomscroll but not so much about doing the hard yards and policy grunt work to make lasting change. The Nationals' perspective on health care, the Mallee experience—when I asked my electorate of Mallee late last year about their biggest concerns, I received more than 5,300 responses, with Mallee residents telling me their No. 1 priority was better hospitals and access to health care.”
“The Prime Minister has been at pains to tell us repeatedly that the only card that we need take to a medical appointment is the Medicare card. He's told us that the Labor government's changes to incentivise bulk-billing would make primary health care free to all those who need it. But across Mallee my constituents are lucky if they can get an appointment with a GP at all, let alone not pay a gap fee. The average GP gap fee, or out-of-pocket cost, is now over $50. The national out-of-pocket GP costs have more than doubled, from $780 million in 2021-22 to $1.66 billion in 2023-24. Out-of-pocket costs have risen steadily across all socioeconomic areas according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Bulk-billing, under the coalition, was at 88.9 per cent in 2021. Despite Labor rhetoric, it has fallen.”
“The government of the day. I support this bill and I support the amendments that the member for Cowper is going to make, and I'm going to leave it there.”
“Let's just talk about freezing the excise on pouring beer in pubs. Don't get me wrong, I support absolutely that our pubs and clubs need this support. They need more support than that though, and this government is absolutely not supplying it. I don't want to talk about every pub in my electorate, because, believe you me, there are far too many. I'm bound to leave out about, I don't know, 250 or 300, so I'm not going to name any, but I certainly have my and my family's favourite places to go. They are very, very valuable small businesses. Largely, they are small businesses, who are doing it so tough. Whether it's red tape, whether it is the cost of producing anything thanks to energy price rises or whether it's wage increases or regulation more generally, it is tougher to run a small business now. Who do we thank for that?”
“They really become the beehive, if you like, of social connection for so many people. Whether it's sporting clubs or whether it's families wanting to go out for a cheap meal, it's no longer cheap. I'm just stating the facts. When I take my family out, I can assure you, it costs me well over a hundred and something dollars—sometimes $200—just to go to a pub meal. To pretend that this excise freeze for the next two years is going to solve all the problems is complete and utter rubbish, and every Australian knows it. I think about the cost of coffee. When Labor came to government in 2022, the cost of a cup of coffee or a latte at your favourite cafe, which we all enjoy, was around $4. Now, we're paying $6 for a cup of coffee. 'Nothing to see here,' says the Labor government. 'Nothing to see here,' says the Prime Minister.”
“I do note the Prime Minister's comments that, as people around Australia raise a glass in a pub, the price won't go up for the next two years. If it were only dependent on this excise freezing, that would be one thing, but we know that wages have gone up. We know that electricity has gone up. We know that the cost of living continues to rise under this government, so beer will go up. It's just the excise that will be frozen for the next two years. We commend this bill. We support this bill, but we think it should go further. We think it should actually include—and I endorse the member for Cowper's amendments that will be asking for or recommending that we also freeze the excise on spirits in pubs, hotels and clubs. Our pubs and our clubs do incredible work in our community.”
“To every Jewish Australian and to every family shattered by the Bondi Beach attack, I extend my deepest condolences. Your grief is our grief. Your fear is fear. Australia is your home. You belong here. You deserve to live free from terror, free from hatred and free from fear. As Australians we are bound together by our shared humanity and our commitment to justice. Let us say with one voice: never again, not here, not anywhere.”
“Our fellow Australians, our neighbours, our friends, now feel like strangers in their own home. It is disgraceful, it is unacceptable and it must stop. Equally disturbing are the scenes of aggressive mobs in our streets, celebrating violence, chanting hatred. This is not free speech. This is incitement. It corrodes the very fabric of our society. When any group is targeted, whether for their faith, ethnicity or identity, it is an attack on all Australians. We cannot and must not stand by, because the standard we walk by is the standard we accept. Islamic extremism must stop. Neo-Nazism must stop. Antisemitism must be eradicated. We owe it to every Australian to ensure that our country is a place of safety, acceptance and peace.”
“Families who had gathered to celebrate Hanukkah, a festival of light and hope, were gunned down in cold blood—children, parents and grandparents all targeted simply because of who they are: Jewish Australians. We watched in horror as the news unfolded, moving from disbelief to grief and then to haunting questions. How could this happen here? Why such hatred? Who could commit such evil? This is not Australia. This is not the nation I grew up in and that we cherish. Since 7 October 2023 antisemitism has surged alarmingly across our country. We have seen Jewish Australians harassed, threatened and vilified; homes graffitied; cars and synagogues firebombed; and businesses coerced into closure. Synagogues and schools and childcare centres have been forced to tighten security as fear grips the community.”
“It's with profound sorrow that I rise today to speak about the horrific events of 15 December at Bondi Beach and to acknowledge the grieving family members who have been in this House. Bondi Beach is an iconic Australian landmark that should symbolise joy, freedom and unity. Instead, it became the scene of unimaginable tragedy. Fifteen innocent lives were stolen by Islamic extremists driven by hatred and intent on inflicting maximum harm. This was not just an attack on Jews; it was an attack on every Australian and our way of life. It was the worst terrorist atrocity in Australia's history, and it has shaken every one of us to the core. What happened that day is utterly unthinkable.”
“Both the federal Labor government and the Victorian Labor government should be held to account, and that's what we are doing on this side of the House.”
“All of these farmers and the myriad that are coming to support them are standing at the gate, stopping TCV coming in. Now, TCV don't actually have court orders to be able to enter the properties. They have no right. But, I tell you what, they're intimidating and they're bullying our farmers. It is outrageous—at the beginning of harvest. We hear today that the Victorian government have put out a consultation about the five new RESes—I think there are six now—doubling the gigawatt hours that they require to put on farmland. Seriously? That's a consultation over a harvest period right through to February, when farmers are at their busiest and they are tired, and now they have to do what we know already is a sham consultation. It is a disgrace.”
“But here we have companies all over Australia who are bringing in wind turbines with asbestos as part of the works of each turbine, creating biosecurity hazards, I would suggest. I'm not an engineer, but, if a wind turbine goes on fire, what happens with that asbestos? There is food growing under these turbines. It is an absolute disgrace that the Labor government has allowed these turbines to come into Australia with no checks and balances. What is going on is that these products are all over Australia now, by the thousands—maybe hundreds of thousands. Renewables absolutely cost farmers. I have farmers in my electorate, and I'll name a few of them: Andrew Weidemann, Ross Johns, Julie Weir, Marcia McIntyre, Ben Duxson and Gerald Feeny.”
“I rise to express my great pride in the farmers of Mallee. They are facing an uphill battle right now. They have the Victorian government and their tentacle subgroup TCV, Transmission Company Victoria, coming onto farms. Well, that's what they want to do; they want to enter farms. Instead we have farmers standing inside the fence saying, 'Access denied.' Access is denied to TCV and to the Victorian government for seeking to railroad my communities. These farmers are on the edge of harvest. They are literally about to start harvest. We also hear in this space that we have Chinese made brake pads with asbestos in them. Asbestos is illegal. It is illegal to bring it into Australia.”
“If the government is serious about protecting migrant workers, it should focus on delivering the stronger enforcement powers and whistleblower protections it has promised rather than imposing unnecessary and unproven public reporting requirements. For these reasons, the coalition opposes this bill.”
“While we are steadfast in our commitment to integrity and employer sponsorship, and acknowledge the need to combat wage theft and coercion, the government has failed to justify the public disclosure measures proposed here—particularly the publication of employer-level data on temporary visa numbers. Such disclosure risks exposing compliant employers to pressure and intimidation while offering little additional protection to workers beyond what existing monitoring powers already provide. Too much is left to regulation with no clarity on the safeguards or correction processes that reputable firms deserve.”
“It is slow, complex and costly, particular for smaller employers who lack the resources of large metropolitan businesses. At the same time, some migrant workers remain vulnerable to exploitation, with insufficient flexibility and pathways to permanency. Our nation-building migration system must do better. It must strengthen Australia's skills base, support population sustainability in the regions, protect vulnerable workers and prioritise long-term settlement and integration, not just temporary arrivals. Migration policy should be strategic, coordinated and grounded in workforce planning, not piecemeal. Against that backdrop, the coalition cannot support this bill.”
“In electorates like mine, industries such as agriculture, horticulture, food processing, health, aged care, transport and hospitality are battling chronic workforce shortages that are structural, not seasonal or fleeting. Employers have told us time and time again that even after exhausting recruitment efforts they simply cannot secure the workers they need. Migrant labour is not an optional extra for regions like Mallee. It is fundamental to our productivity, economic strength and the continued viability of the communities that feed our nation and the world. The Joint Standing Committee on Migration's work in the 47th Parliament underscored the current migration system is not fit for purpose when it comes to regional realities.”
“Whether it is the insinuation they exploit workers or the claim that their opposition to the renewables rollout is insincere and farmers are obstacles in the way, Labor is trying to divide city and country people like never before. Three times a day, Australians should thank a farmer for the food on their table if not also the shirt on their back. We see in this portfolio, energy and other portfolios a mentality that farmers are the enemy when they are the absolute foundation of our food security and our nation. That's one reason why I'm open-minded to how we ensure bills like this one adequately target the rogue elements like rogue labour-hire companies who bring industries into disrepute. In closing, it is clear that the challenges facing regional Australia are real and immediate.”
“The Department of Home Affairs already has robust monitoring and compliance measures in place and extensive information about sponsors' businesses. We are not yet convinced that this extra step is actually necessary. We need assurances that the Department of Home Affairs will maintain an efficient error-correction process to protect reputable firms. The register is only one element of an antiexploitation agenda. Stronger enforcement powers and whistleblower visa arrangements remain undelivered. We need an entire ecosystem change. But we in the Nationals know from regional Australia that, under Labor, farmers are increasingly demonised and talked about as rogue businesspeople.”
“There might be scope for regulation to target the real problems in this sector and not put the good apples in with the bad. The coalition is concerned about a number of holders of temporary visas that might be disclosed as sponsored by a particular employer. We have little information to tell us that the additional disclosure here will, within the Commonwealth's sphere of power, offer much by way of additional protection for migrant workers. Having said that, we acknowledge this legislation is intended to respond to well documented instances of wage theft and coercion in parts of the temporary skilled visa program. Again, I would state that this is not across the board. The coalition has long insisted on integrity and employer sponsorship of migrants. However, we believe this bill goes too far.”
“This bill fulfils the government's December 2023 pledge to improve transparency of approved sponsors, although it arrives nearly two years after the announcement. Time and again, we tend to grapple with whether the net is being cast so wide as to create red tape and disincentive for law-abiding people while trying to catch a particular undesirable species in the ecosystem. We do not want to deter small businesses from sponsoring for fear of their activities being disclosed on the register and therefore becoming targets. There are surely more bespoke, smarter ways to sort the wheat from the chaff. This is where the government would do well to publish draft regulations promptly and commit to disallowable legislative instruments in this space.”
“However, the limits of federal jurisdiction might come into play if there are labour hire subcontractors that actually contract out the workers. This is not to say that every labour hire contracting company is bad. I know of some excellent ones who, phenomenally, have a data platform, a technological platform, where workers can be matched so that farmers know that the person who is standing in front of them is actually the person who has the correct visa and that it is appropriate for them to be on that farm. I personally think investment should be made into these kinds of features—using our technology wisely. Let me explain why we as the coalition have problems with this bill and currently stand to oppose it.”
“I know of one school in Robinvale where, when I went to visit them—this is a couple of years ago now—I asked what percentage of the students were from undocumented workers. They said that it was 25 per cent of the school. That's a problem in terms of meeting the needs of the students, the parents and the community itself. Across Mallee, and particularly in Sunraysia, there is an issue with some labour hire operators. It's fair to say that this bill will, if passed, provide the data to enable states and territories, who are responsible for regulating labour hire companies, to pick up bad and exploitative behaviour by rogue labour hire companies. Under this bill, labour hire companies will be the published sponsors.”
“This results in a significant underestimation of the demands on local services and infrastructure and makes local planning and obtaining adequate funding incredibly difficult. The background to that story is that, in the ABS, Robinvale has a population of around 4,000. In real terms, through other research, we know that the population is around 11,000. That creates a phenomenal problem, in terms of the health workforce, health workforce needs and health needs generally—health services. It also creates a problem in terms of education. You can imagine that the infrastructure demands on that small community are extremely stretched because the workforce population is not counted.”
“The current system is too complex, slow and difficult to navigate. Temporary migration should feed into stable and permanent nation-building outcomes. A fair system must protect vulnerable workers while maintaining integrity. Migration success depends on integration, not just arrival. Policy should be grounded in measurable outcomes and future workforce planning. There are other issues across Mallee related to the migrant workforce. I note that the United Workers Union, the UWU, has a vested interest in trying to recruit migrant workers. There are stories of the UWU travelling to neighbouring Pacific countries and hauling people in to their unions before they even arrive in the country. The ABS has an inability to devise a way to count the seasonal workforce and the population of visa overstayers in the census in Robinvale.”