Ged Kearney
Cooper · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“I rise to inform the chamber of the opening of the 1st Preston Scout and Community Centre. This was a project that I was incredibly proud to attend and speak at alongside wonderful families and volunteers in my electorate of Cooper.”
“We're taking the next step towards a fairer, more sustainable system. The reality is that the current system makes it easier to buy your 10th home than your first, and that is not fair for young Australians. It's not fair for renters. It's not sustainable for the future of our country, and those opposite do not care.”
“Let me tell you the coalition likes to talk about taxpayers. But we on this side—Labor—talk about workers and people getting up early, finishing late, juggling bills, raising children, caring for family members and just doing their best to get ahead.”
“We are doubling maximum penalties to $100 million and providing almost $68 million to strengthen enforcement. Unlike those opposite, we match our words with action. The coalition spent the last parliament opposing sensible and responsible cost-of-living relief while taking higher taxes to the last election. Workers know this.”
“Those opposite want Australians to forget that when they were in government wages were deliberately kept low. Suddenly they're pretending they're the friends of workers, when they deliberately kept wages low. Productivity stagnated and living standards went backwards under them, and working people fell further and further behind.”
“Limiting negative gearing to new builds means these concessions will continue to be available to people who legitimately want to build wealth, but only where they are helping to build the homes that Australia needs. We're reforming capital gains tax.”
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“I rise to speak in support of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation) Bill 2025. This is a bill that represents the Labor Party and the union movement at its best. It's a bill that supports working people, women and older Australians. It's a bill that builds a system and a country that is fair, that is just and that supports people to live a life of dignity. That is what the Australian Labor Party is about: working hard, looking after one another and assuring that everyone, not just the wealthy, can live that life with dignity. One of the key ways that the Australian Labor Party has supported this vision for our society is through the mighty superannuation system. Superannuation is one of the proudest achievements of the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Labor movement.”
“We've strengthened Centrelink discretion to stop perpetrators using the system to harm survivors, reformed the family law system to make it safer and simpler, improved criminal justice responses to sexual violence with states and territories, and delivered a record $800 million in funding for legal services supporting those fleeing violence. And we're not stopping there. We're also preventing perpetrators from using tax and social security systems as tools of abuse, we're ensuring they can't profit from a victim's superannuation after death, and we're investing in new, innovative perpetrator interventions, from electronic monitoring to behaviour change programs. 'No-one held back and no-one left behind' is not just a slogan. It's Labor's guiding principle—a test of fairness. Proposed expenditure agreed to.”
“Another way we ensure that no-one is held back and no-one is left behind is by doing all we can to end family, domestic and sexual violence. This government has made ending gender based violence a national priority. Since coming to government, Labor has invested over $4 billion across frontline services and prevention programs and made the $5,000 leaving violence payment permanent. We've committed $1.2 billion for emergency and transitional housing. We've legislated 10 days paid domestic violence leave.”
“Specifically, we're increasing leave from 24 weeks to 26 weeks, we're fighting to close the retirement gender gap by paying superannuation on paid parental leave for the first time, we're introducing higher eligibility thresholds and we're introducing more flexibility so that both parents can now take four weeks leave together—because we want more dads to be able to spend time with their new babies. This increased leave flexibility is important for our new LGBTQIA+ families as well. It's crucial that government systems recognise that there isn't one type of family or only two types of parents. The sum of all these payments means parents will receive roughly $12,000 more support than before we came into government.”
“We have always been guided by the same core principles of equality and fairness, and since coming into government we have continued that legacy, including through increasing JobSeeker by almost $4,000 a year, delivering the biggest increase to Commonwealth rent assistance in 30 years, supporting minimum wage rises that leave workers $9,000 a year better off and lifting the pension for singles by almost $5,000. One of the most powerful ways we make equality real in this country is by helping families balance paid labour and domestic labour, because all labour is labour. We are the party that values parents and work that has often been prescribed to women and undervalued. That's why the Albanese Labor government is delivering the biggest expansion to paid parental leave since it was first created.”
“Social security is a great Labor legacy, from the first national welfare scheme—the Invalid and Old-age Pensions Act in 1908—under the Prime Minister Andrew Fisher, to the foundation of a universal welfare system under the great Gough Whitlam, and from paid parental leave introduced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard to the strengthening of the safety net and cheaper child care under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today. This legacy, I have to say, has not been so embraced by those opposite. Unfortunately, we didn't have a full number of speakers for this session today.”
“When Labor formed government 58 per cent of JobSeeker recipients had been on payments for two years or more. Today that has dropped to 45 per cent. The member for Herbert raised issues about the procurement of disability employment services by the Department of Social Services. I would like to remind him that the department's deputy secretary for disability and carers was the decision-maker for the procurement. The entire process was conducted at arm's length from ministers and ministers' offices.”
“The Prime Minister has proclaimed to the Australian people again and again, ' No-one held back; no-one left behind.' This is a vision, a core belief of the Labor Party that resonated right across Australia during the election. It is with this in mind that I speak in support of the Department of Social Services proposed expenditure. I thank all the previous speakers from both sides of the House who spoke on this matter. I would like to clear up a couple of issues raised by the members of the opposition. The shadow minister and member for Moncrieff referred to the number of people on JobSeeker for more than two years. I would like to point out that during their term of government, from 2013 to 2022, the number of people on JobSeeker for more than two years actually doubled.”
“Already more than 800 people in my electorate of Cooper have bought their first home through this program—800 dreams realised, and many more to come. A home isn't just bricks and mortar. It's security and it's a foundation to build a life, to plan, to save, to raise a family and to retire with dignity. Right now too many older women, particularly single women, are retiring into poverty or homelessness, and that should never be. We're not pretending we'll change everything overnight, but we're laying the foundations for lasting change for new homeowners, for renters and for those needing housing support, because the alternative, the coalition's record, was nothing short of a disaster. After nearly a decade in power they had built just 373 homes. They never saw housing as a human need, and we do.”
“We're building 55,000 social and affordable homes, delivering 80,000 rentals with long-term leases, investing in crisis and transitional accommodation for those fleeing family and domestic violence, increasing Commonwealth rent assistance by almost 50 per cent, working with state and territory governments to overhaul rental rights and investing $10 billion through the Housing Australia Future Fund, which is the biggest investment in social and affordable housing in more than a decade. For those trying to buy their first home, we've launched the five per cent deposit program for all first home buyers, and single parents will only need a deposit of two per cent. Homeownership shouldn't just be reserved for those with intergenerational wealth.”
“When I was a nurse in my mid-20s, with two kids, I bought my first home in Thornbury. I can't imagine anyone in the same position believing that's possible today. If you walk through Reservoir, Preston or Northcote on any weekend, you'll see long lines of people fighting for a rental. In fact 40 per cent of people in my electorate of Cooper are renters, many of them paying more than 30 per cent of their wages on rent. That is why the Albanese Labor government is rebuilding the whole housing system.”
“I'd like to tell you about two lovely young people from my electorate, Sam and Thomas. Sam is an incredibly hardworking young woman who moved from regional New South Wales to Melbourne to go to university. She worked in hospitality and retail and did every shift she could. She studied hard, and today she works full time in event planning. With every pay cheque, she puts money aside—saving, sacrificing and doing everything right. Thomas did the same. He's been saving since he was 18. He worked as a lollipop man and then studied to be a lawyer, a degree that took some time for him to complete. He's still saving and still dreaming. After all that hard work, both are still renting. That is not the Australia that I grew up in. The dream was that it wouldn't matter what your job was—if you worked hard, you could one day own a home.”
“When the Albanese Labor government was first elected, we inherited a wasted decade, and they dare to come into this chamber and try to pick holes in a government that is dedicated to fixing climate change, that the entire caucus believes in, and the entire caucus is behind our minister, who is working his guts out, along with the assistant minister. Years of coalition fighting continues about whether climate change is real or how real—a little bit real, not real enough to actually do anything seriously about. Frankly, they were an international laughing stock, and that continues. We had the member for Wannon come in just before, railing against some apparently secret Treasury modelling that he's demanding that we table. He's demanding that we—”
“Climate change is not some weird distant threat. It's actually here with us now. Do those on that side of the House believe that? How about you get your own party in order before you start ordering this side of the House. Climate change is the smoke we're breathing while our summers are burning hotter and longer, and it is the floods that are tearing through our communities across the Mid North Coast. Climate change is the droughts that parch our farms in Coleraine, and it is the fear that I see in young people's faces right across my electorate of Cooper. Climate change is not an inner-city issue, like some of those on that side proclaim. Climate change is affecting all of us, but they don't care. They simply don't care on that side of the House.”
“This Women's Health Week, we are absolutely determined to make sure that we will celebrate how far we've come. We will absolutely commit to finishing this job, which may never be finished, but we need Labor governments, like our government, the Albanese Labor government, that has a majority of women, that has an equal number of women in cabinet, that is sitting around the table, that is changing the priorities and that is fairly and squarely putting women's issues on the agenda. Whether it is health, family and domestic violence or women's economic equality, we are standing up for women all the way. We are a government that is majority women, and we are a government that has great allies in the men in the party as well. We are determined to lead—and that's just what we will do.”
“It's over $4 billion. But we aren't stopping here. The Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher, the Assistant Minister Rebecca White and I are determined to end the scourge of family, domestic and sexual violence in this country. We want all women to be healthy. We want women to feel safe. We want women to live their very best lives. As a government, we have introduced so many measures, including great measures through the health system. We are the party that built Medicare. We are the party that legislated paid family, domestic and sexual violence leave. We are the party that had the first woman prime minister. Now we are the party that is championing women's health, safety and economic equality.”
“With years of experience and a deep understanding of the barriers women face, Assistant Minister White will combine compassion with determination. She will fight to ensure that women's health is never pushed aside again, and I know she will make the system fairer, and she will ensure that every single woman, no matter where she lives or who she is, will get the care she deserves. As for me, I'll be working closely with Assistant Minister White on the intersections between health and family and domestic and sexual violence, because we know violence and trauma can be incredibly detrimental to a woman's physical and mental health, and often health services are victims-survivors' first point of contact when disclosing violence. This government has already invested record amounts of funds into family, domestic and sexual violence.”
“Since July, my goodness, the Medicare funded menopause health assessments have seen 20,000 women access those services—20,000 women who now are getting better care for menopause. From 1 November, even more changes will take effect, with women accessing those IUDs and contraceptive implants at a much cheaper rate. The cost of medications will reduce even more because we've passed a bill to freeze the cost of medicines at $25. This builds on our broader agenda of making health care affordable for all Australians right across the country. These are life-changing reforms, and this is why leadership matters. This is why having strong advocates in this space matters. And there's no stronger advocate than the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Rebecca White. The assistant minister is not just a leader; she is a change-maker.”
“These will now be supporting women with perimenopause and menopause. So many women have told me the huge difference this has made to them. They walk in to get health care, they are heard, they are believed, their pain is validated, and they get expert treatment. I want to give a big shout-out to all health professionals working in those endometriosis clinics, who are trying new, innovative and very holistic ways to treat women with that disease. Medicines will be capped soon at no more than $25, giving women across the country real cost-of-living relief. We have had some data released today that shows more than 715,000 cheaper prescriptions have been accessed, including contraceptives, menopause therapies and endometriosis treatments.”
“There's expanded menopause care, including new PBS listings, Medicare rebates for longer consults and our first national menopause guidelines. I can't tell you the difference this has made to women's lives. Women have been going to the chemist, taking a photo of their receipt and sending it to me, saying they cannot believe their menopause treatment is now accessible and so much cheaper. One lady said she just wanted to smother it all over herself! I didn't advise that; just take the recommended dose. But she was so happy, absolutely so happy with that. Our national menopause guidelines will mean, hopefully, that more health professionals will understand menopause and will understand how to treat women appropriately. Something that I am particularly proud of are the 33 new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics.”
“We have better rebates for GPs now to insert IUDs or contraceptive implants. This is going to make a huge difference for women, for whom the cost of having an IUD or long-term contraceptive was absolutely prohibitive. Nurse practitioners will be able to provide the service to women to insert IUDs or contraceptive implants, which means access will be greater. This is going to be a great boost, I believe, for rural and regional women who simply cannot access their GPs in a timely manner. The cost of contraception, the cost of unplanned pregnancies—these are costs that are predominantly borne by women. This has definitely been a gendered issue that the Labor government has been absolutely prepared to address—and we have.”
“It's why too many unplanned pregnancies happen, simply because women can't afford the contraceptives that work best for them. But something is changing. For the first time, I believe Australia is turning a corner. The Albanese Labor government has made the single biggest investment in women's health in our nation's history—almost $1 billion worth. This investment comes from the incredible advocacy of Labor women, many of whom are in this room, because when a government has more women in the room, its priorities change—and what a change we've made. Our investment in women's health is delivering real, practical change, including cheaper contraception, with more pills on the PBS and higher rebates for IUDs and contraceptive implants. This has been decades in the making, particularly with listing these drugs on the PBS.”
“The #EndGenderBias survey found that two in three women had experienced discrimination or bias in the healthcare system, with 70 per cent saying that that experience was via a GP clinic and half saying that it happened in our hospitals. Women have told me stories of being told their pain surely wasn't that bad or that they were exaggerating it somewhat. There were stories of being shamed by family and friends for actually speaking up. This isn't just bad luck or bad practice; it's what we call medical misogyny. It's why conditions like endometriosis, PCOS and chronic pelvic pain take years and years, sometimes decades, to diagnose. It's why too many women still, to this day, feel shame when talking about their menopause symptoms.”
“Too many times I saw women in tears; they were dismissed and ignored, their pain left untreated until their health worsened. I also experienced it in my own life, and it was then that I truly understood how it felt. In my 50s, I thought that heavy periods—or, as they're medically known, menorrhagia—and exhaustion were just a normal part of menopause. And then I found out that they weren't. But it took me collapsing at work with a haemoglobin level that was 'simply not compatible with life', as the doctor told me, before something serious had to be done. Just how far do women have to go? How bad does their health have to get, before it's taken seriously? I know my story is not uncommon. Almost every woman I speak to has their own version.”
“Women's Health Week is not just a reminder for women to prioritise their own health; it's a call to confront the sexism that still runs through our health system. And I must say that the former speaker, the member for Leichhardt, expressed it so beautifully as a great ally amongst the men in the Labor Party, and it's great to see that the men are now comfortable speaking about these things. See what happens when you have a majority women government? I know the sexism that runs through the health system not just from my experience as the former assistant minister for health but also from my own life and from my decades as a nurse, and I am surrounded by my women colleagues here today whom I know have had their own experiences.”
“It was with great pleasure that we announced $3 million to support their women's wellness and sports centre. I know that this sports centre will make a huge difference to that community. It's been in planning for a long, long time. Finally showing that the federal government is willing to support that meant that the state government was also willing to come on board and deliver much-needed funding. Not only will the community gain a beautiful new centre for their women and girls to partake in sport, to stay well, to stay connected and to be proud of their culture, but we will also have brand-new turf for the much-beloved Fitzroy Stars Football Club. I'm very proud to be part of that. I'm very proud that we have been able to deliver for the people of Cooper. Sitting suspended from 13:35 to 16:00”
“Amazing organisations like the Kouchkovski Social Club, the Elderly Citizens Club and our football clubs do so much for our communities, making sure people are fit and mentally well and that they can have a life that feels fulfilled. Isolation is a terrible scourge in our community, and supporting our very important social clubs is an incredibly important part of making sure we have a cohesive and strong society. Working with our First Nations communities is also incredibly important to me. I have a vibrant and amazing First Nations community in my electorate, which, I'm very proud to say, is also home to so many of the peak bodies that do great work in Victoria and beyond. The Aboriginal Advancement League is an amazing organisation that promotes wellbeing and a healthy future for our Aboriginal community.”
“So many women have cried. I've heard wonderful stories about our endometriosis clinics; they have changed people's lives. Women have said to me that for the first time ever, when they walk into these clinics, they are heard, they are believed and they are given treatment that absolutely validates years and years of their pain and suffering—years of being gaslit and being told, 'There's nothing wrong with you,' 'It's all in your head,' or 'It's just a woman's lot to put up with it.' And that is not the case. We can do something about that. And then there are the wonderful organisations in my electorate who work every single day and volunteer to make sure that their communities are kept safe, are not isolated and have somewhere to go.”
“I'm deeply, deeply proud that the people of the electorate of Cooper elected me to represent them. I know that they care about the things that I care about. I know that they want me to stand here and speak up for them over and over again and to fight for policies that actually change their lives. The women of Cooper have spoken. They have told me that the policies we enacted in the last term of government have changed their lives. They have told me that they can now absolutely afford the medications that they need. So many of the women in Cooper have sent me pictures from their phones of how much their bill is—the actual dockets from when they go to the chemist, pick up their medication and see that no longer are they paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars every year for their medication; they're now getting it for so much less.”
“It means prioritising and protecting children, fostering their recovery and stopping the cycle of violence for them. None of these circumstances excuse the use of violence, but they do explain how it can happen, and we must do everything possible to stop that violence before it starts. This is part of our feminist agenda, and it's a feminist agenda focused not just on survival; it's an agenda focused on truly living. To Sue and Hope, and all the Sues and Hopes out there, this is one of the main reasons I came to this place: for you, for your safety, for your life—to look at the heart and not just the body. We want women not just to survive but to thrive and to have choices, opportunity, love and family, and we want the same for our men and boys. I'm deeply proud to do this in a Labor government.”
“I want to quickly acknowledge the incredible prior work in this portfolio by my dear colleagues Minister Rishworth and the member for Richmond, Justine Elliot, who have enacted incredible change, making the Albanese Labor government the largest investor in women's safety in history. Now it's time to grow and build on that, and grow rapidly. To get there, we must fight for cultural and social change, and that means working with men and boys. That means building healthy relationships and attitudes towards women from a young age. That means talking about consent, respect, digital literacy and healthy masculinity, but it also means fighting those factors that we now know lead some men and some boys down a path of violence, including social isolation, mental ill health and addiction.”
“Hope is now doing very well. Actually, she's not just doing well; she's thriving. She's thriving because she had access to social security, free mental health support and good legal support. But what she wants people to know is that violence isn't just physical and fleeing isn't so simple. We must stop violence before it starts, and we must address it in all forms, including coercive control, sexual violence, financial violence and verbal abuse. If we want to stop violence, we need to make a concerted effort across all government departments and all parts of society. That's why all of us in the Albanese Labor government are deeply committed to stopping family, domestic and sexual violence in a generation.”
“Her story tells the insidious nature of family and domestic violence, because it's not just the moment of an attack that's painful. Abuse seeps into every aspect of life. Hope and her mother experienced terrible abuse in the home, with one attack leaving Hope's mother deaf in one ear. People would ask Hope and her mum, 'Why don't you just leave?' Hope told me of the shame she felt whenever that question was asked—a shame that should never have been felt and a question that should never have been asked, because the reality for Hope was that, when she and her mum did flee, they were met with increased threats, financial abuse, intimidation, stalking and an attempt to set their home on fire. After they received a protection order and many other supports that got them to safety, the mental recovery began, which took years.”
“Of course, last term we also delivered 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave, something I am particularly proud of because I had been fighting for this for over a decade, including when I was President of the ACTU. I fought alongside the mighty ASU and so many other unions for paid family and domestic violence leave, because no woman should choose between fleeing to safety and putting food on the table. This initiative also supports women to continue their careers, because they shouldn't have to choose between surviving and thriving at work. As the Assistant Minister for Social Services, working with Minister Plibersek on the prevention of family violence, I'm as fired up as ever to keep fighting. I'm fired up for people like Hope in my electorate.”
“The Attorney-General is also doing some transformative work, building on reforms initiated by the former attorney-general to strengthen justice responses to family, domestic and sexual violence, including through harmonising consent and sexual assault laws across jurisdictions and increasing supports for those navigating the judicial system. The Minister for Housing has done some incredible work in making housing more accessible, including by investing over $1 billion for housing for women and children fleeing family and domestic violence. And Minister Wells in the Communications portfolio is delivering much-needed safety measures. There are reforms that she has introduced in banking and financial abuse, protecting women.”
“We are also working to end all forms of family, domestic and sexual violence. Already we've made a record investment of over $4 billion in new prevention and support services to combat family, domestic and sexual violence, and we're investing in incredible programs that are working to address sexual violence, including Consent Can't Wait, Teach Us Consent, Stop it at the Start and Our Watch. We've almost completed the development of the First Nations national safety plan, Our Ways—Strong Ways—Our Voices. Today I have the privilege of working alongside the new Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek, who is committed to transformational change for women.”
“On top of this, the Albanese Labor government is also changing the way we value care. We've expanded paid parental leave to six months, with dedicated time for both parents, and, from this year, we'll pay superannuation on that leave for the first time ever. We're also making child care cheaper. This was a very popular promise with both women and men during the election, because by pushing costs down we are pushing opportunity up. What was also popular was our support for a real pay rise in feminised industries, because for too long too many industries and unscrupulous employers have relied on a historical sexist presumption about women's work and the care economy. On top of this, we've introduced employer level gender pay gap reporting and achieved our lowest gender pay gap on record.”
“That's why we must always ask: who is this policy helping? At the end of the day, policy is not abstract; it's very personal. One of the promises closest to my heart and one that truly defines who I am as a former nurse, a unionist and a feminist is our commitment to women's health. This includes listing medications for endometriosis and menopause and new contraceptive medications on the PBS for the first time in decades, of which all have now been capped at just $25. I'm so proud of this policy because, when we announce policies targeted towards women, we're saying: 'We see you. Your pain is real, your needs matter and your health matters.' We're also saying: 'You deserve to do more than just survive; you deserve to live.' This is just one part of the broader feminist agenda.”
“I believe change should be grounded in the simple belief that every person and every community matters. I believe in the politics of empathy—where we build community, where we don't drive competition, where governments don't step back but step up to support people to live with dignity and opportunity. We need a government that cares, that acts and that leads, like a government that fights for gender equality, for example, so all women can thrive, that backs strong unions, that lifts all workers and that takes bold climate action which leaves no-one behind. I also believe that change happens and matters at every single level, from sweeping national reform to local community driven work. Everything that we do in this building, no matter how big or small, has the power to shape someone's life.”
“During that time, I was also proud to announce $3 million to support the local environment in my electorate, including much-needed funding for Edwardes Lake, Merri Creek, Edgars Creek, Darebin Creek and our local grey-headed flying-fox colony. I also got to announce upgrades for the Darebin Falcons, upgrades for Reservoir and Northcote senior citizens' centres, funding for Preston Lions, supports for Northcote Baptist Church, the Melkite community hall, Kouchkovski social club and the Darusalam Community Centre, and, importantly, $3 million to the Aborigines Advancement League, to see our women and girls' sport and wellness centre built in the next year. All of these go into my theory of change and are why I think Cooper gave me the honour of representing them.”
“In fact, during the campaign, there was one man in his 40s who I met in Reservoir who managed to list almost every single climate initiative from the Future Made in Australia Bill to our solar initiatives and subsidies for home batteries. As a young father to young daughters, he expressed a terrible sense of dread about their future, yet, when he was met with a choice between voting for me or the Greens candidate, he chose me. He chose to vote for me because he knew that only a Labor government would deliver practical change and he knew that I would fight for that delivery. I do not take his vote lightly. My fight is quite easy with a minister for climate change and energy like Minister Bowen, who made some genuinely progressive and impressive commitments during the election.”
“During the election, we spoke to thousands of women and men across Cooper about their concerns, and we had some very frank conversations. They were good conversations, and we made some very big promises. Cooper is a place of radicals and pragmatists, workers, business owners, professionals and academics and people from every background and walk of life, and people in Cooper are incredibly politically engaged. They keep me on my toes, and they know my every movement. They hold me accountable. So often I would knock on the door and the person who answered it would recognise me, lean on the side of the door and say, 'Ged Kearney, I have got something to say to you.' Sometimes I would worry, but most times it was because they cared deeply about the many things that I care about, like the environment and climate change, in particular.”
“It was the principled and driven members of Cooper Labor that made the campaign so successful. Thank you to the incredible people who sacrificed time out of their weekends and lives to help deliver a historic victory in Cooper. This win is your win. To Daryl, Stefan, Astin, Tharun, Thomas, Shelley, Kristine, Vasilios, Matt, Emily, Tracey, Phil, Geraldine, Peter, Kate, Georgie, Cheryl, John, Jordan, Kiz and Div, David, Ramy, Koda, Riley, Jane, Marko, Andy, Mirsada, Aljalil, Brendan, Jane, Charlotte, James, Chris and so many others: thank you so much. And of course all of the Northcote and Preston Labor branches, uni Melbourne Labor, La Trobe Labor, my staff, and my wonderful family: thank you. Your energy, your care and your belief in something better were the heartbeat of the Cooper campaign.”
“Sue's story was echoed right across my electorate of Cooper, from the cafe belts of Northcote to the sporting clubs of Reservoir. It didn't matter what class or background women came from; that desire for dignity, for fairness and for joy, not just the daily grind, is what I heard again and again. I know this not just from my own conversations but from all the conversations my incredible volunteers had. I'd like to take a moment to thank all those who committed so many hours during the campaign, rain, hail or shine. In Cooper we ran a people powered campaign. We relied on volunteers having real conversations with community members, whether it was knocking on thousands of doors across the electorate, phone banking night after night, or spending early mornings at train stations or long hours at prepoll.”
“Sue was so happy to hear that a government is not just taking women's health seriously but prioritising it. The hundreds of dollars Sue would save through cheaper medicine for herself and her daughters would be life changing. It gave Sue more room to breathe and more room to enjoy her beautiful and chaotic life. Her experience is emblematic of so many women I met on the doors during this campaign. It struck me that what women want is really simple: to be heard, to be seen, to live with respect and to feel equal. It isn't luxury; it is safety and it is time—time to be with family, time to be their own person. What they want is to live, not just to survive with their heads bobbing above the water. It's what I always wanted, too, because hearts starve just as bodies do.”
“The women's health package was particularly popular in my electorate of Cooper, as were the wonderful Medicare urgent care clinics. During the campaign, while traipsing the streets of Preston, I met a lovely woman, about 50 years of age. Let's call her Sue. Sue is a public servant and manages her life by working from home. Her house seemed beautifully chaotic and full of life. The sound of her dog barking and her teenage daughter yelling in the background made me reminiscent of when my three girls and my son used to all live at home with me. Sue told me that her life is difficult but fun and full of love. When I told her how the government is slashing the cost of Estrogel, she was actually ecstatic. Then, when I told her about how we are cutting the cost of contraceptives and endometriosis care, her face lit up again.”
“I rise to speak in reply to the Governor-General's address, and I thank her most warmly for her wonderful service. Well, the 2025 election was won by an Albanese Labor government, and it was won on the basis of a belief in moving towards a more equal and caring Australia, with greater opportunity for all. The Australian people chose a future based on positivity, on hope and on trust over negativity and division. Reflecting upon it all has been such a positive experience. Our pitch to the Australian people was more cost-of-living support, free TAFE, lower HECS, safer penalty rates, action on climate change and cheaper energy, more bulk-billing, cheaper medicines, the valuing of workers, and cheaper contraceptives and women's health care—just to name a few things.”
“I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would remove the time limit for the whole debate on the motion to take note of the Housing Australia Investment Mandate Amendment (Delivering on Our 2025 Election Commitment) Direction 2025. Question agreed to.”
“At the heart of the problem is a lack of national standards, which creates inconsistencies between states and across borders internationally in accreditation, in enforcement and also in recourse for discrimination. The message is simple. Australians with disabilities deserve equality. They deserve dignity and certainty, not confusion and exclusion. I will continue to advocate on this issue to make our standards better and more consistent because people's lives and independence depend on them, and Australians who rely on assistance dogs deserve better.”
“I'd like to raise the issue relating to standards for training and accreditation of assistance dogs. My constituent Charles has an assistance dog that is vital to his wellbeing as someone who suffers from severe PTSD. He has told me stories that no Australian should have to tell—stories of being refused entry to libraries and supermarkets, turned away from public transport and interrogated when trying to get into rideshare services with his much-needed furry companion. Instead of being supported, many are made to feel humiliated, and these stories are not unique. Thousands of Australians with guide dogs, hearing dogs, psychiatric support dogs and more face this same battle every single day.”