David Smith
Bean · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“When Australian sport is showcased on the international stage, all Australians feel proud. But I think the best by-product of international success is the inspiration it provides to people back at home to get involved in community sports. There are few things as rewarding, both physically and mentally, as getting involved in sports.”
“But, unfathomably, this club has been prevented from seeking promotion to the ACT National Premier League Girls competition and prevented from providing girls and their club a strong pathway into higher levels of participation in their sport.”
“And it does this without increasing the administrative burden on our doctors. This bill also outlaws another practice that is becoming increasingly problematic in the insurance system, which is the practice of product phoenixing.”
“It is unjustifiable to expect Australians to commit to a medical treatment without being able to compare those costs against the fees charged by other providers. Australians have the right to know the level of support that is provided by their private health insurer so they can determine from the outset their likely out-of-pocket costs.”
“The Albanese government has delivered the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the PBS, with the maximum cost of a general script falling from $42.50 to $30 in January 2023 and now to $25.”
“This bill before the House creates changes that will require an insurer to seek ministerial approval for the premium charged for a proposed new product and, importantly, where changes are made that reduce cover, a benefit or a term of condition of an existing product.”
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“An evaluation by the Australian Institute of Family Studies found no evidence that the introduction of the activity test caused any increase in workforce participation. The Productivity Commission—that well-known socialist organisation!—found that the effects of the activity test on workforce participation were, at best, ambiguous. Instead, the activity test has made early learning harder to access for many families. It has disproportionately affected those families that may be experiencing disadvantage—possibly the families that could benefit most from this access. The children who'd benefit the most from high-quality early education and care are, right now, the least likely to attend—this is what we're aiming to address.”
“They learn to socialise and develop emotional skills that they can then build on when they start school. Replacing the Liberals' activity test, which locked out children and families, with Labor's three-day guarantee is such a crucial step in delivering on our commitment to universal early learning. When the Liberals introduced the childcare-subsidy activity test in 2018, they stated that it was designed to encourage workforce participation. But, as Thrive by Five's Jay Weatherill states, while the activity test was intended to encourage parents into work, in fact it has done the opposite. It has limited choices and made it harder for parents, especially single parents, to make an income.”
“Again, the government is acting in introducing the Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill, guaranteeing families at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight. The three-day guarantee is about making sure that every child can have the best start in life—that all children are ready to learn and ready to start school. It's about making sure that every child, no matter their background and no matter where they live, has access to the transformative benefits of early childhood education and care, and that's as important to the families of Bean as it is to families right across the country. We know how precious the first five years of a child's life are. It's a time of extraordinary growth—of emotional and intellectual development. In these years, children learn foundational skills.”
“The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission inquiry recommended that the government consider removing, relaxing or substantially reconfiguring the current activity test. In their final report, the Productivity Commission recommended all families who to choose to use early childhood education and care 'should be able to access at least 30 hours or three days a week' of high-quality early learning. The Productivity Commission also noted that ensuring that all children aged zero to five years have access to some form of high-quality, subsidised ECEC for at least three days a week, or 30 hours, for 48 weeks per year, would accommodate the needs of families and deliver the benefits of ECEC participation to children.”
“Recent Jobs and Skills Australia data indicates that workforce vacancy rates in the early childhood education and care sector have plummeted over the last 12 months, with internet vacancy rates down 22 per cent since December 2023. But that's not all. The wage rise is linked to caps on fees. For providers to be eligible, they must not increase their fees by more than 4.4 per cent in the first year and 4.2 per cent in the second year. This is putting wages up for workers and keeping costs down for families. Over the last 2½ years, we have made significant progress in building these foundations for a universal early childhood education and care system, but we know that there is still more work to do.”
“Last year, we passed the Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers Act, supporting a 15 per cent pay rise for early childhood education and care workers—increasing the wages of up to 200,000 early educators—and addressing exactly this issue. Significant, momentous, historic, a monumental moment, proof that early learning matters and life changing—these are just some of the descriptive words that early childhood education advocates and workers have used to describe this government's 15 per cent wage increase. We know that the foundation of a universal system relies on a stable, secure and valued workforce, and this wage rise will help achieve that by retaining our existing early childhood educators and attracting new workers to the sector.”
“We also commissioned the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Productivity Commission to each do a review, providing guidance on how we can achieve our vision of a universal early learning system—a system where every child, no matter who they are, no matter their background and no matter where they live, has access to quality early childhood education and care. The Productivity Commission inquiry, in its interim report, told us that the early childhood education workforce should be the first priority for reform, including through better pay and conditions. The Productivity Commission made it crystal clear that the workforce is fundamental in addressing any changes in availability.”
“As reflected on by the minister when introducing this bill, when the Labor government came to office in 2022, we came with a commitment to make early childhood education and care more affordable through our cheaper childcare programs. We quickly turned that commitment into progress, with more than a million families benefiting from those changes. Recent data shows that an Australian family on an income of $120,000 a year, paying the average quarterly fee for 30 hours of child care per week, has saved approximately $2,768 since September 2023. This is of great assistance to the young families of Bean and throughout the nation.”
“Consequently, the rules around child care and early education need to be adjusted to make sure that all kids, particularly those in disadvantaged groups, get access to the services that are available. As outlined by the minister and previous speakers, the bill provides that all families will be guaranteed three days, or 72 hours, of childcare subsidy each fortnight. Families caring for First Nations children will be guaranteed 100 hours each fortnight, and families who work, study or train will continue to be eligible for 100 hours of subsidised care each fortnight. The background and context to the changes are important, and I'll now address the background to what we're discussing today and cover some of the other essential actions being taken by this government that are complementary to the bill under consideration.”
“Availability, cost and quality are issues that are raised with me as I do my job listening to the views, concerns and aspirations of local residents right across Bean. I believe that all those involved in the early education and childcare sector—state and territory governments, which regulate the industry, the private and public bodies which participate in the industry, and the national government, which provides considerable funds into the sector—have a duty to update the rules and arrangements to meet the needs of today. For many, family life in Australia—and no less so in Bean—is changing. The nature of work is also changing, with more and more workers not having regular hours or work patterns.”
“This bill will replace the activity test introduced by the Liberals with a new three-day guarantee. The three-day guarantee will deliver additional cost-of-living relief for more than 66,000 families after the changes commence in 2026. The young families and children who live in Bean will benefit from this move. This reform is just part of Labor's next steps to building a universal early education and care system, expanding access to quality early education right across the country. It builds on cheaper child care, which cut the cost of early education and care for more than one million families across the country, as well as our 15 per cent pay rise for early educators. Child care is of critical importance to the residents of Bean.”
“We know that these legislative changes will be on the chopping block, but they won't be on the menu after the election if the Leader of the Opposition gets his way. Like all my Labor colleagues, I want to make sure that every child gets the best possible start in life. I know the benefits that my family have received from access to early education, particularly at the Jenny Wren Early Learning by Busy Bees centre in Mawson, in the electorate of Bean. I'd like to thank those early educators who did so much great work for my family, as well as all early educators right across Bean. As a government, we believe every child has the right to go to early education to help make sure they don't start school behind, and our Labor government is going to make this possible.”
“I also rise to speak on the Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025. The member for Adelaide reminisced about the 'Walk in their shoes' campaign, and it brought back memories for me. I recall a similar experience, working for a day at the magnificent Wonderschool in Conder. That work wasn't limited to the soft stuff. It included some of the dirty work too, and it was a reminder for me of what amazing work our early educators do right across the country. As the member for Bean, which is home to thousands of young families, I'm pleased to speak in support of this bill. But let's be clear. The Liberals won't support cost-of-living relief for early education and care or kids need access to ECEC, but they will support free lunches for bosses.”
“Frank Marando, Victoria Ross, Susan Saunders and Dyung Van Dartel were recognised for their outstanding contribution to public service. Group Captain Marija Jovanovich was recognised for service to the Royal Australian Air Force. Captain Antony Pisani was recognised for outstanding achievement in the field of Navy capability. Commodore Nigel Smith was recognised for outstanding achievement as the Director General Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise Task Force. Thank you, one and all, for your outstanding contributions, and congratulations on your richly deserved recognition.”
“The residents of Bean are well known for our generosity and community spirit. So many Bean residents make a positive contribution to our neighbourhood, to the territory and to our nation. Each Australia Day, through the honours list, special recognition is paid to citizens who've made outstanding contributions. Today, I would like to put on the record my thanks to these outstanding locals for their work in making our community and nation a better place. Laurence Mound was recognised for service to scientific research into the identification and biology of plant-feeding insects. Val Dempsey was recognised for service to community health. John Saxon was recognised for service to space science. Mark Alcock was recognised for service in maritime affairs.”
“Disturbingly, Lara told me that, in the six years of the operation of the Redress Scheme, there have been only two successful applications from victims of abuse within the Jehovah's Witness community. The report produced by the Joint Standing Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme last year covers a great deal of ground on this subject. In particular, the inquiry found that it appeared possible that the Jehovah's Witnesses misled the joint standing committee in its evidence. It is clear that a legacy of abuse and mismanagement must be addressed in all its aspects. The antidote is scrutiny. I look forward to continuing to work with Lara and to advocate for action on this important issue.”
“For some time now I have been engaging with Lara Kaput, a constituent of mine who's a former member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Over many years, Lara and her colleagues have undertaken significant research into the abuse and obfuscation which has occurred within the organisation. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that the Jehovah's Witnesses was not an organisation which responded adequately to abuse. The research undertaken by Lara and her colleagues is comprehensive and builds upon this finding. Lara's research suggest that the lessons of the history of abuse have not been fully learnt and taken to heart in the ongoing operations of the organisation.”
“Who will be next in the queue? Come later this year, the choice will be clear. Australians can either support a conga line of Sir Lunchalots that will rip billions from critical public services or support a Labor government that values public sector workers and the services they deliver to support communities right across the nation—and so much of that work is led from my electorate of Bean.”
“By demonising Services Australia's increase in staff numbers, the Liberals are setting the scene to wield the axe on the jobs that Labor has put back into Services Australia. This is bad news for all the Australians who rely on Services Australia—everyday Australians right across the nation and across my electorate of Bean and those Australians who count on those services being delivered in a professional and timely way. They will lose out when the Liberals axe jobs if they get their dream granted. The Liberals targeting Services Australia jobs is also bad for the Services Australia staff throughout Australia and for the 4,300 workers who are based in the electorate of Bean. Who will be next—employees in the Department of Veterans' Affairs, employees in the Department of Health and Aged Care and employees in Defence?”
“Services Australia has more staff doing less work, processing fewer … claims. Service delivery outcomes have become worse. Throughout his speech, the member for Bradfield condemns the increase in staffing numbers that have been put in place by the government and suggests that the extra hands have not only improved Services Australia but, in the Liberals' view, have made things worse. The Liberal view is: Services Australia has more staff doing less work. This is from the party of robodebt. This is from the party that puts algorithms before people. The motivation behind the Liberals' baseless political attack on Services Australia, its staff and the increases in the staff numbers this government has put in place is clear.”
“But the opposition leader has a plan to axe 36,000 Public Service jobs if he wins the next election. So far, the LNP has refused to identify which jobs they would target. But yesterday in the House of Representatives the member for Bradfield and the former Minister for Families and Social Services made it very clear that Services Australia jobs are at the top of the Liberals' hit list. In his speech to the House of Representatives, the member made a host of false claims about Services Australia and made it very clear the Liberals believe it's overstaffed and numbers need to be axed, harking back to the headcount that was in place when the Liberals were last in office. In his speech, the member for Bradfield, of the staff increases this government has put in place, said: Productivity has collapsed.”
“We all know that during the coalition era of office, the staff resources of Services Australia were depleted, and under the Liberals it simply did not have the staff numbers to do its important role. It was left to Labor in office to provide Services Australia with the resources to do its job and for people across Australia to benefit from appropriate staff numbers and the enhanced outcomes that they deliver. Needless to say, rebuilding the staff numbers to what they needed to be could not be done overnight. First, staff needed to be recruited and training undertaken. I am pleased that this Labor government has done this and that Australians are now in a position to reap the benefits of properly staffed Services Australia offices here and around the country.”
“Services Australia employees deliver a raft of vital services to Australians, including so many across the communities in my electorate of Bean. Services Australia currently employs over 4,000 people in the ACT, with several workplaces in the electorate of Bean, including the Reed Street offices, the Caroline Chisholm Centre, the Louisa Lawson Building and the Bowes Street and Anketell Street service centres. All my Labor colleagues and I understand and value the contribution they are making to this nation every day. For these reasons, I pay close attention to what those opposite have to say about this vital service delivery agency and the source of thousands of jobs in my community.”
“Wherever there's a sense that there is division or dissent on these matters, it's fodder for those who are trying to foment this hatred across our communities. It certainly doesn't reflect the concerns that have been raised by local communities in my electorate of Bean and across the Canberra community. It's important that this parliament passes legislation like this before we depart this fortnight. It's critical that this federal parliament is seen to act and actually get through key changes because this is the sort of leadership that our communities are looking for. They see it as our responsibility. Whether you're coming from the regions or from the cities, whatever state or territory you might come from, these are issues that should be bringing us together. We have a responsibility to act together, and I support the resolution.”
“The offences in this bill have been carefully crafted to target the most serious forms of harmful hate speech—namely the urging and threatening of force or violence. The robust expression of diverse opinions is an important feature of our democracy, and the measures in this bill respect the need for vibrant public debate. The offences are not intended to criminalise mere expressions of belief or opinion. But what we're seeing in Sydney, in particular, is not expressions of robust, diverse opinions. They have been expressions of hatred and they have been designed to incite racial hatred. It's important that, where we can, we send the message that we are working together and that this is a shared mission of this parliament.”
“As I said, this bill sends a clear and unambiguous message that urging or threatening violence and advocating acts of hatred are not acceptable in our country. It is criminal behaviour and it will be treated as such. There is clear concern from key parts of our community, quite understandably, about such actions occurring right across our community. The criminal offences that are outlined in this bill will support law enforcement's ability to disrupt, investigate and protect against the activities of those who foster hatred and incite violence, discrimination and other serious damage. The offences in this bill complement existing Commonwealth, state and territory civil and criminal protections against hate speech.”
“This bill sends a clear and unambiguous message that urging or threatening violence and advocating acts of hatred are not acceptable in our country. It is criminal behaviour and will be treated as such. This should be a unity ticket for this parliament. This is something that should bring together people from across the aisle and across all different political groupings in the parliament. It's important. The Australian people are looking to us to show that sense of unity and to show that sense of togetherness that, as I outlined, was pretty clearly present at that prayer service before we commenced parliament this year. Often, the challenge with such services is to ensure the messages that we hear there actually get past question time on the first day.”
“This bill would strengthen existing offences relating to urging violence against a group or a member of a group. They apply where a person urges others to use violence against a group or a member of a group and is reckless as to whether the violence urged will occur. This bill will also create a new criminal offence for threatening force or violence against a group or members of a group to cover conduct involving a direct threat from one person to another. And it amends the existing offences of publicly displaying prohibited hate symbols, specifically to cover targeted groups distinguished by those factors that I outlined but, in particular, by existing attributes of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion or national or social origin.”
“It comes also a week after I was at the National Jewish Memorial Centre in Forrest—which is only really a stone's throw from St Christopher's Cathedral—to announce the investment by the Albanese government of $4 million for a Holocaust education resource to ensure that, for generations to come, they continue to know the story about the absolute horror of the Holocaust. We can't neglect the importance of education in this space. But, getting to this legislation, this bill, of course, creates new criminal offences and strengthens existing offences against hate speech. That's the key and heart of this. The amendments in this proposed legislation protect groups distinguished by their race, religion, nationality, national or ethnic origin, political opinion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability and members of those groups.”
“Just yesterday, before the commencement of the parliamentary year here in 2025, many members from right across parliament came together at St Christopher's Cathedral for what I see as almost a traditional display of unity and togetherness—a reminder that, often, there are many things that bring us together and less that keeps us apart. That ecumenical prayer service, which has been going for more than 50 years now, is something which is a reminder for each and every one of us that the words that we say in this parliament matter. It is critical that we should be working for the common good. And, really, that's the frame for this legislation.”
“It is also welcome news that one of the Albanese government's 10 new regional education university hubs will be on Norfolk Island. Norfolk Island is 2½ hours by air to Sydney or Brisbane airports, let alone to their university campuses. With the new Canberra Institute of Technology being built by the ACT government in the Woden valley—in the heart of Bean—and the Prime Minister's plan to cut the costs faced by those pursuing higher education and training, we know that education is the best weapon to fight disadvantage. I am pleased that, with the support of Labor governments at all levels, we are providing students and trainees with the opportunity to build a better future.”
“Boosting higher education and training and tackling the cost of living are critical issues for my electorate of Bean. A re-elected Labor government will cut $5,500 from an average university student's debt and lock in free TAFE permanently. This plan will benefit the constituents of Bean and people throughout Australia to make ends meet and get ahead, as well as ensure we have the skills we need. It will put money back in the pockets of constituents who are often facing a host of financial pressures starting out in their working lives. Importantly, it will increase the attractiveness of pursuing higher education and training, which is essential to the future of the ACT and our nation more broadly. The Albanese government is rightly putting students and trainees centre stage.”