Jerome Laxale
Bennelong · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“The interim report makes 13 recommendations in time for the government and the parliament to consider their implementation before the next federal election. The committee has recommended reviewing the thresholds under the significant third party and associated entity framework to capture coordinated involvement in elections at scale.”
“Many describe this assault by third parties identified in submissions to the committee, like the Plymouth Brethren and ADVANCE, as a fundamental disruption to the foundations of our free and fair voting process. This parliament cannot ignore this evidence.”
“On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, I present the committee's interim report incorporating dissenting reports entitled Inquiry into the conduct of the 2025 federal election . Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).”
“These recommendations respond directly to the many accounts of overwhelming, unsafe and intimidatory experiences at polling places during the 2025 federal election in targeted electorates.”
“It is also considering universal voter access and the suitability of authorisation requirements, noting our rapidly changing communication technology. The inquiry is also looking at domestic interference in our electoral processes. There have been 360 submissions to the inquiry to date.”
“In order to protect the electoral process, the committee recommends that the matter of domestic interference be considered and addressed as a priority.”
The complete record
Every one of 480 lines we hold for Jerome Laxale, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 10.
“A huge reform being introduced in the parliament this Thursday is the $1,000 instant tax deduction for those with simple tax affairs. They'll be able to lodge their tax return in six clicks, I think, and they'll be able to claim that $1,000 tax deduction, which will save people between $200 and $300 on their tax bill every year. And we're introducing a new and targeted way to deliver tax relief to working Australians. That's through the working Australian tax offset—$250 coming off your tax bill, which will be fantastic. All up, that's around $2,800 for the average worker, delivered by Labor and specifically designed to ease the burden on income earned through labour, to help people keep more of what they earn. But what we're seeing here in Australia is pretty common around the world.”
“Had we not made those changes for cheaper medicines, we'd probably be hitting $50 out of pocket per script now. But, when we came to government, we reduced it and we reduced it again down to $25 whilst also capping those who have concession cards to $7.70 until 2029-30. We've also delivered tax cuts. We recognise that the tax burden on working Australians in particular is too high. So in four years in government we've delivered five tax cuts in four different ways. Firstly, we made the stage 3 tax cuts fairer, diverting more relief to low- and middle-income earners who would have missed out under Scott Morrison's plan. We've got more tax cuts coming in from 1 July this year and another round of tax cuts coming in from 1 July 2027.”
“We've locked in the local Ryde and Chatswood Medicare urgent care clinics, now making them a permanent feature of our primary healthcare system with $1.8 billion worth of funding in this budget over the forward estimates. They are part of a national network of 135 clinics that are open, with two more to come. By the time those two more open, four out of five Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of an urgent care clinic, providing bulk-billing, urgent care and taking pressure off our hospital emergency departments. Our record investment in GP practices and increasing bulk-billing is working. From 1 November, Bennelong has increased from nine bulk-billing practices to 23 as at March. In New South Wales, bulk-billing is up, as it is across the board. This is on top of making medicines cheaper, ensuring you pay $25 per script.”
“I want to talk about what we've done, what we are doing and what we will do in this and future budgets. From Medicare to housing, tax cuts and support for small business, we want to attack this cost-of-living crisis head on from every angle possible. This budget is another way we're helping Australians in these challenging and tumultuous times. It'd be no surprise to you, Deputy Speaker, that Labor is committed to strengthening Medicare, and that's exactly what's happened in Bennelong and across the country. In Bennelong, we've recently officially opened the Top Ryde Medicare mental health centre, which provides an important walk-in service for our community, with no appointments needed.”
“In no sector is this more profound and debilitating than housing. If you want to own your own home, housing prices are now eight times higher than the average salary. Rents have gone up across the country. My message is that the government hears you. While we have thrown record amounts of funding at housing supply—$47 billion to date—we have the understanding to acknowledge that there's more to do. That's why at this budget we have done more. Instead of just talking about reform, we're trying to deliver it. It's not okay for a government that hears from people directly just to kick the can down the road. It's not fair on young people who have been locked out of the housing market for a generation or who are trying to get their start buying their first home.”
“The world we live in today is not the same as it was 30 years ago. It's not the same as it was a couple of years ago. Once-in-a-generation events are now more and more commonplace and no longer do we have the global stability previous generations grew accustomed to. In much of the commentary out there and in most of the correspondence in my inbox there's been a pretty clear message. It's what I get in my inbox and what I get out on the streets when I engage with locals in my home of Bennelong. It's clear to me and to them that things need to change and change for the better. People who approach me, identify an injustice that working people are bearing the load of our nation's tax take, which is why people are demanding action. The bare necessities are now a struggle for so many people, and many hardworking Australians are scraping by.”
“That mistake, which was designed to get more people to invest in shares, backfired. In fact, fewer people invested in shares, and it locked out a generation from owning their first home. On budget night, it took Labor to fix that mistake. When you partner our reforms with our five per cent home deposit scheme and more supply, we are clearly here to turn things around for young people. The Liberals and Nationals defend the status quo; we want to get more people into homes.”
“'Single mother outbids two rivals for $745,000 townhouse', 'We had given up on Yarraville: first home buyers win $955,000 house', 'First home buyer outbids seven others for unit in Mortdale', 'Laid some roots: new home owners celebrate unexpected auction success'—these are very real headlines in very real newspapers talking about the immediate impact of our difficult but very necessary reforms in the budget. A first home buyer buying a house should not be newsworthy, but so broken is our housing market that, yes, this is news—for now. Like some pimpled adolescent science students at school mixing vinegar and bicarb soda, the Liberals mixed negative gearing with a 50 per cent capital gains tax discount on existing homes in 1999, and that little experiment blew up the housing market.”
“The digital economy has fast outpaced our laws, and this bill is the government's signal to say, 'We're catching up.' If this bill is passed, these changes are due to commence on 1 July 2027, giving businesses time to adjust their systems and their coding and rewrite their websites. This bill seeks to protect Australians at the checkout. It rewards honest businesses and puts power back in the hands of Australian people, restoring that fair go at the supermarket and at the checkout. It ensures that Australians don't fall into subscription traps and get charged random amounts just before they forget to cancel that subscription at the end of a seven-day trial. And it ensures that, when an Australian clicks buy, they don't get landed with an extra 10 or 20 bucks in additional fees. It's time to end these traps. It's time to end these tricks.”
“We've attacked shrinkflation by strengthening the unit pricing code so that you know whether you're getting less for more. And we've made the food and grocery code mandatory to protect our farmers from the big squeeze by the big supermarket duopoly. Every dollar saved from a zombie subscription and every hidden fee made outlawed by this bill is a dollar that stays in a family's budget to save or spend on their loved ones or themselves or invest in their future. These changes have been carefully considered. They're pragmatic and they're methodical. We want to get this right because progressive reform like this is hard to come by.”
“I'm pleased to say that the government will be consulting this month on extending unfair trading protections to small businesses as well. What we're after here is a level playing field that will help local mum-and-dad shops compete with global giants, because that's what they deserve—a fair go. In Bennelong, as it is across the country, people are feeling the pinch of the cost of living. This bill is one piece of a much larger puzzle to protect consumers from unfair business practices and dodgy fees. It's part of a lot of reforms we've done since coming to government. We've done merger reform—the biggest overhaul in 50 years—to stop anticompetitive takeovers. We've had a supermarket price gouging crackdown, increasing ACCC funding by $30 million to target price gouging.”
“So, within this bill, maximum penalties under the Competition and Consumer Act will increase as well, from $10 million to $100 million, so that they ensure that businesses of all sizes face meaningful consequences for unfair and deceptive conduct. This bill sends a message: if you choose to manipulate Australians, if you choose to trap them in subscriptions they don't want, you'll face tougher penalties that'll hit the business's bottom line. Some of you may know that I used to run a small business, and from that I know that these unfair practices don't just hurt individuals; they hurt small-business owners, particularly franchisors, who are often hit with massive fees as part of their franchise. It's like David and Goliath.”
“What you see should be what you pay—no surprise hidden fees, no admin fees, no gotchas right at the final click. This bill is clear. This does not stop advertising for small business. It doesn't stop legitimate persuasion or upselling. It stops manipulation and deception. For a long time, some big corporations viewed Australian Consumer Law fines as just the cost of doing business, a small tax on their path to more profits each and every year. Penalties matter, so we need to disincentivise these dodgy practices from engaging in this behaviour fully. We need them not to think it's just a cost of business.”
“There's nothing more frustrating than booking a hotel room, a concert ticket or a movie ticket for an advertised price of $100, only to find that it's $130 by the time you reach the checkout. Where did these extra costs come from? Booking fees, admin fees, service fees—fees on fees. This is what drip pricing is, where mandatory transaction or service fees are excluded from the price Australians see and they only become evident right at the end of the purchase process, when you're already hooked in. When prices aren't upfront, competition fails. The businesses that are doing the right thing and showing the all-in price look more expensive than the ones hiding those fees and extra costs until later in the checkout process. This bill will mandate that all mandatory fees must be shown alongside the base price from the very beginning.”
“We deserve to be treated fairly here and, if it takes seconds to enter a subscription, it shouldn't take a diary appointment and an hour to cancel.' Australians deserve transparency for cost, duration and renewal. They all must be upfront and prominent. We deserve reminders. We live in a very technologically advanced world. It's not hard for a company to send a 'free trial is ending' prompt or just not to grab credit card details in the first place. The good news is there are some businesses doing great work here. They're already doing this. What this bill seeks to do is bring everyone else up to that standard that Australians expect—that fair go that I mentioned at the start of my speech. This bill also outlaws drip pricing.”
“Then comes the real nightmare: going through that same process to try and cancel, which is a lot harder than you think. Signing up is easy—one click here, one click there. With Apple Pay, your credit card details go straight through, even though it's a free trial. But trying to cancel? That's an entirely different story. Sometimes you try calling, but it's an international number that's only open in the small hours. You try to cancel online, and then you have to navigate through a maze of menus and screens with different variations of, 'Are you sure?' Then they try and upsell you into staying for longer. This bill says to everyone, including small businesses: 'Enough.”
“It tells businesses in no uncertain terms: if your profit margins rely on trickery or your revenue relies on nuisance, then your business model will no longer stack up. The reform sets a clear and consistent standard of fair conduct across all sectors, improving consumer confidence and protections whilst also encouraging healthy competition. We've all been there. We've subscribed to that seven-day free trial—which is meant to be free, but they still ask you for your credit card details even though it's meant to be free, so you've got to put them in. Then life happens. You forget. You're dealing with an emergency. Your kids need help with their schoolwork, or you have to drive around town to take them to sport. Then suddenly money's taken from your account.”
“These things happen to exist because of the deliberate and manipulative practices of some of these online businesses in particular—the subtle user-interface and user-experience design that's meant to mislead customers into paying more for an item than its initially advertised for, the overly complicated menus when trying to unsubscribe from a subscription service, or even the discrepancy between how easy it is to sign up to a service and how hard it is to unsubscribe from that same service. This is unfair, and we believe it needs to be addressed with good, targeted regulation. We need to move from a 'whack a mole' approach, where we're fixing things case by case, to preventing this from occurring in the first place, and that's what this bill does.”
“For too long there's been a great gaping hole in our laws, a gap that's allowed some businesses to exploit, manipulate and trap Australians when they transact in basic, everyday transactions. Today this legislation seeks to plug that hole. Our laws right now are very good at catching a bold faced lie. If you buy a table online and the business ships you a photo of a table, that's misleading and deceptive conduct, and businesses will rightly be pulled up. But what this bill does is tackle two big problems that currently exist in our competition and consumer laws: subscription traps and drip pricing, and I'll go into those a little bit later.”
“I support this bill, the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Bill 2026, because it's an important piece of legislation to make transacting out there in the real world better and fairer for consumers. We have a simple, unwritten rule here in Australia that underpins our entire society, and that's the fair go. It's a concept that says: if you work hard you get ahead, and if you spend your hard-earned money you get what you pay for. We know that's under pressure right now, and it's important for every government to make sure they take steps to enshrine the fair go into everything that we do. No matter what you're buying, whether it be a coffee, petrol at the bowser—I think we'll need to update that saying to 'electricity from an EV charger'—or a room in a hotel, you deserve to be treated with basic honesty.”
“A few weeks ago, I n the Cove made the huge announcement that Jacky Barker is retiring from her role. She's passing the baton to long-time business partner Renee Merrill-Maxwell, who has been a crucial part of In the Cove for the past eight years. While we're all shocked to see Jacky go, Bennelong and Lane Cove are immensely grateful for her work and what she started and has achieved. In a world of increasing misinformation and fake news, backing trusted publishers and authors is more important than ever. Jacky has devoted herself to this cause and made invaluable contributions through her work. All the best in retirement, Jacky, and long live In the Cove.”
“When Bennelong residents hear the words 'local journalism', a few key names are likely to come to mind. For those in Lane Cove, it's Jacky Barker. Jacky founded local independent news publication In the Cove 13 years ago to deliver community-first journalism for her suburb of Lane Cove. Through an abundance of social media posts, newsletters, articles and, of course, the infamous In the Cove chat, locals in Lane Cove have been kept informed about matters from lost dogs to 'breadgate' and to plenty of local, state and federal government matters, of course. In the Cove also promotes community events for schools, sports clubs and not-for-profits. They connect small businesses with potential customers and share thousands of stories that would otherwise go untold in our modern media landscape.”
“The NRF's investment is set to create 140 really highly-skilled job opportunities with Macquarie technology that specialise in innovation and software engineering. This investment will mean that Macquarie technology can scale up its services in Bennelong to platform crucial growth in AI-enabled cybersecurity and build out a sovereign data facility. Australian companies need local cybersecurity capability to compete and win on the global stage. It's because of the Labor government that they can do it.”
“I'd love to inform the House that the National Reconstruction Fund, established by the Albanese Labor government, has announced that it's making a $200 million hybrid note investment into Macquarie Technology Group. Macquarie Technology Group is a 100-per-cent-Australian-owned startup company that has been around for a while and has a significant footprint in Bennelong. It provides sovereign cloud cybersecurity services and AI infrastructure for mid to large Australian businesses, critical infrastructure sectors and, importantly, government agencies. This investment by the NRF will support the secure protection of sensitive data and ensure that it remains safely in Australia, exactly where it should be. This huge investment has a big impact for everyday Australians—not just for our personal data, but for workers too.”
“My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering cost-of-living relief by making medicines cheaper for all Australians, and how are new drug listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme helping Australians living with advanced and high-risk cancers?”
“Super should have been at 12 per cent years ago, but it only happened under Labor. They had or still have—no-one really knows—that disastrous super-for-housing policy and they consistently target industry super funds although they overperform. The Liberals just don't get super.”
“This is all about improving gender pay equality and closing that huge difference between what men and women have in their superannuation balance at their retirement. Not only do we want everyone to earn more and keep more of what they earn but we want to close this gender pay gap—because we need to. We've invested in increased wages in highly feminised industries, particularly aged care and early childhood education. We've consistently supported increases to the minimum wage. We're delivering tax breaks for every taxpayer, including sole traders. Through our reforms to super, making it fairer and more sustainable, we're addressing the gender and superannuation pay gap. Contrast this record on super to that of the Liberals. They opposed and delayed compulsory increases.”
“Three hundred thousand women with income below $37,000 will of course also receive this higher LISTO payment. Women make up to 60 per cent of low-earning Australians and are likely to retire with 25 per cent less super than men. The median super balance of women aged between 60 and 64 is $51,000 lower than that for men of the same age, and around 10 per cent are more likely to have even less. Modelling shows that our changes to LISTO could leave up to $15,000 more in someone's superannuation account upon retirement. You've then got changes to super on paid parental leave as well; 180,000 mothers each year will benefit from this important measure, with a median earner's superannuation balance for a female about $4,250 higher at retirement.”
“We are increasing it from $310 to $810 and, importantly, raising the eligibility threshold from $37,000 to $45,000. These changes will benefit over 1.3 million Australians through either being eligible for LISTO or receiving a higher LISTO payment. What this means is that low-income workers will receive a fairer tax concession on their super contributions. This, combined with our third round of tax cuts, will deliver for every worker. It will make a huge difference to what low-income workers get in their pay packet and what they get at retirement. I'd like to focus on some of the gender impacts of our stewardship of superannuation. Because of our changes to LISTO, 450,000 women with income between $37,000 and $45,000 are now eligible, boosting their superannuation tax concession to $810 per year.”
“That dignified retirement for all Australians means that we finally increased the superannuation guarantee to 12 per cent after decades of delays from the Liberals; we've made changes so that new parents are paid super on government funded paid parental leave; and, this term, we've legislated payday super, which will require employers to pay their employees' super at the same time as their salary and wages. But we're not stopping there. With the recent passage of the building a stronger and fairer super system bill, we are providing more help to low-income workers and delivering on making superannuation stronger, fairer and more sustainable. From 1 July next year we are boosting the low-income superannuation tax offset, which I love to call LISTO.”
“Labor built the superannuation system, and I believe it's one of our crowning achievements. Created in 1992, it's one of the greatest economic success stories of our country. Our superannuation system is designed to help workers earn more, keep more of what they earn and, importantly, have a dignified retirement. Our core belief here is that superannuation should always be fair and accessible to every Australian, and that it needs to be sustainable. For that to happen for a system created way back in the nineties, it needs care and it needs a bit of reform, and that's what we've done since coming to government.”
“I move: That this House: (1) acknowledges the Government's work to make the super system fairer from top to bottom, helping workers earn more, keep more of what they earn, and retire with more; (2) notes the passage of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Building a Stronger and Fairer Super System) Bill 2026, securing more super for around 1.3 million Australians, including around 750,000 women and 550,000 young people under the age of 30, through boosting the low income superannuation tax offset and better targeting tax concessions for large balances; and (3) further notes that the superannuation system was built by a former Labor Government and this Government has fought to protect and strengthen it, including by: (a) lifting the superannuation guarantee to 12 per cent; (b) paying super on paid parental leave; and (c) legislating payday super.”
“At Top Ryde City, we gathered together and we celebrated Nowruz with vibrant stalls, food, art and, importantly, cultural expression. I want to acknowledge the contributions of local stallholders and community members, including Nassim ART, MTC Australia, Hug and Read, Taj Art, Taj Design, Persian Sweets and the Zahra Market. Their presence helped create a joyful and meaningful celebration. This is modern Australia, and I'm proud to have it in Bennelong.”
“It was a vibrant showcase of the rich cultural contributions they make to our community in Bennelong. This year, obviously, Nowruz carried a deeper meaning. Against the backdrop of war and hardship in Iran and additional trauma arising from conflict in the region, this has been an exceptionally difficult time for many in the Persian community here in Australia. What is traditionally a season of renewal has also become a time of reflection, healing and solidarity. In moments like these, community matters more than ever. Many locals have asked me to raise awareness about these issues and about the Iranian regime's brutal targeting of innocent protesters and to stand in solidarity and support of the protestors. It's important that their voices are heard.”
“Representatives from Korean Australian, Chinese Australian, Italian Australian and Vietnamese Australian communities, as well as many others, joined with local community groups to share their cultures through music, dance and traditional performances. I want to extend my sincere thanks to Jimmy Park from Eastwood Koreatown and Joey Chan from the Eastwood Chinese Senior Citizens Club, as well as the many community groups and performers who made that day so special there in Eastwood plaza. Events like these do not happen without the dedication and generosity of volunteers, organisers and community leadership, and their efforts should be recognised. I'm also incredibly proud to represent a very large Iranian Australian community in Bennelong. Nowruz in the piazza was a celebration of Persian New Year. Nowruz means 'new day'.”
“I rise today to speak about Bennelong's wonderful multicultural communities, what they bring to the Australian way of life and how they continue to build upon and enrich our already unique national culture. In March, in Bennelong, we had the privilege of attending two truly outstanding multicultural events: Eastwood Harmony Day and Nowruz in the piazza in Top Ryde City. Each, in its own way, reflected the strength, vibrancy and unity in our diverse community. Harmony Day reflects a deeply important Australian value that diversity is not something that divides us but something that brings us together. At Eastwood, we saw that firsthand.”
“Be it on this, be it on environmental law reform passed late last year or be it on setting an achievable and ambitious emissions reduction target, I hope that Australians know we have the environment and care for our ecosystems at the centre of what we do. We owe our existence today to a healthy planet, and today, by passing this bill, hopefully we take a step towards ensuring that the existence of this beautiful planet continues for generations to come. We don't have any other option; we need to look after this planet.”
“As a government, we are protecting the environment not just because it's the right thing to do but because it's fundamental to our long-term national prosperity. The high seas are a shared global responsibility. By joining with 81 other nations, led by Belize, and by ratifying this treaty, we are demonstrating our commitment to international law and to the health of our planet. I want to thank the advocates who helped get this over the line, including Drew Alsop and Damian Spruce from the Minderoo Foundation, as well as the Parliamentary Friends of the Ocean and the Parliamentary Friends of Sustainable Development. They've all worked really hard to put the environment at the forefront of what a good government does.”
“This bill allows Australia to ratify the UN's high seas treaty, the first comprehensive legal framework in history designed to protect the oceans. Joining 81 other nations committing to a global 30 by 30 target, this treaty allows us to protect our oceans. It's an operational turning point involving scientific reporting and government systems to protect our planet. It's also further evidence that Labor takes the environment and climate change seriously. Since 2022, we've moved past a decade of political pointscoring and returned Australia to its position as a credible global leader in conservation and climate action. We understand that a healthy ocean underpins everything: our fisheries, our tourism, our coastal economies and our cultural identity.”
“With the passage of the High Seas Biodiversity Bill 2026, Australia does exactly that. Our oceans cover 70 per cent of the earth, inhabit over a million species and absorb 90 per cent of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions. For Australia, the stakes are even higher. Our marine industries contribute over $200 billion to our economy and support over 700,000 jobs. And whilst we've protected over half of our own waters, globally it's a very different story. Sixty per cent of the world's oceans lie beyond national boundaries, yet currently only one per cent of these waters are protected. Australia cannot secure a positive environmental or economic future while the rest of the world's oceans remain the wild west.”
“Last year, I attended the Australian launch of David Attenborough's Ocean documentary. It was a stark lesson in the scale at which humanity is impacting our blue planet. I was struck by images of the bottom trawlers ploughing the seabed, scars so deep they can be seen from space, ripping coral to shreds and destroying ecosystems that took millennia to form. Every year, 10 million tonnes of marine life are wasted as bycatch. Much of this collapse is invisible to the public, but it's happening on our watch. However, in a way only David Attenborough can, the film also gave us hope. It showed that when we protect, the sea life bounces back quickly and with incredible resilience. The documentary's final plea was simple: protect the high seas; ratify the treaty.”
“Unlike the three parties over there, Labor understands that, to fix intergenerational equity, we need to give income tax payers relief. And, to do that, we need members of parliament who are focused on the real issues, not on themselves. Because Australia re-elected a Labor government, they've had just that: students have had 20 per cent slashed off their debt, PBS medicines are down to $25 per script, more and more doctors are bulk-billing and nearly 300,000 Australians have installed a home battery. Supporting Australians is what Labor governments do. Bring on those 1 July tax cuts.”
“Every day we have been in government, Labor has focused on cost-of-living challenges faced by Australians, and we know there is more to do. It's been 12 months since Labor announced top-up tax cuts for 14 million Australians. It's pretty simple for us: Labor thinks that workers should earn more and keep more of what they earn. But we know that not everyone in here thinks that way, because in that same 12 months we've had to fight the Liberals and the Nationals, who oppose Labor's top-up tax cuts. Not only did they vote against Labor's tax cuts, they then said they'd increase income taxes if they won the election. And now they've got the genius behind those decisions as the leader of their coalition. I mean, talk about failing up.”
“It will strengthen public health outcomes as we learn more from increased participation in scientific research, and it will drive continued progress in health care in this country. Amendments like these are what good governments do. It has been a long journey to get here but one that this government—starting under former assistant treasurer Jones and now introduced into the House by the Assistant Treasurer—is doing in consultation with advocates, insurers and the health community. This legislation will fix problems, remove barriers, back Australians to look after their own health and encourage them to do so. Australians should never have to choose between their health and their financial security, and with this legislation—when it passes through this parliament—they'll no longer have to. I commend it to the House.”
“It wasn't a system that worked for people. I believe no-one should be discouraged from seeking life-saving information because of how it might be used against them. These amendments remove that fear and replace it with certainty. They remove a real barrier to preventive health care and will ensure that Australians can make decisions about their health without worrying about the financial consequences. These reforms will have great impacts across Australia, particularly for younger Australians—those who have a history of illness within their family. The bill will support greater participation in genetic testing, which will, hopefully, also bring the cost of genetic testing down.”
“In Bennelong, you'll be very pleased to know that we've gone from nine fully bulk-billed clinics up to 18, doubling the bulk-billing GP clinics in Bennelong, because of this Labor government. We've invested heavily in urgent care clinics across the country, with two servicing Bennelong—one in Top Ryde and a very recently opened new urgent care clinic in Chatswood that I had the pleasure of visiting only last week. This is a health system that is complex but that needs to be agile. It needs multiple avenues to fix it and bring it up to standard after nine years of deliberate neglect by the former government. That's exactly what this government is doing, having been re-elected in 2025. For too long, Australians have been holding themselves back from life-saving genetic testing because of fear created by the way that the system was set up.”
“We are here to tell all Australians that, following the passage of this bill, their decision to undertake genetic testing will not risk their access to life insurance. The bill addresses the most significant testing barrier for Australians and will pave the way for greater investment into preventive genome screening. This fits in with our government's healthcare agenda. It's another way that we're strengthening Medicare and ensuring better health outcomes for all Australians. Across the spectrum, we're reducing costs for Australians because we believe that everybody deserves quality access to affordable health care. This is just one part of our health reform agenda, building on cheaper medicines, which have already saved Australians over $35 million. We've got bulk-billing GPs increasing in numbers across the country.”
“This legislation is about enabling people to get access to genetic testing without the issue of it affecting their life insurance premium. Just like that participant from Bennelong, all Australians deserve fair access to life insurance without being penalised for the preventive steps they take in getting genetic testing. Without these reforms, that same individual could have faced higher premiums or been denied cover altogether, simply for taking responsible action. If they hadn't, they would have been at risk. These amendments ensure that our antidiscrimination laws and modern science work hand in hand with each other. Australians deserve certainty and protection, not fear and confusion, when making decisions about their health.”
“Through the well-documented and spoken-about Monash DNA screen study, at least 80 young people from Bennelong participated in this kind of testing, and it's young people, in particular, that I think will benefit the most from broadly available genetic testing. Nearly 40 per cent of people in Bennelong are aged between 18 and 40. The sooner that they can get results from genetic testing, the sooner they can address anything that's identified. One participant in the Monash DNA screen study was identified as being at high risk of heart attack due to genetically high cholesterol, something they would not have known had they not got a genetic test. Because of that early detection, they are now accessing preventive health care that will literally save their life.”
“This legislation and the clarifications within it are necessary to ensure that life insurance can continue to be properly risk rated and underwritten while still achieving the aim that we seek to address—and that's to provide protection over genetic test results—because genetic testing is only going to become more cost effective and more prevalent in our health system, and we need to make sure that these protections exist. It will create civil penalties and criminal offences for noncompliance and will be regulated by ASIC because we're changing the law to put people's health above insurer profit margins, and that's the right thing to do. In my electorate of Bennelong, we've already seen firsthand the impact that genetic testing can have.”