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 3 of 10.
“The ban will not prevent individuals from volunteering genetic testing results with written consent and the use of these volunteered results in underwriting where this would not adversely impact the insurance offer or policy terms. The ban will not limit the existing ability of life insurers to access and use certain information for underwriting life insurance, including the existence of signs, symptoms or diagnoses of diseases, or individuals' family medical history.”
“The ban makes amendments to the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 to implement the ban and related amendments to the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 to align Australia's antidiscrimination laws with the ban. The objective of the amendments to these acts is to provide certainty to individuals that undertaking genetic testing—including through participation in health and medical research—will not impact their ability to obtain life insurance cover or the terms of that cover. It's intended that the ban will lead to increased uptake of genetic testing and provide extensive individual, public health, scientific and research benefits.”
“This bill seeks to address that anomaly and that unfairness. It ensures that Australians can get fair access to life insurance cover and that they are not discouraged from undertaking genetic testing. It's about a fair go, it's about better medical research, and, ultimately, it's about better health care, which is, to be honest, what all Labor governments are about. In short, we're banning life insurers from factoring in the results of anyone's genetic testing when deciding whether or not to offer that life insurance and how to price that life insurance. Schedule 1 of this bill implements the government's decision to ban life insurers from using information about an individual's genetic testing to inform the offer of life insurance cover or the terms and conditions of the cover that is offered.”
“Life insurers, operating for profit, have had free rein over how they screen and how they can accept, deny or increase the costs of people's life insurance—insurance that people deserve. Treasury analysis has shown that the current life insurance framework has caused individuals to delay or, in some cases, not even undergo genetic testing because of the potential impact on their insurance affordability. It also put pressure on the research, and that's particularly concerning because we're not going to get improvements to health, or improvements to science or technology without research. Monash University's DNA Screen struggled to get people to participate due to the impact of the current system. We need Australians to participate in medical research where it benefits our country and our economy.”
“This was the key reason why the people who did initially sign up to a really important study, the DNA Screen led by Dr Jane Tiller at Monash University, didn't participate when they realised this choice that they had to make because of the genetic discrimination in life insurance. In the cost-of-living pressures we all seem to face, every financial decisions that Australians make matters, particularly when it comes to their health and their wellbeing. I'm supporting this bill because no Australian should be forced to choose between knowledge that could save their lives and the financial security of their family. As I said, people were holding back from getting DNA screening, either through this big trial that Monash University conducted or just getting it done privately themselves because of the impact it may have on their life insurance.”
“But, like most things, our laws haven't kept up to date with the fast-moving pace of technology. The scientific and medical breakthroughs that will allow Australians to act early to avoid disease and to live longer, healthier lives are available to us right now. Yet, for too long, public policy has lagged behind scientific capability. This bill seeks to address that. For decades, Australians have had the worry of a terrible choice—the choice between genetic testing that could save their lives and prevent illness and the potential financial implications for their life insurance.”
“There wouldn't be too many members of parliament that haven't met or sat with Dr Jane Tiller over the years, talking about not only her role in the Monash testing but also her role in advocating for this bill. I've met her at least 10 times in my time in this place and I'm sure she's been meeting many other members to get to today. Of course, we have our former assistant treasurer Stephen Jones, who started this process and importantly committed a re-elected Labor government to this reform, and the current assistant treasurer, the member for Fraser, who finished the job and introduced this really important piece of legislation here today—because genetic testing saves lives. We're at a point in medicine, and with technological advancement, where we can identify risks before disease develops.”
“This is an important day and this is an important piece of legislation. And, as with most bits of legislation like this, there's been a lot of work behind the scenes by a lot of people. There are plenty who need to be acknowledged for this moment, and I'll just name a few here as we debate this bill. Krystal Barter, who's a fierce advocate for genetic testing protections—she's a friend and someone I know who does not quit until she's achieved her goal. Eve Olsson was a Lynch syndrome advocate who shared her story and her experience publicly to help achieve this reform that the government is proposing today. Kara Ryan, one of the DNA Screen participants who work so closely with Monash University, used her experience as reason for this reform to progress. Then, of course, there's Dr Jane Tiller.”
“The committee considers that the proposed amendments appropriately balance the strong public interest in royal commissions having unimpeded access to information and those providing that information from being protected from prosecution, with the equally important public interest in ensuring intelligence and operationally sensitive information is protected from public disclosure. The report recommends that the bill be passed as soon as possible by the parliament. I commend both reports to the House.”
“The current Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion responds to the shootings at Bondi Beach in December, which is now considered to be the worst terrorist attack ever to have taken place on Australian soil. The royal commission's work is both urgent and important. While secrecy provisions are an important part of the national security legislative framework, the committee is concerned that the work of the royal commission and potentially other future royal commissions is currently impeded. For royal commissions to be effective, witnesses need to know that they are protected from breaching secrecy provisions when they provide information.”
“The second report I present is the advisory report on the Royal Commissions Legislation Amendment (Protections for Providing Information) Bill 2026. This bill proposes changes to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 and the Criminal Code Act 1995 to establish a framework for the provision of intelligence or operationally sensitive information to a prescribed royal commission. The bill will provide immunity from secrecy provisions where a person provides information as long as the provision of information is consistent with an arrangement entered into between a commissioner of the royal commission and the Commonwealth or the heads of the relevant Australian intelligence entities.”
“The listing makes support of the IRGC illegal in various ways, and the committee calls on the Australian Iranian community and the wider community to be vigilant and to report any intelligence they hold to the Australian Federal Police's 24-hour National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400. Overall, the committee supports the listing of the IRGC as a state sponsor of terrorism under the Criminal Code and finds no reason to disallow the legislative instrument. The committee also makes three recommendations directed at ensuring the listing is appropriately implemented in practice, including an important recommendation to promote proactive engagement from government with the Australian-Iranian community, including in languages other than English, where required, to encourage and report back on information sharing.”
“The committee considers that the IRGC's demonstrated willingness to engage in violence, intimidation and transnational repression, including against Australian targets, meets and exceeds the threshold intended by the parliament when establishing the state sponsor of terrorism framework. The listing strengthens Australia's ability to disrupt and deter IRGC-linked activity within Australia, including financing, facilitation and intimidation. It also sends a clear signal that hostile state-directed activity targeting Australian communities will not be tolerated.”
“On behalf of the committee, I extend my thanks to all those who participated in this review. We heard some harrowing evidence from people with lived and shared experience of the IRGC's reign of terror. I thank those who shared personal experiences of suffering. This would not have been easy. The committee recognises the courage and convictions of these individuals who have willingly contributed to our democratic and parliamentary process and spoken out against the repressive activities of the IRGC despite clear and potential risks to their own personal safety.”
“The committee is satisfied that the appropriate process has been followed and that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps meets the definition of a state sponsor of terrorism. Specifically, the committee concurs that the IRGC is a foreign state entity which has directly or indirectly engaged in, prepared, planned, assisted in or fostered the doing of a terrorist act that was targeted at Australia. Lastly, speaker, the committee stands with the Australian Iranian community in this time of considerable distress, uncertainty, but also hope. Throughout this important review, the committee received more than 180 submissions and held a public hearing with a wide range of organisations representing the Australian Iranian community. The overwhelming majority of submissions and evidence strongly supported the IRGC's continued terrorist listing.”
“On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I present the following reports: Review of the listing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a state sponsor of terrorism under the Criminal Code and Advisory report on the Royal Commissions Legislation Amendment (Protections for Providing Information) Bill 2026 , incorporating a dissenting report. Reports made parliamentary papers in accordance with standing order 39(e). by leave—On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I present two reports: firstly, the Review on the listing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or the IRGC— as a state sponsor of terrorism under the Criminal Code . The committee supports the continued listing of the IRGC as a state sponsor of terrorism.”
“From listing the IRGC as a terrorist organisation and expelling the Australian ambassador to targeted sanctions on over 200 individuals, this government has taken more action against this murderous regime than any government before it. To these five women and to others who choose to stay, I say welcome home.”
“I also recognise the tremendous respect given to these women by the Matildas, who exchanged their jerseys with the players and who used their platform to speak in solidarity with the Iranian Lionesses. To people who have been directly messaging and contacting me like Sam Lewis, Siamak Ghahraman and countless others, I would like to thank them. They have all changed the lives of these five women. Finally, thank you to the Prime Minister and to the home affairs minister and all departmental staff involved with this operation. As a representative of one of the largest Iranian Australian communities in the country, I can tell you this: this government has made time to hear me when I approach them on matters that the Persian community care about.”
“But let me be clear, as the Prime Minister has stated, Australia's offer of humanitarian visas stands to all members of this team who choose to claim it. It goes without saying that events of the past few days wouldn't be possible without the commitment and tireless efforts of many. First and foremost, I praise the allies and supporters of the football team in the Australian-Iranian diaspora and others who have been staying in the hotel from the very start of the tournament. They've kept their eyes on these women, connected them with support and amplified this issue to government. This announcement was a demonstration of freedom and it wouldn't have been possible without journalists like Raha Pourbakhsh and Alireza Mohebi from Iran International TV.”
“It is clear that a return home for some of these women was too much to bear. The current Iranian regime are a horrendous, torturous, murderous government that have killed their own citizens, exported terror across the world and targeted the Jewish community here in Australia. To the other members of the Iranian women's football team who have made the decision to return to Iran, who are on their way to Sydney right now as we speak, we understand whatever decision you need to make and we will support that decision for whatever reason you choose to take it. The situation these women face is unimaginable to so many of us, and it's important that these women are free to make a decision that suits them in the safety that we're able to provide them.”
“Of course, they will be very welcome to settle in Bennelong, being home to the largest Australian Iranian community in the state. On Church and Devlin Streets in Ryde, we have little Persia, where locals can buy their groceries at Paradise or Bahar supermarkets, grab some meat at Persepolis Butchery, and get some fresh noon sangak at 32 BakeHouse. To celebrate, they can have dinner with new friends at Nikan or Surena restaurants and they can go for a dance afterwards at the Persian Basement in Lane Cove, which often has live music and entertainment. If they choose, Bennelong will welcome these five women with open arms. The ability to seek asylum is a fundamental human right that Labor takes seriously. Those in Australia on a valid visa are able to claim asylum if they are at risk of serious harm if they return home.”
“Australia is the new home to five brave, courageous and inspiring Iranian football players who have had their asylum claim approved by the Albanese Labor government, and Australia welcomes them. To Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hamoudi, you are all welcome in Australia. I'm very confident that, like the majority of migrants who come here, you will make our country better, stronger and safer. In Australia you have a nation that respects you, and you have a hospitable, proud and passionate Australian Iranian community here in Australia to help you settle into your new home. Even today, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns extended a welcome to these women to settle in Sydney, home to the largest Persian community in New South Wales.”
“Around the world we have witnessed the courage of Iranian women who continue to demand equal rights for women, life and freedom. I see these footballers not as representatives of that regime but as symbols of the history of strong Iranian women, their values and their resilience. From Doncaster in the seat of Menzies to Ryde in the seat of Bennelong, no matter the result tonight I'm sure Iranian Australians will be beaming with pride. Football is the only true world game. Australia is proud to host this tournament and, at this pivotal point in history, we welcome the Lionesses and host them with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
“Tonight the Matildas play Iran at the AFC Women's Asian Cup. Whilst I will be wholeheartedly supporting the Aussies to get the win, I would like to use this time in this House to acknowledge the Iranian women's football team. They're known as Shirzanan—the Iranian Lionesses—a fitting name for these women who exhibit strength and resilience. Sport has long been a powerful platform for courage, dignity and freedom. Yet, for many athletes around the world, it brings immense pressure and personal risk. This is particularly true for the Lionesses. The regime that governs Iran today is an inhumane dictatorship that systematically denies women basic freedoms, from how they dress to how they speak and how they participate in public life.”
“Lastly, the federal government is investing $115 million in New South Wales's first electric-only bus depot, in Bennelong, home to 150 brand-new electric buses, meeting Parents for Climate's ask for cleaner and more accessible public transport. For renters, our solar sharer scheme will kick off from 1 July. That's each and every item of that pledge met, but I know there's much more to do. I'd like to thank Lucy Leonardi, Anna, Jane, Warren, Catherine, Susannah, Lisa, Emily, Chen, Maria and Sarah, and all the Bennelong parents and grandparents from Parents for Climate who informed this statement and who hold me to account every day.”
“I'm proud to be part of a government that has taken significant action in all those steps, with more to come. Through the safeguards mechanism, we're reducing emissions. Our most recent data in August showed emissions fell by 1.4 per cent, or 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, and projections are looking good. We're investing record amounts into renewable energy, the cheapest form of new energy. New figures show that in the most recent quarter, renewable energy powered 51 per cent of the national grid. And our policies to help households electrify and reduce emissions are going gangbusters. The Cheaper Home Batteries program has installed over 250,000 batteries across Australia—1,579 of those in Bennelong.”
“Families in Bennelong have lived through bushfire smoke, floods and extreme weather. We feel the health impacts of pollution and the anxiety our children carry about their future. Our hope is simple—that our kids will grow up in a safe, healthy Australia where action on climate matches the scale of the challenge. Our fear is that, without urgent national leadership, their future will be less secure, less fair and more dangerous.' During the 2020 election, I made the Parents for Climate candidate pledge. It was a commitment from me to work constructively with them and my community to advocate for stronger climate policy. Their pledge calls for stronger federal leadership, support for households to electrify affordably, access to renewable energy for renters, cleaner and more accessible public transport, and decisive emissions reduction.”
“Families across Bennelong care deeply about climate action, and so do I. I believe in leaving the country stronger and safer for the next generation, and that belief is shared by families across Bennelong. I've seen that commitment firsthand through my engagement with members of Parents for Climate North Sydney, who asked that their collective voice be conveyed in this parliament. In their words, 'In our homes and streets, families are already doing their part. We are putting solar on our rooftops, driving electric vehicles, switching off gas, reducing waste, composting, planting trees and walking or cycling to school. We are teaching our kids about sustainability and supporting each other through the changes we all need to make. Despite our efforts, climate change is already affecting us.”
“It's even been put in our national anthem, which reads: For those who've come across the seas We've boundless plains to share; With courage let us all combine To Advance Australia Fair. It's with courage, again, that we need to combine. And I say to the Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation: be courageous; be leaders. In Bennelong I see that leadership every week, from families who live every day together as Australians from every corner of the earth. Bennelong is stronger because of our differences. Australia thrives because of our diversity, and Australia is better when we celebrate multiculturalism than when we attack it and blame it for problems we must face.”
“We're one of the most successful multicultural nations in the world, and that didn't happen by accident. It took a lot of work. It happened because leaders and communities made a choice, again and again, to build a shared future rather than to pit Australian against Australian. That same choice now sits before us. In this place and in front of the cameras, we can reach for a rhetoric that pits Australian against Australian or we can choose unity. We can simplify our problems by blaming others, or we can do the hard work of governing together on behalf of all Australians. It's easy to imply that belonging is conditional. It's easy to suggest that some Australians must prove more than others. What is harder is to say that multiculturalism is not a weakness to be managed but a strength to be defended.”
“There are people who arrived generations ago, like my family, and those who arrived last year, and they stand side by side. They love our country. They're not outsiders. They're not temporary guests. They're Australians. When they hear national leaders suggest that standards are too low or that belonging depends on people changing who they are, they feel it, their children hear it, and communities are weaker because of it. In Bennelong, multiculturalism isn't abstract; it's who we are. It's visible in our shopfronts and our classrooms. It's celebrated in our parks. It's lived every single day. Every street in my electorate has benefited from the contribution of migrants. Our small businesses, schools, sporting clubs and community organisations are all stronger because of the diversity within them, not despite it.”
“They make families wonder whether their loyalty is being silently measured because of the language they speak at home or the colour of their skin. Social cohesion doesn't erode by accident. It erodes when it's chipped away, comment by comment, headline by headline, insinuation by insinuation. Rebuilding that trust is far harder than undermining it. In Bennelong I represent proud Iranian Australians who are not defined by their geopolitics. I represent Chinese Australians who are not defined by foreign governments. I represent proud Indian and Korean Australians and many others who are not defined by events beyond our shores. I represent a huge Italian community in Ryde, who settled here decades ago—having once arrived as newcomers, they are now woven into the very fabric of our community.”
“Blaming migrants is lazy and divisive, and it will only weaken our country at a time when we need it to be stronger and we need to be more unified. Communities are living through a period of grief and uncertainty. Communities across our country have carried enormous emotional weight. They've watched events unfold locally but also overseas. Families have felt shock, and they're anxious. In moments like these, leadership matters and words matter. When national leaders speak as though belonging in Australia is conditional, those words travel, and they land in schoolyards, in workplaces and in neighbourhoods, like those in Bennelong. They make people of all ages question whether or not they are fully accepted.”
“We should debate migration settings in a responsible and evidence-based way. But we shouldn't pretend that migration is to blame for each of those challenges, as some here do, because that has dark consequences for people like my family and people who live in electorates like mine. When migration was negative, while borders were closed, rents rose more than during the decade prior. During that same period, housing prices surged by 25 per cent. Housing became more unaffordable during a period of closed borders. The evidence doesn't support the blame being pushed out by others that migration is to blame for our housing crisis. Blaming migrants won't fix this crisis, which is 40 years in the making. Blaming migrants will not reduce cost-of-living pressures.”
“In Bennelong we do not experience these celebrations as competing loyalties; we experience them as a shared joy. You don't become less Australian because you celebrate your cultural heritage; you are Australian because you do. Yet too often in this place, and in parts of our national conversation, we hear something else. We hear migration spoken about as though it's a threat rather than a contribution. We hear rhetoric that suggests cultural diversity is a weakness to be managed rather than a strength to be embraced. We see the politics of division and grievance in debates that demand seriousness, care and responsibility. We can and should have serious discussions about the challenges we face today. We should debate housing supply. We should debate lack of investment in infrastructure.”
“It becomes about who gets to feel secure in this country and who doesn't. There's a dangerous and false implication in this debate led by those three parties—that is, that celebrating cultural heritage and multiculturalism somehow weakens Australian identity. From what I see in Bennelong and across the country, that idea couldn't be further from the truth. When families stand together on Australia Day and then gather for Lunar New Year, when children of all faiths and backgrounds throw colour at one another at Holi and then sing the national anthem at their school assembly, when communities prepare for Nowruz, and when small businesses are coaching local sports and volunteering in their local neighbourhoods, I don't see that as division at all; that's modern Australia. Multiculturalism is an Australian value, not the opposite.”
“We've heard the leader of One Nation state plainly that they don't believe in multiculturalism. We have heard senior Liberal figures now promoted to the frontbench claim that Australians are becoming strangers in their own home. This is a terrible debate they're having. It's not the language of a quietly confident country and it's definitely not the language I hear in my electorate. It's a tone that suggests belonging here in Australia is fragile, it's a tone that puts people's identity under threat and it sets up the ridiculous proposition that there are 'real Australians' or 'better Australians' and then there's everyone else. When leaders like those of the Liberals, Nationals and One Nation legitimise division, and the language shifts that way, it reframes the debate. It stops being about policy settings and it becomes about belonging.”
“Over the past few months, my community of Bennelong has once again been doing what it does best—celebrating moments of cultural significance together. We marked Lunar New Year with lanterns and lion dancing. We gathered for Holi in clouds of colour and joy. We're currently preparing for Nowruz with reflection and renewal, and on Australia Day we stood together as one community in the greatest country on earth. In Bennelong these are nice events or fringe occasions. They're not political statements and they're not competing expressions of identity. They are different traditions lived and celebrated side-by-side in one Australian community. Yet at a national level we're seeing some leaders live a very different reality and lead a very different debate. We've heard the opposition leader say migration standards are too low.”
“My question is to the Treasurer. How will the Albanese Labor government's superannuation reforms help workers, and how does this fit into the government's broader economic plan? How does this compare to other approaches?”
“We've got nurses, chefs, electricians, IT specialists and early childhood educators, all of whom can receive free TAFE locally. It's so important. It's keeping Australia running and it's making sure that workers can thrive. To the carpenter and joiner, the plumber, the sparky, the glazier, the tiler, the brickie and the concreter: thank you. We need you to succeed so that you can build the homes that our society needs. You have to help us meet this housing crisis, and we've got the policies to back you in.”
“The former Liberal and National government handed down record-low apprentice numbers, the worst in 50 years. They neglected workers that the system and our economy needed. They ripped out billions from TAFE at the federal level. And, of course, in New South Wales, the state Liberals did even more: selling campuses and slashing jobs, leaving us with a crisis that we could not ignore. And we didn't. We invested in free TAFE. Because of that, over half a million people's lives were changed. They were granted access to affordable education and set on a path for securing stable and well-paid employment. And today, because of Labor, free TAFE is a permanent feature of the national VET system. My electorate in Bennelong is home to two TAFE campuses of our own, and there's one just across the border.”
“Importantly, stats from the National Centre for Vocational Educational Research show that there were 22 per cent more apprentices in training within the construction sector at 30 June 2025 than there were at 30 June 2019. These policies matter, and they're delivering results. Women's enrolments in the industry are highly promising with growth each and every year. But, of course, the government acknowledges, as does the sector, that there's so much more to do to balance out the gender gap in construction, which is why we've invested $60 million into the Building Women's Careers Program. Stuff like that is essential. Let's never forget that, when we came to government in 2022, the government inherited one of the worst skill shortages in modern history.”
“We've raised that allowance for these workers for the first time in 20 years, a huge step in encouraging apprenticeship completions, particularly for people living in rural, regional and remote areas, boosting employment and economic growth. It's just one of many ways that we're reforming policy to address cost-of-living pressures and to reduce barriers to work. In New South Wales alone, 2,759 new housing construction apprenticeships commenced across 2,186 employers. Younger Australians are getting fantastic head starts because of the policies of this government, as nearly 55 per cent of apprentices are aged 19 and under.”
“Apprentices receive five $2,000 payments, while employers can claim up to $5,000 as well. That's necessary funding for expenses like tools, equipment and fuel to support workers in crucial industries like housing and construction. The good news is that the data shows that our investments in skilling up our workforce are working. Since its launch in July last year, 11,407 apprentices have signed up to the Key Apprenticeship Program. But it doesn't just stop with that. For those who need to relocate for work and to train, the living away from home allowance offers weekly assistance throughout the apprenticeship's journey.”
“To build a better Australia, we need more homes, we need more manufacturing and we need to transition to renewable energy. And, to do all that, we need workers. We need more carpenters. We need more plumbers. We need more sparkies. We need more tradies. To deliver on this vision, one now backed not once but twice by the Australian people at elections, we need a strong and skilled workforce. Progress on skilling our workforce is critical to meeting our housing accord targets, our net zero commitments and our Future Made in Australia agenda. That's why Labor has invested so heavily in skills, and one of those investments, of course, is the Key Apprenticeship Program: a $10,000 cash incentive going straight into the pockets of eligible apprentices, making sure they receive the support they need.”
“I move: That this House: (1) acknowledges the Government's Key Apprenticeship Program (KAP) is delivering real outcomes, with over 11,400 housing apprentice commencements in the first six months; (2) commends the Government for prioritising apprentices to build more houses through providing $10,000 incentive payments for apprentices in housing construction trades in instalments across the apprenticeship to support commencements and completions; (3) recognises the Government's other measures to support apprentices, including increasing the allowance for apprentices living away from home for the first time in more than 20 years, while also doubling support for employers hiring apprentices with a disability; (4) supports these measures as vital steps towards building a skilled workforce and addressing the worst skills shortage in 50 years which was left unaddressed by the previous Government; and (5) further recognises that National Centre for Vocational Education Research data shows there were 22 per cent more apprentices in training within the construction sector at 30 June 2025 compared to 30 June 2019.”
“With electronic methods of super payment, where the cost of transferring money electronically is next to zero, I think the SDA have a very strong case for future reform—reform, obviously, to be done by a Labor government, because we know what those opposite do with super. I commend this bill to the House. Labor created super; we'll always stand to protect it.”
“I hope this reform doesn't stop here. We know that we need to keep on changing super to make sure it's performing for members. The Treasurer also introduced some really important tax concession reform to make super fairer and more sustainable over the long term. I know a great union, the SDA, has got a great campaign about getting young people superannuation. If you're under 18, you don't get paid super, which made a lot of sense a long time ago, when superannuation amounts were so small and you had to process payments manually, write a cheque and post it to the super fund that had to cash that cheque. It made a lot of sense for small super amounts not to be paid, but in 2026 there's payday super.”
“'Go down to the pub and talk about the LISTO' sounds like something we on this side would say, because increasing superannuation contributions for our lowest paid workers so they too can have more funds when they need them in retirement is a great policy. Our reforms to the LISTO will help those on lower incomes, including thousands of workers in Bennelong, and it was great to see the Treasurer introduce those reforms in the House this week. At the same time, we're also strengthening accountability and performance. We've expanded the superannuation performance test. We've lifted reporting standards. We've introduced the financial accountability regime to ensure that funds are delivering for their members, We're improving system integrity by requiring super to be paid at the same time as wages, finally, through payday super.”
“Also under Labor the superannuation guarantee has reached 12 per cent after a long time. It was meant to be 12 per cent, I think, in the first term of the Howard government, in 1996. It's a long time since 1996, and we finally got to 12 per cent not only after it was delayed by the Howard government but then also after increases were delayed by the Abbott, Morrison and Turnbull governments as well. We're also addressing longstanding inequities in the system. Paid parental leave will now be subject to super. We're boosting the low-income superannuation tax offset. LISTO is my favourite abbreviation, Deputy Speaker Swanson.”