Henry Pike
Bowman · Liberal National Party · Australia
“One of the things I hear most often from people across my Redlands community is that the aged-care system simply isn't working the way it should—not in theory and not on paper but in the real day-to-day lives of the people who rely on it.”
“She arranged an assessment, secured a package and followed the process, but, when her mother needed simple aids, like a safe kettle or easy-grip kitchen tools, she was told to wait months for approval pending assessments.”
“I heard from an 82-year-old man who is living alone after suffering a stroke. He has a level 2 home-care package, but it is completely inadequate for his needs. He cannot stand without a walker and he fears falling when he showers, when he shaves and even when he gets into bed.”
“I also heard from a 76-year-old woman who hasn't even tried to access support, and this is becoming a common story in my electorate. She told me it feels that there is nowhere to go for advice, and she's not alone. The sense is that it's all too complicated. These aren't isolated cases.”
“We know the Prime Minister has a challenging relationship with the truth. When he comes to this dispatch box, he tries his best to persuade Australians that what they're experiencing isn't really happening. The problem is that the Australian people aren't buying it.”
“But I think all members here, if they were honest with themselves, would appreciate that probably this is the first generation—certainly in my view—where we can't actually make that promise to our children. The aspiration of homeownership is beyond the reach of too many Australians.”
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“Of course, there are bad operators operating within the NDIS ecosystem, but there are so many that are doing the right thing and that are benefiting from this scheme in the right way. So many providers go above and beyond, and I think it's critical that we don't demonise them or the users of this scheme—the participants and their families—as we undertake the process of trying to undertake that commonsense reform. Unfortunately, this is, I suppose, a bit of a moment of reckoning for the Labor Party on this topic. For many years, they would be in this chamber and outside telling us that there was no problem with the sustainability of the scheme. In fact, Bill Shorten famously said at a conference that 'anyone who told you that there is a sustainability problem with the NDIS is telling a lie'. That's what he said, but here we are.”
“The fact is that the sorts of challenges that we've seen in terms of the runaway growth and also the fraud and the misalignment between what the original purposes were and what we've ended up with are undermining public confidence in the scheme. I think it is important at the very start of this debate to note the positive impact that the scheme has had across so many lives. I know all of us are connected in with our electorates and receive a lot of correspondence from people out there who are beneficiaries of the scheme and their families and also the many providers that are operating in the scheme. I know that a lot of providers get a bad rap and get blamed for a lot of the things that we've seen.”
“I thank the previous speaker, who did a very good job of articulating what the original purpose of the NDIS was and the importance of how we need to undertake the necessary reforms to ensure we get back to that purpose. As we all know in this place, and as we've all been seeing for many years, the sustainability of the scheme is of deep concern. It's not just the growing numbers we see in the budget but also, an important point—it was a point that the minister made in his Press Club speech outlining the reforms which have gone into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026—that there is a decline in the social licence of the scheme.”
“For six decades, the Victoria Point Sharks have brought the community together, supported grassroots sport and fostered a sense of belonging. The club has been shaped by the dedication, vision and commitment of those who have contributed along the way. I would like to acknowledge the many individuals who have shaped this organisation: the past and present board members, volunteers, players, life members and loyal supporters. It was great to catch up with so many of them on Friday evening. Their dedication and passion have built the club into what it is today and their contributions will continue to guide it in the future. The Sharks sporting club remains an outstanding example of the Redlands community spirit and I congratulate them on six decades of service.”
“I rise today to recognise and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Victoria Point Sharks, a proud pillar of my community. I had the pleasure of attending the club's 60th anniversary dinner on Friday evening, and it was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate this milestone alongside many of those who have contributed so much to its success. Founded in 1966 as the Victoria Point Australian Football Club, the Sharks have grown from humble beginnings to become a beloved part of the Redlands community. From the original clubhouse built in 1973, to the challenges faced when it was destroyed by a storm in 1984 and through to the modern clubhouse facility that stands today, the Sharks clubhouse is more than just a sporting venue. It is more than just a dining venue. It is a place where our Redlands community spirit thrives.”
“As an opposition, we're going to be encouraging the government to do that. But we will be supporting the bill. I think the amendment from the member for Lindsay is entirely appropriate and sums up where the coalition thinks the government should be heading in this important area of public policy.”
“If the government had a proactive approach to tackling red tape within the scheme, you'd be saving a lot more and be able to put a lid on the growth of the NDIS. It would save a lot of time and money for providers, for participants and for the taxpayer. The government has done the right thing in setting up the Fraud Fusion Taskforce. However, they did report to Senate estimates a few weeks ago that they think that up to 10 per cent of NDIS claims are inappropriate, mischievous or outright criminal. That should be setting off alarm bells across the system. This bill will assist in tackling some of that. But when you've got 10 per cent of a $50 billion scheme that is potentially—what were the words—inappropriate, mischievous or outright criminal, the government needs to get very serious about this very quickly.”
“I hear stories from participants, from providers, from families and even from external experts such as doctors and paediatricians about the amount of forms that they've got to fill out that are never going to be read. I'd love to get an analysis done of the amount of time wasted across this country by people who are charging, at a great rate per hour, to write forms that are never read and are of limited value, particularly when asking for forms from people who have a degenerative disease or a condition that they're never going to be able to recover from—to have to go to a medical professional and get a certificate to say, as in the instance of the constituent I talked about earlier with early-onset dementia, 'Yes, she still has early-onset dementia. It's not going to get better.' These are the areas of concern that we see.”
“Many of our constituents have had the sort of frustration with the NDIS where they might want to exit the scheme, only to work out—after a cooling-off period or when they're a little bit further down from that moment of disappointment—that that wasn't the right decision for them. So a 90-day cooling-off period is a very sensible change. These are all very sensible elements. They're great—but they're not great enough. We need to really get serious about how we are going to get this scheme down to a sustainable footing. We firmly think that fraud needs to be the first target. Second, we should be looking at red-tape reduction as well.”
“holidays, flights and cruises—which we've seen quite a bit of and quite a lot of media coverage of those sorts of promotions, which are not allowed under the scheme—including unfair terms of sale and increases the categories for banning orders. These are all incredibly welcome. The coalition supports them. It also amends the commission's powers to request information from providers and other persons to be shorter than the existing minimum timeframes and introduces the ability for the commission to issue evidentiary certificates for use in civil and criminal proceedings. It introduces a 90-day cooling-off period, and I think this is actually one of the better elements of this bill.”
“What we want to see the government truly focus on is fixing waste, red tape and fraud in the system. Unfortunately, this bill only goes part of the way to achieving that. This bill introduces a range of new civil penalties and inserts definitions for criminal offences, such as serious contravention, significant failure and systemic pattern of conduct to support higher criminal penalties. It strengthens provisions for failure to comply with a banning order to include criminal penalties. It introduces a new regulatory framework for monitoring the provisions of the act and includes powers of entry and inspection, which are welcome. It introduces anti-promotion orders and provides new power to the commissioner to restrict providers from promoting products i.e.”
“Their applications were submitted on the exact same day, at the exact same minute, and they had completely different outcomes. We shouldn't have a scheme of this level of maturity, into its 13th year, that is achieving those sorts of inconsistent outcomes. We're now seeing the government focusing on the introduction of the I-CAN tool, which will be—I don't want to misrepresent it—a digitised assessment tool that people are hoping will lead to greater consistency in decisions. That's a good thing, but there's a lot of concern from stakeholders within the NDIS. They are worried about whether a machine will be able to deliver the right outcomes for people and be able to assess the individual needs of people who need support through the NDIS. So the opposition is keeping a close eye on that.”
“That shouldn't be where we get to, and we don't want to see a point where a scheme that is designed to assist people like this constituent of mine has to make those sorts of clandestine cuts, if you like. I'm not saying that the government's got a specific policy of cutting care to those that actually need it. But that's ultimately the outcome if we have poor stewardship of the scheme and if we have inconsistent results like the ones we're getting through the NDIS. I have another example relating to biologically identical twin boys in my electorate. Both of them suffer from the same condition. Both of them put in an application for the NDIS and had completely different outcomes, even though it was the same experts providing their recommendations and diagnoses.”
“She's in a position where she's in her early 60s and has a husband who's taking incredible care of her. She requires around-the-clock support because of the nature of her condition. She's reached the point where, every night, there are choking hazards and concerns about whether she'll make it through the evening. She requires around-the-clock support. She has a NDIS package which was providing that for her, and without any fanfare she had her plan cut by 43 per cent. That means a lot to her and her husband when it comes to the quality of life that they can enjoy. The safety and her longevity is of great concern, and unfortunately they've now reached the point where she's had to be admitted to a local hospital as a social admission.”
“Unfortunately, an issue that a lot of my colleagues are highlighting with the NDIS is that, while we're seeing initiatives like Thriving Kids—which hopefully will kick off this year; it's been delayed a little bit, and obviously this will be a scheme that ramps up as we head towards 2028. Thriving Kids is an initiative that is seeking to put downward pressure on the growth of the NDIS. We're also seeing increased interest in cracking down on fraud, which is greatly welcome. But what a lot of my colleagues are seeing, and what I'm certainly seeing in relation to about 80 per cent of the casework that comes to my electorate office, is NDIS participants having their plans cut. I'll give you one example. A constituent of mine, who lives only a stone's throw from my house, is unfortunately suffering from early onset dementia.”
“It's reaching that point in its life where it's deciding where it's going to go—whether it's going to be a bit of a free-for-all, Wild West sort of scenario where we see a lot of rorting or whether it's going to become some sort of bureaucratic maze that's soulless and tramples those that it's supposed to assist. Of course, we want to try to find that middle way, and I know the government is intending to do that as well. When we've got scheme growth of 10.3 per cent and we've now got a National Cabinet target of five to six per cent, we've got to somehow find our way to getting that growth trajectory down to the target. And five to six per cent is still, by the nature of any government scheme, significant growth. So we want to see some real reform. This is relatively minor legislative tinkering.”
“This legislation, which seeks to tighten up the system—lift up the hood and tinker with its engine—is welcome, but the coalition feels that more needs to be done in order to safeguard the scheme, make sure that it is helping those that it is designed to assist and make sure that the fraud and rorting that we have seen within the scheme is stamped out for good. Of course, we have to maintain vigilance. It's not set and forget when it comes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme. There will have to be reforms as we move along with the scheme's growth. It is reaching that point of maturity now. It's into its 13th year. It's a bit like a 13-year-old teenager.”
“In continuation from my remarks that were cut short last night, the coalition will be supporting this bill, but the member for Lindsay has put forward an amendment to outline some of the concerns that we have around the stewardship of the NDIS. It is one of the great reforms that we've had in recent years, and there are so many within the communities represented in this place who benefit greatly from the NDIS. Unfortunately, we have had rather large growth in the scheme, to the point where it is on an unsustainable footing. We've now got annual scheme expenses growth sitting at 10.3 per cent.”
“That's wonderful except they're not meeting the target. They're nowhere near. They're growing at double the rate of the target. We can pretend that we're going to somehow magically find ourselves at a point where we are achieving the government's target, or we can get real about what we are actually going to do to try to ensure we do get there. Unfortunately—and I spoke on this in the Federation Chamber yesterday, and I'm sure every MP in this place would be experiencing the same amount of casework that I am—about 80 per cent of the correspondence that I receive in my office is now NDIS casework, and primarily from people who have had their plans cut. I heard, from the previous speaker, 'Well, if you consider it in the totality, if you consider the average plan'—no.”
“The growth was a lot higher as we got things going. But, now, 10.3 per cent on a very mature scheme is way too high. Unfortunately, what we've seen from this government is a target of eight per cent. They're not meeting that. We're now seeing the National Cabinet saying, 'We're going to try to get it to five or six per cent.' We're well and truly over that. We have got a significant challenge in trying to get that number down to the government's goal. What concerns us on this side of the chamber is what we are reading in the press. I've got a media alert for the term 'NDIS'. I can see multiple media reports every day—and I'm sure that will grow as we head towards the budget—where the assumption seems to be that the growth projections for the NDIS within the budget will match the government's target. That's great.”
“It is one of those complex policy Rubik's cubes that we deal with in this building, and in this city, that have such a massive impact across every community that's represented in this chamber. So many people who have been on the sidelines of our society have been able to fully enjoy the full benefits of this scheme. It has been an absolute game changer for so many across our communities. Unfortunately, we're now reaching a point where it simply cannot be sustained on the current footing. The rate of growth, as the previous speaker said, is up at 10.3 per cent according to the last quarterly update. I admit that, in the course of the previous coalition government, while the scheme was growing and reaching maturity—we were adding people, fresh in, who had spent many decades without these levels of support.”
“In the very few minutes that I've got before we proceed to adjournment tonight, I'll begin some comments regarding this bill, but I'll conclude those tomorrow morning. Obviously, the coalition will be supporting the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Integrity and Safeguarding) Bill 2026. We've proposed an amendment, moved by my colleague the member for Lindsay earlier this evening. I'll start by making some comments in relation to the importance of the NDIS as a national institution. I've recently taken on responsibility as shadow assistant minister for the NDIS and disabilities. It was a role that I put my hand up for, and I asked our new leader to allow me to take on that responsibility, because I see it as such a critical reform and as something that we have to get right.”
“I'm sure I'm not the only MP who's hearing these sorts of stories. I'm going to run out of time, but all I can say is that cutting from the most vulnerable is the easy way out. That's not the way that any government should be trying to handle their stewardship of this scheme. These are the people the scheme was designed to support, and we cannot let them down.”
“They're being cut because this government is delivering very poor stewardship of this scheme. I had a 78-year-old mother called Jan reach out to me. She's providing palliative care to her son, who's got Huntington's disease. He requires constant one-on-one support. He can't communicate, can't feed himself and is constantly at risk of choking. Jan's providing all that care herself at 78. Her son's plan includes $18,000 for behavioural consultations, which of course he won't be using because he's heading, unfortunately, to palliative care. He's had a significant cut in his funding. Julie, another woman who lives down the road from me in Wellington Point, is a 61-year-old living with advanced symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer's disease and requires 24/7 care. She's had an unannounced 43 per cent cut.”
“They've had a goal of trying to get it to eight per cent. Now the National Cabinet is trying to set a target of five to six per cent. Unfortunately, what we're seeing in the press over recent days, as we head towards the budget the month after next, is speculation that the government's going to try to budget that five to six per cent aspirational target as what they're going to use as their forward projection. That concerns us. It worries us about whether the government have got a serious plan about how they're going to actually try to achieve that five to six per cent. I'm sure that every MP here, including the member for Forde, would appreciate that a huge amount of our casework that we're seeing in our electorate offices consists of people who are having their plans cut.”
“It could very easily slip into an overly bureaucratic, centrally controlled, grey, soulless bureaucracy that doesn't get the results we want. Similarly, it could become an absolute free-for-all, Wild-West-style enterprise, where people are rorting it left, right and centre. What we want to try to do is find that gap, that happy medium where people are getting the outcomes that they want—getting the outcomes that we want to see them want—but we're making sure that all the regulations are in place that are going to make sure that it is sustainable and achieving all those outcomes. But what we are unfortunately seeing is growth that is unsustainable. What we are seeing is growth at about 10.3 per cent per annum. That was from the last quarterly update. The government, of course, has had a strategy.”
“If that is the true measure of a society, then Australia should be very proud of how well we do treat our most vulnerable, with this really world-leading reform that has been put into place over recent years. But, of course, with that important reform and with this institution that we've created and the very, very complex regulations and legislation that underpin it, it is so critical that we have good stewardship of the NDIS, that we ensure that every dollar that is invested from the taxpayer is going where it is intended and that we ensure that no-one is slipping through the cracks. This is a scheme that is reaching maturity now. It's in its 13th year. It's a bit like a teenager, if you like. It's reaching that point now where it needs to make a call as to which direction it's going to go in.”
“It's important that we recognise how significant the National Disability Insurance Scheme is and what a game changer it has been for so many across the communities that we represent in this place. We talk a lot about the big reforms that have happened over the course of the Australian federation. I don't think there are many that have had the sort of game-changing impact that we have seen from the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and both sides of parliament should be proud of the progress that we've made to try to ensure that those who are the most vulnerable in our communities are looked after in a way that we would expect them to be. It's often said that the true measure of a society is how we treat our most vulnerable.”
“I move: That this House: (1) acknowledges increasing reports from participants, families and service providers that the Government's mismanagement of the National Disability Insurance Scheme is resulting in reduced support packages, particularly for those with complex and high needs; (2) notes evidence provided through National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) answers to Questions on Notice from Supplementary Budget Estimates showing that: (a) eligibility reassessments increased from 12,366 in the fourth quarter of 2024-25 to 21,189 in the first quarter of 2025-26; (b) reassessments resulting in revoked eligibility surged from 389 to 10,202 over the same period; and (c) plan reviews led to a reduction of $436 million from participant plans in the first quarter of 2025-26; (3) recognises the reports that these changes are often occurring behind the scenes, with limited explanation or transparency provided to participants and their families; (4) condemns any approach to scheme sustainability that prioritises cutting participant supports over addressing systemic issues such as waste, red tape and fraud; and (5) calls on the Government to restore transparency, consistency and accountability in decision making, including clear communication of reasons for funding changes and a renewed focus on fixing inefficiency and safeguarding the integrity of the scheme.”
“I'll be contributing, and I'll be asking locals to make a small contribution too as we approach Anzac Day because, after serving Australia in two world wars, Private Mobbs deserves better than an unmarked grave. And, more broadly, there are thousands of veterans across the country in the same position. At the current pace, it will take generations to fix that. That is simply not good enough. This is something we can do in my little corner of the country to say that this service matters, that it was recognised and that it is not ever going to be forgotten.”
“Next week, I will launch, with the Remembrance Army volunteers, the Redlands Remembers campaign, a community effort to install a proper military headstone for Private Mobbs—something permanent, something dignified and something that says clearly that this man served his country and is remembered. A $620 contribution has been made available through the Australian government's Marking (First World War) Private Graves Grants Program—an initiative of the previous coalition government—but it does not cover the full amount of manufacturing and installing a fitting memorial for this local veteran, so we're asking the community to step in as well. Our goal is simple. We're looking to raise $5,000 to ensure that William Arthur Mobbs is properly honoured.”
“In 1940, at 49 years of age, he enlisted for a second time, not because he had to but because he believed it was the right thing to do. After the war, he settled in Birkdale and he worked as a labourer. He built a quiet life in my community, and, when he passed in 1960, he was laid to rest at Cleveland Cemetery. Here's the part that should give us all pause. Despite serving Australia in two world wars, his grave was never marked—no headstone, no recognition, nothing to tell the story of a man who stepped forward not once but twice when his country needed him. Thanks to the work of the volunteers of the Australian Remembrance Army, this has now been uncovered. In Cleveland Cemetery alone, they have identified 19 unmarked graves of veterans, Private Mobbs being one of them.”
“Next week I will be launching a new community initiative in the Redlands. There are, of course, some stories that should never be forgotten, but sometimes, sadly, they are. Private William Arthur Mobbs's is one of those stories. Born in Brisbane in 1891, the eldest of 13 children, to a Queensland family defined by service, he stepped forward when his country called. In 1916, at the age of 25, he enlisted in the AIF. He would spend more than three years overseas, including on the Western Front in France, serving with the 3rd Australian Divisional Ammunition Column, doing the hard, dangerous work of keeping guns supplied. When he came home, he, like so many others, got on with life. Then, more than 20 years later, when the world was again at war, he stepped forward yet again.”
“A ferry operator told me that the diesel bulk price has nearly doubled since the crisis began, and this operation is purchasing 6,000 litres of diesel every few days. I've mapped these vulnerabilities and I've met with the minister for energy. I've talked to the minister for energy about them and I thank him for that engagement. But this government has been on the back foot of this crisis since day one. This government had weakened the economy before we even got in here. They have been slow to respond to this crisis. They have absolutely lost control, and my island and mainland communities are paying the price for that. They have no plan to respond to this crisis and Australians are paying the price for their incompetence.”
“I have 12,000 residents in my electorate who live on islands in Moreton Bay that are only connected to the mainland via ferry and barge services. They face many of the same challenges that we see in regional communities across Australia. They're already struggling with the highest level of inflation that we're seeing of any advanced economy. They have already experienced the largest decline in living standards of any OECD nation. And of course, they've been refused regional status for infrastructure funding from this government, something they enjoyed under a previous coalition government. But the fuel crisis is hitting them particularly hard. This morning at Russell Island, unleaded 91 was selling at $3 a litre. It's been that over the course of the last week.”
“We need to note the ANAO report with great interest. Taxpayers are funding program after program, yet the government cannot clearly show whether they are working. More needs to be done in this area, and I don't want that to become a partisan thing. It's been a failure of all governments for many decades. It is not good enough, and both sides of the parliament need to be doing better. I commend the motion to the House.”
“It simply isn't good enough, and we need to make sure that every dollar is going to count not just because it's the right thing to do by Australia's taxpayers but because 150 Australians are attempting to take their own life every single day and they are relying on us to get this right. When lives are at stake, it simply isn't good enough for the government to write checks and hope that they're going to hit the target and that the money that we are investing in this area is going to achieve the outcomes that we want. We need to make sure that they are hitting the mark. Suicide prevention must be treated as a national priority, and it must be backed by clear and measurable federal investment. The Auditor-General has clearly found a system drifting without clear direction or proper measurement of results.”
“The report also found that, four to five years after the national suicide prevention agreements were signed, the objective of reducing suicide deaths has still not been achieved. I talked about the 25 per cent reduction in nearly 100 years. In this century, we've barely seen any reduction at all. It moves around from year to year, but we're still seeing nine Australians commit suicide every day and 150 Australians attempt to take their own lives. The grant agreements that the ANAO checked through this performance report found that there were no indicators of effectiveness or efficiency. The findings reflect deep concerns raised by families, clinicians and frontline suicide prevention workers.”
“A 25 per cent reduction isn't good enough. That's why it's important that we're debating this today on this anniversary. It's so critical that every dollar that the federal government invests in suicide prevention counts. We need to bring to suicide prevention the same determination and the same commitment that Pompey Elliott and his generation of Australians brought to their public service and the duties that they performed for our nation. The Australian National Audit Office performance audit into suicide prevention, policy development and monitoring found that the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's approach to developing and monitoring suicide prevention policy is only partly effective. This report has found that $1 billion in funding is failing to demonstrate accountability or a clear impact.”
“In the early 1930s, we saw our highest rate of suicides ever recorded in Australia. I think it was probably due to a mixture of the Great Depression and the aftermath of the Great War. So in 1931, the year before the passing of Elliot, it was our bleakest suicide year on record—29.8 men per 100,000 took their own lives. It remains the bleakest year on record for male suicide. But, nearly a century later, our rates of suicide across the whole population have reduced by only 25 per cent. I don't think that's good enough, and I don't think anyone in this chamber and in this parliament would agree that that's good enough when you consider all the medical advancements that we've had over the course of that century and all the advances that we've made in technology, in science and in an understanding of mental health.”
“Today marks 95 years since one of the most esteemed members of this parliament took his own life, 95 years since Major General Harold 'Pompey' Elliott unfortunately tragically committed suicide. This was one of our greatest Australians. This was a man who served at Gallipoli. This was a man who led troops at Lone Pine. This was a man who served on the Western Front. He was the highest-ranking Australian at Fromelles, he was the victor at Villers-Bretonneux and he served in the Senate here for 10 years, representing the state of Victoria as a Nationalist Party senator. And, in 1931, on this day, he took his own life. He is a demonstration that, no matter how strong, no matter how capable and no matter how esteemed an Australian may be, they can be susceptible to the risk of suicide.”
“I move: That this House: (1) notes the findings of the Australian National Audit Office performance audit Suicide Prevention Policy Development and Monitoring , which: (a) found that the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's approach to developing and monitoring suicide prevention policy to be only partly effective; (b) raised serious concerns about the accountability and effectiveness of nearly $1 billion in Commonwealth spending on suicide prevention programs; and (c) found that the grant agreements examined did not include clear performance indicators to measure effectiveness or efficiency; (2) acknowledges that around nine Australians die by suicide each day and more than 150 attempt to take their own lives; (3) raises serious concerns of the lack of measurable outcomes and clear accountability by the Government in national suicide prevention efforts; and (4) calls on the Government to strengthen accountability and transparency in suicide prevention funding by ensuring programs are supported by clear targets, robust evaluation and measurable outcomes.”
“It's not just a health challenge; it's a huge economic challenge for this nation, and the more focus that parliamentarians have on it, the better this country will be.”
“I want to thank Carolyn Nikoloski, the CEO of Mental Health Australia, and all of the organisations who took the time to travel to Canberra to provide an opportunity for parliamentarians to learn from their insights on the front line. Their work is incredibly vital, and their advocacy helps to ensure that mental health remains a topic of discussion within this building. It needs to be a national priority; it should be a national priority. The Productivity Commission estimates that the economic cost of poor mental health in this country is $220 billion per annum. Can you imagine the impact that we could have by just making incremental improvements to the mental health and wellbeing of Australians?”
“A consistent theme was the growing demand for mental health support services and the pressure this places on providers. Many highlighted the need for stronger workforce capacity. Others spoke about the importance of early intervention and ensuring that young Australians can access support before challenges escalate into more serious mental health conditions. Schools, community programs and youth focused services all have a critical role to play in that space. The expo provided a valuable opportunity to learn more about these organisations, and it also provided important feedback about where the federal government could strengthen support to ensure that no Australians fall through the cracks when it comes to mental health support.”
“It means we can hear from those who are delivering services, advocating for patients and supporting families through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Through the expo, I met a wide range of organisations who shared information about the services they provide and how they are helping communities across Australia, including communities like mine in the Redlands. From early intervention programs for young people to crisis support services, suicide prevention initiatives and programs focused on improving long-term recovery outcomes, it was clear just how much dedicated work is happening across the sector and in all corners of the country. Many of these organisations also spoke about the challenges they continue to face.”
“The timing couldn't have been any better. Just a couple of days after being appointed as our new shadow assistant minister for mental health, I had the opportunity to attend the Mental Health Sector Expo here at Parliament House. This event brought together more than 50 organisations like Beyond Blue, headspace, Lifeline Australia, Lived Experience Australia and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. These organisations do incredible work every day to support Australians experiencing mental health challenges. Events like this are incredibly valuable because they provide parliamentarians like us with the chance to hear directly from people on the frontline of mental health care.”
“If we continue down this path, we risk entrenching a two-speed economy, one where governments grow but private enterprise shrinks, where pensioners work longer but feel less secure and where aspiration is replaced by anxiety. This is not the sort of Australia that we want. This is not protecting Australians' way of life or restoring their standard of living. Under the Albanese Labor government, Australia is heading in the wrong direction, and we need to fix that as soon as possible.”
“She's working into her 70s not as an added extra but just to sustain herself. This is just one of many examples, many stories that I'm hearing from my constituents. But, listening to the government in question time any day this week, you'll be forgiven for thinking that we're entering some sort of golden era. Australians have never had it so good, according to this government. But that is absolutely not the case in my community. Small businesses in the Redlands are telling me that red tape is relentless and confidence is falling. My constituents are emailing me, calling me every day, talking to me at street stalls about the costs being too high and energy bills totally unaffordable. The government must confront the reality that policy settings are squeezing retirees, families and employers at the same time.”
“Most alarmingly of all but perhaps not surprisingly, 96 per cent of respondents believe that the current federal government is not delivering policies that encourage growth or support small business. Business confidence in the Redlands is not just softening; it is sliding. But these statistics only tell part of the story of the economic pressures facing my community. I have been inundated in recent weeks by constituents reaching out to outline how the rising cost of living is affecting them and their households. A 73-year-old pensioner, Patricia, in my electorate, wrote to me about her struggle. She receives just over $1,300 per fortnight from the pension. Her rent is $1,140 per fortnight, leaving just $204 to cover food, electricity, petrol, insurance and medical costs. At 73, she's returned to work, driving for DoorDash.”