Carina Garland
Chisholm · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Having seen them again last week, I can say the students of St Roch's are absolutely leaders. They debated whether video games should be an official sport, if plastic packaging on all food items should be banned, whether museums should return ancient artefacts to countries of origin and whether smartwatches should be banned in the classro…”
“We're also clarifying the CFMEU administrator's biannual financial reporting requirements, which currently require a report effectively immediately at the conclusion of a given financial year. In this bill, we're also committed to ensuring truckies get a fair go.”
“This government is giving them the tools to do just that, and I'm really proud to be able to represent so many bright young people in this place. Just last week, I had the great pleasure of visiting St Roch's Catholic Primary School in Glen Iris as a guest adjudicator for their year 6 civics and citizenship debating competition.”
“The intention here is to ensure that more truck drivers can access our quick and easy process to challenge an unfair contract in the Fair Work Commission.”
“It's important to highlight that our reforms are essential in ensuring that our workplace relations framework continues to be fit for purpose, continues to deliver fairer wages and secure jobs not just in my electorate of Chisholm but right across Australia.”
“We know that secure jobs drive participation in communities. I spoke about this in my very first speech—that, when people have certainty over hours and wages, they can make commitments to their local communities. They can put down roots. They can know that on their weekends they'll have time to give to their local sporting clubs.”
The complete record
Every one of 412 lines we hold for Carina Garland, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 8 of 9.
“My old high school is in my electorate now, and I've had the great pleasure and privilege to visit my old school since the election. That gave me cause to reflect on my own journey to this place. It was as a high school student that I learned the importance of involving myself in social justice. I remember spending lunchtimes at school writing letters in the Amnesty International club that I was part of. I remember spending time after school volunteering with St Vincent de Paul to tutor refugee children and students across the community. At school the teachers really instilled in all the young women there—it was a girls' school—confidence and the importance of never second-guessing yourself. I wish I had never second-guessed myself and that those lessons were unchallenged throughout my working life.”
“Throughout the campaign, and earlier than when the formal campaign began, I spoke to my community about really wanting to be a champion for Chisholm, and that is the commitment that I renew today in the 48th Parliament, and we'll hopefully be able to deliver on everything that we've said we will deliver on. I'm really proud that all the commitments I made in my first term for our local community have been delivered on. We had a redistribution in Victoria, which saw my community of Chisholm change a little. But whilst we said goodbye to areas that I loved in our electorate and communities that I will hopefully have the opportunity to continue to work with, as a representative I was able to take in and learn about new parts of the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, although they are areas that were very familiar to me.”
“So many people, from all walks of life, have spoken to me about the importance of investing in mental health, and I agree with them. That's why it is really heartening that we have a government who takes mental health very seriously—and indeed all health care seriously. We're going to work on new changing rooms at the Monash Aquatic Centre. The Monash swimming pools were where I first learned how to swim, so it is a very special commitment for me. And of course today we saw the introduction of legislation to deliver 20 per cent cuts to student debt for so many in our community, and over 26,000 people in Chisholm will benefit from that; we are one of the greatest beneficiaries of this change.”
“And, of course, our promises of a tax cut for every Australian taxpayer have been delivered, as have energy bill relief and so many other commitments to help people with the cost of living. Now, in our second term, I'm really looking forward to getting to work to continue to deliver for the community of Chisholm. I'm really looking forward to establishing a new Nunawading basketball facility, which will service the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. I'm really looking forward to seeing another urgent-care clinic being established in our community, in the Stonnington Council area. And I'm really excited that we will be the first metropolitan Melbourne site for a Medicare mental health clinic, which is something that is really important for our community in the eastern suburbs.”
“by leave—It is an enormous honour to have the privilege of serving here for a second term. As I noted earlier, the last member for Chisholm to win a second term was the wonderful Anna Burke, who won her second term in 2001, so it's been some time since the people of Chisholm have returned a member. I am very grateful and very humbled by the trust that they have placed in me. I'm really proud of what we were able to achieve as a community together in the 47th Parliament—in the first term of the Albanese Labor government. We were able to establish an urgent care clinic in Mount Waverley and to establish a headspace in Box Hill, now in a former part of my electorate but that I am sure the member for Menzies will have great stewardship over—and congratulations to him. Many sporting pavilions have been established across the electorate.”
“In my first speech in this place in the 47th Parliament, I spoke about the importance of higher education and how pleased I was to be part of a government that was going to take reform to higher education seriously. We are delivering meaningful reform to the sector to make it more accessible for more Australians, and this is part of our commitment. We've also established a Commonwealth prac payment to support about 68,000 teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students to complete their degrees. I will continue to advocate for reform in this area so that more Australians have the opportunity to access affordable higher education in this country.”
“Today is an important day for my electorate of Chisholm, for 26,053 students with a student loan debt in Chisholm are in line for a 20 per cent cut to their student debt following the introduction of legislation that the Prime Minister promised would be the first introduced to this House under a re-elected Labor government. This is such a prominent issue in my electorate and, I know, was a decisive factor when students and families went to cast their vote on 3 May. For someone with a HELP debt of $50,000, this change will cut their debt by $10,000. These changes will make a meaningful difference to people with student debt and I know both current and former students in my electorate welcome these changes, as do their families.”
“I want to acknowledge all their support because I really felt that I was going into a pretty intense campaign with some of the best leaders in our country on my side. That really encouraged me, and I know it certainly encouraged the volunteers that they spoke to when they came to visit me. I'm very grateful and will always be grateful for their support there.”
“There are many people that I will thank in a moment, but I want to acknowledge the extraordinary support that I received from the caucus—from colleagues such as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for the Environment and Water and former Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Murray Watt, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Housing, the Treasurer, the Prime Minister, of course, the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Minister for Skills and Training, the Minister for Home Affairs, the Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs, the Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing, the then Assistant Minister for Women, Kate Thwaites.”
“We were focused, as the broader Labor campaign was, on optimism for our community and for our country. We know that it is only Labor governments that build. Our campaign was focused on how a re-elected Albanese Labor government will build Australia's future. Delivery is really important for governments. We've heard in this place a number of times, and certainly over the last day or so, about how faith in institutions has been declining over the years. It is through delivery—through being a government that says they're going to do something and then does it—that we restore faith in institutions in the government. I look forward to being part of the second-term Albanese Labor government, where we will continue our record of delivery on the commitments that we make to people in our communities.”
“It is a real honour to be returned to this place. It is not a fact lost on me that the last person to have served two consecutive terms was the wonderful Anna Burke. Her second election was in 2001, so I do not take lightly the privilege and honour that the people of Chisholm have bestowed upon me by returning me here to this place to represent them. I want to use this time to reflect on the wonderful support that I've received from my community in Chisholm and the determination with which I will continue to fight for what our community needs. Over 500 people in my local area volunteered on my campaign, which is an incredible number of people. We knocked on over 50,000 doors and made over 80,000 phone calls attempting to contact every single person in my electorate.”
“We are growing wages, including a well-deserved wage increase for aged-care nurses, and we are stopping unfair non-compete clauses that are holding back Australian workers from switching to better, higher-paying jobs. I'm really pleased to see that Victoria will benefit from our fourth budget in particular ways. We learned last night that every taxpayer will receive a top-up tax cut. Combined with our first round of tax cuts, the average benefit for Victorian taxpayers will be $2,530 in 2027-28. It's also good to see that each of the 2.5 million households in Victoria will get an additional $150 to help with their energy bills. This relief will also extend to 223,000 eligible small businesses. There are so many other things that we are delivering to provide cost-of-living relief for different generations for different cohorts.”
“Ours is not a government that has wage suppression at the heart of our economic policy, because that is not what the Australian Labor Party would ever do. Only Labor is committed to delivering cost-of-living relief. Again, we have the proof of that in the voting record of those opposite, including this morning. We're strengthening Medicare with more bulk-billing, urgent care clinics and a record investment in women's health. I will use this opportunity to remind everyone that March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, hence my yellow pin, and our government is investing strongly in women's health, including in endo and pelvic pain clinics.”
“To quote Maya Angelou, which is perhaps where the opposition leader got his inspiration from when he said the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour, 'When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.' The Leader of the Opposition has absolutely shown us who he is. He will cut Medicare. He will cut education spending. He will make people's lives harder and worse. Our responsible budget, on the other hand, helps Australians now and builds Australia's future by delivering cost-of-living relief, another tax cut—a top-up tax cut—for every Australian taxpayer, $150 of energy bill relief for every household and cheaper medicines, and, of course, we're backing higher wages.”
“We are delivering smaller deficits and much lower debt compared to what we inherited three years ago, and that that's happening is good for future generations of Australians too. We have a really clear choice at this election. We can continue to keep building and have an ambition and vision for this country, or we can go backwards with the Leader of the Opposition, who we know is going to cut everything, but we don't know exactly what those secret cuts will be yet. So we have a choice. We can build, which is what those of us on this side of the House want to do, or we will see terrible, destructive cuts, which is what those on the opposite side of the chamber seek to do. The Leader of the Opposition will make people worse off by cutting the things ordinary Australians need. He's done it before; he'll do it again.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on this MPI and to highlight the ways in which we are acting with empathy, ambition and action for our communities through the investments that we're making across the country, including in my own state and community, to make people's lives easier and better. The budget that was delivered last night by the Treasurer, the fourth budget, is a budget squarely focused on helping people with cost of living and building Australia's future so we have a more prosperous future. Our government is providing relief whilst also investing in the future, and this is happening at the same time that we are delivering the biggest improvement to the bottom line in a single parliamentary term.”
“In the three years that we've been in government and that we've had the privilege of serving the Australian people in this place, we've taken really seriously the challenges that people have faced. It is really disappointing that on every occasion, including today when those opposite were given the chance to back Australians and to do something meaningful about the cost-of-living pressures people find themselves under, they have voted against those measures. I find that really disappointing. I wish that we would see more empathy, ambition and action from those opposite, rather than the aggressive political games we continually see from them in this chamber.”
“I want to thank everyone in my electorate for their advocacy around community infrastructure, including a new pavilion at Mount Waverley Reserve. I want to thank our volunteers for all the work they do and their support for our wonderful community organisations, and I'm really looking forward to being able to work with them on the latest grant program. I acknowledge their hard work in putting in their submissions to that. I've been able to take ministers to see the TAFE institutions in our electorate to meet people benefitting from free TAFE and the changes to higher education more broadly. I'm so grateful for the way that the people of Chisholm have been vocal in their advocacy that allow— (Time expired)”
“This week we heard of the record $500 million investment in women's health. I really want to thank the people of Chisholm for participating in forums, round tables and surveys about their health needs, which really helped our government to implement the initiatives that we are. I'm really grateful for their participation. The active electorate that I have in Chisholm really cares about health. I've been really pleased to be able to deliver an urgent care clinic in Mount Waverley that has been so well received in the community. This is in addition to a new headspace centre in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, which I know is providing much needed support to young people in our community with mental health concerns. It also has a GP, which is a very important resource for young people in our community.”
“It is going to mean that parents can make decisions to do more work and participate in the economy more. I know that this is going to mean that we have a culture where we value education in our communities and we understand where education can take people. We know that the first five years of a child's life are so significant for brain development. I don't think we would question the right for a child to access education at any other level, and we shouldn't question a child's right to access it from those very early years. I thank the Minister for Education and the Minister for Early Childhood Education for their work here and in so many other areas. Thank you, on behalf of the children and the families in Chisholm, for the positive difference you are going to make to their lives. I commend this bill to the House.”
“I spoke about the importance of education in my very first speech in this place, and I've witnessed in the term of this government so far the incredible commitment that we have had to making sure that everyone is able to realise aspiration and opportunity through education. This bill is another example of the work that we are doing to achieve that—to open those doors. It is really disappointing that, rather than investing in the futures of our youngest Australians, those opposite want to spend money on free lunches for bosses. That's their priority. On this side of the House, we want to make sure that every child gets the best possible start in life. I know how welcome this is going to be in my community, in Chisholm. I know that this is going to change lives.”
“We don't just talk about the future on this side of the House, although we are ambitious and aspirational for what that future looks like; we invest in it. We make sure that we do everything we can with the privilege of government we have to ensure our communities thrive not just now but into the future. I really do think that this is going to change the lives of so many people in this country. As I mentioned, it will not just help families or children; it will help all of us in Australia to build the kind of prosperous country we all deserve to live in and ensure that every single person in this country has the kinds of educational opportunities that they deserve.”
“Through our legislation here and in the changes that we've made more broadly to this system, we've demonstrated that we will not tolerate a system that leaves Australian families vulnerable, that leaves Australian families behind or that leaves Australian children behind, frankly. I want to see, and I would hope that everyone in the chamber would want to see, a future where every child can succeed and where every family has the support they need to thrive. We know that the activity test those opposite introduced was never about supporting our communities. It was about cutting access and leaving too many families behind. I'm really proud—it is a privilege—to be part of a government that is fixing that and building a future for so many through investing in education. This is real reform for families. This is an investment in the future.”
“Over 10,800 families are already benefiting from cheaper child care. I know that I've spoken to many families over the course of the last little while who are better off. This has given them the freedom to work, study and support their families without the fear of losing access to early learning. This is a real game changer for Australian families. Through the $1 billion Building Early Education Fund, we're going to support more early learning centres to be built in underserviced areas, ensuring that every single child has access to quality education close to home. Again, that's what we think Australian children and their families deserve. This is about building strong foundations for our children and their families to thrive.”
“Under this legislation, more than 100,000 families will have access to more hours of subsidised care, and this is how we are helping to ease the cost-of-living pressures on families and households. Around 66,700 families are expected to benefit from our changes in the first financial year of being implemented. This legislation ensures that the rules work for Australian families, not against them. We have a strong record when it comes to early childhood education and care. We introduced a 15 per cent pay rise for early educators. They are people who deserve our thanks absolutely, but they deserve so much more than that. We've made child care cheaper, and this bill is a critical step towards continuing our work to build a system that is simple, affordable and accessible for every family.”
“We know families are doing it tough in our communities, and that's why on this side of the House we've implemented a number of measures to make life easier for Australians. Again, those opposite have opposed them almost every step of the way. Parents need a fair go. We know that families were forced to cut hours because they couldn't meet the Liberals' outdated activity test. That's still happening. We're changing that. The 2018 childcare package cut down the number of subsidised hours of care that low-income families could access from 48 hours to 24 hours or just one day a week. That's what those opposite did. That's their contribution to early childhood education and care. This bill cuts through their red tape.”
“There won't be penalties for parents who aren't working a set number of hours—just a simple commitment that every child, regardless of their background, should get the best start in life. I can't believe those opposite cannot support that idea. The three-day guarantee boosts access to early childhood education and care and ensures an opportunity that those on this side of the House believe that every child deserves. This isn't just about child care. This is about ensuring that every Australian family and every Australian child thrives. This legislation guarantees that families don't need to choose—and they shouldn't have to choose—between their child's education and making ends meet.”
“Thousands and thousands of children missing out on the early education that sets them up for life. I'm so proud that our government is taking a big step forward here and putting an end to that. This legislation will benefit all of us. Yes, it will benefit families. It will benefit children—of course it will. But we are building something here that will ensure greater workforce participation and an educated workforce of the future, with our youngest minds being exposed to education early so that they can pursue whatever it is they want to and make a bigger contribution to our nation. This bill replaces the Liberals' outdated activity test with a simple, fair guarantee: three days a week of subsidised early education for every family. This bill redefines how we support our children and their families.”
“Again, I emphasise: I really want the people of Chisholm to understand and to know, and the people of Australia to understand and to know, that the Liberal Party do not support this—they do not support universal access to early education for all Australians. I think that is a really damning reflection on what the modern Liberal Party is. 'Modern Liberal Party' does feel a little like an oxymoron. This is a bill that represents real change for Australian families. We know that, for too long, the Liberals' unfair activity test locked children out of early learning centres, penalising families who didn't meet the rigid work and study requirements. This system hit the most vulnerable families in our communities the hardest—low-income families, single parents and families that lacked support. The result?”
“It will make our communities stronger and more prosperous. What I really want Australians to understand, and what I really want the people of Chisholm to understand, is that this work that we as a government are doing is delivering something really good here, and those opposite are standing against it. They are not part of this positive change for our country. We know education opens doors. Those opposite want to keep those doors closed. As the Minister for Education has reminded us here in this chamber, those who need early education the most are the least likely to be able to access it, and this legislation ensures that those who need early education the most will be able to receive it.”
“This legislation is important, because every family deserves to have access to quality and affordable education. In speaking on this legislation, the Early Childhood Education and Care (Three Day Guarantee) Bill 2025, I reflect on how significant an issue early childhood education and care is for the people in my electorate of Chisholm. I've recently undertaken a survey with my electorate on the importance of education and care for their children, had a forum with the magnificent minister, Anne Aly, in my electorate and made a submission to the Productivity Commission on behalf of my community. I think what is before us today is the building blocks of a really important institutional and structural change in this country. It will make our country better to have universal education for our youngest Australians.”
“The announcement made just in the last few days that we will see the first PBS listing in more than 30 years for new oral contraceptive pills is remarkable. More support for women experiencing menopause and perimenopause is something that only a government with a majority of women around the table, helping to make decisions, can make. I'm very proud to be part of a Labor government that listens to women and acts on the very vital issue of women's health.”
“On 8 March it is International Women's Day. This year's theme is Accelerate Action, and that is something that our government have been doing since we were elected in 2022. We've been working really hard and getting results in closing the gender pay gap, we've introduced a really ambitious national plan to end gendered violence within a generation, and there have been many more achievements—too many to mention here—to make a more equal Australia. I want to talk today about the strides we're making in women's health. This is an issue that's very important in my community. I've had women's health forums with locals. I held a roundtable with the Monash Women's Health Alliance and the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Ged Kearney, to talk about the health issues facing women today.”
“We're making child care cheaper, and we're also working to build up the early education and care workforce, which was neglected under those opposite. Since coming to office, we have enabled over 1,000 new services, with nearly 30 per cent of those new services outside major cities. There are over 41,000 more educators, which means we're able to have more children in education services—almost 100,000 more children—with more than 90,000 additional places. I could speak for at least twice as long on our government's commitment and our reforms in this space, but I'm almost out of time. I commend our government's work to the House.”
“Our Cheaper Child Care policy is delivering cost-of-living relief for more than one million Australian families by cutting out-of-pocket costs. We've cut the cost of early learning by more than 17 per cent from when it was first introduced. What this means is that an Australian family on an income of $120,000 a year, paying the average quarterly fee for 30 hours of child care per week, is approximately $2,768 better off, and that's since September 2023. We know this is real and meaningful cost-of-living relief going back into the pockets of Australian families. We compare that to what we saw when those opposite last had the honour of being in government. What we saw was that childcare prices went up twice as much as the OECD average, by a whopping 49 per cent. We're fixing this.”
“And they make it possible for millions of other Australians to do their jobs too. Every single day, educators help our children learn and grow, and their important work should be recognised for the value it brings Australian children and their families. I want to acknowledge their work and their love and care, and I want those educators to know that, yes, of course they deserve our thanks, and they also deserve their 15 per cent wage increase for the work that they do. Just over the weekend, my team and I were out in my community of Chisholm, knocking on doors and speaking to residents about the issues that matter to them. My team and I spoke to a number of families who are better off under our government when it comes to affordable early childhood education and care.”
“Our government has already taken some critical first steps here, including to make early childhood education more affordable for over a million families through our Cheaper Child Care reforms. We've also commissioned the ACCC and, as I mentioned earlier, the Productivity Commission to each do a review, providing guidance on how we can achieve our vision of universal early learning. We know the first five years of a child's life are incredibly important for brain development, and that's why we're investing in their future and our nation's future. Our government also recognises that early learning educators and teachers do an incredible job, a vital job, and we absolutely value our early educators. The work they do isn't babysitting; it's early childhood education.”
“I recently conducted a survey within my community of Chisholm around early child education and care, and I used the responses from that survey to make a submission on behalf of my community to the Productivity Commission. I've held forums and information centres with the Minister for Early Childhood Education, and I've been struck by the generosity of families in my community in sharing their experiences and acknowledging that the Albanese government recognises the transformative benefits of early childhood education and care for children and families. We are working to build a universal early childhood education and care system that's accessible for all families, no matter their circumstances or background.”
“I thank the member for Moncrieff for putting this motion to the House because I relish any opportunity to speak on early childhood education and care. It is disappointing that those opposite, who in fact put this motion to the House, don't have enough speakers to speak on the topic. However, I'm happy to jump in early and speak on this very important issue. I know how important this issue is to my electorate of Chisholm. I speak to my constituents about this issue all the time and I absolutely love visiting early education and care centres in my electorate. It was a real pleasure to bring the Prime Minister to Mount Waverley to visit the Goodstart centre there and to meet and play with the children and hear from the educators.”
“We're making substantial progress on closing the gender pay gap, and we're the first majority female government in Australia's history, which means that reforms that get us closer to gender equality, such as changes to paid parental leave and a national plan to eliminate gendered violence, absolutely are supported by our government. I'm proud to be part of a government that gets things done for the nation and delivers for the community of Chisholm.”
“We know that the coalition, and quite especially the Leader of the Opposition, has formwhen it comes to gutting and cutting Medicare and health services. We cannot let that happen, and I will fight it every step of the way and champion the needs of my wonderful community of Chisholm. I know from the thousands and thousands of conversations I've had through doorknocking and making phone calls in the electorate that action on climate change and gender equality are key issues for the voters in my terrific community in Chisholm. I'm really pleased that one of the very first acts of our government was to legislate a climate target, and we have more renewables and renewable projects than ever before.”
“A free clinic, this service provides care and reduces pressure on emergency departments. This clinic means that injuries and illnesses can be attended to quickly. I speak to people in our community all the time about the practice, and I'm struck by the incredibly positive experiences that are shared with me about the urgent care clinic. I've met with the medical staff at the clinic, and the passion, care and dedication they demonstrate is just so clear, and we are so fortunate to have such hardworking professionals serving our community in Chisholm. I feel sick when I realise that this is a service that could be on the coalition's chopping block. We know that there are definitely going to be cuts. The precise nature is secret, which is a terrible worry because you hardly ever hide good news, do you?”
“I am incredibly honoured and very proud to represent the wonderful community of Chisholm in this place. I will always be a champion for my community, and I'm really pleased at what we have already managed to achieve together. It was an exciting day when I attended the opening of the new headspace in my electorate—a much needed service for the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. This joins the headspace just a few doors down from my office near Syndal Station, and it has been inspiring to meet with the staff and youth advisory groups at both of these centres. Both centres are very loved and absolutely critical parts of the local community. The Medicare urgent care clinic at 408 Huntingdale Road, Mount Waverley is a very welcome addition to our local community, and I know it's one that is highly valued.”
“I'm really proud to be part of a government that is taking serious action to protect our communities from the despicable actions of scammers, and I commend the bill to the House.”
“This legislation will support our government's efforts and industry's efforts in international engagement and collaboration, including by enabling the sharing of scam intelligence across regulated entities, law enforcement and regulators in Australia and, importantly, by supporting international enforcement action to disrupt illicit scam activities, as, of course, this is a global challenge and we are often engaging with global operators here in the scam activity space. I know this is really welcomed by my community in Chisholm. People frankly have had enough of being targeted by scammers, and it seems to come sometimes from all directions, as we've described in our comments—the government's contribution. This is something that people are experiencing on social media, via phone calls and via emails.”
“Consumers will also be able to take action in court where they have suffered loss or damage because a regulated entity has not met its obligations under the Scams Prevention Framework. As with the intention for external dispute resolution, liabilities for loss or damage where more than one regulated entity has not met obligations can be apportioned between multiple regulated entities. Again, this is about ensuring we recognise the scam activity chain. Scams are a global challenge. The Assistant Treasurer's attendance at the inaugural Global Fraud Summit, in the UK in March of last year, really reiterated the important role and influence of Australia and of our government in fighting scams within the international community.”
“Our government has decided not to take that approach, because we want to incentivise actions to address scam activity across the entire scam activity chain, not leave some sectors with lower expectations and lower responsibilities in relation to their liability. Placing liability simply on banks alone fails to recognise and hold to account the entities that have many opportunities to stop a scam before the harm to the consumer is caused. Our government will consult on the Scams Prevention Framework dispute resolution model to ensure that alternative dispute resolution operates effectively. Consumers of course should be able to rely on protections and raise their complaints with all regulated businesses under consistent expectations of how they will be treated.”
“It is really important, too, that no-one is turned away when they make that initial step to raise a dispute. The government have already announced our intention to authorise the Australian Financial Complaints Authority as the external dispute resolution scheme for the three initial sectors. This single-door approach means consumers will only have to go to one body to escalate their scam complaint, even where it may involve multiple regulated entities. I've listened so far to some of the speeches that have raised the question of a mandatory presumption of reimbursement approach, such as the one the UK has in place.”
“Regulators will also have other compliance tools available, such as infringement notices, enforceable undertakings, injunctions, public warnings and remedial directions, to ensure the Scams Prevention Framework is administered as intended to protect consumers. Additionally, consumers will have access to free and transparent dispute resolution processes if they are the victim of a scam and one or more regulated entities has not met its obligations. Regulated entities must have an internal dispute resolution process in place and become a member of a designated external dispute resolution scheme. With a no-wrong-door approach to internal dispute processes, consumers will be able to approach any regulated entity connected to the scam they've have experienced to raise a dispute.”
“A multiregulator model involving the ACCC as the regulator for the principle based obligations and the ACCC, ASIC and ACMA as regulators for the sector-specific codes capitalises on existing industry knowledge and expertise. This is really important. This will ensure that no single regulator will be spread too thinly as the Scams Prevented Framework expands to additional sectors as scam activity shifts. Regulators have access to significant civil penalties of up to $50 million for the most egregious breaches of the Scams Prevention Framework. This is intended to incentivise compliance and provide adequate penalties to deter regulated entities, who may foresee high possible gains, from breaching the Scams Prevention Framework.”