Tania Lawrence
Hasluck · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“There are no wild brumbies in Hasluck. We do, however, have a really fine equestrian community, including being home to the State Equestrian Centre, Yarrada Farm Riding School and Magic Millions. I grew up in York surrounded by animals, including horses, which I deeply love.”
“These programs use a vaccine known as PZP that is delivered to the mares, often by remote darting, and works by preventing fertilisation without affecting the animal's natural hormones or behaviour. It doesn't remove the horses from the landscape, and it doesn't break up the herds.”
“Every person in Hasluck who's ever been to one of our three fabulous urgent care clinics, in Morley, Ellenbrook and Midland, knows they have already demonstrated their value and worth—and just to give you a sense of the numbers, 38,000 have already visited the clinic in Morley, 32,000 in Midland, and just over 6,000 our recently opened cl…”
“Alpine peatlands, waterways and native species habitats are being degraded. These are places that simply cannot withstand that level of pressure. So, yes, action is required. Doing nothing is not an option, but how we act matters just as much as whether we act at all.”
“West of here is Hasluck, and what matters to my community in Hasluck is making sure that we deliver. I'm absolutely proud, under the Albanese Labor government, to be their representative and to deliver on what they need.”
“There are also ground based culling approaches that, where necessary, can be conducted under stricter welfare conditions and oversight, significantly reducing the distress associated with aerial methods. This is a complex challenge. It does require coordination.”
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“The Albanese Labor government ended the forced permanent casual loophole, providing a proper pathway to conversions for casuals who want it. The Albanese Labor government criminalised intentional wage theft, and now the Albanese Labor government is protecting the penalty rates of Australian workers. Defending workers rights is the blood of the Labor Party. For as long as there is an opposition that threatens workers' rights, there is the Labor party, protecting Australian workers' rights and their wages. I commend the bill.”
“Essential research polling suggests that 70 per cent of Australians see protecting penalty rates as a critical workplace issue. This demonstrates the support for this legislation felt around the country. We all know someone who benefits from their penalty rates. It may be a family member, friend or worker at the local store. Many of these workers rely on their penalty rates to actually get by. They rely on the penalty rates to pay their bills, their fuel, their rent and their child care or to get through their studies. They deserve to have those wages protected, and the Albanese Labor government is committed to doing just that. In our first term, the Labor government gave workers the right to disconnect.”
“Due to the composition of the workforce, this legislation will particularly assist those workers who are women, part-time or casual workers and especially those under the age of 35, like Patrick. The Australian Business Journal stated last week: For many Australians, especially those in hospitality, retail, health, and transport, penalty rates make a significant difference to their weekly earnings. The government's move to protect penalty overtime rates aims to offer certainty for these workers, ensuring they are not disadvantaged by any award changes or enterprise agreements. It also sends a strong signal that the safety net for vulnerable workers cannot be eroded through backdoor mechanisms that leave employees worse off financially.”
“The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation said that they welcome the protection of penalty rates for insecure and casual work. The ACTU has stated: Our Government is finally stepping in to stop employers cutting penalty rates and protecting people's pay. This was a key election promise, and we thank the Albanese Government for making it one of their first priorities. We call on all political parties to respect the election's outcome and pass this law. The member for Goldstein has stated that the coalition supports penalty rates. It's a meaningless statement if you're not prepared to vote to protect them. For us, it's a high-level principle, and that's what we're enshrining in this legislation.”
“The opposition leader isn't really sure where to stand when there's a flag in the room but she has absolutely no doubt about looking at the flag at the top of the building, to see which way the wind is blowing. We on this side want to protect the safety nets we have in place. We want to protect workers' rights and their families. We don't want our hospitality workers working all night for drinks and just tips. This legislation protects penalty rates. It doesn't extend them but it ensures that they can't be given away under undue pressure. The legislation doesn't hold good businesses back but it does ensure that there are no workers left behind. The Independent Education Union, which represents teachers and support staff in independent schools, has welcomed this legislation.”
“Our government has presided over real wage rises and over tax cuts for all workers. The coalition government of which the member for Goldstein was a part—perhaps he's forgotten—saw real wages go backwards over their nine-plus years in office. As the shadow minister for industrial relations and employment, he's criticised this bill—which is not a shock to anyone. He does not believe in protecting workers' wages and upholding the award safety net. The now opposition leader, Sussan Ley, voted in favour of removing Sunday and public holiday penalty rates when she voted on the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Bill 2017.”
“One of the issues that members of the Liberal and National parties have to deal with—and they have a few issues that they need to deal with—is their adulation for aspects of the governance of the USA that simply aren't working. Health care is one. How many members of the opposition would be happy to scrap Medicare and the PBS, to follow the broken American system? There aren't penalty rates in the USA. There's overtime if you've already worked a 48-hour week, but no mandated dispensation for working nights, holidays or weekends—unless you're counting tips. 'Land of the free', 'the freedom to choose'—we often hear that from members opposite. But, as usual, it's freedom you only get to enjoy if you can afford to pay for it. The member for Goldstein pretends this legislation might mean workers are paid less.”
“The Australian Retailers Association and other big business organisations are at the Fair Work Commission seeking to have penalty rates scrapped for some workers in the retail sector. I extend a thank you to the SDA national secretary, Gerard Dwyer, for his work in this matter. Modelling by the SDA found that a typical retail worker working afternoon and evening shifts and working every second weekend would be more than $5,000 worse off under the Australian Retail Association's proposal. The SDA said: The ARA and big business call this workplace 'flexibility'. We call this greed. I couldn't agree more. There is opposition to this bill, yet I believe that those opposite may find some issues in their own position.”
“His penalty rates provided the security that got him through university and have provided him with the means to start full-time work with some savings in his pocket. Another volunteer, Lucinda Bartlett, said, in her own words, that her dad and her granddad were also able to work through university because of penalty rates: The sanctity of my study is preserved by law, protecting penalty rates from an opposition unfamiliar with the work study balance of modern young people. As a full-time student, studying 40 hours plus attending class and working 20 hours a week, penalty rates are not a luxury but what allowed me to attend class. This move is not to protect against a theoretical harm; there is a very real threat to workers' wages from big corporations and those opposite me in this chamber.”
“Penalty rates are not a luxury; they are recognition of the unsociable hours that hundreds of thousands of Australians, just like Patrick, are doing all around the country, be it in retail, in fast food, in pharmacies and in so many other sectors. They reflect the sacrifice of the weekends, the public holidays and the family time. For many workers, especially those on modest incomes, they are the difference between making ends meet and falling behind. For many of my local volunteers, people like John Topliss, 'penalty wages mean the world'; those are John's words. John had worked in Midland Gate, just across from my office, and he had relied on those penalty rates he'd received. When we made our election commitment on this issue, John told me that it means everything to him to have a local member who stands up for his rights at work.”
“Protecting the integrity of the modern award system ensuring workers are properly compensated is at the core of the Labor Party and the labour movement. Young workers in my electorate of Hasluck, like Patrick Hunt, deserve their penalty rates. Patrick is a proud member of the SDA. In fact, he just celebrated his 17th birthday last week, so he's still on a youth wage. Without his penalty rates, he would see substantially less of his wages. As Patrick's mum said: Penalty rates make working weekends worth it for Patrick. It makes time away from family, long hours, late nights worth it. We want people like Patrick to continue to receive the wages that they do in order to be able to serve us.”
“You asked that we not rest in the narrative for why they were used but focus on the pledge to victims, 'We shall not repeat the mistake.' We honour the survivor group Nihon Hidankyo, who were awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, and ICAN for their steadfast advocacy here and abroad, particularly with First Nations communities and military personnel affected by British nuclear testing. Many lived through the devastation without consent, without information and far too often without justice. But change is possible through treaties, diplomacy and peace. Morimoto-san, your mother asked you to pass the baton so that door will never open again, and today you did.”
“This week, I introduced a motion in solemn remembrance of one of the darkest chapters in human history: the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which occurred 88 years ago this August. Over 2,000 lives were lost, and the course of history was changed forever. Those who survived, the hibakusha, carried not only the physical scars but the burden of memory and intergenerational trauma. Mr Isao Morimoto, present here today, is a second-generation hibakusha who has shared with me his then-13-year-old mother's, Junko's, reflection of the day, 'of the screaming voices, of the opening of that door to hell, of finding the bones of her friends'. Morimoto-san, we spoke about how indiscriminate it is and how no emergency service can cope with the scale of destruction of nuclear detonation.”
“Can you imagine companies, businesses that are making millions or billions of dollars of profit, turning to squeeze just that little bit more out by targeting the lowest-paid workers in Australia? We can't stand by while crucial workers nationwide are left worse off. We must always act to ensure that applications like these in no way see workers' pay packets reduced. We must always act to ensure Australia's lowest paid workers are protected from wage cuts.”
“Be it Medicare, universal superannuation—we were never founded on the attitude of 'I'm alright, Jack.' We cannot undervalue the workers who give up their time outside of what we consider regular working hours to provide us with the services that we seek during our downtime. So this bill comes at an important time, as we have seen a sustained effort from certain employers to roll penalty rates and overtime rates into a single rate of pay, leaving some employees worse off. The Fair Work Commission is considering a proposal from employers in the retail, clerical and banking sectors to cut the penalty rates of lower-paid workers who rely on modern awards.”
“It is the rhythm, and rhythm is healthy. The other way we celebrate the weekend is by going out. We might go for a hike or ride bikes, but then we often do stop somewhere for lunch, don't we? We stop at the coffee shops or we go have a nice drink at a bar. I certainly do. I know my friends do. Those lunches, the coffees, the wine bars—they don't make themselves. When we ask other people to adjust their weekly rhythm to suit ours, we need to recognise that and we need to pay for that. The only way to fail to support penalty rates, to fail to support this legislation, is to fail to recognise that someone is putting themselves out there for us, to simply take the attitude that 'I'm alright, Jack.' Labor members do not take that attitude, not in this or in any other area of policy.”
“The Labor Party is Australia's oldest political party. Born from the labour movement, defending workers' rights is in our blood. Now, over 100 years later, we are still here fighting for the rights of workers across this great nation. The Albanese Labor government, like our forebears, is committed to delivering fair pay and decent conditions for Australians. With this bill, the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025, the Albanese Labor government is delivering on a key election commitment to protect the penalty rates of around 2.6 million modern-award-reliant workers, many of whom count on penalty rates to make ends meet. Most people do work a nine-to-five day. Their work and their kids' schooling take place during the week, and on the weekend there is time for rest and togetherness.”
“In his own words, 'the coalition are irrelevant', and they don't need a working group to tell us that. The world is moving forward. Investors are moving towards clean energy. The jobs of the future are here, and where's Sussan Ley? She's hiding behind a slogan—no vision, no backbone, no plan. (Time expired)”
“Let's call it for what it is, the opposition leader has failed as a leader. She talks about moving on from culture wars, about constructive disagreement, but her actions—or a lack of them—tell a very different story. When the Liberals try to strip the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags from official proceedings and roll back welcome to country ceremonies, she says nothing. That's not leadership; that's fear. Meanwhile, corrosive white-anting within her own caucus is chewing through what little authority she has left. When members of her own party, like the member for Canning, vote to abandon net zero, she stays silent. On the back foot, she frantically suggests a working group, only to have Senator Canavan mock the idea for all to hear.”
“Sussan Ley described Labor's proposed tax on super balances over $3 million as a class warfare tactic, in an effort to shield the ultrarich rather than support ordinary retirees. We're delivering instead a better future. We voted for tax relief that puts money back into people's pockets, wages growth that restores dignity and stability and a superannuation system that safeguards retirement. We have a mandate to lift standards, secure futures and build a fairer nation. I commend the motion.”
“We're strengthening super, defining its purpose, defending it from misuse and ensuring it is sustainable for generations to come, because every Australian deserves dignity in retirement. They deserve a system they can rely on, and they deserve a government that puts their futures first. The Association of Super Funds of Australia CEO, Mary Delahunty, said that this is a major milestone in Australia's retirement system. For the first time, they project that a 30-year-old on a median wage will be on track to achieve a comfortable retirement, thanks to July's superannuation guarantee increase to 12 per cent. Yet the Liberal opposition oppose these reforms not for the sake of minimum-wage earners or retirees but to protect the interests of the wealthiest 0.5 per cent.”
“They voted against better retirement incomes for ordinary Australians. Ever since, they've chipped away at it, white-anting it, delaying it, delaying increases and undermining its universality. I often wonder: if the same legislation were introduced today, would the current ragtag coalition even support it? I really do doubt it. Let's be honest. Every delay, freeze and cynical attack on the system has had a cost—a cost not measured in headlines but in the retirement balances of millions of Australians. How many Liberal and National voters realise just how much their side of politics has cost them in retirement? It's hundreds of thousands of dollars—maybe more. The Labor government is taking a different path.”
“On the very same day this year, 1 July, the compulsory superannuation guarantee rose to 12 per cent. Because of this, every Australian worker will retire with tens of thousands of dollars more. The engineers in Ashfield are better off. Pharmacy staff in Ellenbrook are better off. Shop assistants in Bennett Springs are better off. Every worker in Hasluck and across Australia will benefit from this increase. Universal superannuation is a Labor legacy and Australian institution, and it is recognised around the world as part of a gold standard retirement system. It was brought into being by the Hawke and Keating governments and has been defended by every Labor government since. Sadly, the same cannot be said for those opposite. Let's not forget that, when super was introduced in 1991, the Liberals and Nationals opposed it.”
“This is not just about numbers on a tax table; it's about putting money right back into the pockets of the very people who have worked hard and do the right thing. They're people who get up early, raise families, run small businesses and contribute so much to our communities. From 1 July, more than 2.6 million workers on minimum award wages received a 3½ per cent increase. That means a real difference for hospitality workers in the Swan Valley, cleaners in Noranda and aged-care staff in Morley. It's a government backing wage growth—not hoping for it or, as in the case of the coalition, actively planning against it. This is the sixth consecutive increase under Labor, and it reflects our belief that no-one who works full time in Australia should be struggling to make ends meet.”
“This motion goes to the heart of what Labor governments do: make sure Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn. Whether it's tax relief, fair pay increases or strengthening superannuation, this Labor government is delivering for all Australians and delivering for all the people of Hasluck. We know that there are some Australians doing it tough, and it's our job—it's my job—to make life that bit easier and the future that bit more secure. From 1 July, every taxpayer got a tax cut. That's real relief in real time. That's nurses in Midland better off. That's Guildford better off. That's teachers in Bassendean better off. In fact, all workers in Hasluck and across Australia are better off because of this government's decision to deliver tax cuts for everyone.”
“While Australia has not yet signed this treaty, I strongly support the ongoing engagement in the multilateral disarmament efforts. We must work constructively with allies, civil society and, crucially, affected communities to make tangible progress. Let us honour the victims, the survivors and the advocates with more than words; let us honour them with action. I commend the motion to the House.”
“And it underscores our humanitarian responsibility to those who have suffered and to those who stand to suffer if we do not act. Change is possible. In 1986, there were over 70,000 active nuclear warheads. Today, that number is under 4,000. That didn't happen by accident. It happened because people fought for treaties, for diplomacy and for a new way forward. Treaties matter. Effort matters. Australia has long supported the international legal frameworks that underpin nuclear disarmament, particularly the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the treaty of Rarotonga, which keeps the South Pacific nuclear free. We, furthermore, welcome the growing number of countries joining the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”
“The idea that some lives are dispensable, that some human beings are essentially worth less is not only morally obscene but is also the foundation of this kind of destruction. We must fight against apathy and against the illusion that the threat is someone else's problem. Our enemies are not other nations or other people; they are the forces of fear, cynicism and indifference. Nuclear war must never happen. We must never allow it to happen, and there is no greater security issue facing any of us. This motion reaffirms Australia's longstanding commitment to a world without nuclear weapons. It speaks to our values, the dignity of every human life, the rule of law and a fair go for future generations. It reflects our defence interests because nuclear conflict serves no nation and secures no lasting peace.”
“In places like Maralinga and Montebello Islands in WA, the legacy of these tests linger in the land, in the bodies of survivors and in the intergenerational trauma passed on down through the families. We can cannot look forward to peace unless we are honest about the harm that was done here at home. I acknowledge and welcome to the parliament Karina Lester, a second-generation nuclear-test survivor and ICAN ambassador. I represent the people of Hasluck and I style myself as a fighter for Hasluck. I fight for opportunity, I fight for fairness and I fight for a future grounded in hope and stability. But, as we have seen, that fight would be over the moment a nuclear war begins. None of our dreams will survive it; there will be no winners.”
“They have spoken not in vengeance but in warning. They have shared their stories with unwavering courage and in doing so have changed the conscience of the world. We honour the survivor group, Nihon Hidankyo, awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. For decades they have borne witness to and remind us again and again of what nuclear weapons really do. Their work embodies human resilience and moral clarity, they have ensured that the world cannot look away. As a representative of Hasluck, I also reflect on our own history here in Australia of the First Nations communities and military personnel affected by British nuclear testing on our soil. Many lived through the devastation without consent, without information and, for far too often, without justice.”
“I rise today in solemn remembrance of one of the darkest chapters in human history: the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which occurred 80 years ago this August. Over 200,000 lives were lost, many in an instant and many more through the long shadows of radiation sickness, injury, displacement and generational trauma. They were not just numbers. They were children walking to school, parents preparing meals, nurses, artists and builders, their lives interrupted, families erased, futures lost. Those who survived—hibakusha—carried not only the physical scars but also the burden of memory, of trauma passed through generations, and I acknowledge and welcome to the parliament Mr Isao Morimoto, a second-generation hibakusha. Despite such profound suffering, the survivors have chosen the path of peace.”
“I move: That this House: (1)commemorates the 80th anniversaries of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, which caused the deaths of over 200,000 people and left enduring human, environmental and generational harm; (2)congratulates Nihon Hidankyo on their 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for their lifelong work to draw the world's attention to the impact of nuclear weapons, and acknowledges the profound suffering of direct and descendent nuclear bomb survivors (Hibakusha) and nuclear test survivors, including First Nations communities and military veterans affected by British nuclear testing in Australia and the Pacific; (3)recognises the importance of a robust international legal architecture for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, including the cornerstone Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga) and a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty; (4)reaffirms that Australia shares the ambition, with States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, of a world without nuclear weapons; (5)welcomes global efforts to reduce the risk of nuclear war and strengthen disarmament norms; and (6)calls on the Government to continue engaging constructively in international disarmament forums and to work with allies, civil society, and affected communities to advance practical steps towards a world without nuclear weapons.”
“While the coalition plays games and undermines climate action, in Hasluck we plant trees, we restore wetlands, we build climate resilience from the ground up, because the people of Hasluck know that the best time to have planted a tree was, of course, 20 years ago. The second-best time is now, and let's get on with it. (Time expired)”
“If they want a prospect of winning back Hasluck, they need to come and speak to the communities of Brabham and Dayton and talk about 48-degree days and understand exactly what the answer is to ignoring climate action. If you need more evidence of how out of touch and divided the coalition is, just look at their leadership circus. Barnaby Joyce seems more focused on making headlines than policies. Michael McCormack was caught describing climate targets as 'green voodoo' and 'lunatic crusades'. Honestly, it's a basket case—no vision, no unity and certainly no commitments to our planet or our community.”
“This very same weekend, the member for Canning, who I'm very happy is in the chamber to hear this, stood with the WA Liberals and voted to abandon Australia's 2050 net zero target. This is not a policy debate; it's a declaration of climate surrender, and it's so disappointing to have it from you. Let's be clear: net zero isn't radical; it's the global baseline. Every major economy has committed to it. The science is clear, the community wants action and the economic opportunities are enormous, especially for Western Australia, and yet the WA Liberals and the member for Canning are hitching their wagon to climate denialism and reckless political games.”
“I'm proud that, under an Albanese Labor government, we are matching this community effort with real, tangible commitments. In Hasluck I have committed to an urban tree canopy program, which is vital to tackling urban heat and ensuring liveable cities for our future generations. We're restoring critical ecosystems such as in Grogan Swamp and the Ashfield Flats and protecting these wetlands for their biodiversity, water management and cultural importance. These projects aren't just about trees and water; they're about jobs, health, resilience and legacy. But, while communities like ours and governments like ours are building for the future, the coalition is dragging us backwards.”
“This weekend marked National Tree Day, and I rise to pay tribute to the incredible work of our local communities in Hasluck, in particular Ashfield CAN, Eden Hill CAN and the many volunteers at Trillion Trees, who are not just planting trees but also planting hope. In the face of environmental degradation and the very real impacts of climate change, these groups are rolling up their sleeves, digging deep and restoring the lungs of our suburbs. Their work helps cool our neighbourhoods, protects biodiversity and brings people together with purpose. It is the best of what community action can be. Across the nation, Australia in fact came together to plant an incredible 28 million trees. That's over 10 million dedicated hours of volunteer time.”
“This government has absolutely delivered on vital infrastructure, free from scandal and corruption, and will continue to prioritise investments both in infrastructure and housing to ensure that people can have access to affordable housing irrespective of where they live and which postcode they live in across this nation. The Labor Party will continue to deliver.”
“We provide fee-free TAFE, cheaper child care, paid prac for the needed professions and support for apprenticeships, and we are cutting student debt for every Australian who has one. The Australian people prioritised education and the Albanese government delivered greater access for all and reduced debt. I have more to say on housing and on infrastructure but I know I'm going to start to lose time, so I just want to summarise by simply saying we understand and we are listening to the concerns and the challenges that continue to be raised by our electorates. We've heard those being spoken about, in fact, in first speeches—particularly around housing and the need for investment in infrastructure.”
“With cheaper medicines and 60-day scripts, people in Hasluck have saved with every prescription, and with the addition of yet more medications on the PBS, particularly for women's health, savings will continue. We are addressing the scope of practice for a range of healthcare practitioners to take the pressure off GPs as well as the addition of 24/7 telehealth service for GP advice that will be bulk-billed. The Australian people prioritised affordable access to health care. The Albanese government delivered by expanding access and providing for cheaper medicines. At the recent election, when the government received a better outcome than at any election since 1943, the people of Hasluck prioritised educational opportunities. We are meeting the schooling resource standard for every public school in Hasluck and across Australia.”
“The Australian people prioritised cost-of-living measures; the Albanese government delivered cost-of-living relief. At the recent election, where for the first time an Opposition leader lost their seat, the people of Hasluck prioritised health outcomes for their families and communities, as did Australians across the nation. Time will not allow me to list the hundreds of great decisions that have made life easier and made it cheaper for the people in my electorate and around the country to access affordable health care. To name a few: 87 urgent care clinics are already operating, including in Midland and Morley. Fifty more will be added, including one in Ellenbrook—which I strongly advocated for.”
“That's how the government was judged and that's how we will be judged for these next three years. At the recent election, where the Albanese Labor government gained 17 seats in this House, the Australian people prioritised cost-of-living relief. While those opposite prioritised tax-deducted business liquid lunches, the Albanese government delivered tax cuts to all Australians. We provided energy bill relief to all households. We enshrined fee-free TAFE and secured childcare subsidies. We delivered real wage increases for Australian workers. We did all of this while managing the challenge of inflation. Unemployment remained low, and wages rose while the inflation rate fell, defying all expectations, and the Australian people recognised this effort.”
“All I can put it down to is that they are in the first stages of election grief or being in denial, because this MPI topic so close to an election begs the question: does the newly minted Leader of the Opposition actually take the Australian people for fools? Does she take my electors of Hasluck for fools? Does she say that they were wrong when they voted in droves for the 94 people on this side of this House? It's offensive because the people of Australia simply couldn't vote for the LNP agenda. There was so little of that actually presented to the public that it was difficult even to name anything other than a radioactive policy. The voters of Australia voted for a government on its record and how we address the challenges and the priorities that they put to us.”
“I do agree that the role of the opposition, as the member for Wright very well put, is that they are there to hold us to account and hold a mirror to what we have committed, and to that end I think this is very much a welcome opportunity to speak not only to our record but to what the Australian voters voted for. I agreed too with the Leader of the Opposition when she spoke to being back to the future. She is right on that, and that, in this sense, is about the quality of this MPI. Just as we saw in the previous term of this government, for those three years the opposition provided such weak MPIs. It was a lost opportunity to really do their job in opposition.”
“Today, I can stand before you and say that we now have the new Morley-Ellenbrook line that has changed the lives of thousands of people in places like Whiteman Park, Ballajura and Noranda. We now have youth and community hubs and $30 million for swimming pools. We have a university study hub and free TAFE. Midland and Morley urgent care clinics are open, and Ellenbrook will soon have one too. My job is to bring the resources of the federal government to bear, and nothing is more humbling or inspiring to be told, 'We've watched you for three years and we know that we can trust you to do the work that needs to be done.' I thank my volunteers and supporters for their dedication to the Hasluck campaign and our movement for listening, caring and helping to deliver such a resounding victory and a great outcome for my electorate of Hasluck.”
“On a day of first speeches, a little less than three years ago I too stood in this place and gave my own, and, when I got to my feet, I reflected on why I was here. I want to help make people's lives better. I want to unlock the potential of our communities and our nation. I told the parliament how beautiful our area is with its waterways, vineyards and historic centres, and I acknowledged the challenges. I said then that moving around the electorate is one of them, with limited public transport options. The north-east corridor, which centres on Ellenbrook, is one of Perth's fastest growing areas and carries all the needs of a bustling mortgage belt. Access to health, education and social services is harder than in most metropolitan areas.”
“Everything that you asked me to deliver, that you asked this government to deliver and that we have delivered is at risk: energy bill relief, secure jobs, higher wages—at risk; our record investments in Medicare, cheaper medicines and urgent care clinics—at risk; our record investments in housing to build more homes—at risk; our investments in early education, schools, free TAFE and reductions in HECS debts—at risk. The Liberals need the Senate to remove your tax cuts. Do not vote Liberal in the House or the Senate. Don't trust Dutton.”
“It is excellent news for everyone in Hasluck this week with the announcement of two further tax cuts on top of the tax cuts that we already delivered last year. They are not one-offs but permanent tax cuts that will help with the cost of living year in, year out. But now the Liberals say that, if the coalition are elected in May, they will legislate to remove the tax cuts. Liberals making Australian workers pay more tax? Unbelievable! But this election is not just about tax cuts. Tax cuts are not the only thing at risk. Everything is at risk with the Liberals.”
“She has ably undertaken work on—and, if re-elected, will legislate—a universal outdoor mobile obligation, meaning that anyone anywhere in Australia will be able to send messages and make voice calls, including emergency calls. The Albanese government's stated ambition is to make Australia the most connected continent. Minister Rowland has stated that this is not just about infrastructure. It also must come with the long-term interest of consumers, which is about safeguards as well, and this is the mechanism to achieve it. I congratulate the minister for all the extraordinary work she has achieved for our country. I commend the bill to the House.”
“She has been increasing the number of premises with access to NBN fibre upgrades from fewer than 300,000 to more than 4.3 million and is on track to get to five million premises by the end of 2025. The minister has seen an additional 2.7 million higher speed plans taken up—an increase of 80 per cent over the term. The minister has made $480 million of upgrades to the NBN fixed-wireless and satellite networks, more than doubling the average speeds, with more than 800,000 households and businesses in regional, remote and periurban areas benefiting. She has commenced the work on the pathway to minimum download speeds of 100 Mbps to bring Australia into line with international best practice.”