Sam Birrell
Nicholls · National Party · Australia
“They will put it maybe in New South Wales, Western Australia or Queensland, but they won't even consider Victoria. The taxes, the government interference and now this proposed work-from-home legislation just mean that Victoria is not an option.”
“The Mitchell Shire Council has identified the Kilmore-Wallan Bypass as one of the highest advocacy priorities, but the project has been languishing for years. The bypass is essential to improve safety, reduce congestion and return the historic town centre to local residents and businesses.”
“As I've often said in this place, it's a great privilege to represent the electorate of Nicholls in northern Victoria, one of the great food-producing parts of Australia. Recently, I had the great honour to go to a place called Legacy Packing in Cobram for the official relaunch of their state-of-the-art packing facility.”
“As at the last election, the AEC boundary changes meant that the town of Kilmore came into the electorate that I represent, the electorate of Nicholls, and Kilmore is one of the oldest inland towns in Australia. It's a beautiful place. It has bluestone buildings, a historic jail and a monument to Hume and Hovell.”
“A major agribusiness operator in northern Victoria who operates very successfully has told me: 'We're doing no more investment in Australia. The government's making it too hard.”
“We've also got high-tech investment in the dairy industry and the apple and pear industry and we have some new investments in the processing facility SPC, which is an iconic brand in Australia that processes peaches, pears, apples and also tomatoes.”
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“We really need that,' and I say, 'Well, the cupboard is bare because there's no allocation in the growing communities program.' Regional Australia deserves better from this government.”
“I want to pay tribute to my colleague the member for Gippsland, a champion of veterans, for leading the campaign against those changes. Veterans who contacted me were worried, frustrated and feeling overlooked, and these changes would have stripped rights away from the very people who have served our nation. There are a number of people who wouldn't have received much-deserved awards had these changes been in place for some years. Thankfully, they're not going to be in place at all. These examples speak to a broader pattern of misplaced priorities and missteps from this government. Meanwhile, regional funding programs that should be providing practical help in our communities have been either scrapped or starved of new funding. People are coming to me in my community, saying, 'We really need this piece of infrastructure.”
“It ignored the realities of regional life: long distances, freight, farm work, emergency services and families who simply can't afford to lose more time on the road. It was an idea so bad there was not only pushback from regional communities; regional Labor members didn't want it either. Instead of wasting resources on silly ideas, the government must invest in money to repair and maintain our roads. Regional drivers are fed up with dodging potholes, repairing busted wheels and slowing down at roadworks only to see them washed out after a couple of months. The second backflip, another win for common sense, came with Labor abandoning its attempt to weaken the integrity of the Defence honours and awards appeals system.”
“In the Nationals we often talk about bringing common sense to Canberra, and I can tell you that this is needed more than ever. The Albanese government doesn't seem to get regional Australia. They're trying to get farmers to pay for biosecurity, trying to tax unrealised capital gains in the superannuation accounts of farmers and small businesses, and threatening the viability of small pharmacies, which are often the only frontline health services in regional towns. Those attempts all failed, but the backflips are continuing. In another win for common sense, the proposal to drop the default speed on unsigned country roads to 70 kilometres an hour has been dumped. This was a bad idea created in Canberra without any understanding of how regional communities actually live, work and travel.”
“I think there are already some great things in place to assist the continuing combating of migrant exploitation. If there are serious proposals that can be put forward to further address that problem, I think that people on this side of the House would be very interested in working together with the government on it. But I don't think this is serious. I think it's a half-baked solution that doesn't address the problem, and it will lead to further division and harassment by some unions of regional businesses. Therefore, I won't be supporting the bill.”
“When that man died, and I went to his memorial service, there were over 30 Pacific workers and their families who attended and sang the most beautiful songs and music in unison that I've ever heard to honour a person who had put together a business, employed them, treated them so well and provided so much money and work. It was a real combination of capital and labour that worked for both the capital and the labour, and went on. The respect that was shown by him to those workers, and then, when he passed away, by those workers to him, was truly moving. If there's exploitation, it needs to be rooted out. But, more often, these schemes are very good for Australia and very good for the migrant workers who come here. I don't think this bill helps that. I think this bill creates division.”
“No-one in this place wants to see migrant worker exploitation. Where it happens, it needs to be rooted out and prosecuted. I believe, as I said earlier, that both sides have done some good work over the past 20 or 30 years to strengthen that. I just want to finish with an anecdote about what the common experience in regional communities is. A couple of years ago, a very prominent fruit grower from a fifth- or sixth-generation family passed away. It was of great sadness to the community, and I went to his funeral. He had been using the PALM scheme, employing Pacific workers and making sure that he had a vibrant business so that money could be sent back to those communities over generations.”
“So, if we follow the same path from 2023, the minimum payment under a labour agreement has gone from $48,510 to $68,863 and, accounting for indexing, by July next year it will be around $72,000. I have businesses in my electorate that desperately need workers and they have migrants who want to come on a temporary visa, but the mandated pay rates are well above what their Australian workers earn and are unaffordable for the employer. Not having workers is a big problem, because the businesses can't grow and they can't employ other people. And this is not just for farms; this has happened in the auto industry and it's happened in all sorts of industries. We need much greater flexibility in the visa program. Instead, we get this bill, which seems, at best, to be a replication and, at worst, a serious overreach.”
“We don't know what the conditions of the essential skills visa will be, but I do hope it creates a pathway for employers who are currently priced out of the migration system to recruit the workers they desperately need. Why have so many employers been priced out? For most migrant workers, their visa has to meet the temporary skilled migration income threshold. When the Albanese government came to power, it was $53,900. On 1 July 2023, it soared to $70,000. But it is also indexed. In July 2024, it was $73,150 and, in July this year, it's $76,515. And dairy, horticulture and meat operate under labour agreements, which means they have to pay workers equal to or greater than 90 per cent of the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold.”
“This skills in demand visa would have three target pathways: a core skills stream, a specialist skills stream for high earners and an essential skills stream focused on addressing lower income labour shortages. The essential skills stream is especially important for regional businesses because it replaces the labour agreement stream which so many industries rely on in my electorate of Nichols and across regional Australia. Currently, there are labour agreements covering horticulture, dairy and meat. These are all key industries for the Australian national economy—but particularly for regional Australia. Those labour agreements are still being used because, while the core and specialist streams are operating, the essential skills stream has not yet being implemented.”
“They have come into the Goulburn Valley and tried to stir up a lot of trouble where there was no offence or exploitation happening. I think there are areas of migration that it would be better for the Albanese government to focus on. The temporary skilled migration system is failing regional businesses, and a lot of those regional businesses are agricultural businesses. On 11 December 2023 Labor's migration strategy, outlining reform directions for Australia's skilled visa programs, was released. The promise was to 'fix' a 'broken system' and streamline visa processes so they'd better support industries that required temporary workers from overseas to plug workforce shortages. Key to the reforms was the introduction of the skills in demand visa. It replaced the temporary skill shortage visa.”
“Employers of migrant workers—farmers and businesses like those in the Goulburn Valley—care about these migrant workers and know that their businesses can't operate without them, so why would they want to exploit them? Why should they be on a public register saying that they employ X number of temporary workers? Here's what I'm worried it will lead to—and I've seen this in my electorate. It can lead to unions deciding that they will go and harass those businesses, even if there's no evidence of anything being done wrong. I agree with the member for Riverina, who said before that unions have their place. They're an important part of Australian cultural history and an important part of Australian economic history. But I have seen them behave in really disappointing ways.”
“The point I'm making is that there has been a lot of good work from both sides of this chamber, when in government, to try and combat this. So what is being put in place now to help further combat exploitation of migrant workers? Under the guise of protecting migrant workers, this bill allows the publication of personal details of individuals and corporate entities, regardless of whether they've even transgressed. It will publish the sponsor's activity and track record, apparently as a deterrent against the poor treatment of migrant workers. We've already got the risk of prosecution, hefty fines, 10-year bans, and naming and shaming. But those are not enough of a deterrent. I want to emphasise this point.”
“The Fair Work Ombudsman has a wealth of information for migrant workers and offers a dedicated telephone helpline that includes interpreting services. The PALM scheme provides ongoing welfare and wellbeing support to workers throughout their time in Australia, and PALM has a dedicated 1800 number support service. There's adequate information and assistance already available to migrant workers or prospective migrant workers. There's already a name-and-shame register of dodgy employers. That register is a mandatory publication requirement in the Migration Act that triggers Australian Privacy Principle 6.2(b), which permits the Australian Border Force to disclose the personal information of an individual where a law requires it to do so.”
“When you go to the first paragraph, it says: 'A Western Australian business has become the first in the nation to be publicly named and shamed by the Australian Border Force for exploiting vulnerable and migrant workers under the strong new laws introduced by the Albanese government.' That business is still the one and only business that has been shamed on the Border Force prohibited employer register. One business has been named and shamed between July 2024 and November 2025, and that is despite well publicised employer rights material attached to visa applications and despite clear lines of reporting breaches such as underpayment, sexual harassment, pressuring or coercing a temporary migrant to breach a visa condition or pressuring them to hand over their passport.”
“But I will tell you this: since 1 July 2024, the Australian Border Force have had a prohibited employer register providing information about employers, sponsors and third parties who have seriously, deliberately or repeatedly broken the law and have been prohibited from employing additional migrant workers for a period of time. Let me go to the media release of 29 September 2025 from the member for Bruce, the Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs. The release is headlined: 'Australian Border Force names and shames business for exporting migrant workers', which sounds great and we support that.”
“Often what happens in the Goulburn Valley is that these people who are paid a fair wage, by and large, save up enough money to buy their own farms, and that's happened over and over again. It's wonderful to see second-generation people whose parents came here with nothing becoming very wealthy people and able to educate their children in a way that they were never able to be educated because they were able to build the capital, buy their farms, and become incredibly successful business owners. I don't deny there have been instances of migrant worker exploitation, and I believe it is actively sought out, stopped and the offenders prosecuted. If there are better ways we can do that then we are happy to work together on that.”
“Anytime anyone turned up in Australia, even before World War II, from the Albanian community, where were they sent? They were sent to where there was requirement for what was then unskilled labour. Those people often came to the Goulburn Valley, which was a burgeoning irrigation district that had a lot of dairy farms, a lot of fruit orchards. After the war, people from the United Kingdom, southern Europe, the subcontinent, the Middle East and now from Africa and parts of Asia have been welcomed in the Goulburn Valley. We all understand that we would not have built the economic miracle that is the Goulburn Valley without them. People have come to build our industries, which become their industries.”
“I have worked in horticultural industries for a great many years and I have seen a lot of good work on both sides from good people who want to make sure that the people who come from overseas to work in our industries are protected. I'm confident in saying many farmers and businesses in my electorate of Nicholls who welcome migrant workers feel exactly the same way. Skilled migration, whether temporary or permanent, has always been about benefiting both sides of the equation. Farms and businesses facing critical workforce shortages are able to access skills and labour, and migrants are able to access jobs, be paid a fair wage and work under fair employment conditions. We have history of this. This is basically what built the electorate I now represent.”
“I too rise to speak on the Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Bill 2025. This bill will insert a new section into the Migration Act 1958 that authorises the secretary of the Department of Home Affairs to publish a public register containing the details of employee sponsorship of skilled migrants. The bill title attempts to link this register to combating migrant exploitation. I have no issue with combating migrant exploitation or the exploitation of any workers. But particularly vulnerable people who are coming from overseas to work in our industries need to be protected. That is something that is believed on that side of the House and it is something that is believed on this side of the House.”
“Their neighbourhood space in Seymour includes a cafe, a print shop, a skates store and an indoor skate park, with every dollar going straight back to free youth programs. They also run an employment program that gives young people real jobs, real skills and the confidence that they can build a life for themselves. Disconnection and isolation put young people at serious risk, and suicide is now the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15 to 24. That's why supporting programs like Gnarly Neighbours matters. They create safe spaces where young people can grow, connect and find their way. I sincerely thank Jayden Sheridan and the whole Gnarly Neighbours team for their incredible work. Their dedication gives young people belonging, opportunity and a chance to thrive.”
“I make this 90-second statement today as part of Gnarly Neighbours' Gnarly90 campaign, which raises awareness of youth mental health and encourages everyone to take action. The campaign, run by Jayden Sheridan of Seymour, from my electorate, invites people to get involved in their own way with 90 minutes, 90 actions, 90 skate tricks or even just 90 seconds to support young people and show they are not alone. Jayden grew up without stability or support, and he built Gnarly Neighbours so that young people today don't have to face the same struggles he did. Gnarly Neighbours gives kids a safe place to go—a place where they can learn to skate, be creative, talk to mentors and feel part of the community.”
“That might've been picked up by the ABC in relation to national leadership debates, but I won't go there. More recently I had the honour of playing 'Never Tear Us Apart' with my Liberal colleague at the Parliamentary Friends of Brewing.”
“That's a minuscule amount compared to the $8 billion collected annually from alcohol taxes. These businesses have gone through COVID, record high inflation and endless cost-of-living pressures, and we need to do more to support the ongoing viability and growth of our local industries and Australian jobs. Now, pubs and clubs aren't just places to have a drink and socialise; they are places where great Aussie music is played and created. As a musician, I know pubs and clubs are culturally important places. They foster new and emerging artists, and I've had some great moments at the Aussie hotel—even during my first campaign—playing with the legendary Mick Harrington, who appeared on The Voice . We played some great songs, including Oasis's 'Don't Look Back In Anger'.”
“They have to jump through a lot of red tape to set up a business, and that's getting worse. Small businesses are telling me that the red tape, the bureaucracy and everything you have to do to set up and operate a small business are getting worse and worse. I'll give you the example of a fish and chip shop. They say to me: 'I buy some fillets of fish and some chipped potatoes for X and I want to sell them as a lovely cooked product for Y. But in between X and Y, there is an amount of government bureaucracy, whether it be local, state or federal, that wants to take a cut. When you combine that with the increasing energy cost and it is getting impossible to run a small business.' More should be done for Australia's hospitality and alcohol industries. This measure is worth just $90 million over the forward estimates.”
“Those people include not only the people who make the beer—the brewers across Australia—and the people who grow produce that goes into that beer but also the people who operate the hospitality businesses. The shadow Attorney-General gave the example of a fish and chip shop in his electorate. I don't know whether they sell beer with their fish and chips, but I do recommend a Furphy Crisp lager to go along with a battered piece of whiting and some chips. He told that story, and the quote that stuck with me when he asked his question was that these increases in energy costs are making this business untenable. Now, when small-business people who take risk put their personal savings on the line, they don't get paid wages from the government. They have to pay themselves a wage through their toil and their hard work.”
“As we debated during question time, the costs of energy for Australian households and Australian businesses—including brewers and the farmers who need to get the agricultural products such as the hops and the barley to actually make the beer—are going through the roof. Despite significant efforts during question time to ask the minister responsible when prices will come down and what the government's plan is to bring prices down, we couldn't get a straight answer. This minister has made a big deal of his presidency of COP negotiations, and he's made a big deal of going to Brazil and making agreements that are not necessarily in Australia's best interest when it comes to our fossil fuel exports. But we on this side are very concerned about this minister's focus on bringing the price of energy down for people in industry.”
“Just recently, inflation smashed through the RBA's target band, and that means more expensive mortgages and more expensive groceries. The freeze also only applies to on-premises draught beer, not to bottled beer, packaged drinks or wine. If Labor were serious about the issue, it would be looking at every part of the excise system. A pint that's 1c cheaper is not cost-of-living relief. Households need genuine action on the cost of living. Government spending is running at more than four times the rate of the economy and is at its highest level, outside of recession, in nearly 40 years. This reckless spending is keeping inflation higher for longer, and Australian businesses and households are paying for it.”
“We will not stand in the way of a cut to the beer tax, but it is very light relief and it's temporary. Even if a drinker consumed the average of 78 litres a year and it was all draught beer, that would be an annual saving of $3.08. I'm not recommending that people consume 78 litres of beer, although I think some people around this place have attempted it! Something is better than nothing, but, if Labor were serious about alcohol excise reform, they'd have Treasury conduct a comprehensive review of the alcohol excise system. Beer might be treading water, but we are drowning in increased costs. This measure will pause indexation of the beer excise for two years, but it does nothing about inflation in the cost of everything.”
“When they completed the Geelong brewery, they were keen to make a beer with a local connection to Victoria and approached the Furphy family about adding a new beer to their repertoire—a Furphy refreshing ale. J Furphy & Sons continues to make specialist equipment for the brewing industry, and those vessels will house ingredients grown by farmers in the same district and finish up as a refreshing Furphy ale. Why is this excise freeze a little bit of a furphy? Well, the government's two-year freeze on draught beer excise indexation sounds great, but there's not a huge amount to celebrate. It will provide modest relief to venues, saving about 18c per keg, or less than 1c per pint, even over two years. The sentiment of this is right, and the coalition supports the freeze to beer excise indexation.”
“Till your good is better and your better best. In many ways that reflects the endeavour and entrepreneurial spirit that took root across the region as one of the world's greatest irrigation schemes breathed new life into the Goulburn and Murray valleys. The Furphy water cart also gave rise to the term 'furphy', which is slang for an erroneous or improbable story that is claimed to be factual. I've heard a few furphies in here very recently! The story goes that, during World War I, soldiers would gather around the Furphy water cart, and it was a place where rumours and tall stories abounded. Then Furphy became a beer, not just any beer but one of Australia's top-selling beers. Little Creatures Brewing built their breweries in Fremantle and Geelong and used stainless steel tanks and fermenters supplied by Furphy Engineering, in Shepparton.”
“Agriculture is at the heart of the beer supply chain, and around five per cent of all beer is made in Australia for local consumption with wholly Australian beer supply chains. We did a brewers tour of Nicholls, and I was honoured to have people—among them the member for Casey, the member for Monash and some Victorian parliamentarians—come and visit a barley grower in a place called Dookie, the Shepparton Brewery and, very importantly, J Furphy & Sons, which makes the tanks that a lot of beer is brewed in around Australia. J Furphy & Sons has been manufacturing in Australia since 1864 and is one of Australia's oldest continuously operating family businesses. Furphy water carts are world famous, and the tank ends are highly collectible. Consistently embossed on the tank ends is a little poem: Good, better, best. Never let it rest.”
“I rise to speak on the Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025 and the associated bill. From the outset, I make it clear that the beer relief offered by these bills is a bit of a 'Furphy', but it is very important; I'll come back to that shortly. I love a beer, like many Australians. Indeed, I co-chair the Parliamentary Friends of Brewing group with my good friend the member for Cunningham. We co-hosted a Parliamentary Friends of Brewing event this week. But beer isn't all about consumption; beer is good for the economy. The Australian brewing industry spends around $500 million on domestically sourced agricultural ingredients such as barley and hops. A lot of that barley is grown in my electorate of Nicholls. Some of the hops is grown in Tasmania, and a lot of it's grown in the electorate of Indi, around the Mansfield area.”
“The Albanese government has got to stop with the rhetoric, get on with some action and make sure more aged-care beds are made available for elderly Australians so that they're not languishing in hospitals when they should be in aged-care facilities.”
“They deserve comfort, like the elderly residents at the aged-care facility called Ottrey Homes in Cobram, on the Murray River in my electorate, which I visited last week. Those elderly Australians built that community of Cobram. They built the shops, the orchards and the dairy companies. They taught at the schools. They worked in the local businesses. As they age, they have the right to age in place and to take deserved advantage of the community and the society that they have helped to create. We've got to make sure that, as a country, we look after these elderly Australians. All of the statistics and all of the facts that I've just outlined indicate that they are not being looked after.”
“The Prime Minister promised to put the care into aged care, but instead we have a crisis that is crippling our hospital systems, failing some of the most vulnerable people in our community and forcing the states and territories to deal with the fallout. Elderly Australians across our cities and regions deserve much better than this. Elderly Australians, particularly in regional areas, have been let down with delays to home-care packages. Thanks to coalition pressure, some of those aged-care packages—not all, but at least some of them—were released earlier. It took a lot of advocacy on our part to make that happen. Our elderly Australians deserve to age in the communities that they built. They deserve dignity.”
“In Victoria, there are 246 older patients stuck in state hospitals. New South Wales health minister Ryan Park said, 'The number of patients waiting for placements has surged by over 60 per cent in the past year leading to mounting human and system costs and an immediate reduction in available acute beds.' Urgent action is needed to protect older Australians who are being failed by Labor's incompetence. Only five per cent of the required new aged-care beds were provided last financial year, leaving 238,000 older Australians waiting for home-care support. We shouldn't have elderly Australians languishing in hospital beds with nowhere to go.”
“The state and territory leaders held an emergency meeting last week on aged-care beds and hospitals. The Queensland and Tasmanian premiers specifically issued statements calling on the federal government to rescue older Australians left occupying hospital beds instead of being in aged care. The Queensland health minister, Tim Nicholls, said some patients were waiting 250 to 280 days in hospital with one patient staying in hospital for more than 400 days. Elderly South Australians experience the longest wait times nationally, 253 days, for a Commonwealth aged-care bed, leading to equally high rates of hospital bed use. In Western Australia, a shortage of aged-care beds is leaving about 300 older patients stranded in WA hospitals daily, occupying beds necessary for acute care.”
“The Albanese government's lack of investment in residential aged care has been laid bare. Residential aged care supply increased by just 578 beds in 2024-25, less than one-tenth of the 10,600 additional places needed per year to meet demand as projected by the department. The Boxwell & Co analysis confirms that Australia's aged-care supply crisis has reached a critical tipping point, with occupancy levels hitting 94.4 per cent and full capacity projected within three years. Three states—New South Wales, WA and Tasmania—have had no growth at all; in fact, they went backwards. They have had a net decrease in aged-care beds thanks to Labor. Already, the failure of the Albanese government to open new beds is leaving elderly people stranded in hospitals when they should be recuperating and staying in an aged-care bed.”
“I move: That this House: (1) notes the failure of the Government to deliver adequate aged care beds, with only 802 new residential aged care beds despite an annual need for more than 10,000 new beds; (2) condemns the Government for forcing older Australians to remain in hospital beds with no medical need, leaving them 'effectively homeless' due to a severe shortage of aged care placements, at the expense of other patients needing urgent care; (3) acknowledges the serious warnings from state health ministers, including from New South Wales and South Australian ministers, that this failure is blocking hospital beds, contributing to bed block in emergency departments, cancelled surgeries, and gridlock across public hospital systems; and (4) further notes that the Government claims to be investing in aged care but the current approach is clearly failing older Australians, hospital staff and patients, and demonstrates yet another example of the Government announcing big promises without delivering the necessary outcomes.”
“This century is not only a celebration of past achievements but also a recognition of the values that have guided Hansen Yuncken's journey: trust, excellence and connection to the local community. On behalf of all the residents of Nicholls, I want to acknowledge the generations of Hansen and Yuncken families and the countless staff past and present who have contributed to their remarkable legacy across Shepparton, the Goulburn Valley and now, indeed, Australia. Congratulations on 100 years of success, service, commitment and making sure local kids have opportunities in trades and other jobs. May the next century continue to bring innovation, growth and pride to Shepparton, the Goulburn Valley and beyond. Thank you, Hansen Yuncken.”
“Employing local tradies, supporting local suppliers and fostering opportunities for young apprentices has strengthened our community and ensured that skills and expertise stay in our region. It's always a delight to see Hansen Yuncken signs when you drive past a building site, because you know local tradies are being employed, local businesses are being supported and our community is benefiting. The company is now visible across Australia, where you will find their projects at the centre of everyday life, from universities and schools to iconic arts precincts, commercial and industrial buildings and public buildings for Defence and the Australian Tax Office.”
“I'd like to send my warmest congratulations to the incredible team at Hansen Yuncken on 100 years of continuous building excellence in Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley. For a century, Hansen Yuncken has bee more than just a construction company. Founded by Lauritz Hansen and Otto Yuncken with a simple handshake, the company has been a vital part of our community, shaping the places where we live, work, learn and come together. From early projects with Ardmona and Kyabram cannery to modern facilities like the Greater Shepparton Secondary College, All Saints Anglican School and the Goulburn Valley hospital accommodation project, their work has left a lasting mark on our region. Equally important is the ongoing commitment to the people of Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley.”
“If the government wants to be authentic—the member for Monash and I hope to be in government one day, so we'll have to stand by what we've said today, but I'm prepared to do that—and if people want to be authentic in this place, they've got to open themselves up to scrutiny. A good government is not afraid of scrutiny. This bill reduces transparency and creates more places to hide information. We need more transparency, not less. There are experts out there, who we agree with, who suggest this bill will erode the foundations of freedom of information, and that is a backwards step for Australia. I'll just finish—as some people do when debating politics—with the words of an episode from Yes, Minister . A good government opens itself up to transparency and open government.”
“I think we were going to talk about energy, taxation and agriculture. But none of that got talked about, because the government, in what I might say was a very arrogant way, stood up and said, 'We are suspending standing orders and cancelling the MPI.' Is that the way a government that is welcoming scrutiny and is prepared to defend its position behaves? I don't think so. Many Australians are concerned about these changes. Trust in government has diminished. I came into this parliament in 2022, as did the member for Curtin. The member for Monash came in the last election, in 2025. I think we all came into this place because we wanted to represent our people and are prepared to be authentic in the way we do that.”
“It's a great opportunity, as I did last week, to be able to bring up the plight of some of the hardworking taxpayers in my electorate, and what they go through, and why I think the government sometimes wastes the tax that comes from their hard work. The government then get to rebut and explain why they're doing what they're doing. I think that's healthy. It's a good way for parliament to be able to debate issues, not so much in question time or in what we're doing now, which is debating legislation. But it's a bit of back and forth. I think the MPI is a good thing. Today, the government decided to suspend standing orders and, effectively, cancel the MPI. In the MPI, all of us in the coalition were going to talk about the government's attitude and actions towards regional Australia. I think that would have been a really good debate.”
“It's saying, 'We don't want scrutiny.' It's saying, 'We don't want an effective opposition to be able to hold us to account.' I can't remember, over the course of my life when I've had an interest in politics, another government behaving like this in relation to the fair allocation and resourcing of opposition. I'll give you another example about the avoidance of debate. Today, there was to be a matter of public importance debate. These things are important because they give members of the opposition, the coalition or the crossbench, the ability to raise matters of public importance—matters that are important to the people they, and we, represent. I think it's great opportunity. It's sort of 10 minutes, 10 minutes and then five each.”
“These changes would make it harder for journalists, parliamentarians, and citizens to scrutinise government decisions, and could silence the voices of vulnerable or marginalised applicants. I think this government is not really interested in scrutiny. I think that got worse through its first term and its conduct during the second term highlights that, with the reduction of staff and allocations to opposition. Opposition and the crossbench are all interested in holding the government to account in the interests of the people they represent in this parliament, and they need a fair application of staff to be able to do that. For the Prime Minister and the government to come in and withdraw that staff—that hints to something very dangerous in the culture of the Albanese government.”
“The Law Council is opposed to those areas of the Bill that have the tendency to undermine the core principles of FOI, implement barriers to the public accessing information, and enlarge the scope of exemptions. The Law Council aren't the only ones who have problems with this. The Centre for Public Integrity weighed in on the merits of the bill: Australia's freedom of information (FOI) laws are meant to guarantee transparency, accountability, and public trust in government. Yet the Centre for Public Integrity warns that the proposed Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025 risks taking Australia backwards. The Bill weakens the FOI Act's pro-disclosure foundations by expanding Cabinet and deliberative process exemptions, introducing fees, and removing anonymous applications.”
“While welcoming efforts to streamline FOI processes and minimise misuse of these processes, the Law Council was of the view: A number of the proposals in the Bill extend beyond efficiency gain and weigh against the central objectives of the FOI Act… We suggest the Bill includes several amendments which may have the effect of reducing transparency around Government decision-making and hindering scrutiny of matters in the public interest, contrary to the obligations under the FOI Act to 'facilitate and promote access to information promptly and at the lowest cost'… On balance. the Law Council recommends the Bill not be passed in its current form.”